The terrifying sight made Rama's heart skip a beat, nearly pushing him to the brink of panic. However, his passive skill activated, calming his mind in the face of the horror.
Rama stood frozen, the creature outside the window resembled something out of a nightmare, one that he had read about in ancient Balinese legends.
The name "Rangda" flashed through his mind—a mythical evil spirit known for its malevolent nature.
To see it standing just outside the window was one thing, but to watch it float closer, and smashing through the glass window, was another level of terror altogether.
CRACKK!!!
Instinct took over.
Rama swiftly jumped out of bed, his eyes darting around the room and landed on the metal IV stand. Grabbing it with both hands, he prepared to defend himself against the intruder.
As the creature entered the room, its true form became horrifyingly clear. It was covered in thick, matted fur, resembling a twisted version of a monkey. But where legs should have been, there was only space, as it floated eerily above the ground. Its arms were long and sinewy, ending with in knife-like fingers.
The creature eyes glowing with malevolence as it fixed its gaze on Rama. For a moment, it seemed to savor the fear it was causing. Then, a bone-chilling laugh echoed and invaded his thoughts directly.
Ke ke ke ke ke...
"What... do you want?! Begone!" Rama shouted as he swung the metal stand at the creature. The stand whooshed through the air, aimed at the floating horror, but the creature's response was swift and brutal.
With a sudden snap, the creature's flaming tongue lashed out like a whip, slicing through the metal stand as if it were made of paper.
Sparks flew as the severed metal clattered to the floor.
Rama's eyes widened in terror, realizing just how outmatched he was.
His survival instincts kicked in.
Without a second thought, he turned and bolted for the door, adrenaline surging through his veins. But, just as he reached the threshold, a searing pain tore through his back.
ARGHHH!!!
The creature's flaming tongue had struck him, and the agony was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was as if his flesh was being branded. Gritting his teeth, Rama pushed through the pain, bursting out of the room and into the hospital corridor.
Panting heavily, he sprinted down the hall. He turned a corner and skidded to a stop as he came face-to-face with a group of nurses behind their help desk. Their expressions were a mix of confusion and concern as they watched him approach, clearly alarmed by his disheveled appearance and the frantic look in his eyes.
"Are you alright?!" one of the nurses called out, stepping forward.
Rama glanced over his shoulder, his heart pounding as he saw the creature burst through the door he had just escaped from. It floated toward him, its flaming tongue flicking ominously in the air.
Panic surged through him, and he pointed frantically at the creature.
"It's coming! MOVE!!, get out of the way!" he shouted.
But to his horror, the nurses remained where they were, their faces filled with confusion. They stared at him as if he were speaking nonsense, unable to see the malevolent being that was now closing in on them.
"NO! Move!" Rama screamed again, but his warning fell on deaf ears.
As Rama saw the creature rushing toward them, a sudden realization struck him like a lightning bolt—the supernatural law from the novel.
In the world of the Avatar of God, no mortal could see spiritual creatures unless they had been "awakened." The fact that he could see this monstrous entity meant that his leveling had indeed caused him to awaken, marking him as part of this terrifying new reality. It also meant that he had inadvertently attracted the creature's attention.
The horror of the situation deepened. Rama now understood why the nurses couldn't see the danger. They were blind to the spiritual world that he had been thrust into. His mind raced, knowing he had only moments to act. With no time to explain, he lunged forward and pushed the nurse closest to him, desperately trying to save her from the creature's deadly advance.
But he was too late.
The creature's sharp claws lashed out with a terrifying speed, slicing through the air. Rama watched in horror as blood splattered across the walls, the nurse's shoulder torn open by the attack. She screamed, crumpling to the ground in agony.
"No!!!" Rama's cry echoed down the hallway.
The creature let out a chilling laugh, its eerie, keening voice filling the corridor.
"Ke ke ke ke ke..."
Rama's eyes burned with fury. "You bastard! Come at me!"
Realizing he needed to draw the creature away from the remaining nurses, he turned and sprinted down the hallway, his heart pounding in his chest.
