novelraw Chapter 410: The Holy See Doesn't Play Fair
Chapter 410: The Holy See Doesn't Play Fair
Three focal points of attention had already emerged across this vast ocean.
Down below, on the surface of the sea, the blood-red cross had vanished from the isolated island raised by Kuchamama. Only that Blood-Red Cross Sword remained, resting exactly where it had been left.
Fleets from various nations surrounded this sea area. Driven by a massive, terrifyingly widespread global propaganda campaign, an incalculable number of people had gathered here!
Over two hundred countries from around the world had dispatched their fleets. Various corporations, factions, organizations, and even private individuals had also arrived to witness the ceremony.
Beyond that, of course, was the massive presence of the internet and television media. This was a grand funeral, meaning the number of online viewers exceeded the physical attendees by tens or even hundreds of times over!
Taking in this sight and gazing at the colossal, almost palpable Wish Force radiating from the crowd, the three deities from the Dylan Continent were practically drooling!
"The concentration of this Wish Force... Gods of Order, this is entirely unclaimed faith!" Faisal felt as though he had stepped into a paradise. This was clearly the territory of these Earthly gods, yet they hadn't completely divided and claimed the faith?
Luowa looked at them and chuckled softly. "Stop staring. Those aren't people you can meddle with. Although their faith remains undetermined, if you actually dare to act on your greed, there are deities here who will definitely want a word with you!"
These newcomers had no idea just how domineering the Holy See could be, but he was well aware. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to provoke the entities of the Seven Heavens.
Hearing Luowa's warning, the three shuddered. They instantly recalled the horrific punishments dealt to faith stealers by those with Powerful Divine Power. In this unfamiliar and formidable world, they certainly didn't dare to try anything reckless.Thus, they fell silent once more, waiting to see how the events before them would unfold.
Hovering just beyond their field of vision, Bai Yang oversaw everything. His eyes took in the performances of the modern mortals, as well as the reactions of these foreign deities.
"There are already signs of domestication..." Bai Yang murmured happily. His ambitions for the Dylan Continent were massive, but he had no intention of forcefully occupying that world. Such an approach held no meaning for him.
His vision had never been confined to just this one Earth; he had always viewed the cosmos with the greatest of ambitions. Now, he had already devised a plan: he would incorporate the Dylan Continent into his own system of All Worlds!
And right now, this was an indispensable step in that grand assimilation.
'True assimilation naturally begins with ideological reform! Wait, have I turned into America?' Bai Yang thought with an amused chuckle.
In a sense, this really was America's standard playbook. After all, reforming people's ideologies, infiltrating their ranks, spending money and leveraging influence for propaganda, and ultimately finding local spokespersons in that world—wasn't this exactly the kind of color revolution America loved most?
"Reforming the Dylan Continent from the bottom up, cooperating with deities whose interests align with mine, overturning the very nature of their world, and integrating them into my system... It seems flawless," he mused.
The deities of the Dylan Continent could never have guessed that this entity, who seemingly possessed only Medium Divine Power, was currently plotting a snake swallowing an elephant—planning to devour their entire world in one fell swoop!
...
"When the bishop raises his scepter, What he fulfills is not martyrdom, but the humblest duty of a shepherd—
Plugging the breach in the sheepfold against the attacking wolves with his own flesh.
Letting every member of the laity know:
Faith will ultimately forge the spine within their bones, Rather than the dust beneath their knees as they bow."
Angus stood on the island, reciting the final prayer for that initial group of clergy who had hailed from France.
These people were the most innocent. They had become sacrifices in this battle all because of a single order from the Pope.
Yet, it was precisely their sacrifice that bought this world precious time, allowing subsequent Transcendent beings to arrive and ensuring the world's survival!
Everyone prayed in silence. They had to acknowledge this truth, which made the sacrifices of these Holy See members all the more profoundly meaningful.
"When the Saint marched toward the false god, guarding his faith and glory with his very life, he had already achieved sanctification!" Angus continued, this time speaking of Saint George!
"I, Angus, acting on behalf of the Pope's authority, beseech the Lord to grant the stairway to heaven, allowing all the brothers who sacrificed themselves for this world to ascend to the Heavenly Kingdom!"
Angus sounded a bit unpracticed as he spoke those words, but the power in his hands surged outward without the slightest hesitation!
It was a holy light that seemed to descend directly from Heaven, blossoming with boundless radiance upon this island that was originally meant to be a graveyard for blasphemers!
