Jack's immense rakshasa form seemed to radiate predatory glow. He pounded away at the even bigger demon. The booming sound of his [Judgement Warhammer] hitting the target was now the only sound of battle beyond the demon's angry shrieks.

The battle had become a gruesome spectacle of attrition. Jack had formidable power and unpredictable techniques. He was dominating the fight. Striking the creature again and again from tricky angles. On the other hand, the slower demon didn't seem to have any way for harming him.

But, the demon was very tough. It refused to fall. It could receive hundreds of blows from a legendary hammer covered with primordial energy without breaking. Its tentacles kept whipping and flailing with desperate, erratic energy.

Black ichor flowed freely from its many wounds. But it didn't seem to weaken the monster. Instead, it turned patches of the deck slick and treacherous.

Jack, however, was relentless. His Savage Rampage continued. Each strike of the [Judgement Warhammer] was coated with his dark red primordial energy. He didn't save his energy. He had plenty of it now after all.

He had taken blows, too. His blazing armor were damaged. His cheek and stomach were bleeding. But the wounds seemed to have no effect on his ferocity. And both his armor and his body had incredible regenerative power. They rather quickly restored themselves to their peak condition.

Jack moved in close. Striking the demon's shoulder. Ignoring a tentacle that grazed his side. His focus was absolute.

The demon shook its body and lunged again. Its malformed head snapping forward. Its vertical slit of mouth revealed rows of jagged teeth.

Jack stepped sideways and retaliated. Using his rakshasa's forehead. Slamming it into the cheek of the demon's strange head.

A solid bone-on-bone impact stunned the creature for a crucial second. It was an unconventional move. A testament to Jack's brutal, unpredictable style. And it bought him the opening he needed.

In that fleeting moment of vulnerability, Jack's eyes glowed bright. An intense, almost spiritual energy gathering within him. The [Judgement Warhammer] in his hand had already been glowing red because of the coating of his primordial energy. But it now seemed to flare with a slight brilliant gold glow.

The next attack didn't seem to just be a physical strike enhanced by primordial power. Instead, the weapon now seemed to be imbued with a deeper essence.

He rotated his body and swung the [Judgement Warhammer] with every ounce of his considerable strength. It was a full-power strike. But it was also a precise, calculated blow. The mighty hammer connected with the demon's chest.

KA-BOOM!

The impact was unlike the previous ones. The demon's bone cracked. Its scales and flesh were damaged. But, there was more than just that. A resonant thrum vibrated through the air. The golden light from the hammer seemed to surge. Pouring into the demon’s grotesque form.

The demon froze. Its tentacles went rigid. Then, they began to twitch uncontrollably. Its eyes were previously burning with malevolence. But now, they widened in a silent, agonizing scream.

The golden light was now inside it. It bypassed the demon's extremely tough body. Ignoring its physical defenses. It went straight for the source of its being. Its very soul.

A critical hit. A true damage. And a finishing strike.

The demon's five-meter frame began to shimmer. Its outlines blurred as if it were about to dissolve into mist.

A guttural, almost silent shriek escaped it. A sound of pure annihilation. Not of pain. Slowly, its form withered. Not like a physical body decaying, but like a shadow being evaporated by intense light.

Finally, with a final, shuddering tremor, the demon collapsed. It imploded. Shrinking into a swirling vortex of black smoke and fading screams.

The smoke dissipated quickly. Leaving nothing but an acrid scent in the air.

Jack stood over the spot. Speechless. He knew that his [Judgement Warhammer] had a small chance to cause a true damage that ignored opponent's defense.

He thought he had triggered this true damage several times in the past. During a combat against difficult opponents. But, he had never thought it would be like this. Did the true damage change? Was it because of the primordial energy he used to coat the hammer?

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Jack shook his head. Whatever! It was a good thing for him anyway.

His rakshasa's eyes scanned the empty space. The [Judgement Warhammer] still glowed faintly. Dark red due to the primordial energy. A satisfied hum seemed to emanate from its runes.

The long, deadly battle was over. The demon was gone. Utterly destroyed. The deck of the Golden Seagull was finally silent. Save for the distant lapping of thick black waves against the ships in the strange sea graveyard.

Jack took a deep breath. The predatory light in his eyes slowly receded. Replaced by a confident, almost weary satisfaction. He had purged another evil.

The rakshasa looked around. The deck was full of corpses, but other than him, nobody alive was there. It seemed that Reina and the others had returned to the Silent Mermaid.

As he looked to the sea, he could see the White Crow sailed away. It gradually became a shrinking speck against the unnatural black sea of the realm. Its tattered sails didn't seem to affect much on how the frigate moved.

The remnants of Wellcrow's crew had fled. Abandoning the Golden Seagull and its horrors. A good idea. Or probably a bad one. Who would know whether they would survive or not in this Grim Spirit Sea?

