novelraw Chapter 74: That Day, All of New York Saw the Light
Chapter 74: That Day, All of New York Saw the Light
This ceremony was, of course, not only being watched by them.
Police helicopters circled in the air, faithfully reporting the situation here to the Blond Guy far away in the White House.
He, along with his advisors and the entire nation's most important batch of high-ranking officials, watched such a scene:
Red molten lava surged incessantly below, gradually filling the East River and completely encircling this building.
The entire prison, scorched by the high temperatures, had utterly transformed into a living hell on earth, with only one building left where living beings remained.
And on the rooftop of that building, ten thousand people had all knelt down on the spot. Under the guidance of two individuals, they began the true "ceremony"!
Led by the knight Leon, with that "Saint" George Stasi, who was originally a farmer, acting as the primary guide, a grand ritual prayer was unfolding.
Everyone was ready, because they had no second choice. Everyone understood the actions of the Amerigo authorities;
they could not be saved.
Just like that massive fire in California, or that heavy snowfall in Texas back then, the government wouldn't specially send people to rescue them. Moreover, they were a group of criminals, making it even more impossible.
Even if it had been feasible just moments ago, there was no chance now. The scorching magma had turned this place into a desperate dead zone, leaving everyone here only able to await the arrival of death.It was also because of this that Leon could organize the people for one final gamble!
Police Chief Stephen and others had already taken helicopters into the sky, observing this grand ceremony.
"People from the Church are indeed all madmen. They're using their own lives as stakes!" Stephen said.
Beside him, Jeff held a different opinion. This big streamer had, overnight, also become a devout believer. He said, "This isn't a crazy gamble;
it's a special ceremony to save New York!"
"His heart holds every person in this city. That is the greatest mercy!"
Perhaps it was truly the power brought by the Holy Light that gave Jeff an even greater feeling. "Others I can't speak for, but at the very least, Mr. Leon is devout and kind!"
Both Leon and George could leave. They had the ability, they had the means, and they would have been taken away by Stephen, but they didn't choose to do so!
They stayed, hoping to survive together with the people before them, to save this city together!
The two of them looked down together. Leon was kneeling on the ground, using the knife in his hand to cut his own palm, using the power of the Stigma to outline a special mark!
It was a large cross, glowing faintly on the ground!
Then, in this atmosphere of near-perfect silence, everyone heard his first prayer:
"Yahweh! Lord who prepared the ram on Mount Moriah!
The abyss before our feet has swallowed the Morning Star,
The sulfur storm scorches the roots of the lilies—
We beseech You to break the silence from the chariot of the cherubim,
As You once tore asunder the curtain of the Red Sea!"
The voice of this prayer was not loud, but it echoed through the dust and clamor in the early morning sky!
And George, personally consecrated as a Saint by Michael, also slowly knelt before Leon, speaking his supplication:
"These hands that once held the five loaves and two fish are now festering,
The chest clad in iron armor crawls with cowardly maggots,
But You promised: 'My power is made perfect in weakness.'
Now we offer the broken sword hilt as a sacrifice,
Acknowledging that only You are the thunder that splits the heavens!"
As the words fell, in the clear sky, a sudden bolt of thunder flashed on a sunny day—a streak of lightning that crossed the sky, illuminating before them all!
"Boom!" The terrifying sound of thunderous explosion rang in everyone's ears, also rendering speechless some who had initially been watching for amusement!
Leon threw the stone from his chest into the air just like that. A spear of light pierced it in the air as he roared loudly:
"May the cold gleam of the Holy Lance Longinus pierce the toxic haze,
Using the blood from Your side as ink to rewrite the covenant!"
George, holding the Bible in his hand, stood in prayer:
"Beseech that the five sacred wounds of the Resurrection serve as coordinates,
Descend the Holy Light matrix like irises—
Make scorched earth sprout new shoots of the broom tree,
Cause the breached toxic river to reverse into the wedding wine of Cana!"
This Saint came before the ten thousand prisoners, guiding them to speak the final prayer that had just been passed from mouth to mouth to each person:
"If You delay in bringing aid,
We shall use our bones as stakes, our sinews as strings,
Stretching a bridge of faith taut over the abyss!
