Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 320, Section 67: Bathing in Heavenly Grace

Clarence House.

William V sat at the head of the long table, trying to maintain his composure, but his restless fingers and frequent glances out the window betrayed his inner anxiety.

Prime Minister Reiner and the Interior Minister were giving him a briefing on the results of the recent bombing, as is customary.

Compared to the one in Japan, the British monarch still wields considerable power and influence within the established system, and in such an emergency, has the right to summon the Prime Minister for a briefing.

“Therefore, Your Majesty,” Reina said gravely, “we have tried all conventional military means, but with little or no effect. The most urgent task is to stabilize public morale and seek unconventional solutions.”

"Perhaps we could consider holding an emergency blessing service at Westminster Abbey."

The Home Secretary then added: "Your Majesty, the Vatican has reaffirmed that His Holiness the Pope will arrive in London tomorrow afternoon. He initially expressed a desire to depart immediately, but after consultations within the Vatican, it was determined that the British Museum posed a significant unknown risk. Out of concern for the safety of the Holy See, it was ultimately decided to postpone his departure by one day and bring several relics with him as a precaution."

William V took a deep breath and rubbed his temples: "I hope that the successor of St. Peter will bring more than just spiritual comfort."

No one can be sure about this, but subconsciously it feels like the Holy See, in this extraordinary world, must have some trump cards up its sleeve!
It's one thing to keep things hidden before, but now that Britain is facing a crisis on its own soil, which, by extension, means that continental Europe is also facing great danger, it's time to take action.

At this moment, they suddenly felt that they were part of Europe again.

However, they still believed that the troops from those European countries were of little use and were unwilling to give them the opportunity to enter Britain. In terms of military force, the US was enough to provide a safety net.

Unless a country suddenly claims to have some secret, extraordinary heritage, we wouldn't need to consider asking them for help.

William looked at the Prime Minister, his tone hesitant, "Rainer, do you think we need to temporarily relocate... to Windsor or Balmoral? Isn't it a bit too close to that thing here?"

Clarence House is only two kilometers away from the giant brain as the crow flies. Fortunately, there are buildings to block the view, otherwise you could see it directly from the window, which would make you feel uneasy.

Prime Minister Reiner pondered for a moment, then shook his head, his tone steady: “Your Majesty, leaving the heart of London now and traveling long distances by means of transport may be far more risky than staying here. Clarence House has the highest level of security, and the underground safe houses are sufficient to handle most emergencies. I believe that you staying here and commanding the overall situation based on a comprehensive emergency plan is safer and more conducive to stabilizing public sentiment than any form of relocation.”

The king seemed convinced, his expression relaxing considerably. He nodded slightly, and was about to ask something else.
Suddenly, without any warning, a dazzling pure white ball of light appeared in front of the window and then exploded, instantly illuminating the entire London night sky as if it were daytime.

The three people in the conference room were so shocked by the sudden change that they were speechless for a moment. They all looked out the window at the thing that looked like fireworks, and had not yet realized what was going on.

"Protect Your Majesty!"

The guards outside reacted the fastest. The conference room door was slammed open, and several fully armed guards rushed in. They didn't care about etiquette at all, and shouted as they dragged the still somewhat dazed William V from his chair and roughly shoved him under the heavy solid wood conference table.

"Get down! Everyone get down!" the captain of the guard shouted, shielding the king with his own body.

Reiner and the Interior Minister, knowing the situation was urgent, also crawled under the table.

Then they looked somewhat awkwardly at William, who was pinned to the ground, his face flushed.

Clang! Snap!

Before they could feel embarrassed for long, the special bulletproof glass window in the conference room, which was supposed to withstand rifle bullets, shattered instantly like a fragile piece of candy, sending countless shards of glass flying inwards and making the walls and furniture crackle.

The entire building shook, the chandeliers swayed, then flickered a few times before going out.

In the darkness, only the heavy breathing of people and the continuous sound of shards of glass falling to the ground could be heard.

A few seconds later, the emergency power came on, and the lights came back on, illuminating the mess.

William V was helped up from under the table. His face was ashen, and his wig had already fallen to the ground, but he didn't bother to pick it up.

He stared in shock at the shards of glass scattered on the floor and the wide-open window frame, his lips trembling, his mind racing with a jumble of thoughts, a chaotic jumble of everything.

This glass... wasn't it supposed to be bulletproof?! The last major repair was personally overseen by my father when he was still alive. These damned officials, they're even trying to embezzle money from my father!

If only I had known, if only I had insisted on holding the meeting at Buckingham Palace! No! If only I had stayed obediently in Windsor Park and never come here!

"Your Majesty! You must move immediately!" The Home Secretary was the first to recover from the shock, his voice trembling as he advised, "It is no longer safe here! Please proceed to Windsor Castle at once!"

