Somebody Stop the Pope – 222



Episode 222

72. Battle to recapture Shanghai

1.

The condition of Shanghai as seen directly from the ground was much more serious than expected.

Uncollected corpses were strewn everywhere and the mouths of the demons were stained with the blood of those they had just eaten.

It wasn’t just the demons.

“It’s Kim Si-woo.”

“That kid really came? Those fucking government bastards. They just let foreign irregulars in like this?”

“What should I do?”

Awakened ones who have accepted magic.

The guys soaked in blood and flesh were looking at me with their mouths wide open.

It was clear that those guys were tainted with magic from head to toe.

As evidence these guys are not making sound decisions.

The moment they saw me they would have run away without looking back but those guys were looking at me with soulless eyes.

There is only one such case.

If your soul is truly stolen.

That is the end of those who accept magic for great power.

“I’ll sort it out.”

Lee Se-min who was standing next to me clenched his fist and said.

A powerful energy began to radiate from his hand but I raised my hand to stop him.

“There is no need to get the blood of dirty things on your hands.”

“but….”

“It is entirely their fault for accepting magic. And responsibility always comes with a price.”

I glanced at the sack in front of me.

Did you feel the magic overflowing here?

Belphegor’s rebellion grew fiercer. It was truly ugly to see him struggling with the Sword of Judgement still attached to him.

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So first I took off the bag.

Then Belphegor’s miserable appearance was revealed his mouth shape gone.

The condition was so severe that even Lee Se-min who had been through a lot frowned.

“This is proof that our heresy inquisitors have been practicing hard.”

“These are the heretic inquisitors of the Limen Sect… They look so intriguing.”

“I taught them how to torment the magic holders without killing them. They were great test subjects.”

“Raphael or the Pope…..”

“What did you just say?”

“no.”

Lee Se-min turned his gaze and whistled.

And after a while.

Kwaaaaaaaang-.

Raphael who had cleared the sky over Shanghai landed next to me in what was called a ‘super hero landing’.

“Your Holiness the summary is almost finished.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“We just received a message that the Chinese government has also sent in additional troops. They are attempting to break through from the outskirts of Shanghai.”

“What time is the expected arrival of the Chinese troops?”

“The rebels’ defenses are strong. It seems like we need to attack from behind to break through.”

As soon as I got off here I could tell what kind of rebels had taken over this place.

Those who sold their souls to magic.

As it was once a stronghold of the Purifiers it was more heavily contaminated with magic than any city I had ever seen.

If things continued like this even civilians would definitely be eaten by magic.

In other words the entire huge city of Shanghai becomes a den of demons.

That’s why we have defined the rebels who rule here as evil.

This war is a holy war.

It is a fight to drive out magic.

I nodded and immediately grabbed the Sword of Judgement that was stuck on the back of Belphegor’s incarnation.

And then he looked down at the guy and said.

“Do you think your friends will come to save you? There was no such thing as loyalty between demon lords in the first place.”

-…The Pope will regret setting foot here. This place is already….

Belphegor’s voice echoing in my head.

It was a voice so weak that it was faint unlike before.

It must be because the divine power is constantly burning the guy’s soul.

But I answered with a smile.

“Don’t worry. I’ll soon capture the souls of your friends. It’ll be fun if they’re all impaled on the Sword of Judgement. If I burn them in the Holy Fire while they’re still there won’t that be like the Demon King’s skewer?”

Phew phew phew.

He breathed power into the Sword of Judgement and thrust it downwards forcefully.

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The black incarnation of the Judgement pierced through his body and was buried deep into the ground.

Then after a while a message window appeared before my eyes.

[You can create a holy place in the area by activating the holy relic <Sword of Judgement>.]

[Due to the unique characteristic of the <Sword of Judgement> if a holy place is created in the area <Holy War> will be applied to all battles that occur in the area.]

[Do you want to create a holy place?]

There was no need to worry.

The reason I came here in the first place was to create a holy place here.

“Create.”

The moment I spoke with divine power

Paaaa …

A brilliant light spread from the Sword of Judgement.

A huge pillar of light is erected.

And that pillar of light drove away the dark clouds that had been blocking the sun and soon the whole area was filled with light.

Between those pillars the miracle of Limen occurred.

The ruins once filled with nothing but the remains of buildings melted away like snow and soon a dazzlingly beautiful temple was created on top.

A temple built on top of Shanghai which was full of despair.

A new hope has appeared in this place filled with the smell of death.

The third sacred site of our church following Seoul and Sendai.

Shanghai Holy Land.

[A new holy place has been established.]

[The passage between the Holy Lands is opened!]

The temple standing alone on top of the ruins was the most unrealistic structure here.

But it didn’t end there.

Knock knock knock.

From inside the temple troops wearing pure white armor walk out with a measured pace.

At the forefront stood Luna clad in plate armor while at the rear was Leo leading priests in black robes.

The religious order’s troops numbered 300.

Paladins and priests with more determined expressions than ever before emerged from the temple and lined up before me.

“Your Holiness the Pope.”

Luna who had been leading the way knelt down on one knee before me on their behalf.

