Lucifer looked mockingly at the Pope writhing before him. The Pope, Vincent, was a man in his seventies, ek and frail. Compared to the Pope of the world of Aure, Pope Vincent was more fragile and easy to read.
Contrary to Lucifer's expectations, the Pope was nothing more than a coward. Thus, he felt no need to take this old man seriously.
After all, he had co here for a reason: threats and intimidation.
The Pope's face was pale as a sheet. Lucifer even thought that if he pushed him a bit further, he might die of a heart attack. "Do you know why I am here?"
The Pope remained silent, refusing to answer Lucifer. Lucifer's voice turned sharper. "Can you hear , old man? Are you deaf?"
The Pope reluctantly nodded in acknowledgnt. Lucifer smiled in satisfaction. "Good. You better listen to . That is if you don't want to die."
The Pope trembled and avoided even looking at Lucifer's face. "I—I'll listen to everything you say. Go ahead and speak."
Seeing that the Pope was still trying to maintain a semblance of authority, Lucifer slightly released his divine aura, pressing on the Pope's consciousness even further. However, he kept his power at a minimum—he didn't want the old man to die.
"The other day, you gave an interview," Lucifer said. "I'm truly curious—what gave you the audacity to say such things? Did you think I wouldn't kill you?"
"There was no such thing!" the Pope hurriedly exclaid. "It was rely a necessary procedure! How do you think I managed to get here? Such words were essential."
Lucifer frowned. "So it wasn't because of ; you were afraid of your weak and powerless subordinates. That's a great folly, Pope."
Frowning at Lucifer's words, the Pope retorted, "Everyone covets my position. They want to overthrow !"
"And?" Lucifer looked at the Pope with curiosity. "What are you trying to say? That you're nothing but a re figurehead, like a mascot?"
"No," the Pope shook his head furiously. Then, afraid of being misunderstood by Lucifer, he sighed deeply, his face wrinkling. "You don't understand. If I show weakness for even a mont, I can be overthrown."
The Pope spoke with paranoia, a detail Lucifer didn't miss. Grinning slyly, he stared at the Pope. "Perhaps we can find so common ground? What do you say?"
The Pope hesitated for a mont, then, intrigued by Lucifer's words, asked, "What are you trying to propose?"
Lucifer leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "I can help you. I can eliminate your rivals and strengthen your power."
The Pope shuddered as he gazed into Lucifer's sinister red eyes. For a mont, his thoughts stirred with corruption. "How—how can I trust you?"
Watching the Pope fidget in his chair, Lucifer smiled, pleased to have caught his prey off guard. "Soon, a special force under the UN will establish a base here."
The Pope listened to Lucifer's words with curiosity and hesitation. Lucifer continued, "These special soldiers will possess powers that surpass the human mind. This way, you'll be protected from any human threats. At the sa ti, we will eliminate all your rivals and enemies."
As Lucifer paused, the Pope fell into deep thought. Making a pact with the Devil ant defying God.
"God will not forgive ," the Pope muttered. Despite his paranoia, he was still a devout man, not foolish. Lucifer sighed. "God will not be angry with you, Pope. After all, you have served your duty faithfully for many years. You are one of the few sinless n."
"Really... is that true?" The Pope thought back on all the actions he had taken throughout his life. Lucifer's claim of his sinlessness might have been a lie, but the Pope believed it. After all, he had served with dedication.
"Rember, Pope, you are the successor of Peter and Christ's vicar on Earth," Lucifer struggled to suppress his sarcasm while uttering these lies. "If you make a decision, it is aligned with Christ's will, Pope Vincent."
The Pope squinted his eyes. Inflated by the Devil's flattery, he unconsciously straightened his posture. "You're right. My words align with Christ's will."
"And your enemies are Christ's enemies as well," Lucifer continued, taking imnse pleasure in manipulating the Pope. The Pope seed oblivious, and Lucifer had no intention of stopping.
Since he had co this far, he would fully corrupt the Pope. "So, what do you say? Do you want to destroy Christ's enemies?"
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"Yes," the Pope declared boldly, fear no longer holding him back. As Lucifer's grin widened, the Pope added thoughtfully, "Christ's enemies have infiltrated the Church. It is my duty and honor as his vicar to remove them."
Hearing the Pope's words, Lucifer burst into laughter. Then, he offered his support. "Yes, they have. Just give their nas, and they'll be gone in a day."
The Pope's eyes turned ruthless. Rembering the bishops who had betrayed his authority, he almost growled with hatred. Forcing himself to remain calm, he looked at Lucifer. "I will provide you with their nas."
"And you will retract your statents about and ensure that people trust ," Lucifer demanded firmly. The Pope trembled and nodded in agreent. Lucifer, satisfied, rose from his chair. "This is a good deal, Pope. Both God and Christ will praise you for rooting out the wolves in sheep's clothing within the Church."
