Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

One hour later.

The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

Beneath Michelangelo's colossal fresco "The Last Judgment," the air is so heavy it's almost tangible.

More than thirty cardinals from around the world, dressed in crimson clerical robes, gathered here.

They are the highest decision-making body of the Catholic Church and the spiritual pillar of 1.2 billion believers.

At this moment, everyone's face was filled with solemnity and unease.

The Pope stood directly below the fresco, his aged body appearing somewhat small in the face of the magnificent scene of judgment, but the golden scepter in his hand exuded an undeniable majesty.

"Gentlemen."

The Pope's voice was not loud, but it resonated clearly in every corner of the church.

"I have summoned you all here to inform you of something."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each of the cardinals present.

"Joan of Arc, the one who called herself the 'Judge,' has not left."

"She is in the Vatican right now."

This statement was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

The scene erupted in uproar.

"What?"

"That's impossible!"

"Your Majesty, are you sure? Could this be some kind of scam?"

The heated discussion, like the buzzing of a swarm of bees, instantly filled the entire space.

A white-haired, gaunt-faced Italian bishop suddenly stood up. He was Cardinal Bellamino, the leader of the conservatives.

Bellamino pointed in the direction of the Pope with a trembling finger, her voice sharp and agitated.

"This is the devil in disguise! It's a harbinger of the end times!"

"A heretic sentenced to be burned at the stake by the Church has now descended upon us as a saint? This is the most vicious mockery of our faith!"

He turned to his colleagues and spoke vehemently.

"We must use the sacred relics sealed by the Vatican to exorcise her! Immediately! Right now! We must completely purify this demon, disguised as a miracle, from the Holy City!"

"I agree with His Excellency Bellamino's view!" another Spanish bishop echoed. "The Bible foretold that at the end times, false gods will perform great miracles to deceive the chosen people. We must not be deceived by appearances!"

The conservative cardinals were in a frenzy, as if they were about to rush out and fight the "devil" to the death.

"madness!"

A cold shout interrupted their clamor.

A young bishop from Germany, Michel, stood up.

He is a representative figure of the reformists.

Michelle's eyes were sharp as she fearlessly met Bellamino's wrath.

"Miracle? Demon? What's the point of arguing about these things?"

"Friends, open your eyes and look at this world! Faith is crumbling, the younger generation has long since revered science, and our churches are becoming increasingly empty!"

Michelle opened her arms, her tone filled with urgency.

"And now, a living, breathing 'extraordinary being,' witnessed by the entire world, has descended! This is God's response to this lost age! It is a golden opportunity to revitalize faith!"

"We should embrace her and proclaim God's existence to the world, instead of clinging to outdated doctrines and shutting out this divine gift!"

"Embrace a heretic? Michel, are you insane!" Bellamino roared.

"That's better than sinking with the rotten dogma!" Michelle retorted.

The two sides were locked in a heated argument, and the entire church turned into a fierce debate arena, filled with angry roars and accusations.

Just then, a voice that had been silent all along slowly rang out.

That was a cardinal from South America, Rossi.

His skin was dark, his eyes deep, and he possessed a calm that came from years of experience.

"Gentlemen, please forgive my bluntness."

Rossi's voice wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone.

"Does it really matter whether she's a god or a demon?"

He looked around at everyone and asked a question that struck at the heart of the matter.

"We witnessed everything that happened in Tokyo. Is the power that so easily destroyed a city something we mere mortals can contend with?"

"Use sacred relics? Even if those legendary items are truly effective, do we even have a chance to get close to her? Even if we successfully banish her, then what? How will the world view us? An ignorant and incompetent ancient organization that defines 'miracles' as 'demons'?"

There is only one choice.

Rossi's gaze fell on the Pope, and he spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Go along with her."

A long silence fell over the entire room.

Rossi's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing everyone's illusions and anger.

Yes.

Revolt?

What can we use to resist?

After listening to everyone's opinions, the Pope showed no emotion on his wrinkled face.

He slowly raised the golden scepter in his hand.

Boom!

The base of the scepter struck heavily on the cold marble floor.

The dull sound echoed in the church, striking the hearts of everyone present.

All the arguments came to an abrupt end.

The Pope spoke slowly and deliberately, in an unquestionable tone.

"I have personally verified the sanctity of the 'Saintess'."

His gaze swept over Bellamino and the other conservative bishops like a hawk.

"Any questioning of her is tantamount to questioning me personally."

"To question the Pope is to question the authority that God has bestowed upon him!"

This statement announced the final verdict.

Bishop Bellamino's face turned ashen instantly, and he slumped back down in despair.

He knew that everything was already set in stone.

The Pope did not look at him again, but turned to give orders to his secretary.

"In my name, immediately draft a 'New Century Pope's Proclamation'."

"We will proclaim our resolution to the 1.2 billion believers worldwide."

...

Three hours after the meeting ended.

At the same time, the Vatican's official website published a "New Century Pope's Proclamation" personally signed by the Pope in dozens of languages, including Latin, English, Chinese, and Spanish.

The announcement was short, but the very first sentence was enough to send shivers down the spines of the entire world.

"The war foretold by God has now come to earth."

This announcement was like a nuclear bomb detonated in a sea of ​​information.

Within ten minutes of its release.

All major global news media outlets, from CNN to the BBC, from Al Jazeera to NHK, suspended their regular programming.

On the screen, only the shocked and serious faces of the news anchors from various countries remained, along with the full text of the Vatican's announcement on the backdrop behind them.

The Western world was instantly plunged into a massive religious fervor and social upheaval.

New York, London, Paris, Berlin...

Countless believers poured into the streets from their homes, gathering in front of churches and in squares, kneeling in prayer or chanting the name of the saint, creating a scene of fervor and chaos.

In a very short period of time, governments of many countries urgently declared a state of public safety in their cities, and large numbers of military and police personnel were deployed to the streets to maintain order.

The order of the entire civilized world teetered on the brink of collapse within those few short hours.

Rome, inside a penthouse suite of a luxury hotel.

Jiang Ming stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of red wine, looking down at the ancient city below, which was boiling with fervor.

In his mind, on the panel of the [Fate Selection System], the number representing the emotional value was jumping wildly at an unprecedented speed.

Ninety-eight million...

Ninety-nine million...

One hundred million!

One hundred and one million...

The numbers easily surpassed the "small goal" threshold and are still rising at an alarming rate.

Jiang Ming watched all this with a satisfied smile on his lips.

Just then, a voice devoid of any emotion rang out behind him.

It is Mirror Doll No. 2.

"My Lord, according to global network data monitoring, the total search volume for the keywords 'how to become a Master,' 'how to obtain Command Seals,' and 'rules of the Holy Grail War' increased by 370,000 times within thirty minutes after the Vatican's announcement."

"There are over 100,000 bounty posts on all dark web forums worldwide offering to purchase high-value myths and historical documents."

"Preliminary data model analysis indicates that at least ten million high-net-worth, highly motivated individuals worldwide are actively seeking ways to become participants."

As Jiang Ming listened to the report, he gently swirled the red liquid in his glass.

He knew that he had personally opened Pandora's box.

Ambitious people, schemers, outlaws, and ordinary people yearning to change their fate have all been mobilized around the world.

The stage is already set up.

The audience is all in place.

It's time to bring in a new actor to add fuel to the fire of this grand drama.