POTENTIAL: TWENTY-NINE

**ALEX POV**

The fight was becoming increasingly difficult. I wasn't inflicting any damage on this monster, and I didn't even know how to kill it. I also noticed that the tentacles I cut off were regenerating back onto its body.

Tanks arrived, but they had no effect either. All the military forces from the region were present, adding to my workload. The problem was that everything the monster touched needed to be saved. So far, none of them had died since I joined them. The last death I could recall was the person the monster consumed last.

I conjured a dozen psi balls and threw them at the monster. The attack had an effect, but as I had told Sky, it was only covered by another set of tissues, like keloids.

"I need a bigger fire. I need oil," I muttered to myself. The soldiers continued firing their guns and tanks at the monster. We had been doing this for two hours, and the sun started to rise.

"Retreat! Incoming missile!" shouted a soldier.

What! Missile?

I immediately looked at General, who had just put down his phone. With my rage, I quickly approached him, and when I was just a few meters away, soldiers surrounded me with guns pointed at me.

"Don't you really understand, General?"

"What I don't understand is why we can't kill it. Are you with him?"

"How many times do I have to say that missiles can't kill that thing? And if you think I'm siding with it, I wouldn't have saved your people!"

"But all I want to do here is end this mess already!"

"Don't I want that too? I'm doing my best. I’m even willing to sacrifice my life just to kill that thing!"

"Then why haven't you killed it yet? You said you're the only one who can kill the monster, but until now, it's still standing!"

"I'm still thinking, okay! I'm fucking thinking!"

"Well, too bad I don't have that much patience."

"Missile impact in ten seconds. Everyone take cover!" warned a soldier with a laptop. While they were busy, I quickly released a shockwave that knocked away the soldiers surrounding me.

I ran to intercept the missile, but I felt something like it would hit me. I looked to my right and saw a tank bullet heading straight for me. I instantly conjured a force field and successfully deflected the attack. It seemed that they had become my enemies.

I felt massive energy coming from the sky, and if I wasn't mistaken, it was the missile. It was too close to the monster, so all I could do was stop it. I held both hands and used telekinesis to control and stop the missile.

I felt the resistance of the missiles as if they really wanted to explode and damage the monster. A loud boom reached my ears, indicating that another tank had fired. I looked at it and saw another gigantic bullet. I changed its course and immediately hit the missile I was holding.

A loud and destructive explosion shook the area. Due to the impact, I found myself flying a few meters away from my original position. I fell to the ground, causing my back and shoulder to scream in pain. But it seemed there was more to come. I found myself a few meters away from the monster's mouth, and it seemed like it wanted to devour me, even after I had saved them.

Tentacles were moving towards me, but I quickly stood and ran away. However, they followed me. I saw two unused guns on the ground that I turned into blades. I cut all the tentacles until they retreated.

"You made us decide that you're indeed our enemy!" General shouted behind me. I didn't want to hurt them, but if they left me no choice, so be it. "Two more missiles are coming! If you stop them, we will stop you," he threatened, but instead of being scared, I became more determined to accept his challenge.

"That's fine. That's what I'm about to do anyway," I mumbled to myself. I was about to run but stopped when I heard a faint voice calling my name. The voice intensified until it became clear.

"Alex?" A familiar voice reached my ears, but I couldn't tell who it was. Moreover, it was using telepathy.

"Alex?" the voice called me again.

Who could this be? It couldn't be Sky. I know he's still asleep. This voice somewhat resembles Maica's, but that's impossible. Maica is incapable of such an ability. Maybe it's one of our colleagues from the laboratory?

"Alex? It's Maica." My eyes widened when I heard what it said.

"Maica?" I called her, but I didn't hear any response. Maybe I was just seeing things. But it sounded real. I decided to call her again just to make sure I really heard her earlier. "Maica?"

"Yes!" she joyfully responded. "Did you hear me earlier, Alex?"

"Uhm..." I didn't know what to say, but I was not mistaken in thinking that Maica had called me earlier. That explains the voice. So I said it resembles hers. "I think so."

"Oh my god! I didn't think I could do that!"

"Me, too. How did you do it?"

"I don't know. I just visualized your face, and then I called your name."

"I thought it was someone else. By the way, why did you call?"

"We're on our way back with Trisha and Carlo. We brought LPG tanks and a fuel truck to burn the monster." I was almost shouting with joy at the good news from Maica.

"That’s brilliant! Thank you!"

"Don't thank me. Thank Trisha. It's her idea."

"Then tell her thank you."

"I will. By the way, soldiers are blocking the way. They told us to go back. What's happening there?"