Reina withdrew his gaze from the horrifying, apocalyptic scene outside the window. He forced himself to suppress the shock and tried to remain calm, retorting, "No! The situation outside is far more dangerous than here! Nobody knows what that is, and moving there, whether by air or land, is extremely risky!"

He turned to the King, his tone extremely serious: "Your Majesty, please activate the highest emergency plan immediately! You and all important personnel must immediately take refuge in the underground safe house! At the same time, order the troops to build a defensive position with Clarence Mansion as the core, and only consider whether to relocate after confirming that the external threat level has decreased!"

King William V took a few deep breaths and nodded slightly, somewhat dazed. "Yes, yes! Reiner, you're right! Don't panic, don't panic."

He looked at the equally pale-faced captain of the guard beside him: "Open the safe house and take us inside immediately! At the same time, notify all guard units to establish an emergency defense line as the Prime Minister instructed, and seal off all surrounding streets—"

The words have not yet fallen.

boom!
Another deafening roar came from very close by, and the ground could even be felt to tremble a second time.

Reina, who had been watching the window closely, saw what it was: a fireball that crashed onto the roof of the Queen's Chapel not far away, causing a violent explosion and a towering burst of flames.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" William V, who had just picked up his wig, was so frightened that he dropped it again. He completely forgot about royal dignity, and his voice changed. Surrounded by guards, he practically tumbled and crawled toward the entrance to the underground safe house.

"Wait for me!" The elderly Home Secretary jogged after him.

The entire Clarence House was instantly placed under the highest level of security, with alarms blaring all around.

If you looked up from a high point in Clarence House, you could see that many fires had broken out on the ground in the northeast direction, and the flames were so numerous that they almost connected with the remaining fires in the sky to form a burning necklace.

Even more alarming, many people began to appear on the streets covered in flames.

They seemed oblivious to the pain, howling and laughing wildly, setting fires everywhere, and some even charging towards Clarence House.

After the guards who were setting up the defenses issued a warning to no avail, they immediately opened fire.

Gunfire erupted immediately, and a barrage of bullets easily tore the bodies of the firemen apart, shattering them into pieces.

But those shattered, burning limbs and fragments seemed to possess a life of their own, attracting each other, crawling and merging, and in the blink of an eye, they coalesced into an even larger fire giant.

They continued laughing, marching forward, ignoring the bullets, and advancing relentlessly.

boom!
Heavy firepower and suicide drones are deployed.

The explosion temporarily halted the fire giant's advance, scattering it, but soon the fragments began to reassemble, engulfing other fire beings and growing even larger.

This is a vicious cycle.

The battle lines remained locked in a stalemate, with each side gradually retreating. Soon, St. James's Palace was approached by a large number of fire-bearers, who set the building ablaze. Clarence House was an annex to this palace complex, located in the southwest direction.

"Where are the fire trucks?! Why haven't our fire trucks arrived yet?!" The officer, who was retreating step by step, roared into the communicator, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Report! Several main roads leading here are blocked by collapsed debris, people, and vehicles! The latest batch of fire trucks has been stopped near Whitehall! They are setting up a defensive line there, but there are even more fires and monsters there!" The report came through the communicator.

"I don't care!" The officer completely lost his temper. "Tell them! The King and the Prime Minister are here! This is the highest priority, I don't care what methods they use! Clear the road, run them over! They must get to Clarence Mansion immediately to provide support! Otherwise, they'll all be court-martialed!!"

In his haste, he didn't even think that the fire brigade wasn't under the jurisdiction of the military court.

However, the troops stationed at Whitehall were far too audacious to stop the fire trucks that were supporting the King and the Prime Minister.

After roaring, the officer was panting heavily, his throat filled with the taste of blood. Just then, he suddenly felt a cool sensation on the tip of his nose.

He paused, then subconsciously looked up.

Another drop of coolness fell onto his burning cheek.

He quickly took off his gloves and stretched out his palm.

Sure enough, another drop of cold liquid fell into his palm, giving him a tingling sensation before spreading out and becoming damp.

rain?
Are they raindrops?!
The thought had just popped into my head when, snap!
A thick, pale white bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the dark sky, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.

Wow!
Like a celestial river bursting its banks, torrential rain poured down without any buffer.

The rain was so heavy that it almost instantly formed a white mist on the ground!

The miracle happened right before my eyes, amidst the blurry rain and mist.

Those ferocious and terrifying fire giants, which grew stronger with each battle, were instantly struck by the sudden downpour, as if they had been doused with strong acid, letting out extremely shrill howls.

The eerie, tenacious flames on their bodies quickly dimmed and died out.

Their massive bodies, as if their bones and muscles had been removed, scattered across the ground, curled up and twitching, no longer able to maintain their form.

