Reincarnated as a Supernatural Horror Entity-269 - Target of Gluttony
Jack didn't wait for the beast to take initiative to attack again. He moved first. His new martial art, the 'Savage Rampage', was a paradox of simplicity and complexity.
He used the simplicity of the Trentree's 'Dancing Principles'. Moving through the most efficient trajectories and using the least energy consumption. Reaching the target as fast and effortless as possible.
But then, the complexity struck when he mixed it with another concept. Applying the 'Drunken Fist' principles, the most efficient trajectory should be the most unexpected. And the least energy consumption must be measured in 'the whole fight' plan. Not just one simple movement.
If making less efficient yet unpredictable movement could end the fight sooner, it was a good move. If by wasting more effort and energy in one 'surprising' attack, he could defeat the opponent faster... that was the 'most efficient and effective move'.
Jack performed a stumbling lunge. To an observer, it looked like he had tripped on a tuft of red grass. In reality, he had dropped his center of gravity. Sliding beneath the beast's counter attack.
He pivoted on his heel. His massive war hammer drove upward into the snake's soft underbelly.
BOOM! The impact sounded like a cannon blast. A large part of the serpent's massive body was lifted off the ground. Its bones snapped with a sequence of wet cracks.
The beast retaliated. It lashed out with its tail. A thirty-meter whip of pure muscle. Jack didn't retreat. He leaned into the blow. His body swayed like a willow in a hurricane. One of the characteristic essence of the 'Drunken Fist' aspect of his 'Savage Rampage'.
The tail struck his shoulder. But instead of breaking bones, the force was redirected through his frame and into the ground. The earth shattered beneath his feet. But Jack remained standing.
He dropped his [Judgement Warhammer]. His hands had reached out to grab the tail. He gripped the scales. His fingers dug deep into the flesh.
With a roar that shook the very atmosphere of the realm, Jack swung the beast. It was a feat of incredible strength. The thirty-meter long serpent was whipped through the air, and was slammed to the ground. Smashing into a cluster of lizardmen who were trying to flank him.
The serpent was resilient, however. Its wounds began to knit together almost as soon as they appeared.
Jack gritted his teeth. [Hyper Regeneration] was great if it belonged to him or one of his allies. When the opponent had the trait, it was really annoying.
"Enough of this!" Jack grunted. Gripping his [Judgement Warhammer] tighter.
The serpent reared up. Coiling and launching itself again to pounce at Jack.
The rakshasa countered it with a savage attack on his own. He twisted his body, rotated rapidly twice and brought the hammer down at a perfect timing.
BOOM!
The hammer's charged up strike caught the serpent squarely on the snout. The sound was deafening. The snake's head was slammed into the red earth. Creating a deep pit on the already wrecked ground.
The beast's regeneration kicked in immediately. The crushed snout began to reform. The broken bones were knitting back together.
Jack didn't wait for it to recover. He didn't stop. He raised the hammer again. Smashing the head.
BOOM!
The second blow landed before the snake could even hiss. The ground groaned.
BOOM!
The third blow tore through the upper scales on the head. Exposing the white bone of the skull.
Jack became a restless machine. This was another essence of his 'Savage Rampage'. Not just the unpredictable nature of his movements. But also the relentless, overwhelming pursuit of total destruction.
He hammered the beast's head again and again. Each strike was delivered with the full weight of his strength and the momentum of his heavy war hammer.
He struck ten times. Twenty. Fifty.
The serpent's body thrashed around. Its tail was carving deep furrows in the grassland.
But Jack was an anchor. He stood over the beast's head. Forcefully slamming the [Judgement Warhammer] down with rhythmic, brutal precision. Ignoring the pain in his arms.
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The beast's regeneration was fast. But Jack was faster. He acted as if he was a blacksmith. And the serpent's skull was a hot iron on the anvil. He was forging its death.
By the hundredth strike, the serpent's head was no longer recognizable. It was a pulp of grey brain matter, shattered bone, and shredded scales.
The regenerative flicker in its cells finally sputtered and died. Unable to keep up with the sheer volume of trauma. Especially after its brain was crushed. The massive body went limp.
It was still twitching after its death. But, the residual magical energy in its horns had faded away. Losing its menacing aura.
Jack stood over the carcass. His chest was heaving. His reddish black skin was coated in a mixture of dirt and serpent blood.
He felt the fatigue deep in his marrow and the ache all over his arms. The rakshasa form was powerful. But hammering down at such power and speed still demanded a heavy toll on the body.
He looked up at the violet sky. High above, a small, glinting shape circled. It was the Silver Hawk. The steamrune drone he had crafted for Reina. She seemed to have released it to the air. It was her eye in the sky. And her way of keeping watch over him.
