Soudouki Chapter 184

Chapter 184 – The Pope’s Intention

The pope was sporting a bitter smile as he watched over the progress of the battle from on top of the spire.

His side’s disadvantage far surpassed his initial expectation.

Although he had predicted that they would lose, he thought that his  force would be able to make it a bit harder for the enemy to win.

He wanted to believe that the strength of their faith would give his force the strength to oppose the enemy.

But the reality was heartless.

Although they had been bestowed with holy relic, the knights and the  believers didn’t understand how those weapons were designed and what  kind of strategic idea they were based on.

They weren’t a match against the trained user just because their weapons were equal.

That difference was becoming clearer to see as the battle progressed.

「Don’t show your back to the heathens!」

「Don’t fear death! God is watching over our battle!」

Even the holy knights that were fighting hard everywhere while  yelling wholeheartedly were unable to control the believers who were  amateur in fighting.

It was something that he understood from the start.

The fighting force of Soldividian was far inferior than the allied army of Baldr and the others.

The outer line was quickly broken through, allowing the enemy to  invade into the inner district that was the center of the temple. Then  the leadership of the church started making a ruckus.

「W-what are they doing!」

「The church will perish at this rate! Fight like your life depends on it!」

「The faith of Europa will be ruined if this land fall!」

The pope smiled bitterly, thinking there was no point for them to say that kind of thing at this point.

This result was obvious ever since they decided to hole up themselves in this Soldividian.

There was no prospect of victory for the church with the reinforcement from Answerer Kingdom failing to make it in time.

Did they think that there would be a miracle from god to overturn the battle?

When his thought reached that point, the pope put on a  self-depreciating smile at himself who was unable to believe in the  strength of god.

Originally he was the one who should believe in god’s strength the most due to his position.

(Good grief, I should have never become the pope.)

But he never considered abandoning his position as pope.

As someone who most likely would become the last pope, there was a  duty that he had to fulfill for the sake of the later generations.

「――After all god doesn’t create paradise on earth. He only showed us the dream of paradise inside our heart.」

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The firepower of the church side became even fiercer when Brooks charged inside the district.

The soldiers and firepower became concentrated because the battle front had gotten narrower.

Because of that defense using magic also immediately got terminated.

「No need to be reckless! They won’t last long!」

Although the church had holy relics, they didn’t have any production base.

Especially gunpowder weapons. They would be reduced into mere stick the moment they ran out of ammo.

Time was an enemy for the church and an ally for the allied army.

「――Although we don’t have any intention to leisurely exchange hit with each other though.」

The field of vision was rapidly worsening from the gunpowder smoke  that resulted from endless firing of guns. There black shadows could be  seen flying above with terrifying speed.

「I really don’t want to face those guys as enemy indoor.」

The cat-eared race’s special unit that was led by Satsuki preferred surprise attack indoor rather than head-on battle outdoor.

It was nearly impossible for the church soldiers that were still not used with handling gun to even aim at them.

Using three dimensional movement that normal human would never be  able to replicate, Satsuki and her men broke through the solid formation  inside the district in the blink of eye.

The church’s plan to last for a long time using the terrain advantage inside the district was too naïve.

「D-don’t let the intruders get away!」

「Crap! In that direction is……」

The supreme hall of worship where the pope and the church leadership  were staying――Satsuki and her men were heading toward that place. The  holy knights sharply noticed that fact.

They tried to chase after them in panic but――

「Fire! These bullets will be a great medicine for these idiots who dare show their backs in front of us.」

Brooks’s unit moved into offense in this great timing.

「Shit! You coward!」

「Anything in war is cowardly. This isn’t just a game in front of the god.」

Even though they had concentrated their force and met the enemies  with full preparations, they still allowed the enemies to break through  unexpectedly. It caused agitation to spread through their troops.

They were unable to choose between going to save the church leadership or to protect this place to their death.

Even the thoughts of the holy knights froze when faced with such  choices. If even they were like that, there was no way for mere  believers to make the correct judgment.

The formation within the inner district was gradually getting pushed back by Brooks and the reinforcement that came later.

.

Inside the supreme hall of worship where the church leadership was gathering, all of them were looking pale.

The screams of the soldiers had quickly started to become audible until that sacred place.

It might be easier to accept if it happened after one week or half a  month. But it was completely outside their expectation for the situation  to have worsened this much just in the first day after battle broke  out.

「How did it turn out like this……」

「What are all the believers in the other countries doing! Why can’t  they understand that it will be too late for them to do anything after  this Soldividian fall!」

They were still believing that the believers of Europa religion would rise in revolt.

Perhaps they couldn’t go against their own country right now because  of their fetters with this mortal world. However it should be a  different story when they learned that Soldividian was going to fall.

Therefore they would still have a chance of victory if they could bring the fight here into a protracted battle.

That basic premise was going to crumble now.

At this rate Soldividian would fall today and they all would get killed without exception.

The leaders all lost any composure from their expressions when they imagined such future.

「――Isn’t this the time for us to make our decision?」

One of them muttered those words.

Gasps echoed inside the spacious hall of worship.

「B-but his holiness still hasn’t returned.」

「We’re talking about that person. Surely he won’t agree to leave from this Soldividian.」

Rather wasn’t it a good chance right now when the pope wasn’t present?

The man was saying that.

Actually there was a secret escape path in this supreme hall of worship in case of emergency.

It was a secret that was only known by the top bras so that they  could run away with their life for when there was no other option left.

「Knights! Stop the enemies even at the cost of your lives! The  supreme hall of worship will be breached if they are allowed to pass  through this corridor!」

Unexpectedly a scream of a knight struck the ears of the leaders inside the hall at that moment.

They jerked in surprise. The courage to remain in this place for their faith left them completely.

「T-there is no other choice. Even if this Soldividian fall, the  religion of Europa has to continue getting passed down no matter what.」

「True true.」

「Then……although this will sadden his holiness the pope――」

The highest leaders chanted a spell that was only known by them to  run into the secret escape route. But they immediately screamed in  despair after that.

「Why? Why isn’t it working?」

The hidden path that should be located behind the altar didn’t open.

The path would automatically crumble after it got opened once in  order to block the pursuer from chasing. This absolutely secret path was  always maintained by the church’s black ops, so there shouldn’t be any  defect to its mechanism.

And most of all they wouldn’t be able to escape like this. That fact struck the leaders.

「Oh dear, for all of you to not even wait for my arrival――as I thought, everyone here deserve to perish in this place.」

「Y-your holiness?」

「That door you see, I had ordered a shadow to destroy it not long ago. Know that there is no more way to escape from here.」

「Impossible! What will happen to Europa religion if all of us die here?」

「It’s only by dying here that we can also guarantee the teaching to  keep being passed down. Do you think that small hearted people who run  away because they can’t let go of their own life will be able to pass  down our religion’s teaching?」

「Pope! You’re mad!」

The leaders had even lost the composure to keep calling the pope with  his honorific title. They all rained abuses and criticisms on him.

However even that couldn’t last for long.

「You guys! Don’t move from there nya!!」