From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 330: The Battle for the Holy Maiden

At this moment, every intelligence system around the world learned of this news.

"Crown, I heard this was a unanimous decision between you and Cardinal Angus? This... I cannot quite understand it," Andrea could not help but say as he stood beside Mario. "I would like to request permission to protect the Holy Maiden..."

As a Roman, Andrea naturally understood what a "Holy Maiden" meant.

Although he was a member of an Exorcist family with his own ancestral inheritance and had no need for Precepts.

However, he had recently encountered quite a few Precept bearers within The Church and had spoken with them. Thus, he clearly understood the paramount importance of this Holy Maiden within the Catholic Church.

It could even be said that her importance was limitless; no one in The Church could compare to her.

Because as long as she was alive, even if they suffered heavy losses, The Church would have an infinite future. The fact that these Precepts could mold Transcendent Beings without any side effects was simply terrifying!

"Because Caroline is human, a representative of The Lord, not a tool used to bear Precepts!" Mario said calmly. "She should go and see the world. She is the eyes of The Lord, the eyes of Heaven; we cannot restrict her freedom!"

"The Lord is merciful and treats everyone equally. Only in this way can she achieve her optimal growth!"

Hearing this, Andrea came to a sudden realization. "The Holy Maiden hasn't fully matured yet? She can still grow?""Yes, the Holy Maiden's retinue of Precept bearers is still missing many elements. There are no Cardinals, no Ascetics, no other two Knightly Orders, and no Envoys of Light..." Mario explained. "The archives of the Vatican detail the significance of each Precept, and the person who recorded these Precepts back then was Saint Joan of Arc!"

Hearing this, Andrea understood. "No wonder Saint Joan of Arc was able to raise such a devout army amidst such terrifying Suffering. She likely possessed the same kind of Bestowal!"

Then he began to curse, "Those despicable English, what exactly did they do!"

Naturally, he was cursing the fact that Saint Joan of Arc had ultimately been sent to the stake by those heretics. One could only say that the seven hundred years of friendship between England and France was certainly no empty rumor.

"England?" Mario casually remarked. "The starting point of Protestantism is about to face its end as well!"

He was not speaking nonsense. He was looking at several letters in his hands from some of the largest Protestant churches in England. In an era where Transcendent factions were emerging worldwide and The Church had taken the lead, these Protestants could not possibly sit still.

"In the past, Protestants would have been accepted by The Lord... but now, they cannot even achieve self-actualization, so how can they convince The Faithful to believe in them?"

Andrea noted that Protestantism was, of course, well-intentioned in the beginning. However, without a governing authority above them to keep them in check, they had only deteriorated over time, consumed by infinite desires and unchecked Power.

"The Lord has descended. The holy light will shine upon every land shrouded in shadows, and what we must do is shepherd this land Chosen by Heaven on behalf of The Lord!" Mario declared. "Let us go, Andrea. We are taking a trip to France to find the relics of Saint Joan of Arc..."

...

The near lack of response from The Church prompted nations around the world to immediately begin their own deliberations.

For instance, inside Buckingham Palace, the elderly King Charles stared at the MI6 Director before him and demanded angrily, "Are you telling me that the Transcendent Power we found in Japan cannot be brought to England?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Director's bald head was covered in cold sweat. He had just reported to the Prime Minister, and now he had to explain things to the King. His days were truly difficult.

"Their Transcendent Power is either connected to their native Mythology or linked to certain Deities and Spirits. One might even need to join their ranks to receive a Transcendent Bestowal... Once these forces leave that land, they become exceedingly weak..."

Charles grew furious. "Is there absolutely no Transcendent Power that can be taken away?"

"There is one..." the bald Director replied hesitantly. "It is the power of Buddhism. Some Buddhist Monks who acquired Buddhist legacies have returned from Kolkata to Japan and begun spreading Mahayana Buddhism. Their power can be taken away!"

Charles glared at him. "Do you think I don't know that? Ah? Then why didn't you mention the sheer level of Suffering involved in that path?"

Who didn't know that the Buddhist factions had power and could pass down inheritances? They literally had a Bodhisattva sitting right there!

Moreover, this power required devout Buddhist Followers. How could such Buddhist Followers ever submit to their command?

Not to mention, the rules of Mahayana Buddhism were far stricter than any other Transcendent path. Compared to Mahayana Buddhism, the rules of the Catholic Church could be considered downright gentle.

After all, at least Catholicism didn't completely forbid meat and indulgence, unlike the Buddhists whose first requirement was the Eight Precepts. "Wait, didn't news just come in that the Holy Maiden has left on a journey?" King Charles abruptly raised his head, looking at Prince William beside him.

