The scream was ragged. Choked. And undeniably real. It was drowned in the industrial clang of Lonestone Capital.
But it was crystal clear in Jack's ears. Enough to make his masked eyes narrowed. In predatory glint.
He drifted into the grimy alleyway. The stench of stale beer and desperation heavy in the air. Three hulking figures. Unmistakably sailors by their ill-fitting outfits. Drunk. With the reek of cheap rum.
They cornered a young woman. Her clothes were torn. Her face was streaked with tears and dirt. Her body was pressed against the cold brick wall. She whimpered. A broken sound.
"Come on, little bird!" One of the sailors slurred. His hand was reaching for her. "Don't make this hard."
Jack's spectral form shimmered. In complicated feeling. He hated rapists. He loathed them. They were the epitome of the guilty. The vermin who preyed on the weak and innocent. Defiling the victim's souls and bodies.
But... he did technically rape and enslave Reina. Two things he hated. The situation did force him to do so. And the old Reina wasn't weak. Or innocent. But still...
He focused back to the present. His heart throbbed with cold fury. Well, although he didn't actually have physical heart in this form.
He needed to act. This wasn't merely an opportunity for judgement. It was a necessity.
He didn't need to speak. He didn't need to manifest. His will alone was enough. Jack extended his ethereal influence. Channeling his ability [Mysterious Anomaly].
It wasn't a physical attack. It was far worse. It was a mental invasion. A direct assault on their minds. Twisting their perceptions. Dragging them into a personal living hell.
The air around the sailors wavered. A subtle distortion only they and Jack could truly perceive. Their eyes, wide with drunken lust, suddenly glazed over.
Their forms froze mid-lunge. Mid-smirk. They stood there. Utterly still. Muscles tensed. Their expressions were locked in a silent scream only they could hear.
Inside their minds, the illusion began. The alleyway remained. The brick wall. The dim light. Even the girl. But the girl… no. She changed.
For the first sailor, her tear-streaked face began to stretch. Eyes bulging. Nose collapsing. Her silky hair turned to thin, greasy strands. Falling away to reveal a pockmarked scalp.
Her delicate skin mottled. Became covered in pustules and weeping sores. Her youthful curves bloated and sagged. Like bags of rotten flesh. Her lips peeled back from blackened gums. Revealing jagged, decaying teeth.
And as he tried to move away from her, her voice changed too. It was once a desperate plea. It morphed into a guttural growl. A wet, choking sound that promised only disease and death.
The second sailor watched in horror as a different transformation appeared in his mind. The girl's limbs elongated. Twisted at unnatural angles. Bones visibly distending beneath her rotting skin.
Her fingers became gnarled talons. Scraping against the brick. Leaving trails of slime. Her eyes was once pleading. Now, they glowed with an infernal light. Reflecting his own terror back at him.
Her body contorted. A grotesque twist of decay and mutation. Until she was no longer recognizable as human. She was an abomination. A mockery of beauty. A writhing mass of terrifying and twisted malice.
He tried to pull away. But his legs were rooted. Instead, his hands were reaching for her. His nightmare forcing him to continue the vile act he had intended.
The third sailor's mind broke first. In his view, the girl, the object of their vile desire, transmuted fully.
Her form swelled. Then shrank. Then stretched into a thin, sinewy horror. Her head became bulbous. Hairless. With ugly limbs sprouting from her neck.
Her eyes were deep-set hollows. From which a putrid green light pulsed. Her mouth was now a gaping maw. Stretched across her entire face. Revealing rows upon rows of jagged, broken teeth. Each one was dripping with black ichor.
And then, the final was the most terrifying transformation. At least in their view. The girl, in their shared nightmare this time, became an ugly, demonic, old, twisted abomination. A... man.
A male predatory monster. With a sneering grin that promised unspeakable agony. It was the ultimate twist of their lustful perversion. A mirror reflecting the true ugliness of their intentions. Amplified a thousand fold.
And it was not just visual and auditory. Their olfactory senses was also affected. The smell of decay. Of old flesh. Of something truly ancient and malevolent. All of them filled their phantom nostrils.
The horror poured into their minds was so potent. So utterly soul-shattering. That it transcended mere fear. It burrowed into their very essence. Poisoning their desires. Twisting their natural urges into absolute revulsion.
Their eyes, though open, saw nothing. But the eternal image of that twisted old man abomination. Forever etched into their consciousness.
Their bodies shook. Not from cold. But from an internal tremor of pure, unadulterated terror. The psychological trauma was immense. Very likely... permanent.
The three sailors stood transfixed. Locked in their personal hell.
The young girl was still trembling. But she slowly became aware of her sudden freedom. The pressure on her evaporated. The menacing forms of her attackers were there. But they were strangely still. Frozen.
