Jack weighed the Steamrune Flamethrower in his hand in suppressed excitement.
It was the main upgrade he applied to his Steamrune Shotgun. Once he acquired [Expansion] steamrune. And accidentally created a Holyfire Energy Core through his [Fusion] steamrune experiments.
He pressed the trigger.
A torrent of superheated arcane flame erupted from the shotgun's reconfigured muzzle. It wasn't just normal red-orange fire. It was raw, pale-white magical fire energy. Searing the air in extreme heat.
The flame enveloped the first troll. Consuming it in an instant. The troll shrieked. A sound of agony and terror. Its monstrous form appeared as blurry silhouette against the inferno.
The hyper-regeneration was powerful. But it couldn't keep up with being incinerated alive. In extreme heat. Flesh blackened. Then peeled away. Melting into slag.
The smell of burning hair, muscle, and bone filled the air. The troll thrashed wildly. But the enhanced chains held. Its screams died down to gurgles. Then a sickening silence. As it was reduced to a charred, smoking husk.
Jack didn't hesitate. He pointed the flamethrower to the second troll. And pulled the trigger.
It was the same, agonizing process. The second troll's screams echoed the first. A symphony of suffering that Jack listened to without a flicker of remorse.
These transcendent duo were instruments of chaos. Pirates ravaging the town for their greed. They were guilty. And the guilty burned.
Within moments, both trolls were nothing more than grotesque piles of smoldering ash and melted bone. Their hyper-regeneration was utterly overwhelmed and negated. By the sheer, continuous devastation of the otherworldly flame.
The chains were released from their agonizing task. Retracted back into the ethereal plane.
Silence descended for a beat. Broken only by the crackling of distant fires. And the cries of the remaining pirates. The air was thick with the stench of burned flesh.
Jack lowered the Steamrune Shotgun. Allowing the barrel to cool. He looked at Reina. A silent acknowledgment passing between them.
He scanned the immediate vicinity. Most of the remaining pirates had been routed. Fleeing into the night or subdued by the Town Defenders.
But the battle wasn't over. Not yet.
A chilling, resonant voice echoed through the town. Cutting through the remaining chaos like a knife through silk.
It was deep. Sonorous. And filled with a palpable, ancient power. One that made the hairs on Jack's neck stand on end.
"You have meddled enough, Bastards!" The voice boomed. Seemingly from everywhere and nowhere at once. "This town is mine!"
From the center of the town square, where the elegant fountain usually stood, a dark figure rose into the air. He was surrounded by an aura of flickering crimson light.
His face was obscured by a red cloth mask and deep-worn tricorn hat. But the malevolent power radiating from him was undeniable.
Jack quickly recognized the man. Red mask. Black tricorn hat with red feather. Black leather outfit. Blood red insignia with fire shape. This was the notorious pirate captain of Blood Hound Pirates. Captain Bloodfire. An Eldritch Warlock.
And as he spoke, the ground around him began to glow with an infernal light. The cobblestones cracked. Molten stone bubbling to the surface.
And then...
Pillars of liquid fire erupted. Coalescing. Growing. Taking on a monstrous form. A massive, truly gigantic creature of living fire and rock.
It began to slowly, inexorably, rise from the earth. Its eyes were twin pools of crimson lava. Its form was towering. Its hands were massive fiery fists.
A Lava Devil.
Jack felt the cold dread crawling in his skin. A feeling that only truly powerful, challenging threats could inspire. This was no mere pirate. This was a force of nature. Summoned by a Warlock of terrifying power.
"Love!" Jack said. His gaze was fixed on the colossal demon. His voice was low. "It seems we've saved the best for last."
The Lava Devil continued its slow, inexorable rise. Its form was a grotesque mockery of a giant gorilla. Simmering with heat. The ground shook as it stepped forward.
Jack stood firm. His Steamrune Shotgun held ready. Back to its standard mode. Using flamethrower mode against a lava creature was... not really a good idea.
Reina was a shadow at his side. Her black hair was caught in the infernal glow. She held open her grimoire. And raised her hands, already weaving mystical runes.
"Right then..." Jack grunted. Adjusting his grip. "Let's see what this molten menace is made of."
He moved first. A blur of motion despite his bulk. He flanked the monstrous creature. Firing the Steamrune Shotgun.
BANG! BANG!
The thunderous boom echoed across the square. Pellets of reinforced steel. Superheated by steamrune enchantments. They tore into the colossal form.
They impacted with a clang and a spray of sparks. A chunk of hardened lava chipped away. Hissed. And reformed almost instantly. The devil barely flinched.
"Hardened exterior.: Jack muttered. Reloading with practiced ease. "Let's try something else."
He activated his [Chains of Vengeance]. Glowing, fiery chains erupted from his gauntlets. Lashing out. They wrapped around the devil's immense arm. Searing momentarily before sinking into the molten rock.
Jack pulled. The chains strained. Groaning with magical force.
The Lava Devil simply flexed. The strained chains going slack immediately as its arm turned to liquid fire. After the chains passed its body, it solidified again. The chains were not very useful here.
