From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 196: The Assassin and The Brotherhood

In truth, the moment Gabriel appeared on this street, Leon had already noticed the man.

As a Paladin possessing the Iris Mark of Light and a formal Knight, his perception and ability to judge Good and Evil were absurdly sharp.

Therefore, he could see the light emanating from the man in the distance, flickering erratically as if jumping back and forth between good and evil.

The constant glances the man threw in his direction also confirmed Leon's suspicion: the target was most likely him.

Being targeted was hardly surprising. After all, The Church had recently stepped on far too many toes. Even His Holiness the Pope had faced assassination attempts, let alone a mere priest like him.

Essentially, anyone associated with the Vatican was bound to draw the attention of opposing factions.

However, what intrigued Leon wasn't the clumsy movements of this rookie. Instead, it was the mercy and compassion radiating from the man—qualities that had no business belonging to an assassin or a gangster.

It was a fascinating contradiction. Most people, especially adults in that line of work, possessed no such pity. Yet, it genuinely existed within this man.

The man clearly had multiple opportunities to approach and take Leon's life using the short knives, daggers, or throwing darts hidden on his person.

But he had given up on every single one of them. Leon could easily guess the reason: it was because he had been chatting with a little girl, conversing with an old man, and actively helping others!This was a deliberate trap set by Leon to goad the assassin into striking first, which would give him the justification to retaliate.

He dared to do this, of course, because of his Transcendent Power. He had faced down demons head-on; he naturally held no fear for a mortal assassin.

The moment the man made a move, Leon was fully confident he could take him down instantly.

Yet, after observing this drawn-out dance, Leon realized the man didn't act like an assassin at all. He behaved more like an amateur who knew nothing about killing.

Having formerly been a member of the Mafia, Leon was intimately familiar with how assassins operated. They typically struck with lethal precision and fled immediately.

The surrounding crowd, public outcry, or environmental factors should never factor into their calculations. But this assassin was different. He had even intentionally aborted an approach just to avoid bumping into a little girl.

He would even unconsciously smile when seeing an old man's joy.

He seemed just like a genuinely good person. Aside from his lethal intentions, not a single one of his actions resembled those of a killer.

This was precisely why Leon mentally labeled him a rookie.

He was utterly unprofessional, exuding an air of amateurish hesitation. Yet, this was the very reason Leon spared him. His incompetence didn't stem from a lack of skill or ability, but rather from his innate kindness.

It was bizarre. For a man who had honed his assassination techniques to perfection, having a foundational nature rooted in kindness was simply unbelievable.

After all, he had only ever seen the concepts of gangs, assassins, mercy, and kindness coexist in one other person—himself.

Because of these traits, he had been excluded from family business, which ultimately made him the sole survivor of the Rankoch family.

He never expected to see those exact same qualities mirrored in someone else.

This softened his expression slightly. Looking at the rookie before him, he slowly asked, "Why don't you tell me about your background, Mr. Assassin?"

"Gabriel. I'm an assassin sent to kill you. Since I failed, just kill me!"

The man declared bluntly, accepting his fate.

Instead of attacking, Leon murmured his name thoughtfully. "Gabriel... That is the name of Archangel Gabriel. With your elders placing such great expectations on you, how did you end up on a path like this?"

The name Gabriel literally referred to Archangel Gabriel. In a Devout Catholic Nation like France, bearing such a name carried incredibly beautiful connotations.

"Expectations? Elders? Hahahaha!" Gabriel laughed aloud, his voice dripping with unhinged bitterness. "It was exactly those expectations that turned me into this!"

Staring at Leon, a suddenly relieved smile crossed his face. "Since you are a priest, before you hand me over to the police, would you be willing to listen to a story? A story about someone who wasn't wicked enough to be truly bad, nor virtuous enough to be truly good, and ended up losing his entire family because of it!"

Leon nodded, leading Gabriel into a nearby confessional. "Speak, then. Tell me your story before God!" "Alright!" Gabriel agreed.

Soon after, a tale of profound sorrow and melancholy unfolded before Leon.

