Chapter 2076: Chapter 2076

It was easy to imagine that once Jenkins defeated the Difference Engine, that seemingly distant goal would finally be within reach.

Ever since arriving in this world, apart from a brief period of uncertainty, he had been preparing for this moment. He certainly had no intention of backing down now.

At 11:50 PM, Jenkins arrived at the citizen's square. A column of black smoke enveloped the tower, completely obscuring any details from the outside.

Though the gray fog and black clouds plunged the city into darkness, the light around the square was bright enough to temporarily push it back. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel★fire.net

Seeing Jenkins arrive, the crowd parted, clearing a path to the base of the tower. Jenkins looked up at the towering column of black smoke that pierced the clouds, taking a deep breath to steady his racing heart.

His right hand clutched the lady's pocket watch. Just as he was about to look down at it, Alexia's hand covered his.

"Your palm is sweating."

the petite woman said.

he said with conviction, slipping the watch into his pocket and lifting the cat from his shoulder. Chocolate meowed pitifully at Jenkins, but it was time for them to part.

"You need to be good and go back to the church with Alexia. I'll be back soon."

he told his cat. Then, ignoring its reaction, he firmly handed it to the petite woman. Chocolate struggled desperately in his grasp, letting out a heart-wrenching cry unlike any he had ever made before.

But Jenkins's mind was made up.

"If you don't behave, I really won't come back."

he told Chocolate. Only then did the cat slowly stop moving, turning its head to look at him with a pathetic expression. Alexia reached out and took Chocolate. This time, the cat surprisingly didn't resist being touched by someone other than Jenkins.

It let out an aggrieved meow at Jenkins, then deftly escaped Alexia's grasp and scrambled onto the top of her head, where it settled down.

Jenkins couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the cat perched on Alexia's head.

"Looks like you'll have to wear Chocolate for a while. It's a good look for you. When I get back, I'll paint a portrait of you. We can hang it in the house."

"It's fine, Chocolate is cute anyway. If you want to paint it, then you'd better come back quickly. I can't guarantee your cat will be willing to stay on my head forever."

Alexia said. Though she was joking, Jenkins could sense no joy in her words.

An urgent ringing of a bell shattered the brief moment of warmth. The sound echoed through the nearby streets, and as people searched for its source, Jenkins's eyes immediately locked onto the man holding the bell.

He wore a robe that concealed his entire body and stood on the roof of a two-story building at the edge of the square, incessantly shaking a brass bell. To his left, a strange woman in a cloak held an open book. To his right, a well-dressed elderly gentleman cleared his throat.

"Ah, they've finally arrived."

Jenkins remarked, his voice devoid of emotion.

These were three demigods, the last three belonging to the Tree House. The elderly gentleman opened his mouth, not to speak, but to sing in a loud voice. There were no lyrics, only tones.

The ringing of the bell blended with the weathered, somber voice, drifting out into the wind and fog. Had this old gentleman chosen to be a musician in his youth instead of an Enchanter, he would have surely become famous by now.

At the same time, the woman holding the book finally began to speak, reciting the contents in a declamatory tone:

"Legend says that in the place watched by destiny, a hero will surely appear, but so too will the hero's enemy."

"The Sage says, 'All books and texts in this world are blessed by me, protected by me, and hidden by me!'"

The woman had only spoken a single sentence when Miss Strass began to pray aloud. These were words of prayer, but they also served as the incantation for a divine art. The divine arts of the Legacy Sage Church were often related to books and words, so even without knowing the enemy's intent, her spell could nullify most powers drawn from books.

"In that land of heroes!"

Golden light spread toward the three on the roof along with Miss Strass's prayer, but a black curtain instantly shielded them. They then vanished into thin air, though their voices remained:

"In that abode of destiny!"

Jenkins's eyes caught the location of the spiritual aura, and he swung his sword upward and to the side. The three on the roof didn't move. A transparent white barrier had appeared before them—the very same technique once used by the metal skull and the great whale above it.

"Oh, fickle destiny, birth the enemy of the hero. The first is the demon of legend, from the land of molten fire!"

As the woman chanted, a black speck of light flew from the book. It landed on the ground, and the smell of sulfur momentarily overwhelmed the scent of the gray fog. The black speck expanded until it blotted out the sky, and with a terrifying roar, a demon as tall as a three-story building appeared in the citizen's square, just like that night a year ago.

The well-prepared churches immediately moved to surround it, but the woman's voice continued:

"The second is the undying one of legend, and the undead are with it!"

A second black speck flew out. After it landed, a normal-sized but upright coffin appeared in the square. The coffin was pushed open from the inside as a hand wrapped in yellowed bandages shoved aside the lid.

Snarls echoed from nearby. From the street-side shops that should have long been empty, a steady stream of mechanized corpses poured out.

"The third is the emissary of the Shadow Realm, it is..."

She never finished the sentence. Jenkins had already leaped onto the roof. The black curtain appeared above the three again, attempting to cover them, but a demigod from the Church of Ocean and Exploration hurled a golden lightning javelin that knocked the curtain aside.

"If this is all the Tree House has left, I'll be very disappointed."

Jenkins said, pointing the tip of his sword forward and piercing straight through the invisible barrier. He lunged forward, sword in one hand, and the man with the bell immediately moved to intercept him.

The tip of his sword struck the bell precisely. For a moment, both were perfectly still. Then, Jenkins was flung backward, caught in mid-air by the soaring Saint of the Church of Creation and Machinery, who set him down safely. Although the bell was undamaged, the man holding it began to bleed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. If not for his companions supporting him, he would have collapsed.