From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 342: Beneath the Holy Lance, All is Reduced to Ashes!

"They have already returned to the embrace of the Lord!" John halted abruptly after walking a short distance, his voice heavy with sorrow.

Everyone traced a cross over their chests in solemn silence.

In truth, many of them did not even know each other. They had been selected from all over the world to gather here as candidates to become Transcendent Beings.

These individuals chosen from across the globe possessed unparalleled Quality and Divine Faith, if nothing else. They all understood this clearly, because every single one of their Colleagues, without exception, was an embodiment of the Precepts.

This meant that upon their return, they would become at least a regional Bishop or the leader of the Catholic Church in a major city. They all had brilliant futures ahead of them.

Yet, in this dire situation, those very people had unhesitatingly chosen to sacrifice their own lives to buy the others time to escape, while simultaneously doing their utmost to minimize the threat the Blood Thralls posed to the surrounding Populace.

"Then we should gradually return as well..." someone murmured. "Even in the desert, some Monsters might manage to escape. If that happens, it will still be The Faithful who suffer the disaster!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded in somber agreement. "True, but what can we do?"

"There are still over twenty of us. If we gather together to pray and offer our lives as the Price, could we construct a special Ritual Sacrifice and prayer to trap them all here?"

"We do not need to kill them, just keeping them confined here is enough. Cardinal Angus will surely have a solution!"John muttered to himself, "Trap them here? Use our lives to buy time for everyone else? That makes sense... Luo City might not be safe right now either. Her Highness the Holy Maiden may not be able to come to our aid, so we must rely on ourselves!"

They had been aware of the situation before coming here. Specifically, Carolyn was still in a critical predicament, meaning they would not receive any backup for a long time.

"Rely on ourselves... Then we shall rely on ourselves!" John declared softly. "The Demons cannot be allowed to harm others. This is our Mission. The Lord is watching over us!"

"Yes, The Lord is watching over you!" a clear, ringing voice echoed, prompting everyone to raise their heads.

Looking up, they saw a young girl riding a pristine white Sky Horse, slowly descending right before their eyes.

"It seems I am not too late!"

Her words filled the gathered men with overwhelming excitement. "You are..."

"Jeanne d'Arc!" The young girl's proclamation sent a thrill through the crowd. A Clergyman hailing from the Ruhr region spoke with profound reverence, "Have you truly descended to the mortal realm?"

That name could only belong to one person, a figure monumental enough to stand as a towering monolith in the history of The Church!

The Holy Maiden, Joan of Arc!

Her very name was synonymous with the title of Holy Maiden. The mere sight of her evoked the image of the fearless leader holding her war banner high, guiding armies across the battlefield!

"I received Carolyn's prayers and came here to bring justice to all who suffer!" Joan's words filled everyone with surging hope!

John stepped forward and said, "Crown, we followed the instructions of Her Highness the Holy Maiden Carolyn to save the people, but..."

"Everyone has been turned into Blood Thralls, correct? I am already aware. Tell me of your situation!" Joan nodded.

"We did not want these Monsters to enter the city, so we stayed behind to delay their advance. However, our delaying tactics led to the sacrifice of a group of our Colleagues!" John confessed, his expression turning bleak.

Joan let out a regretful sigh. "It seems I really did arrive too late..."

"It is no fault of yours!" John hurriedly assured her. "They have already returned to the embrace of The Lord. We only hope that the crisis here will not spread any further!"

"It will not spread. You have my solemn vow!" Joan declared loudly. She raised her head, her heroic face burning with righteous fury. "And now, I shall use their suffering as my weapon, and plant a banner forged from their very spines into the body of every enemy!"

She stood tall, gazing at the distant tide of Darkness before remounting her Sky Horse. "Go back. The battle here is already over. The task of comforting the Populace now falls to you!"

The young girl's silhouette stood like an unbreakable war banner, fluttering fiercely in the wind before their very eyes. Every Detail Clearly Visible, her image was perfectly captured by the Helicopter hovering in the sky above!

"My voice shall soar with the war banner for a century, until all enslavement is burned to ash!" she cried out. Guiding her Sky Horse, she charged directly toward the horde of Blood Thralls.

The sight of over ten thousand Blood Thralls was incredibly daunting. They surged forward like a tide of black water rushing toward the Holy Maiden Joan, looking as though they would drown her completely.

Their horrifying faces and bloodthirsty eyes were terrifying to behold. Some even had streaks of crimson gore lingering around their mouths!

Yet, the pure and holy maiden showed no signs of discomfort. She merely stared calmly at the grotesque army before her and slowly began her prayer.

