Chapter 100 Prelude to the Final Battle—Elivise, the Prototype

After the two Goliath-class aerospace carriers demonstrated their overwhelming ground-attack capabilities, the entire battlefield briefly fell silent.

The Goliaths resembled two colossal aerial gunships anchored in the sky, continuously pouring fire onto the surface.

Under that overwhelming suppression, the allied armies advanced without pause.

According to Ethan’s original plan, Operation Heaven’s Judgment was intended to compress every biochemical organism into the three infected hive cities.

Once the containment lines were established, the combined forces would launch a general offensive.

Elivise would then absorb the core of each biochemical hive.

According to the system’s notifications and Dr. William’s analysis of the recovered samples, the Blacklight virus inside Elivise undoubtedly contained SCP-008’s progenitor strain.

SCP-008 had divided into so many different biochemical viruses because it possessed an instinctive desire to evolve.

Evolution and mutation were its most fundamental instincts.

Infinite evolution created an equally infinite number of possible paths.

The SCP-008 progenitor strain had chosen to inhabit the Blacklight virus because the latter possessed limitless potential.

Its host could evolve continuously until becoming something resembling a perfect life-form.

However, the progenitor and daughter strains split from SCP-008 existed in a competitive relationship.

It was a winner-takes-all game.

The victor would become the most powerful biochemical evolutionary organism.

The defeated would become nourishment for the winner.

Obadiah had fused with a relatively powerful T-virus mutation derived from one of SCP-008’s daughter strains.

That was why he could control such enormous zombie hordes and armies of mutated creatures.

He had most likely seized control of all three biochemical hives.

That was nearly the limit of Obadiah’s current abilities.

Given enough time, however, he could use the three hives and the Stark Industries factories inside the infected cities to manufacture endless varieties of flesh-and-machine weapons.

Once that happened, eliminating him would become considerably more difficult.

After encountering Ethan’s offensive, Obadiah’s biochemical army suffered defeat after defeat.

Unable to endure the relentless losses, Obadiah ultimately chose to launch a premature counterattack.

That decision caused the campaign to enter its decisive stage ahead of schedule.

Ethan had deliberately avoided turning the operation into an immediate final battle.

He needed Elivise to evolve further before joining the fighting.

She had to become powerful enough to complete her role in SCP-008’s containment.

Following her private conversation with Ethan before the orbital deployment, Elivise traveled to a secret base controlled by the Foundation.

Another battle of life and death was taking place there.

The Foundation research facility contained a structure resembling an enormous arena.

Elivise stood alone at its center.

Her red-and-white hair flowed behind her.

Compared to before, her body had become even more physically perfect.

The mature, intelligent-looking woman charged toward a T-103 Tyrant at astonishing speed.

Like a crimson phantom, she effortlessly evaded the Tyrant’s attack.

Her hands transformed into blades and severed its claws.

After a series of surgically precise slashes, the Tyrant collapsed with critical injuries.

Elivise drove her right hand into its chest, seized its heart, and consumed it.

Her hands immediately unlocked a new form resembling the Tyrant’s claws.

Her body grew slightly taller.

Her legs lengthened, and her physique became even more mature and perfectly proportioned.

This was Elivise’s mission.

She had to continuously consume advanced infected organisms, allowing her body to adapt as the Blacklight virus evolved.

Only after reaching sufficient strength could Elivise attempt to consume the biochemical hives’ cores.

Otherwise, she might become like Obadiah.

His original consciousness appeared to remain dominant, but in reality, he had already become SCP-008’s puppet.

Ethan had no intention of investing so much effort into helping Elivise evolve only for her consciousness to be replaced by SCP-008.

If that happened, everything would be lost.

Researchers observing from above rapidly recorded her physical data.

“Cellular activity increased by 6.8 percent.”

“Overall strength increased by 8.1 percent.”

“Reaction speed increased by 5.7 percent.”

“Subject has unlocked the mutated T-103 Tyrant’s claw form and can still transform effortlessly into a human appearance.”

“My God… what kind of monster is she?”

“She eliminated ten T-103 Tyrants by herself.”

“And she’s still evolving.”

Dr. William frowned as he observed Elivise standing in the arena.

“Still too slow.”

“The Commander’s operation has already begun, and her current evolutionary level remains insufficient.”

William coldly lifted a microphone.

“Experimental Subject Prototype, are you capable of continuing the tests?”

Elivise did not care what he called her.

Her crimson eyes glanced toward the laboratory’s observation window.

Dr. William appeared to possess almost no human emotions and had devoted everything to his research.

Elivise had no interest in his opinion.

She cared only about completing the mission entrusted to her by the Commander.

Countless lives depended upon it.

