Chapter 1745: Chapter 1745
The carriage, rattling through the nightly fog of Nolan, jolted violently once more, but it failed to break Jenkins's train of thought. He pondered the Righteous Gods, mulled over the ancient Epochs, and searched for some new spark of inspiration, but ultimately came up empty.
Papa Oliver's voice quickly drew his attention again:
"Back to the topic at hand. What I just said was only to illustrate how ancient the Church of Destiny and Equilibrium is. They hold many secrets that heretics could never know—knowledge that even the Church of Knowledge and Books doesn't possess. The white basic ability, [Cycle], can only be found in the records of the Church of Destiny. I only learned of it... In fact, in the entire 18th Epoch, no one has ever possessed this ability, so it's perfectly normal that Bevanna doesn't know about it. Jenkins, I must warn you, every gain comes at a cost. The evolution represented by [Cycle] will undoubtedly have a price we don't yet know. After tonight's business is concluded, go find Audrey and ask her about this ability. Even if she doesn't know, Miss Brolignans will know its secrets.
Remember, you must be cautious when dealing with an unknown ability ."
He spoke with grave seriousness. Jenkins immediately pulled his thoughts back to the present and nodded firmly.
"Understood, Papa Oliver."
Conversation made the time fly. Just as Papa Oliver finished speaking, the carriage pulled up to the church. The three of them hurried out, and Jenkins was surprised to find quite a few people inside the church, even at this late hour.
Miss Bevanna explained that because of the giant's appearance in the gray fog, some of the teams on standby in the Evergreen Forest had been redeployed to the church. Since they didn't yet know what was happening near the giant, everyone was waiting at the church for the time being, which was why it seemed so crowded tonight.
The Twelve Orthodox Churches had already agreed on a preliminary plan: first, to activate the arcane lock, just as they had last week. Although the lock only required five Saints to activate, and Nolan had far more than that, Jenkins's proficiency with life force was essential for the [Cleansing Domain] effect, so his participation was mandatory.
Although they couldn't set up a formal ritual formation, the combined prayers of several hundred devout priests allowed the Saints' powers to intertwine, causing a golden pattern to bloom across the land. The light pierced through the ground-level fog and soared toward the sky, flawlessly outlining the pentagram.
As the light intensified and the five Saints chanted their incantations, the arcane lock began to contract inward. But this time, the process was anything but smooth; it was agonizingly slow, as if hindered by the thick fog.
A few minutes later, just as the golden light was about to touch the giant, whose form was obscured by the gray fog, Jenkins saw a massive surge of black spiritual light erupt from the creature's body and collide with the divine aura of the arcane lock.
The intensity of the spiritual light alone foretold the outcome. The already dense fog began to churn violently, washing over the arcane lock like a tidal wave and pushing outward.
Almost instantly, a deep, oppressive roar echoed from the depths of the fog.
The fog-choked city resembled a sunken, ancient capital submerged beneath the sea, and the roar from deep within the mist sounded like the cry of some indescribable, ancient evil patrolling the abyss.
It was as if all the fog in Nolan had become interconnected. A strange power, carried on the giant's roar, lashed back at the arcane lock. There was no stalemate; on the enemy's home turf, the [Cleansing Domain] shattered instantly. A backlash of spirit and a tidal wave of mist swept over them. Amidst the distant, beastly roar that seemed to come from the edge of the world, Jenkins grunted and took a step back, leaving a clear footprint on the stranger's rooftop.
But this also meant his injuries weren't severe. After all, the roof was hollow underneath. If he hadn't controlled his strength so well, that single step would have sent him crashing right through. For origınal chapters go to novel•fire.net
"This has turned into a real mess."
His expression darkened as he watched the even denser fog roll in from all sides. The encroaching mist swirled past him, spreading farther and farther, carrying away the last vestiges of the hot, humid summer warmth.
While it wasn't so thick that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, if fog persisted until dawn, Nolan would surely come to a complete standstill in the morning. Still, this wasn't without its silver lining. At least the thick shroud of fog would prevent anyone at a distance from seeing the behemoth that continued to walk within it.
Shielding his cat, Jenkins leaped down from the roof. Mr. Gilbert, who was responsible for providing support nearby, heard the sound and emerged from beside the wall. But because of the dense fog, Jenkins could only make out a dark silhouette in his direction at first.
"What happened? Did the arcane lock fail to activate?"
Mr. Gilbert asked urgently, his eyes scanning Jenkins, trying to determine if he was injured.
"It's worse than that. I'm afraid the others are injured as well. Activating the arcane lock is out of the question now. Let's regroup with the main force first."
