At night, under the moonlight, US Route 9 stretched into the distance, the trees on both sides rustling in the breeze, occasionally punctuated by the chirping of insects.
Trish and Dali, siblings, slumped near the Burning car wreckage, their lungs Burning with pain, their legs weak with fear.
"Did... did he leave?"
Dali's voice was hoarse as he stared intently in the direction of the road.
Trish didn't answer.
Her gaze was fixed ahead—the rusty truck slowly reversed, stopping by the roadside not far from the car wreckage.
The engine died, and the World fell into a brief, dead silence.
Then, the driver's side door creaked open.
A tall, dark figure stepped out of the vehicle, his leather boots crunching on the dry branches on the ground.
He wore a dirty fedora, and beneath its brim, half of a grayish-green face, chapped lips, a hooked nose, and a pair of eyes glowing with an eerie yellow in the darkness were vaguely visible.
He was dressed in a worn leather overcoat, its hem stained with dark brown smudges, like dried blood.
The dark figure turned and walked towards the truck's cargo bed, pulling open the iron door with a forceful yank.
"Crash—!"
Several white-shrouded humanoid figures rolled out of the cargo bed, hitting the ground with heavy thuds.
A corner of the white cloth came loose, revealing a purplish-blue arm, its fingertips curled, its nail beds filled with dirt.
The dark figure bent down, picked up a corpse as if it were trash, and casually tossed it back into the cargo bed.
"Thump..."
Then, he pulled a massive axe from the cargo bed; its blade was heavily rusted but still showed sharp nicks, and its handle was wrapped in dirty bandages, with a few strands of dry hair hanging from the end.
"Run—!"
Trish squeezed a scream from her throat.
Hearing this, Dali instinctively grabbed Trish and then dashed into the depths of the forest.
"Rustle rustle..."
The siblings stumbled as they ran, dry branches whipping their faces, the muddy ground slippery underfoot, each step feeling like they were treading on cotton, the impact of the car accident making their bodies feel heavy as lead.
"Is he chasing us?"
Dali gasped for breath, not daring to look back.
At his words, Trish's peripheral vision swept behind her, and her blood instantly froze—
"Screech screech—!"
The monster was striding towards them, dragging its axe on the ground, creating a grating metallic scraping sound.
Under the intertwined light of the moon and the car's flames, they finally saw his face clearly:
His skin was like dry bark, covered in cracks and sores; his mouth stretched to his ears, revealing jagged, pointed teeth; and in his yellow eyes, there was no humanity, only murky, Beast-like vertical pupils.
"Run!"
Trish roared, pushing Dali, and her own pace quickened a few steps.
But their speed was still too slow.
The monster suddenly accelerated, like a hunting Beast, dropping to all fours and charging with a twisted posture, emitting a guttural "gurgle" from his throat.
"Trish, what do we do now?!"
Dali cried out in despair.
Hearing this, Trish gritted her teeth, then abruptly stopped, turned, and stood in front of her brother, saying:
"Dali, run! Don't look back!"
"No! I can't leave you—"
"Run!"
Trish picked up a Shitou and threw it with all her might at the monster behind them, simultaneously cursing:
"Come here, you disgusting bastard!"
"Splat!"
The Shitou hit the monster's chest but was like striking rotten wood, causing not even a moment's pause.
The monster completely ignored Trish and lunged directly at Dali!
"Dali—!"
Trish's scream tore through the night sky.
"Whoosh—!"
Dali froze in place, watching helplessly as the monster suddenly leaped into the air, its axe blade raised high—
"Boom—!"
A blazing Fire suddenly erupted from the depths of the forest, striking the monster's chest like a meteor!
"Roar—!"
"Crack—!"
The monster let out a desperate shriek, his body flying backward like a rag doll, crashing heavily into a tree, which instantly snapped, sending splinters flying like bullets in all directions.
Dali slumped to the ground, a wound carved into his face by the flying splinters, his gaze blankly fixed on the source of the Fire.
From the shadows of the forest, a man slowly emerged.
He was tall and slender, dressed in a black and red leather trench coat, the hem of his coat billowing with his steps, like a Burning dark flame.
His deep red, blood-like long hair was tied into a Horsetail, the ends slightly curled, gleaming with a metallic luster in the Firelight.
Most striking was the ornate and exaggerated Claymore in his hand, its blade wreathed in blazing black and red flames, scorching the surrounding air into a slight distortion.
Trish stumbled to her brother's side, embracing Dali, her voice trembling with emotion:
"Dali—! Thank goodness! You're alright!"
She abruptly looked up at Diluc, her eyes filled with the gratitude of a survivor, and said:
"Thank you, sir, thank you so much! If it weren't for you—"
Diluc didn't respond, merely walking past the two, his black and red trench coat flapping in the night wind.
His gaze remained fixed ahead, and he spoke in a low, cold voice:
"Stand back."
It was then that Trish and Dali noticed that the monster, which had been blasted away by the flames, had slowly begun to get up.
His chest was charred black, his skin peeling away like dry bark, revealing the writhing flesh beneath.
"Gurgle gurgle..."
The monster stared intently at Diluc, his yellow vertical pupils a mix of anger and fear, emitting a low growl like a threatened Beast from his throat.
He tightened his grip on the massive axe, his knuckles cracking with an unnerving sound.
"Roar—!"
The monster roared, suddenly lunging forward, his massive axe tearing through the air, carrying a foul wind as he brought it down on Diluc's head!
Diluc's eyes narrowed, and he instantly raised his blackcliff slasher horizontally in front of him.
"Clang—!"
The explosive clash of metal made their eardrums ache, and sparks flew.
The monster's arm muscles bulged, veins throbbing, and the axe blade pressed down inch by inch, trying to crush Diluc.
"Whoosh—!"
However, Diluc didn't budge; with a flick of his wrist, the blade suddenly erupted with blazing flames!
"Get lost!"
"Boom—!"
Flames roared from the blade like an enraged dragon, and the monster was thrown back by the violent fiery wave, crashing heavily and breaking a dead tree.
He had just struggled to his feet when Diluc, like a phantom, closed in, his blackcliff slasher arcing a crimson light!
"Pfft—!"
The scorching blade sliced across the monster's abdomen, bringing forth a gush of foul-smelling black blood and a strong odor of Burning.
"Roar roar—!"
The monster cried out in pain, staggering backward, and before he could regain his footing, Diluc's second strike arrived!
"Boom boom boom—!"
Flames and blade light intertwined; Diluc's offensive was like a torrential storm, every strike precise and vicious.
The monster futilely swung his massive axe to block, but retreated step by step under Diluc's overwhelming power.
His skin sizzled as the flames scorched him, and a foul black smoke rose from his wounds.
"Roar—!"
The monster roared in agony, and fear finally appeared in his vertical pupils.