From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 118: The State Acquiesces, But God Objects!

"Your Excellency, Governor, the port has been sealed, but there are still ships unable to put to sea!"

Someone beside Santis relayed the latest news.

"Tell them to come ashore themselves, and make it quick. Everyone needs to evacuate. We cannot manage anything else!" Santis declared. After all, they were not an entirely accountable Government; doing even this much meant they had fulfilled their duty.

The shadow of the Tsunami was already visible on the horizon. People who had survived countless disasters knew exactly what they had to do.

Everyone was highly experienced, and that experience would keep them alive.

"Your Excellency, there is another issue!" the messenger continued. "On the beach, many tourists have fled, but a large number of locals are still lingering."

Hearing this, Santis turned his head and saw that it was indeed the case.

On the distant beach, only about half the people had left. The majority remained stranded on the sand, refusing to leave even with police officers trying to persuade them.

"What is going on at the beach? Did I not order you to close it down and drive the tourists away?" Santis asked angrily upon seeing the scene.

"Mr. Governor, it is not that we did not try, but the beachside businesses, hotels, and tourists simply refuse to cooperate!" his subordinate replied with a deeply aggrieved expression. "We already warned them that a crisis is imminent, but none of them believe it!"Beside him, Jose stated coldly, "Given your Government's credibility, it is already a miracle that even half of them believed you!"

His words were brutally blunt, but Santis had no intention of refuting them, because it was the absolute truth!

"Then we can only hope they leave on their own!" Santis said. "We have told them everything. If they insist on staying, I imagine Mother Nature will show them the consequences of their actions!"

"Have our personnel pull back. The Tsunami will likely be massive, so retreat toward the center of the city!"

He did not even feel that there was anything wrong with this decision, barking out the orders with absolute self-righteousness.

The wealthy elites of the city had evacuated long ago anyway. Whether these tourists and poor citizens left or not was entirely their own business.

When the Tsunami was right on top of them, they would run!

And if they did not run by then, they would never have to run again!

"Cardinal Angus, why don't you leave with me? The Tsunami looks far away, but it will be here in an hour at most!" Santis said to Angus. The recent events had already proven to him that the Cardinal standing before him was a true Golden Thigh!

Angus shook his head. He looked at the people still playing on the beach and those still questioning the Government officials, a profound sense of Compassion flashing across his heart.

The fundamental reason these people did not trust the state was that this state simply was not worthy of their trust, was it not?

Just for this reason, Santis decisively abandoned them. Was that really the right thing to do?

"I must save them. There are at least tens of thousands of people on this beach. If we leave, they are dead for sure!" he stated, pulling out his Cell Phone and dialing a number.

"Notify St. Mary's Cathedral. Have all active Clergy, Monks, and Nuns come to the seaside at once!" Angus took a deep breath and issued the command.

On the other end of the line, the person answered without a second of hesitation. "Your will, Your Eminence!"

"Cardinal Angus, the Tsunami is about to hit! If they come here, they will have no time to get back! They will die!" Hearing the order, Santis shouted, looking at the Bishop in Red Robes. "You can try from further inland, you don't have to be right here..."

He dared not imagine the international uproar it would cause if a Cardinal died here!

"It will be too late if I go inland, and I have no intention of retreating anyway!" Angus replied with utmost calm. "The Lord's will is to protect this world! Thus, as The Faithful, as a Servant of the Lord, one must be ready to sacrifice themselves at any moment!"

"This is a nation of the Lord's faith. We shall stand guard here and allow no one to intrude upon it!"

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have Eternal Life."

The words from the Gospel of John fell from his lips, expressing his absolute resolve to deliver Salvation!

Hearing this, Santis fell silent for a moment. He then solemnly bowed to Angus. "Cardinal Angus, on behalf of the Florida State Government and all the people of Florida, I offer you my highest respect!"

Call it a mantis trying to stop a chariot, call it overestimating one's capabilities, but the very fact that this Cardinal was willing to attempt such a feat at the port signified an incredibly noble spirit and infinitely resolute faith!

Then Santis led his people away. Regardless, he definitely was not going to stay here and perish alongside those "ungrateful" fools.

Only Angus remained. Gazing at the distant waves, a flash of unwavering determination passed through his eyes as he strode toward the beach.

He was going to persuade those people. Saving even one more soul was better than letting them all die here!

Once, Jesus had fed tens of thousands of refugees alone, and Moses had led the refugees out of Egypt. As a Priest blessed by God, why couldn't he save these believers from peril?

This was his faith. It was the faith he had held unchanging from the very beginning, a faith that had never wavered even as he grew older!

...

