11 Chapter 11: Doctrine
The thunder roared, engulfing the entire realm of Jotunheim. The wind blew furiously, bringing forth a cataclysm. The lightning bolts striking the ground created explosions capable of easily destroying an entire city.
Random lightning bolts were annihilating the Jotuns. Thor swung his hammer, and with his swing, lightning split the earth and struck the Jotun army.
Despite the terrifying lightning, the Jotuns continued their assault on Thor, undaunted. For a while longer, Thor's wrath enveloped all of Jotunheim.
Finally, Thor arrived at the palace of the Jotun King. Sif stood behind Thor, gazing sternly at the palace. Her blonde hair swayed gently. Sif said in her graceful voice, "Thor, we have wasted too much time."
Thor seemed indifferent. His eyes looked unconcerned at the Jotun King's palace. "It doesn't matter. My father is in Asgard."
Sif sighed. "Still, it would be good if we hurried. The other Pantheons will try to take advantage if they realize we are weakened."
Thor raised his hammer and grinned. "If they make such a mistake, they will have to face my wrath."
Sif seemed impressed by Thor's confidence. She relaxed. She followed Thor into the palace.
Thor and Sif incapacitated many guards. Slowly, they reached the throne room. Thor raised his hammer. He pounded heavily on the door. With Thor's power, the door was completely shattered. Thor swung his hammer and struck the Jotun King standing before him with all his might.
The Jotun King could not withstand it and slammed into the wall. He spat blood, and his red eyes flashed with anger. "Cursed son of Odin!!"
"You never stop causing trouble for Asgard," Thor said calmly. The Jotun King seemed enraged by this. He stood up and hurled icy, sharp spears he created.
Before the icy spears could hit Thor, a white barrier blocked the attack. Sif calmly looked at the Jotun King. "Your efforts are meaningless. Surrender."
The Jotun King stood up. His eyes had turned into bloody pools of rage. "To do that, you must kill me first."
Thor grinned. He raised his hammer. "As you wish."
Thor hurled his hammer at the Jotun King. Before the Jotun King could flee, Mjolnir flew at great speed towards the Jotun King's massive body and shattered it.
The hammer pierced the Jotun King's stomach. Yet the Jotun King began healing. Thor raised his hand and summoned his hammer back. As the hammer was about to strike the Jotun King's back, the Jotun King fled. "Son of Odin! Do not try the same thing again!"
Thor grinned. In their previous battles, he had already pummeled the Jotun King countless times. The Jotun King did not even possess the strength to defeat Thor.
The Jotun King attacked Thor with his remaining power. He formed a sword in his hand. Then he began assaulting Thor. Thor swung his hammer and knocked the Jotun King back. Then Thor aimed his hammer towards the sky. The sky over Jotunheim was covered in lightning.
The Jotun King fell to his knees. He looked up at the sky in fear. The palace ceiling had been completely destroyed. With a trembling voice, he said, "Son of Odin! Even if you kill me, one day your father's enemies will destroy Asgard!"
Before the Jotun King could say more, a massive lightning bolt fell from the sky, reducing the Jotun King to ashes. Thor looked indifferently at the now half-destroyed great throne room. "It's finally over."
"Yes, it is truly over," Sif said calmly. Thor turned around and looked at Sif. "The Jotuns will engage in civil war amongst themselves for a while longer. They are no longer a threat to Asgard for some time."
"Well, it is time to return to Asgard." At Thor's command, Sif prepared a spell. Shortly after, a circle appeared beneath Thor and Sif's feet.
Thor and Sif disappeared from the Jotun King's palace.
*********
As soon as Thor and Sif arrived in Asgard, they headed towards the throne room. Many servants greeted Thor and Sif. After a while, they reached the throne room. When Thor opened the door, they saw Odin and Loki arguing.
Loki looked angrily at Odin. He seemed as if he wanted to kill Odin. "Odin, you will pay for this! How dare you imprison my daughter for no reason! Moreover, you make a deal with another God!"
"Hela was planning a rebellion. Loki, Hela's actions pose a threat to Asgard," Odin replied calmly, but his patience was wearing thin. No matter how angry Loki was, he could not treat the father of the Gods this way.
