Chapter 2016: Chapter 2016

Without a word to the members of the Church of Ocean and Exploration, Jenkins watched as the familiar, colossal bronze gate parted the waves and slowly rose from the shallow seabed. The thick patina gave the ancient bronze a deep, golden luster. The two doors were adorned with intricate carvings—one depicting the celestial bodies of the sun, moon, and stars, the other the terrestrial world of mountains, rivers, and forests. Where the great doors met, a circular orb formed the nucleus of a ritualistic pattern that radiated outward in all directions, resembling a stellar array.

Under the gloomy, rainy sky, the ancient golden gate could not gleam, yet the carvings upon its surface pulsed with a sinister, ethereal golden light of their own.

If the sun were to appear behind it, the gate’s colossal shadow would be vast enough to engulf the entirety of Nolan. Under the gloomy sky of the torrential downpour, however, the gate seemed all the more terrifying. Even bathed in his own light, Jenkins was but a minuscule figure before the colossal structure.

The gate opened a sliver, and an uncontrollable black mist billowed out, obscuring any view of what lay within. Amid the deafening roar of turning gears and laboring steam engines, a voice boomed from beyond the threshold:

"Jenkins Williams, you deceiver!"

Jenkins offered no reply. Instead, he scattered seeds upon the surface of the sea below. The seeds plunged into the water, sinking with unnatural speed to embed themselves in the seabed. Amid the churning waves, the first vine erupted from the surface, followed swiftly by a legion of tentacle-like emerald growths that spread rapidly across the water.

The vines swarmed up the submerged base of the colossal bronze gate, while the black mist crept down from the crack above. The two forces met and intertwined at the gate's lower half, their clash marking the beginning of the battle.

"Is that... anger I hear in your voice?"

He did not speak aloud; his voice seemed to descend directly from the heavens:

"Jenkins Williams, what exactly are you?"

"You've even developed such... human questions?"

The purple light in his eyes intensified until the black mist could no longer obscure his sight. Jenkins saw clearly the scene within the gate.

It was a chaotic ocean of machinery, a tangled mess of interlocking mechanisms. In the center stood the floating metallic pyramid he had seen in his dreams. A mechanical man forged of gears sat upon a throne at its apex, its heart—a construct of pure, black spiritual light—the core of the entire assembly. Dıscover more novels at noveⅼfire.net

Just as Jenkins had expected, this was not the true core of the Difference Engine. It was merely manipulating the completely corrupted [Mechanical Heart] to project its power.

"No, it's not the Mechanical Heart. It's still a replica."

He had assumed the Difference Engine would use the 'Reverser of Fate Ritual' for the final step of its ascension, but it had resorted to invading a dream instead. Perhaps something had occurred that Jenkins was unaware of. Still, the metal tower was destined to be the final battlefield; the Reverser of Fate Ritual held extraordinary significance, even for a true Beast of Calamity.

The last time it had rashly manifested on the surface, the Difference Engine had been dealt a heavy blow by the God of Lies. The experience had taught it to remain hidden, no matter the provocation. Therefore, even now, enraged by the deception, it refused to appear before Jenkins in its true form.

"You possess a soul?"

Jenkins's voice descended from on high, posing the question again, but this time as a statement:

"You possess a soul!"

"Jenkins Williams, I have you to thank for that!"

His tone, however, was anything but grateful. A massive bronze cannon barrel, etched with shifting runes, extended from within the gate. Black mist coiled around its surface, which was slick with a viscous, foul oil that threatened to contaminate the entire sea.

Rain hammered against the barrel, yet left its surface utterly untouched. The rune closest to the gate flared to life, and from that starting point, a cascade of light spread, igniting the dense matrix of symbols along the barrel's length in sequence.

Perhaps because the core was not operating it directly, the cannon charged far more slowly than it had in the eastern suburbs of Nolan. This gave Jenkins time to study the gleaming runes and discern that the weapon was not a single piece of metal. It was a flawless construct, assembled from countless interlocking gears of all sizes, fitted together so perfectly they left almost no seams.

The final rune at the muzzle flared, and the accumulated energy warped the very air around it. Compared to the terrifying weapon, Jenkins was but a single point of silver-white light before its maw. He did not flinch or dodge, but simply raised his right hand.

With a deafening roar that would have shattered mortal eardrums, the energy was amplified along the barrel and discharged. Beneath the cannon, the surging sea recoiled. Though untouched by the blast itself, the sheer flow of energy pressed a deep trough into the water's surface for several moments.

The flash was like a sun abruptly materializing in the storm, but the beam did not travel far before it struck Jenkins. Then, the white light veered at a near ninety-degree angle, shooting straight toward the heavens like a brilliant pillar rising from the ocean.

The energy beam exploded only when it reached the highest reaches of the sky, a searing ball of light that tore through the layers of cloud and mist. For a few seconds after the white flash, a welcome sight appeared: bright sunlight pierced through the newly formed rift in the overcast sky.

The beam of sunlight shone directly upon Jenkins. He lowered his smoking right hand, and in just a few breaths, the cracked skin on his palm had completely healed.

"Well then, Difference Engine, why do you not dare to face me?"

"I am not the Difference Engine! I am... GREAT! WISDOM!"

From the looks of it, even though Jenkins had used honeyed words to trick the entity into waking, the Difference Engine had not emerged from the dream entirely without benefit. The richness of its tone, the sheer emotion, revealed that it had touched upon the essence of a soul.

Perhaps because it had just awakened, its tone was so rich with emotion it sounded almost human. But as time passed, the cold, dispassionate logic began to seep back into its voice, growing more prominent with each passing moment.

It would be unrealistic for Jenkins to hope he could defeat it by exploiting the weaknesses of humanity just because it had gained a semblance of one.

Before Jenkins, the crack in the colossal bronze gate widened bit by bit. Realizing its slow-firing energy cannon was useless, the machine retracted the barrel back inside.

Below, the battle between the green vines and the eerie black mist had reached a fever pitch. The two forces writhed together, transforming the bronze gate from a metallic marvel into something that resembled a dilapidated monument swarming with grotesque tentacles.

Jenkins had no intention of waiting idly for the next assault. He drew his cane and simultaneously awakened the divine power within him, entering his Saint state.