Upon hearing his father's call, David's irises immediately turned blood-red and seemed to shine a bit more in the darkness.
Without a moment's hesitation, David extended his hand and conjured a fiery spear, sweeping his gaze around their surroundings for any signs of danger.
However, it didn't take long before their opponents revealed themselves.
Emerging slowly on both sides of the street were six creatures that defied their natural categorization.
The three creatures that looked like cats stayed closer to one another, while the dog-like creatures formed their own group, creating an eerie separation among them.
But the distinctions among these creatures didn't matter to David and Malachi. It was evident that the monsters were drawn to them, and the distinctions among the cat-like and dog-like ones seemed irrelevant as they approached the father and son.
As he stared at these approaching creatures, which locked their eyes onto him and his father, a shiver of fear ran through Malachi. It wasn't just him; he could see David's fiery spear almost flicker out of existence, betraying the boy's apprehension.
As the grotesque creatures drew closer, emitting aggressive groans and drooling in a way that revealed their barely restrained desire to rush forward and attack, Malachi's red irises shone a little.
Much like the zombies and the monster dog they had encountered in the forest, these monster cats and dogs shared the same eerie trait of having red eyes.
Realising that the monsters were about to attack, Malachi swiftly addressed David.
"Be careful, and if you can't handle them, run immediately. I'll follow," Malachi stated.
Without waiting for a reply, Malachi transformed into a blur, charging at the group of three dog-like monsters that seemed to have singled him out.
Malachi had observed from their movements that they appeared wary of David, which was understandable, given the fiery spear in his hand. The fire spear certainly didn't look like a magic trick.
Malachi couldn't help but wonder whether the dogs had specifically singled him out over his son because he appeared less threatening, or if it was simply a matter of monster cats and dogs not collaborating and deciding independently which prey to pursue. In this case, the dogs were chasing him while the cats focused on David.
While part of him considered it might be overthinking brought on by the intense situation, the division and targeting still remained a fact.
As Malachi charged toward the three monster dogs, their instincts kicked in, and their oversized bodies turned into blurs as they also charged at him.
These dogs were noticeably smaller than the monster dog Malachi and David had encountered in the forest. It was hard to make a direct comparison with the cars, as they were different animals entirely.
Malachi and David also noticed the smaller size of their opponents.
Malachi couldn't help but hope that their smaller size meant they were weaker than the previous monster dog they had faced.
Additionally, Malachi hoped that these dogs didn't possess special abilities like the scream of the previous monster, as it would only complicate their situation further.
When Malachi got closer to the monster dogs, he added strength to his legs and leaped over them. Shortly after this move, Malachi heard an explosive sound from behind him, knowing that it was caused by David's fire spear making contact with something.
Malachi didn't have time to look back and check on David's situation, as he had his own predicament to deal with. His plan was to handle his situation first before assisting David, but the question remained whether it would be feasible.
Malachi's unexpected move, jumping over the monster dogs, caught them off guard and caused momentary confusion among them.
As the first dog turned around, Malachi had already executed a fully powered axe kick aimed at its head.
A resounding thud echoed as Malachi's axe kick connected with the dog's head, bringing it to the concrete floor.
Bones crunched under the force of the kick as its head burst open, and Malachi's foot left a small crater in the ground. The intense pain in his leg was numbed by the surprise of how easily he had dispatched the monster dog.
However, the other two dogs had now turned around and were ready to retaliate. With a quick dash, Malachi closed in on the nearest one and delivered a hard uppercut kick.
Another bone-crushing sensation followed as the dog's upper body was lifted into the air. This time, the head did not burst open, but Malachi wasn't finished.
Malachi released a spinning roundhouse kick that sent the monster dog flying in another direction, leaving it lying limply on the ground. Its status remained uncertain; it could be dead or incapacitated.
With one monster dog down, there was still another one remaining, and it barked menacingly.