Chapter 277: Notre-Dame de Paris

“Yes, you can imagine it as an indestructible spear.”

Lucas gestured, then continued:

“Captain Morin, I apologize… but I don’t know how to explain the specifics to you because I completely don’t understand the principles mentioned by those people at the Royal Magitech Academy.”

“I only know they mentioned that the second mode seems to have something to do with you, Captain. In short, neither Magic Shields nor physical armor can hold up against it.”

Morin’s eyes widened instantly. How did the second mode have anything to do with him?

He had absolutely no information about this Armored Train before, let alone the era-transcending weapon ‘Gungnir’.

But right now, he didn’t focus on that; he was more anxious.

“Colonel, then why can’t we use it? Since it can penetrate everything, isn’t it perfect for dealing with that tower’s electric shield?”

“The problem lies in ‘Direct Fire’…”

Lucas gave a bitter smile and explained to Morin:

“Because it fires in a straight line, the requirements for the firing environment are extremely demanding, and the effective range is only 3 kilometers…”

“According to those Mage lords, there shouldn’t be any obstacles between our muzzle and the target; otherwise, it might severely affect its accuracy and power!”

“And if we use direct fire, Captain Morin, look at the surrounding environment. We can’t even aim.”

Hearing this, Morin instinctively looked around.

He then discovered that although Gare de l’Est was relatively open, looking out, everywhere was filled with four-to-six-story Haussmann-style buildings.

This was also one of the characteristics of Paris streets.

These buildings, which usually looked full of classical beauty, were now like walls, fragmenting their line of sight and ‘Gungnir’s’ field of fire.

The straight-line distance from Gare de l’Est to the Eiffel Tower was over 6 kilometers. With ‘Gungnir’s’ current position and elevation… let alone the range issue, they couldn’t even aim at the distant Eiffel Tower.

“I understand…” Morin muttered to himself.

“You understand now, right?”

Colonel Lucas also sighed.

“So we have to find a way to move the ‘Odin’ to an open area with no obstructions!”

Open area…

Morin and Lucas exchanged glances, thinking of a place almost simultaneously.

Without wasting words, the two rushed back to the command carriage, took down a huge map of the Paris urban area with railway information from the rack, and spread it on the ground outside the train.

When the Gauls were carrying out the reform of Radiant Crystal Industry, building railways was one of the important landmark projects.

To demonstrate that they were about to surpass the Saxons in railway engineering technology, the Gauls not only built a ring railway around Paris but also constructed several railway lines crossing the urban area, underground railways, and railway bridges over the Seine River.

So there might be a suitable firing position.

However, just as the two were staring intently at the railway lines on the map, a new message popped up in Morin’s system.

[Eiffel Tower – ‘Animate Dead’ Activated!]

Morin’s breath hitched, and his finger tracing the map paused.

It came!

It finally came!

He looked up abruptly at the sky.

Although the sky above Gare de l’Est was still clear and cloudless, he seemed to already smell the aura of death and decay permeating the air.

Seine River, Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame de Paris.

An elderly man wearing Archbishop’s vestments, with a lean face but exceptionally sharp eyes, was gazing into the distance from the bell tower.

He was the highest pastoral leader of the Holy See in the Paris Archdiocese—Archbishop Maurice of Paris.

Just now, an extremely massive and evil negative energy fluctuation erupted from deep underground like a stormy sea, instantly sweeping through all of Paris.

Although Archbishop Maurice was not a ‘spellcaster’ in the traditional sense, he had studied for many years in the Holy See’s Department of Mysteries in Rome during his youth. He possessed sensitivity far beyond ordinary people in identifying and sensing such power belonging to the category of ‘severe blasphemy.’

Almost instantly, he determined the source of this power.

Necromancy!

And Necromancy on an unimaginably large scale!

Originally, as a clergyman personally appointed by the Pope, Maurice did not want to interfere in this war between mortal nations.

He and the Paris Archdiocese indeed lacked the capability…

But now, the situation was different.

When the taboo power of desecrating the dead and toying with souls appeared in this city protected by the Lord, he could no longer sit idly by.

“Troyes…” he said without turning his head.

“Your Excellency Archbishop.”

An auxiliary bishop, also wearing bishop’s vestments but much younger, walked up quickly from behind him.

Maurice: “Did you feel it?”

“Yes, I felt it too, Your Excellency.”

Auxiliary Bishop Troyes’s face was also filled with gravity and disgust.

“This is… the aura of necromancy. So massive, so evil… I have never seen it before.”

Both of them simultaneously cast their gaze toward the distant Eiffel Tower, which was flickering with electric light.

