Zed completed the preparations for the final operation on Kirstie.
With Genetic Degradation Cells extracted from her, her blood source was recovering on its own. But the years of damage couldn't be undone in a short time. It needed external stimuli to overcome the natural limitations.
That's where the final operation came into the picture.
"Just this step, and I will be completely fine!"
Kirstie exclaimed with a cute smile. She hugged her mother and stepped into the glass tank.
Rebecca smiled. She wasn't worried any longer.
The most dangerous procedures were done. Now it was a comparatively effortless step, something her genius son could handle without opening his eyes.
"Now the only issue is Steve…."
Rebecca thought of her other child. He was physically healthy, but his mental health was ruined.
And she couldn't fault him for being weak-minded either.
After all, not even the most firm-minded could handle the blow of having their wife stolen, that too seconds after marriage!
Especially when the wife stealer was the wedding priest!!
"That Kiba… Next time I meet him, I will strangle him!"
Rebecca's eyes flooded with flames.
She controlled herself and then glanced at Zed.
"Perhaps he could also undo the damage that Kiba landed on Steve!"
~beep~
[[We are ready.]]
Claudia's voice filled the lab. Zed nodded, and the glass tank started filling with bright-red crystalline liquid.
In a matter of a minute, Kirstie was completely submerged in the liquid.
Zed tapped on the virtual screen to start.
Swish!
Needles - so thin that they couldn't be seen by the naked eye - emerged from the glass and pierced into Kirstie's pores.
They entered her blood cells and released a blood-red serum to stimuli the repairing process. The cracks in the cells began to fill up, and the missing essence re-emerged.
[[30% recovery completed.]]
Claudia informed everyone.
"Wow!" Katherine was impressed. It was barely a few minutes and yet such a fast recovery.
"You are excellent in everything related to the body!"
She exclaimed at Zed.
Rebecca flinched.
Everything related to body…
The scene brought back the embarrassing memories she wanted to forget.
"Please, you are too kind," Zed replied politely.
"Stop being modest!" Katherine rebuked him.
Zed forced a smile.
As an individual who respected women, he didn't wish to argue.
"Mom is right once again!" Sophia chimed in. "You are really good at everything!"
Zed started to reply, but before words could form in his mind, loud beeping emanated from the virtual screen.
"What the…!!"
Zed's face paled. The virtual screen flashed with a danger symbol and projected Kirstie's body vitals.
"How's this possible!?"
Despite his disposition and vast knowledge, he was stupefied.
Every stat of Kirstie was rising to an extreme end. Her stamina that was barely 10, now reached 90; her energy was beyond 100.
From a level I Gamma, her strength has reached a peak Beta!
It was like she was evolving at the speed of light.
"This shouldn't happen!" Zed quickly stepped up.
In genetic experiments, unintended consequences were frequent. Still, for someone of Zed's caliber, he could expect what the consequences might be and prepare accordingly.
That would prevent any accidents.
But now, looking at the stats, he wondered if he was wrong.
"No! My operation has nothing to do with strength increase! And even if it was, even with my best efforts, her strength wouldn't grow at such pace!"
The only possible explanation was that somehow the external stimuli was tapping into her genetic potential. With her carrying the blood of Hestia, her potential was virtually unlimited.
If that was true, then it was dangerous for her. Her body wouldn't be able to bear the load for a long time.
"Claudia, stop the stimuli now!" Zed commanded while quickly tapping on the screen.
[[I can't, sir. This stimuli is not created by us!]]
"?!!"
The expressions of everyone in the lab drastically changed.
Rebecca, who was early carefree, now turned to the glass tank in panic.
A thin crack emerged in the center of the tank and started to spread out.
"What's going on?!" Rebecca asked.
Before Zed could reply, the stats in the projection flared up. Kirstie's stats were no longer that of a Gamma but that of an Alpha!
BANG!
The tank blasted apart, and liquid splashed out. Zed jumped back to dodge the blasted shards.
He raised his head to look ahead but couldn't. The space ahead was bright with heat, and its effects were similar to when one tries to look at the sun.
As a fire elementalist, this shouldn't affect him, but it did. He was forced to cover his eyes and step back.
Rebecca's eyes narrowed. She wasn't affected by the heat and could see the source of heat:
A body made of pure fire!
"Kirstie…." Rebecca muttered in disbelief.
Her daughter was emitting a strength she couldn't fathom. And with every second, it was only rising!
Kirstie turned to her, and the face that was known for innocence twisted with malice.
"!!" Rebecca's face fell.
She quickly lifted her hands, but by then, it was too late.
Beams of fire erupted out of Kirstie's body and shot in every direction.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Everywhere the beams landed, they exploded violently, releasing terrifying heat.
The lab immediately collapsed, with heat lashing everywhere.
A beam of fire approached Sophia, but she had no power to notice it, much less act against it.
Swish!
Katherine appeared before Sophia and caught the beam. The beam exploded, but in her hand, its explosion barely released any heat.
"Zed!" Sophia didn't have time to worry for herself. She looked around to search for the man who had turned her into a woman.
But there was only smoke and debris.
"Mom!" Sophia grabbed Katherine's hand.
"Don't worry, I will find him," Katherine assured her daughter.
With her powers, she could have protected both Sophia and Zed. But everything happened far too quickly, so she could only act to protect her daughter. That too only because she was next to her.
"That girl caught us all off-guard…."
Katherine thought as she expanded her perception.
"But what happened for her strength to reach such a terrifying level?"
Meanwhile, a few hundred meters away, Zed was smashed into the entrance of Section II. He had acted quickly and created a barrier to block a beam rushing at him.
But despite his best efforts, the beam knocked him here.
"And here I thought Kirstie liked me!"
Zed smiled wryly while landing on the melting floor.
"I guess I'm losing my skills in understanding women!"
After letting out a sigh, he looked around. Everything had been turned into ruins.
"Claudia is sure going to be pissed…."