The Pope prayed devoutly, feeling the gaze of God upon him. Lucifer, leaving the self-deluded Pope behind, disappeared from his sight in an instant...
******
Lucifer observed Ro from a high vantage point, his gaze fixed on eight targets. Despite the nightfall, his special eyes allowed him to see kiloters away with ease.
The Pope had sent their locations. They were all people living in luxurious hos in Ro. Lucifer smiled and slowly raised his hand.
"In honor of Ro's beauty, I want to give them a lovely gift." Smiling at the thought of grand illuminations, Lucifer began channeling his Mana.
As Mana ford a purple sphere in his palm, the air around it rippled, creating a powerful gust of wind. The orb of pure Dark Mana spun in his hand, glowing with a purple light that grew brighter, resembling a purple sun in the sky.
"Hey! What's that?!"
Lucifer's sharp ears caught the curious voices of the people below. Even from this distance, he could sense their astonishnt and curiosity.
Who wouldn't wonder about a sudden object glowing like a false sun in the sky? Dismissing his thoughts, Lucifer stopped channeling Mana.
He took one last look at the hos of the influential clergyn within the Church. Then, he raised his palm as if reaching for the heavens. The purple orb floated upward, and though its size didn't increase, its glow was enough to blind caras and make people squint.
"Stabilize it," Lucifer muttered as he balanced the unstable sphere. Once it stabilized, his grin widened. "Now go!"
The sphere suddenly split into eight parts, hurtling across Ro like missiles. Lucifer was captivated by the spectacle. While visually stunning, it was equally dangerous.
Suddenly, people scread as a sonic boom shattered windows. Alarms blared, and Lucifer ensured the falling glass landed in unoccupied areas, preventing harm.
After all, he still had so morals.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In an instant, fiery explosions erupted across Ro like a vivid display of fireworks, obliterating the clergyn's hos along with their occupants. Though the attack seed devastating, it was calibrated to only destroy the buildings. No one else would be hard.
Lucifer noticed police calming panicked citizens and special forces arriving on the scene. Helicopters appeared in the sky, prompting him to feel it was ti to leave.
The terms of the agreent were fulfilled. The Pope's problematic figures were eliminated. While this thod was flashy, Lucifer thought it better this way.
The Italian governnt would take notice. Not just the Italian governnt—others would also learn of this, forcing them to think twice before opposing Lucifer.
Lucifer bore no personal hatred toward anyone. He simply found it amusing to intimidate and mock everyone as if they were ordinary humans. Satisfied with this thought, he humd contentedly.
He had no desire to run around endlessly pressuring governnts. Threats were a quicker, more lasting thod. Lucifer hoped they would grasp the ssage.
Opening his phone, Lucifer scrolled through social dia, curious about the buzz. Checking the trending section, he noticed that within just half an hour, his actions had taken the world by storm.
"A terrorist attack in Ro?" Lucifer chuckled with amusent. Humans had a peculiar way of labeling everything as a terror attack, which was odd but entertaining.
"Still, it seems like the Pope will have a headache." Lucifer was certain that the Pope would be among the pri suspects in the case of the slain clergyn. While this might seem problematic, it was actually advantageous.
If the Pope weren't accused, it would be suspicious. In any case, Lucifer would ensure no charges ca from the trial. Just as before, this incident would quickly fade into obscurity, and people would soon return to watching cat videos.
In the end, people would forget, and by the next day, they would be laughing and enjoying themselves. Humans, after all, were like that. They hated dwelling on negative events and quickly moved on—or rather, they were made to forget.
Lucifer dismissed the matter and vanished, intending to board his plane. However, he realized flights would likely be grounded for the day.
Sighing, Lucifer broke the sound barrier and flew off, heading toward Arica.
After Lucifer had departed, a pigeon curiously stared in the direction he had gone. Unlike the others, this bird's eyes glowed with a strange slit-like appearance.
"It's delightful to see that my father hasn't lost his old taste for theatrics..."
A human voice erged from the pigeon—no, it was Azazel's voice. Azazel had possessed the pigeon and had been tailing Lucifer for so ti.
It would be fair to say he was lucky. By pure chance, he had ended up in the sa location as his father and managed to learn his Mana signature. Soon, he would et his father once again.
Landing on the ground, Azazel stared at it thoughtfully, lost in his plans. His thoughts were interrupted when sothing hit his head—a piece of birdseed.
"Here you go, little pigeon. You must be hungry," an old man chuckled. Azazel was briefly taken aback before his expression twisted in anger. "I am no re animal, human!"
The old man laughed, unfazed. Azazel growled but then abandoned the pigeon's body, returning to Avalon.
The pigeon, regaining control of its body, began eating the scattered seeds dumbly, oblivious to what had happened. The old man chuckled, pocketed the rest of the seeds, and walked away.
"Kids these days are so dramatic," the old man muttered with a laugh as he disappeared into the distance.
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