Although they didn’t know exactly what had happened, they could figure out with their toes that the outbreak of this evil power was definitely related to that crazy tower.

Someone was using the power of that tower to cast Necromancy, which was regarded as taboo by the Holy See!

“This is the most thorough blasphemy against the Lord! It is harassment of all resting souls!” Auxiliary Bishop Troyes said indignantly. “How dare they! How dare they do such a thing in Paris!”

“Now is not the time for anger, Troyes.”

Archbishop Maurice calmed his emotional colleague. Although his expression was serious, his eyes were unusually calm.

He turned around and ordered a chief priest behind him:

“Go, summon all members of the clergy! Priests, deacons, acolytes… not one less! Tell them to be prepared!”

“Prepared?” The chief priest was stunned.

“Yes, be prepared… I hope these preparations won’t be used in the end.”

Although the chief priest was full of doubts, he didn’t ask more.

Regarding the Archbishop’s order, all he had to do was obey unconditionally.

He bowed slightly to Archbishop Maurice and Auxiliary Bishop Troyes, then quickly walked down the bell tower.

Soon, the melodious bells of Notre-Dame de Paris resonated throughout the Île de la Cité with a rapid and heavy rhythm, different from the usual prayer times.

All clergy members who heard the bells immediately put down their work and quickly gathered from every corner of the cathedral to the assembly square in the backyard.

Most of them had blank expressions, not knowing what had happened to cause the chief priest to ring the highest-level ‘alarm bell.’

Under the direction of the chief priest, several robust deacons worked together to open a long-sealed cellar in the backyard.

A smell of dust mixed with machine oil wafted out from the cellar.

Immediately after, heavy long wooden crates were carried out from the cellar by them.

“Pry them open!” The chief priest ordered.

The deacons struggled to pry open the crate lids with crowbars, revealing the items neatly arranged inside.

They were Berthier M1892 rifles.

These were standard weapons once… and still partially equipped by the Gallic Republic Army. Although they had now been replaced by more advanced models, for these clergymen in the capital of the Gallic Republic, these were the best weapons they could obtain most conveniently.

Other deacons opened another larger armory nearby.

On the racks of the armory hung chainmail and half-plate armor, polished to a shine, reflecting a chilling glint in the sunlight… as well as a faint, holy white light.

On the weapon racks to the side, rows of kite shields could be seen, as well as various flails and war hammers, plain in design but clearly heavy.

Finally, the chanting priest, along with several nuns, brought a large amount of holy oil and holy water from the sacristy.

They began the final consecration ritual for these weapons that might soon be used.

Watching the scene before them, the young acolytes gathered in the square were speechless with shock.

Many of them were learning for the first time that a small armory was hidden beneath this sacred cathedral.

While all preparations were proceeding methodically, Archbishop Maurice and Auxiliary Bishop Troyes also walked down from the bell tower and came before the crowd.

Looking at the clergy with varying expressions in the square, Archbishop Maurice’s face showed no superfluous emotion.

He just stood quietly until everyone’s gaze was focused on him and the entire square fell silent, then he spoke slowly.

“I know your hearts are now filled with doubt and confusion.”

“You ask, we are servants serving God, why should we pick up weapons? We are messengers spreading the Gospel, why should we prepare for battle?”

“Because just now, an evil force blaspheming God and harassing souls has awakened in this city, in the ground beneath our feet.”

Archbishop Maurice’s words caused a suppressed cry of alarm in the square.

“Someone is trying to awaken those who should be resting in peace from their slumber!”

“They want to turn this city protected by the Lord into a city of death!”

“This war was originally a dispute between mortal nations. We had no intention nor power to interfere.”

“But now, when the actions of these blasphemers become intolerable to us, we can no longer remain silent!”

His voice began to turn high-pitched and impassioned.

“Our Lord taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to have mercy on the world… but He also wielded a whip to drive out the merchants trading in the temple!”

“Facing evil, blind concession and tolerance are not mercy, but indulgence!”

“Tonight might be the ‘Night of the Dead’ mentioned in ancient prophecies.”

“When the dead crawl out of their graves, when darkness shrouds the earth… someone must stand up and light the torch that dispels the darkness!”

[Translator’s Note]

Check my another translation project:
Title: Bloodstained Soldier. On Yuanling Planet, due to a food and oil crisis, the various nations that had not experienced large-scale war for a hundred years suddenly erupted into conflict. Tens of billions of civilians were swept into the war. As an Earthling, Hu Hao transmigrated for the second time. He originally intended to travel the world, but war broke out instead.