[TWD x Resident Evil] — Chapter 739 - Did We Lose?
Then.
SPLT—
A hard wooden spike drilled straight out from beneath Leon's left shoulder blade without warning.
It wasn't an attack from outside.
It was growth.
Savage growth erupting from deep inside his own body.
The tough spike ruptured skin, tore through muscle, and burst into open air trailing blood and strips of torn flesh.
Searing agony exploded through every nerve in Leon's body.
"Ugh—!"
Leon let out a stifled groan. The Telekinesis that could crush steel wavered for just a fraction of a second.
Alexia Ashford seized that fleeting opening. The vines coating her body surged outward violently, forcing the invisible pressure back by an inch.
"Do you see it now, Leon?"
Her voice carried morbid delight. She breathed in greedily, savoring the agony on her prey's face.
"My garden is everywhere."
"Every cell in your body is my nursery!"
SPLT! SPLT!
Two more spikes erupted through him—one from his right abdomen, one from his left thigh.
Each growth detonated like a tiny bomb inside him. Wave after wave of agony hammered his will, making it impossible to concentrate, impossible to maintain the Telekinesis crushing Alexia.
Leon dropped to one knee. Veins bulged on his forehead. Cold sweat slid down his face.
He tried to gather his Telekinesis again, but every attempt disturbed the "seeds" inside him and brought nothing but more violent, stabbing pain.
"Exit, everyone."
Alexia didn't look at Leon anymore.
She turned to the scientists still frozen in place and spoke softly.
The 38 elite researchers turned like worker ants receiving a command and marched in perfect lockstep toward the banquet hall doors.
Soon, the stage was empty.
"Now then..." Alexia turned back. She looked down at Leon kneeling on the floor, those blood-red eyes filled with the lazy amusement of a cat toying with a mouse.
"We can have a proper conversation."
"Either kneel and become the most perfect piece in my collection."
"Or be torn to shreds and fertilize my garden."
"Your choice!"
Leon lifted his head. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he smiled.
That smile held no fear, only the madness of a man pushed to the absolute edge who'd let go of everything.
Fuck Telekinesis.
Today I'm killing you with my bare hands.
BOOM!
The marble floor beneath Leon's feet exploded.
He lunged like a maddened bull, ignoring the spikes tearing through him, and hurled himself straight at Alexia.
The smile froze on Alexia's face.
She truly hadn't expected this man to explode with such terrifying willpower while in such extreme agony.
Her instinct screamed to dodge.
Too late.
Leon crashed into her. The impact sent her toppling backward, slamming her hard into the ground.
Leon gave her no chance to breathe.
He flipped and straddled her, bloodshot eyes locked on target. Then both hands clamped down like iron vises around that slender, pale throat.
No fancy techniques.
Just pure, savage strangulation.
"Ugh..."
Alexia's pupils contracted. Suffocation flooded her brain instantly.
For the first time, panic appeared on that perfect face.
She tried to struggle, but Leon's body was a mountain pinning her down, leaving no room to move.
She tried to fight back with the T-Veronica Virus, but those spikes inside Leon had already drained too much of her energy.
And this man seemed to feel no pain at all, letting the spikes tear through him while pouring every ounce of strength into the hands throttling her throat.
"You... mad... man..."
Alexia squeezed out broken syllables, her face flushing red from oxygen deprivation.
She truly felt the threat of death.
This self-proclaimed goddess, this monster who'd held the entire world in her palm, was she really going to be choked to death by a "primitive" using the most primitive method?
No!
Absolutely not!
The T-Veronica Virus inside Alexia surged to its absolute limit.
RRRIP,
The blood-red gown tore apart from inside. Vine-like tendrils erupted from beneath her skin and coiled around her limbs and torso like living things.
Her body still looked human, but the inhuman aura grew heavier by the second.
First Form!
Leon felt the change beneath him but didn't loosen his grip. He squeezed harder.
Today he'd find out whether her neck was tougher or his grip was stronger.
On the verge of losing consciousness entirely, Alexia launched her final counterattack.
Those neatly manicured nails transformed into jet-black talons in a single second.
Then, without hesitation, she slashed her left talons across her own right arm.
SPLAT!
Crimson blood sprayed from the wound.
But it didn't drip to the ground. The instant it hit air, it hissed sharp and loud, like gasoline catching fire.
Alexia snapped her arm in a violent swing.
The burning blood lashed out like a whip of fire straight at Leon's face.
Leon wanted to dodge, but he needed to choke this woman to death.
Take it!
BOOM,!
Savage flames swallowed him whole.
The scorching shockwave hurled Leon backward. He slammed hard into a distant column.
"Cough... cough..."
Leon struggled up from the ground. His clothes hung in burned tatters. His skin was covered in blisters and scorch marks.
That split second of heat had nearly cooked him through.
Alexia slowly rose from the ground.
Her magnificent gown had been reduced to strips of cloth. Dark-red vines covered her body. The wound on her right arm healed at a visible rate.
She looked at Leon in the distance, wretched and battered. The teasing amusement was gone from her face entirely.
She raised her right hand. The dark-red vines in her palm writhed and intertwined. A spear made of dense, tough wood slowly grew from the center of her palm.
"The game is over."
Alexia gripped the spear and leveled it at Leon on the ground.
➤ Next: The G-Creature!