Chapter 2057: Chapter 2057

"You want a little girl to protect me? I'd rather have Vinette."

Watching Jenkins bend down to comfort Fini, Briny remarked with a sigh of resignation.

The little pixie, Vinette, had been ecstatic ever since she entered the Legacy Sage Church. In her excitement, she'd accidentally been spotted. However, since her kind was born from books, she was considered a welcome guest of the Church. Once they learned she was a friend of Jenkins, the church members left her be. The pixie had now "taken the day off" and gone to the library, hoping to bring back a few books to read.

"Don't underestimate Fini... Louise."

He hesitated for a moment before calling her name in a soft voice. Instantly, a brilliant white light flooded the dim room.

Briny shielded her eyes, peeking through her fingers. The light radiated from behind Fini, where two magnificent white wings had unfurled, shimmering with flecks of gold.

But Briny quickly realized the wings didn't belong to Fini. They belonged to a little angel standing right behind her. The angel was dressed in a white ceremonial robe, a wreath of flowers crowning her head. Silvery-white chains coiled around her fair, bare legs, and her eyes were a striking mix of violet and gold.

Briny could only think of her as an angel, for no image could better embody the word.

"Yes, Briny. If something does happen to me—and I know the chances are slim, but let's just say, hypothetically—if something happens, I want you to immediately petition the church to adopt Fini."

Of everyone, Jenkins was most concerned for Briny. She was the only one who was completely ordinary. That's why, besides the pixie Vinette, it would be best for Fini to stay with her. They could look after each other.

Louise started to greet Jenkins as she always did, but he didn't want Briny to know he was a god—it wasn't necessary. He conveyed his thoughts to Louise through their shared connection.

The little angel gave Jenkins and Briny a slight nod, then wrapped her arms around a blushing Fini from behind:

"I will take good care of them."

the little angel promised in a soft, gentle voice.

Briny didn't make the connection that an angel must be the servant of a god, and therefore linked to Jenkins. She simply assumed this was another one of his miraculous friends, much like the pixie Vinette. So she didn't press for details. She didn't even try to take the little angel's hand to satisfy her own curiosity and girlish wonder. Instead, she just looked at Jenkins and said:

"You have to come back, Jenkins."

He had intended to speak with Alexia privately and entrust his knowledge to her. But before he had the chance, the Church sent someone to find him. It wasn't about the photography arrangements; a new crisis had erupted outside.

Before lunch, the Church had learned from the absent Miss Fabry that the Gear Artisans' Association had been annihilated. They suspected Miss Fabry herself was responsible for the cult's demise. They didn't question the fact of the annihilation itself, as they knew she wouldn't lie about something so significant.

As a result, the Church dispatched teams to investigate the Association's known secret hideouts, hoping to find traces of the battle or any surviving documents.

Unexpectedly, however, one of the Benefactor teams from the Church of War and Victory, led by a demigod, ran into an unknown cultist demigod.

There was no evidence to identify the cultist's affiliation. A fierce battle erupted, but thanks to the unique advantages of the War God's followers, the cultist demigod was forced into a hasty retreat.

During the pursuit, the cultist threw a handful of colored powder into the air. The powder drifted down, and where it touched the warm, swirling ashes, new monsters began to rise from the drifts that choked the streets.

These were humanoid creatures as well, but they didn't wield spells. Instead, they fought with bladed weapons—sabers, swords, and the like—that materialized from the ashes along with them.

The monsters born from ash were immensely powerful and could only be defeated with physical weapons. This was strikingly similar to the bandaged creatures Jenkins had encountered months earlier in the "Nolan in Decay" incident.

Fortunately, unlike the Crawlers in the Fog, these ash-born monsters could only be created by the cultist's powder for the time being; they couldn't yet form naturally from the ash. Otherwise, the situation would be far more dire.

The members of the Church of War and Victory managed to capture one of the ash monsters. Since the only light outside came from the streetlamps, Jenkins, Miss Bevanna, and a few others carried oil lamps out of the church to get a better look. They found it waiting on the street.

