Chapter Ninety-Two: The Holy See’s Eastern Crusade

While Cold Ice Flame was wholly absorbed in refining magical treasures, storms were already gathering beyond the walls, and a tempest seemed about to break.

On May 17, 2009, the headquarters of the Holy See in the Vatican was as busy as ever. Since the Tamil Nadu tsunami and the Southeast Asia tsunami, disasters large and small had never ceased around the world. Though none matched the scale of those two calamities, they still brought heavy losses. As a result, the number of people visiting churches to offer prayers and worship had risen day by day, creating a prosperity utterly at odds with the desolation on the streets. Naturally, the work of the Holy See had also become increasingly hectic.

Joseph Peter XVI sat upon his throne, communicating with Heaven. He sought from the divine a reason for these disasters, for such widespread calamity surely could not occur without even the slightest sign from God.

As he earnestly sought communion with the divine, a streak of golden light suddenly split straight down from the sky toward St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Those in the Vatican who had come to pray or sightsee were stunned by the sight before them. What kind of miracle was this? In any case, everyone present lowered themselves in reverence, assuming the posture of worship. The scene would remain forever engraved in their hearts.

"My God, it is true. The heavenly beings have descended to the mortal world." Some fanatics trembled as they spoke, for believers like them, what could be more seductive than the true existence of God?

What happened afterward, no one knew. Everyone who had been there said nothing of what followed. That secret they would keep forever in the depths of their hearts. What they had seen at the time was this: within the golden radiance descended a beautiful angel with three pairs of wings, and in that sacred aura, with a smile of pity for all under Heaven, they were utterly enraptured by God's mercy.

Though these events were unknown to outsiders, the observant soon discovered that on the very next day after the miracle in the Vatican, cathedrals and chapels of every size across the world sprang into action. Tens of thousands of bishops, archbishops, priests, and ministers flooded toward the Vatican.

Such a movement of people naturally drew the attention of governments around the world. In response, the Vatican issued a formal notice to every nation on earth in the name of a religious state, explaining that the Holy See was training its staff so they could better guide the faithful everywhere and prevent them from panicking over the disasters now unfolding.

The explanation was lofty enough and not without reason. In such an extraordinary period, when science could not dispel the fear in people's hearts, using divinity to soothe the anxious soul was indeed a good idea.

Still, the more discerning nations immediately suspected that something major was about to happen. The Holy See had never made such a vast display of force before, and this unsettled many countries. In particular, nations with supernatural organizations understood all too well how terrifying such powers could be. To call them a force like a tidal wave surging over mountains would not have been an exaggeration.

Among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, these were the five countries with the greatest influence in the world, and they were also the strongest in terms of supernatural power. Each had its own supernatural organization to manage the paranormal phenomena and cases that arose within its borders.

Among the world's many supernatural organizations, China's Dragon Group was the undisputed leader, followed by America's X Superpower Squad, Britain's Round Table Knights, Germany's Supernatural Association, Russia's Night Watchers, France's Men in Black, India's Brahmins, and even Japan's Cherry Blossom Society and Ninjas. All of these organizations were operating at full capacity, every one of them intensely focused and closely watching the Vatican's movements.

As for the strength of the Vatican itself, if one were to compare them honestly, it far surpassed any single supernatural organization; it was simply that the Vatican had never involved itself in strife. One must understand that even the current leader among such organizations, China's Dragon Group, though every member was formidable in combat, numbered only a little over thirty. Compared to the Holy See's thousands upon thousands of clergy, the outcome was obvious enough.

For that reason, the Holy See's great mobilization touched the nerves of several of the nations mentioned above.

Vatican City, St. Peter's Square

By then, the small square was packed beyond all reason. Even the narrow alleys stretching outward were clogged by the crowd. Windows, balconies, and rooftops of the surrounding buildings were black with people wherever a person could stand. It was hard to imagine how many had gathered in the Vatican now; if not a million, then surely several hundred thousand. And these were no ordinary believers, but bishops, archbishops, priests, and ministers from all over the world. Each possessed, to some degree, the power of light.

After much anticipation, Pope Joseph Peter XVI finally emerged from St. Peter's Basilica, accompanied by six cardinals, and came before the crowd. Of the ten cardinals that had once stood at his side, only six remained after the holy war. The tens of thousands of Holy See personnel in the square drew in a sharp breath, not because the Holy See had lost four cardinals, but because of the figure beside the Pope.

A pristine and magnificent sacred robe, and behind him three pairs of six proud and upright wings. These features made his identity unmistakable. An angel! And not merely any angel, but a six-winged seraph!

Countless eyes blazed with fanatic light. They were all devout believers in God, so how could they not be stirred by the appearance of an angel known only from legend?

The angel made no move at all, merely sweeping his gaze over the crowd below with aristocratic pride.

Joseph Peter XVI looked calmly upon the assembled masses, quite satisfied with the effect produced by the angel. That seraph was none other than Raphael, the angel of radiant countenance. He had been sent by Jehovah to deliver a message to the mortal world, and incidentally to lend prestige to the Holy See so that the task could be carried out more smoothly.

Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Raphael nodded, suddenly unfurling his six broad wings. With a powerful beat, he soared into the sky, circled once, then opened a gate of space and returned to Heaven, leaving the rest to the Pope.

The Pope, like everyone else, looked upward for a while before reacting first. His gaze swept across the many members of the Holy See as he cleared his throat and said, "I believe all of you already know that, not long ago, our Holy See received a summons from God?"

Of course they knew. That was the thought in everyone's heart. Even an archangel, one of the high seraphs of legend, had appeared. How could it be false? Yet what they cared about now was why the messenger of God had come to the mortal world. It surely was no trivial matter. If it were something small, would the bishops, priests, and ministers of the Holy See all over the world need to be gathered here? And would a high-ranking angel be dispatched to build momentum for it?

The Pope paused, exhaled, and said with visible excitement, "The Holy See has stood in the West for more than a thousand years, always contending with creatures of darkness. I believe everyone has also heard of the holy war not long ago." At this, his expression darkened. "It grieves me to tell you that we lost that holy war. Even with a seraph sent into battle, we were defeated by the Dark Council!"

His words caused an uproar. The crowd below immediately began whispering to one another, their faces filled with disbelief. The Pope raised a hand, signaling for silence. "As members of the Holy See, we must draw lessons from this failure. Had the Holy See not enjoyed peace and prosperity for so many years, had we not forgotten the hidden threats, indulging only in comfort and ease, how could we have been defeated by the Dark Council?"

His words made those below flush with shame. Were they not all guilty of believing that, once the Holy See existed, they themselves could live in peace? Now that the Pope had struck at the heart of the matter, they felt nothing but humiliation.

"My dear friends, you are all the foundation of the Holy See. If the Holy See is to grow strong, it cannot do without your efforts," the Pope said in his deeply resonant voice. With the reinforcement of light power, his voice spread throughout the entire Vatican and reached every ear. "Do not harbor blind hatred toward the Dark Council. My Lord is merciful and has already revealed His will. From this day onward, the Dark Council may exist beneath the light."

The crowd erupted once more. When had dark creatures ever been allowed to appear openly in the light? In other words, in the future the Holy See could no longer freely hunt them down.

When the crowd had quieted once again, the Pope raised his staff overhead. At once it transformed into a wash of golden light. When the light faded, a shield-shaped emblem appeared, bearing two crossed keys of Saint Peter and a papal tiara. It was the supreme insignia of the Holy See. With this emblem, the Pope could even command the entire Holy See worldwide, and his authority was no small thing.

"The Holy See has existed for more than a thousand years. Though it has spread across the world, it has remained limited to Western society. In the East, there still lies a vast region, a great empire, that has not yet been touched by the glory of God." He paused, then continued, "In these thousand years, our Holy See, including its predecessor the Divine Court, has undertaken many eastern campaigns, yet every one of them ended in failure. The most recent was a century ago, when we took advantage of the Eastern empire's moment of crisis and joined with the Western nations to move eastward. The result was no more satisfactory. There were still too many hidden cultivators in the East."

What the Pope referred to was the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance at the end of the Qing dynasty. Had the Holy See not joined in, the Western powers alone would plainly have been unable to break into China's interior. The cultivators of that time were not to be trifled with. But with the Holy See's involvement, they held back the relatively small number of cultivators to a great extent, and thus a national humiliation occurred that would never be forgotten.

What did the Pope mean by all this? Everyone was confused. Then a thought flashed through their minds: could a new eastern campaign be about to begin? At once their hearts burned hot. If the teachings of God could be spread to a lost China, what a triumph that would be!

Sure enough, the Pope did not disappoint them. He said, "Not long ago, countless disasters of every size occurred across the world. But God has made it plain that the source of these disasters lies in the East, and He has entrusted us with the task of ending them. Now, in the name of the Pope of the Holy See in Vatican City, I hereby declare: seven days from now... the Eastern campaign shall begin!"

The moment the words Eastern campaign left his mouth, the whole square erupted in frenzy. They cheered wildly...

"But how are we to deal with the powerful cultivators of the East?" Not everyone was blindly cheering. A white-robed bishop from one district spoke up with the question.

"An excellent question!" The Pope narrowed his eyes, his admiration undisguised. "From today onward, you are one of my Holy See's new cardinals!" That reward immediately filled the others with envy.

"God knows that our power is insufficient to confront the East, as can be seen from the results of the previous eastern campaigns. That is why He has specially sent emissaries to aid the Holy See this time!" He paused, looking at the eager faces before him, and then said, "God has dispatched an army of ten thousand angels to help us in the eastern campaign!"

An army of ten thousand angels—an idea so impossible that no one even dared to imagine it. Everyone's gaze fell into stunned blankness...

The Dragon Boat Festival has arrived. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday! Also, I need to go home, and during my time away I can only prepare manuscripts; I won't be able to upload them. I will add one extra chapter today, and I apologize to everyone!