"Gurgle… gurgle…"
Suddenly, the monster's back convulsed violently, and its clothes tore apart with a swish. A pair of deformed, bat-like fleshy wings burst through its coat and snapped open behind it!
"Hcccccrrhhhhh——!"
The creature flapped its wings, and its tall body shot into the sky, soaring dozens of meters high in the blink of an eye.
Diluc's eyes narrowed. He tightened his grip on the Blackrock Blade in his right hand as blazing flames roared to life along its edge.
"Stay."
Boom—!
Diluc hurled the Blackrock Slasher! The flaming blade transformed into a crimson meteor, piercing the monster's right wing instantly.
Its fleshy wing blackened and shattered in the inferno, and the monster let out a shrill wail before plummeting from the sky.
Bang—!!!
A crater punched into the road, cracks spiderwebbing outward. The monster lay motionless in the pit, its broken wings twitching feebly.
Swish!
Diluc raised his hand, and the Blackrock Blade traced a fiery arc through the air before snapping back into his palm.
Grunting, the monster struggled to its knees and began crawling—agonizingly slowly—toward a rusted truck.
Pah—!
Inside the truck bed, more than a dozen bodies wrapped in white cloth lay scattered.
The monster yanked the nearest corpse toward itself. The cloth slipped away, revealing the pale face of a young man—his eyes dull and gray, dried blood crusted at the corner of his mouth. He had clearly been dead for some time.
Crunch… crunch…
The monster seized the corpse, opened its bloodied maw, and bit down. Its jagged teeth ripped open the throat, and it devoured the flesh and blood with brutal, ravenous hunger.
Gulping… gulping…
As the blood and tissue slid into its stomach, the monster's charred skin began to writhe. Its wounds healed at a visible rate, and fresh granulation tissue sprouted from the stumps of its broken wings.
"Disgusting."
Diluc's lip curled in revulsion, and the flames wreathing the Blackrock Slasher flared even brighter.
In a blur of fire, he lunged forward—blade aimed straight for the monster's head! But the creature reacted with shocking speed, shoving the half-eaten corpse in front of itself as a shield.
Swish!
The Blackrock Slasher cleaved the body in two. Before the entrails and black blood could spill, they were seared to ash by the blade's heat.
Puff!
Yet the strike's momentum didn't falter—it carved a hideous gash across the monster's chest, from collarbone to waist, nearly splitting it in half!
ROAR—!!
Howling in agony, the monster collapsed to its knees—but still, it snatched up the two halves of the corpse and crammed them into its mouth. Once again, blood and flesh flooded its stomach, and its wounds began to knit shut. Even its wings regenerated, swelling back to seventy percent of their original size.
But it didn't counterattack. Instead, it turned and fled! Its mangled wings flapped desperately, stirring only a gust of rancid wind as it stumbled into the depths of the forest.
"Sucker punch."
Diluc stood firm, the Blackrock Blade blazing in his grip. The fire elemental energy boiled along the steel, building to a crescendo—then he swung.
BOOM—!
A crimson wave of fire tore through the night sky, warping the air in its wake.
The blazing waves of fire instantly engulfed the monster! In the searing flames, its body melted like wax—its skin quickly carbonized and peeled away, and its bones cracked under the intense heat.
"Roar…"
It managed only a short wail before collapsing into a pile of charred ashes, scattered by the night wind.
Diluc casually tossed the Blackrock Slasher. The black-and-red blade dissolved into a burst of fluorescence and vanished.
He turned and walked toward the stunned siblings. Tracy's lip trembled, and Daly stared at the ashes, as if afraid they might re-form.
Diluc looked down at them and asked,
"Have you called the police?"
"My phone is broken…"
Daly stammered, pointing toward the burning wreckage in the distance.
Diluc frowned, then glanced at the truck parked by the roadside.
"There are a lot of bodies in that vehicle. You should be able to find cell phones on them. Or you could just drive it away."
As he spoke, he tossed them a set of keys.
Tracy caught them. They felt cold and sticky, as if stained with old blood. She suppressed a wave of nausea, looked at Diluc with hope, and asked,
"Then… won't you come with us?"
Diluc had already turned and stepped into the shadows, the hem of his windbreaker brushing against the last cluster of sparks.
"No need."
The moment he finished speaking, Diluc vanished completely into the depths of the woods—as if he'd never been there at all.
Tracy stood by the roadside with Daly, clutching the blood-stained keychain, hesitating.
Search through corpses for phones? The mere thought made her stomach churn.
Drive away that truck full of bodies? Just being near it sent chills down her spine.
"How about… we try to see if we can get a ride?"
Daly suggested quietly, his eyes darting toward the end of the road.
No sooner had he spoken than headlights appeared in the distance.
A convoy of five black SUVs approached, their beams cutting a single streak through the night.
Tracy and Daly exchanged a glance and immediately rushed to the roadside, waving their arms and shouting desperately:
"Help! Please, help us!"
But before they could reach the center of the road, the convoy slowed and stopped neatly about ten meters away.
Pah…
The car doors opened in unison. A squad of fully armed tactical operatives in identical black combat uniforms emerged, sweeping the area with rifles raised.
Tracy and Daly froze. Their fragile hope instantly gave way to dread.
These guys don't look like ordinary police officers!
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a black suit stepped out of the lead SUV.
His tall frame, refined bearing, and receding hairline made him resemble a university professor more than a soldier.
He raised a hand, signaling his team to lower their weapons, then approached the siblings and produced a badge from his inner pocket.
"Good evening. I'm FBI Agent John McCain. What happened here?"
His voice was calm and measured—reassuring, even.
Hearing "FBI," Tracy and Daly finally relaxed.
Tracy was so relieved she nearly cried. She began recounting the night's events, gesturing wildly:
"We were attacked by a monster! It was driving that truck—it tried to run us off the road and kill us!"
Agent McCain's brow furrowed slightly, though his expression remained composed.
"A… monster?"
...
After listening to their story, McCain had a general idea of what had occurred. He nodded and said,
"Thank you for your cooperation. I'll arrange a vehicle to take you back right away.
Also, I must remind you: what happened tonight involves national security. Until the case is officially declassified, I ask that you not disclose any details."
He signaled to one of his team members.
"Escort them to the nearest police station and have a doctor examine them."
The siblings exchanged a look and nodded obediently.
They were desperate to forget everything that had happened.
Once the SUV carrying them disappeared into the night, McCain's gentle demeanor vanished.
He strode quickly toward the truck. Two agents had already opened the doors, their flashlights revealing several bodies wrapped in white cloth.
McCain's eyes darkened. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number not saved in his contacts.
When the call connected, he spoke a single sentence:
"Boss, it's me—Coulson."