Jack looked at Valleyer. He was even more corrupted compared to the eight cultists he had slain. The corruption was not just in his aura. It affected his body.
His eyes were sickly golden hue. With reddish black nerves all around them. His skin had an unnatural, waxy complexion. One that somehow seemed both slick with grease and chalky-dry. Stretched taut over a frame that was simultaneously bloated and emaciated.
And, hideous, crimson-black aura was visible around him. Even in the eyes of normal people. He reeked of decay and foul magic. A corrupted creature. Thoroughly.
Gasps turned into screams. The priests nearest him recoiled. Their faces paled in horror and sheer disgust.
"Blasphemer!" Another high priest pointed at him with fear. And rage.
Commander Thorne drew his greatsword. Its blade was humming with a low, dangerous thrum. "Valleyer! What… what the hell are you?"
The air grew thick. Heavy with the stench of something ancient and unholy. The sacred district, the very heart of Lonestone's faith, was being defiled by its own supposed protector.
Father Valleyer was stripped bare of his disguise. He let out a guttural snarl that was more animalistic than human. His features contorted into a mask of pure malice.
"Damned ghost! You've ruined everything! You meddling bastard!"
His hand plunged into his robes. Pulling out a small, twisted figurine. It was an ugly, malformed gargoyle. Its eyes glowing with a faint, malevolent red.
"You think you can stop the inevitable?" Valleyer shrieked. His voice was no longer silken. But ragged and hoarse with desperation and fury. "The Emissary of Wealth will usher in the true era of prosperity!"
He cast the figurine onto the ground. It didn't shatter as it hit the ground. Instead, it pulsed. Growing larger. Its eyes blazing brighter with malevolent energy.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, Valleyer swept his hand towards the seven dead bodies of the Fallen Acolytes Jack had dropped.
"For the Overlord! For true wealth!"
Tendrils of shadowy magic shot from the gargoyle figurine. Thick and ugly. They wrapped around the corpses. Pulling them inward.
The bodies shrunk. Disintegrating into piles of dust and bone with horrifying speed. Their essence, whatever life-force remained, was drawn into the pulsating figurine.
The gargoyle figurine shook violently. Swelling rapidly to the size of a small animal. Then a dog. Then a cow. Cracks appeared in its stony surface. Glowing with an inner, infernal fire.
The ground beneath it began to tremble with increasing intensity. And a wild roar echoed. From within the gargoyle itself.
The gargoyle figurine didn't grow bigger. Instead, it broke apart. Stone shards exploded outwards.
From the heart of the blast materialized a creature. One that defied simple categorization. Not a man. Not quite a beast. Not quite a demon. It was an abomination of greed made flesh.
The Emissary of Wealth stood easily three meters tall. Its form was a grotesque parody of luxury. Its skin was the metallic sheen of tarnished gold. Stained by reddish black liquid mark.
Its bulging, multifaceted gemstone eyes scanned the terrified faces of the gathered onlookers. Instead of hands, it had massive clawed gauntlets. Forged from what appeared to be mixture of raw gold and diamonds.
Its mouth was a jagged maw. Continuously emitting a deep growl that vibrated through the ground. A suffocating aura of avarice and malevolence radiated from it. Making the air feel thick and heavy.
Commander Thorne bellowed his command. "Enforcers! Hold the line! For Lonestone!"
His greatsword now glowed with faint eldritch energy as he raised it. Jack immediately recognized it as a product of Eldritch Contract. Behind him, the uniformed City Enforcers raised their own eldritch weapons with grim faces.
Glowing axes. Flaming sword. Serrated daggers. Crackling whips... Each one was an 'otherworld weapon' drawn from their Eldritch Contracts. They were Eldritch Knights.
Jack had read about them. But this was the first time he saw one.
Similar to Eldritch Warlocks or Eldritch Witches, they used Eldritch Contracts to gain transcendence. But, unlike Warlocks or Witches, they contracted non-living weapons. Not otherworld creatures.
They were relatively less powerful. But also, less risky. As most non-living objects would not actively try to betray the master. Or keep looking for the contracts' loopholes.
From the church priests, Father Mountaine, stepped forward. A high priest, the rank just like that of the disguise of Valleyer.
He raised a hand. A golden symbol of the God of Prosperity, the Great Bounteon, was etched into its palm.
"Divine light... purify this blight!" He intoned. His voice was resonating with spiritual power.
Waves of radiant energy erupted from the assembled priests. The Divine Acolytes of the Church of Prosperity. And then...
Bolts of golden light. Streams of purifying fire. And shimmering arrows of faith rained down. Targeting Valleyer and the summoned creature.
Jack also moved. A ghostly blur. He had no need for grand declarations. His target was Valleyer. He would not let that man escape.
The cultist was still shrieking about inevitability. But, he was suddenly caught in a crossfire of divine energy, eldritch arrow, arcane missiles.