As the Blacklight virus carrying SCP-008’s progenitor strain continued evolving, fragments of Elivise’s memories had begun returning.

She had not truly died.

The Blacklight virus had entered a symbiotic relationship with her, fusing with her body and repairing the organs that had been torn apart by bullets.

That process had temporarily erased her memories.

Elivise thought about the friends who had fought beside her, the Foundation that had helped restore her memories, and the mission Commander Ethan had given her.

She knew she could no longer escape this responsibility.

She had to confront the other evolutionary organisms.

Either Elivise would consume them and impose her will upon SCP-008—

Or her consciousness would eventually be replaced by the anomaly’s collective evolutionary instinct.

If she wanted to survive, she had no choice.

Ignoring her exhausted body, Elivise looked toward the observation platform.

“Continue.”

William issued his next order.

“Next test: one thousand Hunters.”

The isolation gates opened.

One thousand Hunters emerged from their cages with deafening howls.

They charged toward Elivise, regarding her as an incomparably delicious meal.

Elivise’s gaze instantly became as dangerous as that of an apex predator.

Her hands transformed into claws.

She struck the first Hunter and reduced it to mangled flesh before licking her lips.

William watched coldly as she entered the horde like a tiger among sheep.

Approximately twenty minutes of bloody fighting followed.

When it ended, Elivise stood at the center of the arena, panting heavily.

Blood covered her entire body, giving her a strange and terrifying beauty.

Dr. William did not permit her to rest.

“Begin the next wave.”

“Increase difficulty.”

“Three biochemical giants.”

“Ten mutated Tyrants.”

“One hundred Wailing Banshees.”

“One thousand Hunters.”

“Ten thousand zombies.”

The isolation gates opened again.

Overlapping roars shook the entire facility as countless mutated creatures flooded through the passages.

Elivise became a streak of crimson lightning and plunged into the horde.

Her right arm transformed into a colossal blade and pierced directly through a biochemical giant’s heart.

At that moment, Elivise appeared to reach a critical evolutionary threshold.

A pair of crimson wings formed from flesh and erupted from her back.

She released a roar resembling a destructive sonic wave.

Countless biological thorns spread across the arena.

Every monster was pierced in an instant, dissolved into nutrients, and absorbed into her body.

Dr. William nodded with satisfaction.

“It’s time.”

Back on the battlefield, Ethan remained unaware that Elivise had completed her evolution ahead of schedule under Dr. William’s supervision.

Her body and consciousness had both reached the minimum threshold required to attempt absorbing the biochemical hive cores.

Ethan was still considering whether to risk using overwhelming firepower to destroy the hives’ surface structures.

Foundation scans had already revealed their internal composition.

Those terrifying masses of flesh extended hundreds of meters underground.

Even nuclear weapons would struggle to destroy them completely.

Flattening the surface would accomplish little.

The allied forces would still need to descend into each hive’s deepest core and destroy it from within.

Ethan had not expected Obadiah to lose his patience so quickly.

Less than half a day after Operation Heaven’s Judgment began, the allied forces had reached the infected cities and destroyed at least one-third of the zombie hordes.

Obadiah had already panicked and attempted to ambush the Goliath-class carriers under Ethan’s command.

Although the ambush failed, it still irritated him.

The enemy had not only refused to surrender but had dared to counterattack.

The two Goliaths now hovered above the outskirts of the infected cities, continuously bombarding the hordes emerging from the hives.

The zombies seemed impossible to exterminate.

Wave after wave continued charging outward.

However, the Goliaths refused to move directly over the cities.

The two carriers could suppress the hives temporarily, but the underground structures continued producing new monsters.

Without destroying their subterranean cores, the carriers alone could not end the crisis immediately.

Ethan could only remain patient.

He ordered both Goliaths to maintain positions outside the infected cities, wear down the hives, and concentrate their firepower on Obadiah’s flesh-mechanical armored forces.

The hives’ production capacity could not match the destructive output of the Goliath-class carriers.

The Foundation’s firepower was effectively endless.

Obadiah’s zombies were not.

Ethan controlled the battlefield.

His only remaining problem was determining how to uproot the hives and resolve the crisis as quickly as possible.

As Ethan considered his options, Tony Stark finally lost his patience.

Night had already fallen, but Tony was eager to fight.

He believed he bore part of the responsibility for the catastrophe Obadiah had caused.

“Hey, buddy.”

Tony approached Ethan.

“Can I join the battle?”

“You understand. That bastard is my responsibility.”

Ethan patted his shoulder and nodded.

“Go.”

“I’ll remain aboard the carrier and continue directing the operation.”

“If you find yourself outmatched, don’t try to endure it alone.”

“The Foundation will support you.”