From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 200: Mafia Invitation

After realizing that the Mafia had intervened and cleared the area for him, Leon finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had regained the opportunity to face his opponent in a one-on-one duel!

Then, he was subjected to an even more brutal beating. It seemed that with the crowd gone, the vampire before him had actually grown stronger. What kind of logic was this?

Clutching the wound on his arm, Leon gasped for breath, gaining a much deeper understanding of the crisis at hand.

Pope Mario had instructed him to come here and purge the dark creatures. Yet, before he could even meet up with the forces of the Church, he had already encountered an opponent whose strength rivaled his own, leaving him somewhat alarmed.

This place truly lived up to its reputation as an ancient domain of transcendence. A being of such power might only appear once across dozens of states in America, yet one was already hiding away on this small island!

Fortunately, he was not completely devoid of a lethal trump card.

"A Holy Knight with an incomplete legacy shall serve as the sacrifice for the Tzimisce clan's return to the world! The great Lady Lilith will be very pleased with you!"

The vampire shouted arrogantly, channeling the crimson energy within his body. It gathered once more in the square before them, condensing into a razor-sharp blade of blood!

"Did you think you could win just because the people here left?"

He floated in the air, spreading his bat wings like a demon as he raised his blade to confront Leon!Without the interference from the surrounding people's prayers of collective faith, the vampire was actually able to unleash an even more formidable power!

"Did you think their departure was helping you? No, their departure helped me!"

An immense power radiated from his body. It was pure blood corruption, the life force of the humans he had devoured. This overwhelming might made even Leon feel a sense of dread!

"You... exactly how many blood debts do you carry on your hands?!" he demanded loudly, only to be met with a disdainful scoff. "Do you remember how many slices of bread you have eaten?"

"At this point, I lost count a long time ago!"

"You dark creatures truly deserve to die!" Leon had no intention of speaking further with him. Instead, he raised the spear of light in his hand and began his prayer anew:

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

O Watcher of Jacob's Ladder, Please look down upon this territory defiled by the Blood Moon..."

He could not pray earlier because doing so would have caused the vampire's attacks to scatter and affect the surrounding bystanders. But now, he could!

Both of them had gained new strength due to the crowd's departure. Now, it was time to clash!

The Exorcism of the Abyss Prayer echoed across the land once more, causing the previously arrogant and domineering vampire to suddenly widen his eyes!

"Damn it, how does this prayer still exist?! We even killed its creator! That Pope left nothing behind, and all the texts were burned! Where did this come from? How is this possible?!"

His previous arrogance completely vanished, replaced by a trace of fear. "Those old fossils are all dead. Just where was this thing dug up from?"

As the prayer resonated, a faint halo seemed to encircle Leon, forcefully bringing the vampire's attacks to a grinding halt.

This sacrificial prayer, forged with the utmost effort of Pius IX and the College of Cardinals back in the day, possessed a mysterious power that made the vampire before him feel completely overwhelmed and unable to breathe!

"All who suck human blood shall decay into pillars of salt, All who worship fangs shall fall eternally into boiling tar!"

Leon's voice continued to ring out. From his back, a pair of wings composed of radiant light sprouted, unfurling right there on the ground to confront the airborne vampire!

The demon in the sky and the knight on the ground formed a beautifully splendid scene, but it completely shattered as the vampire abruptly exploded!

The power of the Exorcism of the Abyss Prayer was truly absurd. Especially here in this Catholic country, the surrounding collective faith that had already been stirred up was now drawn over, transforming into a tangible, crushing pressure that ground down upon the vampire!

"Curse this Holy Knight, curse the Church, and curse the Camarilla... Who said their legacy was incomplete and that the Church could be easily intimidated?!"

A hoarse voice echoed from the blood mist. Having been blasted into mist by the sheer power before him, the vampire had no possibility of rising again.

He croaked a curse at everyone. "You damned bugs! To dare scheme against me... The Tzimisce clan will not forget this hatred. In the name of Lady Lilith, I curse you to never find eternal rest!"

Leon naturally heard these words, but he remained completely unwavering as he continued his prayer:

"For the Lord has proclaimed:

"I shall cause evil beasts to vanish from the Promised Land."

Amen!"

