Chapter 2230: The Bonds of Mortals, Part One |
As he spoke, Jenkins drew his only remaining weapon—his cane—and fearlessly faced the towering, bald, god-like figure before the vortex.
"A year ago today, I was just a mortal. A year later, my power is once again that of a mortal. I began as a mortal, and I shall end as a mortal. This is my courage, my anthem. And you," he declared, "even now, you don't dare to fully expose your true core!"
"I will not increase the possibility of my defeat for the sake of so-called courage. Savior Williamette, it is absolutely impossible for you to force me to reveal my core."
The towering, bald phantom once again extended a slender finger toward the group, but this time was clearly different. Black patterns on the figure's face began to glow, and the seven gems beside its head spun rapidly, nearly forming a brilliant ring of light. A visible ripple of spirit gathered at its fingertip. This was no longer a casual strike, and Jenkins, naturally, braced himself for it.
"Savior Williamette, have you not realized? Even fate is on my side. The ninth-level Mysterious Realm was indeed not my arrangement; I merely acted as its host. But these seven gems have certainly helped me. Fate arranged for this Mysterious Realm to appear here, fate arranged for you and I to have our final battle here. Fate is helping me complete my soul in this final realm."
A jet-black beam shot from its fingertip. Jenkins immediately tossed the cat from his shoulder aside, crossed his arms before his head, and forcefully blocked the star-spanning strike.
The overcoat he wore erupted in a dazzling golden light, but when the attack ended, two holes had been burned through its sleeves. The garment had completely lost its supernatural properties, demoted from a Bestowal to a common object.
Jenkins slid backward across the circular platform, coming to a halt near the center. This time, no one dared to help him up.
"Jenkins, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
He practically squeezed the words through gritted teeth.
Inside his sleeves, his arms had turned a charred black, like a scorched corpse. Though they were healing, he could feel a strange power trying to transmute them into metal. It wasn't the first time, but this time, he felt he couldn't reverse the process. Fortunately, he could hold out for a while longer.
With difficulty, he reached out, scooped up his cat, and placed it back on his shoulder. Ignoring Chocolate's worried expression, Jenkins looked up at the phantom.
"Savior Williamette, you can't even block a casual strike from me now. What else can you do? Your power, your Savior's Emblem, your weapons, your items—everything has been exhausted in the Mysterious Realms and the battle just now. What options do you have left?"
"You really think so? You really think I..."
Jenkins found the Difference Engine's words amusing, but before he could do anything, everyone heard the sound of a clock turning from the depths of the starry sea.
At first, they thought the Difference Engine was about to launch another attack, but looking up, they saw the image of a giant clock face slowly materializing in the distant starry sea, rotating as it formed.
The representation of Jenkins's mechanical ability was bronze, while the Difference Engine's was brass. But the clock face taking shape now was a deep, stone gray.
As the clock face fully materialized, the ticking grew more rhythmic. The space of the starry sky began to warp, and they could see something trying to break through. The force pulled and contorted space, distorting the sea of stars itself.
"This is..."
Papa Oliver murmured in disbelief, but the Difference Engine had no intention of waiting. Its attack did not cease.
The black ray shot from its fingertip once more, and the mechanical monsters that the heroes had just swept away surged forth again in swarms from the depths of the illusory starry sea. The demigods were not in good shape, but they managed to organize another defense. Jenkins lightly touched the hexagram pendant on his chest, and a purple six-pointed star pattern appeared before him, but it didn't block the black light at all.
But that was Jenkins's intention. A series of miniature hexagrams appeared in the path of the black beam, continuously shifting its trajectory until, just before it could hit the group, it was diverted into the depths of the starry sea.
The black ray struck the spatial anomaly higher up in the starry sea, tearing a small hole. Then, everyone heard the sound of a steam furnace from beyond, the whistle of a train, and the exasperated roar of Magic Miss:
"More power! We're almost there! The Heart of the Ocean is resonating with the Mechanical Heart, we've locked on to the location. Now we just need to open the door!"
Her voice was accompanied by a chorus of complaints, mostly accusing her of being a ruthless commander who was inconsiderate of her people and did nothing but give orders.
"What do you know? Only I can drive this thing... What's that? Oh, gods, someone opened a small hole for us! Everyone, full power with your spirit! We're coming through!"
