"It sounds like a chanical version of the undead plague. Is this the apocalypse the Savior is ant to prevent?"
On the ruins of the battlefield, Miss Bernreuter remarked in awe after listening to Jenkins's explanation.
"That's only part of the apocalypse. Both this and the Children of the Mist are rely a prelude to the end of the Eighteenth Epoch. Other things are bound to happen. I heard the Millstone of Fate indicates that the the of this era's end is 'steam,' so I fear there's more to it than just this. Speaking of which, have you found any new partners? When facing a disaster and an enemy of this magnitude, that young man from the Orthodox Churches is hardly as reliable as we are, is he?"
He finished with a cynical jab.
"We've contacted so people who are willing to work with you. We need to set a ti to discuss the details."
"Not a problem. The Twelve Churches Joint Conference is the day after tomorrow, which is this Saturday. Let's et tomorrow evening. Let see... eight o'clock, at..."
"The small hall of the Royal Opera House. We'll wait for you. That is, if you trust a location of our choosing."
Miss Bernreuter nodded, and Jenkins, satisfied with the arrangent, voiced no objections.
His ears twitched. He turned slowly and saw several figures descending from the dense, misty sky.
"The people from the Orthodox Churches have arrived,"
he announced.
"Our identities aren't suitable for this eting. We'll leave first."
"Of course. I'll buy you so ti."
As Jenkins finished, the won of the Music Cult hastily gathered their instrunts and vanished into the gray fog. Jenkins retracted his holy sword and stretched his right hand toward the sky, waving it slightly. A wind from an unknown source stirred the surrounding mist into greater chaos, completely concealing their figures.
This was the effect of the divine art, Call the Wind and Summon the Rain, a gift from the Lord of Blossoms. Besides rain, Jenkins could also call upon wind, clouds, and lightning to a limited extent. When the temperature was right, he could even summon snow and hail, and in the ocean, he could conjure a storm, though the spiritual cost was considerable.
"A Believer of Lies?"
The sight of the unicorn imdiately revealed the man's identity to the five demigods descending from the sky.
"You certainly took your ti."
Jenkins said, tossing the wrench he had tucked at his waist toward them. He wasn't familiar with any of the five, knowing them only by na from brief encounters, so he threw the wrench to the woman standing in the center. She caught it, held it before her eyes, and a yellow light flashed within them. She then nodded.
"It is indeed the item we lost."
So, she was a demigod from the Church of Creation and Machinery.
"Try to be a little quicker next ti. Don't make us do your work for you every ti."
With that, he moved to mount his unicorn and depart.
"Were those people your friends?"
the woman with the wrench asked.
"You could say that. Perhaps even closer than friends," he replied, giving a nod of approval for Miss Stevel's efforts. Then he added a warning:
"The thing I was fighting just now was highly unusual. Keep this wrench safe, and whatever you do, don't lose it again. Also, that thing was... well, you can investigate it yourselves. If you can't even figure that out, I'll seriously begin to doubt what the Orthodox Churches have been doing for the past few thousand years since the Eighteenth Epoch began. And rember to search these ruins. You might find sothing."
The unicorn lowered its body to let Jenkins mount. After all, Jenkins was no horseman, and the odds of him failing a dramatic 'leap into the saddle' were not zero. When he was alone, failure wasn't so embarrassing, but with others watching, he wasn't about to take that risk.
"Please, wait a mont."
The woman stopped him again, gesturing toward the hamr he gripped tightly. "That..."
"This is my spoil of war,"
Jenkins declared. The woman wanted to say more, but seed hesitant and glanced at her companions. The other four demigods were not from the Church of Creation and Machinery, so they had no intention of getting involved and pretended not to understand her look.
Of course, Jenkins knew this hamr held special significance for the Church of Creation and Machinery, and that its cursed properties were still active, making it unsafe for him to use. Claiming it as a spoil of war was rely a ploy to see if he could learn more about this so-called 'Thunder God.'
But Papa Oliver was waiting to be saved, and he had no ti to play gas here. So, proceeding with his original plan, he raised the hamr.
"I understand what you're getting at. But I can't just hand it over for free. After all, I risked my life to retrieve it from the Gear Artisans' Guild."
"You're right. We wouldn't expect you to hand it over directly. What do you want in return?"
the woman asked.
"It's good that you're willing to make a deal. But I don't have ti right now. I'm afraid this transaction can't happen today."
