The acrid smell of liquid metal and burning flesh assaulted Alex’s nostrils as he gazed upon the gruesome sight ahead.
A destroyed rail with toppled boxcars currently burning brightly with human bodies strewn about possessing varying degrees of injuries, several of which were quite fatal.
The cries of those that were miraculously alive were heard as they struggled to break free from the mess.
Despite being used to such a scene from his past life, Alex couldn’t help but once again understand the fragile nature of human life.
Nadia was no different as she barely restrained the urge to vomit from the sight.
It was a first for her and if not for her strong will, it wouldn’t have been shocking if she fainted.
Covering her nose to reduce the smells assailing her senses, Nadia muttered. "What caused this?"
The cries of a man as he caught fire echoed in the already terrifying scene as he struggled to douse the flames but the harder he struggled, the worse it became.
Looking in his direction, Nadia raised her arm and chanted.
Like a lie, the flames disappeared from the man’s body leaving him barely alive.
Alex was momentarily taken aback by this as he glanced at her.
"...I denied the existence of fire on him," Nadia explained with difficulty.
It seemed that one spell drained her, leaving her barely able to stand properly.
Alex nodded in understanding before glancing at the sight again.
Taking a deep breath, he attempted to make a move only to pause as he sensed something.
Glancing in the direction of the man that had just been saved, he exclaimed. "Get away from there!"
Despite the warning, the man was unable to react as he was barely able to stand.
He suddenly felt himself being lifted up and while floating midair, was ripped apart from his torso.
Just like that, the man that escaped death found himself entering its ineluctable embrace once again.
His blood splattered about, revealing the outline of a figure.
Both Nadia and Alex were shocked by his death but what shocked Alex even more was the existence of the creature that somehow managed to hide itself so well.
Pursing his lips, he ordered. "Reveal yourself!"
Whatever the creature was, it seemed to understand what he said as it went ahead to dispel its camouflage, revealing a grotesque appearance.
Its overall physique looked like a mishmash of various forest creatures, resulting in a humanoid abomination with six arms and two legs that shouldn’t exist under normal circumstances.
Once again, Nadia felt the urge to vomit and this time, she didn’t hold back.
Checking to ensure she was okay, Alex turned his attention back to the creature that was just standing there.
Despite just brutally murdering a man, it didn’t seem violent... at least not yet.
"What are you?" Alex asked as he stepped forward but of course, there was no response.
"Did you cause this?"
"What are you going to do now?"
The humanoid creature turned its head to one side and then to the other, seemingly evaluating the strange man before it.
Just as it tried to move, a spear flew from somewhere and pierced its chest, causing it to stagger back.
Glancing at the spear, it turned its attention over to its origin to find a slender-looking man wearing an Enforcer uniform walking toward it, accompanied by a woman that was also in the same attire.
Seeing the carnage ahead, the slender-looking man’s facial expression distorted.
"I can’t believe this." The female Enforcer beside him muttered while covering her mouth.
She looked quite young, most likely a recruit, judging from how tame she was compared to the man.
"I will make you suffer for the lives you have taken today." The slender-looking man said righteously as he approached the humanoid monstrosity, not caring if it understood anything he was saying.
Alex pondered on whether to act, considering the appearance of the Enforcers, and after a little tug of war, decided to let them do their job.
Of course, he planned to keep an eye on the situation.
"Please step back sir, this isn’t a place for a civilian." The young female Enforcer said as she approached Alex.
Seeing Nadia’s condition, she added. "You should take the young miss inside as well."
"Alright, thank you," Alex replied as he did as he was told.
Meanwhile, the male Enforcer pulled out a shotgun as he drew close enough to the creature.
All it took was a single shot for the monster’s head to explode like a watermelon with bloody entrails splattering about.
Not even given a chance to struggle, the monster collapsed to the ground and stopped moving.
The male Enforcer snorted before pulling out his spear from its body.
Sighing heavily, he glanced at the wreckage ahead. "Truly unfortunate."
He turned away and as he walked toward his subordinate, said. "It won’t be possible to move further. We’d need to report this to HQ. Repairmen and the likes would have to fix this place up before transit would be possible on this route again."
The female Enforcer quickly took out a note to pen down what he said only to pause as she caught something.
Turning wide-eyed, she suddenly exclaimed in panic. "Watch out!"
However, her warning came a bit too late as the male Enforcer’s head got lopped off.
He didn’t even get a chance to know how he died as he casually lost his life.
His head flew a long way before falling into the sea of flames behind while his body dropped to its knees before ultimately falling to the ground.
Watching blood spurt out of the stump of her superior’s neck, the female Enforcer was left completely disoriented as she screamed. "Ah!!!"
Her terrified voice echoed as the creature slowly approached her.
Hardly had it taken a step forward however when it realized it could no longer move.