Chapter 1583: Chapter 1583

As the words echoed in his ears, Jenkins smiled with satisfaction. He nodded to the Church demigods before him, dismissed the unicorn with a thought, and then began his descent to the ground.

"I await your arrival."

The moment he touched the ground, he vanished.

Even from within the arcane lock, the Believer of Lies had vanished in a manner no one could comprehend. Countless eyes were fixed upon him, yet not a single person could articulate the method of his departure.

Still, this wasn't the first time he had made such a bizarre exit, so the Church's demigods were unfazed. Once they confirmed his departure, they turned their attention to the severely contaminated grounds of the Paramont Manor. For more chapters visıt novel✦fire.net

Of course, they also remembered that the Saint of the Sage Church and the novice nun from the Church of All Things and Nature had yet to reappear. The old Keeper, Mr. Wood Broshier, led his companions down to the ruins of the manor. They didn't believe Jenkins could have died; if a Saint were to truly fall in the mortal realm, the Sage himself would have long since intervened.

He hadn't even finished speaking when the swirling, blood-red mist, which had been on the verge of dissipating, suddenly coalesced and descended before them.

The crimson mist spun like a whirlwind above the wreckage, whipping up rubble and splinters of furniture into a chaotic shower that rained back down.

The Lightning Spear struck the very center of the crimson whirlwind with pinpoint accuracy, yet it passed straight through, inflicting no damage. After being hit, however, the mist swiftly descended, churning up even more stone, wood, and shards of glass into the air.

By the time the debris crashed back down, leaving the already devastated ruins in even greater disarray, the figure of the Countess materialized from within the blood-red mist.

She was still clad in a lavish ball gown, but the dress was now in tatters, its white lace trim scorched black. Her feathered fan was gone, leaving her true face exposed for all to see.

It was a grotesque, hideous sight. One would have to imagine the most deformed person imaginable, their face covered in festering sores, then stung by a venomous scorpion until it swelled into an unrecognizable mass, to even approach such an appearance.

"Nobody move, or I'll kill him!"

With her arm locked around Jenkins's neck, she hauled him to his feet. Her mist form had been scouring the wreckage for this very purpose: to find a suitable hostage.

"I know he's important! I can smell the nobility in his blood. Now, do as I say, or I'll kill him!"

The Countess shrieked, her cavernous mouth gaping open to press a sharp fang against Jenkins's neck. One of those fangs was none other than the B-12-3-5800, the [Bloodsucking Fangs], she had demanded earlier. She had snatched it during the chaos of the steam bomb's explosion, and it was the only reason she had managed to survive the defeat of her cursed avatar at Jenkins's hands.

The Church demigods were still present, but none had anticipated this turn of events. Most of them were aware of Jenkins's true identity—the Saint of the Sage—and his involvement had been the operation's greatest guarantee of success. Thus, they remained silent, deferring to the members of the Sage Church.

But the ones standing closest—the Keeper, Mr. Wood Broshier; the "Left Hand of the Sanctuary," Mr. Donas Yassen; and Mr. Gilbert—also remained silent. Their eyes were fixed on Jenkins, who, despite being covered in dust, seemed surprisingly unharmed.

"You! Call to them for help. Now!"

Seeing the situation develop in an unexpected way, the Countess had no other choice. She viciously tightened her grip on Jenkins and snarled her demand.

He asked. Upon getting her affirmation, he theatrically stretched out his right hand and cried:

"Chocolate, save me!"

Perched neatly on the jutting end of a roof beam, the cat meticulously groomed a tiny paw. It looked immaculate, not at all like a creature that had just emerged from a pile of rubble.

Clearly, the Countess was unaware of the name of Jenkins's well-behaved little cat.

"That's something you don't need to know."

As he spoke, Jenkins's right hand shot up, ramming into the underside of the Countess's chin. Simultaneously, his left hand seized the arm clamped around his neck. With a sudden, powerful twist, he wrenched himself free from her "embrace."

The hideous vampire spread her arms and lunged at Jenkins again, knowing it was her only chance of escape. She never imagined that he wouldn't dodge. Instead, as if returning her embrace, he slammed straight into her.

For a moment, they both froze. Then, Jenkins slowly stepped back, allowing everyone to see the antique dagger he had plunged into her chest—the [Vampire Buster].

With his [Eye of Reality], Jenkins would never have allowed an enemy to feign death. He had orchestrated this whole charade for one reason: he and Miss Capet had been given a mission and had, until this point, accomplished nothing. He had intentionally given the Countess an opening just to create this laughable spectacle.

As Jenkins slowly backed away, a subtle, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. He had his pride, after all; failing a mission so completely was not an option. He hadn't worried about his plan backfiring, either. While lying under the rubble, he had already used his newly acquired Air Bomb Ring to prime the stagnant air beneath the wreckage. If things had gone differently, he would have simply detonated it and blamed the explosion on a delayed trigger from the earlier bomb set by the man from the [Tree House].

The Countess stood as if petrified, her eyes wide as she stared down at her chest. The antique, history-laden dagger hadn't drawn a single drop of blood. Instead, fine layers of white ash were flaking away from the wound, drifting away on the breeze. The dagger's special effect against vampires, stacked with the power of Jenkins's [The Stranger] ability, left her with absolutely no hope of survival.

"The [Vampire Buster]? How can it be here?"

She shrieked in disbelief, the sound piercing enough to hurt their ears. The scream seemed to break her out of her shock. With no thought but to take him with her, she spread her arms and charged at Jenkins one last time. But at that exact moment, a woman scrambled out from the nearby rubble and tackled her to the ground.

Pinning the Countess to the ground, Miss Capet threw all decorum to the wind. She straddled the creature, gripped the hilt of the small dagger, and pulled it free only to plunge it back in, again and again...

Only when Jenkins pulled her to her feet did Miss Capet finally break, throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing uncontrollably. She had been terrified, waking from a deep sleep to the sight of Jenkins held hostage. Even though he had successfully turned the tables, the Countess's final, desperate lunge had sent her charging out without a moment's hesitation.