Reincarnated as a Supernatural Horror Entity-248 - The Rooster Abomination

Six rounds struck the devil. Aimed at his torso.

The Piper of Golden Haven twisted his body with unnatural grace. But he wasn't fast enough. Five out of six still caught him. One shot grazed his arm. One hit his shoulder. And two others struck his chest. Ripping through the expensive fabric of his fancy clothing.

Instead of blood, a substance like molten gold sprayed from the wounds. Sizzling as it hit the wooden floor. He let out a shriek of pain and outrage. More offended than grievously wounded.

"You Bitch! You shot me! You damaged the finery!" He screeched in a high-pitched whine.

Jack didn't give him time to recover. While the devil was focused on Reina, Jack summoned his two bizarre puppets, Gluttony and Sloth. He also issued a silent command to the camouflaged Envy.

The devil flutist lunged again at Reina. She casually used her [Absolute Blink]. Teleporting another short distance away. Evading the attack. Frustrating the devil.

As he landed from his second missed lunge, Envy made its move.

The tiny monkey puppet had been a nearly untraceable ripple in the air. It had moved stealthily across the floor. A silent, invisible entity. Using the shifting shadows and the glittering chaos of the vault to its advantage.

Its target was not harming the devil flutist. It aimed to snatch the bone flute, which was now the bone dagger. It activated its [Treasure Theft].

The bizarre skill struck the devil. And it worked. The bone dagger on the devil's hand was ripped away instantly. One moment the devil held a lethal weapon of bone. The next, his palm was empty. Envy vanished into the shadows of the gold piles before the devil flutist could even process the loss.

The Piper of Golden Haven didn't stay confused for long. Rage replaced shock. He shrieked and reached into the inner lining of his red and gold outfit.

He pulled out a second instrument. It was still a flute. But this one seemed to be crafted from solid, gleaming gold. It was heavy and ornate. Pulsing with an uncomfortable yellow light.

The devil furiously blew into the flute...

And, the treasures in the vault responded. It wasn't just precious metal anymore. It was an extension of the devil’s will. Thousands of coins, heavy gold bars, and jewel-encrusted chalices began to vibrate.

They skittered across the stone floor. Drawn together by an invisible magnetic force. The sound was a deafening metallic screech. Within seconds, the treasure had fused. It rose from the floor. Forming a massive, grotesque shape.

It was vaguely looked like a gigantic rooster. It stood five meters tall. Its body was a jagged mosaic of gold coins and bars. Two enormous, mismatched, glowing amalgamations of gemstones became its eyes. Its beak was a pair of huge, sharpened gold plates...

The rooster abomination let out a metallic shriek that shook the dust from the ceiling.

"Don't touch it, Love!" Jack said in his nasal puppet voice. "It's still made of cursed objects. And the curse might even be strengthened."

Reina heeded the warning and moved with surgical precision. [Absolute Blink].

The gold rooster lunged. Its heavy golden beak snapped at the air where she had been standing a second prior. The rooster's weight caused the stone floor to crack. It was heavy. But the devil's music made it unnaturally fast.

Reina reappeared just a few meters to the left. Her feet barely touched the floor before she disappeared again.

Jack watched the devil flutist. The guy was focused on Reina. His fingers were dancing across the gold flute to command the construct. Jack didn't mind being ignored. It gave him a chance to send mental commands to his three bizarre puppets.

Sloth, the sleepy-looking baby panda plushie, was a deceptive thing. It slumped on a pile of discarded treasures not absorbed by the rooster monster. Ignoring its curses. Its red and yellow fur looked bright against the metal.

It didn't move fast. In fact, it didn't move at all. It didn't even lift its head. A thick, invisible wave of haze began to radiate from the puppet. [Drowsy Aura].

The wave rolled toward the devil flutist from the side. The devil hadn't pay any attention to it. Similar to how he didn't really pay attention to Jack. It seemed that they were not recognizable opponents for him. Probably because they weren't humans.

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The wave of [Drowsy Aura] hit the Piper of Golden Haven. It enveloped him and clung to his lungs. His tempo faltered. His fingers grew sluggish on the gold flute. His sharp, malicious eyes began to droop.

Then, Sloth activated [Nightmare Snores]. The puppet emitted rhythmic, low-frequency vibrations. Ones that seemed to bypass the ears and go straight for the brain.

The devil staggered. Struck with dizziness and confusion. The music was halted. He was fighting to stay conscious. His mind was assaulted by artificial exhaustion.

The bizarre skills were surprisingly... effective.

Nearby, the rooster monster's movements became erratic. It lurched to the side. Nearly toppling over.

'Now, Gluttony!' Jack silently commanded.

From behind a stone pillar, the third puppet emerged. Gluttony. A pale-yellow, furry frogman. It opened its mouth and targeted the dazed devil's body. Belching a cloud of sickly green gas. One that moved like a gust of wind. Directly striking into the target's body.

