High above the Pacific Ocean, gazing at the phantom outline of the Arican Continent slowly erging ahead, Pope Mario asked softly, "Nikki, what is the current situation in the Caribbean Sea?"
Standing before him was the Cardinal of Milan Cathedral, Nikki Dio, who was also the Church's sole Cardinal in the Ro region.
When a Transcendent event occurred here, the two of them had already sensed the warning emanating from the spiritual energy. They had rushed here in a hurry, hoping to defuse this perilous situation.
Unfortunately, the warnings and diplomatic notes they sent were almost completely ignored. That group of people was still marching toward a dead end!
Nikki Dio wore a grim expression. "Your Crown, the crisis you prophesied has appeared! Just as Father Angus predicted, those so-called Transcendent Beings are indeed not true Transcendent Beings, but rely offerings for a False God!"
"These people perfectly completed a series of tasks for the False God, allowing this monster-like False God to completely revive. It even wants to blasphe the Divine Faith of the entire world!"
"Sigh!" Mario let out a heavy breath. "Humanity... the only lesson they have ever learned from history is that they never learn from history!"
He picked up a docunt beside him. This was a record from the Vatican Secret Archives that had just been deciphered by the Supernatural Recorders. It was also the real reason they had rushed over in such a burning panic:
"Secret ssage from Cardinal Orsini (Written in 1723),
Recipient: Pope Innocent XIII
Security Level: Wax Seal (Second Highest)
Content: The Saint Malo has returned from that terrifying domain of Evil Gods. They brought back relics belonging to Foreign Deities. There are relics of Poseidon, Odin, and even the Feathered Serpent. Only one of our ships remains. Before the accompanying Inquisition mbers were completely corrupted, they left behind a single sentence: 'This is a blaspher's prison built collectively by False Gods!'
Conclusion: We found traces of the Shroud, but it has been completely corrupted and can never be recovered. I implore Your Crown to activate a Holy Relic and completely purify this area!
Reply: Denied. A Holy Relic cannot be used in enemy territory. (At that ti, Transcendent power was practically extinct, and Pope Innocent XIII chose the most conservative approach.)"
Mario stroked the docunt with a sigh and asked softly, "Nikki, you have seen this, haven't you?"
"I have seen it, Your Crown..." Nikki said with a matching sigh. "So we discovered the crisis here that early on. It is just a pity that our legacy was severed too severely. We are only finding these records now. Even if we bring them out, it will not help the situation!"
The Church's voluminous database was indeed a treasure trove that everyone considered absolutely perfect. Within this treasure trove, they could find almost all information regarding this era, as well as solutions to many problems.
Many Popes who had achieved nothing in history, or could even be described as tyrannical and oppressive, beca much more complete and multi-dinsional within these records.
Mario's expression turned stern. "Fortunately, the Church still accomplished many things and protected many people. Such deeds must be publicized, and they ought to be publicized!"
He handed over the paper in his hand, which was another docunt:
Papal Bull Fragnt (1726)
Title: Ocean Silence Edict
Surviving Excerpt:
"...By the Petrine Authority, it is declared:
Vessels are forbidden from entering 24°N 65°W; violators shall be deed apostates.
Burn all nautical charts of the Windless Graveyard. Three cartographers who secretly hoarded maps have already been executed.
Rewrite all ship logs to refer to it as the 'Realm of Holy Silence' (Dei Silentio).
For that dead silence is not sacred, but rather the final burial mound where False Gods conspire to resist the Lord's Radiance!"
Nikki understood. "Your Crown, was this the Church's thod? Using such asures to deter anyone else from entering?"
"Yes, and because of this, we still managed to protect the world for three hundred years. But now, the seal has been broken, and those blasphers sealed by Foreign Deities have reappeared!" Mario's expression was incomparably grave. "Have we established contact with them? What is the situation?"
"Your Crown, the Japanese Supernaturals have already departed! The Norse Supernaturals are also heading north. The only ones who stayed behind are on our French Expedition Ship. Aboard are an entire team of Pastors and a Bishop. They are all individuals who have fulfilled the Precepts!"
Cardinal Nikki asked, "Are you going to issue orders to them?"
Mario imdiately took the phone. "This is Mario! What is the exact situation right now?"
