novelraw Chapter 218: If You See Sin, Then Bring Down Wrath
Chapter 218: If You See Sin, Then Bring Down Wrath
Of course, Rasinger had no way of knowing all of this. He only knew that the tragic scenes he had witnessed along his journey were truly shocking to behold!
In the era of the Middle Ages, starving corpses littered the ground, and human bones were scattered everywhere.
His church was in northern France, but his destination was Avignon, located in the southeast.
In the history recorded by the Church, as well as in the secret texts he had found alongside Pope Mario, the story of Avignon was clearly documented.
It was the final farewell of Pope Clement VI, and the beginning of a complete decline in the Church's faith.
In that story, the Black Death was not the key factor. The crux lay in the rebellions, the demon crises, and the great counterattack of darkness that emerged alongside the plague!
This point filled Rasinger with a deep resonance of anxiety, so he wanted to take this opportunity to visit Avignon, to search for any similar traces, and in eager expectation, to meet the Pope of this world, Clement VI.
This world had no demons, so would the decline of the Church truly fall entirely upon the shoulders of the Black Death?
If he had the chance to save the Church's headquarters, he should be able to save this world, right?
But unfortunately, this thought was completely shattered while he was still walking on the road.Just by walking across this land, Rasinger finally understood why Jesus and Moses felt such profound compassion for those suffering from disasters so long ago!
Rasinger was not the kind of man to sit in a church and judge a situation based on imagination. He was a missionary of liberation theology, someone who could trek through the jungle alongside Mario.
He had lived through the most chaotic years in South America, surviving the great crises of Bolivia and Colombia, and enduring that war-torn era!
Yet, even compared to that era that felt like the apocalypse, the scenes unfolding before his eyes were enough to make this veteran fighter feel sheer terror and dread!
Because right in front of him lay the horrifying reality of a massive, deadly plague!
Walking on the road, there were no pedestrians to be seen, only fallen bones and omnipresent swarms of rats. Walking through the city, the urban charm was gone, replaced by foul-smelling streets, crowds rushing by in a panic, and the occasional corpse being carried out...
People walked down the street, coughing and facing the terrified expressions of others, before suddenly collapsing to the ground, becoming just another corpse on the street. Meanwhile, the dairy cows that were once treated as precious treasures were left to wander aimlessly...
In many parts of the city, not a single human shadow could be seen, leaving behind only a lingering stench and the occasional odor of decaying flesh. This horrific sight made Rasinger wonder if he had stepped into some unique kind of apocalypse!
And the scenes outside were even more shocking to behold!
The farmlands were left untended, becoming barren and desolate as famine followed close behind. Factories shut down, commerce ground to a halt, and the bustling scenes that should have filled the markets turned into notes of dead silence. Inside the shops, the goods that people would normally fight to buy were now completely ignored...
Everyone ran around frantically, too afraid to stop, terrified that if they did, they would never be able to walk again and would simply become another corpse on the ground.
Under these circumstances, Rasinger, strolling calmly down the road, became a complete anomaly.
That was because he was healthy, upright, and clean. There was no foul stench on him, only a pristine body and a nearly perfect outward appearance!
In an Europe where no one bathed, this was extremely rare to see, and incredibly difficult to accept.
Those maddened people even pointed their fingers directly at him, calling him a "demon's apostle." They claimed only someone who bathed constantly could be so clean, and his cleanliness meant he was unholy. Perhaps he was the one who brought the plague!
Under the slander of this ignorant mob, the compassionate bishop became a "vessel of a witch."
This was on the streets of Paris, an impromptu trial held by crazed "inquisitors" against Rasinger. Their only reason for doing so was that he had been explaining virus quarantine methods to some of the city's survivors.
The influence of the Church in this era was still astonishing. The clothes he wore and the cross on his chest became a beacon of hope for ordinary people, yet they also made him a thorn in the side of certain thugs.
They dragged Rasinger out onto the Parisian streets and put him on trial under the accusation of being "possessed by a witch."
Soon enough, the ignorant masses joined his framers in declaring him guilty, and the crowd moved to tie him up and send him to the stake!
This filled Rasinger with a profound sense of sorrow. The people of this world refused to drink a single sip of hot water or take a single hot bath, yet they were more than willing to use this firewood to harm an innocent man!