Having spoken the final line of his prayer, Leon watched as the vampire before him was thoroughly purified in a flash of golden light, leaving behind only faint gray traces that scattered into the air.

He suddenly understood the words Angus had told him before he left:

"Leon, do not try to fight them to the death head-on. We are servants of the Lord. Calling upon the Lord's name to guide His descent is nothing to be ashamed of! Our strength is still meager, while those forces of darkness might already be immensely powerful. Try to use what we excel at to oppose them!"

This was the true reason he had recited the prayer. The results proved highly effective. A dark creature with combat power similar to his own was directly suppressed by this invocation!

It truly lived up to being a creation developed by the Pope of the past. The power contained within it was utterly terrifying!

Meanwhile, the curse transformed into a streak of dark aura, attempting to entangle itself around him. Without any hesitation, Leon pulled out the parchment booklet—the final legacy left by his family—and thrust it toward the dark aura!

As it met the booklet, the dark aura seemed to see something horrifying. It flinched in mid-air and abruptly fled!

The final legacy of the Knights Templar, the parchment booklet containing the historical records of the entire Brotherhood, was naturally not something a mere vampire's curse could contend with.

With all this done, Leon finally let out a slow sigh of relief and paced his way toward the Church.

His clothes had been torn to shreds, so he needed to change back into his own attire. This priest experience was about to come to an end. Once personnel from the Vatican arrived to take over the Church, he would have to depart for Milan.

However, when Leon walked out of the Church, he found a group of men in black suits standing solemnly at the entrance. The leading man looked at him with a wide smile and said, "Greetings, Mr. Leon Lancocci. I am Albert Coppola from the local family. We would like to invite you to pay our family a visit!"

Hearing this, Leon immediately caught on. He used to be a part of the Mafia, after all, and knew this kind of rhetoric all too well. "Local family? Looking for me? Are you planning to start a new business venture?"

"Yes. My father, Mr. Michael Coppola, knew your grandfather, Gulandeste Lancocci. They met at the global family conference fifty years ago! We wish to invite you to visit our family!"

Looking at the man in his thirties, Leon nodded. "I've heard about that. But as you know, we are not the same kind of people!"

Although he was once a member of the Mafia, he now belonged to the Church. He was a knight. If he were to visit the Mafia and witness their evil deeds, very few of those people would survive!

A Saint could not turn a blind eye to injustice, and a knight was no different. Their virtues were the greatest precepts.

Upon hearing his words, Gaboriel Martin slowly stepped out from behind Albert. "Mr. Leon, I'd like to know if you've guessed my origins?"

Leon nodded. "Yes. If my guess is correct, you should be a descendant of the Inquisition and a member of the Brotherhood!"

At this moment, Gaboriel finally dropped his guard and said softly, "That's wonderful. So I do have a place to go after all, rather than being truly alone..."

He then explained, "I was the one who asked Mr. Albert to invite you. This is because I've also awakened to some of my past memories, or rather, my legacy. The fragments of my memory indicate that dark traces exist within the Coppola family's territory..."

"I hope you can accompany me to take a look!"

Leon was momentarily taken aback. "Dark traces? Vampires? Furthermore, how can you prove to me that you are a true Inheritor and not just a carrier?"

Hearing this question, Gaboriel raised his hand without hesitation. The hidden blade in his sleeve abruptly shot out, pointing straight at Leon's cuff.

Leon raised his arm, and the metal of his cuff clashed against the incoming hidden blade, letting out a sharp metallic scrape.

"The hidden blade technique of the Knights Templar comes from the assassin family. More accurately, it comes from Frey Martin, my ancestor!"

Gaboriel declared loudly while reciting their guardian oath, "We walk in the darkness, yet we stand in the light!"

After he finished these two sentences, Leon, Albert, and the Mafia members behind them were astonished to realize that the man had vanished!

"This is the power of the assassin, the true power known as shadow power!" Gaboriel reappeared and revealed the fundamental nature of his abilities. "In the words from my memories, we are the dark side of the Church!"

Hearing this, Leon nodded. He took out the parchment booklet and handed it over. "Then, leave your mark, Mr. Gaboriel! On behalf of the Church, I welcome your return! The Inquisition, or rather, the assassin family!"