Chapter 2037: Chapter 2037

Though black clouds blanketed the sky and mist billowed through the streets, the city wasn't under a full lockdown—only a curfew. The six-hour restriction, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., had just lifted.

The common folk, oblivious to the impending apocalypse, were already scurrying about, tending to their livelihoods. Even at this early hour, just past four in the morning, the streets were already dotted with pedestrians. Thanks to the Flower Seller's Guild, however, the young flower girls were spared the need to rise early for their stock, and thus were noticeably absent.

Jenkins made his way from St. George Avenue, near the docklands, to the pier itself. He stood at the water's edge, the fierce wind whipping around him as he watched the distant, roaring waves churn and crash. His interest quickly waned, and he turned to head back into the city.

Before long, "snowflakes" began to drift down from the sky. Jenkins initially thought it was real snow, but as a flake landed in his palm, he realized it was white ash, still warm from its source.

He stood on the street, joining the others in gazing up at the sky. A steady shower of ash drifted down from the black clouds, its source completely hidden from view.

Through his Eye of Reality, he saw that the ash, just like the mist and the black clouds, pulsed with a dark spiritual glow. As his gaze swept across the sky, he caught sight of a colossal creature, also radiating a black aura, as it flashed past behind the cloud cover.

From its silhouette, he could tell it was a great whale.

"A whale in the clouds? Wasn't the Cloud Whale Beast sealed away? Wait a minute... I think I saw something in the Difference Engine's dream..."

He didn't act immediately, however. First, he returned to the church to find Princess Sophia.

It was still early, and the princess was sound asleep. Not wanting the church to connect him to "Miss Fabry," Jenkins decided to sneak in through the window—a move that nearly started a fight with Anathasia.

"Why did you come in through the window?"

The gas lamp flickered to life. Anathasia stood barefoot on the soft wool carpet, clad in her nightclothes. Her long hair cascaded down her back, looking perfectly immaculate as she posed the question.

"It's important," he explained. "And I told you last night that if there was an emergency, I'd knock on the window before coming in. I did knock, and I waited five minutes before I opened it... What are you doing here anyway? I thought your room was in the other building."

The church, of course, would never arrange for Jenkins's friends to live with the Believers of Lies.

"I... I couldn't sleep," she stammered, "and I wanted Sophia to tell me a story."

The silver dragon insisted stubbornly, giving Jenkins no time to respond before shooing him into the adjoining washroom. It was some time before she permitted him to re-enter, by which point Princess Sophia was already fully dressed.

"Miss Fabry needs to make an appearance shortly. No, not you—me. So, I need you to stay out of sight."

"Consider it done," the silver dragon declared. "Leave it to me. No one but I will lay eyes on Sophia."

After the silver dragon had whisked Princess Sophia away, Jenkins used one of Hathaway's charms to disguise his face, transforming his features into the perfect likeness of "Miss Fabry." He then left the room to seek out the church authorities:

"You've all seen the ash outside. I don't think we can just stand by and watch this happen." The source of this content ɪs novel⟡fire.net

"Do you know where this ash is coming from?"

"There's something massive behind those clouds, and I intend to go up and investigate. As for the rest of you, do whatever you like. Just stay out of my way."

It was common knowledge among the top combatants of the Orthodox Churches that Jenkins, the Saint of the Sage, was the only one who couldn't fly. So, as "Miss Fabry," he mounted a unicorn in the church garden and soared into the sky, completely unconcerned that the church would come looking for his true self—for Jenkins—to join the operation.

His eyes tracked the massive whale's path behind the clouds, revealing that it was merely patrolling the skies above Nolan, following a fixed, circular route.

He urged his mount higher, intending to breach the cloud cover and get a better look at the creature. But the unicorn resisted, its ascent halting as the acrid smell of smoke and fire grew stronger in the thin air.

Only after Jenkins activated the power of the [World Tree Seedling], enveloping them both in its abundant life force, did the small beast consent to enter the dark clouds above.

Upon contact with the clouds, the passive effect of his [Hero] ability activated, causing smoke to pour from Jenkins's body. His vision blurred and then failed, the world around him dissolving into an indistinguishable mass of black. It felt as if nothing existed but the clouds, and after a few seconds, he even lost his sense of gravity, unable to tell up from down.

Realizing this disorientation was a property of the mist, he pulled out his monocle. Leaning forward, he held the lens before the unicorn's eye. The monocle allowed the beast to regain its bearings, but instead of pressing on, it carried him back down, exiting the cloud bank from below.