When the banner of salvation sweeps past the valley of the shadow of death,
In the faint light of dawn, a new song shall resound:
'You have shattered the bow and spear, routing the enemy on the battlefield!'"
A low, resonant voice emerged on the rooftop. They recited this final prayer as if completing a grand ceremony of unparalleled scale!
The voices of all seemed to resound throughout this island, circulating in all the surrounding space.
This was the threefold power Michael spoke of. As a Holy Knight, Leon's prayer was the Sacred Hymn.
As a Saint, George's prayer was the Sacred Lament.
As devout believers, the prayer of these ten thousand people was the Sacred Melody!
Thus, the Trinity, the prayer belonging to the Church, reached its final stage.
Finally, Leon and George stood together, facing the direction of the rising sun, and spoke the final prayer:
"May the Lord descend to temper this prayer, as the potter reshapes the clay.
Amen!"
The sound of magma gushing forth seemed like a terrifying omen of the apocalypse.
That churning molten lava was like the prelude to destroying the world. While everyone was praying on the rooftop, the crisis on the entire island finally erupted completely!
The terrible temperature difference caused by the mixing of high-temperature magma and seawater would trigger a reaction called a "phreatomagmatic explosion," a special explosive steam eruption phenomenon.
This terrifying explosion wouldn't occur directly but would rapidly accumulate during the high-temperature reaction, eventually releasing all at once in one breath.
By then, that terrible shockwave, the horrific explosion, and even more exaggerated secondary disasters would turn this place into purgatory!
This was also why Chief Stephen was willing to let Leon try.
This terrible explosion might have a range of several kilometers, and the damage caused might even directly penetrate neighboring Manhattan!
[New York map, the prison is above LaGuardia Airport there]
At such a short distance, he dared not imagine what would happen to all of New York if such an explosion occurred!
But now, Stephen still covered his eyes in agony. "Damn it, still not working?"
They could see that amidst those rapidly cooling obsidian rocks, jets of white high-pressure steam were rapidly shooting out!
Temperatures reaching several thousand degrees could roast almost any living creature to death.
If the professionals' estimates were correct, in just a few dozen seconds, these temporarily solidified obsidian rocks would completely explode.
By then, those impacting fragments, those sharp glassy shards, would become exaggerated bullets traversing Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx, turning into lethal blades!
As for the people on the office building rooftop, they wouldn't have any chance of survival either. After all, that high-temperature steam would be released indiscriminately. They would be scalded to death in a very short time.
This matter was clearly already a dead-end situation!
Jeff, watching from the side, was also disheartened. "So, it failed? Even a Holy Knight plus a Saint cannot make the Lord's gaze glance down even a sliver?"
He thought this, and then he saw a tiny black dot suddenly appear in his vision!
"Wait, Chief Stephen, look at the sky!"
Hearing Jeff's words, not just Stephen, but everyone in the entire communication channel looked up, gazing at the sky!
In the air, a solitary figure appeared in everyone's eyes.
It was as if he had appeared out of thin air, descending slowly.
In everyone's eyes, he fell very slowly, yet in almost the blink of an eye, he had already arrived above Rikers Island.
This was a man who looked quite young. In his hand, he held a sword emitting a white light, appearing before everyone.
If there was no mistake, he should be the Saint that Michael spoke of!
This scene made everyone on the entire island kneel down, wanting to pay their respects to him.
But the man raised a hand, preventing everyone from kneeling. "I am merely a servant of the Lord. Do not bow to me!"
He said slowly, raising the sword in his hand, gazing at the endless magma on the ground, his eyes filled entirely with compassion!
Therefore, a grand prayer was chanted from his mouth. The majestic voice even made all surrounding areas take notice:
"Our Father in heaven:
Hallowed be Your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven."
After saying these words, he raised the sword in his hand and thrust it forcefully downward!
This scene, of course, was seen by Stephen and Jeff in the sky. They were all very curious: what could a Saint descending from the heavens possibly do?
Then, they saw a massive "Holy Light" covering the entire island!
At this moment, all the people of New York saw the light!