[h3][center][b][i]The[/i][/b] Pumpkin King![/center][/h3]
[color=orangered]"Cassim!"[/color] Jack called as he noticed his fellow trickster getting slogged in the gut and choked out by another shadow. Everyone else was handling their own encounters pretty well, though the king of thieves could use a hand. Jack smiled and obliged without a spoken word to him, tossing a jack-o-lantern over Cassim and banishing a shadow that was going to join the fight on Cassim from the mortal world with a simple flash of a blaze. [color=orangered]"Everyone, stay strong! We can handle this struggle so long as we don't falter!"[/color] The Pumpkin King shouted to his friends before a spirit came sneaking up towards him, almost like it was trying to get the drop on him...

[color=orangered]"Oh? And who are you, trying to spook the most terrifying creature?"[/color] Jack turned to face the shadow head-on, grabbing the edges of his mouth and pulling them down past his shoulders. With a terrifying howl, Jack let loose a potent red flame, blasting out of his gaping maw and onto the transparent yet solid flesh of the shadowy figure, though it didn't last for long as the shadowy form began to melt in front of everyone's eyes, it becoming nothing more than a pile of residue on the floor. Letting go of his mouth, Jack placed a hand to his forehead and cackled into the night sky. [color=orangered]"I guess it's just too hot for some of these shadows to bear! In fact..."[/color]

Jack sprung up into the air, smiled from 'ear to ear', then brought his hands to his side as hes tarted to emblazon the surrounding area of the tavern, courtyard, and several streets with a bright blaze. So much for subtlety, but it kept the area lit up, and hopefully it'd be enough to keep the shadows from continuing an endless assault. At least, that's what Jack hoped his illusioned flames would do. If they didn't, hopefully the pressure could be kept up.

Zero, meanwhile, was rushing through shadow after shadow, 'smashing' into them with his bright red nose and causing them to vanish from the inside out. Seems like the light of the ghost pooch's nose was enough to banish the shadows away from the world. Regardless, it was racking up a decent 'kill' count by simply rushing around, finding himself right back inside of a familiar bathtub. He barked at the creepy cavalcade of cartoonish creations happily before licking Lock, then Shock, then Barrel. Sure, they were mischievous, but they were still Zero's friends!