Chapter 274 Vatican's Secret Exterminator Unit to Battle
— Meanwhile Vatican - Secret Exterminator Unit HQ —
In the heart of the Vatican, the Secret Exterminator Unit's headquarters thrummed with urgency. The usually organized and stoic paladins and priests found themselves in a controlled chaos. The blaring sound of the demonic presence alarm resonated through the high-tech facility, shattering any semblance of tranquility.
Paladins, garbed in their blessed trench coats, raced from one console to another, striving to pinpoint the exact location of the demonic disturbance. Distinguished by their adorned coats, the high-ranking paladins led the charge with urgency, their attire woven with cutting-edge shock absorption and hardened nanofibers providing formidable protection against any threat.
Priests fervently recited prayers, their faces etched with determination, clutching holy relics and consulting ancient texts to discern the nature of the demonic presence.
"Sound the alarm! Mobilize every available unit immediately! And you! Contact the archbishop station in South East Asia! Find out what the hell is happening!" shouted Paladin Commander Ignatius, his voice cutting through the commotion. The urgency of the situation created a stark contrast to the usually serene atmosphere within the headquarters.
The communication hub buzzed with activity as operatives attempted to establish contact with information brokers worldwide. Screens flickered with maps displaying Tessia Kingdom, highlighted with ominous red markers indicating the intensity of demonic presence. Tension hung thick in the air as the team raced against time.
Father Sebastian, a seasoned priest known for his expertise in demonology, barked orders at his subordinates. "Contact the local authorities in Tessia Kingdom. We need eyes on the ground. Find out the nature of the threat and report back immediately!"
"Father! We can't contact them! The surveillance outpost in Tessia Kingdom Royal Capital has gone dark!" shouted one of the apprentices working as a communication officer amidst the tension.
"God damn it!" Father Sebastian let out a rare swear, breaking his usual calm demeanor.
Paladins, in their blessed trench coats, relayed information to each other, discussing strategy and deployment plans. The room echoed with the clatter of footsteps and the urgent hum of activity. The palpable urgency gripped every member of the Secret Exterminator Unit, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
"Deploy the Seeker Drones! We need aerial surveillance over Tessia Kingdom now!" commanded the Paladin Commander, his eyes fixed on the map displayed on the large screen in the command room. The room hummed with the activation of advanced technology as drones were dispatched to the troubled region.
As chaos unfolded, a seasoned information broker exclusively working for the Vatican frantically tapped away at his terminal, connecting with contacts worldwide to gather intelligence. "We need specifics! Is it Satan himself? A cult ritual? Damn it! Give me the damn details! This is not the time to talk about money!" The man shouted into the terminal speaker in frustration at the information broker on the other side who possessed crucial details.
"Where is Father Ward!? Is he sleeping after out hunting some straggler vampire last night?, then wake him up and drag his root beer-loving ass here! I need to speak to him!" Paladin Commander Ignatius shouted his command in the room, barely keeping his anger in check at the eccentric Grand Paladin, Christopher Ward.
The tension in the air heightened as reports trickled in. Demonic signatures were confirmed, but the exact nature of the threat remained elusive. The urgency reached its peak.
"Yes, yes, Ignatius. I'm here, always crying out for me when some serious shit happens, aren't ya?" A lazy-filled voice, with a hint of reluctance and a touch of sluggishness, responded to the shout.
The man in his early forties, with a scar running across his face and garbed in a blessed trench coat, was none other than the renowned Grand Paladin in the Vatican Secret Exterminator Unit, who had dispatched countless heretics, creatures of the night, and demonic abominations: Grand Paladin Christopher Ward.
"Goddamn it, you sloth! You're out all night finding some entertainment by hunting vampire stragglers again!?" Ignatius roared in anger, his saliva splattering directly at Christopher's face.
"Geez, stop shouting for a minute, will you, Ignatius? Your mouth is so stinking." Christopher calmly retorted while grabbing a hem of Ignatius's trench coat to wipe off all of Ignatius's saliva that had splattered on his face.
"Gosh, that stinks!" Christopher blurted out after cleanly wiping Ignatius's saliva from his face, but the smell still lingered.