"Yes, Father!" William quickly replied. "Do you also think what I said makes sense? Exactly! We can shift back to the Catholic Church. We also share the faith of Christ, so returning would be completely natural."

Charles looked at his overly eager eldest son, feeling the onset of A Troublesome Situation. Changing the nation's Faith wasn't something that could be accomplished with just a few words. It involved countless Interest groups and political maneuvers. How could it be as simple as his son thought?

Even if he, the King, declared such a shift, he might very well die a violent death the very next day. The power of a thousand-year-old denomination was terrifying!

"We will discuss that matter later. Let's talk about this Holy Maiden first!" Charles stated directly. "Do you remember the stories that spread previously regarding the Holy Maiden's Bestowal?"

"It wasn't just a story, Your Majesty!" the Director exclaimed loudly. This was his chance to prove his worth. "Our agents in the Vatican saw with their own eyes—and captured on video—those Bishops, Deacons, and Monks becoming Precept bearers!"

Charles shot him a disdainful glare. "You actually have the nerve to bring that up. A group of our agents ended up doing menial labor in their headquarters, only to discover later that their identities had been known the entire time! They essentially exploited your manpower for free!"

Hearing this, the bald Director's expression darkened. This was indeed a massive stain on their operational record.

They had no choice; their people had long been kicked out. The Vatican had even sent someone to formally thank them for their hard work. The slap to the face was deafening!

However, King Charles merely mentioned this in passing. He quickly moved past the embarrassment and asked, "Since the Holy Maiden is no longer residing in the Church and is out in the open world, does that mean we now have a chance to make contact with her?"

"Could our Pastors also receive her Bestowal and acquire these Precepts?"

Hearing Charles's words, the people around him were astonished. Put that way, it seemed like perhaps, just maybe... it could work?

"It should be possible, Your Majesty!" the bald Director said slowly, though he then slowly shook his head. "But exactly how to accomplish it will require careful deliberation!"

"Careful deliberation? It is the endless deliberating of you foolish Politicians that dragged Great Britain from being first in the world to its current state!" Charles roared in fury. "It is precisely because of the procrastination of Politicians like you that our nation has plummeted from the top!"

"And now you want to deliberate? By the time you finish your discussions, won't others have already secured their claims? Macron goes to Rome as casually as returning home now! He has even started publicly opposing Golden Hair! And you are still deliberating?"

In truth, this was actually the period when King Charles wielded the most power. Because England's Prime Ministers had been stepping down at a frantic pace recently, plunging the entire political landscape into boundless turmoil, Charles had managed to reclaim a degree of the King's true authority. This was what allowed him to interrogate them so fiercely today.

"I don't care how you deliberate. Deploy our people immediately! I want to know the results the very second they happen!"

Charles's words made the bald Director sweat profusely. He wanted to point out that they had no one left to deploy. Between the Sweden incident, the Iceland incident, the Kolkata incident, the Myanmar incident, the Japan incident...

All of these myriad events had forced the already incomparably Corrupt British Civil Service System to operate far beyond its limits. It had even forced many Departments Taking Empty Salaries to run at maximum capacity.

But he didn't dare utter a single word of this excuse. The person standing before him wasn't a Prime Minister he could collude with, but the King!

"Yes..." he finally conceded, silently deciding that he would submit his resignation the moment he returned. Whoever wanted this miserable position could have it; he was done.

Watching the man's retreating back, Charles let out a heavy sigh. "Did you see that, William? These are the officials of Great Britain... None of them actually think about what is best for Great Britain. They only look out for themselves..."

William looked a little lost. "Father, is this the kind of situation we are truly facing?"

"Yes, this is exactly our situation!" Charles replied grimly. "Have our own people make their move. We cannot trust these Politicians. Aside from causing us endless trouble, the only thing they excel at is deceiving the public into believing we haven't collapsed yet..."

England sprang into action. And right as they mobilized, every nation across the globe that placed their Faith in Christ mobilized as well.

They firmly believed that The Faithful who proved devout enough would be able to secure their claims and Precepts from the Holy Maiden. When that happened, it would finally be their time to rise to power.

"We can also Believe in God, and we can also cherish Heaven! We can obtain these Precepts too!"

And this was exactly what Mario and Angus had hoped to see. "Those who obtain Precepts will become a pillar of support for The Lord, and a pillar of support for The Lord is a pillar of support for the Catholic Church!"

"This is poison-laced candy, but they have no choice but to eat it!"