Apocalypse: Inhuman Ascension

Well, it was a bit wrong saying Leon lost consciousness. More specifically, he lost rationality. His pupils turned red from rage, and his figure suddenly became more horrifying and menacing.

Before anyone could move, he shot at Sophia, or at least the creature inhibiting her.

Bang!

The parasite was unable to react quick enough as Leon's fist, coated in purple aura smashed into her torso. The parasite folded into two, then shot back from the impact. Leon didn't let up, and immediately chased after her

Whilst her body was wrecked by the Null Impact, she immediately controlled the tentacles on her head to stab into the ground, stopping her movement forcefully.

By the time she finally stopped, the white-haired undead devourer was already upon her.

The parasite's single eye blinked, then she lashed out at him. With his claws elongated, Leon clashed with the sharp blades at the tip of the tentacles, sending sparks through the air.

Surprisingly, despite inhibiting the body of a weak third-level evolved, the parasite could still fight Leon. At least, for a few minutes.

Ripp~!

Leon tore her tentacles apart, then slammed his palm directly into her abdomen. The blow resounded like a thunderclap, and a hole was created in her midsection.

Still, it wasn't enough. His hands clamped down on her shoulders, then he pulled them apart. Although the tentacles tried to stop him by wrapping around his arms in defiance, Leon's strength far surpassed theirs.

A ghostly mist seemed to coil around him, and his claws dug into the shoulder blades. With one brutal pull, he tore her into two, then immediately punched the two parts away.

Watching his undisputed fury, the other evolved humans of Cleveland felt their throats turn dry. They had never seen something so terrifying.

"Is… is he even human?" Ezekiel asked nervously, gripping his weapon tightly.

Beside him, Austin remained silent, his eyes showing a bit of pain. Even though he hated Sophia, she was still his little sister. Seeing her turn into a grotesque monster was painful.

He turned to look at Toji, his face livid. Whatever had happened to her, that foreigner guy must have known.

To his surprise, Toji's face was filled with shock. Nothing better could describe his astonishment other than his jaw being dropped on the ground. Finally, his lips quivered and he shouted.

"W-what the hell is that?! What happened to Sophia?! My Sophia!"

His voice sounded anguished, like a man who had lost something precious. The evolved around him were equally perplexed. They hadn't noticed anything amiss with the woman, so why did she suddenly change?

Hesitantly, a man stepped forward. His face was etched with fear as he gazed at Sophia's monstrous figure in the distance.

"T-two days ago, when we had our meeting with those Bull Shelter guys, I noticed she was mumbling strange words."

He gulped, feeling the heavy stares of Austin and Toji.

"I asked her if everything was alright, but she said she was fine and even asked if I was okay…"

Austin's jaws clenched. The man's words indeed confirmed his guess. Something had possessed his sister and took over her body. Even then, both shelters hadn't been aware and had been interacting with her ever since then.

'When did she even turn like that?'

Several questions plagued his mind, but he had no answer to them. His attention turned to the new team which had taken down the Godzilla.

Currently, Anna was crouched beside Cassie, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. The blue-eyed girl had fallen unconscious, her face growing paler. The others surrounded them, all shocked and worried. They were all close with Cassie and were pained to see her in this fatal condition.

Sylvia had bolted after Leon, either to help him fight the parasite or to quell his rage. As for the Red Valkyries, they surrounded Cassie and the others with grim expressions. They definitely weren't going to allow a second mistake to happen again.

Finally, after some effort, the bleeding stopped, making everyone sigh in relief. Even an evolved wasn't exempt from dying from blood loss, after all.

Anna's expression eased, then turned cold. Gripping her skeletal whip tightly, she walked towards Toji's group.

Seeing that girl covered in Godzilla's blood approach them with her malevolent weapon, every single Saber Fangs member took a step back, tensed.

They immediately knew that this teenage girl had no good intentions towards them.

...…

Meanwhile, Leon was still immersed in ripping the still-healing parasite apart. Despite the grievous injuries inflicted on her, the parasite continued to heal itself at unbelievable speed.

However, that only brought her into a cycle of torment as Leon kept inflicting injuries upon her, before the last ones even healed completely.

Sylvia watched all this with a subtle expression, her eyes entirely focused on Leon. While the others might think he was in an enraged mode, she was able to clearly sensed the emotions of sorrow being emanated from him.

'Is this it? A result of our being sorrowful?'

She understood that she and Leon were no longer humans, and a different species. With no predecessors, they hadn't been able to explore the full psychology of their kind. Therefore, seeing this brought some enlightenment to her.

'Is this how I'd react if my family was killed?'

Unlike most, her family was still intact, and safe behind the Red Wings walls. As she asked herself that question, an unpleasant feeling welled up in her heart, causing her expression to distort.

'Ah… I get how Boss feels right now…'

The fight between Leon and the parasite continued to rage on in a test of endurance. The parasite, forced into defensive, could only heal itself while enduring Leon's attacks. As for Leon, his mind was clouded in anguish as he tore at the thing before him. His determination to see it utterly destroyed was so potent, that it became twisted.

Finally, the parasite's healing slowed considerably as she had expended far more essence than she had. Her body collapsed to the ground, then was torn apart by Leon, unable to put up any resistance.

Even then, Leon continued to claw at the ground. At this point, Sylvia came beside him, then gently pulled him back. He retaliated violently, biting deep into her shoulder.

The silver-haired girl winced but endured the pain. Slowly, his jaws relaxed, and she felt him go unconscious. Just as she sighed in relief, her system interface lit up.

[You have been marked by a Progenitor]

[You are now under the rule of the Red Monarch]