novelraw Chapter 211: Passing of the Devout
Chapter 211: Passing of the Devout
Rome, three days after the events of the Milan night.
Today, the city of Rome was so bustling it seemed to have returned to a hundred and fifty years ago, the era when the city had just been reclaimed from the Papal States—the era of the Kingdom of Italy.
Back then, the people celebrated the city returning to the hands of Civilization, but now, the people were celebrating their renewed embrace of God.
One could only say that this moment was exactly like that moment!
However, this celebration was not orchestrated by Mario. On the contrary, it had absolutely nothing to do with the Vatican from start to finish, but rather everything to do with the Roman Authorities.
After realizing the weakness of their own nation's power in the grand scheme of the world, and especially after witnessing the power of the Church, the Roman Authorities finally understood exactly what choice they had to make!
This path was actually quite simple to choose. Were their northern neighbors not currently setting the perfect example?
Rather than trying to maintain friendly relations with those so-called major powers—only to inevitably make painful sacrifices of their interests, be schemed against, and ultimately end up completely at the mercy of others—it was better to be direct and embrace the Church!
At the very least, the Church needed them to maintain political stability, govern the country, and gather the Faith of the People. The Church was unlikely to seek massive material interests from them!
Calculated this way, cooperating with the Church was vastly more comfortable than working with those so-called major powers.Moreover, the Church could disregard those major powers, but could the major powers disregard the Church? Absolutely impossible!
The supernatural threats they feared were not even worth mentioning in the face of a true God, and the interests they valued so highly were actually quite ordinary in the eyes of these Transcendent Beings.
Was it not just Faith? For so many years, the Faith of this nation had rested in the hands of the Church anyway, so it hardly made a difference!
Pivoting the country toward the Church made it seem as though they had sacrificed a lot, but in reality, they had given up nothing. They were sitting back and enjoying the immediate benefits, completely numb with winning!
Therefore, when the Church completed what could be called a total victory in the War in Milan, Prime Minister Lomeni, after obtaining Mario's consent, directly broadcast the information of that night to the entire world!
Naturally, there was no Footage, but an Audio Recording of the Angel, the Ruling concerning Sin, and the heaven-piercing Divine Thunder that echoed throughout Italy were by no means lacking.
This immense Transcendent Power was already enough to prove to the entire world that Italy was under the protection of the Church!
Thus, seizing this opportunity, Lomeni dispatched her Propaganda Group across the globe. They told nations far and wide the story of how Italy had received Divine Grace and shattered the Darkness, firmly tying the nation's War Chariot to the Church!
Now, whether it was America, England, France, or Russia to the north, if they wanted to make a move against Italy, they had to reconsider the fully fledged power of the Papal States!
Because of this, Lomeni, who was usually overwhelmed by major international affairs, could finally catch her breath!
She was surprised to discover that by doing this, although Rome would lose a bit of autonomy, as long as the Pope did not interfere in their domestic politics, this was easily the most relaxed period the Italian Republic had experienced since its founding!
After all, while the former Pope was ignored by all, the current Pope was watched by everyone. With someone taller holding up the sky, she only needed to manage her own limited sphere of influence.
Without the burden of complex international strategy, with no need to worry about international influence, and especially without the fear of so-called sanctions—particularly from Across the Ocean, given the Church's relationship with America—the right-wing political party of the country suddenly became highly active!
They took a hardline stance on international affairs while adopting relaxed domestic policies. All forced quotas were abolished, and various internal taxes were reduced accordingly.
Unexpectedly, this garnered them a wave of widespread praise!
What? You say this violates international law? Tell you what, I will give you a phone number. Call the Vatican! Let us see what the Church has to say!
They were pleasantly surprised to find that the situation of the entire country had actually been revitalized by this single, simple matter!
Having a towering tree at your back for shade, and having a powerful backer beside you to hold up the sky, was the most profound realization the officials of the Roman Government experienced during this period!
It was not just that. Because of this change, even their international standing had elevated.
This was inevitable. In previous European summits or international affairs, Italy had a voice, but it was merely a voice and nothing more.
They could say a few words, but hardly anyone listened anyway!
But now, they had more than just a voice. From the moment the Angelic Descent and the punishment of Sin occurred, they joyfully realized that whenever they attended meetings now, everyone would ultimately ask for their opinion. They might not be able to drastically change outcomes, but they could now speak with weight in front of all the nations of the world!
This was the greatest transformation of all!
Precisely because of this, after careful deliberation, Lomeni and the high-level officials decided to bind themselves even more deeply to the Church. With a wave of a hand, they gifted the government's remaining real estate in the city directly to the Vatican!
They clearly understood the situation. Having gained such massive benefits, they would naturally comply with whatever the Church dictated!
