Envy stabbed the Chef of Flavor Haven. Its arm, transformed into a sharp stiletto, pierced the devil's back with surgical precision. It was surprisingly... easy.
The devil's raging scream was a mix of fury and pain. But, it was cut short into a wet gurgle. Its tough body had shrugged off Reina's bullets. Yet, it was now convulsed violently.
He stared down in disbelief at the green tip of the blade now protruding from its chest. Glistening with a dark, ichor-like fluid. His lifeblood.
It collapsed forward. Hitting the stone floor of the kitchen with a thud that rattled the now-barren table.
For a moment, there was silence. Broken only by the fading hiss of the stone ovens. Then, the corpse began to dissolve rapidly, into a thick, luminous purple mist.
The purple mist swirled in the air. Creating a strange vortex before dispersing into several parts. The largest portion of it streamed directly into Jack's devil puppet form.
Jack grimaced. It felt like cold fire that washed up his whole body.
Smaller tendrils snaked out. One seeped into Reina. Making her shudder with a sudden, potent influx of power. Three other wisps were drawn into the three puppets... Envy, Gluttony, and Sloth.
A familiar system notification appeared in Jack's sight...
[DEVIL ENERGY ABSORBED...]
[BIZARRE PUPPETEER POWER STRENGTHENED]
[NUMBER OF CONTROLLABLE PUPPET INCREASED BY ONE]
Jack's carved pumpkin face grinned widely. He could control four simultaneous bizarre puppets now. Great! After this mission, he needed to spare some time for crafting more puppets.
However, the notification hadn't finished.
[BIZARRE PUPPET 'SLOTH' COMPLETED (1/5) EVOLUTION REQUIREMENT]
[BIZARRE PUPPET 'GLUTTONY' COMPLETED (2/5) EVOLUTION REQUIREMENTS]
[BIZARRE PUPPET 'ENVY' COMPLETED (1/5) EVOLUTION REQUIREMENT]
Evolution. That was a long-term goal for all of these bizarre puppets. Jack knew they could evolve. The system told him so since he acquired the Bizarre Puppeteer class. What he didn't know was the details.
He could guess that when they evolved, they should gain unique transformation, or greater power, or more intricate abilities. He didn't know the specific though. He wasn't even informed on how they could do it.
Sloth, Gluttony, and Envy had all gained the completion of a requirement from the devil's demise. Gluttony had even completed one more 'evolution requirement' than the other two. What happened? What were the requirements anyway?
As he was thinking about the evolution and its requirements, the System responded. Information about the five requirements for evolution appeared in his mind. Each of the puppets needed... [Infernal Essence], [Divine or Fallen Essence], [Eldritch Essence], [Affinity Satisfaction], and a [Unique Material].
All of Jack's current puppets had completed the [Infernal Essence] requirement. Gluttony completed the [Affinity Satisfaction] in addition to the essence.
Jack narrowed the carved eyes on his pumpkin head. The essence... He used his puppets to kill a devil and they acquired the [Infernal Essence]. Did that mean he needed to use them to kill an acolyte and a person with eldritch-based profession to get the other two essences?
"Whatever... At least, it was progress." Jack murmured. Leaving the question for the future. He was quite satisfied with the result this time. It was good enough.
He turned his flickering candle-flame eyes to Reina. She was flexing her fingers. Despite his immunity, Jack could still sense her faint, shimmering haze of illusionary power.
"Dear, my illusion power... It feels denser. Easier to manipulate. A subtle but noticeable increase." She then added with a smile on her lips. "Most likely, the devil's deceptive nature granted a boost to mine. Not bad."
Jack nodded in acknowledgement. He dismissed Gluttony and Sloth. Back into their dark pearl form. And kept them ready for quick summoning.
However, he kept Envy activated. With a silent command, he instructed the green ninja monkey to maintain its [Camouflage Aura]. Following them as an unseen safeguard.
The bizarre puppet gave a near-imperceptible nod. Then it vanished from sight. As the puppeteer, Jack could still sense its presence. But for others... most wouldn't sense it at all.
"Stay sharp, Love." Jack said. His pumpkin-head swiveled towards the backdoor exit of the devil's kitchen. "Two down. At least four more to go. And we still haven't found the children."
"Understood." Reina answered. She looked at Jack with raised eyebrows. "You'll stay in that form, Dear?"
Jack nodded his pumpkin head. "Yeah. It seemed this devil form would be the best to handle those tricky devils."
Reina nodded. "Let me carry you then." Grabbing Jack's puppet form and hugged him. Carrying him like a little girl with her doll.
"I can fly you know." Jack grumbled. But he let her carry him.
They moved out. Leaving the cold, sterile kitchen behind. Rune, in her floating lantern dorm, led them. Glowing watchful orange while she did so.
...
Jack noticed that the corridor beyond the kitchen was built from dark, damp stones. The walls were smooth, polished granite.
Reina carried him through the corridor. Following Rune. Continuing their exploration.
It took them a while until the air finally changed. Losing the scents of spice and roasted meat. Replaced by the thick, oppressive odor of something metallic.
The metal scent got stronger. And Rune pulsed brighter. Indicating a significant location ahead.
They approached a large, ornately carved double door. Fashioned from dark, polished wood. And inlaid with shimmering, unfamiliar metals.
Jack slipped out of Reina's hug and approached the door. His puppet form hovered slightly in front of it. His glowing eyes scanned the intricate carvings. The [Eyes of Judgement] was activated in full power.
