From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 194: Layer Upon Layer of Outsourcing

"Did you hear? The Bishop of Sicily was dismissed on the very first day of His Excellency Lyon's arrival!"

"Of course I heard. Is this what true power looks like? A mere priest actually dismissing a bishop!"

"Naturally he can. He is a special envoy of the Church, holding the Pope's special dispensation and even executive authority from the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura... As expected of a Holy Knight, his power is truly formidable!"

"That is nothing. He apprehended a Vampire hiding in the crowd right off the bat. Dear lord... Are there Vampires in our city too?"

"Of course. Haven't you heard? The Bishop of Milan has already declared martial law to the entire city during Mass, because people have died in attacks. All the blood in their bodies was completely drained!"

"What troubled times... We need to hurry up and draw a clear line between ourselves and the bishop... I wonder if our wages will be paid in full once the new bishop arrives?"

The murmurs and conversations of the churchgoers drifted clearly into Lyon's ears, granting him insight into the current affairs of the region.

Just as he expected, this Bishop Morris was an absolute wretch—corrupt, a blasphemer, and a pure embodiment of The Greedy!

Lyon had come here primarily at the invitation of Pope Mario.

The aftermath of that assassination attempt was incredibly fierce. Consequently, the sniper who died in the attic was discovered. The fang marks on his neck, his entirely drained blood, and his unnaturally preserved corpse all proved one thing.The arrival of Vampires had been thoroughly confirmed, aligning perfectly with the words of the man named Charles in Milan.

At this moment, Lyon was on a video call with Mario. "Crown, what exactly are the results of your investigation?"

Mario's voice transmitted through the speakers. "The Bishop of Milan conducted a ritual prayer at that football stadium, and the response was definitive. There was indeed a trace of a group of Dark Creatures there!"

"Knight Lyon, if I am not mistaken, this proves that The Saint's words have been validated. Dark Creatures have descended upon this world!"

"We are currently rebooting the Holy See Council and rebuilding our team of exorcists. I hope you can assist Cardinal Rasinger in completing this battle of exorcism!"

Lyon nodded. "Please rest assured, Crown. I will do my utmost to help His Eminence Rasinger see this battle through to the end!"

Both of them knew it was impossible for Lyon to fully integrate into the exorcist forces. He held a far more crucial identity—the future Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

Carolyn had been working hard recently, helping him search for candidates who were devout enough and compatible with the Holy Knight Precept. Although few in number, such individuals did exist.

However, due to the various nations' wariness over the Papal States' historically tarnished reputation, Pope Mario had not yet secured the authority to ordain military personnel. Thus, the Knights Templar remained merely a theoretical concept for now.

Furthermore, the claims to the Teutonic Order and the Knights Hospitaller were no longer in the Vatican's hands. If they truly wished to restore the glory of the Lord and protect this world, it would still require a considerably long period of time!

Therefore, Mario had to request the assistance of this Holy Knight, asking him to lead the exorcists they had gathered to carry out this investigation and inevitable clash against the Vampires.

"The Vatican's Precept Order, and even all members of the College of Bishops, the Papal Guard, and myself, can become immediate combat assets for this battle when necessary, Your Excellency Lyon!" Mario finally declared. "You shall be the commander of this campaign!"

Lyon took a deep breath and gave a slight nod. "I will spill the glory of the Lord upon the streets of Italy once more, Crown!"

Neither of them even mentioned Bishop Morris. After all, during this recent period, the Catholic Church in America had replaced over a dozen figures in the bishop tier alone, to say nothing of the deacons, spiritual directors, and priests.

With Mario's support and Angus's sheer determination, as long as the few cardinals in America did not object—and they had no way to object to Angus—the entirety of America would undergo a genuine purge under Angus's leadership.

This Californian cowboy, who had served as a priest for decades with a pure heart and decisive actions, was rigorously putting his ideals into practice.

"Cardinal Rasinger and our team of exorcists will rendezvous with you in Milan, Father Lyon!" Mario concluded. "I will pray for you at St. Peter's Basilica, awaiting your triumphant return!"

"May the Lord's radiance shine upon every land..." The two prayed in unison.

...

Meanwhile, not far from this lounge, inside a luxurious office, former Regional Bishop Morris glared at the photograph in front of him with a face full of hatred.

The photo depicted Lyon, having just stepped off the plane.

