novelraw Chapter 111: A Bizarre Role Reversal
Chapter 111: A Bizarre Role Reversal
"I understand. Bring the items to the location. I will go with you!" the voice over the phone declared, revealing the man's true identity.
Eugene Freize, the Auxiliary Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, was the ultimate mastermind behind the Miami indulgence incident.
The Cardinal of the entire archdiocese had traveled to the Vatican some time ago and had yet to return, presenting Eugene with the perfect opportunity to seize power.
The other auxiliary archbishops were nothing but useless eaters, none of them a match for him. Thus, Eugene was incredibly confident this time. He had already negotiated with the prominent families and various financial conglomerates to profit from selling indulgences.
These families and conglomerates would act as the initial leaders and influencers, purchasing large quantities of indulgences and promoting his doctrine.
Then, the uninformed public would follow suit and buy in. In the end, of course, the investments of the big players would be returned in full, while the money fleeced from the common people would be split between them!
They had pulled off this scheme many times before. Naturally, they were highly skilled at it, expecting no issues. The funds were already pouring in.
Then, they were taught a harsh lesson by the Solomon Cult that had emerged from the slums.
This obscure sect, coming from seemingly nowhere, took only three days to transform from a nameless local cult into a massive crisis staring them right in the face.
The cult possessed formidable power. They acted with reckless abandon, striking with absolute ruthlessness and bringing numerous dangerous elements into play.Someone had used three Redemption Coins to buy the life of a district deacon, while another had spent just two Redemption Coins to claim the head of a well-known billionaire.
None of these events were kept a secret. The news spread everywhere across the streets of the slums, instilling a profound sense of crisis in Eugene's heart.
He could not tolerate his vote bank being stolen by some baffling little cult, much less endure them running rampant in his city!
The influence of the Catholic Church in this country was already weaker than that of Protestantism. If not for the fact that Catholicism was a unified denomination while the nation's Protestants were divided into over three thousand different sects, they would have been marginalized into oblivion long ago.
Of course, the most crucial reason was to ensure his own business continued to prosper!
Eugene decided to take the initiative and eradicate this so-called Solomon Cult. He wanted to see exactly who dared to use the banner of the Lord to steal his business in this city of Rome!
Thus, accompanied by a few trusted confidants from the church, hired thugs, and a group of deeply devout believers, Eugene arrived in front of this obscure little church.
"Your Excellency, this is the place!"
A thug wearing a heavy overcoat handed two Redemption Coins over to Eugene, whispering, "I heard that the mysterious archbishop of the Solomon Cult will only show himself when these Redemption Coins are presented. What do you think..."
Eugene sneered. "What is there to think about? Let us go see him! I want to see exactly what kind of character is trying to steal my business!"
The group swarmed forward. They were all armed with guns; some even carried grenades and grenade launchers. Here in Miami, there was nothing they could not handle!
...
"They are here!" Inside the church, Jose, who had been resting with his eyes half-closed, slowly opened them.
He felt fantastic. He was brimming with energy and his will was resolute, but he knew this was nothing more than an illusion.
In reality, his spirit was withered and he was in terrible condition!
Over the past three days, he had slowly been losing his ability to speak English and Spanish. Instead, an obscure, ancient, and mysterious language frequently spilled from his lips.
Jose knew this was the price of touching the arcane. In the coming days, he would completely forget modern languages, leaving him with only the ability to communicate in ancient cuneiform.
Near his temple, there was a mark resembling a tattoo. It was the physical manifestation of the contract he had forged with the demon named Gaap.
However, he had completely forgotten what Gaap had said to him. This, too, was part of the price of the contract.
Just like the white hairs that now peppered his head, the price of obtaining Transcendent Power was far heavier and more terrifying than he had ever imagined.
But Jose had no regrets. As a lowly con artist, he had finally tasted the feeling of wielding great power. The intoxicating, dizzying thrill of it was enough to make anyone lose themselves.
He was certainly no exception. He no longer cared about exchanging Redemption Coins for mundane wealth. Now capable of glimpsing fragments of the future, he harbored far grander ambitions.
According to the terms of the contract, as long as he completed his task, he would obtain even more knowledge.
And the task was remarkably simple: kill the believers of God.
This mission was almost too easy. If Jose went for a walk outside and killed a hundred people at random, at least eighty-five of them would be believers! This was America, a nation built by Puritans, a true country of the faithful!
Therefore, he came up with a brilliant idea: issuing bounties using Redemption Coins. Through this method, he could continue amassing wealth while simultaneously adding a layer of mystique to his cult, strengthening his followers' sense of belonging.
