War of the Holies

by Artemio Saguinsin

  A hundred years war between France and England was the worst and lengthy power struggle that occurred in Europe and eventually the war ended with the defeat of France’s first Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in the Battle of Waterloo.

  Succeeding world wars jolted the world as nations progressed in science and technology. There were several changes in the modern world as advancement in society continued to its unprecedented progress. However, the growth of humanity was being paid off by the growth of warfare.

  Many nations had been destroyed and impoverished by the show of modern weapons of man and this was aggravated by the frequent occurrences of natural disasters.

  Lucien’s casket under the sea was salvaged by a group of Buccaneers who dropped their anchor randomly into the site.

  “ We got a big catch today! “ said one Buccaneer.

  “ Unusual catch ever. It could be a treasure ! ” the second one said

  “ It’s a casket full of treasures really “ the Captain sighed.

  They cut off the chain surrounding the moss-coated casket and began pouring in some water and made some scrubbing until the original color became visible.

  “ Now we get what it really is “ the third pirate said.

  “ Wait. Are we really sure it’s a treasure?” asked the Captain.

  “ Why don’t we try uncovering it” he replied.

  “ Don’t be in a hurry. Haste makes a waste. We might be wrong. It looks like a real coffin. There might be somebody inside.“ the Captain said.

  “ Why don’t we see it. Anyway, if it’s a cadaver we throw it away. But if it’s a treasure, we celebrate” said the third Buccaneer.

  “ Nothing to lose nothing to gain . No harm in trying” the fourth one said.

  “ Try to check and study the casket. It looks like extraordinary made. It must have been from a hundred years old kingdom and obviously valuable .” The Captain continued.

  “ Yes, it looks like an oak wood and steel-molded alloy.” the second one said.

  “ Just leave it behind until I tell you” the Captain instructed.

  In the night the floating water craft was disturbed by the storm. The crew struggled the hostile weather and violent waves to save the casket. Unfortunately, the casket was tossed by the strong lashes of a violent wave and struck the post that caused it to give way. The sight of Lucien’s chained -skeleton appeared and was cast out from the coffin while the ship’s crew were ready to abandon ship when the ship was seen failing. When the storm subsided, the ship’s crew began to fix the mess. The Captain with two others rushed to look after the casket.

  Behind its quirky appearance, Lucien’s skeleton was enthralled by the marvelous spiritual occurrence. The shackles were unlocked and unchained.

  “ Rise, Lucien, Rise “ a quirky voice commanded.

  The skeleton began to move and by its wonder human flesh contained the bones until it became a complete human being, however, its oddity was distinct from a natural one. It appeared to be a risen Lucien.

  “ You have risen, Lucien. You will go to conquer humanity and the whole world. You will be called Lucianus.” the eccentric voice said.

  “ Yes, master” he replied.

  “ My spirit is now with you. Now, go. “

  The naked Lucien went his way as commanded by Satan. He slew a crew of the ship and put his clothes on. The Captain and the others were anxious to find him until finally they discovered the empty casket in the corner of the ship. They found the slain body of their colleague.

  “ There is something in here ! We have an enemy” the Captain warned.

  They armed themselves and started to hunt for the culprit. Another crew cornered him and fired a shot but failed. The other eight crews including the Captain approached him and posed to attack him.

  “ What are you ?” the Captain asked.

  Lucien’s sharp eyes stared with enthrallment at him and said… “ I am your master now and you will be my followers”

  They fired at him ceaselessly as he cast them the dead body of one of their crews. Bullets caused him holes in the body but healed instantly. They were amazed and began to back off .

  “ Stop ! You won’t escape. Follow me and you will stay alive” he asked them.

  The Buccaneers held back and took a second thought.

  “ What’s the deal ?” the Captain asked.

  “ You will live prosperously when you come and follow me. I will give anything that you want in life” he offered.

  The Captain smiled and nodded with his men.

  “ Deal “ he said.

  They were the first followers of Lucianus who went to different places to fish for men as he showed them signs and wonders in the presence of the crowd. He would hold a vicious and venomous snake without being harmed. He would heal the sick and made the cripple walk while in some occasions he would perform mysticism and would amaze to tell an individual’s dilemma.

  To convince a blurred insight of the spectators, he would create dark clouds of rain and a turbulent whirlwind and sorts of amazing make-believe scenario to flaunt his magical powers. The witnessing spectators would only sigh their insight about his magical depiction of occultism.

  “ That’s apparently a devil’s work. Stay away from him”

  “ That’s something new and amazing !”

  “ That’s incredible ! Who do you think could do that !”

  Eventually he established his group called, Global Covenant Church. They went to US and met Pastor Swanson during the time of extreme economic crisis and tried to convince him. He showed him his wonders that Swanson was scared and astounded of.

  “ Don’t be scared Swanson. I know your motive for preaching the gospel.” Lucianus stared at him with conviction.

  “ What is it ?” Pastor Swanson curiously asked.

  “ Your finances cannot suffice the needs of your wives . Am I right ?”