"O Shepherds who laid down your lives for your Sheep. Your sacrifice has not been forgotten. Every ounce of your devotion holds meaning, and the world shall bear witness to it!"

She hoisted the Spear in her hand high. At that moment, the weapon seemed to awaken to its true identity. "I, Jeanne d'Arc, call upon the true name of the Holy Lance of Longinus. I pray you cast down your true phantom, and join me in slaying the enemy!"

Bathed in a brilliant white Radiance, the Spear in the young girl's hand slowly shifted its form, transforming into a weapon that appeared to be forged in three distinct sections before she gripped it firmly once more.

And at that exact moment, the terrifying army of Blood Thralls, comprised largely of Black People, closed in to surround her entirely.

"Alas, there is no hope of salvation for them. Their Souls have already been thoroughly corrupted..." Joan's voice rang through the air, followed immediately by words as cold as freezing snow. "Since that is the case, I, Jeanne d'Arc, stand here to deliver the Pronouncement of Judgment. I decree the death of all Dark Creatures before me!"

"By the oath of the Holy Lance of Longinus, I conduct this trial! I strip away your right to ascend to Heaven or descend to Hell!"

A fraction of a second before a Blood Thrall could touch her, she launched herself into the sky. The Holy Lance in her grasp erupted with a blinding, pristine golden Light!

Before her, several white spectral Souls materialized in the air. They bowed deeply to the Holy Maiden before fading into the aether.

Joan's voice echoed with divine authority:

"This is not death, but the absolute pinnacle of holy ordination:"

"They have used their very bodies to conduct the most perfect Mass of their lives—"

"The Monk serves as the bread, the Priest as the wine, and the Bishop becomes the radiant light,"

"Upon the ruins of the Altar,"

"Offered up to the Lamb who was the first to tear His Ribs for our sake."

As the prayer concluded, holy light cascaded from the heavens!

The Holy Maiden Joan hurled the lance into the air, where it instantly manifested as an incredibly solid, colossal phantom that slowly took shape against the sky.

The gigantic Holy Lance triggered a breathtaking visual spectacle. Even the people miles away in Luo City could see the towering, vertical phantom piercing the sky!

Intricate patterns drawn straight from The Bible glowed brilliantly across the phantom's surface, surrounded by the ethereal forms of Angels and the resounding echoes of reverent prayers.

Amidst these heavenly prayers, they watched the massive Holy Lance plunge violently toward the earth!

It felt like a grand ceremonial debut for The Church. For the very first time, their colossal, unadulterated power was displayed to the world without the slightest bit of concealment!

Here in the barren wasteland, with a fierce wave of the Holy Maiden's hand, every Blood Thrall in the vicinity became the Price of this magnificent Sacrifice, dissolving in the holy light!

As the brilliance showered down, holy Fire began to ignite every inch of the air. The Blood Thralls desperately tried to flee, but they found themselves completely immobilized.

They could only wail in agony as the flames melted their flesh, ultimately reducing them to a pile of ash, completely and utterly annihilated.

Yet, the purge was still not over. The Holy Lance remained firmly in Joan's grasp. She hurled it with devastating force, impaling two hidden, peculiar Demons right out of thin air!

"It truly is the work of Hell. Even if the Thirteen Clans gathered together, they could never command ten thousand Blood Thralls in such a short amount of time!"

Joan flicked her wrist, and the two Demons were instantly incinerated into nothingness.

Faced with power approaching that of a mid-tier Angel, these creatures were little more than kindling.

Having finished her task, Joan finally turned to look at the numerous personnel from The Church who were slowly walking over. She made no move to greet them. Instead, she walked solemnly to the spot where their companions had sacrificed themselves.

Only a few Corpses remained, their forms mangled beyond recognition, leaving behind nothing but scattered, shattered bones.

The Holy Maiden gently bowed her head and leaned down, sprinkling the holy light from her hands over their ruined remains, murmuring softly:

"The Lord has heard your prayers..."

"The Monk's thicket of rock thorns shall bloom with the yellow roses of the confessional,"

"The Priest's river of fire shall solidify into amber of Holy Blood,"

"And the Bishop's aurora shall collapse into a miniature tabernacle!"

"You shall wash your robes pure in the blood of the Lamb, and ascend to the Heavenly Kingdom!"

Behind the Holy Maiden, radiant phantoms of the Heavenly Kingdom materialized in the sky, welcoming the fallen martyrs home.

The Lord never abandons His Faithful, and this was the ultimate proof!