With the Boya Empire's allied forces embroiled in internal strife, His Holiness Adam was able to focus all his energy back on the Papal State and on the escalating Vampire cholera outbreak.
The propagation ability of Second-Generation Vampire alone was not to be underestimated. Although the Third-Generation Vampire they gave birth to did not have the ability to propagate again, the Second-Generation Vampire were still developing their families day and night. The number of Second-Generation Vampire who ran away from Lino City was not small to begin with, and it was still possible to guarantee several thousand in total. With the crazy reproduction of these several thousand Second-Generation Vampire, their numbers naturally increased day by day, calculated at an average of three thousand Third-Generation Vampire per day.
This is only the growth index before Vampire advances to the next level.
With this unified advancement of all Vampire, the Third-Generation Vampire, who previously lacked the ability to reproduce, now possess it. This has caused their already enormous size to grow even larger, and their growth rate and magnitude are likely to increase significantly. This is why His Majesty Adam wants to quickly resolve the external situation so that he can focus on dealing with the Vampire within his own country.
Although the Church establishes the state based on its doctrines and compels all its people to believe in its doctrines, this does not mean that the Papal State are invincible.
On the contrary, due to its severe oppression and the allure of Vampire immortality, an extremely serious popular trend emerged in the Papal State: to become Vampire and gain eternal life!
Since God won't give us a happy life, let Vampire bring us one!
As the public became aware of the Vampire species, a new class began to emerge strangely within the Papal State: Vampire worshippers, whom the Church jokingly referred to as traitors.
These Vampire worshippers come from all ages and social classes. They gather together through various channels, offering sacrifices to Vampire in hopes of gaining their attention and joining the Vampire Vampire to achieve true immortality!
Many wealthy or powerful individuals even sold their assets to establish strongholds, thereby attracting like-minded people and increasing their numbers to draw the attention of Vampire.
As time went on, they even developed their own Church, their own culture, their own circle, and their own network of connections...
It's somewhat like a niche circle in modern society that doesn't show up in front of the public, developing secretly in the shadows of the city. Normal people might not understand the meaning of their symbols and guidelines, but those inside the circle can understand everything at a glance.
As these circles developed, Vampire actually joined them, indulging in the delicacies offered as tribute. They used this opportunity to make promises, specifying how many times they would offer tribute or what conditions they would have to meet to join the Vampire race. As this practice matured, a new term emerged: ' Blood Feast '.
The Blood Feast " roughly means that these small groups of followers organize a grand banquet, and after the arriving Vampire taste the food, if they are satisfied, they will transform the organizers of the feast into Vampire.
This gradually transformed Vampire, who were originally not even allowed to enter a doghouse in the Papal State, into a noble, mysterious creature that needed to be worshipped.
It is well known that during the Central Europe era, Europe elites had a penchant for expanding and elevating their exclusive circles. Examples include enemas, eating mummies, and drinking radium water...
As is widely known, all power in the Papal State is concentrated in the Church, and the so-called powerful and wealthy are nothing more than the families of Church members.
This resulted in these noblewomen and noblemen not having to bear any production or responsibility in their daily lives; eating, drinking, and having fun were their main occupations. This also meant that their beliefs were not very pure, making them typical marginalized groups.
This is the main reason why this niche circle is so popular in high society. Well-fed and well-clothed ladies and gentlemen, having nothing to do, want to go out with their friends, only to find that their friends are secretly doing mysterious things, and they think they are superior and that their class and affairs are far above their own. This makes these nobles who are unaware of this niche circle feel itchy and eager to know and join.
After being taken to a banquet, the initial fear of Vampire dissipated due to the sheer number of people in the circle. They were awestruck by the sophistication of the community, and the thrill of defying Holy See law and the self-righteous arrogance of these individuals made their otherwise dull lives incredibly exciting. And then...
As Vampire were artificially elevated to a noble pedestal, the practice gradually transformed from a niche interest into a pursuit of elegance, deeply loved by the nobility.
And this has become the foundation for the destruction of the Church!
The Papal State waged war for twenty-five years, and these Vampire were created by Abraham and released by Norton during the Church's conquests. This means that the Vampire community has been developing for a full twenty-five years.
Its current scale, reach, and even the depth of its aggression are truly alarming.
Over the years, His Majesty Adam has been juggling two tasks simultaneously, fighting against various countries abroad and arresting all sorts of Vampire organizations and eradicating Vampire at home. However, he has been exhausted from this constant struggle. Now that the outside world has finally freed up its resources, he is determined to completely expose the ugly facade of the powerful and thoroughly cleanse the entire Papal State!
In the year 2261 of the Catholic calendar, His Holiness Adam, the current Pope of the Holy Lord Empire, launched a grand ' Demon-Hunting Campaign.
They claim that Vampire are demons from Hell, used by Jonah, the Primordial God of Death, to break the seal.
Once humans become Vampire, they are completely cut off from Heaven and will be eternally condemned to an endless Hell after death!
All the souls of humans who have become Vampire have been imprisoned by Death. When Death breaks the seal, it will be the moment of destruction for all things!
While the Church's ideological education over the years may not be very effective for the upper echelons, it is extremely useful for the common people.
The primary reason why all the poor people can now passively endure the oppression of the Church is so that they can enter Heaven after death. But now that His Holiness the Pope has said that those who become Vampire will be eternally condemned to Hell and never be able to enter Heaven again, who would dare to become Vampire?
With the start of His Majesty Adam's ' Demon-Hunting Campaign,' the Holy See dispatched Werewolf Legion and Holy Knight to Church in major cities to help Church carry out a great purge of Vampire.
At the same time, Church across the country were called upon to offer large rewards for the heads of Vampire, in order to incite Vampire hunters in the public to hunt them.
In addition, major cities began to paint images of God on a large scale and hold frequent Mass in order to bathe in God's glory and cleanse the city of its filth ( Vampire ).
With the start of the ' Demon-Hunting Campaign,' the religious atmosphere within the Holy Lord Empire has become increasingly intense. Walking down the street, one can see clergy reciting Church scriptures and spreading God's light everywhere.
The Church entrance was bustling with people, as countless Vampire hunters came to the Church to claim their rewards for capturing and killing Vampire.
At the Church gates, stakes were often erected high to burn captured Vampire, thus cleansing the city of its impurities.
As time passed, His Majesty Adam toiled day and night, creating eighteen New Faith, which he ordered the Church to distribute widely. This fueled the growing hostility of the people towards Vampire. The Demon-Hunting Campaign did not gradually subside over time; instead, it intensified. Eventually, numerous cases of acquittals began to emerge, with many innocent commoners and nobles accused of having affairs with Vampire and tried by the Church, some even being burned at the stake...