Behind him, a group of squire knights carried the coffins holding the remains of the Saint and the other martyrs!
"Clang!" A resonant toll echoed from the ship belonging to the Holy See. It was the sound of St. Peter's Bell, which the clerics of the Vatican had transported all the way here from the ancient city of Rome!
By now, the clerics from the Vatican, Luo City, and New York had all gathered behind Angus, becoming part of the final prayer:
"Eternal Father, we failed to protect the world's peace, We offer only these broken bodies as an altar.
Let the bullet holes serve as the golden embroidery of new vestments, Let the scorched earth become the fertile soil of resurrection, Let every wail of sorrow be mortared into the walls of the New Jerusalem.
We beseech You to behold:
The remains of the saints as eternally burning wicks, The Pope's bed of suffering as a living altar, And we, Your believers, as walking sanctuaries.
On the day You reassemble the shattered tiles, These blood-soaked bandages shall be the robes in which we fight again!"
Hearing this prayer, the delegates from all the gathered nations were plunged into profound sorrow!
Regardless of what the Holy See might have been like in the past, the current Holy See truly deserved to be called "heroes"!
Their absolute resolve—that heroic spirit willing to wager the entire Holy See to protect the world—slowly materialized within the echoes of this final prayer!
Listening to the prayer, Faisal appeared deeply perplexed. "What is the point of doing this? I can sense them drawing upon the Wish Force, but why would they stir up the Wish Force of the gods only to hand it over to these believers?"
To them, Wish Force belonged solely to the gods, and could only ever belong to the gods. Under such circumstances, what deity would ever bestow Wish Force upon mere believers?
Luowa, however, knew the answer. Within the Asgardian Pantheon, this type of Wish Force had a much more common name: Vow Power Following. It was Wish Force absorbed directly through faith rather than taken by force, boasting far greater power and much more compatible attributes!
But he had no desire to explain this to the others. After all, they weren't his people; why should they know so much?
He simply said lightly, "If we ever run into an Angel of the Seven Heavens or a saint, maybe I can ask them for you!"
That single sentence choked the words right out of the three Otherworld gods. They didn't even know what the Seven Heavens was, so what else could they say?
However, right before their eyes, as the sacrificial ritual deepened, an entirely new phenomenon occurred!
In the midst of the coffins, streams of holy light began to manifest alongside the marching procession. The coffins suddenly turned as transparent as crystal, and the remains inside were illuminated before everyone's eyes, appearing just as crystalline!
Simultaneously, a beam of the holy light of the Kingdom of Heaven slowly descended right in front of the crowd!
This radiance filled every Christian believer with absolute reverence. They dropped to their knees, welcoming the light streaming down from Heaven!
"O Lord, Your most loyal believers beg for Your forgiveness!"
They prayed aloud, overjoyed to bear witness to such a miracle!
From within that pillar of light, an old man slowly stepped forward. He wore a white robe, and his quiet, tranquil demeanor seemed to plunge everyone who looked at him into a profound, mystical serenity!
He tread upon an invisible staircase, as if descending straight from the Heavenly Kingdom, stepping down into the mortal realm one pace at a time!
"The holiest sacrifice, Is glimpsing the eternal light amidst destruction—
That light dwells not within the domes of golden temples, But beats within the chest of every broken soul."
As he spoke, the coffins shifted without any wind, seemingly guided by his hand. The fallen clergy, who previously had only mangled corpses remaining, miraculously stood up from within their coffins!
Their crystal-like bodies rapidly faded and vanished into the holy light, only to reform into what appeared to be perfectly whole humans, reappearing in the world once more!
"The devout shall be rewarded. Those who sacrifice for the Lord shall ascend to Heaven alongside the Lord!"
The old man spoke softly. An even greater brilliance cascaded from the sky as two incomparably holy angels materialized before the masses. Between them, the magnificent and grand Gate of Heaven slowly opened!
This was Heaven's statement, showing everyone exactly how pious martyrs would be treated!
Such holiness, such perfection, such a miraculous descent—it was enough to push the already limitlessly prestigious Holy See to an even higher pinnacle!
"Dammit! These birdmen are stealing our faith!" Luowa smashed his left fist into his right palm, feeling a surge of worry over how their own faction's executor would respond!
His gaze shifted in another direction. Over there, Archbishop Freya of the Aesir Religion was frowning as she watched this "performance." She, too, had realized that the Holy See's theatrics had gone a bit too far!
"Since the Holy See doesn't play by the rules, they can't blame me for doing the same!"