"Headless Rider"

Rumors of the Headless Rider initially only circulated among street racing gangs: "If you race at speeds over 200 kilometers per hour at midnight, you'll summon a rider clad in black motorcycle gear, with cold flames burning eternally beneath his helmet. He comes to judge the street racers and will invite you to a chase you cannot refuse… where the loser forfeits their soul!"

The origin of this legend is lost to time, and most who heard it simply laughed it off, never taking it seriously. One night, a gang of street racers were tearing through the empty streets on their motorcycles as usual, when they began to discuss the legend. "Ha! You don't actually believe that guy exists, do you?" The gang leader doubled over with laughter after hearing the story. "Even if he were real, why would I be scared of him?"

Laughing away, he mounted his motorcycle and floored the throttle, shooting straight past 200 km/h. Just as he lost himself in the rush of speed, the streetlights began to flicker. A piercing shriek suddenly sounded out, and a rider clad in black atop a motorcycle as dark as the night itself came roaring up from behind. After locking onto his target, the rider's motorcycle spewed blue flames, speeding ahead at a provocatively fast pace. The gang leader refused to back down.

He floored the throttle again and fearlessly accepted the challenge. According to the gang members' later accounts, that night, the roar of two engines echoed across half the city. In this chase, their leader ultimately failed to overtake the motorcycle shrouded in black mist… When the other members caught up, they were horrified to see the rider remove his helmet.

In the eerie glow of blue flames flickering at his neck, he swung a terrifying black scythe, mercilessly slashing the loser before him. The blade flashed cold, and the gang leader, unharmed, stood before his motorcycle cleaved in two, reduced to scrap. By the time everyone came to their senses, the headless rider had vanished swiftly into the dark night. From that night on, the leader quit the gang and swore never to race again.

That black scythe, destroying his beloved bike, seemed to have taken his "racing spirit" as well. After this incident, the Headless Rider became the hottest topic in Hethereau for a time. The road was completely closed off, and it remained sealed for a long while before reopening. According to this writer's investigation, if a race with the Headless Rider drags on too long, he will pull his opponent into a mysterious Anomalous Realm…

No one knows what happens inside, but for street racers, this danger is precisely what makes him so alluring. Thus, despite knowing they will pay a heavy price, people continue to seek out and challenge the Headless Rider. "Defeating the Headless Rider" has become the ultimate dream and goal for many racing enthusiasts.

Over time, the Headless Rider has somehow become the spiritual leader of these street racers, now known as Garuda, emblazoned proudly on their crew jackets as their symbol. In the eyes of these worshippers, a "judge" like the Headless Rider stands at the top of the food chain and is therefore worth following. The Headless Rider also provides "fuel" to the members through Garuda's core leaders, the "Four Kings."

This "fuel" consists of the "racing spirits" of those defeated in midnight races. Rumor has it this "fuel" greatly enhances members' prowess, making them unstoppable. But for the Headless Rider himself, his purpose seems to be simply to race, win, then swing his scythe. The reasons for an Anomaly born to judge instead assisting Garuda remains a baffling mystery. Incidentally, official records also document several cases of speeding drivers encountering the Headless Rider.

However, when the drivers fled in terror, the rider seemed to lose interest in continuing the race. Since the Headless Rider's appearance, the frequency of illegal speeding on the roads has dropped significantly. In that sense, this headless rider has inadvertently made quite a contribution to the city's traffic safety, which the Security Office finds itself rather thankful for.