Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 258 The Vatican's Foundation

When Eck arrived at the Vatican, the Holy See was already prepared.

They dismissed the ordinary people in the Vatican, including tourists, the vast majority of the papal guard, and many priests and bishops. Even the Pope temporarily left through a secret passage and was protected by the Italian Ministry of Magic.

Standing before the only passage into the Vatican, Ike's path was blocked by twelve papal guards clad in gleaming silver armor, wielding shields and spears. Their armor was so bright, occasionally flashing with a silver light, it was clearly a masterpiece crafted by fairies.

"Halt! Intruder!" One of them stepped forward, pointing his spear at Ike and shouting.

Ike remained silent, drew his wand, tapped it on the briefcase to shrink it, then put it in his pocket. He then swung it forward with a sudden motion, and towering flames appeared out of thin air, crashing down on the people.

"Defend!" With a shout, the twelve men simultaneously raised their shields in front of them. A strange magical fluctuation swept through, forming a huge silver shield in the air. Flames struck the shield, crackling and popping, and obvious cracks appeared on its surface.

"Click, click..."

The guards gritted their teeth, barely managing to keep their shields intact. However, Ike, who had no interest in playing a turn-based game with these guys, seized the opportunity and unleashed another Divine Strike, easily shattering the silver shield. The raging flames instantly engulfed them.

Without pausing, Ike flicked his sleeve, and a passage appeared in the flames. Amidst the pitiful cries of the guards, he quickly passed through and arrived at St. Peter's Square.

The square was deserted, with only the massive stone column, brought from Egypt in 40 AD, standing alone in its center. Ike glanced at it briefly, then continued on his way without slowing down, heading straight for the Vatican Palace.

From afar, he could already see the five people guarding the palace gate.

They wore only a white robe, revealing their right arms, and their hair and beards were white. They were also barefoot, standing on the steps in front of the Vatican Palace, each holding a long wooden stick with something wrapped around its tip that emitted a soft white light.

"Bang!"

Ike stopped at the bottom of the steps, but the five men stepped forward in unison, slamming their wooden sticks on the ground with a synchronized sound.

"The successor of the Dark Lord, leave this place immediately!" the old man in the center said in a low voice, but it was clear enough to reach Ike's ears.

"Hand over what you took from the wizards, and I will leave!" Ike pointed his wand at the old man who spoke, his tone resolute.

"heresy!"

Upon hearing this, the old man shouted, then raised the wooden stick in his hand. The tip of the stick shone brightly, and a huge white light shot straight towards Ike.

Ike didn't recognize the magic, assuming it was unique to the Church. He swung his wand upwards, and a golden beam of light shot into the sky, directly blocking the attack. At the same time, he extended his left hand, creating a double layer of protection: a silver light shield and a white barrier, as a precaution.

In mid-air, the beams of light collided violently. In an instant, the golden beam gained the upper hand, propelling the white beam rapidly toward the five elders. The elders, of course, would not sit idly by and wait to be killed. Two of them also raised their long staffs, and the two beams of light, which also emitted a bright white glow, instantly merged into them, causing the golden beam to stop.

The remaining two didn't watch the show either. They lifted their robes, brandished long sticks, and rushed down the steps, still shouting "heretics."

"when!"

The long staff struck the defenses in front of Ike almost simultaneously, creating a small crack in the blow. Ike glanced at it coldly, took a step forward with his right foot, and a golden, mysterious magic circle suddenly appeared beneath his feet. The immense force instantly sent the two men flying.

Taking another step forward, the magic circle rapidly expanded. With five fingers spread open and stretched forward, a sharp tug was made, abruptly stopping the two flying old men in mid-air before they crashed down behind Ike at an extremely fast speed.

After two muffled thuds, the two old men fell to the ground beside the stone pillar in the center of the square, while the long sticks in their hands landed lightly at Ike's feet.

He glanced down at it, then hooked the long stick with his foot and it landed in his hand. In just one glance, he recognized what was wrapped at the top—it was mithril, but the material of the stick itself was quite interesting; he had never seen it before.

The three elderly men who were still holding on watched helplessly as the long stick in Ike's hand shrank and he put it back into his pocket, a scene that put even more pressure on them. They could hardly imagine that all of this was done while Ike was still in a stalemate with them.

The gap is larger than imagined.

After putting away the wooden stick, Ike turned his attention back to the three people who were still persisting on the steps. With a slight flick of his right wrist, countless golden threads emerged from the tip of the staff, spinning along the pillar of light and attacking the white pillar of light opposite.

In the blink of an eye, the golden threads wove neat patterns on the surface of the white pillar of light, and strands of white light were stripped away and fell into Ike's hands along the golden threads.

"I see..." As soon as he got his hands on the white light, Ike understood the principle of this magic. It was quite similar to the Guardian Charm, except that what drove them was not a happy emotion, but their piety towards the so-called "god".

"Is this all you've got? Not all that great..." With that, the wand waved lightly, and the golden threads immediately increased dramatically, dismantling the old men's magic in the blink of an eye. At the same time, the mysterious golden magic circle beneath their feet also encompassed them.

With a gentle flick of the wand, a dozen golden threads bound the three men in mid-air. Ike slowly approached, snatched the long staff from the old man's hand, and asked, "What is this made of?"

"Heretics! The Lord will punish you!" the old man roared, his eyes wide. The other two did the same, speaking loudly in a language Ike couldn't understand. There was no need to try to understand; their words were certainly not pleasant. Ike had no patience to waste any more time with them. He simply snatched the long sticks from their hands, shrunk them, and put them in his pocket.

It's just something that will cause a little trouble later; we'll find out sooner or later.

With a wave of his hand, the three of them were violently thrown against the stone pillar by the golden threads, following in the footsteps of their companions and immediately losing consciousness. Ike removed the magic circle beneath his feet, and, protected by the protective barrier, walked into the Vatican Palace, the residence of the Pope since the fourteenth century.

Upon entering the palace, one is greeted by a spacious hall. After passing through a magnificent door inlaid with gold thread, there is a spiral staircase leading to the top floor. There are also three large doors on the wall, one of which is open, revealing a huge cross at the very back of the room.

Stepping inside, he found himself in the world-famous Sistine Chapel, its ceiling adorned with Michelangelo's masterpiece, "The Creation of Adam." After a quick glance, Ike left; he found nothing of interest.

Ike quickly searched the Vatican Palace but found nothing. There were no magical items or magical fluctuations; it was just an ordinary residence.

He walked out with a cold face, looking at the five old men still lying quietly beside the stone pillar in the center of the square. He waved his hand, and the remaining old man, carrying a long staff, put it in his pocket. He walked over, took out his wand, and tapped it on the head of one of the old men, softly saying:

"Enticing the mind..."

Ike quickly searched for useful information, but everything he saw and heard in the old man's mind seemed veiled, as if some force was protecting those secrets. After a cursory glance, he grew somewhat annoyed and, in a fit of rage, decisively broke through the defenses.

Just then, Ike suddenly awoke from Legilimency and looked solemnly at the Vatican Palace, which he had only just emerged from.

There, a powerful magical aura emanated, and soft white light shone through the doors and windows. Recalling the fleeting glimpse he'd just seen in the old man's mind, Ike already knew what it was:

The Vatican's last line of defense—an "angel".

(End of this chapter)