Jack continued analyzing.
It had extremely high power level. As for the power class... Mutated Beast Brawler.
He remembered Beast Brawler. Rainsister had explained this extinct class. It should be the power class for the desperate. Ones who subdued powerful magical beasts and bound the beast's soul through a ritual into their own bodies.
But mutated? And it seemed that the mutation didn't weaken the class. Instead it made the class much more powerful. In a dark way.
These alone were dangerous. But the traits… [Aura of Corruption], [Tainted Power Absorption], [Demonic Vitality], [Hyper Regeneration]... And then, the kicker... [Demigod Lifespan]. Crap!
That meant... this guy was a demigod. Or something very, very close to one. The cursed being was either at Saint of Joy's level or the Phantom Clown's level. Both were way out of his league.
To have a creature of that caliber, with such a profoundly evil nature, delivered right into the heart of Lonestone City... It was an act of calculated malice. Definitely. This shouldn't just be a coincidence. This was a sealed powerhouse. A ticking abomination. The twins hadn't been exaggerating in the slightest.
Rune bobbed frantically. Its glow deepened to an angry, pulsing crimson. It communicated a sense of overwhelming wrongness. A primal urge to flee.
Jack controlled his urge to escape. Forcing himself to remain focused. He needed more. He concentrated his [Eyes of Judgement]. Accessing the detailed overview mentioned in the panel. The information was lengthy and narrative. Painting a vivid and gruesome picture of Nalam Gandare's fall.
It told him that Nalam was once a man of simple virtues. A good son. Dutiful to his parents. Loyal to his wife.
He had, at one point, acquired a 'devil scroll'. A deviant note detailing abhorrent methods of gaining power. Through sacrifice and consumption.
But Nalam, at that time, had dismissed it as vile delusion. Locking it away. Believing himself above such depravity.
Jack found a bitter irony in that initial rejection. He knew most monsters didn't start as monsters. They were changed. Often by circumstance. Sometimes by choice.
The overview continued. Detailing the turning point... the brutal discovery of his wife's infidelity. Not with a stranger. But with his own father.
The betrayal had shattered something fundamental within Nalam. The good son, the loyal husband, snapped. The overview then graphically described the ensuing depravity.
Nalam, fueled by a destructive storm of rage, humiliation, and despair, retrieved the sealed 'devil scroll'. He followed its instructions mindlessly. Slaughtering both his unfaithful wife and his treacherous father.
As an act of ultimate defilement, he then consumed their flesh and blood. Twisting his own humanity into something monstrous. Absorbing a fraction of their soul, life force and essence. Under the twisted ritual of Beast Brawler power acquisition.
He became a transcendent man. A Beast Brawler. However, his power wasn't from the soul of a mystical beast. It was from the broken pieces of human souls.
Jack felt a cold, hard knot form in his stomach. He had seen many types of horrors. Plenty of them. He had punished numerous sinners whose crimes ranged from petty theft to mass murder. But the sheer insanity and the resulting, self-inflicted transformation of Nalam Gandare held a unique taste. A bitter, revolting kinds of horror.
This wasn't merely a madman. This was a man who had chosen to become a monster out of a broken heart and an uncontrollable thirst for vengeance.
It was a twisted reminder of the hidden danger of his own path. Jack sought vengeance. Yes. He was the self-appointed Harbinger of Vengeance. But he must never let vengeance took complete, unbridled control of his actions.
The overview went on. Detailing Nalam's descent into utter madness. The initial act of patricide and spousal murder was merely the beginning of his consuming rampage. In his deranged state, he even turned on the rest of his family.
His mother, innocent of any crime, was next. Then, his infant daughter, a helpless life, was also consumed. Absorbed into the ever-growing horror that Nalam had become. Other relatives, distant cousins, even neighbors... All became fodder for his unholy transformation.
The details were revolting. Each act of cannibalism, each murder, each betrayal, was a step deeper into the abyss for Nalam.
He became a nightmare. A shadowy legend whispered in hushed tones across his era. A devourer of kins and strangers alike.
His body mutated. His power grew with each vile act of consumption. He became a force of pure, unchecked evil. Leaving only terror and desolation in his path.
Finally, the overview concluded with the chilling resolution. It was ended by the sole survivor of Nalam's kins. His grandmother. A woman who somehow survived the massacre his grandson had done.
She was the one who finally put an end to his reign of terror. She had, through a desperate and ancient ritual she learned from a hermit, sacrificed her own life. Pouring her very essence, her sorrow, and her love into weaving a powerful, binding curse.