A pen was violently stabbed straight through the face in the photo, before the picture was viciously slammed onto the floor!

"This son of a bitch Mafia descendant, this cursed bastard, how dare he... how dare he humiliate me with such words in front of so much media?" he spat. "And he called me a blasphemer? He's the true blasphemer! Couldn't he have waited to say it behind closed doors?"

Morris was beyond furious, consumed by an incomparable burning resentment.

Everyone played the game this way! It wasn't like he was the only one doing it, so why was he the only one being dealt with? Huh?

Didn't he just use his title as a bishop to make a little pocket change, handle a few minor personal affairs, and have a little collusion with the government on the side?

Who didn't do that? Who didn't operate that way? What did he do wrong?

So what if orders came down from the Vatican and he ignored them? Did such a trivial matter really warrant this massive overreaction?

Things had been done this way for years, and only now they wanted to deal with him? Bullshit Pope!

The more he swallowed his pride, the angrier he got; the more he backed down, the more wronged he felt... Morris hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dialed a phone number.

"Get me the Mafia... Yes, it's me, you know this number! I want to place an order, an assassination contract. Kill a country bumpkin coming from America!"

"How much? Five hundred thousand euros? That's too little, I'll give you two million! I want him erased from this world!"

"Excellent, I will await your good news!"

Morris slammed the phone down fiercely, then hurriedly began arranging a flight to flee to his pre-planned sanctuary country.

He didn't actually believe the Mafia could kill a Knight like Lyon. Having been inside the Church's system and knowing the specific details of the Precept Order's establishment, Morris knew full well that Transcendent power was not a lie, but reality!

Morris had also desired to obtain the power of the Precept, but he had chickened out before taking the plunge. Under the reflection of the Precept, those harboring blasphemy in their hearts would truly be incinerated by holy fire.

So he was afraid, much like his current actions. Even knowing they couldn't kill the man, he just wanted to severely disgust and inconvenience Lyon before leaving.

"Northern Europe truly is a wonderful place. I'll just join the Āsathrú directly. Can your Catholic Lord still govern a believer of the Āsathrú?"

Morris smiled, even humming a light tune.

Meanwhile, the Sicilian Mafia middleman who received the hit contract didn't hesitate in the slightest to pass it down the chain, handing it off to a gang member.

The gang member looked at the name on the assassination contract and froze. "What kind of absolute idiot placed this? Do they think we wouldn't recognize the name Lyon Lancocci?"

He was utterly dumbfounded. When this Holy Knight's reputation echoed across the world, their gang boss had even toyed with the idea of trying to claim kinship with him. After all, the man truly hailed from Sicily and came from a historically renowned Mafia family.

Now, he had completed a total transformation, becoming a Holy Knight possessing Transcendent power. It could be said he was the greatest role model for people in their line of work.

Everyone knew his identity, and naturally, they had all seen his photograph.

And now, someone actually wanted to assassinate him? Did they really think the Mafia were fearless Demons?

"Get me in touch with the big boss, I need to explain this to him!" this soldier hurriedly instructed. But the underling standing next to him acted as if he had only just processed the information. "Hmm... someone from the Church came to Sicily? Why did no one tell me?"

Hearing this, the official Mafia soldier felt slightly confused. He turned his head, wanting to see what kind of nonsense his underling was spouting, only to be met with the sight of the man opening his mouth to reveal sharp fangs.

"Wait... you're not him. What kind of Monster are you?" Seeing the other party's true appearance, he instantly panicked and tried to draw his gun, but a hand suddenly reached out and crushed his heart.

Then, in the moments right before his death, this official Mafia member heard a command issued using his very own voice:

"Deploy our assassins and go cause him some trouble!"

'I didn't say anything, who exactly is speaking?' He lost his Consciousness, entirely stripped of any possibility of rising again!

"Yes!" As an affirmative voice echoed from the phone, the Vampire gradually revealed its true form. Looking at the photograph in its hand, a twisted, eerie smile crept across its face. "Let these humans test his mettle. Who knows, I might even get to taste the blood of a cleric..."

And so, an assassination contract sent directly by Morris to the second-in-command of the Sicilian Mafia was casually passed down, outsourced layer upon layer, until it ultimately landed in the lap of a lowly, newly recruited assassin...

"Ah, I've only been in the family for three days and I already got a job? How wonderful!" the rookie assassin said with a beaming smile.