377 Still Beautiful! As Jack was dragged through the streets, the citizen of the mermaid kingdom could be heard gasping. “What?! Wasn’t this guy on our side?”
“Don’t tell me he’s the one the execution ground’s for?!” The gazes of shock and pity accompanied him as he was taken inside the crystal palace, the doors closing in on their freedom akin to a death sentence. — Bam! — Then they reached the throne room… As soon as they stepped inside, they were welcomed by Gargan, the gigantic octopus humanoid. He was lazily lying on the throne, the Empress relegated to a bystander. Wasn’t this a little too quick?! How had this guy managed to take over in the short duration they had explored the depth of the Abyss? The soldiers hurriedly stood at attention before him, their leader respectfully presenting their spoils of war to the guy. “Leader, this pearl is the only thing he brought out of the Abyss! It allowed him to control the nearby current!” “Oh? So that thing’s a legendary treasure?” He casually played with it, chuckling. “Instead of running, you stayed for this little thing? Was it worth it?” A flash of regret appeared on Jack’s face as he seemingly realized the whole mess he was in. Soldiers everywhere, big boss watching over him, and utterly naked….he was screwed! “Actually, I have a proposal for you. If you get rid of that disgusting human appearance, kiss my feet, swear allegiance to me, perhaps I shall show benevolence. What do you say?” Change his appearance? He’d bloody do it if he could! Sadly, Jack could only grind his teeth as Moon Moon tried protesting: its master’s appearance was perfect as is! “Tch— Alright, take him away, you know where to. Let his screams be a warning to anyone wishing to follow in his footsteps. Extract everything he knows….”
“Yes, Sir!” The goons were eager to comply, kicking their prisoners forward as they grinned at their sore sight.
Fun Travel Destination —> Prison Cells Even from a distance, lamentations echoed out of it, the unmistakable sound of leather hitting flesh resounding. There were LOTS of prisoners; haggards, bloodied, despairing. The leader happily introduced the place: “Welcome to our new playground! As you can see, the men that used to be under your commands are all here, isn’t it nice? Actually, we have one more surprise, hehe!”
That’s when Jack’s entire body began shaking at the nightmarish sight. It was Pumpkin Girl, but she was barely alive, her entire skin seemingly turned over. Her gorgeous face was full of lacerations, her entire being a mess that could barely be called human. Those bastards! Those fucking bastards! Why?! Why! “Hehe, that’s what she gets for resisting—” — Splatter! — The soldier never finished his sentence. Before he could react, a bloody line appeared on his neck, his head sliding off his body. With one swift movement, Jack beheaded the bastard as he inwardly cursed. This was too nice a death for such a piece of shit, but he couldn’t care less. He stepped across the warm corpse, rushing to her side, grabbing as many potions as he could and dousing her with them as he gently embraced her… “It’s gonna be alright. I’m here….” “I knew you’d come.” It was as if the world had come to a halt for a brief instant, but then it all resumed at once, louder than it had ever been. — Alert! Alert! Alert! — Jack’s actions had triggered the alarm system. Out of nowhere, dozens upon dozens of guards rushed inside, flooding the only path toward the outside. Silent shellshocked colleagues and a cadaver greeted them. “What the hell happened here?!” “H-he saw her, and then he just….” “He just? What about the restraints? Ah, whatever, we can’t possibly lose with our numbers! Grab him, and the bitch—”
That’s when an entire pickaxe found its way into the man’s skull, exploding the soft matter underneath. “W-what?!” The remaining soldiers froze. They logically understood that they had the advantage. After all, even a god couldn’t possibly fight them all! Yet, none whatsoever dared to be the first to advance. The current Jack had the appearance of a wild beast protecting its cub. His desire to protect the girl in his arms transcended the concept of levels, the would-be attackers shivering. His gaze was so goddamn intense! 100 vs. 1? Those eyes were still terrifying! Heck, many were even unconsciously taking steps back. But then a bellow brought them back to their senses: “What’s all this commotion about?” It was their master. That simple question was enough to remind them of the one backing them. Why should they care about Jack? That’s when they all charged at once. They still feared him, but they feared their own master even more.