She didn't understand why. And she didn't care. Survival instinct screamed louder than any rational thought.
With a gasp, she scrambled. Pushing past the unmoving figures. And bolted from the alleyway. Disappearing into the city's indifferent sprawl.
Jack watched her go. A flicker of something akin to satisfaction flashed in his spectral gaze. He had delivered his judgement. Justice was served.
He was about to fade away. To continue his nightly patrol... When a familiar chime echoed only in his perception. A notification.
[LEVEL UP!]
Jack paused. It had been a while. He wondered what new traits he would receive. Soon, other lines appeared. More impactful than the last.
[AVAILABLE NEW INCARNATION FORM] CHOOSE ONE:
[DEVIL INCARNATION: IMP]
[MONSTER INCARNATION: KAMAITACHI]
[NATURE INCARNATION: PENGHOU]
[SPRITE INCARNATION: BLUECAP]
[DEMON INCARNATION: SILUMAN]
Jack's incorporeal jaw tightened behind his mask. A new form. This was significant. His current forms were already great...
Judge Jack, the hulking rakshasa, a physical powerhouse.
Jack Night, the human mercenary, a master of tools and mechanical arts.
And, of course, Jack Mystery, his current specter form, perfect for stealth, illusions, and mental manipulation.
Each had its uses. Each had its strengths and weaknesses.
But a new one? And five choices. Each was cryptic. Each was demanding an informed guess. Based on the fragments of occult and mythological knowledge he had retained. From his almost forgotten past on Earth.
The system, as always, offered no further details. No ability descriptions. Just names. He had to interpret.
He began to cycle through the options in his mind. Dissecting each one.
[DEVIL INCARNATION: IMP]...
An Imp. From mostly Christian and European folklore. Imps were typically small, mischievous, lesser devils. They were often depicted as servants. To more powerful demons or sorcerers.
Their abilities usually revolved around trickery. Minor curses. Causing annoyance. Or perhaps minor pyrokinesis. Not a frontline combatant. Certainly.
Perhaps it would be useful for infiltration into tight spaces. Or for sowing chaos on a small scale. Or distracting enemies. Or setting minor fires.
Jack already had stealth with Jack Mystery. A physical form for trickery might be interesting. But it didn't seem to fill any major combat or utility gaps in his arsenal. It felt... minor.
[MONSTER INCARNATION: KAMAITACHI]...
Kamaitachi. This one immediately piqued his interest. Japanese folklore. These were yokai, Japanese demons. They were often depicted as weasel-like creatures. Riding on whirlwinds.
They were famous for inflicting razor-sharp cuts with their sickle-like claws. They were fast. Incredibly swift. Making them masters of hit-and-run tactics. Or disorienting their targets with their speed.
This screamed agility, speed, precision strikes, and potentially wind manipulation. Jack currently lacked a truly speed-focused combat form. Judge Jack focused on strength, not speed. Jack Night was tough and balanced. Not a blur of motion.
This could be a game-changer. For disorienting multiple opponents. Bypassing defenses. Or chasing down swift targets.
[NATURE INCARNATION: PENGHOU]...
Penghou. Chinese mythology. This name conjured images of tree spirits. Or goblins that lived in old trees. Particularly camphor trees.
They were often depicted as black dogs or pigs. Their abilities would likely be linked to nature. Perhaps healing. Or camouflage in natural environments. Or control over plants. Or even a form of earth magic.
It might be useful for forest encounters or perhaps even urban parks. But, he was in Lonestone, an industrial city. A nature-focused form wouldn't often find its optimal environment here.
[SPRITE INCARNATION: BLUECAP]...
Bluecap. English mining folklore. A type of sprite or fairy said to inhabit mines. Particularly lead mines. In northern England.
They were generally benevolent, warning miners of danger. Or indicating rich veins of ore. Their appearance was often described as a small, old man wearing a blue cap.
This form likely offered utility rather than combat. It might grant luck. Or danger detection. Or the ability to find hidden things (especially minerals or treasure). Or possibly even minor assistance with machinery and underground exploration.
While interesting, it didn't seem to provide a significant boost. Or offer a versatile utility outside very specific scenarios.
[DEMON INCARNATION: SILUMAN]...
Siluman. Southeast Asian mythology. Specifically Filipino, or Indonesia. A demon. Often described as a shapeshifter. Or a being that could assume human form to lure victims.
They were often associated with trickery. Seduction. Or outright malevolence. This could mean a form excelling in disguise. Or illusion. Or perhaps even a more physically robust form with deceptive abilities.
However, while shapeshifting could be useful for infiltration, he had found that simply being invisible was often superior.
It felt redundant with Jack Mystery's existing stealth and illusion capabilities. And potentially too niche for combat. Not that much different to his Judge Jack's form.