Loki stood there, fuming with rage. Loki stared at Odin for a while longer. Then, without saying anything, he left the throne room.
As Loki was leaving, he looked at Thor. Loki gave Thor a sly grin. Then he left. Thor went to Odin. "Father, what is Loki's problem?"
Odin sighed. After Loki left, Odin's mighty demeanor crumbled. He looked lovingly at his son. "You will learn about it later, Thor."
Thor nodded. He was not a curious one. "Father, I took care of the Jotuns."
"Well done, Thor," Odin nodded. Then he looked at Thor for a while. He was proud of his son. Odin continued in a calm voice, "With this, the Jotuns will not be a problem for Asgard for some time."
Thor and Odin continued to converse for a while longer.
*********
Ezekiel sat in his chair. He looked at Azazel standing before him with a somewhat tense expression. No matter how much Yahweh tried to build good relations, there was still tension between the three groups. Azazel's casual arrival at the Vatican had made Ezekiel tense.
"Will you not greet your uncle?" Azazel smiled. Frankly, he enjoyed his nephew's tense expression.
Ezekiel immediately stood up and greeted Azazel. "Sorry, Uncle. You know, I don't often encounter the Viceroy of the Fallen Angels."
Azazel looked at his nephew. Despite being over 60 years old, he still appeared to be in his 20s.
Azazel even sensed power close to a six-winged angel from Ezekiel. He would certainly become a six-winged angel in at least 10 years.
"Well Uncle, why did you want to see me?" Ezekiel asked curiously. There must be an important reason for Azazel to be here.
"Of course I came to see you. You are a very interesting child. The first child of a human and an angel," Azazel said with interest.
Ezekiel paused in astonishment for a moment. He immediately remembered that he had not offered Azazel any refreshments. "Uncle, would you like some coffee?"
"No, there is no need. I just want to stay here for a while. Of course, if you permit," Azazel said.
"Of course you can stay here, Uncle," Ezekiel said tensely. He did not want to anger an angel like Azazel.
Azazel and Ezekiel talked about simple topics for a while. After some time, the door opened, and a black-haired, bespectacled man entered. Azazel immediately realized that this black-haired man was the head of one of the three major Houses, the Angelus House.
Claude looked calmly at Azazel and Ezekiel. Then he looked at Azazel with a slightly respectful expression. "It is our pleasure to host the esteemed Viceroy."
Azazel's eyes widened slightly. He was a bit surprised that this man named Claude knew about him. "So you know about me?"
"The spies you sent to the Vatican told us a bit about you," Claude explained this simply. But this was not a simple matter. Azazel's spies were among the most powerful spies between the three groups.
Ezekiel seemed unaware of this, as well. Azazel grinned slightly. "You are a clever boy, aren't you?"
Claude and Azazel stared at each other for a while. There was tension in the air. Finally, Ezekiel had to intervene. "Claude, why did you come here? Is there a problem?"
Claude turned his eyes to Ezekiel. He began to speak in a calm voice. "The war between the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor has caused many problems. Even though Ddraig and Albion are dead, they still want to duel within the Sacred Gear."
Azazel grinned. "The Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor? What strange titles..."
Claude nodded. The titles of the 2 Longinus wielders were truly embarrassing.
Ezekiel sighed. Despite being dead, Albion and Ddraig were constantly causing problems. Ezekiel looked at Claude. "Immediately evacuate the people from the area and we will declare the 2 Longinus wielders as unwanted individuals. Also, suppress all rumors about this war."
Claude nodded. Then he left. He left Azazel and Ezekiel alone again. Ezekiel looked at Azazel. He had been working on a new church doctrine recently. As Europe entered the Renaissance, the church's influence was gradually being shaken.
"Uncle, why do you think people are starting to abandon their faith in God?" Ezekiel asked. Azazel's eyes became a bit serious. Then Azazel began to explain in a calm voice. "This is a simple question."
"People have started to interpret and read the Bible themselves. This meant that they understood how corrupt the priests were lying and what they were doing."
"But I see that you have purged the corrupt priests. So there is no such problem left," Azazel said. Ezekiel nodded. One of the first things he did when he became Pope was to purify the Church of corruption.
