This heretic cannot be burned, he must be hung up and whipped!

But the sheep's limbs were tied tightly with ropes, as if it had already sensed its impending fate. Luce's breathing became rapid, and an inexplicable uneasiness surged in her heart. She had no idea what all this meant.

"Most High God, our Savior,

We offer you the blood of this Lamb,

I pray that your eyes will have mercy on this battlefield!"

The priest stood in front of the altar, wearing a black robe and holding a Bible.

With an almost fanatical expression on his face, he began to recite the prayer in a low and solemn voice:

"May this blood cleanse our souls,

May these sacred runes grant us invincibility!"

The soldiers lined up neatly in front of the altar, heads bowed, hands clasped together, and murmured in unison with the priest's rhythm. Her eyes widened, her heart filled with confusion and shock—these soldiers, about to go to the battlefield, actually chose to sacrifice to God at this moment?

Why did you go early?

The prayers grew louder, and the priest suddenly raised his knife. The blade flashed a cold light in the gray sky! Without hesitation, the sharp blade slashed the lamb's throat. Blood gushed out, the scarlet liquid flowing all over the altar, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

But not a drop of blood was spilled on the altar.

“This is not a sacrifice to God!!”

Luce felt dizzy. She couldn't believe what she saw - these comrades who fought alongside her on a daily basis accepted this blasphemous ritual so calmly.

"In the face of gunfire and death,

Let us stand firm,

In your name, we will defeat the enemy—"

"Who are you sacrificing to?! Reverend! You're going too far—" "luce!"

Her commander held her back and said, "This is the tradition of our chapter, to be anointed upon oneself."

"Anointing without permission... it's disrespectful! This is blasphemy punishable by the stake!"

Luce retorted:

“Anointing is a sacred ceremony used to consecrate someone or something for God’s use. The act of anointing is an expression of honor and obedience to God.

However, if a person anoints himself without God's authorization or instruction, this is disrespectful to God, because the power and meaning of anointing comes from God, not from man himself!

In the Old Testament, both Saul and David were anointed kings by the prophet Samuel (Book of Samuel). These anointings were made at God's direction, not by their own decision.

Therefore, the act of anointing should follow God's will and arrangement, not out of personal desire or pride. If a person anoints himself without authorization, it indicates that he is trying to usurp God's authority. This is demonic! This is an act of hell!

Is our chapter going to surrender to Hell?!"

After hearing this, the soldiers did not retreat at all, but instead moved forward more firmly.

A soldier stepped forward and held up the still twitching lamb's body with both hands. The priest pinched the lamb's neck with his fingers, dipped it in the warm blood, and began to draw sacred symbols on each soldier's body.

He first walked up to the soldier in the front and solemnly painted a series of complex patterns on his forehead, chest, armor and rifle. Blood flowed down the soldier's cheek, staining his tattered uniform red, but no one wiped it away, as if the blood itself was a kind of glory.

As the priest drew the symbols, he sang a low hymn. The song echoed in the trenches with a thrilling power, and the soldiers joined in unison.

"We lay victory and glory at your feet, Amen."

Luce stood aside, her body shaking uncontrollably, and she felt her heartbeat so fast that it almost burst out of her chest. All this was too strange and too crazy for her - she had never thought that faith could drive people to such a fanatical state.

After the prayer, the soldiers stood up straight, looking ahead with sharp eyes, and the weapons in their hands were stained with blood and gleamed with a strange luster.

"It's like hell..."

“But I could sense they were still loyal to God – why?”

In unison, they began smearing the remaining goat's blood on themselves—faces, chests, arms, even boots. The blood flowed across their uniforms, mixing with dirt and sweat to form a gruesome pattern.

"This is a determination that defies life and death, a piety that entrusts everything to God. Luce, we firmly believe that the blood of the Lamb will protect us from the attacks of the Lord of Hell. We anoint ourselves with this blood and atone for our sins to God in battle. If we fail to achieve victory, God will punish us."

"This will be our first battle. Watch and see the wrath of the Almighty Jehovah!"

The commander said excitedly, without any fear in his eyes.

This kind of seeking trouble without any guilt - no, this kind of desperate spirit shocked all the recruits.

The soldiers sang hymns and marched towards the front line with firm steps. The pastor walked at the front of the team, holding a Bible, his voice low but still full of majesty.

Luce followed behind, a mixture of conflicting emotions—shock, fear, even a touch of infected awe.

She didn't know what the outcome of this war would be, but she understood that for these comrades, they had already given their lives to their faith and were ready to exchange their blood and sacrifice for God's protection.

"But I think... faith shouldn't be like this—" Before she could finish, the veterans, led by the pastor, roared in unison:

"For God's sake, I will die!"

"You don't have gas masks!!"

Luce was swept up and rushed towards the green mist on the horizon.

