Chapter 1255: Chapter 1255
As the man of white mist demanded answers, Jenkins's eyes fixed on the avatar's left hand, which had just lifted the broken suitcase.
"So the tobacco is the problem."
Jenkins mused, then answered openly:
"I was telling the truth. And surely you don't think this means you've won?"
"These are the divine arts of Mist Form, Smoke Realm, and Scented Poison—abilities only my Lord's most devout followers can master. While they don't form a chain yet, no one has ever escaped their combined power. To be honest, if you had run when I slipped into the shadow realm, I couldn't have done a thing. But now, there's no escape for you."
Aromatic smoke churned and coiled up his pant legs, the vaporous tendrils spiraling upward until they materialized into shackles. They clamped around Jenkins's wrists, tethering his hands to the ground just as securely as his feet.
"Mist Form... I feel like I've heard of that ability..."
He gave the figure a suspicious look, and then it suddenly clicked:
"That's a divine art from the Perfume Appreciation Committee, isn't it? The cult that follows the pseudo-god, the 'Spiraling Mist'! Wait... the Perfume Appreciation Committee?"
But the sect was small, its sphere of influence limited, and its methods of spreading the faith rather simple. Consequently, no followers of this pseudo-god had ever reached Nolan on the continent's west coast, and the city's officials had never registered an ability .
Jenkins only knew of them because Alexia had mentioned them in passing a few days prior. They had been discussing the mystery of the apocalypse, and the conversation had turned to the fog surrounding Nolan.
"You've heard of us? Then I really can't let you leave here alive."
The white mist seethed, churning more violently than before.
"I don't get it. Your god isn't evil, and your organization isn't some malevolent cult. So why are you doing this? You're supposed to be in the business of making luxury cigarettes... Cigarettes?"
Jenkins froze, his gaze falling upon the cracked suitcase in the misty figure's hand. Suddenly, it all made sense.
"So you're the ones!"
"Then I'll ask you to die."
In a flash, the churning mist collapsed inward, enveloping Jenkins like a massive cocoon. To the cat crouching nearby, the instant the cocoon sealed, it began to shimmer with a fiery light, followed by a cascade of multicolored auras.
The translucent white cocoon shuddered like an unstable steam bomb. Three seconds after it formed, it burst from the center, sending the white mist scattering in every direction once more.
Bursting free from the cocoon, Jenkins rocketed upward. Thanks to Cat's Grace, his leap was extraordinarily high. Then, seemingly without purchase, he kicked off the air itself to gain another burst of height—in reality, he had pushed off a nearly invisible sliver of ice.
After the double jump, he easily caught hold of the last remaining wooden crossbeam overhead. The beam, ancient beyond telling, emitted a sickening groan the moment his fingers closed around it. To keep it from snapping, he hastily reinforced it with a layer of ice.
But this was neither the frigid city of Ruen nor a damp sewer, which made creating the ice considerably difficult.
The white mist churned below, but it wasn't the real threat. The ability was troublesome, but his opponent was too low-level to inflict any substantial damage. The crucial thing was to find the man's real body. Otherwise, Jenkins could be stuck here for who knows how long.
After all, he'd promised the ladies he'd be back in Ruen for lunch.
The shadow realm was a dangerous place; even those with shadow-related abilities wouldn't dare linger there for long. Jenkins reasoned his opponent couldn't stay hidden forever. Hanging by one arm from the crossbeam, he scanned the ground below, his eyes unblinking as he searched for any clue within the faint aura of the white mist.
The scattered mist quickly reconverged, but there wasn't enough of it to be a real threat. It churned below like a miniature ocean, yet its waves couldn't even reach the soles of his shoes.
Undeterred, the mist changed shape again. Moments later, sharp arrows formed from dense vapor shot up from below, but they couldn't even penetrate the wall of fire Jenkins casually exhaled.
With the assault failing, they reached a stalemate. Whether this was fortunate or not was anyone's guess, but the mist finally took notice of the cat, who was squatting outside the warehouse and letting out a wide yawn.
While Jenkins scanned his surroundings for his opponent's true form, the mist began to seep slowly outward.
A terrified yowl from the cat snapped Jenkins to attention. He looked over and saw Chocolate huddled pitifully on a large boulder, tail tucked between its legs in fear. A ring of mist had crept around the base of the rock and was now swirling upward, about to engulf the poor creature. Follow current novels on novel·fıre·net
"Picking on a cat? What kind of Enchanter are you!"
Jenkins roared, a mix of fury and alarm. With a surge of strength, he crushed the crossbeam in his grip, shattering the ancient wood. He abandoned his advantageous perch and dropped from above.
He landed squarely in the swirling mist. Whether it was the sheer force of his impact or because he forgot to suppress his aura in his panic, the vapor within a meter of him blasted outward as if struck by a physical blow, sending ripples shuddering through the cloud.
Unable to find his target and terrified his cat would be taken hostage, Jenkins landed and immediately unleashed his power. With a wave of his hand, he scattered flames in every direction. With a stomp of his foot, a layer of white frost instantly coated the ground.
He threw a wild punch into the air, the force alone creating a sonic boom. But even as the blow scattered the nearby mist, he couldn't find a trace of his foe. Panicked, he bolted straight for Chocolate, who was still trapped by the swirling white vapor.
Threads of mist shot out, trying to ensnare him, but they evaporated into nothingness before even touching his clothes, blasted away by an invisible heat. A dark, golden light began to emanate from Jenkins's body. It was difficult to perceive with the naked eye under the midday spring sun, but any sensitive Enchanter in the vicinity would have felt a suffocating, heart-stopping dread.