Before one knew it, a month had passed.
With the combined efforts of the Exorcists from Chu Feng's agency, the police, the National Guard, and some civilians armed with exorcism weapons, the gunfire in New York State finally began to subside after a war that lasted nearly a month. The first and most populous wave of Bizarre had, by this point, mostly turned to ashes on the ground. The remaining scattered Bizarre could only be dealt with by Exorcists, as usual!
Life in the entirety of New York State was gradually getting back on track.
However, the war with the Bizarre in other states was still far from over. With a delay of just two days, the Bizarre had grown much stronger. Furthermore, without the presence of an Exorcism Agency and Chu Feng's support, the state legislatures' indecisiveness also took up some time. The exorcism wars in other states were proving extremely difficult.
The agency's mailbox was already jammed with a large backlog of exorcism commissions, which promised hefty sums.
"Now that the home front is secure, it's time to expand outward!" Sitting in the leather chair of the agency's meeting room, Chu Feng calmly issued the expansion order.
At this point, the states that initially resisted the entry of Chu Feng's Exorcism Agency had no time to care about anything else and were sending out pleas for help to the agency.
"We must seize this opportunity to expand the agency's influence throughout America!"
"But, the manpower of Exorcists..." Taran, sitting to Chu Feng's right, hesitated. She naturally wanted the agency to expand as well, but there weren't enough Exorcists in the agency to meet the immediate need.
"Don't worry, a group of Exorcists will join the agency then," Chu Feng said with a smile, looking at the star-filled sky in his mind. "Moreover, all branches need to accelerate the recruitment of Exorcists."
He believed that during this time, quite a few people must have awakened their Spiritual Power!
After all, the resurgence of the Bizarre and their entry into the second phase was not just a frenzy for the Bizarre. The surge in their eerie aura also spurred the pace of human awakening.
While the flames of war raged across America, in Europe, inside St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the scene was different. The sunlight, filtered through stained glass and complemented by the glow of countless candles, made the nave—itself a work of art—shine with golden splendor. Beneath the dome, dozens of elderly men in bishop's vestments bowed their heads in devotion, chanting hymns to the Lord.
With their chants, streams of milky-white Holy Power, invisible to the common eye, began to emanate from their bodies, drawn forward by an unknown force. Meanwhile, accompanied by the solemn chanting, the rich Holy Power within the basilica also began to surge and swirl, converging toward the Jesus crucifix before them.
As time went by, the Holy Power, so densely gathered it seemed tangible, became visible even to ordinary people as a warm, white glow. Fine beads of sweat began to appear on the bishops' aged faces, and several of the frailer bishops even started to tremble slightly. But the chanting from their mouths did not stop. Feeling the sudden change in the Holy Power, their voices grew louder, and the emanation of Holy Power from their bodies quickened.
Through their collective efforts, the white Holy Power slowly coalesced into the shape of a three-meter-high door. As the details of the door became clearer, a soft golden light suddenly spread out. The calm and gentle aura slowly eased the furrowed brows of the bishops below.
Finally, after several bishops succumbed to the burden and collapsed, their Holy Power utterly drained, a soft creaking sound emerged from the now-completed white gateway. Amidst countless glittering motes of white light, the gate—which had exhausted dozens of bishops and all the Holy Power accumulated within the church—finally began to open slowly.
Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, an angel with golden hair and eyes, fair skin, clad in bright silver armor and wielding a long spear, walked out from the light gate, bathed in white Holy Light. As the angel appeared, the gateway, its purpose fulfilled, shattered into countless specks of light that fell to the ground and vanished.
"It has finally arrived!" A cold voice echoed throughout the cathedral, causing the bishops, seeing an angel for the first time, to snap back to reality and prostrate themselves.
The angel spread its white wings, surveyed its surroundings, and finally fixed its indifferent golden pupils on the multitude of figures kneeling on the ground. Seeing the elderly figure in white papal vestments standing silently before them, the indifference in the angel's eyes gradually faded, and a slight smile touched its face.
"May the Holy Father bless you, Your Holiness!"
"Welcome to the Human World, Lord Raziel." A kind smile also appeared on the Pope's aged face as he slowly approached the angel.
Once the exhausted bishops were sent to rest, only the Pope and the angel Raziel remained, facing each other in the spacious nave of St. Peter's Basilica.
"Raziel, when will Heaven descend?" The world's recent, abrupt changes had left the aged Pope deeply worried about the Human World's future. He could already feel Hell's approach; its revolting stench seemed to stand right before him.
Raziel, who had put away her War Spear, her silver armor transforming into a white dress, fell silent for a moment.
"After darkness, light will always follow!"
The angel's words left the Pope silent for a long while; he simply closed his eyes.
"May the Lord have mercy on his followers!" Upon opening his eyes, the Pope left these prayer-like words with a trembling voice and then staggered away.
Raziel, who remained behind, silently watched this pontiff of the Human World. A flash of golden light passed through her pupils, which had turned azure blue.
Humans are too insignificant in the war between Heaven and Hell!
After murmuring this to herself, the white wings on Raziel's back suddenly spread wide, and the War Spear that had vanished reappeared in her hand.
It was time to proclaim the glory of the Lord!
As she raised the War Spear high, a pillar of white light, tinged with golden brilliance, shot toward the heavens. The incredibly dense Holy Power spread rapidly in all directions from the huge cross atop the dome. In just the blink of an eye, the entire Vatican was enveloped.
Moreover, as time passed, the Holy Power continued to spread outward. All the Bizarre that had festered in dark corners along its path perished within a single breath, turning to ash in an instant.
Eventually, all of Rome was enveloped beneath a canopy of Holy Power's light. The warm and gentle Holy Power caused all who witnessed this miracle to kneel and pray silently, showing their devotion to the Lord.
And Rome, naturally, became the first area in the Human World with no Bizarre presence.
Of course, every advantage has its disadvantage.
Within the city of Rome, humans who had just begun to show signs of awakening felt the nascent Spiritual Power they had faintly sensed disappear completely after this Holy Power swept through.