Jack flicked the pages of his spectral grimoire.
Vicious Taunt to draw focus. Magic Missiles for ranged damage. Lesser Ward for a one-hit barrier. Vine Entanglement for temporary restraint. He cycled through them like before.
The dog barked. The hideous tangle of muscle and matted black fur lunged. And missed his target entirely. Jack quickly flashed backward.
"Oh, bark off." Jack muttered. Firing a volley of Magic Missiles. They struck the dog's hide like pebbles against a rock. It flinched but barely stumbled.
He conjured the spectral vines. They shot out from the ground. Wrapping around the monstrous legs.
Creeeaaak! The dog strained. The vines tautened, groaned, then snapped. It lasted maybe two seconds this time. Pointless.
Jack sighed.
This specter form was good for stealth. Or intangibility. Or using illusions. But for straight-up, messy combat against something this resilient? It felt like trying to take down a steam engine with a feather duster.
He needed his other forms. Judge Jack, the hulking Black Buto with the Warhammer, could crush this thing. Jack Night, the Steamrune Engineer with his shotgun, could probably blast it apart.
But to change forms, he needed his fundamental trait [Incarnation Shift]. The problem was... it took a minute to complete. A full, agonizing minute of vulnerability. Of swirling spectral energy coalescing into physical mass. A minute this demonic dog absolutely would not grant him.
Weedy would be dead long before he completed the transformation.
He dodged another snapping maw. Feeling the rush of air where his head had been moments before. He felt his intangibility would be pointless against that maw. It was close.
Jack could see Weedy flinched where she was bound. Her eyes were wide. Spider remained a silent presence near her. A small, still anchor of observation. Flickering between invisibility and visible spectral form in his sight.
Witnessing that, a thought sparked in Jack's mind. He was reminded... Incarnation Shift was his usual go-to transformation.
But in spectral form, he had another transformation. A near-instant transformation. A battle-oriented one. One he didn't pay much attention previously.
Battle Spirit.
He hadn't used it much. It felt different. Not a complete shift in being. But an overlay. An intensification. A channeling of raw spiritual energy for combat.
In most cases, it was... bad. Battle Spirit sacrificed invisibility and intangibility. The two things his specter incarnation were the best at.
But now... He could not be invisible. As it would make the dog attack Weedy. His intangible form would still be damaged. If the dog's attack reached him.
"Alright, mutt!" Jack said. The words resonating with a new, deeper tone. "Let's try a different trick."
He activated his [Status Effect: Battle Spirit].
Energy surged. His spectral and shimmering form began to distort. The edges of his body solidified into a glowing white outline. Stark against the dim room.
The spectral white of his eyes intensified. Becoming twin points of blazing light. In the shadow that now consumed his face and body.
His stage-magician's mask was gone. Replaced by a void where only the eyes burned. His top hat seemed to widen. Casting a deeper shadow. The flowing dark cape he wore as a specter billowed out. Heavier. More substantial.
His hands... They weren't just spectral appendages anymore. The Spirit Torch had melded. Fused with them. They blazed with that intense white light. Looking like hands wreathed in captured star fire.
He was still a specter. Still incorporeal in essence. But this form had substance. He could feel the air around him. He was tangible.
And with tangibility came vulnerability. A hit would land now. It would hurt. It could damage him in a much more immediate, physical way.
But the power... It felt different. Amplified. Powerful.
The demonic dog was momentarily paused by the strange transformation. But it bounded forward again. Low growl rumbling in its chest.
Jack raised a blazing hand. Wordless chants were completed in an instant. Vine Entanglement!
The spectral vines shot out. Thicker. Darker. Crackling with faint white energy visible only to Jack. They wrapped around the dog's forelegs. And its torso.
Crack! The dog tried to break the restraint. But the force of the vines was greater. The vines held.
Five seconds. The dog snarled. Thrashed. Teeth bare. Foam flying. But the vines held tight for a full five seconds. Before finally snapping under the immense strain. Enough time.
Magic Missiles!
He fired them. Not as a scattershot volley. But as focused beams of white energy from his blazing hands. They were faster. Larger. Imbued with greater striking power.
He targeted the dog's face. One hit the bridge of its snout. Yelp! Another struck near its eye. Whine!
The dog roared. Shaking its head. Clearly injured. The previous magic missiles had simply been annoying. These hits... They were painful.
It lunged again. Breaking free of the last snapping tendrils.