Gabriel hailed from Avignon in France, a unique region that had historically hosted seven popes. It was an area where faith in the Lord remained steadfast, and naturally, his entire family were devout followers.

He was a standout among them. From a very young age, he caught the eye of the local bishop, who hoped Gabriel would become a monk and eventually inherit his mantle.

"He was an incredibly good bishop. He always did everything in his power to help us. When people were starving, he would offer Holy Communion in the church. When someone was on the brink of bankruptcy, he would stake his own credibility to buy them a few more days. He even took in orphans, raising them behind the church!"

"He also told me that if I wanted to study when I grew up, he would pay for me to attend a church school. He said I didn't even have to come back—that making a life out in the world was perfectly fine..."

"He always felt he wasn't doing enough, so he would personally go out to preach and help others... He used to say that the Lord's Radiance should shine upon every corner of the world, not just within the church walls!"

"He said that as a servant of the Lord, he had to work even harder to bring happiness to the people around him!"

As he spoke, tears welled up in Gabriel's eyes. "But such a good man received no reward for his kindness. All he got was a revenge killing from a local gang!"

"Those gangsters felt that by giving people loans to pay off their debts, he was cutting into their profits. So, they made their move!"

"He was murdered right there in the church. And the authorities in Avignon? They even refused to let us file a police report. Left with no other choice, I took matters into my own hands to hunt down his killers!"

He recounted how he had dreamt of assassination techniques since childhood, and how his family actually possessed a hidden legacy of such skills. He was a natural-born killer, and true to his talents, he silently eliminated the vast majority of the culprits!

He was avenging the bishop. He was passing judgment on every single blasphemer. This was his crusade!

That was, until he went to assassinate the final mastermind—a wealthy local magnate. In a moment of soft-heartedness, he spared a woman who had been coerced by the rich man.

"She claimed she was forced into it, weeping a river of tears. I actually believed her. I thought she was pitiful!" Gabriel mocked himself. "Then I found out that I was the truly pitiful one!"

"That woman didn't honor her vow for a second. She went straight to the police. Once the cops got the information, they threw my entire family in prison, where they all died... If it wasn't for my lock-picking skills, I would have died in there with them!"

"My family is dead, the bishop is dead, and the people who killed the bishop are dead too. I don't even know who actually killed my family!"

"And Avignon? It remains the same lifeless husk. Without our bishop, the new one they sent is a soulless bureaucrat. Everyone's lives have only gotten harder..."

"As for me, a homeless stray, I had no choice but to leave France, join the Sicilian Mafia, and become their assassin..."

A bitter smile spread across his face. "And on my very first job, I ran into you, Father!"

Hearing these words, Leon was at a loss for what to say.

Was the man wrong for what he did? It didn't seem entirely wrong. But was he right? Certainly not completely right, either.

Ultimately, it was just the struggle between ordinary people and those in power, a struggle that ended in vain. Gabriel was likely right—he could never fulfill his family's expectations because this screwed-up world had never given him the chance to begin with.

"Alright, you can call the police now!" Gabriel declared. He pulled a black stone from his pocket and handed it to Leon. "I probably won't survive. The Mafia will definitely make me the scapegoat. After I'm dead, I hope you can do me a favor and place this token at my parents' grave!"

"Father, I can sense that you are a good person, just like the bishop. That's why I'm asking for your help!"

What he failed to notice, however, was the violent tremor in Leon's eyes the moment he accepted the black stone!

He stared at Gabriel in utter disbelief, then down at the stone. Under the assassin's incredibly shocked gaze, a brilliant white light materialized in Leon's hand.

Gabriel gasped in shock. "Damn... I really had no chance. To think I actually tried to assassinate a Transcendent Being!"

A look of utter defeat flashed across his face. "So, I'm going straight to Hell, aren't I?"

"Whether you go to Hell is another matter. What I want to know is, where did you get this stone?" Leon demanded, his voice dropping an octave. This material was identical to his Templar Order Badge before it had been deconstructed!

If his guess was correct, this was also a token belonging to The Brotherhood. Could it be...

He looked at the man before him, a few profound theories forming in his mind.