Seeing this, Ignatius was about to blow his top again, but a shout from his information broker came through, halting the banter between the two.
"Father Ignatius! We've confirmed the identity of the one leading the demonic invasion! It's Mammon! And we believe that it's The Hightower's former Grand Councilor, Cyrus Ashborn, who's assisting the current king of Tessia Kingdom, Lucian Justius, in opening the Hell gate!" The information broker shouted, bringing up details about the target, the perpetrator, and the demon leading the demonic horde onto the large screen.
"It's always the Hightower! Those damn heretics! If it's not for the ancient oath, we could have wiped them out during the Witch hunt back then in the 15th century!" Ignatius grumbled in frustration.
Seeing the information, Christopher let out a bloodlusting smile; this is what he's been waiting for! A worthy prey! Now he has an opportunity to hunt a bonafide hell lord, Mammon!
"Hey, Ignatius! Use the teleportation miracle to send me and several good men with me to Sector Alpha City! I want to hunt that Mammon!" Christopher said, full of excitement, a twisted pleasure and bloodlust mixed into a smile displayed on his veteran face.
"Are you sure that's enough? The Local outpost in sector Alpha city didn't have enough men and weapons to deal with the demonic invasion of this degree you know?" Ignatius asked.
"What are you blabbering? You think I'm not knowing? Of course, it's not enough. There are other forces in Sector Alpha city that have a beef with the Hightower!" Christopher answered with a confident smile.
A realization dawned on Ignatius as he looked at Christopher's shiny mechanical right arm.
The first time Christopher returned with all the shiny new toys from Sector Alpha City and advised him to get permission from the pope and all the archbishops to establish a cooperative relationship with Astral Tech, he couldn't believe it.
That warmonger, Christopher, wanted to establish a cooperative relationship with a mage!? What kind of a crappy joke was that? If someone told him it was an out-of-season April Fool's joke, he might have believed them!
However, after witnessing the demonstration of those blessed blades and the power of the mechanical arm that could easily break the bones of brutal beasts like werewolves, he was very tempted to establish a cooperative relationship with Astral Tech. He even wanted to buy it for his personal use when he witnessed the power of a blessed bullet that could kill a vampire in one shot! nOve(lb/1n
His desire grew even stronger when he saw the video that showed the performance of those warriors in hulking power armor and the purging holy flame from the flamer that could turn all demonic beings into ash in mere seconds!
It was like he was a U-Phone fanboy queuing up at the store before the opening sale of a new tablet or smartphone from U-Phone! He really wanted those flamers for his personal use!
"Yes... in this way, we could also assess the situation and see if Astral Tech is worthy of cooperation with us, as those old geezers wanted," Christopher said.
— In the Sacred Teleportation Chamber —
The sacred chamber, bathed in a soft, golden glow, resonated with the harmonious murmurs of priests engaged in fervent prayer. Candles flickered, casting dancing shadows on the walls adorned with ancient tapestries depicting divine interventions in battles against the forces of darkness.
On an elevated stage at the center of the room, Christopher and his elite team of paladins stood, their blessed trench coats billowing slightly in the sacred atmosphere. Each paladin held a stoic demeanor, their eyes focused on the task at hand.
Father Ignatius, positioned at the heart of the room, led the congregation of praying priests. Their collective voices echoed with a divine resonance, weaving a tapestry of supplications to invoke the teleportation miracle.
Ignatius raised his hands, a visible aura of spiritual energy enveloping him as he channeled the divine power. The room pulsed with a heightened sense of sanctity.
"May the divine light guide and protect you, Warriors of God!" intoned Ignatius, his voice carrying the weight of the sacred ritual. "May this miracle serve as a beacon against the encroaching darkness. Teleport these valiant warriors to the heart of the demonic presence, and may they return victorious."
As the prayers reached a crescendo, the divine energy coalesced around the paladins on the stage. The candles burned with an intensified brilliance, and the blessed texts seemed to shimmer with a celestial glow.
In a radiant burst of light, the paladins vanished from the sacred chamber, leaving behind a lingering sense of divine presence.