The carving depicted contrasting scenes of opulent wealth and desperate misery. A stark contrast that was quite typical of devilish artistry... at least according to what Jack had learned so far.
"Stay vigilant, Love!" Jack warned as he started to bypass the rune lock mechanism. "I'll open this door. But let's be ready for a battle. This might be another trap. Or another twisted law."
He pushed the unlocked doors open slowly. Using the telekinesis power of his [Mysterious Anomaly]. Revealing another chamber. But, this one was not a kitchen or cell prison. Instead, it was a sight that almost made their heart fall. Conquered by their own greed.
Wealth was everywhere. Pile of gold coins and jewelries. Diamonds, golden and silver trinkets, gemstones... They had discovered a treasure vault.
They carefully entered the room. It was an immense hall. Dwarfing the previous wide kitchen significantly. Everywhere, luxurious objects gleamed. Reflecting the ambient magical light in a dazzling display.
Piles of gold coins created small mountains. Overflowing from massive chests of dark wood and iron. It looked like the wealth that had been plundered from a hundred prosperous kingdoms.
Ornate goblets, intricately jeweled crowns, gleaming ingots of gold, silver, and platinum, and statues of unknown deities crafted from precious metals... They were stacked haphazardly across the room. The pile was so high that it almost reached the vaulted ceiling.
The sheer quantity of the precious objects was staggering. It was an almost obscene display of accumulated wealth. Far beyond the means of any individual. Even a viscount or an emperor.
And these wealth were definitely not illusion. At least, not completely illusion. Jack's immunity showed that the objects were solid. They had strange infernal energy. But they were real. At least partially.
Jack focused on his supernatural senses. There was no devil in sight. No immediate, obvious threat. The silence in the vault was profound. Broken only by the soft echo of Reina's footsteps.
It felt unnatural. Very quiet. Too quiet. Almost as if the very air was holding its breath, waiting. A subtle, almost imperceptible hum resonated through the floor. A soundless vibration of immense, concentrated value.
Jack noticed Rune, his fairy guide had no longer emitted orange glow. Its lantern form was now glowing in crimson color. Danger!
"I see it, Rune." Jack murmured. He was floating above the ground. His [Eyes of Judgement] had been activated. Overlaying his vision with barrage of information.
The room was different from the kitchen or the Jester's spatial chamber. It was not under a Devil's Law. There was no single, overarching rule to break.
Instead, every single object in the room... every coin, every gem, every jewelry... contained a combination of devastating curses. A touch would not just damn them. It would chain their soul to this luxurious looking prison.
"Don't touch a thing, Love." Jack warned. His voice was grim. "Every bit of it is cursed. It's a trap."
"Understood." Reina replied. Her eyes were scanning the towering piles of wealth with wariness. Not desire.
They picked their way through the vault. A winding path between mountains of cursed gold. The only sound was the soft click of Reina's boots on the stone floor.
Jack's [Eyes of Judgement] scanned relentlessly. But they revealed no hidden devils. No lurking threats. Just the endless, silent pressure from the suffocating, cursed wealth.
They were three-quarters of the way through. The exit door was now in sight. A heavy, iron-banded thing. It was then when the music began.
It was the sound of a flute. But its melody was... wrong. It sounded catchy and infectious. But woven through it was a thread of mystical curse. It was a song for greed. The melody designed to awaken the most primal instinct for wealth.
The notes didn't just enter their ears. They slithered into their minds. Plucking at the most primal strings of desire. The music whispered... Not with words. But with pure temptation. 'It's all yours. Take it. You deserve it. Just reach out.'
Reina's hand, which had been held steady on her pistol, twitched. Her eyes were previously sharp and focused. They were now glazed over slightly. Drifting towards a nearby stack of gold bars. Her fingers began to uncurl.
Jack acted instantly. From his small Jack o'Lantern form, he emitted a sharp, discordant laugh. A sound that would never belong to any children's story. It was the screech of bending metal mixed with the rasp of a coffin lid sliding open.
It was the banshee effect's audio imitation of his [Mysterious Anomaly]. A horrifying sound designed to awaken fear on human's mind. At the moment, he used it to shatter enchantments and break concentrations. And it worked.
The unnatural laughter cut through the flute's melody like a knife. The spell broke. Reina blinked. Shaking her head as if clearing water from her ears. A look of revulsion was on her face as she realized what she had almost done.
The flute music stopped. Replaced by a snarl of fury.
From a towering pile of gold coins to their right, a figure erupted. He burst out in a shower of shimmering treasure.
It was a man dressed in an extravagant outfit of red and gold. With puffed sleeves and breeches. Like a musician from a royal court. His handsome face was twisted in her rage.
In his hands, he held a bone flute. It was carved from what looked like a human bone. Inlaid with gold coating in some parts. This was another one of the devils. The one Barnaby and Mirella were hunting. The Piper of Golden Haven.
It seemed that he tried to ambush then. But, his planned ambush were foiled now. Jack's interruption had ruined it.
With preternatural speed, the Piper lunged. His bone flute transformed into a long, pointed stiletto. Aiming for Reina's throat.
Reina didn't flinch. Her [Absolute Blink] was activated. Instantly. One moment she was there. The next she was simply a few meters away.
The Piper's bone blade stabbed through empty air.
As Reina reappeared, her guns answered. Multiple muffled sounds appeared. Coming from her pair of silenced steamrune handguns.