It was bound in pure silver chains etched with divine runes. Its body wasn't the white of ash, but the pitch-black of scorched charcoal. As more people approached, it opened a mouth like a jagged crack and roared, but it couldn't break free from its restraints.

"We have strong reason to believe the next phase of this disaster will involve new monsters forming naturally from these omnipresent ashes,"

a diviner from the Church of Destiny and Equilibrium declared. He was also a demigod, though clearly of a much lower rank than Miss Audrey.

"Do you plan on keeping this thing for research?" Jenkins asked. "If not, I'd like to test its strength. I might run into something similar inside the tower, and they're all creations of the Difference Engine."

The creature had little research value; its body was composed entirely of ash, with no other materials to speak of. A dissection would be a waste of time. After a brief discussion, they agreed to Jenkins's request and released the ash monster onto the street.

Once freed, it immediately crouched and plunged a hand into the ash blanketing the ground. Its right hand emerged with a scimitar, its left with a small buckler. The shield bore no insignia and looked remarkably light.

Jenkins set his oil lamp on the ground and drew the metal longsword the Church had provided—an ordinary, unenchanted blade.

He narrowed his eyes, studying the creature. Its clothes, too, were formed from ash, little more than tattered rags. If he hadn't known it was made entirely of cinders, he would have guessed it was a corpse that had clawed its way out of an ancient tomb.

The monster charged, raising its scimitar for a powerful overhead strike. Jenkins easily parried the blow.

"Not that strong," he thought. "At least, not as strong as Professor Burns." Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel★fire.net

As he was about to push the scimitar aside, the creature unexpectedly slammed its shield into him, forcing Jenkins back a step. He regained his footing and lunged with his sword, but the monster dodged with an agility that defied its size, rolling easily across the ground.

As Jenkins swung a second time, the monster sprang to its feet. It flicked its shield up, deflecting the sword, and exploited the momentary opening as Jenkins recovered, slashing the scimitar toward his neck.

"So that's it," Jenkins mused. "Not overwhelmingly strong, but its technique is that of a master."

Jenkins concluded, preparing to end the fight. He had never undergone systematic swordsmanship training, having only studied combat with Miss Bevanna for six months, but his [Hero] ability had blessed him with a wealth of experience in wielding cold steel.

He threw out his empty left hand to block, then swept it sharply upward. Using a deflecting technique and the advantage of having no fear of injury, he knocked the creature's weapon aside.

The ash-born humanoid retreated a step, giving Jenkins no opening as it cleanly rolled to the left. It rose to its feet, crouching once more with its small shield held defensively, and began to sidestep, searching for the right moment to attack.

Jenkins kicked out, sending the shield flying. He seized the opening, thrusting his one-handed sword through the creature's ragged clothing and deep into its chest.

He waited a breath to ensure there was no counter-attack, then gave the blade a vicious twist. Placing his free hand on its shoulder, he shoved it back.

The monster collapsed onto the ash-strewn street and dissolved, its remains indistinguishable from the cinders covering the ground.

"An ordinary person skilled with a blade could handle one of these," he concluded aloud. "The problem is, very few people in this age are. It shouldn't be too hard for a Benefactor, but if these things get stronger... in some ways, they could be more troublesome than the Children of the Mist."

he concluded, his eyes fixed on the spot where the monster had fallen. The dense black spiritual aura was gone.

"Monsters in the fog, monsters in the clouds, and now monsters in the ash," he murmured. "This is truly a difficult age."

It was half-past two in the afternoon. Having dealt with the ash-born monster, Jenkins went to find Alexia as planned. He didn't find her, but he did see Pops Oliver, who beckoned him into an empty conference room.

"There's something I've been considering for a long time."

Pops didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.

"Do you need the power of that key?"

Jenkins froze for a second, then a grin spread across his face.

"Yes, I need that key."

"Transferring the key means I only have three days to live, so wipe that grin off your face," Pops said grimly. "The key now belongs to the Believers of Lies. Mr. Candle is most likely truly dead, but there must be a reason for the others' deaths. You need to pay attention to that. And you must remember, this key now belongs, at least in name, to the Believers of Lies."

Just as Alexia had said, Jenkins thought. No sane person would believe it.