Jack tightened his grip on the binoculars. Focusing on the one holding the Forbidden Chalice. The Shadow Sovereign.
This figure cloaked in swirling darkness was definitely in trouble. Cornered by four opponents. Desperation edged into his movements. He had barely been holding his own against two revenants. Four was an execution squad.
A searing blast of shadow erupted from his hands. Striking one revenant. It staggered. But it didn't falter.
Another revenant charged. Sleek and fast.
The Shadow Sovereign sank into his own shadow. Attempting to escape. But, the revenant's half-spectral claws raked across it. Dark blood, or something akin to it, splattered. The Primal Sorcerer gasped. Stumbling out of the shadow.
The Forbidden Chalice, clutched in his hand, gleamed faintly. Visible even from the distance and through the pervasive mist.
The Night Salvation's Shadow Sovereign let out a hoarse cry. A guttural sound of primal fear and pain. He knew it was over. With a final, desperate heave, he flung the Forbidden Chalice away.
It spun end over end. Glittering briefly before landing with a dull clink amidst the rubble. A good distance from the main fray. It remained untouched. A prize left for scavengers. Or perhaps, for another curse-bearer.
The act gained him nothing. The revenants ignored it entirely. Their focus was solely on their target. Barrage of semi-ethereal attacks were launched at him. Blocked by the shadowy armor that covered his whole body.
But the armor couldn't keep up with the intensity of the attacks. It was four against one after all. It cracked and finally broke apart. And then...
One revenant plunged its half-ethereal hand directly into his chest. A silent, internal scream seemed to ripple through the valley. Though no sound escaped the sorcerer's lips.
His body stiffened. Then sagged. Collapsing like a puppet with cut strings. He hit the ground. A dark stain was spreading beneath him.
Jack focused his steamrune binoculars further. He could see that the primal sorcerer was not dead. Not yet. But he was certainly dying. His chest pulsed very weakly.
The four revenants didn't press on attacking. They didn't spared a glance for the fallen sorcerer or the chalice. It was as if their job was done there.
Their shadowy forms fluctuated. Flowing seamlessly back into the broader conflict. They joined the existing eight revenants. Now focusing their relentless assault on the remaining eight Illuminated Transcendent Beings.
The balance had shifted even further. Twelve revenants, unyielding and unfeeling, against eight increasingly desperate living combatants.
The battle intensified. The Purity Cult Acolytes were already struggling against their opponents. But they were now facing more overwhelming odds. Another revenant joined, forcing them to fight three against two. Their unholy white energy seemed even more futile now.
One Acolyte roared. A blast of sickly white light exploding from his hands. Only to be deflected by a revenant's backhand strike.
Then, the counter-attack was swift and brutal. A semi-ethereal blade, sharp as a razor, sliced through his glowing aura. Leaving a bleeding, gaping wound. He dropped to one knee. Sputtering.
Cardinal Paddy's golden barriers flickered. Threads of darkness weaved through the cracks. But he managed to stand his ground against his single opponent.
Arch Inquisitor Oakstake, on the other hand, was forced into a frantic defensive dance. He was now facing two revenants. His aggressive pale blue energy was now used for defense. Barely holding back the tide of the attack.
The remaining two Primal Sorcerers from Night Salvation were being pushed back relentlessly. Each of them only faced a single revenant opponent. But they were already in trouble.
Their fire and poison magic powers were potent against living foes and normal undead creatures. But they now seemed to disperse harmlessly against the revenants' half-incorporeal forms.
General Primefeller and Elder Keystone of the Royal Faction faced the last three revenants. They were finding their tactics shattered by the revenants' surprisingly coordinated, merciless attacks.
The eight Illuminated Beings seemed on the verge of being completely overrun. But then, two new figures materialized at the edge of the battle zone. Two other Illuminated Transcendent Ones.
"Countess Ashworth from the Royal Faction and Grand Scholar Oarwinter from the Academy." Jack quickly identified them. His voice was still quiet but sharp with recognition.
Countess Ashworth, a beautiful lady holding an opened grimoire, immediately sent out a wave of emerald rays. Ones that slammed into two revenants attacking General Primefeller. Momentarily pushing them back.
Grand Scholar Oarwinter, also holding an opened grimoire, quickly conjured complex runic circles. Ones that shimmered around the suppressed Arch Inquisitor Oakstake. Providing protection against his two revenant opponents.
The arrival of the two new Illuminated Beings changed the situation. It injected a fresh, if temporary, surge of hope into the humans. Now, it was twelve revenants against ten Illuminated Transcendent Beings.
The odds were still heavily skewed. But it wasn't as astronomically as before. The new arrivals bought them precious moments. Allowing parts of the original combatants to regain a semblance of their footing.
The core of the battle was still a maelstrom of raw, destructive power. But Jack's attention wasn't on the clash of titans. It was fixed on the crumpled form of the Shadow Sovereign. Barely breathing. Lying amongst the debris.
"This is it, Love." Jack whispered. His voice was low and decisive. "My chance. I need to go there."
Reina looked at him. Her dark eyes were wide. "The chalice?" She asked in similarly low voice. Her gaze flicking to the glittering artifact.
Jack shook his head. "No. The chalice is a bait, and cursed. Not the chalice. The Shadow Sovereign. He's still alive, barely. And he's got what I need."