He led the creature toward the far end of the corridor, where a fire extinguisher was mounted on the wall. His mind flashed back to the countless hours spent poring over the novel's details, remembering the specific passage about how cold frost from an extinguisher could be effective against supernatural creatures, especially those with fire elements like this one.
As Rama grabbed the fire extinguisher, his heightened perceptions kicked in, alerting him to the imminent danger.
Without a moment to spare, he ducked just as the creature's claws raked through the air above him, tearing into the wall with a screeching sound. The close call only fueled his determination. He rolled to the side, coming up on his feet with the extinguisher in hand.
As he aimi the nozzle directly at the creature, a confident grin spreading across his face.
"HEI YOU!!! Do you want to be a snowman?!"
With a sharp squeeze of the handle, a blast of frost erupted from the extinguisher, engulfing the creature in a cloud of icy mist. The creature let out a bone-chilling roar of pain as the cold foam began to smother its fiery essence.
Just as Rama had predicted, the frost was working—but then, without warning, the extinguisher sputtered and fell silent.
"..."
Rama stared at the extinguisher in disbelief. "Damn this corrupted country!!" he cursed, realizing what had happened.
Indonesia was not like the countries in the novel. It wasn't uncommon to find faulty or empty fire extinguishers, even in a place as crucial as a hospital. The extinguisher in his hands was no exception. It was old, likely expired, and now completely useless.
The creature, no longer hindered by the frost, began to recover.
Rama knew he had only seconds to act.
Without hesitation, he slammed his fist into the nearby glass box, shattering it, and grabbed the fire ax within.
The weight of the ax felt solid in his hands, but as he swung it with all his might at the creature, it felt like hitting a wall of steel. The impact sent the creature reeling back, but it didn't seem to be hurt at all.
Its malevolent eyes narrowed as it let out another chilling laugh.
"Ke ke ke ke!"
Rama's mind raced. Realizing the ax wasn't going to be enough, he quickly hurled the ax at the creature and made a split-second decision to retreat.
He sprinted toward the stairwell and the creature, now enraged, followed close behind, its presence like a wave of heat searing the air.
His mind raced as he descended the stairs, heading straight for the basement.
Rama's eyes quickly scanned for pipes and wires, the largest ones and he followed them, weaving through the dimly lit corridors until he reached a massive electrical panel.
The creature floated ominously down the hallway toward him, its yellow eyes glowing with malevolent intent.
Rama knew he had only one shot to make it count.
His Author's POV ability kept him calm and focused, allowing him to time his movements with precision. As the creature's flaming tongue lashed out at him, Rama dodged, but he didn't run. Instead, he held his ground.
"Come here, you ugly bastard!! COME at ME!!"
He taunted the creature to lunge at him with its claws, and Rama sidestepped.
BAMMM!!!
The creature's claw struck the power circuit with full force, and in an instant, the entire panel lit up with a blinding flash of electricity.
Rama watched as the creature screeched in agony, its body convulsing violently as electricity crackled through its form.
The air was thick with the smell of burning ozone, and Rama could feel the heat radiating from the creature as it began to burst into flames.
With one final, tortured scream, the creature's form collapsed, its remains smoldering on the floor, lifeless and unmoving.
"Did it work… did I really kill it?" Rama whispered to himself, disbelief and exhaustion heavy in his voice.
He cautiously approached the charred remains, his heart pounding in his chest.
As he got closer, the adrenaline that had been fueling him started to wear off, and a sharp, searing pain shot through his back. He suddenly realized that blood had been steadily dripping from the wound inflicted by the creature's flaming tongue.
The intensity of the pain almost brought him to his knees, and he could feel his vision starting to blur as sheer exhaustion began to take their toll.
Just as darkness started to creep in at the edges of his vision, a notification flashed in his mind.
[You have successfully killed a rogue spirit]
[You received 50 merits.]
The words barely registered as his strength faded, and with one last, desperate breath, Rama's vision went black, and he collapsed to the floor.