Chapter 2172: Chapter 2172

Even though she knew this was the outcome they had all been hoping for, watching someone they knew so intimately acquire the power of a god in mere minutes was still difficult for them to fully accept.

"Is this really just the power of a false god?"

Miss Audrey asked, her voice filled with disbelief. She couldn't sense any difference between this power and that of a true deity. While it was weaker, its essence was absolutely no longer mortal.

Alexia was less than a ten-second walk from her, and Audrey could feel herself trembling. This was not how one reacted in the presence of a false god.

"No, this is quite interesting," a voice, the short lady's own, mused from within the light. "There are indeed false components, but... what kind of knowledge did Jenkins give you?"

If the group were to leave the underground chamber and step outside, they would see that directly above them, the swirling black clouds and gray mist had been swept away, allowing the afternoon sun to pour down upon the area. And yet, despite the sun's presence, the deep, dark river of stars was still visible, its shimmering constellations waiting, waiting for a new companion to join their ranks.

This tableau of the sun and the starry river coexisting mirrored phenomena recorded in certain mythologies, but for now, the people underground remained oblivious to the sight.

"Then let's be on our way."

From within the column of white light, Alexia retrieved the cube and held it aloft in one hand. The pattern on the ground transformed into a circular sigil and rose into the air, as if she were standing upon it.

"It's about time," he said. "Jenkins is facing an enemy that only you can confront. Go now, god of mortals, and show that thing the power of humanity."

"Opening a door to a Mysterious Realm will waste a great deal of power, won't it?"

The silver dragon chimed in, her thoughts more practical. She hadn't let the success of the moment cloud her judgment. Alexia's current state couldn't last forever; her time and power were no match for a true god's. She was still, in essence, a false "mortal god," and thus couldn't afford to squander her strength on opening a portal.

Hathaway's voice rang out. The red-haired lady with the cat on her head had finally returned, her expression resolute. In her hand, she held B-11-5-9421, the Inverted Blessing Bracelet of Love.

It was a gift from the lovebirds whose souls Jenkins had freed from the comb. Wearing it meant swearing fidelity to one's love, which would grant a blessing; otherwise, it would become a curse. For that reason, Jenkins had never dared to put it on.

"This doesn't mean I think this bracelet belongs to you," the red-haired girl stated. "It's just a temporary loan to open a door to Jenkins."

Sigrid and Jessica, standing by the wall, nodded in agreement. The bracelet of love was a symbol of blessing and a vow of fidelity. If a lady were to wear it, only a wife would have the right. None of them wanted to be the one to concede the bracelet.

Alexia, still enveloped in light, remained noncommittal. With a gentle wave of her hand, the bracelet flew from Hathaway's grasp into hers.

She solemnly fastened the bracelet to her right wrist. Its master was Jenkins, as it was a gift from the liberated souls of the lovebirds. Its current wearer was Alexia, who shared a vow of love with him.

This resonance, now amplified by Alexia's power, shot a beam of light from the bracelet, striking the towering Gate of All Things. The Gate's appearance remained unchanged, but a crack voluntarily opened in its surface.

"This door can be used ?"

The silver dragon marveled.

From within the light, Alexia glanced back at everyone. After seeing Chocolate wave a tiny paw and let out a soft "Meow~," she turned and walked into the Gate of All Things. The divine light vanished, leaving only the group standing by the wall.

Hathaway couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Honestly, in the end, it was still Alexia who went to help Jenkins. I didn't manage to do anything at all."

The matter still weighed heavily on her mind.

"That's not really important," Sigrid said comfortingly from her side. "Jenkins won't mind."

"That's because you got to go into the tower and help Jenkins with the elves," Hathaway retorted. Nearby, Princess Sophia quickly turned her head, hiding the smile on her face from the others.

"Alright, alright," Jessica interjected. "While we have a break, I'd like some afternoon tea. Anyone care to join? I imagine Jenkins will be back soon, and you wouldn't want to greet him looking exhausted, would you?"

And with that proposal, the group departed. Only Chocolate, still perched atop Hathaway's head, turned to look back at the door. Its turn to take the stage was coming soon.

(Finney is praying...)

God-Alexia stepped through the Gate of All Things. When her feet touched the ground again, she was standing on a vast, barren plain of gravel. The strange music in her ears had completely vanished, and even the glow surrounding her had disappeared. The Mysterious Realm was suppressing the power of an incomplete god.

