novelraw Chapter 471: Angelic Descent, Purging the Shepherds
Chapter 471: Angelic Descent, Purging the Shepherds
Russia, Saint Petersburg.
Inside the Vladimir Cathedral, all the Bishops, Divine Priests, and Deacons had gathered.
Their Ecumenical Patriarch had just sent a message from the Vatican, ordering them to select the most devout individuals among them and send them to the Vatican as quickly as possible.
"Do they really have to be devout? I think my nephew is quite devout..." a Bishop remarked casually. He was immediately met with angry glares from those around him because, right before their eyes, the Ecumenical Patriarch's face turned visibly red with rage.
"Your nephew? That bastard who was nearly excommunicated for raping a member of the congregation? How dare you put him and the word devout in the same sentence? You are blaspheming the Lord!"
The Patriarch was beyond furious. With an almost chillingly cold light in his eyes, he growled, "In the name of the Ecumenical Patriarch, I declare you stripped of your position! The Supervisory Council will intervene immediately and launch a full investigation into your conduct!"
Hearing those words, everyone was stunned.
The Ecumenical Patriarch, the supreme leader of their faith, had always been an amiable old man. Even though he managed over half of the dioceses of the Eastern Orthodox Church, he had never done anything so ruthless.
After all, they were all Vested Interests. Taking such extreme measures seemed excessive and largely unnecessary.
Everyone shared this complacent mindset. After all, the Eastern Orthodox Church did not possess the vast reach and massive influence of the Catholic Church; they were suppressed beneath the authority of the state, resulting in a generally lax attitude across the board.But now, the Patriarch was acting uncharacteristically uncompromising.
"I do not want to repeat myself. Did you think I was discussing this with you? Hmm?" The Ecumenical Patriarch's voice carried a distinct Slavic chill, instantly making everyone present feel as if they had plunged into the dead of a Siberian winter.
"The Lord's Radiance has already descended, and the Eastern Orthodox Church shall also become a place where the Lord's Radiance is sown. Everyone must follow the teachings of The Bible. Do you understand what I am saying?"
"Every person who violates the Doctrine will be punished. The devout will return to their rightful places. We are Shepherding People on behalf of the Lord, yet some have overstepped their bounds and treated themselves as the Lord. Should there not be punishment for that?"
"If we do not mete out punishment ourselves, are we truly going to wait until the Lord is enraged and dispatches an Avenging Angel to bring judgment upon every single one of us?"
These words caused the men, who normally sat securely in their high positions, to tremble violently.
"Has it... finally come?" someone muttered, collapsing weakly from his chair.
"Can we really turn back now?"
"Who among us is a Devout Person? Who?"
The group looked around, realizing with deep sorrow that the vast majority of those seated could hardly be called devout. In fact, calling them blasphemous would be a compliment.
They all presented images of immense wealth and supreme prestige, yet not a single shred of reverence or Divine Faith could be seen in them.
"Patriarch, you are an incredibly devout Martyr, a dedicated servant respected by all, but we are not! We still have families, our people, our Life... You can afford to be supremely devout, but what about us?"
Finally, one of them decided to go on the offensive. They all knew just how brutal that terrifying Clean Up within the Catholic Church had been. The reason Bennett Angus commanded so much awe and fear, aside from his power, was undeniably his ruthless Clean Up of those Catholic churches!
And now, this kind of Clean Up was about to take place within the Eastern Orthodox Church? Didn't that mean their shady deals with the oligarchs, along with their exploitation and abuse of the local Faithful, would all be exposed?
Hearing this, the Patriarch's gaze swept over. "I remember you. You are Nikolai, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ural region. Are you also one of these parasites? You deeply disappoint me!"
The Patriarch hadn't expected that this man, someone he had once highly valued, had also become one of The Greedy.
He shook his head in regret. "If there were time, I would truly like to sit down and have a proper talk with all of you regarding the matter of Divine Faith. Unfortunately, there is no more time!"
The High-level Officials of the Eastern Orthodox Church were bewildered, but then they saw the Patriarch turn to Pope Mario beside him and say softly, "All The Faithful produced by the Eastern Orthodox Church are ready, but I might need some help!"
"The devout cannot gain approval, while the blasphemers usurp high positions! May I pray to Heaven and ask for Heaven's aid?"
"Of course, Ecumenical Patriarch. You possess this Power, and your Divine Faith tells me that you have the qualifications for it!"