"The military decided to join the fight, but all they did was make the situation worse."

"The explosion?"

"It's a missile. And there are two more coming here." Speaking of the missile, I could see lights moving in the sky. They were probably here. "The missiles are here. I want you to do anything to get here. I want this monster dead already. I'm exhausted."

"Copy that."

I ended the communication and prepared to confront the two missiles approaching me.

"Remember what I said, boy!" General Bolina reminded me. Because of my annoyance, I couldn't help but raise my hands and give him a middle-finger salute. The salute he deserved.

Using the blade floating behind me, I released it towards the approaching missiles. But as expected, due to their small size, they couldn't explode the two missiles. I heard General laughed, along with his subordinates.

"Looks like you've failed," he mocked, irritating me even more.

"Let's see if you can still laugh," I whispered. I pointed my palm in General's direction and immediately threw two cars, aiming for the two missiles. Another explosion occurred, but the impact and power were twice as strong as before. Debris from the cars flew all over the area, even hitting the monster. The soldiers dodged the debris while I stood inside my force field.

******

**MAICA POV**

"What did he say?" Trisha asked.

"He said we should go in no matter what happens," I replied.

"Seriously?"

"You're the one who thought of this, right? You want to help him or not?"

"I do, but we're up against the law here."

"I don't care. Just step on that gas and ram through that damn barricade," I commanded Trisha, my frustration evident.

"Fine. Fine." Trisha stepped on the gas, setting the vehicle in motion. The soldiers guarding the barricade were surprised by our defiance. We successfully passed through the barricade and were on our way to Alex.

A loud explosion startled us. We could see on our far right smoke and fire. I think those are the missiles Alex mentioned. We were shocked when we saw military vehicles. But what shocked us even more was seeing Alex being shot at by the soldiers. I couldn't understand why they were shooting at Alex, given that he was their ally.

"God! Is that monster really that big?" Trisha exclaimed. I was surprised too when I saw it, but now, the eureka moment I once felt was replaced by hatred and disgust.

"Let's go to Alex."

******

**ALEX POV**

Being fired upon by the military was disappointing. They should have been the ones helping me, but what was happening was the total opposite. The horn of a truck caught my attention and halted the attacks. I immediately looked at it and saw two running eighteen-wheeler trucks heading toward my direction. I noticed a change in the direction of the tank's muzzle, so I took action.

I bent the muzzle, disabling the tank from firing another shot. I swiftly moved my hands, and all of their guns and grenades went airborne—I floated them and brought them closer to me.

"Would you mind if I borrow these?" I sarcastically requested, just as the two trucks arrived. The trucks stopped, and Trisha, Maica, and Carlo emerged from them.

"Are you okay?" Maica asked.

"I'm still fine, but my body is starting to ache a bit."

"Then let's end this thing," Trisha signaled, and I agreed. I faced the truck filled with LPG and held out both my hands. One by one, the floating LPG tanks emerged from it. It looked like a parade of floating LPG tanks.

I created three layers of LPG surrounding the monster. I then destroyed the lids and pressed each tank onto the monster's body. I pressed them down harder until we couldn't see the entirety of the tanks anymore.

Next, I released the fuel tank. Since it was built-in, I forcefully detached it from the truck to make the most of it. I floated it until it was above the monster. I forced an opening onto the tank, releasing gallons of gasoline. We could see how the fluid flowed onto its body, as if we were giving it a gasoline bath.

Once it was empty, I quickly formed a psi ball. It was just the right size to ignite a fire. Without waiting for several seconds, I released the psi ball I held. The ball dashed towards the monster, which had been drenched in gasoline earlier. The moment the ball touched the target, it immediately exploded. Along with the explosion, fire spread. It didn't take long before the fire consumed the monster. The petroleum trapped in its body escaped as the heat entered.

We found ourselves watching the monster being set on fire, like we were having a bonfire but in an absurd and bizarre way. The sun happened to rise at the perfect moment, adding to my joy. I never knew it would end like this.

"Mr. Alex Rischon," a familiar male voice called. I turned to see General Bolina walking toward me with two of his subordinates. "Due to your reckless action and disobedience, we will have you under our custody."

"What?! Are you insane! He just saved us from that thing!" Maica angrily retorted. All that was missing was smoke coming out of her nose to support her intense anger.

"It is truly a relief that you were able to kill that monster, but that doesn't mean you are free from the law. The commander ordered us to have you under my supervision until further notice."

"What?!"

"Maica, enough. If I go with you, does it ensure my freedom?"

"The decision is yet to be done. Until then, you are our prisoner. In fact, the power you hold is what we feared the most."