....
"Everyone, take cover!" Jertingham shouted as he grabbed Brad and pulled him toward a safer position.
A split second later—
SWOOOSH—BOOM!!
The rocket fired from Nemesis's launcher streaked through the air and detonated violently, unleashing a massive explosion that tore through nearby vehicles and shattered parts of the surrounding buildings. Flames erupted, metal twisted, and debris was hurled in every direction, forcing the team to dive for cover.
Nemesis calmly reloaded, its movements disturbingly efficient, almost professional. Without hesitation, it fired again—this time aiming directly at Sienna, Caroline, and Marissa on the rooftop.
SWOOOSH—!
"Shit!" Caroline cursed as she grabbed Marissa and yanked her backward, while Sienna had already leapt away moments earlier, narrowly avoiding the blast.
BOOM!!
The rooftop collapsed under the impact. Concrete cracked apart, steel supports snapped, and a massive billboard toppled over, crashing down into the street below.
As Caroline dragged Marissa across the rooftop rubble, Marissa groaned in protest.
"Hey—next time, at least try to be gentler," she snapped. "You're dragging me around like a sack of potatoes."
Nemesis didn't stop.
Rocket after rocket rained down on their position, turning the street into a war zone.
"Damn it!" Jertingham shouted, narrowly avoiding a direct hit as another explosion obliterated a nearby car. "Since when can a monster use heavy weapons like a trained soldier?!"
"S.T.A.R.Sssss…"
Nemesis roared again, its distorted voice echoing between the buildings as it began advancing toward them, each heavy step cracking the pavement beneath its boots.
As the Tyrant entered a narrow alley between the buildings, Marissa smirked and pressed the detonator.
BOOOOM!!
A massive explosion erupted beside Nemesis, collapsing part of the building and burying the Tyrant under tons of concrete, steel, and rubble.
For a brief moment—silence.
Then the rubble shifted.
Nemesis burst free, emerging from the debris as if nothing had happened, its body scorched but fully functional. The explosion had only fueled its rage.
"Shit… why won't it die?" Marissa growled. "Captain, we're going to need something way bigger if we want to take that thing down."
Meanwhile, from a concealed position not far behind them, Nicolai watched everything unfold through his camera, recording every second.
"Heh… serves you right," Nicolai muttered with a twisted grin. "Now you know how it feels."
His expression darkened slightly as he scanned the area.
Still, one thought lingered in his mind.
Where is Thanatos?
The monster that had once hunted him should have appeared by now—and the fact that it hadn't only made him more uneasy.
Back with Echo Six, the team was running at full speed, desperately searching for a safe position as explosions echoed behind them.
"Captain, I don't think we can fight that thing head-on," Morris said between heavy breaths. "As much as I hate to say this… it might be better if we use Dr. Muller's creation to deal with that monster."
Jertingham clenched his jaw, clearly sharing the same disgust toward the idea, but he nodded anyway.
"Alright. We fall back for now," he said firmly. "I'll deploy Thanatos to engage the Tyrant."
He quickly pulled out the tablet Dr. Muller had handed him earlier, the screen lighting up as encrypted control protocols activated. Without wasting another second, the team sprinted toward the staging area where other military personnel were regrouping—an open zone secured for temporary rest.
At the center of the area, Thanatos stood motionless, restrained and dormant, its massive form looming like a sleeping nightmare.
Then—its eye snapped open.
The restraints released with a sharp mechanical hiss, and Thanatos suddenly lunged forward, charging straight toward the Echo Six team with terrifying speed.
"Where did that monster go?!" one of the soldiers on guard shouted, raising his weapon in panic.
"I don't know," another guard replied nervously, backing away. "Forget it. Let's not get involved. Honestly… I'm kind of relieved that other thing is gone. Just being near these monsters makes my skin crawl."
And Nemesis, now fully focused on hunting down Echo Six, finally came face to face with Thanatos. The two bio-weapons stood opposite each other, their massive frames radiating pure hostility. There was no hesitation, no warning.
Without wasting a second, Nemesis raised its launcher and fired a missile straight at Thanatos.
Swush—
But Thanatos reacted instantly. With terrifying speed and raw strength, it caught the incoming rocket mid-air and hurled it back toward Nemesis. Nemesis narrowly avoided the counterattack, leaping aside as the missile flew past it.
The rocket slammed directly into a nearby building—one that Nicolai just happened to be hiding inside.
"Shit… I'm really starting to hate my job," Nicolai muttered.
BOOM!
The building exploded in a violent fireball. Nicolai was blasted out by the shockwave, his body thrown through the air before crashing hard onto the ground. The explosion was devastating—but the pain was worst in one particular place.
"AAGHHHHH—!!"
He screamed in agony, clutching his groin as unbearable pain tore through him. His vision blurred, his eyes bloodshot, filled with pure hatred as reality finally set in.
Nicolai stared downward, trembling.
He was still alive—but the explosion had taken something from him forever.
Now, he wasn't just injured.
He was a castrated as a result of the explosion.
He could even see his testicles dangling, almost severed, held only by a thin strip of flesh preventing them from being completely torn off.
"Fuckkkkkk!"
Meanwhile as Nemesis and Thanatos prepared to clash once more, the city itself seemed to tremble—caught between two monsters that cared nothing for human lives, only destruction.
