Ti and space seed to grind to a halt, frozen solid. A profound silence descended upon the world, broken only when the cat on his shoulder let out a soft ow.
"ow~"
Jenkins stood dazed on the icy steps of his own making, only snapping back to reality at the sound of Chocolate's ow. He glanced over at the demigods hovering in the distance. They were clustered together, apparently deep in discussion, showing no sign of approaching him.
His gaze returned to the frozen waves before him. The pirate king, the swarm of tentacles, and the fish-headed monsters were all suspended within the massive glacier. He sighed in relief and took out the Silver Spoon, closing the spatial gate that connected to Ruen.
It was no easy task. The strain of forcibly commanding the frost spirit had already caused internal injuries. Now, to perform such a complex and dangerous spatial manipulation on top of that... By the ti he was done, his face was deathly pale, and his limbs trembled uncontrollably. It would take at least two minutes of rest before he could fully recover.
Gasping for breath, his ragged pants forming plus of white mist in the frigid air, the utterly exhausted Jenkins was about to turn and leave the remaining ss for the Church to deal with. But just then, a booming laugh echoed from above.
He looked up to see a man standing atop the crest of the frozen wave, gazing down at him. The man was holding a clay tablet, and the five distinct gemstones embedded in it caught Jenkins's eye. He knew exactly what they represented.
He stepped forward. What little frost spirit remained within him instantly ford a straight path of ice at his feet, bridging the gap between the steps and the wave's crest, making it seem as if he were walking on air.
"I'm curious. I stopped the pirate king's plan to flood Nolan. So how is it that you still succeeded?"
He called out, his voice clear. The last ti he'd seen this man, there had only been four gemstones on his tablet.
"A disaster isn't defined by its outco, but by the process itself! Oh, Believer of Lies, even if you managed to freeze the ocean with what can only be described as a miracle, what does it matter? The final victor is still !"
He stood at the highest point of the glacier, holding the clay tablet aloft in both hands. The five fragnted black gemstones reflected the hard-won sunlight. Snow was still drifting from the sky, but the torrential rain had ceased; these flurries were rely the storm's last gasp.
Jenkins had already walked to the top of the frozen wave, facing the man from a distance.
"You saw what I just did. What gives you the nerve to stand before now?"
He asked, genuinely perplexed.
"If you'd done that with your own power, of course I wouldn't have shown myself. But you clearly relied on so trick I couldn't perceive, like that tainted Heart of the Ocean. That wasn't your power. And I'm certain that wielding such a mighty force has left you severely wounded. Why, look at you. Your face is as white as a sheet."
The demigod from the Tree House spoke, releasing the strangely mystical clay tablet and letting it float above his head. As a black light enveloped him, his aura underwent a peculiar transformation.
To be precise, it was like a fly suddenly sprouting a pair of human eyes, or a writhing maggot growing three human legs. It was an evolution, to be sure, but an unconventional and unsettling way to grow stronger.
The demigod from the Tree House wore a simple black robe, but as the tablet's power poured into him, strange runes began to crawl across the fabric. His face grew younger, his skin becoming smoother and more supple.
The once-rough middle-aged man had transford into a youth in his early twenties.
"This is the power of disaster! This is my power!"
He cried out in exhilaration.
"Even if you have orchestrated five disasters, and even if you believe I'm severely injured... have you failed to notice the dozen or so Church demigods over there?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Jenkins saw that Bevanna and the others had taken notice of the situation. Though they had never seen this strange Enchanter from the Tree House before, they could sense, just as he could, that sothing was deeply wrong with the man.
"What foolishness are you spouting? I am a Savior candidate now! I am one of the chosen, selected by destiny itself—just like you! These common folk, adrift in the river of fate, can never threaten , no matter how powerful they may be!"
His voice was so loud that it carried across the frozen expanse, and the dozen demigods of the Nolan diocese heard every word. It was likely the first ti in six months that the phrase "Savior candidate" had been uttered so openly, let alone shouted with such conviction.
Jenkins was certain the Twelve Orthodox Churches understood the significance of that title, and he could tell from the expressions of the demigods nearby that they, too, knew exactly what it ant.
"You're a Savior candidate?"
Jenkins shot back, "Are you sure about that?"
He studied the man before him, his gaze intense and scrutinizing.
"I have followed the writings of the Mad Poet! I have completed the grand work of inciting five disasters, affecting millions of people! Look, here is the proof!"
The Tree House demigod seed genuinely overjoyed. As he spoke, he pointed above his head, gesturing for Jenkins to look at the clay tablet, which was shimring with the distinct aura of a Cursed Item.
Only Jenkins, with his unique sight, could perceive the aura. Otherwise, the demigod from the Tree House would have surely realized that it was by no ans the kind of power a true Savior should possess.
"Follower of the God of Lies! The end of the Eighteenth Epoch is upon us! We who have been chosen by destiny are fated to battle. The path to a higher plane can only be walked by one. It may be unfair to you, but today, I challenge you! Only one of us will leave this place alive!"
As the Disaster Poem tablet infused him with power, his aura grew steadily stronger and more bizarre. The sheer sense of overflowing energy was palpable enough that even an ordinary person might have felt it. Seeing this, the demigods who had drawn near the crest of the wave prepared to intervene.
"Ladies and gentlen, could you please not interfere for now?"
Jenkins turned to address them. Seeing that most had no intention of heeding his request, he added a warning:
"You see, I was the one who stopped the pirate king and saved this city today. And just as I was able to freeze this entire flood, I can just as easily unfreeze it. So... please, grant us so ti. I wish to have a fair, private duel with this man. Oh, and I forgot to ntion—he's from the infamous Tree House. You could say he's the one responsible for this entire disaster."
First, he threatened the Church's demigods, then he exposed his opponent's affiliation. It was a move befitting a Believer of Lies; in the eyes of the world, they were a lawless bunch.
"You don't need help?"
The Tree House demigod asked, bewildered. "Do you truly believe you can win? Even if you gained the right to ascend before I did, are you honestly confident you can defeat in your injured state?"
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