Jack raised a gore-stained hand and gave a sharp wave. Then, he made a question-mark gesture—a specific tilt of the wrist and a flick of the fingers. A signal sign they had discussed long time ago. 'Are you safe? Is the group okay?'
The Silver Hawk tilted its wings. Performing a smooth, continuous infinity loop in the air. Jack understood its message. 'All is well. We are secure.'
The drone hovered for a moment longer before banking sharply and heading back toward the basecamp. Jack watched it until it was a mere speck against the purple clouds. Now, he had work to do.
Rune appeared from one direction. She had made herself scarce during the battle. Allowing Jack to fight fully without distracting his focus. Her tiny dragon's body glowed with a soft, comforting green light. Signifying that it was safe now.
Jack checked himself. The current rakshasa incarnation had a drawback. A hunger that was more than just physical. It was a spiritual requirement. If he didn't consume a hostile beast every six months, he would fall into a [Starving] status effect. A weakened state that temporarily reduced all of his attributes.
The deadline since his last consumption was fast approaching. Less than three weeks away. But then.. this serpent was the perfect feast.
Jack stood before the thirty-meter carcass and activated it as his [Target of Gluttony].
He opened his mouth wide. It felt as though his jaw was unhinged. Revealing a dark, endless void within his throat. A low, humming vibration filled the air.
Suddenly, the massive body of the Horned Serpent began to ripple. Its physical matter lost its solidity. Turning into a swirling mass of black shadow.
The shadow broke apart into millions of tiny, liquid droplets. They rose from the ground like rain falling upward. And they were immediately caught in a gravitational vortex centered on Jack's opened mouth.
The sheer volume of liquid matter was staggering. Yet it flowed into him with the ease of water down a drain.
As the last of the shadow-drops vanished into his throat, Jack felt a surge of heat. It radiated from his stomach. Knitting his arms' pain and replenishing his spent stamina. The faint hunger that had been gnawing at the back of his mind recently finally disappeared.
He took a deep breath. Air was whistling through his flared nostrils. With a thought, he summoned his information panel. Focusing on the change...
[Attributes: Physique (99) Mysticism (43) Passion (99) Essence (99)]
He grunted. Half-disappointed, half-expectant. There was only a single point increase in [Mysticism]. It made sense though. The serpent was a creature of raw, physical power.
It could very likely improve his [Physique] or [Passion] better. But, like his [Essence], the [Physique] and [Passion] attributes of this incarnation had already reached the plateau of his current evolutionary stage.
To go higher, he would likely need to find a way to break through the limits of his transcendence. Stepping into the illuminated stage. But the 'Fate Code' to do so was still too elusive for him.
"One point is one point." He muttered. "Better than nothing."
Jack focused his intent and activated his [Incarnation Shift]. Instantly, his rakshasa body shimmered and collapsed inward. The reddish black muscles, blazing armor, and thick mane dissolved. Replaced by the broad-shouldered frame of his human mercenary incarnation.
He adjusted his leather armor and checked his gear.
Nearby, Rune had also transformed back to his mechanical fairy form. Her body was glowing with a soft, comforting emerald light. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"Let's go, Rune." Jack said. "The others are waiting."
The walk back to the basecamp took almost half an hour. Without the serpent or the lizardmen around, the red grassland was eerily quiet.
Jack moved with the practiced silence of a predator. His eyes were vigilant. Always scanning the surrounding. He encountered a few grassland animals. But they weren't predators. And the fled into the tall grass once they sensed him.
Jack approached the hidden cave they used as the basecamp. When he reached its entrance, he could already feel the tense, yet organized atmosphere.
Students were huddled around small, yet bright glowing orbs. Some were writing in their journals. Others were whispering in low conversation.
He looked around. Dr. Crafton was tending to a student with a sprained ankle. While Professor Enderson was obsessively cleaning his spectacles. The guards were either resting or cleaning their weapons.
Reina was the first to spot him. She was standing near the cave mouth. Taking a task as the watch. Her long black hair was tied in a simple ponytail. Her eyes immediately fell on him. Showing a mix of relief and adoration.
"Dear!" She called out. Moving toward him gracefully to hug him. She didn't care about the lingering scent of blood or the dust on his clothes. "We saw the fight through the hawk. It was... magnificent."
Jack patted her back. "It was indeed quite a heavy workout, Love. Is everyone alright?"
"Yes." She replied calmly. "The students are shaken, but mostly unharmed. Only a few students and guards were injured. And the injury was quite light. But Dear... Leon found something."
"What is it?" Jack immediately asked. Narrowing his eyes. He knew Leon Drake was the Inheritor of Fate. Anything he discovered could be great luck or... terrible disaster.
"A map." Reina answered.
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