Before the demigod from the Church of Creation and Machinery could respond, he discreetly dropped a lodestone at his feet, then swung his arm in a throwing motion and hurled the hamr toward the distant ruins.
The instant the hamr left his hand, Jenkins used Real Illusion. His true form warped back to the lodestone he'd dropped, and from there he projected an image of himself back in front of the demigods. Leaving the projection behind, he canceled the effect, his physical body instantly reappearing in the ruins.
Thus, all that remained on the battlefield below was the lodestone and an illusion, while Jenkins's real self was already among the ruins.
The process, though complex to describe, took less than a second. The heavy fog, combined with the cautious distance the five demigods kept from the Believer of Lies, worked in his favor. Moreover, everyone's eyes were following the arc of the flying Wrath of the Thunder God. No one noticed the Believer's body flicker for a mont as if distorting, nor did they see the orange cat on his shoulder leap to the ground and disappear into the rubble.
Amid the ruins, he retracted the black robe, reverting to his original appearance. Without a mont's pause, his hand shot out from behind a remaining section of wall and caught the flying hamr.
To the eyes of the demigods, they simply saw the hamr fly out and, as it descended, get snatched perfectly from the air by a hand that appeared from nowhere, as if the catch had been rehearsed.
They assud it was another Believer of Lies—perhaps Miss Fabry or soone else—but were surprised to see Jenkins erge from behind the half-collapsed wall, frowning, and casting a look of bewildered suspicion at the "Believer of Lies."
"When did you find ?"
"When these five appeared. I wanted to check if anyone else was nearby, and I happened upon you. If I'm not mistaken, you're Williams, aren't you? I've heard you only beca a Benefactor a year ago. Your concealnt skills are quite impressive. I wonder, though, how much of your power is truly your own."
The Believer of Lies's voice seed to co from far away. The demigods turned and realized that the man, who had been relatively close, had already retreated with his unicorn to a position several hundred feet away.
This was, of course, the result of Jenkins's maneuvering. After leaving the illusion of Jenkins behind, he had canceled the projection, returned to the demigods' presence, and then quickly backed away. Since he had already shed the black robe, there was a high risk of being recognized as the sa person even with his hood up. Retreating to a safer distance, using the cover of the fog, was the wiser choice.
"Williams," the man beside the unicorn called out. "I've heard much about you. I look forward to seeing you again at our negotiations with the Orthodox Churches."
With that, the man by the unicorn executed another one of his impossibly fast maneuvers. He left an illusion standing in his place and reappeared beside Williams in a blink.
"What's the aning of this?"
Jenkins asked, pointing at the weapon by his feet.
Once again, he was back beside the unicorn.
"I don't have ti to negotiate with you all right now, and I doubt these five would trust to simply walk away with this weapon. So, you can hold onto it for now. I know a few things about you, and I believe you're an honest and upright gentleman. Besides, the Church trusts you."
He reappeared next to the hamr, questioning,
"You're sure you want to keep it?"
Back by the unicorn:
"Yes. I'll present my terms as soon as possible, but until then, this hamr must remain in your hands, or at least in the hands of the Church of Knowledge. I assu you have no objection to that arrangent?"
The last question was directed at the demigod from the Church of Creation and Machinery. Without a mont's hesitation, she nodded.
"That arrangent is perfectly acceptable. We will offer a suitable price to reclaim what belongs to our Church."
Having Wrath of the Thunder God in the hands of Jenkins Williams was infinitely better than leaving it with a Believer of Lies. After all, the Saint Son of the Church of Knowledge and Books surely wouldn't embezzle it.
"Excellent. I look forward to our next eting."
With that, he mounted the unicorn, which had again lowered its body for him, and soared into the sky. The Church mbers watched as "Twin Demons" departed, only then letting out a collective sigh of relief.
Just then, Jenkins walked over, carrying the hamr that still crackled with faint arcs of electricity. His breathing was ragged, and he didn't even bend down to pick up the cat that was insistently scratching at his trouser leg.
The demigods assud he was being affected by the Cursed Item version of Wrath of the Thunder God. They could never have imagined just how much Jenkins had accomplished in the span of three short minutes.
"Saint Son of the Sage, how much of that did you witness?"
"I only just arrived nearby when the monster appeared. I'll write a full report on the matter later... Are you the only ones who ca?"
Jenkins bent down and carefully placed the hamr on the ground before asking his question.
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