He looked at Rune. She had been silently observing the chaos with her dimly glowing form. Rune emitted a soft, affirmative green flicker. Showing that his idea was feasible.
"Stay here, Reina. Keep yourself hidden. Whatever happens, do not move unless it's to escape." Jack's tone left no room for argument.
Reina simply nodded. The foggy illusion around them deepened. Becoming an almost impenetrable shroud. "Be careful, Dear."
Jack didn't reply verbally. He simply gave her a quick smile. Then, with a silent surge of will, he transformed.
He activated his [Incarnation Shift]. His form shimmered. Dissolving into the translucent, masked figure of Jack Mystery. His very became even less substantial. Less visible.
He activated his natural invisibility in that form. Turning into a mere ripple in the oppressive grey mist of the Valley of Despair.
His presence was now negligible enough to avoid detection. Even against the illuminated senses of the ones battling down there. He was boosted by his spectral intangibility and invisibility after all.
He ghosted away from their hiding spot on the cliff. Flowing down the rocky precipice like a whisper of wind. The chaotic roars and explosions from the battlefield became slightly more distinct as he descended. Echoing through the desolate landscape.
He made his way through the scattered debris. Avoiding the main conflict with practiced caution. His spectral form allowed him to slip through cracks. To float over obstacles.
Despite the longer route he took, he still quickly reached his destination. The area where the Shadow Sovereign had fallen.
The atmosphere there was quite different. Thick with lingering shadow supernatural power. The residue of the sorcerer's power. And it was mingled with the chilling aura of the revenants.
He could see the still form of the Shadow Sovereign. Partially obscured by a fallen pillar of stone. The Primal Sorcerer was definitely dying. His breathing was shallow and ragged. Each breath seemed to be a monumental effort.
Dark, viscous liquid, likely his mutated blood, seeped from the wound in his chest. Pooling sluggishly on the grey earth. His eyes, though glazed with pain, still held a spark of awareness. He was clinging to life with everything he had.
Jack didn't hesitate. This was the window he needed. But he couldn't use this spectral form. He quickly initiated the [Incarnation Shift] again.
His translucent spectral form shimmered. Condensing. And then solidifying into something entirely different. A smooth, almost liquid transition.
In moments, the larger translucent form of Jack Mystery was replaced by something small, agile, solid, and utterly unique... Racer Jack.
He was now a lithe, bipedal creature. Resembling a stylized grey weasel. But with bladed limbs, a bladed tail, goggles, and a short mantle. A mischievous, almost predatory grin stretched across his muzzle.
This was his kamaitachi form. A manifestation tied to his Phantasmal Rogue class. The power class he acquired only a few days ago. Through his [Djinn's Wish Manifestation] trait. The class was designed for... most importantly, the ability to steal skills.
The dying Shadow Sovereign, gasped as this small, strange creature materialized beside him. His blurry eyes widened. A flicker of confusion and alarm crossing his dying face. An illuminated stage primal sorcerer, even at death's door, was not easily handled.
Racer Jack moved with a blur of motion. He placed one clawed paw to tap the Shadow Sovereign's head. The connection was instantaneous.
A surge of information flowed from the dying sorcerer to Jack's mind. He could feel his Phantasmal Rogue class hummed with power. Attempting the skill acquisition.
Three distinct surges of energy, like currents of information, flowed into Jack. Three new, distinct skills registered in his internal system. The system notification appeared...
[TEMPORARY SKILLS ACQUIRED!]
[SHADOW ESCAPE… ACQUIRED!]
[SHADOW SPIKES… ACQUIRED!]
[SHADOW ARMOR… ACQUIRED!]
Jack grinned. Three skills. Perfect! Even without checking the system description, he could guess what the skills could do.
[Shadow Escape] should be the ability to dissolve into shadow and slip away unhindered. Normally. The Shadow Sovereign tried that earlier but he failed and got injured by the revenants.
The second, [Shadow Spikes], should be the capacity to conjure sharpened projections of solidified shadow. An offensive skill.
The third, [Shadow Armor], should offer a personal defense. A protective layer of condensed shadow that could absorb attack. The primal sorcerer also used this earlier. But, it couldn't stand the barrages of attack from four revenants.
As these skills acquired, three intricate tribal tattoos appeared on Racer Jack's body. Swirling silver patterns. One curled around his upper chest, just below his chin. Another wrapped around his right foreleg, resembling a spiraling vortex. The third unfurled across his back, a complex web of interconnected lines and symbols.
Jack couldn't observe his skills in details at the moment. As he felt terrifying pressure aimed at him.
His kamaitachi form was agile and incredibly fast. However, it did not possess the inherent stealth and invisibility of his specter form.
The moment Jack materialized as Racer Jack, his distinct presence was registered. It was sensed by the Illuminated Transcendent Beings and, more acutely... by the revenants.
A revenant, mid-swing against General Primefeller, suddenly halted. Its head snapped towards Jack's position. A low, guttural growl rumbled from its incorporeal chest. Then another, and another. The revenants sensed his presence.
The eight Illuminated Beings, locked in their desperate struggle, also felt the shift in presence. Their attention was briefly pulled from their immediate attackers.
Racer Jack felt a prickle of danger. A surge of panicked adrenaline. They had sensed him. His kamaitachi heart pounded loudly.
"Damn it!" Jack muttered.