Chapter 510
491 Rose Army VS Papal Army
Chapter 510, Section 491: The Rose Army vs. the Papal Army (Two-in-One)
"First of all, a very warm welcome to the Divine Realm of Original Sin!"
"Here you'll find the most expansive land, the most genuine indigenous people, and most importantly, we welcome every dreamer! We don't care about your background or origins, as long as you have a heart set on doing good!"
In the grand squares of all the divine realms, small advertisements posted by people from the Divine Realm of Original Sin were everywhere, covering every street and alley corner.
It is said that this move was learned from the New World.
In addition to small advertisements, it also purchased advertising slots on large advertising screens sold by the Rose Group at a high price to vigorously promote its Divine Realm culture.
The financier had just stepped out of the high-rise building when he saw the vigorous advertising campaign for the Divine Realm of Original Sin.
She was in charge of all matters in the wizarding world, so she was very familiar with the local situation in the religious community.
This land is ruled by a colossal pantheon of gods, whose divine authority is unbreakable. The fact that these advertisements have managed to infiltrate the Divine Realm of Original Sin to such an extent without being regulated proves that the Holy See has fallen into chaos and that their financial invasion plan has been very successful.
People on the mainland cannot predict the future, but she has a vague prediction about it: the God of Wealth will completely invade this region, representing human rights to challenge divine authority.
The saying "There are humans but no gods" not only became a marker distinguishing humans from gods, but also bound the God of Wealth to humankind.
If humanity were to perish, the concept of wealth would cease to exist, and even the God of Wealth would crumble.
The financiers thought of the con artists who were lurking within the Vatican, eagerly helping the Rose Group to bring down the Vatican.
She investigated the origins of these people, tracing their backgrounds from their personal information to their origins, and finally tracked them down to a force called the Fraud Guild.
The leader of this group was an ordinary girl, but she always felt something was off; it seemed that this person was not just a simple con artist.
When inquiring about the God of Wealth, the deity revealed some vague information, such as that she might be the messenger of death.
The term "death order" is indeed awe-inspiring, and financiers have realized that there may be a deeper strategy hidden behind it.
Regardless of the intentions of those behind the scenes, at least for now, there is no intention to target the Rose Group.
That's fine for now; she needs to do something more urgent.
The financier adjusted his mask and slowly tossed the gold coins in his hand.
"The power of wealth allows one to travel a thousand miles!"
With a burst of dazzling golden light, the gold coins in the financier's hand vanished, and she disappeared from the spot.
……
"Om..."
The wind whipped up sand and gravel as it swept across the rust-red rock layers, turning the horizon into a murky ochre.
The financier slowly turned around, his coat hem rustling softly in the dry air.
As far as the eye could see, the wasteland had been swallowed up by a cold, silvery expanse.
That was the Rose Group's army.
Tens of thousands of bodies were encased in standard silver armor, each wearing the iconic pink rose medal on their chest.
Outsiders only know that Rose Group has recently been recruiting workers with high rewards, and the positions are vacant.
People flock to those astonishing daily wages, but no one bothers to investigate what kind of industry can absorb thousands of new recruits every day.
In reality, this was nothing more than an elaborate scam.
Those who came with dreams of improving their livelihoods did not sign employment contracts, but rather indentured servitude.
Their flesh and blood were fed into the gears of this war machine, becoming the first local armed force for the Rose Group to take root in a faith-based society.
As for why the victims didn't resist...
The price offered by the Rose Group was simply too high to refuse.
The immense wealth of the most powerful conglomerate in the four realms, even if only a drop leaks out, is enough to overwhelm the imagination of ordinary people.
Even these soldiers, who were considered consumables, received the maximum rations.
Beyond that, the most crucial aspect is the death benefit agreement. Upon death in battle, an astronomical sum of compensation will be immediately deposited into a designated account, enough to ensure a worry-free life for the family.
Selling organs in the Divine Realm of Original Sin is death, and fighting to the death on the battlefield is also death.
Since it's all the same life anyway, might as well sell it for the best price.
Thus, this army, bound by chains made of gold, expanded at an astonishing rate.
At this moment, the financier stood alone in the wilderness. As far as the eye could see, the silver armor reflected light like scales, spreading to the horizon and meeting the dark sky, giving people a sense of boundless dizziness.
The wind swept across the open fields, bringing with it the faint sound of metal scraping against metal and suppressed breathing, all blending into a cacophony.
The financier smiled slightly and slowly drew the ceremonial slender sword from his waist, a weapon more decorative than practical.
As she raised it, a clear, resonant tremor drowned out the sound of the wind.
"Everyone!"
Her voice wasn't particularly loud, yet it strangely pierced through the noise of the wilderness, clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"Look at the land beneath your feet! Look at the marks on your bodies! The wicked Papacy and those beings who sit high on their thrones have drained your piety with empty promises and imprisoned your souls with heavy shackles! All they have given you is poverty, slavery, and eternal adoration!"
