Chapter 125: Chapter 125

Jenkins laughed. He’d already reloaded his pistol on the way over. Raising the weapon, he fired a single shot, but his aim was poor and it struck the mirror.

"Even if I am injured, I'm not someone an ant like you can hope to stop."

The black robe billowed as dark blood began to pool at the man's feet. The sickening sound of cracking bones filled the air, accompanied by what seemed to be a faint, distant chant. A moment later, with a final, agonizing howl, the man in black morphed into the likeness of Mr. Smith, the Keeper of Secrets, and he looked perfectly healthy.

"A disguise? Shapeshifting? So that's how you got in."

"Regretting it now? Too late!"

The short old man used no abilities, relying purely on his physical strength as he threw a punch. Jenkins met the blow head-on. Crack! A bone in his arm shattered, yet the old man's hand remained stuck to his fist, impossible for either of them to pull free.

he asked, panicking. He tried to yank his fist back and retreat, but his hand simply couldn't escape the pulling force.

As he spoke, Jenkins repeatedly squeezed the trigger of the pistol in his left hand.

From the depths of his spirit, the Black Robe emerged, cloaking him in its original dark form.

The form of the old man, fists still locked with Jenkins's, flickered and reverted to that of the black-robed stranger. At the same moment, both men felt an intense pulling force. Seconds later, it was over. Jenkins stood, still cloaked in the robe. On the floor lay a bald man, clad only in his underwear.

The left side of his body was covered in unnatural red welts, and an emblem, like a prisoner's brand, was seared into the skin over his heart.

A few more shots rang out. The man convulsed a few times before falling still. Jenkins kicked the corpse aside and recalled the Black Robe.

"What just happened? Was this what Miss Hathaway was talking about—the way special artifacts can devour one another?"

He wondered aloud, but the only other creature still moving in the room was Chocolate.

He crouched beside the corpse and pried open a fresh wound on the man's upper right arm. From inside, he extracted a rolled-up scroll of parchment. The purple thread finally vanished.

"Don't tell me this is A-10-1-0230..."

Jenkins hesitated for a moment, then unfurled the scroll: ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelFirｅ.net

I am Jenkins Redemptor Williams. The current year is 1899 by the Universal Calendar, and 797 by the Kingdom's Golden Chestnut Kite Calendar. You must believe me, I am you from the future!

This world is destined for destruction. Over the next thirty-four years, one insane event after another will unfold. I've experienced too much... I survived, but I watched everyone around me die, one by one. Things have to change! They have to change! They have to change! This letter is the last chance.

Right now, I—the you of this time—should have just returned from Shire City. In the day that I was away from Nolan, Papa Oliver must have informed the Church about the suspected return of a demon. The Church would have then secretly arrested the baron who performed the ritual. However, this operation was discovered by the true demon pulling the strings. He took control of the nobles who had signed contracts with him for knowledge, sent them to the various strongholds of the Orthodox Church in this city, and then forcibly transformed them into fiends.

Ignore the man in the black robe. He's a follower of the pseudo-god known as the Great Fiend of a Thousand Faces. The descent of the Saint in New Truman City severely disrupted the cult's schemes there, so now they want this mirror to defend against the arrival of another Saint. But that has nothing to do with me for now. Not provoking him and letting him leave was the right call!

Right now, at this very moment, the first act in a series of tragedies is beginning. My first friend is about to be lost forever, so you must save Briny Mikhail! She's at Haysende Manor, just outside the city. Wake up Jerry Schleicher and Mr. Smith, the Keeper of Secrets, and request the use of A-10-1-0021. Then...

Reading this, Jenkins couldn't help but think, "If I were really writing to my past self, I wouldn't use the common tongue. I'd use a code from my old world!"

The moment the thought surfaced, the parchment in his hand burst into flames. An icy stream of spirit flooded into his body through his hand. The intense sensation sent a wave of goosebumps up his arm—but it still wasn't enough to advance him to the next level.

"So you burst into flames just because I didn't believe you?"

Everything was happening so unexpectedly. He'd thought the flame would just consume the parchment, but his palm grew scorching hot. Jenkins flung the burning mass away, and it landed squarely on the corpse.

Whoosh! He didn't know how, but the flames suddenly engulfed the entire corpse.

Jenkins shrugged off his black overcoat, its hem already scorched, and hurried to beat out the flames. To his surprise, the coat ignited as well.

He muttered to himself, tossing the coat into the fire. Then he could only watch as the parchment, the corpse, and his clothes were all utterly consumed, burning away until not even ash remained.

The ground was left without so much as a scorch mark.

He turned to survey the room. The Keeper of Secrets and Mr. Schleicher were both prone on the floor. Chocolate was curled up in a corner, watching the proceedings with great interest. The Gate of All Phenomena remained open.

He crouched and gently pressed his fist to the spot where the corpse had burned, bringing the temperature back to normal. Then he rushed to Schleicher's side.

Schleicher came to quickly. No one was allowed through the Gate of All Phenomena without the Keeper of Secrets' permission, so the two of them spent the next few moments waking Mr. Smith. He wasn't injured, just knocked unconscious by the black-robed man who had been disguised as Captain Bincy.

"He's gone. After Mr. Schleicher passed out, I shot at him. He dropped the mirror and left immediately."

Jenkins helped him sit up.

"Hmph. Daring to force his way through the Gate of All Phenomena. He must be badly wounded."

He looked at Schleicher, then at Jenkins. "We'll deal with this later. The Church does not let any enemy escape. Hmph, unless he's burned to cinders, the Church will hunt him down to the ends of the earth! By the way, why are you two here? Has the matter with the demon been confirmed?"

Only then did Schleicher remember their real business. "It's an emergency. The Church is on lockdown. I'm here to request the use of A-10-1-0021. This is the token."

As he spoke, he gestured for Jenkins to take the pendant from around his neck and hand it to the Keeper of Secrets.

"You're too injured. You can't escort this item."

The old man said with a frown.

Schleicher pointed at Jenkins. Jenkins, looking bewildered, could only nod.