Naturally, it also allowed him to conveniently fulfill his contract.
Now, after making his move only twice, his congregation had more than doubled in size, and he had garnered an immense reputation throughout Miami's underworld!
As for the people killed, unsurprisingly, they were all valid targets. This allowed Jose to relish a massive surge in strength, earning the opportunity for further enhancement.
But today, he did not continue taking orders. Instead, he remained waiting here, simply because he knew someone was going to deliver themselves right to his doorstep.
The person delivering themselves to him was the very familiar auxiliary archbishop, Eugene Freize, the man who had inadvertently inspired his Redemption Coin scheme. This made Jose ecstatic!
This man was the auxiliary archbishop of the Catholic archdiocese, a genuine divine servant! Jose could not even imagine what kind of incredible power boost the contract would bestow upon him if he killed this man!
For him, killing Eugene would not be difficult. But as a true Floridian, he had no intention of letting his prey die so easily.
He had foreseen events further down the line. The esteemed archbishop standing before him would serve as the perfect bait!
At that thought, Jose waved his hand. Countless bricks and stones flew up autonomously, concealing him completely.
"Bang!" At that exact moment, the main doors were violently kicked open by two priests. This group of people, still dressed in the clerical garments of the Church, aimed their guns as they scoured every corner of the room.
"Your Excellency, there is no one here!" a priest called out, severely disappointing Eugene as he walked in from behind.
"No one? I came here with Redemption Coins ready for an exchange, and now you are telling me there is no one?" Eugene stepped into the church, glancing at the decaying decor around him in utter dismay. He raised his hand dismissively. "Then smash this place to pieces. I do not want this dump turning into their gathering point!"
"Smash it?" The priest was taken aback. "But... this is a church!"
"It is an abandoned Protestant church, not one of our Catholic ones. Why can't we smash it?" Eugene scowled. "I say we can, so you will shoot it up!"
"If you refuse to shoot, I will do it myself!" As a bishop wielding great power, Eugene was incredibly arrogant. He had never been a man who played by the rules; otherwise, he would not be openly selling indulgences in this day and age.
Catholic indulgences had long been abolished by Pope Pius V centuries ago. What Eugene was doing was truly flying in the face of public opinion, a blatant act of heresy against established norms!
Left with no other choice, the two priests exchanged a glance before finally raising their submachine guns and unleashing a relentless spray of bullets upon the church interior!
The hail of bullets shredded a nearby image of the Virgin Mary, obliterating the surrounding murals, shattering the stained glass, and reducing several small crucifixes to splinters. The sharp, chaotic cacophony of destruction echoed ceaselessly throughout the hall.
"Enough. Let us leave and track down his real location!" Eugene nodded in satisfaction as he watched the carnage, turning to walk out the door.
"Are you people truly from the Catholic Church? You spare no effort in destroying this holy place, doing a better job than I ever could! Is this not a flagrant act of blasphemy?" Jose's mocking voice suddenly whispered into the ears of the three men.
The moment he heard the voice, Eugene instantly fired his gun toward the sound, but his bullets merely struck a solid brick wall.
The brick wall slowly shifted aside, revealing the figure of the white man hidden behind it. Jose smiled amiably and declared, "Since you have already come, there is no need to rush off!"
With a wave of his hand, countless stones soared through the air, rapidly constructing a fortified barricade behind them. Just before the stone wall sealed shut completely, the three men caught a fleeting glimpse of the stunned, horrified expressions of their subordinates outside!
That was their only avenue of retreat, and now it had been completely blocked off by layer upon layer of impenetrable stone!
As the three men stood there, silenced by fear, Jose's voice echoed out once more, its tone now stiff, archaic, and unyielding. "Were you not looking for me? Why are you looking back?"
...
"An armed combat squad from the Church fighting an emissary of demons, a genuine dark sorcerer? Talk about a bizarre role reversal!" Bai Yang chuckled as he watched the scene unfold.
According to the original premise—or the foundational progression of any standard story—the Church was supposed to be the faction representing the arcane and the transcendent.
Meanwhile, Jose—an ambitious man elevated by the underclass, gang members, and the impoverished—should have been the one wielding the guns.
Yet, in this bizarre environment, the roles of both sides had suddenly been inverted.
The members of the Church, who preached about the supernatural crisis, were relying on modern firearms to fight. Conversely, Jose, originally an ordinary man from the bottom of society, now commanded genuine, undeniable Transcendent Power. If this was not a complete role reversal—the fake acting like the genuine article, and the genuine article acting like the fake—then what was?