One moment, Valleyer was a figure of desperate fury. The next, a golden bolt from a priest's hand struck him full in the chest. Followed by the silent, piercing arrow from an Eldritch Knight. And the [Magic Missiles] strike from Jack.
Valleyer simply ceased to be. Crumbling into dead body without a sound. It was efficient. It was brutal. It was over.
But the Emissary of Wealth barely registered Valleyer's demise. The torrent of attacks from the Enforcers and Priests slammed into it.
Golden energy rippled across its metallic skin. Eldritch blades scraped and sparked, but the creature stood firm. It snarled. A sound akin to grinding stone and clinking coin. And retaliated.
Its gauntlet-like hands swept out. Not just hitting. But draining. The air around two nearby priests shimmered violently. Their golden light was dimming. Their eyes were widened in horror.
Their forms seemed to shrivel. Their flesh flaking away like old parchment. Until they collapsed. Like hollowed husks.
Two Enforcers attempted to flank the creature. They quickly found themselves engulfed in a wave of molten gold. One that erupted from the Emissary's skin.
Their summoned weapons dissolved. And they screamed as their bodies were consumed. Leaving only steaming puddles.
The Emissary's power was terrifying. In its raw, destructive avarice. It fed on life. On essence. On anything it touched.
Jack saw the panic ripple through the ranks. This wasn't a fight they could win by attrition. Not against that. He needed to draw its attention. Fast.
He roared. Silently casting a cantrip [Vicious Taunt]. And started mocking the creature. His voice, layered with phantom echo, boomed...
"Hey, you! Ugly emissary of the poor pitiful god! Did your god have poor aesthetics, or was he simply crazy? Creating you like that?"
The Emissary of Wealth roared. A sound of pure, unadulterated fury. Its multifaceted eyes had just been scanning some of the remaining combatants. It was now locked onto Jack.
The [Vicious Taunt] cantrip had done its job again. The creature charged at Jack. Surprisingly fast for its bulk. Its golden gauntlets were raised.
Jack phased back. Avoiding the sweeping blow. And counter attacked. He activated [Mysterious Anomaly]. Pouring his spectral will into the trait.
Everything around them was twisted. The Emissary's perception was assaulted by a surge of unbearable anguish. A cascade of forgotten terrors. And overwhelming loss.
For a mere fraction of a second, the huge creature faltered. Its massive head was twitching. An uncharacteristic shiver running through its metallic form. The illusion was perfect. Immersive. But it was only affect it for a fraction of a second.
The Emissary shook its head. A low growl of annoyance rumbling in its throat. The nightmare had instantly faded. It was too powerful. Too focused on raw destruction... to be truly ensnared by such psychological warfare for long.
"Persistent little pest, aren't you?" Jack muttered. Then focused his power. It was time to hit it with everything he had.
Jack's grimoire glowed. A volley of [Magic Missiles]. Spectral darts of force. They appeared in the air and zoomed. Slamming into one single point on the Emissary's chest.
They left small, smoking indentations on its golden hide. More irritating than damaging.
The Emissary swung its arm. Jack flew back to evade it. Simultaneously, spectral vines appeared. Wrapping around the Emissary's legs. Thick. Thorny. His [Vine Entanglement] spell joined the action.
The creature roared in frustration. Tearing the magical vines apart with ease. But it bought another precious second.
Commander Thorne and Father Mountaine continued their assault. Trying to capitalize on any opening Jack created. Holy fire burned. Eldritch energy launched from the greatsword.
But the Emissary of Wealth was a juggernaut. One that could tank almost any attack. It kept charging at Jack. Attempting to do another attack.
Jack stretched out his hand. Conjuring two shimmering [Portal Wards]. One appeared directly in front of him to intercept the attack. The other was behind the creature. Facing its back.
The Emissary unleashed a wave of raw, corrosive gold energy. The first Portal Ward swallowed it whole. Absorbing the devastating power.
A heartbeat later, the second Portal Ward spat the energy back out. Hitting the Emissary in its unprotected back.
At the same time, Jack casted the [Void Cut]. Void energy slashed and sliced the creature's neck. Producing significant damage.
The creature recoiled. A shriek of surprise and pain escaping its maw. Both attacks to its back and neck had hurt it. But the damage was already closing. The golden metal was knitting itself back together.
"Not enough." Jack gritted his teeth. He needed something more profound.
He focused. Channeling his energy. Activating [Forceful Frog-morph] spell. The air around the Emissary quivered. And for the briefest, most surreal moment, the immense, terrifying entity flickered.
Its golden, monstrous form contorting into something several times smaller. Slimy, green, and warty. It was unstable. And the creature quickly reverted back to its original form.
The spell could barely able to contain the creature's immense power. But it held for a critical instant.
This was his window. The Mystic Art spells worked against it. It was just that he was not strong enough to significantly harm the creature.
"Right then." He announced. His voice was gaining a dangerous edge. "Let's get serious."
He immediately activated his specter's [Battle Spirit] status effect.