With a flick of her wrist, the tip of her sword pointed towards the hazy white outline at the edge of the wasteland.
That is the Vatican's spire, standing like a tombstone.
"And now, it's time to reclaim everything! With the weapons in your hands, reclaim the dignity that has been taken from you, and wash away the humiliation endured for generations with the blood of your enemies! When the golden bell tolls—"
Her words were like sparks thrown into boiling oil.
"Kill!! Kill!! Kill!!!" The responses were initially scattered, but quickly merged into a roar that roared like a tsunami from the sea of steel.
Countless eyes blazed with intense light behind the mask, a light mingled with greed for wealth, anger at injustice, and a desperate madness.
"Boom--!"
From the distant horizon, a deep yet clear bell tolled, piercing the clouds and drowning out all the shouts.
That's a signal to attack.
"boom--!"
The wasteland has awakened.
The silver-clad crowd began to surge forward, millions of military boots pounding through the gravel, the clanging of guns being cocked, the hum of energy being pumped, and the hoarse shouts of officers all mingling together.
The scattered watchtowers and fortifications along the Papacy's borders were easily swallowed up by this silver tide, like withered branches on a beach.
The sporadic flashes of resistance quickly died down, and the white Papal military uniforms vanished without a trace, like a few specks of foam splashed into a silver sea.
The financiers did not join the army in the charge.
She remained standing, her rapier sheathed, her hands behind her back, calmly watching the unstoppable advance of the army and the increasingly clear white spire in the distance.
The wind ruffled the hair on her forehead, and in her all-seeing eyes, there was little joy of impending victory, but rather a deeper contemplation.
Her financial dissolution strategy involves using money to undermine the economic foundation of divine authority and using material desires to erode the bulwark of spiritual faith.
But financiers are never so naive as to believe that the gods who have ruled this land for countless years and their agents will sit idly by and wait for their doom.
Of course they will resist.
And the most direct and instinctive form of resistance is...
"coming."
She uttered two words softly.
As if to confirm her whisper, at the edge of the wasteland, in the direction of what was considered the core holy domain of the Holy See, an incomparably dazzling light suddenly burst forth.
The light was pure and intense, carrying a soul-scorching majesty and sacredness that instantly dispelled the surrounding gloom.
One beam of light after another lit up, like pillars supporting the heavens and the earth. Even from a distance, one could feel the immense and twisted spiritual power contained within them.
Within the light, the vague outline of a massive, indescribable phantom emerged, and a deep chanting voice, traversing a vast distance, transformed into a resounding hum that struck directly into the heart.
The divine handle has been summoned.
When faced with a fundamental threat, the gods chose the method they were best at—
By doubling down "grace" and deeply distorting faith, a more pure and extreme form of spiritual pollution is created, giving rise to a more powerful and fanatical army of saints and fanatics.
What they want to use is precisely the very faith that the Rose Group is trying to dismantle, as a weapon for retaliation.
The financier smiled slightly.
This is the real reason why she spared no expense to arm this legion in such a short time and launched the first strong attack.
She must, in the most violent way, interrupt the process before the gods' spiritual backlash fully takes shape and before those fanatics emerge, bringing the flames of war directly to the throne of the gods.
The financier looked behind him and saw several more black dots flying in from the distant sky; those were the powerful figures from the finance department.
Chi Piao arrived first, and as she landed steadily, she created a gravitational pull.
"Do you see those pillars of light in the distance?"
The financier pointed it out to her.
"Call the others and kill them all."
She seemed to remember something, and clapped her hands again:
"Oh, and remember to cut off their heads."
The financier recalled an old story that Jun Yunqi had once told her.
Many years ago, when the Rose Group had just established itself in the faith-based society, the head of one of its subsidiary forces had his head cut off by those gods and hung outside the window of President Jun Yunqi's office.
Blood seeped through the glass, and those wide-open eyes were staring at her desk.
The gods thought this would scare away the agent of the God of Wealth and make her back down.
But Jun Yunqi was never easily intimidated.
That day, she stood quietly for a long time, then personally untied the ropes, cradled the head in her arms, and instructed her subordinates to bury it properly.
There was no roar, no tears, and not even a change in expression.
For many years afterward, she quietly built her business, growing her influence in the shadows until the Rose Group became a behemoth that no one in this land dared to underestimate.
It wasn't until the financier came to her side that she recounted this past event in just a few words.
A strategist who hasn't gotten his hands dirty isn't a good strategist. The financier has done countless dirty tricks for the group over the years, so one more won't make a difference.
So today, she's going to settle this old score with interest on behalf of that lone boss from back then.
Chi Piao bowed and accepted the order without asking a single question.
As she turned around, her clothes fluttered, and several powerful figures from the finance department followed her like shadows, transforming into several streaks of light that shot straight towards the distant pillars of light.
The financier weighed the newly pulled-out gold coin in her hand, then with a flick of her finger, golden light spilled out from between her fingers, engulfing her figure.