"I told you," Neo said coldly, "don't get in my way."
He cast one last glance at the beaten men before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving the alley in silence, save for the groans of the defeated. This time, he was in the right. They had crossed the line, and Neo made sure they knew just how wrong that was.
But as he turned to leave, a sudden wave of dread washed over him, halting him in his tracks. His once-cold expression contorted into one of pure, unadulterated fear. It was as if the temperature around him plummeted, freezing the air in his lungs. His breath hitched, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest.
He could feel his hair standing on end, every nerve in his body screaming at him to run, but he was rooted to the spot. His muscles tensed involuntarily, trembling as if they had a mind of their own. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, slowly dripping down his face as his eyes widened in horror.
"This bloodlust..." Neo thought, his mind racing back to that fateful day on the plane, the terror that had seared itself into his memory. The Oni's presence had been suffocating, its murderous intent palpable in the air, crushing him with its sheer malevolence. And now, standing in this alley, Neo could feel that same overwhelming, oppressive force closing in on him.
Desperately, he scanned the alley, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow, trying to pinpoint the source of this malevolent energy. The bandits lay motionless, unconscious or too weak to move, but the bloodlust didn't come from them. It was something far more sinister, something otherworldly.
"Wow, you were able to recognize that something was wrong," a dark and ominous voice echoed through the air, sending chills down Neo's spine.
From the darkness at the far end of the alley, a figure began to materialize. Neo's breath caught in his throat as he beheld the creature emerging from the shadows. It was monstrous, towering over ten feet tall with a lean, sinewy physique that seemed both emaciated and powerful. Its skin was a ghastly shade of blue, almost luminescent under the dim light. But what struck Neo first were its eyes—nine of them, each glowing with a sinister, otherworldly light, arranged haphazardly across its face in a grotesque, chaotic pattern. Where a normal human's eyes would be, there were instead two twisted horns, curving upward like jagged blades.
As the creature stepped further into the light, Neo could see more of its terrifying features. At its back, scorpion-like tails swayed menacingly, their tips glistening with a toxic sheen. A dark aura clung to its form, pulsating like a living shadow, warping the space around it.
Its mouth twisted into a wicked grin, revealing a long, serpentine tongue that flicked out, tasting the air. But the most horrifying aspect of this abomination was the massive, bloodshot eyeball embedded in its stomach, glaring at Neo with an intensity that made his blood run cold.
Neo's body was paralyzed with fear. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but he couldn't move. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the nightmare before him, but all he could think of was the Oni, the massacre, and the feeling of helplessness that had consumed him then. This creature, this thing, had the same bloodlust, the same overwhelming presence that had haunted him since that day.
And now, it was here, staring directly at him.
Neo's body quivered.
"W-what's going on?" the leader of the bandits stammered, his face pale with horror as he gazed at the monstrosity before him.
Then, a green mist began to seep from the unconscious crooks' bodies, and in an instant, they turned to dust. Neo's heart sank. *What the...? How is an Oni in my school? What's going on?* he thought, trying to comprehend the situation.
Panicking, Neo dashed at lightning speed towards the street, but there was no one there to help him.
"Help!" Neo screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing throughout the campus but falling on deaf ears.
The Oni, not even in a hurry to devour him, mocked, "Ha ha, the entire world has forgotten you, kid. Don't struggle—it's all in vain," it said as it made its way toward Neo.
Its feet scraped the gravel, creating a vile sound of metal grinding against stone.
Neo continued to run, refusing to accept his fate. *I don't want to die here. What about my family? My mom? Dad? They're counting on me to make it,* he thought, gritting his teeth as he sprinted through the streets with breakneck speed.
"Don't worry, your family will join you in hell next," the Oni laughed.
Neo's eyes widened in horror. *What? Did it really read my mind?* The realization hit him like lightning.
"Yes, I can read your mind," the Oni said, but its voice wasn't coming from behind him.
Neo looked ahead, and his heart nearly stopped. The Oni was in front of him, its nine eyes glaring down at him. He managed to stop himself just meters away from death itself.