The very instant their vision cleared, Jenkins saw the spiritual glow of the great whale passing directly above them.

His abrupt entry into the mist, empowered by [Hero], had momentarily dispersed a section of the lower cloud layer. Before the gap could fill, Jenkins caught a crystal-clear view of the whale's underbelly.

It was the color of polished brass, an assembly of countless intricate parts forming the colossal abdomen above him. Though only a small portion was visible, the latticework of the metal components and the gaps between them offered Jenkins a clear glimpse of the even more complex mechanical structures within.

The brass components were etched with patterns of varying depths, which combined to give the whale's belly the appearance of being covered in a layer of arcane script.

The massive underbelly flashed past, disappearing back into the higher clouds as it continued its predetermined patrol.

"A mechanical construct? Could the Difference Engine have created a mechanical replica based on the Cloud Whale Beast's biological structure after just one battle? That's just..."

He was torn between marveling at his enemy's profound power and despairing at its terrifying implications. But one thing was clear: the ash came from this whale, and he had to stop it.

His inability to enter the clouds didn't matter. After all, most of his abilities didn't require close contact.

He drew his sword from thin air. As he channeled his spirit, the blade flared with a brilliant light that shot across the sky, cleaving directly into the cloud layer above.

The blade's light tore into the black clouds, briefly ripping open a gap that allowed the arriving church demigods a glimpse of the mechanical leviathan—just the tip of the iceberg.

But the attack never reached its target. In the instant before impact, a previously unseen barrier materialized around the whale, deflecting the blow.

The bubble-like shield merely rippled, a few cracks spiderwebbing across its surface before it vanished along with the dissipating light of his attack. It reminded Jenkins of the defensive field he'd encountered around that enormous metal head just yesterday afternoon.

Then, he had shattered the "bubble" by striking with the physical blade, not a projection of its light. This time, however, he couldn't get close enough.

As the attack dissipated, the rift in the clouds closed. Jenkins didn't give chase, but instead waited for church reinforcements to arrive.

The Evergreen Forest couldn't be left undefended, so only a limited force could be dispatched to Nolan after leaving behind a core contingent. Local order also had to be maintained, and the Sage's Church—where a council was in session—needed protection against the possibility of a diversion.

As a result, only about twenty demigods stood with Jenkins against the whale, a group that included three Saints and two demigods from a cult of a pseudo-god.

"It's the same as yesterday," he explained. "The creature is surrounded by a transparent barrier. Conventional attacks won't breach it. My sword can, but my unicorn can't penetrate this mist."

He briefly explained the situation, and sure enough, someone proposed an idea:

"The Church has... dangerous weapons of its own, ones that are guaranteed to breach that barrier, but they require close-range deployment. Our priority, then, is getting through that mist. Miss Fabry, I saw your sword cleave through the fog. Is it possible for you to do that continuously?"

"I suppose I can," he replied, "but are you certain anyone would dare move so close to my blade's path?"

Jenkins directed his question to the old Gravekeeper of Nolan.

"Still, it's a valid approach," the man mused. "If the whale won't come down, we must go up. For now, let's relay this information back to the Church. I'm sure they can devise a way for us to enter the clouds."

The clouds obscuring the sun were no ordinary vapor; wind alone could not disperse them. Jenkins considered that his [Call Wind and Rain] ability might work. Using [True Phantom], he pulled his real body onto the unicorn's back, sent a projection of himself back to the church, and let the unicorn carry his now-unconscious body aimlessly through the sky.

As expected, the church had arrived at the same conclusion. Just as Jenkins was about to open the door to his room, a knock sounded from the other side.

He followed a group of people to the top of the church's eastern tower. Because the black clouds blocked the sun, the sky outside was as dark as midnight, even though it was nearly dawn.

He pointed a finger at the sky:

"Call Wind and Rain!"

The drain on his spirit was far greater than ever before. Summoning wind and rain amidst such a calamitous celestial phenomenon was no easy feat, but Jenkins succeeded.

A fierce wind abruptly materialized over Nolan, setting the higher clouds in motion. Unfortunately, since the entire sky was shrouded in a single, unbroken layer of black, simply shifting the clouds around on a massive scale was pointless. Whether the changes were large or small, they revealed nothing.

Jenkins's attempt had failed, but it spurred new ideas within the church. He, however, did not stay to participate. He excused himself, claiming he needed to speak with Alexia, and flew back to rejoin his true body on the unicorn.