Military personnel soon began converging on the area, drawn by the sheer scale of the destruction. One by one, armored units took cover, their reactions a mix of disbelief and fear as they witnessed two monsters clashing in front of them—each blow shaking the ground, each movement defying everything they understood about biology or warfare. None of them had ever imagined a battlefield where weapons like tanks or rifles felt utterly insignificant compared to what they were seeing now.
....
Meanwhile, Sergei, stationed inside one of the Spencer Villas hidden within Raccoon City, watched the chaos unfold through live CCTV feeds and Umbrella helicopter footage. The screens flickered with images of Nemesis and Thanatos, locked in brutal combat. The sight clearly excited him—his fingers twitched, an itch he couldn't quite suppress. Part of him wanted to be there, to step into the battlefield himself and test his strength firsthand. But for now, his attention was divided. He was still tracking Dr. William, who was believed to be hiding somewhere within the city's sewer system. Sergei knew his chance would come later.
"Sergei," Spencer asked calmly as he observed the footage beside him, "who do you think will win?"
Sergei didn't hesitate. "Isn't it obvious, sir? Nemesis. Thanatos may be powerful, but it lacks the intelligence Nemesis possesses."
Spencer let out a low, satisfied laugh. "Hahaha…"
He seemed unusually pleased today. Just a few hours earlier, Alex had sent him a small vial containing a serum—one that promised to allow him to walk again. Of course, it wasn't that simple. The treatment still required extensive testing, and Alex had strongly advised beginning with cloning experiments to ensure the serum's safety. Given Spencer's advanced age, the risks were considerable.
What Spencer wasn't told—at least not explicitly—was that the serum was a defective derivative, one of several unstable compounds developed from Dr. Annette's research. The drug behaved much like a narcotic. If the user stopped taking it, the effects would reverse violently. Spencer would lose his ability to walk again, possibly worse—and dependency was almost guaranteed. Alex deliberately withheld these side effects, leaving Spencer to discover the truth on his own when it was already too late.
"Well," Spencer said after a moment, his voice carrying a trace of weariness, "I suppose I'm already too old. When the time comes, I may leave everything to you, Sergei. The T-Virus will grant you a long life. Would you be interested in reshaping the world according to your own will after I'm gone?"
Sergei immediately lowered his head. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't believe I'm worthy of such a role. Only you are capable of guiding the world. I exist solely to follow your orders—and to help build the world you envision."
His loyalty was absolute. Sergei had no interest in human evolution, no grand ideology of his own. His only desire was to serve his master's will, no matter the cost.
Spencer nodded slowly, clearly satisfied with the answer.
To him, Sergei was nothing more than a tool.
And when the time came, like any other tool, he would be discarded without hesitation.
....
Meanwhile, Ron Davis, Dr. Muller, and Simmon were also watching everything unfold. Each of them had their own agenda regarding these biological weapons. Ron Davis and Muller had already begun preparing to cooperate, discussing the possibility of mass-producing these creatures once sufficient combat data had been gathered. For them, the chaos in Raccoon City was not a tragedy, but a large-scale field test—one that would determine whether these weapons were viable for deployment on a global level. If successful, production facilities could be established, and the creatures could be sold or deployed as the ultimate deterrent, reshaping the balance of power through fear and raw destructive capability.
Simmon, however, viewed the situation from a very different angle. His primary interest lay in collecting as much data as possible on both Nemesis and Thanatos—their adaptability, intelligence, combat instincts, and regeneration. To him, these monsters were merely stepping stones. He intended to create a being far superior to Thanatos, a weapon powerful enough to serve as a counterbalance to the Federation's growing influence. In Simmon's mind, biological supremacy was the key to geopolitical equilibrium, and whichever faction controlled the strongest creature would ultimately dictate the future of the world.
.....
Thanatos then moved from a distance of fifteen meters, lunging forward with incredible speed and slashing at Nemesis with his sharp claws. However, Nemesis reacted instantly, firing a rocket at point-blank range. Boom! The explosion hurled Thanatos backward nearly five meters as the missile detonated against his body. Enraged, Thanatos roared loudly, the sound echoing through the ruined streets. He then grabbed a nearby car, lifting it with raw brute strength, and hurled it straight toward Nemesis. Crash! The impact forced Nemesis to release his weapon as the vehicle smashed against him.
Seeing this opening, Thanatos charged forward at full speed, attempting to impale Nemesis with his claws. But Nemesis countered swiftly, delivering a powerful kick that sent Thanatos flying once again, skidding violently across the ground. Nemesis did not hesitate—he sprinted toward Thanatos, leaped into the air, and slammed into him with overwhelming force. Thanatos barely managed to evade the full impact, but both monsters ended up crashing into a collapsing building, rubble and concrete burying them as the structure gave way.
"My god… this is like watching a battle between titans," Marissa muttered in disbelief. The soldiers who had begun moving closer also froze in shock, witnessing a fight that clearly surpassed anything they could comprehend or intervene in.
The battle between the two Tyrants was nothing short of spectacular, far beyond anything they could have ever imagined. The sheer scale and brutality of the clash exceeded all expectations, turning the surrounding area into a complete war zone. Zombies that wandered too close were instantly caught in the crossfire, their bodies torn apart, crushed, or incinerated without either monster even acknowledging their existence.
Each collision sent shockwaves through the streets, shattering windows, collapsing walls, and reducing entire sections of the city into rubble. To the observers, this was no longer a fight between biological weapons—it looked more like two living disasters colliding, indifferent to everything around them. For the soldiers watching from a distance, it was a terrifying reminder that in a battle like this, even monsters could become collateral damage.