Tyranny of Steel

Pope Julius sat on his throne with his head hanging low. By his side were the various Cardinals of the Catholic Church who knelt with equally depressed expressions. These men were the replacements of the previous College of Cardinals who were blasted to bits in a suicide attack that was commanded by Berengar.

The Papal crown glistened under the light of the sun as the Pope sighed heavily while gazing upon the ring on his finger. It was a golden ring from an ancient era, which depicted the rays of the sun. Truth be told, Julius did not know the exact origins of this primeval artificial, but it had been given to every Pope upon their ascension for the last thousand years.

According to what was written in the Papal archives about the ring, it was said to be imbued with the light of God to protect its wearer against any and all threats. He had worn it since the day he ascended to the throne, and it was thanks to this ring that he had survived Berengar's attack on the college of cardinals.

In truth, the ring was not an artifact of the Abrahamic god, but of the roman deity Sol. However, the Church did not realize this, and considered it a holy symbol of the Catholic religion. It was because of this that Julius kissed the ring before praying to his god for salvation.

News had reached his ears that the German Army, and their allies, had surrounded the Holy See. Rome's defenders had given up without a fight upon realizing the sheer might of the German Army, leaving the heart of the Papacy completely undefended. Any minute now, the Kaiser would walk into this room with his bodyguards, and force Julius to bend the knee.

Thus, the only thing the Pope could do now was pray to his god to deliver him from this evil. Unfortunately, the echoes of Berengar's steps resounded throughout the nearby corridor as he entered the Papal Throne Room, where Julius and the Cardinals lie still, too fearful to move. The one eyed Emperor entered the room with a cruel smirk on his face, flanking him where German soldiers who were prepared to apprehend the leaders of the Catholic Church.

Berengar was not dressed in a field uniform, instead he wore his Imperial Regalia, a golden chain which bore the cross of the Imperial Order of the House von Kufstein hung around his neck which symbolized the man as the Head of the von Kufstein Dynasty. Upon seeing Julius so frightened, Berengar cocked his brow and spoke to the man with a sinister tone in his voice.

"Here we are at last. The Kaiser, and the Pope, two mortal enemies who have been dancing upon the chessboard for years trying to outdo one another. If you don't mind me asking, I wonder how it is that you managed to survive my little gift? Please do entertain me. After all, we have so much time to spend together, and one way or another, I will pry the answer from your lips!"

Julius fiddled with the ring on his finger as he heard this question, which immediately caught Berengar's notice. The Kaiser merely scoffed as he walked forward. With each step, he made it resounded throughout the Papal throne room.

"Come now Julius, you have nothing to say to me after all this time? Since the age of twenty, I have had to deal with two different popes, both of which were fanatically devoted to orchestrating my death. Now that the walls are collapsing around you, you don't dare speak to me with such vitriol, is that it? Do you think I will spare you? No, I'm afraid not.

It is time for the Papacy to come to an end. Do not fret, I will usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for Europe. I have you to thank for that. If you hadn't compelled the entire Catholic World to attack me at the same time, I would not have been able to eliminate so many troublesome monarchs.

I'm afraid to inform you that this war won't end with your death, Julius. I will march my army into your subordinate kingdoms and place my puppets on their thrones. It would have taken me decades of political maneuvering to accomplish this without this little crusade of yours."

Julius continued to fiddle with his ring, hoping it would prevent his fate, and Berengar continued to notice this odd behavior. He sighed heavily before pulling out his pistol, where he aimed it at the pope's hand before pulling the trigger.

The moment the bullet reached the man's flesh, a bright golden light spread from the ring and enveloped him, which shattered the 9mm projectile the moment it impacted the force field. Berengar raised his brow when he saw this, before issuing a command to the soldiers by his side.

"Restrain Him! I want that ring!"

Julius panicked now that his trump card was exposed and tried to flee from the room. However, he was quickly surrounded by the German soldiers and was brought to the ground, where his arm was isolated. Berengar personally walked over to the man and stepped on his hand before taking the golden ring off of his finger.

Berengar carefully observed the ring for several moments where he noticed the Latin markings on it, and the sun's rays were were boldly carved in its center. It took merely a moment for Berengar to realize the true origins of the artifact.

The Kaiser scoffed before placing the ring on his finger. The moment he did so, a golden light shrouded his figure before vanishing from his sight. Despite the disappearance of the golden light, Berengar felt an overwhelming sense of security, as if there was a force field around him that nothing could penetrate through.

Berengar immediately broke out into laughter. Everyone in the room stared at him, petrified with fear, including his soldiers, as he continued to laugh maniacally. After a few moments of calming himself, he revealed the truth about the ring to Julius.

"It's too fucking funny... It really is! What did you think this ring was imbued with the power of your god? No, this is a pagan artifact, likely crafted by one of the ancient Roman sun gods to protect the Emperors. To think that the only reason the Pope is still alive is because the powers of a Pagan deity protected him.

It's ironic, isn't it? The sheer level of heresy, according to your faith, is astounding! Well, it's no use leaving such a powerful item in your possession. Consider this payment for all the headaches you have given me over the years!"

For the first time since Berengar had entered the room, Julius finally spoke. His eyes were filled with rage, which echoed in his voice as he screamed at his mortal enemy.

"You lie! That ring has been the property of the Church for at least a thousand years! You dare steal it! The wrath of God shall follow you into the ends of the earth for taking his property!"

Berengar merely scoffed when he heard this, however in the next moment he got a brilliant idea on how to deal with the Pope. After all, there was no point arguing with a fanatic about the origins of the ring. Berengar's lips once more curved into a malevolent smile as he approached the Pope, who was still pinned to the floor, and whispered in his ears.

"Shall we play a game, you and I? I have just thought of a brilliant way to determine how powerful your god really is! If he is truly omnipotent and omniscient as your Church claims, then surely he can save the life of his personal representative on earth and override the power of a pagan deity's artifact?

How about this? I will build a great pyre around us all. You, me, and all your little cardinals. The soldiers in my army, and the citizens of Rome, can bear witness to our little wager. As a representative of Sol, I will wear this ring which holds his power. While you and your Cardinals plea for your god to spare you from the fire and override the power of Sol so that I may perish.

Whoever emerges from the flames unscathed will be the victor to our whole conflict. What do you say? Are you ready to put your life on the line for your faith, like you have ordered thousands of women and children to do in Iberia?"

Julius snarled at Berengar. The level of confidence on the Kaiser's face was overwhelming. Especially now that he had the ring. There was little doubt in the Pope's mind that should he agree to Berengar's game, then he and his cardinals would be the ones to die in the flames. However, it was not like he had a choice, and he would rather put his faith in god, then that of a little ring. Thus, he gritted his teeth before agreeing to Berengar's duel.

"Very well... I will show you the true power of our Lord and Savior, a godless heathen like yourself shall burn in the fires of your own creation!"

Berengar broke out into laughter once again as he heard such resolve in the Pope's voice. Truly, he was a fanatic until the end. Thus, Berengar was proud to give the order which would prove to the world that God had forsaken the papacy.

"You heard the man, go build a great pyre. How about on the balcony of this very building? I will show the world that God has abandoned these fools!"

The German soldiers did not dare disobey the orders of their Kaiser, after binding the Pope and his Cardinals so that they could not escape, they were quick to get to work on the Pyre. Berengar was confident that the ring had sufficient power to protect him. Besides, it would be much more fun to eliminate the leaders of the Catholic Church this way, and that was what really mattered.