“Capture him for Lord Gargan!” “Target the ugly girl, and he’ll have to defend! He’ll!—” Crunch
“That’s the perfect plan! Use her to drive him to a corner!—” Splatter! The fight should have been short and utterly one-sided…It wasn’t. Even as he ran around holding his partner, he was able to commit genocide. All those that had ever spoken or acted against Pumpkin Girl were targeted. Moon Moon had joined the event too, its fur soon blood-red. “I-Is this guy invincible?!” “I-impossible!” They kept fighting, long enough for their blood to turn the cells area into a blood river, all of them developing instant PTSD. The way he used the area’s layout to limit their surrounding power was a work of art…but even that eventually failed. The two fighters soon ran out of mana and got captured. “D-did we win?!” “Q-quick! Put him in the special cell!” “T-the one for the mythical monsters?! Will it manage to hold him?!” From that point onward, Jack received a true VIP treatment as he was thrown in their best cell. The entire thing was covered in sealing runes that prevented him from using power. [You’ve Entered a Sealed Area!] [Power Adjusted to Level 1!] [Good Luck Escaping!] The system almost seemed to be gloating at his misfortune, but he didn’t care. He instead gently caressed Pumpkin Girl’s long fiery hair, deep concern in his gaze. There was something wrong with her; she wasn’t healing. The earlier potions should have been enough, but the ghastly scars hadn’t disappeared one bit. How pitiful! “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine from now on….” He kept whispering. She tried giving a reassuring smile, only to freeze, recoiling. She had seen her own reflection in his eyes. She wasn’t just hideous, her face was positively disgusting, and she was— She was suddenly assaulted by a gentle flick attack to the forehead and a passionate kiss. “Tch— Do you think I care about something as silly as a face? No running, you’re mine!” “Alright…” “Alright? Just alright?!” “Hahahaha, I’m yours! Now, and forever!” Her crystalline laughter filled the entire prison, one filled with so much relief. An area that should have been filled with suffering and despair suddenly seemed to transform. A few prisoners even hollered back: “Commander?! It’s you, right?!” “Of course! Who else would be flirting here!” “Commander, how do we escape? We’ll follow your orders again!” It was as if the sun had begun shining in prison, his old troops already rejoicing in advance for their upcoming freedom. But their happiness was cut short by a snide remark. “Tch— Imbeciles. This place is the Palace’s Dungeon! Do you think escaping is easy? Sure, killing so many guards was impressive, but it’s over now that you’re locked up….” It was a skinny older Fishman, his scales so old that they were turning brown. Obviously, the poor guy had spent an eternity locked up away from the sun. “Woo!” (What do you know! One should never give up!) The little wolf valiantly repeated its master’s wisdom as it berated back. Besides, they couldn’t stay there: they had to bring Pumpkin Girl to a doctor! “Young and naive, this brings back memories.” “You two should worry about yourselves instead. After that mess, the torture will be brutal….” “Honestly, I suggest suicide. If you slam your head just right against the floor, you might be able to go out painlessly….” [Respawn Set to Current Location!] [Following the Previous Advice is Not Recommended!] Tch— Who cared about the goddamn spawn anyway? As if he’d leave his woman behind! Right now, his concern wasn’t to minimize the pain but to stall for as long as possible. — Clang! — A man suddenly entered the dungeon. He wore a long red outfit and wore what seemed like a white fox mask. He didn’t look that intimidating, yet his arrival instantly made the NPCs gasp with fright as they unconsciously scratched their scars. “The new guy’s so freaking screwed.” “They sent him of all people….” The man held his head with pride as he heard the whispers. As expected, his reputation preceded him! And yet…the new toy seemed utterly puzzled about his identity. “You can’t even recognize me? Talk about slow! I’m the one and only Crimsom Tiger, he who is often compared to the Thousand-Arms General himself. Scared?” He chuckled. Yet, the would-be victims were still putting on a brave front. Tch— Looking so calm before him? Talk about disrespectful! Whatever, they’d soon scream for him. He stepped inside the cell, quickly grabbing the restrained fools, and then he began working his gory magic! Incisions, lacerations, shredding, tearing, he was going all in! “Hehehe, how do you like that! Can you still take it? You’re reaching your limit, aren’t you? Go on, scream, scream for me!” The bystanders could barely stomach the scene, but then a few of the more observant ones suddenly noticed a detail. What was up with the wolf’s expression? Moon Moon couldn’t help but inwardly snicker, gazing at the villain with ridicule and pity. A peer of the General, was it? It remembered very well how the latter had ended. A show was about to start… Moon Moon agrees 100% that the face isn’t the most important in a loved one! It’s the cooking! …Eh, the soul! Right, totally the soul! ClasslessAscension
Creator’s Thought