  “ You are an accuser without basis.” He replied.

  “ You have been leading your members to draw their wealth in your favor because of the present crisis as you preach the end of the world is at hand. “ Lucianus added.

  “ Yes. And I am preparing them for the coming end.” He insinuated.

  “ And you are leading them to your tunnel somewhere in Californie.”

  “ Yes. The tunnel would be our safe haven when the scourge from heaven comes” he continued.

  “ What will you do with their wealth drew in your favor when the world is finished ?” Lucianus asked.

  Pastor Swanson paused for awhile and trying to escape from the question that cornered him at that point blank.

  “ Swanson, there is nowhere you can go but the path and motive are the same. “ Lucianus sighed as he glanced with a sarcastic smile.

  “ Alright, Lucianus what’s the deal for me?” he asked.

  “ You will get what you want in my assembly. The wealth of this world. “ Lucianus said.

  “ Really ?”

  “ As I said.” He replied.

  Pastor Swanson’s dim face became lighter and visibly joyous by a glistening deal. He could not say a word but an outburst of laughter.

  “ But wait, Swanson “ Lucianus held him

  “ What is it ? “

  “ Your soul is mine “ Lucianus said.

  Pastor Swanson paused with a pondering thought. “ Okay, deal”

  Soon, Swanson became his ardent follower and went with him wherever he was told to sow their faith. In one of Lucianus’ crusades in France in the midst of turbulence, he met father James Canuto in a rehabilitation center.

  He offered him the same deal but Canuto was so objectionable upon discerning that his spirit was of the devil. Father Canuto was hostile that he even drew out his spiritual skills to drive out demons from Lucianus.

  “ Your skills and knowledge won’t change things from me, Canuto” he said.

  Canuto was astonished by the strange power that he had. Again, he tried the power of his intercessory prayer spontaneously sprinkling
the so-called holy water but failed to move Lucianus.

  Lucianus laughed at him and showed him a quirky power that he never thought would shake him. He was lifted in the air and helplessly struggling to go down. When Lucianus released him he scampered out of the center and fatally leapt into the ground. Later, while his cohorts were deployed to gather more allies, Lucianus went to Rhome to settle while he planned to take the Vathikan City, the parliament, the government and become the Pope that would lead the world to the path of his religious creed.

  21

  Now, Pope Justinianus have you realized that the world is under my dominion now ? You are nowhere to go but to be part of my realm” he said.

  “ You are the beast of the end time “ said Pope Justinianus as he grappled his breath.

  “ Now you know, you should be one of my cohorts “

  “ I would rather die than see my soul in the lake of fire with you !” he replied.

  “ Then, see your gradual death by starvation “ Lucianus said.

  Pope Justinianus was thrown down to his cell of captivity and did not receive any meal nor a drop of water for a week until his body gave up. He was buried at the back yard of the assembly hall and since then nothing was heard of the Pope.

  Lucianus monitored the movements of his cohorts from the different parts of the world through communication satellite as he was being updated of the current situations from those regions. While economic recession continued to bring down desperate third world countries, people’s agony was even more intensified when natural catastrophe struck several regions causing loss of lives and damage to properties.

  Earthquake was frequently jolting many parts of the world, shaking and moving apart roads, barriers, mountains, plains and habitable parts of the earth. Then, followed by drought that even prevented farm, mountain and hill dwellers from planting crops that caused regional food shortages .

  Nations were clamoring for economic and political reforms for failure to fight poverty from their respective government triggering massive street demonstrations affecting educational institutions in cities and counties that incited starved- defiant citizens and agitators from all sectors of society to participate in mass actions that mostly ended up in violence and anarchism.

  In New York City, simultaneously in prime capital cities of the world, electronic billboards in high rise buildings would flash Lucianus’ satellite broadcast appealing to the Heads of States and other religious groups to unite with him and be governed by him in battling the unprecedented plague of poverty and loss of lives and property that continued to creep like a destructive fire in many parts of the world.

  Lucianus would initiate a courtesy call to Brittania, Amerika, Canada, China, Russia and Japan Heads of States to re-open their doors to re-establish economic and diplomatic relations with the third world countries that belonged to the family of the Vathikan States. China and Russia since communist Reds did not heed and would turn down the plea of Lucianus, however, Brittania, Amerika, Canada and Japan were reluctant since they used to be dominant empire with commonwealth of nations and were once powerful countries in the world. Lucianus summoned his military advisers and strategists to take action on the stern refusal and insulting remarks of China and Russia prompting the former to stage a provoking action.

  He ordered the deployment of professionally-trained mercenaries to blockade and divert the shipments of cargoes going to Russia from China to France and Italia killing defiant crews of the cargo vessels and robbing its goods for consumption. They set the vessel on fire that caused it to capsize. China’s President suspected Lucianus as the perpetrator of a blazing disaster in the seas. A radical group which was organized in Italia claimed responsibility of the disaster since it was affiliated with Lucianus’ organized group. Universal Vathikan Church sent a letter of regret of the disaster in which China’s President Liu Xia Chang discarded with enmity.

