Rudra heard an alluring voice in his mind, showering him with all sorts of promises. All he had to do was touch the red energy surrounding the stump, and insurmountable strength and power would be his to wield.
A look of desire flashed across his face, and his eyes took on a bloodthirsty light. Thinking of what he would do to the Ant King, and how he could finally gain control of his own will and no longer be played like a puppet by emotions beyond his control, a smile appeared at the corner of his lips and he stretched his hands out.
The promises were simply too tempting to let go, and given that he had been craving power and regretting his own weakness ever since Kavya and the others died, the promise was simply too alluring.
Just when he was about to make contact with the boiling red fog seeping out of the stump, the image of Shiva in his mind, who had become slightly fainter, shot forward with his trishul. As if he had been electrocuted, Rudra shook all over and fell down.
Eyes wide open, Rudra gazed at the dark, cloudy sky as rain slid down his pupils. They went from red to black, and clarity finally returned to his mind.
Rudra avoided turning towards the stump and, catching sight of Prabhu in his peripheral vision, forcefully pulled him aside.
Waking up, Prabhu’s face filled with terror. He looked at Rudra and thanked him profusely.
"Don’t look towards the stump. Pull out the others as well," Rudra said and started looking for more feet.
He discovered Laila moving towards the stump one step at a time. Without hesitation, Rudra grabbed her shirt and yanked her back.
"Ehaaa!"
Laila squealed, and as clarity returned to her eyes, she looked around with her eyes filled with horror. Thinking about the mistake she was about to make, her blood ran cold.
Pulled by Prabhu, Pranay was broken from the hallucinations, and finally Laila brought Ranga over.
For some reason Ranga felt his body a little cold. An uneasy sensation lingered in his heart. However, thinking it might be the aftereffects of the hallucinations, he did not think much of it and continued running with Rudra and others.
At the back, the fight continued.
The red giant shot one crimson beam after another, cutting the vines at every turn, making the gigantic plant seem helpless.
However, it looked like the plant was testing out its capabilities as well.
Ever since the first rain, nothing had stood against it, and there was no entity it couldn’t kill, so its attack method had always been to grow as big as possible and crush everything in its way.
This was the first time it had encountered an opponent that could not only fight but also endure it.
As a result, the red giant was pushed to use means other than what it normally did.
Dense fog began to gather on the surface of the plant. It began to twirl around its gigantic trunk the size of a football field, and before the red giant could respond, the twirling winds sped up to such speeds that friction turned the air into plasma, sending it hurtling towards the red giant all at once.
The plasma ripped through the distance, vaporising anything in its path, incinerating the air and everything else alike.
(Boom!)
The red giant sensed the danger from the attack and tried its best to dodge, but unfortunately, the plasma was too fast. The giant was hit right in the shoulder, and with no resistance, its entire shoulder was incinerated.
The plant was not intelligent, but it was not a normal plant either. It had sentience. The canopy at the end of the branches shook in joy.
The enemy it should defeat at any cost had been defeated, but unfortunately, the red giant’s arm started to regenerate. In moments, the arm had regrown, and it was already charging up crimson energy for the attack.
The giant plant grew furious and started summoning the clouds, and this time, the air spun not just around the trunk, but around all of its branches as well.
The gust of wind was so rapid that a low-pressure zone formed right under the gales, and as a result, sand and debris on the surface levitated as if they were not affected by gravity.
In the midst of a highway dotted with tyres and various car parts, a group of people were running with all their might:
Feeling the girl’s temperature drop, Rudra felt happy. At least there was some good news amidst a plethora of terrible news.
Yet there was a dilemma. Once the girl woke up, she’d ask for a ton of food. Given that she had been in a coma for who knows how long, her craving might only be more intense.
Although he still had a lot of food in his bag, and the others had a sufficient amount as well, the journey on foot was long.
Electronic City was over 5 km away, and who knows what they’ll encounter along the way and when they can reach it?
However, he had no other option but to keep running. If the situation becomes too desperate, he might have to resort to hunting a few animals.
Rudra’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he heard a gust of wind from behind.
His senses were alert all the time, so he didn’t take the sound for granted and lowered his head.
However, seeing an axe swing by in the place where his neck was previously located, his eyes widened, and he turned around in disbelief.
"Ranga?"
He wasn’t able to believe it. It was Ranga who attacked him, but why?
Rudra noticed the unusual red hue around Ranga’s pupils and immediately suspected the crimson energy attached to the vine’s stump.
"Don’t tell me you made contact with it." He was astonished.
The commotion attracted the others, and Pranay, as soon as he saw Ranga’s situation, had his heart sink.
"Grrrr."
With his facial expression distorted, Ranga gritted his teeth and let out a beast-like growl.
"Ranga, get control over yourself. Don’t lose your mind." Pranay cried out.
Surprisingly, it did seem to have an effect when Ranga momentarily paused. Unfortunately, the redness in his eyes returned, and he walked towards Rudra once again.
Rudra’s expression was gloomy, and he put down the girl and took out his spear.
Looking at his serious expression, Laila called out in concern. "Rudra."
Rudra understood her worries and answered with a reassuring voice. "Don’t worry, I’ll not harm him."
Laila nodded, and Pranay let out a deep breath.
Rudra walked forward and swung his spear at Ranga’s hand. It unexpectedly made him drop the axe. He thought Ranga would put up some resistance, but he didn’t do any of that.
Instead, as soon as the axe fell to the ground, the man ran forward with a bloodthirsty light and pounced with his fingers outstretched, as if he were a beast that wanted to tear his flesh apart with his own hands.
Rudra was taken aback when Ranga ran much faster than before. However, in terms of speed, he was second only to Prabhu, so he dodged to the side with relative ease, squatted down and tripped Ranga.
Ranga stumbled and fell face first. Rudra seized the opportunity, jumping on him and landing hard on his back. He tore a piece of Ranga’s shirt and tied his hands behind him. While guttural sounds kept coming from Ranga’s mouth, Rudra tied his feet as well, locking him in place.
Rudra looked at everyone watching with concern and motioned, "Let’s go. Maybe he’ll improve if we get far enough away."
Looking at the vicious expression on Ranga’s face, he could only sigh, pick up the girl, and set off.
At this point, the battle had reached its climax.
Half of the foliage on the plant was nowhere to be seen, and the red giant didn’t even have a single scratch on its body. Yet it had shrunk to its original size, and the mysterious symbols around its body seemed to have lost their lustre and were even flickering with a fragile glow.
But the fight was not over yet. It wasn’t over until one side fell and the other reigned victorious.
As a final struggle, the red giant’s body was completely engulfed in flames. Dark red, ominous flames produced an eerie silhouette of thousands of humans, ants, and other animals writhing in pain.
As for the giant plant, its remaining vines began to fall, along with the flowers, leaves, and branches, leaving only a single trunk standing straighter than ever. However, the trunk was being engulfed by white clouds, white clouds that spun rapidly, turned dark, and looked as if a storm had personified itself and provided a blanket for the plant.
The pressure emanating from both extraordinary creatures was immense. Even the hospital broke apart due to the momentum, and in a moment, when the accumulated energy was about to be unleashed, the world came to a standstill.
P.S. Look into my bio for assets.