Pope Mario's appearance before the High-level Officials of the Eastern Orthodox Church felt like a final death ultimatum. It sent a terrifying jolt through the men who had just been calculating how much profit they could squeeze out of the Patriarch's trip to the Vatican!
The Patriarch had already slowly dropped to his knees before the Cross inside the Church:
"Oh Creator God, my robes have sunk beneath the Siberian slag!
They use the Holy Chalice to weigh diamonds. They transport gold bars through the Confessional booth.
They wield the Crucifix as an auction gavel.
I beg You to tear open this dome of Corruption—
Not to bring down fire, but to let the Light shine through!"
"Patriarch!" All the High-level Officials were horrified. What had they just heard?
This so-called prayer was more like a complete exposure. Their Patriarch was actively declaring the Sin of his subordinates to the Creator God. Wasn't this equivalent to voluntarily throwing away his own future promotion?
These men could not understand, but they would no longer have the chance to!
Someone suddenly looked up, only to see that above their heads, the blazing Radiance of the Sun had pierced through the building's dome. Golden Light cascaded down, illuminating the floating dust within the luminous mist, making it dance like words of Repentance!
The next second, endless scriptures materialized in the air. Streaks of golden Light also appeared across the Sky over Saint Petersburg, astonishing the entire city's Population and even alerting the nearby military!
The entire city was stirred. They raised their heads, staring in astonishment at the colossal entity materializing before them, and then fell to their knees one after another.
The power of the Eastern Orthodox Church in this nation had always been on a ruling level. Its influence was infinitely massive, and with the boundless expansion of Transcendent Power, these people understood what was happening!
In the Sky, drifting white clouds slowly merged in front of everyone's eyes, forming the image of a behemoth.
It was unmistakably a person, a being with thirty-six wings upon its back. Or rather, an Angel!
At the very moment the Angel arrived, the Patriarch and the others, who were originally at the Vatican, also arrived in Saint Petersburg, this ancient holy city, and witnessed the scene.
The thirty-six-winged Archangel in the Sky had already proclaimed its identity and origins to the masses.
Behind them, the group of Bishops from the Vladimir Cathedral filed out one after another, facing the Patriarch.
"Patriarch, you are confused! We can negotiate this..." Nikolai shouted loudly, acting as if speaking up would somehow excuse him from this particular responsibility.
"That's right! We have connections with the High-level Officials of all of Saint Petersburg and all of Russia! Don't push us!" another blustered, putting on a brave front.
This was their usual method for coercing the Patriarch into compromising, an ultimate move that was Always Effective.
But this time, they realized that no one present even spared them a glance; all eyes were fixed on the Angel.
The Patriarch bowed his head, tears streaming down his face as he prostrated himself before the Angel in the Sky. "I have sinned! If given the chance, I wish to personally beg the Creator God for atonement!"
At that very moment, the Bishops, who had been stubbornly trying to argue, snapped their mouths shut.
They finally realized that the networks they had built, their Chain of Interests, and even their connections with the nation's High-level Officials were so pitifully insignificant and helpless in the face of such Transcendent Power.
Why would Supernatural Factions ever care about their so-called compromises?
The colossal Angel lowered its gaze, looking at the weeping Patriarch. It gently raised a hand, catching his falling tears.
"Thy tears are still clouded; allow me to purify them!"
The booming voice was accompanied by vivid scenes unfolding before everyone's eyes. Within the giant Angel's hand, that tiny, seemingly insignificant teardrop began to project distinct images.
The images showed High-level Officials of the Eastern Orthodox Church accepting bribes; a Bishop actively discussing human trafficking; and greedy Divine Priests drinking vodka and eating caviar alongside corrupt bureaucrats...
This judgment started with the Patriarch himself, and it was as swift as it was severe!
A Wind carrying the bitter cold of Siberia blew over everyone's heads, yet it struck with a scorching, fierce intensity, just like every great purge of the past!
"Once judgment begins, it can no longer be stopped!" Mario declared.
The Patriarch nodded emphatically. "Without a Clean Up, there can be no Light. I am willing to use my Life as the Price to earn this absolute correction!"
The Patriarch's aged face was filled with unwavering resolve!
The Slavic people had never been cowards. What they needed was exactly this kind of ruthless Clean Up, because they did not learn from beatings or lectures—they only responded to Bloody reckoning!