The hands of the phantom clock symbolized the ability to traverse time and space, and the train's whistle heralded the arrival of a behemoth.
With a tremendous crash like shattering glass, as if time itself were breaking apart, a large hole was finally torn in the starry sea. Amid a chugging roar, the metal locomotive of a steam engine was the first thing to emerge.
The massive engine pulled nearly a hundred cars behind it into the brilliant starry sea, its sparking wheels running on a transparent track of energy that guided its path.
"I did it! I really did it!"
Jenkins heard Magic Miss's wild laughter; it seemed like the first time she had ever laughed like that. He saw Miss Bevanna waving to him from the window of the first car, countless people standing behind her. He saw elves peering at him from the windows, their unicorns trying to squeeze through...
"No time to waste!"
Alexia leaped from the locomotive's window, the sky-blue cube in her hand glowing brightly. But someone was even faster. A red dragon perched atop the train lunged toward the towering phantom without a second thought, spewing crimson dragon's breath.
Amid the roar of the fire-breathing dragon, the countless people in the train cars all seemed to be shouting for Jenkins, their voices merging into a single roar that echoed through the starry sea.
Jenkins looked up at it all, reaching out to catch the descending Alexia. She took his hand, pulling him into the air and toward the vortex.
"Create an opening for Jenkins!"
The group on the circular platform shouted to the train. In the engine, Magic Miss immediately steered the train with the help of her fellow believers. Humans and elves leaped from the cars like raindrops, landing upon the starry sea. The blossoming light of their spirit added even more brilliance to the scene as they intercepted the endless stream of Calamity's kin summoned by the Difference Engine.
"Jenkins..."
The short lady whispered his name mid-flight, a simple release of emotion. The cube in her hand expanded until it completely enveloped them both, deflecting the incoming black rays in all directions.
The seven gems around the bald phantom stopped spinning.
"I see. Without your power, you still have the bonds of these mortal emotions. That is indeed an excellent trump card. But... I now understand the human heart as well."
The seven gems flew to the towering figure's right hand, embedding themselves in its five knuckles and the front and back of its palm. The fist was suffused with the light of the gems, and pure psychic power, wrapped in the Difference Engine's calamitous essence, struck out at the two of them.
A series of transparent shields bloomed before its fist—one in the shape of a book, another a seashell, another a coffin.
"We'll hold him off for you!"
People shouted from behind him. Jenkins recognized many familiar voices: Miss Bevanna, Miss Stevel, Miss Bernreuter, Mr. Grev from the Church of Creation and Machinery, Mr. Fred from the Church of Ocean and Exploration...
"Jenkins, you can do it."
Alexia's voice rang in his ear. Jenkins wanted to embrace her, but now was not the time.
With its right fist blocked by the layers of shields, the towering figure swung its left. A metallic sheen gathered on the fist, finally revealing the structure of countless tiny gears beneath its skin.
"Don't even think about it!"
The old elf's voice echoed across the starry sea as he appeared at the window of a train car. A streak of green light tore through the sky, and the speeding arrow actually chipped the fist before it could even strike.
"Oh? An elven arrow of ruin?"
The phantom's voice held a rare note of surprise.
"Didn't you say you didn't have any more of those arrows?"
Jenkins heard Sigrid's voice from the train, but then, a barrage of arrow trails, like fireworks, shot from the train windows like falling stars. Arrow after arrow flew toward the phantom's left hand, each one possessing the same power as the old elf's. The young flower seller was helping too; being too short, she was held in the arms of a tall elf so she could see Jenkins from the window. It seemed to be Miss Leoni Silf, who had accompanied Jenkins through two Mysterious Realms.
"We'll block it for you!"
The elves shouted from the train, and with their help, Alexia managed to painstakingly pull Jenkins another step forward.
"It's useless, Savior Williamette."
The phantom opened its mouth, and a massive black orb of light gathered within. The blast shot forth, heading straight for Jenkins and Alexia.
From behind them, a silver-blue breath suddenly shot over their heads. Above the starry sea, the silver dragon lord Anathasia had reverted to her true dragon form, with Princess Sophia standing atop her massive head.
The two of them seemed to resonate, their ancient dragon's breath clashing with the calamitous power for a moment. But it wasn't enough. A silver dragon was no match for a Beast of Calamity.