PS1: Damn it, I was completely defeated as soon as I got back to the dormitory. My three roommates who were all test takers were discussing the postgraduate entrance exam, the civil service exam, and employment. It made me very anxious... I really couldn't sleep at night.

As for Bei Zhai? He's planning to try his luck at a state-owned enterprise as a recent graduate... hopefully not as a contract worker. He's currently preparing for the civil service exam and the essay writing section...

Everyone has a dark future.

Damn, I want to go to Neos!

PS2: Current Act: Preliminary Mobilization - 220 recommendation votes, next update 4.5k!

PS3: Psychic Hacker Invades Unconventional Tokyo

[As night falls, Tokyo is also brightly lit tonight]

[In 2025, the crime rate in this city remains at a low point, and there is no room for evil people and criminals in every corner]

[However, it quickly turned around within a few years and became the premier Gotham City]

I have a lot of credit for this.

Because I was caught

[Falling into the love trap they created]

[It's hard to get away from it...]

In Flames: 1914: Chapter 22: Mobilization in Despair

The heretic army took less than a week to defeat almost all the Crusaders' fronts in Eastern Europe. It was very difficult for such a large, bloated, inefficient, semi-feudal and semi-industrialized alliance of countries to gather strength to launch a powerful counterattack.

This war, which lasted for over 800 years, lasted so long that both the church and ordinary people had become numb to it. Victory and defeat had become commonplace in the eyes of ordinary people. Hundreds of years of continuous mobilization and warfare had made them indifferent to new large-scale attacks by heretics.

"It seems that the people need something that can stimulate their inner desire to join the army."

"But Pope—we no longer have any extra money to encourage the people to join the army. We have already recruited all the believers who are loyal to us—but according to statistics, all of Italy and the Papal States have only recruited 13 new soldiers this time!

It can't even fill a reinforced regiment - what am I supposed to take to the front? If this continues, I'll have to throw my body out of the cemetery and join the army!"

"Digging up corpses? I heard there's a sage named Sun Xiaochuan (pronounced similar to 'Suha Can') in the Iron Wall Sultanate who's proficient in corpse refining. How about I arrange a plane to take you to the Sultanate to learn?"

"I have no opinion."

"They should just give everyone a gun and force them to go to the battlefield!" "And then what? Are you offering a sacrifice to the Lord of Hell? I suspect you are a heretic!"

Pope Benedict looked at the cardinals who were arguing about conscription and said:

"In the last fiscal year, the combined military expenditures of the Papal States, the Kingdom of Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Kingdom of France accounted for 45% of their GDP. This doesn't even include hidden expenses like excessive construction of infrastructure that could be used for war. If that were included, more than half of the country's resources would have been spent on war!

In this country, soldiers who do not engage in production and only fight account for 15% of the total population. Almost every five civilians have to support one soldier who consumes a huge amount of resources!

In order to support the huge war machine, not only were dozens of war taxes, defense taxes, and regiment construction funds levied, but also a large amount of funds including education, medical care, and insurance were misappropriated. The hole is getting bigger and bigger. Perhaps within ten years, the deficit will be completely unable to be filled, and the church will completely collapse!

To fill the deficit, we issued too many war bonds and victory funds to attract ordinary people and grassroots soldiers to invest the last bit of their wealth squeezed out by tightening their belts.

But no matter what kind of war bonds or victory funds, they can only be redeemed through a complete conquest and the seizure of large amounts of war dividends!

Benedict slammed the financial report on the table and told the priests a despairing truth:

"You all know what trench warfare is all about. What bullshit war dividends? From the time I was born until now, from the time my father was born until he was buried, from the time my grandfather's grandfather was born until he was buried, I haven't seen the European frontline change at all. Where would I get the dividends to cash in?!

What I took over was such a mess. That old bastard Pius was doing scientific research, working on particle accelerators and space programs, and he piled up so much debt but didn't produce any results!

The church's finances are on the verge of collapse. The interest we pay on the national debt each year alone is more than what we pay our soldiers!

Now, you still want to spend money on conscription? I tell you, if you continue to expand the military and conscription, and continue to drive people into military factories, the church's rule will really end within a week. I look at these financial reports and I don't understand how the hell we have managed to survive until now.

"Because the reason we've been able to hold on until today is because the people know that if they vote with them, there will be no tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Wake up, bishops! Don't assume that the vast majority of the people at the bottom are truly loyal to us; they simply have no choice!"

"This will be our last crusade, my fellows. We have no retreat."

"Then let's fight!"

.....

At this moment, the darkness shrouding Rome makes the title of "Holy City" particularly ironic.

The atmosphere on the street was gloomy and people's faces were shrouded in gloom.