"Yes, Your Eminence, we will be right there!" Upon receiving the call, the members of the Vatican Tribunal of the Holy Office inside the Church agreed to the order without a sliver of hesitation!

It was impossible for them to refuse. These individuals, handpicked by Mario to join the Religious Tribunal and pass judgment to shape the future of The Church, were all devout believers. Every single one of them possessed a pure and unblemished background!

They were the most outstanding group, possessing the loftiest faith. Their will was unshakable, so naturally, they would unconditionally obey such a command!

Their powerful faith filled them with boundless reverence for Angus, a God-Chosen One, which naturally translated into absolute obedience to his orders.

"All Clergy currently in the Church, come with us to the seaside!" a Bishop of the Religious Tribunal announced loudly. "The remaining sinners will stay here to perform a Mass of atonement. Do not even think about escaping; the Lord's gaze watches over everyone!"

These sinners had no intention of running anyway. They knew it was true. Just moments ago, these members of the Religious Tribunal had manifested streaks of pure white holy light—they were the most fundamental enforcers of the Precepts. Their powerful faith allowed them to draw a certain amount of power from The Church's Faith Energy System.

And in this nation filled with believers, merely this sliver of power was enough to make many submit. The crowd exited the Church, hurriedly boarded their vehicles, and sped toward the sea.

Outside the Church, the previously Clear Blue Sky was suddenly shrouded by dark clouds.

Heavy rain poured down, washing over everyone, and pelting a man lying naked in the street.

There was a glaring gash on his forehead, suggesting he had kowtowed many times before his death.

Meanwhile, two Stone Daggers were buried in his chest with only the hilts exposed, clearly proving the cause of his demise.

Bean-sized raindrops battered his body, quickly washing his blood clean. But the rain showed no signs of stopping. It only grew heavier, rapidly flooding the area.

A car drove past him, but no one noticed his existence, for his corpse was already on the verge of being completely submerged by the rainwater.

The torrential downpour that heralded the arrival of the Tsunami had finally roared into existence!

The pouring rain gave the city an even more prominent apocalyptic atmosphere, especially as time ticked down and the distant Monstrous Waves became increasingly visible.

Take the beach, for instance. The people who outright refused to believe the police were now frantically scrambling to flee.

"What the fuck! Those cops just said a Tsunami was coming, and I was saying there's no way with the sun shining so bright. Then it suddenly starts pouring! Isn't this just a slap in the face?"

"Exactly! The rain is so heavy. Why don't we wait for it to stop before leaving?"

Beneath a sun umbrella, a few people chatted casually as they watched the pouring rain.

"There wouldn't actually be a Tsunami, right? They are the police, maybe they have other sources of information?" someone voiced their concern.

"What police? What Tsunami? Not a single official in our country is any good. Most likely, they just want to seize the beach and don't want to pay the Price, so they made up this Bullshit Excuse!"

The speaker had an incredibly transparent understanding of the people in the Government of America, causing those around him to nod in agreement.

Indeed, foreigners always claimed they didn't understand vaccines. On the contrary, they understood vaccines perfectly well—but they understood the authorities distributing those vaccines even better.

The antagonism between the public and the authorities had always been an open secret in this country.

Just as they were continuing their discussion, someone suddenly squinted and stared at the sea. "What is that? My God, what am I looking at?"

Hearing this person's words, everyone present turned their heads and widened their eyes in shock.

Through the curtain of rain, a black Monster suddenly breached the surface of the sea, projecting an endless, crushing aura as it appeared before everyone's eyes.

Behind it rose a towering wall of water that shot into the sky. Illuminated against the heavy rain, it looked exactly like the prelude to the Apocalypse!

"My God! The police were telling the truth. There really is a Tsunami, and an apocalyptic Monster!" The crowd was paralyzed with terror, overwhelmed by a sudden wave of agonizing regret.

What were they even being so stubborn about earlier? Wouldn't it have been fine to just leave obediently?

Now, the Tsunami was right in their faces. Was there still time to run?

Despair was the only expression visible on the faces of the people on the beach now. The only exception was Angus!

He stood on the beach, gazing at the massive crowd, watching the approaching waves with absolute resolve!

During this time, he had managed to persuade quite a few people to flee, but he still couldn't get the vast majority to leave. He could only watch as the police and Government personnel successively evacuated.

Angus knew that everyone left behind had been abandoned. Anyone who couldn't make it out in time would be forsaken.

He knew it, and the higher-ups knew it. It was the underlying logic of this country, but he refused to accept that it was right.

And so, he began to pray. The Cross resting on his chest responded to his prayers, and a radiant light of hope illuminated Angus's face!

"The state acquiesces, but God objects!"