Chapter 1605: Chapter 1605

"I hope that when you leave the material world, ascend, and become a true god, you will choose the power of death as your fundamental power."

This was the price of the gift.

"I'm sorry, but why?"

Jenkins considered himself, at best, a part of the Lord of Blossoms' faction—the faction of life, the very antithesis of death.

"It's quite simple. You are suited for death. I extended an invitation to you once before, but you refused. In hindsight, your refusal was quite reasonable. I should have offered more. You are worth it."

Jenkins frowned at these words. Long ago, when he had first arrived in this world and begun to learn about its deities, he had assumed the Righteous Gods and Pseudo-Gods were entirely separate forces. He believed they had no connection to one another, that no "pantheons" as he understood them existed.

But after learning that Righteous Gods could create avatars and that followers of Pseudo-Gods sometimes received favorable treatment from certain orthodox churches, he came to understand that pantheons did exist in this world. Their presence was just subtle and, for some reason, hidden from the public.

A closer look at deities with overlapping domains revealed a pattern: if their followers weren't outright hostile to one another, they were almost certainly allies. Apathy or neutrality was never an option. The Sage Church, for instance, maintained excellent relations with believers of gods whose domains included [Music], [History], and [Civilization], which served as indirect proof of divine factions and pantheons.

"I'm sorry, Great One. I'm afraid I cannot accept this gift."

"I am a descendant of the elves, of the priests of the World Tree. I do not believe the power of death is right for me."

He was declaring his allegiance, implying that the Lord of Blossoms would never permit such a thing. Dıscover more novels at novel-fire.ɴet

He knew what he was giving up—something all life in this world dreamed of, something they dared not even imagine. It was a prize that could compel the gods themselves to act. But he also knew some things were better left untouched.

"If you're worried someone might stop you, don't be. This city lies outside all nodes of fate. No one is watching here."

This was why Mr. Augustus had appeared now, before Jenkins left Bel Diran and reached Nolan.

"I apologize. This may sound... arrogant, but I truly believe I am not suited for death."

He refused once more without a trace of hesitation, hoping only that the being before him wouldn't become enraged by the rejection.

"I suspected as much, but it truly is a shame..."

The voice from under Mr. Augustus's hood sighed.

"But even if you refuse this gift, you are destined to be inextricably linked with death. Have you not noticed? You already possess a power over death impossible for any mortal. Death follows in your wake. You may refuse my gift, but you cannot refuse destiny. One day, you will understand, god of lies. In this world, destiny is the one thing that cannot be refused. Death is your very essence..."

The golden scales representing the [Divine Domain: Arbiter of Death] vanished into thin air. In the place of the shattered statue, a white portal back to the real world materialized.

The hooded Mr. Augustus continued,

"You are a hybrid of the living and the dead. You can neither reject life nor death. It is all preordained. I will not disturb you again, but I eagerly await the day we meet once more. And a word of warning—it would be best if you did not enter the manor that seals the ancient calamity. However, should you ever require my aid, simply call my divine name."

"What manor? Haven't the vampires already..."

Before he could dwell on it, darkness instantly engulfed the space, only to be chased away again by the light of the campfire. The feeling of being watched vanished. Jenkins cautiously took two steps toward the shimmering portal, then saw Mr. Augustus remove his hood.

"That gift will appear once you return to the real world. You can leave now. I apologize for disturbing you so late."

It was as if his memory had stopped just before their latest conversation.

Jenkins nodded with a complicated expression, but he had no intention of telling him what had just happened. It would only cause Mr. Augustus unnecessary trouble. So he nodded, glanced back one last time at the ancient battlefield shrouded in darkness, and stepped through the portal with his cat. After a strange sensation of falling subsided, he was finally back in his own room.

He reached into his pajama pocket and pulled out a half-statue, one that looked remarkably similar to the one from the Mysterious Realm. It was, of course, a Bestowal—just as he'd come to expect.

"This is a gift. Imagine the target's face and speak their true name to this statue, and any being with a soul but without divinity will fall into the realm of death. Alternatively, if you plunge this into your heart, you can obtain an ability related to death. But regardless of which effect you choose, this Bestowal can only be used once. I think you'll like it."

Mr. Augustus had followed him from the Mysterious Realm. He offered a brief explanation, then smiled and waved goodbye to Jenkins before departing through A-12-1-008//9, the [Gate to the Realm of the Dead].

"Any being without divinity? This is truly..."

As Jenkins understood it, Dominators and gods certainly possessed divinity, and a Beast of Calamity might as well. Everything else, however, was a potential target for this half-statue. That included the vile beings sealed in subspace and even Cursed Items—as long as Jenkins knew their true name.

"What an incredible gift," Jenkins mused. "It seems that [Ancient God of Death] has taken quite an interest in me... Still, I'd better not use this. I'm part of the life faction, after all, and the Lord of Blossoms has helped me so much... I wonder what the relationship is between the Sage's faction and the Lord of Blossoms."

His eyes confirmed there was no strange spiritual aura nearby. Only then did Jenkins wipe the sweat from his forehead and sit down heavily on the bed. The cat leaped down from his shoulder, curled up on his lap, and meowed as if to comfort him.

"I feel like I just accidentally made an enormous decision, but it was the right one... Probably the right one."

When he'd refused the offer, the back of his shirt had been soaked in sweat. Fortunately, the entity had been reasonable—at least, it hadn't turned hostile on the spot.

"And here I thought I'd be free of this kind of misfortune until I got back to Nolan."

He fell back onto the bed, reached up, and pulled his pillow over his face.

"Seriously, how could something happen? Good thing I'm not a greedy person..."

Jenkins didn't consider this self-praise, but the words of the Great One echoed in his mind—that he was destined to embrace death.