[After several centuries, heretics once again set foot on Europe and launched a large-scale attack! ]

[The situation on the front line is grim. The heretics' new weapons pose a serious challenge to our military's defenses! ]

Pope Benedict declares the Sixth Crusade against the Legion of Heretics

A new Black Grail plague begins to spread rapidly, with no known cure. Tech-priests claim they haven't seen the pathogen. Metropolitan Stalin suggests establishing a quarantine zone of steel and fire. (Metropolitan is a position within the Eastern Orthodox Church, equivalent to the bishop in charge of a major city.)

Long-term numbness made people turn a blind eye to these war reports, and only the last piece of news about the new plague made people start to panic.

The last time the Lord of Hell released the Black Holy Grail, it killed almost one-third of the population of Europe. Villages were reduced to scorched earth, cities became purgatory on earth, and empty cities were filled with horrific corpses.

The living gasped and groaned in the plague of the Lord of Hell, fell to the ground in pain and with a hint of relief, and then got up again.

That brutal war of corpses made all the residents of Europe feel awe and fear of the plague. Even though Saint Joan of Arc, with the power of God, killed the Black Holy Grail Overlord born from the plague and led the remaining living people to purify the crawling zombies, for nearly half a century, words such as "plague" and "disease" were taboo words among the people.

"Oh my god... The Black Holy Grail... The Black Holy Grail is coming!!" "Oh my god... What should we do..."

The Black Death, that chilling taboo word that symbolizes thousands of miles of barren land and the extinction of all people, has once again surfaced in people's minds.

"Silence! Silence! We must unite to resist the heretic legion. Only if we are willing to make sacrifices will God bless us and send down divine power to drive away the plague!"

Even though the priests in charge of conscription shouted at the top of their lungs with a loud speaker, only a few homeless people chose to join the Crusades under coercion and inducement.

"If we don't resist, everyone will suffer eternal torture at the hands of the Lord of Hell!" "Only by believing in our supreme God can humanity be saved!"

"The situation on the front lines is already critical. We have nearly 400,000 troops surrounded by heretics in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Once they are annihilated, we will lose most of our elite troops in Eastern Europe. At that time, no matter where we flee, it will be useless!"

Yes, despite the Crusaders' strenuous resistance, the heretic army was still unstoppable and occupied nearly half of Hungary in just one week. The siege of Budapest was gradually taking shape, and more than 400,000 Crusaders were struggling to resist in this industrial city.

The Crusaders cannot lose Budapest unless they withdraw the industrial equipment first - but now they can't even withdraw people, let alone bulky machines?

Some pessimists have begun to advocate that the heretic legion will soon arrive at the gates of Rome, and some people have even packed their bags and prepared to flee westward.

But after the priest's analysis, except for a few timid people, most residents looked solemn but did not show despair.

Francis V, Holy Roman Emperor, delivers a speech: Rome is not defeated! The Crusaders will win!

[People of the Papal States, loyal servants of God, stand up! We have no way out. Defend our homes and loved ones!]

Faced with national crisis, the people chose not to surrender. Centuries of war against heretics had taught them that surrender was a fate worse than death in battle. The heretic legions were so incompetent that some wanted to be deserters, some were afraid of death and refused to join the army, some wanted to join the Orthodox Church and benefit Russia, and some joined the Crusades just to make a living...

There is no surrender!

Yes, your church doesn't do much. The sages of the Iron Wall Sultanate in the Middle East are alchemical creatures, but your church's technical priests skip alchemy and go straight to human beings. Your church levies heavy taxes. Your church's tithe requires not only money but also manpower and supplies. The units that your church has refined through human cultivation would be almost like hell if they were sent to the cross.

But compared to heresy, the church is really anthropomorphic.

The Lord of Hell thought that the newly emerged Black Grail Plague could arouse fear among the people and make the Crusaders on the front line surrender without a fight. He never imagined that this trick of his could actually have the opposite effect!

"For our homeland! For our loved ones!!" "Defend our country!"

At the church's recruitment points in major cities and rural areas, people hesitated for a moment, then took up arms and vowed to defend their homes after seeing the tragic scenes on the front lines. Even "unbelievers (people who deny the divinity of God)" and "pagans (not heretics)" who had once opposed the church took the initiative to go to the battlefield.

"Cars, trucks, trains, oxcarts, even wheelbarrows or bicycles will do! Do whatever it takes, whatever it takes, to get our soldiers to the front as quickly as possible!"

"I have a feeling that many people will die in this second plague war, but I also have a feeling that this will be the last plague war!"

"Mobilize! Mobilize everyone! Whether male or female, old or young, everyone must serve in this battle to defend our homeland!" "Everyone who can breathe must rush into the factory! I want every soldier on the front line to have at least a trench club and a helmet!"

Europa, the giant that was constantly bleeding, finally woke up gradually and raised its fist with difficulty while dragging its sick body. Church personnel in all cities received orders, and they ordered the requisition of all means of transportation that could carry people and continuously transported new recruits to the front line.