"Well, that explains where the vines came from." Remembering Kiran and his wife’s deaths, Rudra muttered.
Out of the pitch-black abyss of billowing clouds, massive, tentacle-like vines erupted, writhing through the air like the serpent coils of Medusa.
The sound of buildings being brutally broken was heard every moment, and to everyone’s shock, buildings were lifted off the ground and hung in the grip of the vines like a candy bar held by a child.
Despite seeing a lot of bizarre things for the last few days, the sight of a three- and four-story building being picked up like nothing and being crushed to rubble sent an electric jolt through Rudra’s spine, seizing his lungs in a cold, suffocating grip.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to be surprised for too long. With Pranay, Ranga, and Laila pushing the truck, he and Prabhu were the only two who were left to deal with the ants.
Not to mention, they had to simultaneously clear a path while killing the ants.
Fortunately, the rain continuously replenished his energy, and surprisingly, even if he was inadvertently cut or injured, the wound would quickly stop bleeding and clot. Suspiciously enough, his wounds healed quicker than everyone else’s, but now was not the time to ponder about it.
Rudra and Prabhu kept killing and eventually settled on a rhythm.
Rudra was the spearhead. He was at the forefront, dealing killing blows to all the ants with his spear and butchering them dozens at a time. His hands moved so fast that they were almost a blur, and with his footwork getting better the more he fought, it was almost as if he was embodying the dancing god of destruction, Nataraja.
Prabhu used his swiftness to his advantage. Rudra couldn’t kill all the ants, and several slipped through the net.
Prabhu dealt with these with his short bone daggers, surgically carving through the insects’ necks and slicing their lifelines away.
Prabhu no longer resembled a 15-year-old teenager preparing to enter pre-uni. He looked like a trained assassin, reaping lives as if he had a performance indicator to meet under a 9-to-5 job with Yamraj.
Their coordination got so good that, at a certain point, the speed at which the truck moved was no different from when all the normal people were pushing it.
However, while Rudra was slaughtering the red ants as if he were running a tiller, his neck suddenly felt icy. Blaring alarms of premonition sounded in his mind, and cold sweat broke out from his water-drenched back. Reaching a decision in a split second, he threw his head to the right.
(Swish)
Rudra heard something pass through the place where his head had just been, moving so fast that he could even hear the sound of the air being broken.
His pupils dilated, and he turned around to see what it was. However, when he saw the biggest ant he had ever seen, almost the size of the truck it stood next to, his breath caught and his heart skipped a beat.
Noticing that Prabhu had not yet realised there was a giant ant next to him, and seeing it suddenly eye Prabhu as he ended the life of an ant, Rudra’s heart went cold and roared.
"Prabhu, lunge forward."
Prabhu was completely concentrated on killing the ants, but as soon as he heard Rudra’s words, he jumped forward without a second thought.
(Boom)
A large crater formed where he’d just stood, created by a single stomp.
Rudra was momentarily relieved, but the smaller ants kept swarming around him even as the giant one attacked. He realised they were not slowing down.
He gritted his teeth and kept killing, but he knew they could not go on much longer.
He ordered everyone to stop pushing the truck and asked for help.
"Use the cylinders!" he roared with his eyes locked on the giant ant.
Pranay, Ranga, and Laila were caught off guard by the sounds coming from the front. But upon seeing the silhouette of the massive ant, their breathing quickened.
Pranay and Ranga ran forward to help.
Laila crawled under the truck, rose through the gap in the bed, and asked urgently, "Pass the gas cylinders and all the lighters you have."
Balram, Lingraj, and others were taken aback and were cowering in fear; however, as soon as they heard Laila’s words, hesitation left their bodies, and they started throwing out cylinders.
Laila used her smaller size to her advantage and crawled right under the truck, pulling the cylinder and throwing it towards the giant ant with all her might.
She waited for the rain to melt the metal, and when she heard the sound of gas leaking, she decisively threw out a lighter and almost immediately threw another cylinder in quick succession.
(Boom!)
The explosion sounded like a thunderclap, and flames engulfed the large ant.
Rudra looked at the ant with a smile etched at the corner of his lips, but the smirk vanished when the ant stood in the spot with nothing but charred skin.
"No!" Pranay exclaimed in surprise, and the others were no different.
"Damn it." Rudra cursed and made a decision.
"Laila, leave the big ant to us. Take care of the smaller ones." He said
Rudra clutched his spear like a hammer and, taking aim, threw it with all his might.
The spear tore through the air, sliced through the water droplets and shot towards the giant ant.
Made from the bones of the Krasurs, its white, bony body gave off an eerie light against the backdrop of the monstrous curtain of clouds. Yet, the moment the spear made contact with the ant’s head,
(Clink)
A sharp metallic clang rang through the air as the spear struck the ant’s head, only to be deflected and sent crashing to the ground. The impact had left behind a wound, but it was shallow and barely produced any blood.
Rudra felt a wave of desperation wash over him. His strongest attack had failed to do any real damage, and worse, it seemed to have done nothing but enrage the ant.
"Ke ke ke ke ke."
The ant let out a strange, guttural scream before lunging at him with terrifying speed.
Rudra felt death approaching and instinctively threw himself to the side. He was only moments away from being crushed beneath its massive body, yet even after narrowly escaping the attack, he was far from safe.
Set off by Laila, the explosions of the gas cylinders started to echo across the truck, and each blast seemed to enrage the ant even further. It repeatedly brought its massive legs crashing down on Rudra, forcing him to dodge again and again with barely an inch separating him from death.
He was like a helpless rat desperately escaping a stomping foot. However, with the others finally reacting to the situation and joining the fight, he had a little more breathing room to stay alive.
He looked toward where his spear had fallen and dove toward it.
He grabbed the spear and rolled to the side, escaping another attack before looking at the ant with hatred.
This was the first time he had ever been made to feel this desperate, and the beast had put everyone’s lives on the line.
"Aim at the joints," he growled, his voice hoarse, before running forward.
Prabhu, Pranay, and Ranga ran forward, mirroring his actions.
The ant was enraged by not being able to stomp even a single two-legged creature to death, but it suddenly felt a searing pain in its hind legs.
Rudra was overjoyed. He finally saw blood.
"Yes, keep going!" His blood boiled, and he roared with excitement.
He spun around, struck the other leg at the joint, and once the ant turned around, he jumped right under its face and plunged his spear into the gap between its neck and body.
"Ke ke ke ke."
The spearhead wedged tight in the gap. Dangling from the bone shaft, he was baptised in a torrent of scalding blood that burned his skin to the quick, even as a dark, addictive satisfaction surged through his soul.
The ant spasmed in pain, and every time it moved, the cut became wider. To make sure he wouldn’t slip back to the ground, he twisted the spear’s handle, forcing the spearhead to lodge itself between the gaps in its shell.
In the meantime, Ranga cut off more of its limbs, and Pranay started digging through its stomach.
As for Prabhu, following Rudra’s example, he got behind the ant’s head and slashed at the crease between two shell layers on its back.
Rudra and the others were not completely unharmed. The ant was too strong, and even if they were just nicked, a long gash appeared on their bodies, and blood poured out like water into a bowl.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to endure that torture for too long, as the ant finally stopped struggling and collapsed to the ground, dead.
Rudra twisted the handle and pulled out the spear. He was exhausted and panted heavily. Unfortunately, though, taking a breather was not an option.
"Keep moving."
P.S. For assets like character images, maps, and other things, look into my bio (Free)