Though the divine phenomena were gone, thankfully, the time-limited power itself remained.

She looked toward the source of the fiery red light and saw a man in hunting gear, leaning against the furnace gate with his arms crossed, turning his head to look at her at that very moment.

Only a few seconds had passed since Jenkins had entered the final door.

Even in her deified state, Alexia didn't feel any stronger than when she had served as a vessel for the God of Lies. Now was not the time for a showdown with the master of this realm.

She knew her time was short, so she paid the man by the furnace no mind. With a light touch of her toe, she teleported across the space to the backpack Jenkins had left behind.

She saw the great spiral sword lying next to the backpack, but after a slight frown, she ignored it. Instead, she waved her hand, causing several materials to float out of Jenkins's bag.

Turning to face the hundreds of doors, her arithmetic divination instantly informed her of the current situation. She was not a true god, so she lacked the "omniscient" power of the God of Lies, but she already knew what she needed to do.

She turned towards the door Jenkins had chosen, but just as she was about to enter, the man by the furnace spoke.

"According to the rules, you can't just interfere with someone else's challenge."

Alexia paid him no heed and strode toward the threshold. The man in hunting gear could only shrug.

As she crossed the threshold, the dark red environment immediately changed. The sky turned pitch-black, and ash drifted down from above. She was now on Fifth Queen's Avenue, standing before Pops Antique Shop. It seemed this door no longer showed a scene from the distant past.

The silence was absolute. Even the two figures battling on the street produced not a single sound.

Two identical silhouettes constantly closed in on each other and then broke apart. The impacts of their power and the clash of their weapons made the silent scene incredibly bizarre.

Both figures had the exact same "Hero" sigil beneath their feet, indicating the ability was fully activated. Both had the phantom of a sapling flickering behind them. Their physical strength seemed perfectly matched, every collision of their fists breaking the sound barrier without a sound.

Alexia could tell that using the "Hero" ability in this manner would, by the rules of the Mysterious Realm, render it temporarily unusable once its effect wore off.

But she couldn't distinguish which "Hero" was the real one. She couldn't even tell which sapling was genuine. The two fighting Jenkinses seemed utterly identical, not just in their aura, but in the very nature of their spirit.

The appearance of a second World Tree was already a miracle; a third was impossible. Therefore, one of them had to be an impostor.

She tried to speak, but no sound came out. Combined with the silent battle, she immediately understood: this world forbade any and all sound.

As Alexia processed this, the fighting figures paused, standing on opposite sides of the street and looking at her. The parts of Fifth Queen's Avenue that had been damaged by their battle repaired themselves as if time were flowing in reverse. This update ıs available on n0velfire.net

No one spoke. Even Spiritual Communion was useless in this environment. The petite lady frowned, scrutinizing the two identical Jenkinses.

"To be able to perfectly mimic Jenkins, and even impose a vow of silence on my current state... there's only one possibility. This is the Sin Nightmare."

She reached her conclusion. This place was a dreamscape. Dreams didn't adhere to the laws of reality, which was how another Jenkins could be fabricated, and how her power as a "god of mortals" could be constrained.

Because this was a dream, the Nightmare-Jenkins theoretically possessed all of Jenkins's powers. But the Nightmare's weakness was just as obvious: outside of the dream, it would be no match for either Jenkins or Alexia.

"But Jenkins is trapped within the dream, making it difficult for him to escape on his own. That's why he needs my help. This must be what Pisco meant when he said I had to be here. I see."

If she hadn't appeared, Jenkins would have been forced to fight another version of himself. Even if he won, his opponent could simply be reborn within the dream, appearing in his form once more. This battle, billed as a duel, was rigged against Jenkins from the very beginning. In this situation, it would be nearly impossible for him to defeat this Calamity Beast.

Furthermore, with all sound and communication forbidden, Jenkins couldn't even influence the Nightmare with his thoughts.

"So, which one is Jenkins?"

As she pondered this, the complex pattern of geometry and formulas reappeared at her feet. A sky-blue light radiated outwards, the power of a mortal god shining upon the world, dispelling the illusion. The scene of Fifth Queen's Avenue gradually faded away, revealing the duel's true arena.

The sky was crimson. They stood in the center of a circular, grey-white sacrificial ground, surrounded by crumbling pillars and broken statues. Yet, the two figures facing each other were still perfectly identical Jenkinses. The dream was broken, but the Nightmare still flawlessly mimicked its target's form.