As the flames died down, the faces of the ordinary fire people, which had been scorched like melting candles, slowly recovered under the wash of the rain, gradually revealing normal human facial features.

Not only these monsters, but some soldiers and guards who had been burned by flames or injured by explosions in the chaos also found that, as they were soaked in the rain, the pain in their wounds was rapidly reduced, and they began to itch and heal.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it seems that the mental fatigue caused by tension and fear is also being quietly washed away by the rain, and my mind is becoming clear.

The continuous lightning in the sky seemed to reflect the outline of a giant, overlooking figure in the dark clouds.

For a fleeting moment, Razer seemed to form a halo above its silhouette.

"This...this is..." The officer, who had been roaring just moments before, looked up, letting the cold rain wash over his face. He was initially incredulous, but then his face lit up with wild joy. He opened his hoarse voice and shouted, almost sobbing, "God! It's God! The Lord hasn't abandoned us! He hasn't abandoned London! God bless Britain!"

He slapped his face hard, trying to regain his composure as a commander, and shouted into the communicator: "All units, take note! Hold your positions with all your might! But do not let your guard down! Bathe fully in the grace of the Lord!" He couldn't think of any better words.

A horrific natural disaster that could have burned down half of central London was swiftly contained and extinguished by this sudden downpour.

This is certainly not a coincidence.

At the top of the Shard, Shin Higashiyama slowly lowered his outstretched hand.

As a player, Higashiyama Shin is perfectly reasonable to step in when faced with a level that other players struggle with. He might also add a little something to the Pure Silver Cup on the rain, to test how many people's faith he can sway to his side.

The heavy rain came quickly and went quickly. It lasted for less than ten minutes before the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped.

But those short ten minutes were enough to completely extinguish the spreading fire and purify most of the terrifying flames back to their original state. However, there was nothing that could be done about those pieces that had to be pieced back together.

Around this time, the heavy doors of the safe house, which had been closed underground for a short time, were carefully opened from the inside.

William V, Prime Minister Reiner, the Home Secretary, and a host of other important figures returned to the ground belatedly under heavy guard.

They first cautiously observed their surroundings, and only after confirming that there were no open flames or monsters did they breathe a long sigh of relief.

The commander of the guards rushed over, his face beaming with joy: "Your Majesty! It's absolutely true, this rain is a blessing from God! The wounded are healing, our fatigue has disappeared, and even my joint pain is gone!"

Upon hearing this, the important figures exchanged bewildered glances.

They had just heard the news at the safe house, but they didn't risk their lives immediately. They waited until the situation upstairs had calmed down before rushing out.

The Home Secretary instinctively reached out and caught the last few drops of rain dripping from the eaves, feeling their cool touch. He then glanced at the people in the distance, refreshed and drenched by the rain.
Then look at your wrinkled hands.

The Home Secretary, who was not young and suffered from chronic illness and the exhaustion of official duties, first showed extreme regret on his face, which then turned into a kind of painful envy and jealousy.

He rushed out from under the eaves, walked to the open ground, and let out a piercing howl:

"No—!!! Lord! Please bestow your grace upon your most devout believer, the one most in need of healing! I am your lamb!"

Under the stunned gaze of everyone, this Minister of the Interior, who was usually most particular about his appearance and dignity, suddenly threw off his clothes, pounced on the ground, and began to roll around wildly and without any regard for the puddles and mud! He was trying to use this method to coat his body with the last remaining grace of God!
William V and Rainer were dumbfounded.

Reina was the first to react. A complicated look flashed in his eyes. He pulled the king's arm and whispered, "Your Majesty, we can't worry about anything else now! This might be our only chance!"

William V looked at the Home Secretary rolling in the mud, then at the people around him who were radiant despite being soaked in the rain. His expression shifted, but he finally gritted his teeth and a resolute look appeared on his face!
A king's dignity? It's nothing compared to the possibility of divine grace and good health!
Without saying a word, he started unbuttoning his expensive suit, then his shirt and belt.
Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Reiner immediately followed suit.

Thus, on the lawn of the royal residence, which had just experienced a catastrophe and was still filled with the smell of gunpowder and dampness, an absurd scene that would be recorded in history unfolded.

His Majesty the King and his Prime Minister lay almost naked on the wet grass, rolling around vigorously, and occasionally directing the guards to collect the water and splash it on them, turning the lawn into a swimming pool.
Shinichi Higashiyama: "."

He felt like he had watched another episode of Peppa Pig.

The effects of the rain that has already fallen will dissipate quickly; there may still be a little bit left at this point, but not much.

He also had no interest in sending another rainstorm for them.

Opportunity always favors the prepared and lucky; clearly, their luck wasn't quite there.

(End of this chapter)