NOVPUB753: Chapter 749: The Black Joan of Arc (Please Subscribe, Seeking Monthly Tickets)
753: Chapter 749: The Black Joan of Arc (Please Subscribe, Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Witch, this was not the first time Joan of Arc had heard someone accuse her of this.
The last time someone had called her a witch was six hundred years ago; back then, it seemed someone from the Church, a so-called follower of the Lord, stood before her.
Joan of Arc was a believer, that was for certain.
She devoutly believed in God and, blessed by divine grace, became the Savior Holy Maiden of France, leading the French army to defeat the English and rescue the precarious state of France, nearly ending the Hundred Years’ War with England.
At that time, even the French Royalty specifically bestowed upon her a white banner adorned with fleurs-de-lis as her military standard, while the symbol of the French Imperial Family was a blue field with fleurs-de-lis.
What had transformed Joan of Arc from a country village girl into the hero who saved France were the angels that had appeared before her, as well as the will of God they brought with them.
Thus, up until her death, Joan had always been a devout believer, and no one, from her comrades-in-arms, to her village neighbors, or even the Inquisitors who tried her could make any accusation or criticism against Joan’s character.
Only that bishop, Pierre Cauchon, who was bribed by the English to serve as a judge, dared to distort right and wrong, taking advantage of Joan’s illiteracy to coerce her into signing a confession, tarnishing her as a witch and ultimately condemning her to be burned at the stake. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Six hundred years later, Joan of Arc, once again called a witch, seemed to recall the scene of her burning at the stake.
The executioner kept the flames as distant from her as possible, so that she would die in the most painful way possible, while that bishop who had smeared her as a witch cloaked himself in the red symbolizing holiness and episcopal authority, continuing to shout “burn the witch” amidst the crowd of English.
She firmly called upon the name of Jesus, hoping that an all-powerful God would save her, but in the end, no miracle appeared, and Joan of Arc was not saved.
She was burned to death within minutes, and after her death, the English displayed her body in an indecent manner, burned it a second time to ensure her death, and then scattered her ashes into the Seine River to prevent any possibility of her resurrection or anyone collecting her remains.
In the doctrine of the Catholic Church, burning at the stake was used to purify evil, and of course, witches purified by fire could obviously not ascend to Heaven.
Now, once again called a witch, the accusers remained followers of the Church, and they not only slandered her as a witch but also sought to kill both her and her only friend after six hundred years, igniting the hidden anger and resentment deep within Joan’s heart.
“If I truly am a witch, then let God himself strike me with divine punishment!” Joan finally cast aside her faith and mercy, summoning the white fleur-de-lis banner she once bore, and roaring aloud, “Unleash my rage!”
The flames of rage burst forth from Joan’s body, instantly igniting everything around her like a fire dragon.
The once pure white banner too was scorched black, and the formerly Holy Maiden was once again set ablaze.
In the midst of flames, a pitch-black Armor emerged from the fire, cloaking her body, while the Sword of Saint Catherine let out a mournful cry, in the flames, the once pure white Sacred Sword was scorched to pitch black, and a streak of blood appeared on its spine, mirroring the wounds Joan of Arc had once suffered.
The Witch Hunters and Paladins who came to capture her were swept away by the rage that had been building for six hundred years; although these Witch Hunters and Paladins were elite forces dispatched by the Holy See, before Joan of Arc’s fury, they were still instantly turned to ash, leaving only the Ascetic Monk who had seen the turn of events and summoned an Angel, along with the team-leading Witch Hunter and Paladin, who survived with the help of the Ascetic Monk.
But aside from the Ascetic Monk protected by the power of the Angel, the Witch Hunters and Paladins all suffered severe injuries.
“What blasphemy, this is a fall from grace!” the Angel summoned by the Ascetic Monk saw Joan of Arc transform and unleash her wrath, whereupon it immediately understood that the Holy Maiden before its eyes had truly fallen and become a witch.
And Joan of Arc, leaning on the flagstaff that had turned black, planted the standard into the ground, and after helping Gilles de Rais to his feet, she pointed the Sword of Saint Catherine, now a Demon Sword, at the Angel, “I once believed devoutly and steadfastly, yet I was defiled as a witch by the church’s bishop and suffered the ordeal of fire!
I harbored no resentment and still believed devoutly in God!
But six hundred years have passed!
Today you still slander me as a witch!”
The summoned Angel, unaware of what exactly had transpired, quickly gathered everything from the mind of the Ascetic Monk who had called it, and felt a surge of anger.
For an Angel, it was undoubtedly a great irony that a widely recognized and revered Holy Maiden should fall because of an accusation of being a witch.
This anger was directed at both the church and Joan of Arc.
The Angels are not the winged human forms that people commonly envision; those images came later, the result of religious iconography.
The Bible states Angels have no physical form, they are pure spiritual beings with superior intelligence and immense power, and are exceedingly holy.
Angels, being made of material as light as air, can shapeshift into any material form as needed.
While Angels are holy, they are also prone to pride and arrogance.
At this moment, the Angel, clearly influenced by its own anger, conjured a sword made of sacred radiance and pointed it at Joan of Arc, commanding her in a commanding tone, “If you are a devout believer, you should not have fallen!
You have strayed from the Lord’s teachings!
Kneel before me and confess your sins!”
“Hahaha!
Indeed, even the Angels behave thus, how could the church be anything but corrupt and foolish!” Gilles de Rais, watching the transformation of Joan of Arc and her conversation with the Angel, finally laughed with delight.
Though for Gilles de Rais, the Joan of Arc of his mind would always be the Holy Maiden who led them against the English invaders and saved France, at that moment he clearly preferred the witch before him who had unleashed her fury.
“Vile filth, how dare you insult the Lord’s follower!” Gilles de Rais’ identity as a Vampire and his words undoubtedly enraged the Angel, prompting it to furiously wield the Light Sword in its hand, intending to strike down Gilles de Rais on the spot.
Joan of Arc naturally would not stand by and watch the Angel kill Gilles de Rais; the blackened Demon Sword blocked the Angel’s path.
And at that moment, Gilles de Rais suddenly began to recite a passage from the Bible, driving the Angel almost to madness, “If someone injures Lamech, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold, and whoever slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seventy-sevenfold!
I am the son of Cain and Lilith, you shall not kill me!”