This world possessed no supernatural power, so naturally, there could be no demons or witches. Therefore, Rasinger knew clearly that the actions of these people were entirely for their own selfish desires!
Rasinger suddenly understood why Jesus had held the attitude he did upon the cross all those years ago. He was filled with compassion, not anger.
Rasinger felt the same way. He finally understood the true meaning of his arrival in this world. The connection in his heart with the Lord had not dissipated, his faith lived on, and thus, the precept belonging to a "Bishop" still existed within him.
Consequently, all the thugs, onlookers, and street participants—people who feared infection yet remained enthusiastic about killing the so-called "source of the virus"—let out roars of fanaticism upon seeing this middle-aged priest from the north. Rasinger was not particularly angry; he only felt sorrow. He mourned that these people, who should have been devout believers of the Lord, were doomed to die in the crisis of the Black Death purely because of their ignorance and manipulation!
The Black Death was no joke. It was a terrifying crisis that swept across all of Europe, resulting in a staggering twenty-five million deaths!
Rasinger only felt pity, feeling it was a terrible shame, and carried a deep sense of regret.
Thus, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he broke free from the grip of the two men restraining him. He did not flee. Instead, holding his staff, he sat down in front of the crowd, opened the Bible in his hands, and spoke softly,
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities... and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
As he murmured these words and deeds belonging to Jesus from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, he felt as if he had truly touched that divine figure, truly connecting with His thoughts and ideals.
But he was not Jesus Christ. He was Rasinger, a Cardinal who had only recently become a Saint, and so his choice proved to be much more ruthless!
He recited the words from the Bible, but under the bewildered gazes of the crowd, he abruptly raised his head and began to chant something entirely new,
"Eternal Father, Lord of the heavenly thrones!
Your Holy Name is inherently fearsome, Your righteousness is established in the heavens!
Yet now, sin festers like a venomous ulcer:
The blood of the believers seeps into the stone tablets, The golden crown of lies defiles the sanctuary, And the maniacal laughter of the oathbreakers pierces the heart of the lamb!"
This kind of prayer did not garner much of an audience, for in the fight against the Black Death, all the members of the church had prayed countless times, yet it was completely useless!
But this time, what they encountered was a true messenger of God, a Saint, a Bishop, a genuine missionary!
Rasinger had no intention of playing around with them. He directly channeled his power, summoning the descent of light!
Thus, under everyone's astonished gazes, this Bishop who was surrounded by the mob welcomed his true moment of glory!
"Holy! Holy! Holy!
I beseech You to draw the sword of judgment from the flames of the Cherubim:
Cleave through the fat of falsehoods, Shatter the jaws of the blasphemers, And cleanse the putrid trenches with the fire of brimstone!"
Under the illumination of this radiant light, the staff in his hands transformed into a long sword seemingly ablaze with holy fire. The white flames burned hotly in his grasp and flickered in the eyes of every believer!
Those "thugs" who had been shouting the loudest a moment ago now found their legs turning to jelly!
After all, they were merely using the name of the "Lord" to carry out their plans of slaughter and plunder. But now, the true messenger of the Lord had actually arrived, and he was the very "sinner" they had slandered. What kind of fate would they face now?
No one knew, but no one cared either, because the sheer fanaticism of everyone present threatened to swallow up everything in the area!
Radiance flashed through their eyes, a distinct emotion swelled within their hearts, and it seemed as though they had finally waited for the salvation they so desperately desired!
Some people had even fallen to their knees on the ground, weeping loudly as they cried out, "You are finally here! You have finally come! O Lord, You have not forgotten Your faithful in the end!"
These individuals shifted from being the greatest accomplices to the most devout believers. Meanwhile, Rasinger stood up, raised his sword, and walked right up to the thugs who took pleasure in killing and torturing others for their own profit!
"Suffering is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world, but repentance is the redemption found within punishment, to await the morning dew of turning back!"
He declared, "If one repents, lilies shall break through the soil and bloom; if one refuses to repent, they must endure the baptism of fire to be made clean!"
"If you see kindness, make a promise; if you see sin, then bring down wrath!"
Facing these wicked thugs, he swung the long sword in his hand down with explosive force!