A pickup truck barreled straight toward the Creeper.
Old man Jack stood rock-steady in the truck bed, both hands locked on a massive harpoon launcher he'd built from a drilling rig. The thick spearhead was already loaded and ready.
His eyes widened in shock at the monster crouched on the RV. Even though he'd mentally prepared himself, seeing the thing up close—with wings spanning three or four meters—still sent ice down his spine.
The Creeper tilted its head at the newcomers, looking genuinely confused.
Seriously? I ate one of your kids. Was that really worth chasing me across the whole county?
What's wrong with food these days?
Back in the old days, the second it showed up, people dropped to their knees trembling and offered up the tastiest one as tribute.
Now?
They fought back. They hunted it.
Jack snapped out of it fast. The pain of losing his son boiled over into pure hatred. Killing intent flooded every vein.
"Die, you fucking animal!!!"
He roared and slammed the trigger.
THUNK!
A long spear attached to a high-tensile Dyneema rope shot forward like a cannon blast.
The Creeper didn't even have time to flinch. The spear punched straight through its chest, pinning it to the RV's hood like a bug on a board.
"Gotcha!"
Jack pumped his fist, whole body shaking with the rush of revenge.
The Creeper let out a pained screech and grabbed the spear with both hands, trying to yank it out.
But the barbs held tight—the more it struggled, the deeper they sank.
"ROAR!"
Its wings beat furiously.
It spread its arms, claws hooking into both sides of the RV's fenders. With terrifying strength, it ripped the entire engine hood clean off the vehicle.
Still carrying the crumpled hood, the Creeper launched into the sky.
The rope spooled out fast from the winch on the pickup.
"Back up! Yank it down!" Jack slapped the roof of the cab, yelling at his oldest son.
The Creeper gripped the spear in its chest, wings pumping hard as it fought upward and backward.
Tires screamed. White smoke poured off the asphalt.
But the power gap was too wide.
After just a few seconds of resistance, the pickup's rear wheels lifted off the ground. The tail rose.
"Shit!"
Before Jack and his son could react, the whole truck flipped over, dragged through the air.
Their fate was unknown.
…
On a side road off East 9 Highway.
A sports car tore through the night at full throttle.
Soren kept one hand on the wheel, the other holding his dead phone, brows locked tight.
This damn highway was a maze—no signs, no landmarks. How the hell was he supposed to find them?
"Alessa, you sensing anything?"
The little girl in the passenger-seat shadows shook her head.
Soren felt frustration building. Having power but nowhere to use it sucked.
BOOM!
A loud crash suddenly shattered the quiet night somewhere ahead.
Soren looked up.
In the distance, a dark silhouette was being pulled upward by a long rope, its massive wings clearly visible in the moonlight.
"Flying a kite at night? Bold."
Soren narrowed his eyes. Killing intent flared.
Whether it had met Patty or not didn't matter anymore.
He was ending this thing tonight.
He slammed the brakes and yanked the wheel hard.
The black sports car executed a perfect powerslide, then shot straight off the road.
"No road ahead. Want me to make you one?" Alessa asked.
"Make a road?" Soren stared at the small dirt mound rising ahead. Instead of braking, he floored the gas.
The performance beast roared like a demon unchained, the engine note vibrating through his bones.
"That's for cowards."
A wild grin spread across Soren's face.
"The demon dictionary doesn't have that word!"
As if sensing its driver's madness, the car unleashed all its pent-up aggression onto the wilderness.
The speedometer needle smashed past the redline as it became a black arrow hurtling toward the mound.
VROOOM—
Using the slope like a ramp, the sports car launched into the air under the moonlight.
At the peak of the jump, Soren kicked off the driver's seat, launching himself even higher.
Demonic power surged through his body. Faint purple light glowed across his skin, making him look both beautiful and deadly.
CRASH—
The powerless car plummeted into the trees below, tumbling and breaking apart before exploding into a blazing fireball.
High above the flames, in the night sky—
BOOM!
Soren stomped down, creating a ring of crimson demonic energy beneath his foot. His figure turned into a purple-red streak, rocketing toward the battlefield.
[Demon · Double Jump]
[Trickster · Dash]
…
"No…"
Patty watched the father and son's unknown fate with worry in her eyes.
But she couldn't help them—the Creeper was already descending, landing just a short distance away.
It ripped the rope off and casually tossed the crumpled engine hood at the overturned pickup like trash.
Then it turned around. Those stolen human eyes locked onto Patty standing in the middle of the road.
Seeing prey that still showed no fear, the Creeper gave a cruel smile. It gripped the spear in its chest and slowly pulled it out.
Shluck.
Black ichor sprayed. The wound left a gaping hole, but the flesh writhed and rapidly regenerated.
Spear in hand, it advanced on Patty step by step.
Its towering body completely swallowed the petite girl in shadow.
The Creeper raised the spear and used the tip to lift Patty's chin, forcing her to look at its hideous face.
Patty was made to tilt her head up. At point-blank range, she could smell the monster's rotting stench. Her body trembled slightly.
But there was no fear in her eyes.
"Come on then…"
Patty gritted her teeth, voice shaking. "If you're going to eat me… at least make it quick."
"Because…"
"This will be your last meal!"
The Creeper paused. Its eyes narrowed. Being looked down on like this was an insult.
It couldn't smell the sweet fear it loved so much on this prey.
From beginning to end, she looked at it the same way it looked at its own waste.
It was boring now. No point playing anymore.
"ROAR—!"
With a low growl, it thrust its claws straight at Patty's head.
Patty's body shook. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. In her final moment, Soren's back when he rejected her invitation flashed through her mind.
"You bastard… When I get to hell… I swear I won't let you off either!"
The claws were less than an inch from her face—
The Creeper's ears twitched. It heard something.
A piercing scream of tearing air suddenly ripped through the night sky.
It looked up in confusion.
A streak of crimson demonic energy rapidly grew larger in its pupils.