"The second issue is that people now think that My Father is not as benevolent as depicted in the Bible. Thoughts like 'If God was truly benevolent, why would He make those who don't believe in Him suffer in Hell' reduce the faith in God."
Ezekiel nodded. His eyes lit up with enlightenment. He immediately picked up his pen and began writing his ideas on the parchment in front of him. Azazel looked at Ezekiel excitedly writing on the parchment.
"It was a pleasure to meet you," Azazel said as he stood up. Ezekiel immediately stood up to see Azazel off. Ezekiel looked at Azazel and said, "Uncle, I would be delighted if you make an announcement on your next visit."
Azazel just smiled at this. "Yes, yes. I'll see you later..."
After Azazel left the Vatican, Ezekiel excitedly continued to write his new Doctrine.
The Doctrine was as follows:
The Doctrine of God's Love and Free Will of Faith:
1. **God's Universal Love**: God's universal love is taught and it is emphasized that He loves all people equally. God's love is limitless and not subject to any restrictions.
2. **Faith and Will**: It is taught that God's love is contingent upon the free will of humans. Humans have the freedom to accept or reject God's love.
3. **Free Will of Faith**: It is taught that those who do not believe in God have actually chosen not to desire God's love. Rejection of faith means rejection of God's love.
4. **Faith and Closeness**: Faith is the key to establishing a personal relationship with God. Those who believe accept God's love and gain closeness to Him, while those who do not believe are deprived of this closeness.
5. **Expression of Love**: God's love is most clearly expressed through Jesus Christ, whom He sent for humanity. The crucifixion of Jesus is the greatest proof of God's love for humanity.
6. **Good and Evil**: God's love is unchanging, regardless of human behavior. However, people's choice not to accept God's love means deprivation from His goodness.
7. **Outstretched Arms of Mercy**: God's love always includes an open invitation for people's return and forgiveness. Even in cases of disbelief and rejection, God's mercy and love always await with outstretched arms.
8. **Rejecting Love and Its Consequences**: When people reject God's love, they also reject the choice between Heaven and Hell. This choice means that after death, their souls will wander in eternal nothingness.
9. **Eternal Nothingness**: Eternal nothingness signifies an existence outside of God's presence, love, and dominion. It is taught that those who reject God's offer of salvation and eternal life will wander in nothingness eternally in sorrow and separation.
10. **Rejection of Salvation and Denial's Consequences**: The rejection of the opportunity for salvation and denial of God's love leads to remaining in eternal nothingness. This is a mode of existence outside of Heaven and Hell.
11. **State After Death**: After death, the souls of people are directed towards an existence in God's presence or separation from Him. Those who reject God's love wander in the eternal nothingness that lies outside of Heaven and Hell.
12. **Eternal Decision**: Humans choose to accept or reject God's love through their free will. This decision is an eternal one with infinite consequences, determining the mode of existence people will have after death.
13. **Inevitability of Consequences**: Humans must accept the consequences of rejecting God's love. This means remaining in eternal nothingness and living forever separated from God's presence.
14. **God's Supreme Love**: This doctrine emphasizes that God's supreme love respects human free will and offers an eternal choice. God's love always includes an open invitation for people's return and forgiveness.
Ezekiel rose from his chair upon looking at his Doctrine and excitedly opened his arms to pray. Even at 60 years old, he could be very energetic. "Mother, could you please speak with me face-to-face for a moment?"
After praying to his mother again, a bright light enveloped the entire room. Salephiel appeared with her glowing Halo above her head. "Ezekiel, what is it?"
Ezekiel looked at his mother excitedly. Then he showed her the parchment. After reading it for a while, Salephiel's eyes became serious. She looked at her son. Her eyes were grave. "Ezekiel, you always make me proud. I will submit this to Father, do not worry."
Ezekiel nodded. He had only seen his grandfather twice in his life. Once when he was 7 years old playing with Michael, and the other time after he took the position of the Papacy.
Still, Ezekiel nodded resolutely. "Thank you, Mother."
Salephiel looked at her son lovingly. "Take care of yourself, Ezekiel."
Salephiel returned to Heaven. Ezekiel was left alone in his office again. This Doctrine was the first major thing Ezekiel had done in his life. This was a doctrine that would affect the entire faith.