And then he lowered the hammer he was holding and bowed his head.

“Archbishop Luna Reventon Leo Lumen Commander of the Holy Knights. And three hundred holy knights and priests. We have come here to participate in the holy war.”

Luna’s voice quietly echoes throughout the holy land.

I nodded slowly as I listened to her voice.

“I grant you permission to attend the temple Lord Luna Reventon.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

“Let the holy judgment of Limen be brought upon the enemies of the church.”

At my words Luna placed her right hand on her chest. Then she answered with the corners of her lips slightly raised.

“May the Lord Limen judge the enemies of the church.”

And after a while.

The rest of the troops standing behind her also raised their hands to their chests and shouted.

“May Limen judge the enemies of the church!”

“May Limen judge the enemies of the church!”

I looked at the sight and smiled faintly.

But at that time.

KWAWWWWWWWW-!

A giant white tiger appeared from the temple.

The beast roared in all directions and slowly approached me.

『Master I guess it’s boring to stay at home. Since the spirits will protect the family anyway can I fight too? This place is Limen’s holy ground now.』

Snow White spoke with shining yellow eyes and I nodded with a smirk.

“Go wild.”

Finally Snow White joins.

“Sweep it all away.”

The Limen sect finally appears in Shanghai.

2.

The first goal of our church was simple.

A raid on the rebels fighting on the outskirts of Shanghai.

The first thing needed to restore order to Shanghai was to eradicate the rebels.

A situation where the rebels’ main force is concentrated to block government forces.

The most dangerous thing in this situation is getting hit in the back of the head.

We won our first battle with a great victory.

It seemed that all the important forces had been dispatched to the battlefield against the Chinese government so the rebel forces in the city were in poor condition.

How could those who are possessed by magic or have sold their souls defeat the fighters of our sect?

As long as the ridiculous special effect called <Holy War> was applied the students of our sect were able to demonstrate powers at least equal to those of an A-class hunter.

Some of the first batch of trainees will be able to demonstrate strength comparable to that of S-class hunters.

And above all.

Kwaaaaang-.

Kwajijijik.

Lee Se-min Raphael and me.

They didn’t have the power to stop the power of these three irregulars.

So just three hours after we set foot on the ground we arrived at the battlefield where government forces and rebels were fighting.

Footage seen through Raphael’s reconnaissance drone.

All sorts of supernatural abilities were running wild proving that it was a war between the Awakened.

Magic necromancy undead etc.

The Awakened on both sides were fighting for their lives but the government forces were being pushed back.

This is because the rebels have necromancers and a huge number of undead are mobilized for battle.

Originally necromancers had no choice but to be active in such large-scale wars.

Because they boast an overwhelming amount of material.

Moreover considering the original population of Shanghai the number of undead that necromancers could create seemed unimaginable.

“It would have been a little easier if Sun-ri had stepped in herself.”

I muttered while watching Raphael’s video and Isemin shook his head.

“There are too many cities to worry about. It would be natural to defend the cities close to Beijing. China currently has three Transcendents including me. One more….”

“I made you a wreck.”

“But seeing that they mobilized that number of Awakened people it seems that the government also put a lot of effort into it.”

“I know.”

China is a large country.

To put it another way there is just too much to keep in mind.

The entire Chinese mainland is engulfed in flames.

The Chinese government eventually decided to concentrate its defensive forces in certain areas.

In some ways it could be said to be an effective strategy.

Because in an emergency situation selection and focus are important.

However the strategy of China which prided itself on being an awakened power was too shabby and miserable.

Should we call it the downfall of the Awakened Nation?

I nodded and slowly looked forward.

Kwaaaaang-.

A pure white pillar of fire rises above the vast battlefield.

Traces of the Heavenly Punishment missiles we handed over to the Chinese side.

If the Chinese government didn’t have the Heavenly Punishment missiles now they probably would have been pushed back without a fight.

“It seems they haven’t realized yet that we’ve caught them. There are two other places where the front line is formed besides this one.”

Raphael said as he collected the drone.

I nodded at those words.

“Since the two biggest forces are fighting each other we will break through here.”

“Okay. What do you plan to do with the other two fronts?”

“Can I request assistance from the aircraft carrier?”

“Bombers armed with Heavenly Punishment missiles are on standby at any time. I have already transmitted the coordinates of the other two fronts.”

“Please request fire support from those two locations.”

“All right.”

Raphael immediately contacted the carrier group and I looked at the troops of our sect and said.

“It’s time for everyone to show off the skills they’ve built up so far. Since the backs of those guys’ heads are empty go ahead and hit them. Those who get hurt will die by my hand. Got it?”

“yes!”

Troops with high morale.

But now it seems like everyone has shed their chick-like appearance and become full-fledged members of the church.

I put on my gauntlets with a happy smile.

Then he activated his suit and ran towards the enemies who were casting dark magic from afar shouting.

“Come on let’s go!”

The fighters of the sect began to charge at once following me.

It was the beginning of the battle that would later be called the ‘Battle of Shanghai’.

Our Pope please stop this