This curse didn't kill Nalam. However, it stopped him. It petrified the demonic Nalam Gandare. Turning his twisted, corrupted form into the very stone statue Jack was now observing. Sealing his consciousness and his horrifying power within it.
Her sacrifice had preserved countless lives. But the curse was not eternal. It weakened with time. Corroded by the sheer evil it contained. And now, centuries later, it was faltering.
Jack closed his [Eyes of Judgement]. The information panel vanished. He remained there. A silent specter. Staring speechlessly at the statue.
He could feel the aura of corruption radiating from the stony figure. It was a silent scream of trapped malice. Slowly but surely seeping into the surrounding air. Into the museum's very foundations. He knew that it would subtly influence the minds of those who lingered nearby.
Jack's mind raced. Piecing together the events. The statue was definitely not here due to some accidents. Someone orchestrated this. Someone placed the dangerous 'bomb' here in the capital of Elrush Kingdom. Who was it? And why?
The recent chaos in the Valley of Despair flashed in Jack's mind. The confrontations with the 'Saint of Joy'... The acquisition of the [Forbidden Chalice] by the Royal Faction... and the subsequent crackdown on non-orthodox cults and illegal transcendent organizations.
Jack immediately realized what had happened. This wasn't a coincidence. This was a deliberate act of sabotage. A weaponized curse aimed to be unleashed upon Lonestone City.
'A retaliation.' Jack thought grimly. 'This was a retaliation. A message. A threat.'
Who would know of such a potent, ancient cursed being? Who would possess the means to transport a risky artifact of this magnitude into the capital city?
It had to be one of those groups. The ones driven by a desire for vengeance against the Royal Faction. The ones aiming to destabilize the city, sow chaos, and prove their power by unleashing an abomination upon the populace. Cult of Purity. Or Night Salvation Association. Or Circles of Wealth. Or... whatever it was that got disadvantaged by the recent actions of the Royal Faction.
Jack's non-existent blood turned even colder. They didn't care about the thousands of innocent lives that would be lost if Nalam Gandare was fully unleashed. They only cared about their twisted agenda. They only cared about retaliation.
Rune pulsed with a rapid glow of crimson. Jack understood. Danger. Extreme danger. He needed to act.
He considered his options. He could transformed into his rakshasa form and tried to crush the stone statue.
But, destroying it outright might be impossible. Given Nalam's [Hyper Regeneration] and [Demonic Vitality] traits. Not to mention the [Demigod Lifespan]. The Corrupted Beast Brawler was practically immortal. Even if he could crack the stone, Nalam would likely simply regenerate. Or perhaps even got freed and unsealed from the disruption.
Removing the statue from the city was another option. But how? It was heavy, likely magically reinforced. And where would he take it? Bury it in the ocean? Transport it to some desolate wasteland?
Wait! He could try to send it to the Mirror World with his [Mysterious Mirror World] Ability.
Or... he could just use the [Nine-Anchor Portal Ring] to send it to Prehistoric Realm where the dinosaurs roamed. Or the Strange Realm where the gigantic Hydra slept. Or the Valley of Despair. He had portal anchors set in those places.
But, he was quite uncomfortable with these choices. Isolating the cursed Nalam Gandare might save the city. But it couldn't stop Nalam from escaping his curse. And, when he escaped, who could know if he could... return.
This Nalam Gandare had [Tainted Power Absorption]. He could absorb power from those he killed and consumed. What if he managed to kill a creature with spatial power in the place he banished him to? Even if he didn't, what if... Wait!
Jack stopped his contemplation suddenly. Why would he need to worry about this cursed man alone? This was not just his problem. He could ask help. In four days, there would be another Fateless Gathering. He could consult to Rainsister there.
Other than that, this should have been the Royal Faction's headache. Not his. He could just anonymously inform them and let them deal with the statue.
No! Jack immediately rejected the idea. The Royal Faction would likely find a way to sacrifice this Nalam Gandare to fuel the [Forbidden Chalice]. He didn't think that would be a great idea.
The Academy Faction? They would likely turn this dangerous threat into a research object. Not exactly a great idea either.
Jack sighed. It should be the Church Faction then. Just like the matter with the Deep Silence in Songstress Village. The orthodox and conservative churches were the most reliable when dealing with such danger.
Now, he just needed to think of a way informing the churches. Preferably... anonymously.