He watched as several dark figures approached. They were the guards the Church of Knowledge and Books had stationed there to protect Jenkins during the activation of the arcane lock. Jenkins held the highest authority in this location, so since he had given the order, the men—still unsure of what had happened—could only begin to withdraw.
Just as Jenkins had suspected, the backlash from the arcane lock had severely injured the other four who had been activating it. Fortunately, each Saint had been provided with protection, so they were all successfully withdrawn from the front line.
Because the mist giant had appeared near the city center, and the Church of Knowledge and Books was nearby, the church building was being used as a front-line command post. By the time Jenkins and Mr. Gilbert returned through the fog, the other four injured Saints had already been brought back.
"Their lives aren't in danger, but I'm afraid they won't be able to act tonight."
Miss Prolla, who was waiting for them at the church entrance, delivered the news. She was a demigod of the Church, usually stationed in Eldron, the City of a Thousand Trees, in the south of the continent. She had only recently been transferred to Nolan and had been staying in the Evergreen Forest until she was called into the city due to tonight's sudden events.
"Is everyone else alright?"
Jenkins asked, hurrying inside.
"They're fine. The fog that rushed in looked terrifying, but it's actually harmless. The problem is that it's getting thicker. If this continues for long, it's bound to cause major problems."
She guided Jenkins down a corridor to the second small hall on the left side of the church. The pulpit and pews had been removed, and the four injured Saints were resting there for the time being.
Miss Bennett of the Church of All Things and Nature seemed to be doing alright; with the help of a nun, she was sitting on a long sofa to the left while three young women used their abilities to heal her. The other three men were on a row of medical cots along the right wall. Mr. Verna of the Church of Death and End was propped up against the headboard and managed a smile at Jenkins, while Mr. Grev of the Church of Creation and Machinery and Mr. Fred of the Church of Ocean and Exploration were lying flat.
"We've already tried healing them, but the effect wasn't very significant."
As Jenkins pushed the door open and walked in, a woman near the entrance spoke up immediately, then followed him inside. Jenkins remembered she was a Level 6 Enchanter from the Church of All Things and Nature and was on good terms with his cousin, Sigrid, but he couldn't recall her name.
"Where did the others go?"
Jenkins asked as he walked toward Miss Bennett, and the people in his path immediately stepped aside. The three nuns from the Church of All Things and Nature who had been treating Miss Bennett also rose to make way. Jenkins nodded to the woman on the sofa and took her wrist.
"Your position was the farthest from the church, so you were the last to return. The others from the Twelve Orthodox Churches have gone to a meeting. Williamette, you should get over there as soon as possible. The situation is dire."
He murmured, and the hand holding the woman's wrist began to glow with a faint green light. For an instant, the light flared like a ball of burning fire before quickly dimming again.
"A Mysterious Object's power is interfering—the power of that giant in the fog. I can only provide some minor healing. They'll need time and rest to recover fully."
He explained hurriedly, then placed his hand on Miss Bennett's forehead. After a faint green light flashed, Jenkins immediately stood up and moved toward the other three men. Miss Bennett also got to her feet, took her coat from Sigrid who was standing nearby, and headed for the door.
The other three Saints' injuries weren't critical, but healing them completely right now was unrealistic. Fortunately, Saints were not entirely mortal; their powerful regenerative abilities would eliminate such ailments after a period of rest. So, Jenkins merely attempted to wake the two who were unconscious, then took his cat and headed for the side hall where the meeting was being held.
He knocked and then pushed the door open, but no one turned to look at him. The already small side hall was now crowded with at least a dozen demigod-level Enchanters. The only one speaking was a familiar figure: the Keeper of Secrets, Mr. Smith.
He was standing in front of a blackboard on the left side of the hall, loudly announcing their current findings. Jenkins had arrived just in time.
"The recent backlash has revealed something to us. That giant in the mist isn't unwilling to leave those three city blocks—it's that it can't."
The Keeper of Secrets shouted, drawing a circle on the blackboard with a piece of chalk.
"We currently believe that the giant hasn't actually been fully born yet. The reason we can only see its terrifying silhouette in the fog is because it's still gestating. In fact, the space within those three city blocks has shown strange signs of instability when the fog churns. This leads us to one conclusion: the giant's location is a massive 'egg'!"
"Just like last year's Children of the Mist plan. Or rather, the Children of the Mist plan was actually an imitation of what's happening now."
An old man in a black robe standing next to Mr. Smith added his thoughts. He was the coroner from the Church of Death and End, the oldest Enchanter in the Nolan region responsible for appraising numbered items, a position equivalent to the Keeper of Secrets in the Church of Knowledge and Books.