Jack took a deep breath. Activating his [Incarnation Shift]. The primordial raw power that had been coating him slowly receded. His rakshasa form shimmered. Contracting. His muscles melted away. His skin turned smoother and lighter.

The transformation was swift. In moments, Jack Night stood on the blood-slicked deck of the Golden Seagull. Once again in his human incarnation. Tall and broad shouldered, although no way close compared to his rakshasa form.

Rune reappeared near him. Seemingly out of nowhere. A tiny fairy that glowed bright green. She hovered near his shoulder. Her light flickered in silent communication. Expressing her conviction that the danger was already over.

He took out the [Steamrune Hoverboard] from his [Spatial Backpack] and leaped on it. Directing it across the void between the Golden Seagull and the Silent Mermaid.

His phantom vessel had been waiting. A silent, invisible sentinel for others. Yet, it was completely visible in his eyes.

Reina met him at the railing. Her ponytailed dark hair was a stark contrast to the swirling, ethereal mists that constantly enveloped the ship. Wordlessly she hugged him and brought him in.

Inside the main cabin, the rest of the crew were gathered. Baroness Artheim, Moby, Ned, and Bell were already there.

Leon Drake and Chloe Chase were also there. Beaming with enthusiasm. It seemed that the treasure hunt worked extremely well for them.

In another side, lay the unconscious forms of the Sixth Prince and the surviving members of his Morning Light crew. They were all looking largely unharmed. But none of them were conscious.

Jack assessed the situation with a calm gaze.

"First things first!" He said as he drew a small mirror from his [Spatial Backpack]. "Let's get those guys to a safe place first..."

He immediately activated his [Mythical Mirror Realm] power and opened a portal to his Mirror Mansion. A secure pocket dimension within the Mirror Realm.

The unconscious crew members of the Morning Light vanished from the deck one by one. Jack took them away to the safety within his supernatural base.

"They'll wake up later when we are out of this Grim Spirit Sea." Jack remarked, before turning his attention back to his crew. "Now, let's see what this graveyard has given out. Leon! Chloe!"

Leon Drake stepped forward. A wide grin splitting his face.

"Captain! While you were occupied..." He gestured vaguely towards the recently cleared Golden Seagull. "... we swept the immediate vicinity. Most of the other ships in this graveyard were quite poor. But the Golden Seagull... oh, she was a true treasure trove."

Chloe Chase nodded. Pouring a great number of coins, gems, and jewelries out of her [Spatial Bag].

"Indeed." She said. "We got many coins, mostly gold. There were also some precious silver and platinum coins from various eras. And a surprising amount of polished gemstones, jewelry, and ornaments."

Leon took over. "But the real finds were these..." He carefully placed seven distinct objects on the large navigation table.

Jack came closer. His eyes narrowed in interest. He activated his [Eyes of Judgement]. The world shifted. Information overlaid anything he was looking at.

He focused on the first object. A small, intricate metal stamp...

[Name: Arch-thief Seal]

[Grade: Epic]

[Status: Unbound]

[Durability: Extremely Tough (94%)]

[Special Ability: Seal Breaking Magic, Trap Detection]

[Description: An ancient decorative stamp created by a master thief alchemist. One of the three greatest tools of theft. It is able to detect trap and nullifies it. It is also able to unseal any lock-type magical mechanism.]

"Interesting!" Jack murmured. Picking up the seal.

Its cold metallic surface hummed faintly with latent energy. From the description, it was truly a master thief's tool.

He could practically see the invisible magical constructs of seals and traps by holding it. Even without being highlighted by his [Eyes of Judgement]. This was not just a tool for breaking into vaults. It was a key to solve complex magical security. Useful for bypassing any magically protected area.

Next, Leon presented a cloak. Folded neatly. It was a drab, mottled grey, unremarkable at first glance.

Jack activated his supernatural appraisal power once more...

[Name: Mystic Camouflage Cloak]

[Grade: Extremely Rare]

[Status: Unbound]

[Durability: Excellent (88%)]

[Special Ability: Adaptive Invisibility, Heat Signature Suppression]

[Description: A finely woven garment enchanted with a powerful illusion spell. It adapts its wearer's appearance and thermal output to perfectly blend into any environment, rendering them virtually undetectable to conventional and magical senses.]

Jack ran his hand over the cloak. It felt ordinary, yet his [Eyes of Judgement] showed a complex web of illusion runes woven into its very threads.

He had no need for this as he had [Mysterious Anomaly] and even more overpowered specter form. But adaptive invisibility would be very useful for the others in his crew.

This cloak was a great tool for escape, and... infiltration. Allowing passage through even the most vigilant magical patrols unnoticed.

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