[Bloating Curse].

This one was also highly effective. The Piper of Golden Haven's stomach began to swell. The buttons of his fancy attire popped. Flying off like bullets. His belly bulged until it looked like he had swallowed several cannonballs.

The physical strain was immense. The devil gasped. Dropping his gold flute, he fell to his knees. His face turned a shade of green. And he began to retch. Vomiting a stream of gold dust and thick, black bile.

The gold rooster construct lost its cohesion. Without the flute's guidance, it stiffened and dropped down. Becoming nothing more than a heap of cursed metal and gemstones.

Jack didn't give the devil a chance to recover. He used a mental command on Envy.

The monkey puppet was already in position. It had been lurking in the devil’s blind spot. Hidden by its [Camouflage Aura].

It was like a ripple in the air. Invisible to the naked eyes. In its small, wooden hands, it gripped the stolen bone dagger.

Envy leaped. Without even making a sound. It landed on the hunched back of the kneeling and still retching devil flutist.

[Secret Backstab]!

Immediately, the bone dagger sank deep into the devil's body. Bypassing the ribs and piercing the heart.

The devil's eyes bulged. He couldn't even scream. Gagged by the bloated sense of his throat. He just stiffened as his life began to dissipate.

The Piper of Golden Haven began to dissolve. Dead. Without leaving any corpse.

Within a few seconds, he turned into a violent vortex of golden mist. The vortex spun wildly, sucking in the remaining darkness of the vault. Then, it split. Two streams of concentrated energy shot out. One hit Reina. The other washed Jack's puppet body.

Jack felt the rush. It was like a surge of warm, yet comfortable electricity hitting his soul.

His system notification instantly manifested in his vision. Glowing with new information.

[DEVIL ENERGY ABSORBED...]

[BIZARRE PUPPETEER POWER STRENGTHENED]

[NUMBER OF CONTROLLABLE PUPPETS INCREASED BY ONE]

Jack's carved pumpkin mouth stretched into a wide, jagged grin. Five. He could now field five puppets at once. He was becoming a one-man army. Nice!

Reina also looked invigorated. "Dear..." She said. "My control over illusions has deepened further. It takes even less mana for me to use illusion now. These devils are surprisingly... useful."

"Good!" Jack replied. "We're growing. This place is troublesome. But the harvest is excellent."

He looked around the vault. The giant gold rooster had crumbled. As the devil's life force vanished, the curse on the gold vanished too.

Then, the gold itself began to fade. Coins turned to gray smoke. Bars of bullion evaporated. The entire treasure hoard was just a fake. Although they were definitely not a complete illusion, they were still... fake.

Probably they came from a mixture of transfiguration power, conjuration, illusion, and curses. Sustained by the Piper of Golden Haven's presence.

Within a minute, the vault was empty. It was just a cold, stone room with a few dusty crates. And the lingering scent of iron.

Jack was about to float toward the far door when Rune, his fairy guide, pulsed with a bright, urgent magenta light.

She was currently in her lantern form. Floating not far in front of him. She didn't speak. She didn't need to. Jack felt the warning through their mental link. Friends were coming. And they weren't alone.

"Company's here." Jack muttered. "And they seemed to bring heavy hitters."

He didn't want to be caught in his puppet form. It was a useful incarnation for certain situations. But he wanted to keep it hidden. He quickly activated his [Incarnation Shift].

The small Jack o'Lantern puppet instantly expanded. Wood turned to bone and flesh. Hat and mantle turned to leather outfits. In a heartbeat, the devil puppet vanished. And Jack stood there in his human form. Sharp, observant, and dressed just like a battle-ready mercenary.

His three bizarre puppets turned into dark pearls and disappeared. His human form wasn't a puppeteer. He couldn't accommodate them at all.

He noticed that Envy was holding both the bone dagger and the gold flute when it reverted to its dark pearl. These two objects didn't disappear along with the devil's demise? He needed to check them later.

The sound of rushing footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. It sounded like quite a number of people.

The heavy iron doors of the vault were thrown open. Barnaby burst in first. His lute was strapped to his back. And his face was tight with anxiety. He was followed closely by Mirella and Riff. They still looked pale and tired. But they seemed relieved to see Jack and Reina standing.

But they weren't the only ones. Behind them were four figures that carried an aura of divine power. Jack recognized them instantly. He had encountered them all before. Although right now, in his human incarnation, only two would recognize him.

The first man was High Priest Mountaine from the Church of Prosperity. Beside him was Senior Inquisitor Lantern from the Church of Justice. Jack encountered both of them in his specter form before. They wouldn't know him.

But following them were two figures Jack and Reina were acquainted with. It was the stern-faced Father Lynx from the Church of Justice. And the delicate looking Sister Riverre from the Church of Redemption. They were involved during the case of Deep Silence.

The representatives of all three orthodox churches had arrived...