Over the receiver, the Bishop's voice rang out. "Your Crown, only we remain. Those crystallized monsters are charging toward us... Please give us your orders!"
"Stop them! At all costs, stop them!" Mario declared instantly. "Have all the Disciplinarians on the ship gather and channel a defensive ritual. Hold them back and wait for reinforcents to arrive! Have everyone else leave the battlefield, and do your utmost to ensure the evacuation of the surviving ordinary people!"
"As for our people..." Mario took a deep breath. "Bishop, 2 Corinthians 5:21!"
Hearing this verse, the Bishop instantly turned solemn and declared loudly, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might beco the Righteousness of God."
"I understand your aning, Your Crown! We will beco the Church's most resilient shield, standing tall in front of these people!"
The true aning of this phrase was Vicarious Atonent, or in other words, atoning for the sins of others!
By reciting this verse at such a critical juncture, Mario's intent was infinitely clear. He wanted the Bishop to lead his n in a desperate last stand, even if it ant fighting to the bitter end!
And as true believers, or even fanatics, the Disciplinarians would certainly have no objections. They were already the most zealous among the flock; the Spirit of Martyrdom was essentially coined for them.
Mario continued, "I will bear your sins and wish you all a swift ascension to the Heavenly Kingdom! The Lord will bless your souls, just as He shelters The Faithful! Go forth, Shepherds, for now is the ti for you to lay down your lives for the Lambs!"
He hung up the phone, his eyes filled entirely with Compassion.
Yet no one felt that this decision was wrong, because this was exactly what the current Church was!
They possessed this very mindset, this very strength, and the unwavering conviction to fend off all crises. They were Transcendent Beings, the Lord's shepherds, and so they had to stand unflinchingly before the flock!
Setting the receiver down, Mario turned to face Nikki.
"Have Father Angus and Caroline imdiately lead our teams. Whether they are from the Contemplative Monastic Order or the Active Monastic Order, whether they are Knights or Monks, or even just ordinary Clergyn—as long as they have passed the Precepts, they are to depart at once and make for the Caribbean Sea!"
Mario's voice carried an absolute sense of finality. "And Leon and George! Summon every single Disciplinarian of the Church to ! Have them all converge on the Caribbean Sea!"
"This is not so simple clash, but a crisis that concerns the entire world! The Lord's gaze cannot descend, so our Church must take the initiative to face this threat! When necessary, there is absolutely no one who cannot be sacrificed!"
"The Lord's Radiance shines upon us, illuminating our path ahead and our future! It also admonishes us to dedicate everything for the sake of this world!"
Mario's words were incomparably devout and deadly serious!
"Your Crown, what you are wagering is the entire future of the Church!" Even knowing this was inevitable, Nikki still spoke up softly. "Otherwise, why not let Caroline stay behind? As long as she remains, the Church has a future!"
"Caroline must co, precisely because she is the future! Only with her present do we have a future!" Mario roared. "If we lose this ti, even if she survives, how many like-minded companions will be left?"
"The Church is no longer what it once was, and our era has long since passed!"
"You must clearly recognize this, Nikki!"
Nikki fell silent. He knew the Pope was right. Their Great Purge had exposed the massive, systemic issues within the Church!
There were not many like-minded individuals left within their Church. After the older generation departed, most of the Churches had devolved into places Harboring Filth.
Liberation Theology, the Jesuits, and even the Contemplative Monastic Orders were all riddled with trendous problems. Even among the Vatican's nurous Cardinals wearing the Red Robes, ultimately only Mario and Rasinger remained.
Now that Rasinger had passed away, Nikki was poised to fill the vacancy, yet the entire Church still suffered from a drastic lack of capable successors. Just maintaining the Church in its current state was already an arduous task!
If all of them perished in this Sea Area, even if Caroline held the title of Holy Maiden, how much of the Church's prestige could she salvage?
Her lack of experience could not support her position as the leader of a religious sect; she would very likely be reduced to a rubber stamp for certain Ambitious Individuals! And under those circumstances, the Church would regress to its previous state of decay!
This was a future they found utterly impossible to accept!
They absolutely could not place the entire future of the Church squarely upon the shoulders of a single young girl!
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