Jack couldn't phase through object now. But he could still move. He spun. Dodging the attack. The edge of the dog's claw tearing through where his cape had been moments before. He felt a faint, cold sting.
He scanned quickly. The dog was now very close to Weedy. It was bad.
"Hey, ugly! Over here! Can't you keep up with just this, you monster?" The words boomed now. Not just in the dog's mind. But in the air. Laced with potent spectral energy. It was Vicious Taunt.
The dog's glowing red eyes locked onto Jack. Ignoring Weedy. Good. Maintaining agro was key.
It charged, a black blur of fury.
Jack knew he couldn't just evade or tank hits. He needed to use the brief windows the vines gave him.
Vine Entanglement!
Again. The thicker, stronger vines erupted from the floor. Binding the beast. Five seconds. He had to make a good use of them.
Magic Missiles!
Jack aimed precisely. Blam! Blam! Blam! White energy bolts slammed into the dog's left eye. Right eye socket. And repeatedly into its sensitive nose.
The dog howled. A raw, painful sound. It writhed violently. Tearing at the vines with renewed desperation.
Jack panted. The Battle Spirit form wasn't just giving power. It was taxing. He could feel the energy within him being consumed with each empowered spell. With each moment he maintained this form. It was like holding his breath. But with his soul.
The vines snapped. The dog was bleeding from its face. It was partially blinded. It stumbled but kept coming. Driven by pure demonic malice and pain.
It lashed out blindly with a claw. Jack sidestepped. The wind pressure from the swing chilling him.
"You like this, huh?" Jack's voice echoed slightly. It was deeper, harsher in this form. "Eating children? Turning them into dog food? Let's see how you like it when the meal bites back."
He moved away to keep distance. Used Vine Entanglement spell to keep binding. And casted Magic Missiles to keep targeting the weak points.
It was a brutal. A repetitive strategy. But with the improved power, it was working. Slowly.
Vine Entanglement! Wordless spell was again instant-casted. The vines wrapped the beast. Holding it for the brief, precious time.
Magic Missiles!
Same targets... Eyes and Nose. Blam! Blam! Blam! The white energy bolts impacted like miniature cannons. The demonic dog's yelps and snarls grew weaker. More pained. Its coordination faltered.
Weedy kept watching. Her earlier terror now replaced by a wide-eyed intensity. She had never seen anything like this. A glowing shadow-man fighting a monster.
Spider hovered near her. Unrealized by the girl. He was invisible for human eyes. But he was clearly present. Tracking every movement of the fight with that unnervingly mature ghost-child gaze. Jack could feel his silent, approving attention.
The drain intensified. His outline flickered. The blaze in his hands seemed to dim slightly. He had to finish this quickly.
Vine Entanglement!
One last burst of energy into the spell. The vines felt weaker this time. But maybe the dog was weaker too. They held. Barely. For maybe three seconds.
Enough.
Jack channeled everything into two final, massive Magic Missiles. The white fire on his hands flared one last time.
"Eat this, Damned Beast!"
The two bolts screamed across the space. Converging on the ruined mess of the dog's head. One impacted squarely where an eye had been. Burrowing inward. The other slammed into its nose. Punching through cartilage and bone.
The dog roared. A high-pitched, unnatural sound. That ripped through the air.
Its body spasmed violently. It thrashed. Not forward. But sideways. Slamming its mangled head into the wall. Leaving a smear of black fur and blood.
It collapsed. Its legs kicking weakly. Its breath coming in ragged, whimpering gasps.
Jack stood. Chest heaving. Visible white outline flickering like a dying flame. His hands still glowed faintly. But the intense blaze was gone. The Battle Spirit form was draining him dry.
The dog whimpered again. A pathetic sound. It twitched. Then, with a final, shuddering exhale, it went still. Its glowing red eyes faded to a dull, lifeless red.
It was dead. Finally.
Jack let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Wait! He was a specter. He didn't breath. Anyway...
The Battle Spirit form dissolved. The white outline fading. The shadowy body regaining its translucent, shimmering quality.
He was the normal specter again. Intangible. Unseen unless he willed it. But he felt utterly drained. His spectral energy reserves dangerously low.
He looked at the scene. The dead monstrous dog. Mr. Boulder, still rigid and silent. His mind was still trapped in the illusionary hell Jack had created in his mind.
Weedy was still bound but safe. She was staring at the spot where the glowing shadow-man had just stood.
And Spider, the small, unseen presence was still nearby. The vengeance was partially served. The monster was dead. Now for the man who fed it.