"Bloody hell!" Jack cursed.
The Lava Devil retaliated. Its massive fist, glowing red-hot, slammed down. Pulverizing the cobblestones where Jack had just stood.
Although Jack had easily evaded the direct impact, a wave of superheated air blasted him away. Despite his tough and heavy human form.
Reina acted. She conjured her [Fog Missiles]. Whispers of dense, suffocating mist bullets shot towards the devil's head. Imbued with mystic energy.
They struck the head and swirled back into fog. Trying to envelop its fiery visage. The fog hissed. Turned to steam. And evaporated within seconds of contact. It was like trying to drown a bonfire with a squirt gun.
"It could change states." Reina called out. Her voice was clear despite the din of battle. "Normal physical and magical attacks won't work, Dear."
Jack saw it now. The devil's body flowed into liquid, solidified, and flowed again with seamless ease. Bullets, chains, even the suffocating fog... they couldn't really get a hold on something that could turn to liquid and back.
Meanwhile, Captain Bloodfire watched from behind his shimmering barrier. He hadn't moved since summoning the monster. The barrier around him pulsed with dark energy. Deflecting aimed shots from town defenders. Acting as an impenetrable shell.
Seeing the futility of their current attacks on the devil, Reina made a bold move. She vanished. Reappearing closer to the pirate captain. Her grimoire glowed. Mystic symbols forming in the air.
A concentrated blast of arcane energy was launched. The original [Magic Missiles]. Designed for pure impact.
They shot towards Captain Bloodfire. Hitting the barrier with dull thuds. The energy washed over the invisible dome and dissipating harmlessly.
"Pointless, Witch!" Bloodfire's voice boomed. Amplified by his dark magic. "My [Summoning Barrier] protects me absolutely! While my creature lives, I am untouchable!".
He laughed. A harsh, grating sound. "And judging by your pathetic attempts. It will protect me forever."
Reina snarled. Her face, usually so serene, was hardened by this battle. She turned. Her attention now fully on the Lava Devil.
This Bloodfire was right. There was no getting to him until his monstrous pet was dealt with.
They resumed their assault. Jack fired repeatedly. Targeting stress points. Trying to find a weakness.
Reina wove illusions. Trying to distract the behemoth. Creating false Jacks. False openings. Illusion could affect the devil. But only for a few seconds.
The couple's attacks were... ineffective and inefficient.
On the other hand... The devil, though not especially fast, was incredibly powerful. Each of its ground-shaking attacks sent shockwaves through the square. Causing buildings to crack. And the watching town defenders to flee in terror. It was a slow, inevitable force of destruction.
"This is getting us nowhere." Jack said. Ducking a molten claw that vaporized the pavement. "Conventional methods are failing, Love. It's time for a change of… wardrobe."
Reina understood immediately. "Ghost or fiend?"
"Judge Jack." He simply replied.
"It takes a minute, Dear. Can you do it?"
"You'll just have to keep it busy for me." Jack replied. Already taking a deep breath, focusing his will. [Incarnation Shift] was activated.
The air around him began to distort. A faint shimmer appeared. His skin rippled. His mass began to shift. The transformation was agonizingly slow. A full sixty seconds of vulnerable transition.
"Understood, Dear." Reina responded. Her voice was firm and her eyes started to glow. "Hold it steady!"
She launched a barrage of illusions. Not just false images. But a full-spectrum assault on the demon's limited senses. [Fog Maze] erupted around the Lava Devil. Swirling into thick, confusing grey smoke that stole away its vision.
Within the fog, phantom Jacks appeared. Darting in and out. Firing illusory shots. Making the massive creature lash out at empty air. Other illusions mimicked the sounds of combat from all directions. Confusing its rudimentary hearing.
The Lava Devil roared in frustration. A sound like grinding tectonic plates. It swung its fiery fists blindly. Melting the fog where its blows landed.
But Reina was constantly reforming it. Keeping it disoriented. The area attacks, though devastating, were now undirected. Churning the air and ground aimlessly.
The other town defenders fell back further. They had been struggling against the relentless pressure. Now, they found a moment of respite. As the devil focused solely on the phantom threats.
Jack's transformation continued. Muscle bulged. Armor plates manifested from nothing. Coalescing around his growing form. His skin hardened, turning a deep black. His teeth turned pointed and sharp. Hair grew long and thick like mane.
The process was painfully slow. But Jack patiently continued it. His gaze fixed on Reina. His woman who danced on the edge of the fog. Maintaining the chaotic illusion. Pushing her mystic powers to their limit.
Finally, with a burst of primal energy, Judge Jack stood revealed. He was a towering, armored rakshasa. About three meters in height. With powerful arms and an aura of supreme, terrifying fiend.
In his primary hand, the Judgement Warhammer pulsed with dark power. Now further enhanced by the profound, ancient energy of his new combat class. Primordial Warrior.
"It's show time!" Judge Jack rumbled. His voice was a deep, resonant growl that vibrated through the very earth.