Anirudh had never believed in intuition before today, dismissing it as something vague and unscientific.
But now, even though he couldn't see anything in the dense fog ahead, he could distinctly sense the threat lurking within it.
It was as if a blade were poised right before his eye—not cutting yet, but close enough to send shivers down his spine.
"What's in that fog?"
The inexplicable yet intense sense of danger weighed heavily on Anirudh's heart.
Logically, with his current abilities, even if a horde of zombies emerged from the fog, he could at least escape if not defeat them. But the overwhelming sense of peril made it clear—there was something far more terrifying in the mist!
Suddenly, a thunderous roar of engines broke the silence.
The sound grew rapidly louder until three motorcycles emerged from the fog, speeding toward Anirudh.
The faces of the three riders were filled with terror, as though something monstrous were pursuing them.
No, it wasn't "as though"—there was something chasing them!
Out of the fog, a faint red blur shot forward with inhuman speed, rapidly closing in on the last motorcycle in the group.
Boom!
In an instant, the rider was dragged off his bike by the crimson shadow. The unpiloted motorcycle veered wildly before crashing into a lamppost, exploding into pieces with a deafening crash.
"AAAAHHHHH!"
A piercing scream of agony erupted from the fog but was abruptly silenced by a chilling, wet tearing sound.
Whatever that crimson shadow was, it had claimed the rider's life.
Hearing the horrific sounds of death behind them, the two remaining riders panicked even more. They knew the blood-red monstrosity would catch up to them soon—just like it had to their companion.
In this moment of desperation, the lead rider, a young man with purple hair, made a split-second decision.
With a sinister glint in his eye, he swung a bloodstained baseball bat at the head of the rider beside him.
Thud!
Caught off guard, the second rider crumpled under the blow, his head split open. He and his motorcycle lost balance, tumbling to the ground and skidding painfully across the asphalt.
The purple-haired youth didn't even glance back at his fallen companion, speeding onward toward Anirudh's direction.
"Sujeet, you bastard!"
The injured rider screamed in despair, blood pouring from his head.
He had trusted Sujeet, the self-proclaimed "leader" who always promised to protect him. Yet in this life-or-death moment, Sujeet had left him for dead.
But before he could finish his curse, the crimson shadow emerged from the fog and landed beside him.
It was only now that Anirudh finally saw the creature clearly—and what a horrifying sight it was!
The creature resembled a humanoid reptile, its skin completely stripped away as though from acid or relentless tearing. Its muscular, blood-red body was grotesquely exposed.
Its eyes were shrunken to near nonexistence, but its enormous, fang-filled maw more than compensated, paired with razor-sharp claws designed for carnage.
A perfect killing machine.
"No… please, no…"
The fallen rider begged, trembling uncontrollably. A dark stain spread beneath him as fear overwhelmed his body.
But his pleas fell on deaf ears.
The monster raised one claw, slashing it down mercilessly.
Shlick!
The razor-sharp claws cleaved through the rider's neck effortlessly, severing his head. At the same time, the creature's tongue—a grotesque, barbed appendage—shot out, piercing through the decapitated skull.
"A tongue?!" Anirudh gasped, his blood running cold as he witnessed the horrifying scene.
With terrifying speed, the monster retracted its tongue, pulling the severed head into its gaping maw.
Crunch!
The sound of shattering bones echoed as the creature bit into the skull, blood and brain matter spraying everywhere.
After devouring the head, the crimson beast leapt forward again, closing the distance to Sujeet and Anirudh with alarming speed.
"Die!" Sujeet screamed.
Through his motorcycle's rearview mirror, he had witnessed the creature slaughter his last companion. Desperation pushed him to swing his baseball bat at Anirudh, hoping to use him as a distraction to buy time to escape.
Although Sujeet knew using Anirudh as bait might only delay the inevitable, he clung to the slimmest chance of survival.
However, he underestimated Anirudh.
Bang!
Just as the bat was about to strike, Anirudh's hand shot out with lightning speed, gripping the weapon tightly.
The force behind Anirudh's grasp was immense. Sujeet felt as though he had struck an unyielding wall.
Before Sujeet could react, Anirudh wrenched the bat from his grasp, sending him flying off his motorcycle.
Crash!
Sujeet tumbled across the ground, skidding for several meters before coming to a bruised, bloodied stop.
"You dare…" Anirudh muttered coldly, his gaze filled with fury.
If not for his enhanced strength and reflexes, Sujeet's ambush might have left him at the mercy of the blood-red monster.
But Anirudh had no time to dwell on anger.
The crimson creature was still approaching.
It moved slowly now, as if sizing up Anirudh like a predator toying with its prey.
Drool dripped from its jaws, pooling on the ground as it took deliberate, menacing steps forward.
"Damn it," Anirudh muttered, gripping his crowbar tightly.
Even with his enhanced abilities, he wasn't sure he could survive this confrontation.
Suddenly, the creature pounced.
With explosive force, it launched its massive frame toward Anirudh.
The speed was overwhelming—faster than any human could hope to match.
Instinctively, Anirudh raised his crowbar, swinging with all his might.
Clang!
The impact reverberated through his arms like a thunderclap. Though he managed to block the attack, the force was so immense it pushed him backward several steps.
Pain shot through his hands and arms, but he stood his ground, refusing to fall.
"This thing… it's too strong," Anirudh thought grimly, staring down the beast as it prepared for another attack.