  There was no further investigation and intervention by neutral states at that time prompting China to send a retaliatory action to the crime. A five-men assassin team was sent surreptitiously into Italia to vindicate their dead ones. However, prior to the perpetration of the crime in the international waters Lucianus already prepared his occult warriors for the intruders.

  At the Airport, a five-men assassin team in disguise of traders went their way in a renown Italian hotel. The occult warriors tasked to track down their activity peeked at the collaborators arms’ deal with them. In the hotel, the fatal scheme for Lucianus was being carefully plotted by the five-men team. In the night before the day that was set to assassinate Lucianus on his way to the parliament, the five-men assassin team struggled hard with the occult warriors in different places that they were not even able to get back to their position at the roof top of the buildings to wait the assassin’s day.

  The gruesome death of the five intruders was announced to the world and it reached the knowledge of the Chinese President who was so mad of the fiasco. Chinese government kept silent of their failure and thought of the same vindication by the Vathikan.

  “ No we will not retaliate as they did. We will just wait for the right time for them to compensate” Lucianus said.

  Russia did not make any comment at all since they realized that it would not pay them back good while their nation was in economic distress. Amerika and Brtinnia had been experiencing economic downfall for years that they had to help each other to recover without yielding to Vathikan States dominion over them. Britannia still wanted to show the world that they were the same powerful empire that once dominated many nations during the age of colonization but later lost them and now an alter ego of former colonies exhibiting its armed forces to preserve its reputation.

  Apparently, the Vathikan States was now the most powerful and prosperous country of the world where the wealth of the churches of its family of nations all over the world were being remitted and credited in the account of Lucianus.

  Since the empire of wealth continued to grow at its highest level, the non-alliance countries continued to experience unbearable economic difficulty ever, Lucianus fortified his armed forces in all his dominions acquiring all the sophisticated and advanced weapons that were developed on earth for the Vathikan States and deploying them to its family of nations in order to conquer and dominate other unyielding countries that were incapable of defending its states due to economic distress. France as its closest ally would send them military support and training to conquer other non-allied countries.

  “ It’s time to conquer China by air “ Lucianus declared.

  The ailing economy of China enabled Lucianus to enter China and heavily pounded the great cities of the defiant giant State. China was a divided nation. The Armed Forces of China was still loyal to the government of President Liu Xia Chang that it was prepared to defend the country for their leader.

  Since China had occupied some disputed islands in the South China Sea particularly the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoals that were being contested by its neighboring countries in the Far East and were member-nations of the Vathikan States. Lucianus supported them with military reinforcements to confront China’s military.Soon the battle in those disputed Islands erupted. In a week’s time the disputed Islands were regained and occupied by the Lucianus forces prompting the crippled China’s military to retreat to the mainland China.

  Lucianus launched a massive military campaign to invade the mainland China with a scheme of taking the primary financial cities of Shanghai, Macau, Hongkong, and finally, the capital city of Beijing. China lost its support from other Red countries that were economically and militarily demoralized by its collapse as its leaders were signifying their interest of yielding to Lucianus.

  While Liu Xia Chang’s military loyalists kept resisting the Lucianus’ Armed Forces in the mainland, more lives were sacrificed in the ground, sea and air battles leaving towns and cities into ruins. Lucianus’ troops besieged cities and towns confiscating the wealth and livelihood of the inhabitants . Defiant citizens and loy
alists were executed while escaping the war-torn areas. Palace of the government was ransacked and destroyed while key men in the government fled in a haste from pursuing invaders. Lucianus’ troops and warriors immediately occupied key cities to establish their headquarters and worship centers.

  The President and loyal servants escaped by a private plane heading to North Korea. Soon, Lucianus organized a team to hunt down its President Liu Xia Chang who escaped to seek asylum from North Korea. Lucianus commanded his occult warriors to arrest the former Premier who was hiding in one of the rural areas in the North.

  The pursuit was initiated by hostilities between Lucianus’ troops and the loyalists in the battlefield where tanks and fighter jets were engaged with the powerful loyalists forces and allied forces of North Korea. However, the North Korean President restricted his Armed Forces to further engaged in a war against Lucianus’ forces seeing that they would only ended in a losing ground. The President was entrapped and since he was hostile along his military aides he was shot to death.

  When hostilities abated China became part of Vathikan States. Ruins would take some time to be re-structured and the fallen cities to rebuild. Fallen soldiers were buried in mass grave while innocent civilians went to rural areas to restart a new life. The nation was obliged to abide by the rules of the Vathikan States, likewise, they had to embrace the creed of the cult and failure to embrace the doctrine would be executed.

  As time passed by, living, trading, religion and all sorts of convenience and pleasant activity of the people under the dominion of the Vathikan States became even tighter and had to be curtailed by Lucianus who didn’t want any kind of cults and occults to be founded anywhere before his very own .However, there were still several underground cults anywhere beyond his knowledge that emerged and founded by his adversaries that he instructed his spies to watch over and disband them all.