In exchange, the Pope tacitly permitted them to celebrate in the city. To make their celebration more justifiable, Mario even provided the Roman Government with a perfect excuse.
That excuse was a grand farewell for the Cardinal of Milan, Nikki Dio, as he departed for America, heading to Luo City to undergo the Precept Baptism!
For them, this was merely a convenient facade, but to the rest of the world, it was tantamount to the Roman Catholic Church announcing, "Italy is under my protection!"
Therefore, this celebratory Ritual without the Pope remained grand and joyous. It was the symbol of a nation standing tall once more!
"Crown Mario, this entire country has changed just because of a single word from you!" Rasinger noted with gratification as he listened to the sounds outside. This naturally made him very happy. After all, making the Church great again was the wish he and Mario had shared years ago, and now, it had finally been realized.
Mario's expression remained steady as he replied softly, "But our vision is no longer limited to just this country, is it?"
"Our current goal is to strengthen our power, purify our ranks, and prepare for the true crisis that is yet to come!"
It was obvious that, after a continuous influx of authority, the Pope's perspective had undergone a radical shift. He was no longer confined to a single city or territory; instead, his gaze was fixed entirely on the world as a whole!
He was not the kind of historical Pope truly obsessed with power. Secular authority was utterly meaningless to him. He did not even harbor much desire to forcefully spread Faith. With a single decree, he had directly recalled the Congregation from the Nordic Five.
Because the amount of Faith they possessed was not something they needed to worry about right now. Both the Angel and The Saint had warned them that the impending ultimate crisis would be the descent of Darkness, the invasion of Demons, and the terrifying arrival of the Apocalypse.
Thus, Mario hoped to fortify their ranks and bolster their strength to face the inevitable crisis.
"You are right!" Rasinger nodded. "Cardinal Nikki will become our new strength. Having been possessed by an Angel, he will not be hindered by the Precept!"
"Indeed!" Mario agreed, then casually asked, "Where are Leon and the others now?"
"Priest Leon, Monk Gabriel, and Priest Andrea are currently leading our brand-new forces toward Sicily!" Rasinger said with a smile. "They will purge the remaining Vampires on the island and follow the trail of the seven cities cleansed by the Angel to hunt down traces of Darkness!"
"I imagine that, along this journey, our Shadow Guard, the Paladin order, and the Exorcist teams will all experience significant growth!"
"Excellent, truly excellent!" Mario sighed with emotion. "With you on the inside and them on the outside, I finally see the opportunity for a truly radiant Church to rise!"
"It is also thanks to your steadfast defense in Milan. Otherwise, we never would have had such a golden opportunity..."
"Rasinger? Rasinger? Rasinger Leo?" Mario's voice called out, but he received no response. The elderly Pope reached out a trembling hand, wanting to check on his old friend's condition.
Even though the Holy Light and Divine Nature had already revealed the stark truth to him, he still desperately wanted to see for himself...
As expected, at some unknown moment, the old Cardinal had ceased breathing, his life having come to a quiet, final end.
But Mario could sense that he was not truly dead. Instead, he had been elevated and would follow The Lord's Angel to the Heavenly Kingdom.
Sure enough, as his prayers echoed in the room, Rasinger's figure reappeared before Pope Mario's eyes. The apparition offered a regretful smile. "My apologies, Crown Mario. My body was simply too frail. Hosting an Angelic Descent pushed it far beyond its limits!"
"I have no way to accompany you in witnessing the Church's rise. I can only wait for you in the Celestial Realm, my old friend!"
Tears welled up in the elderly bishop's eyes. "Please forgive my unannounced departure. Moving forward, the entire Church will have to rely solely on you!"
Mario, however, was quite open-minded about it. He smiled gently. "I will not be staying here much longer either. I will do my best to clear the obstacles and pave the way for that young man, Bennett Angus, to take over! He has the favor of The Lord, superior skills, and unparalleled devotion. He will do a much better job than I ever could!"
"Wait for me, old friend. We will meet again!"
The two looked at each other in silence. Their gazes met, and it seemed they were both recalling memories from decades ago, when they fought shoulder to shoulder in the jungle—back when they were just two young men full of Passion. Ultimately, they had walked together until the very end.
"Our Passion has not cooled, and our hope has not run dry. We still have a new tomorrow, old friend!" Mario whispered. The figure before his eyes abruptly dissipated, leaving behind only a wisp of white light that shot straight up into the heavens.
Three days after the Divine Descent, the Vatican Cardinal, the Pope's dearest friend, Cardinal Rasinger Leo, rested peacefully in the arms of The Lord on the morning of August 5th, at the age of seventy-nine.
The descent of an Angel, after all, demanded a Price.