From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 4: The Devil in the Dream

For the townsfolk, Father Angus of the church was a figure much like Sheriff Franz.

He was an elder, a servant of God, and someone everyone could trust.

However, no one truly believed he possessed any real power, even though most people in this town were believers.

They only considered deities as spiritual support, with very few genuinely believing that deities actually had power.

This was the reality for most small-town churches in Amerigo—priests had never demonstrated any power of their own; they were simply part of the town fabric.

Franz and Hank certainly thought the same way. Bringing Fuli here was nothing more than a desperate, last-ditch attempt.

But they never could have imagined that Father Angus, who had been utterly ordinary for twenty years, actually had something up his sleeve!

Eyes don't lie—they could clearly see the pure white light bursting forth from that silver cross!

This light was like the legendary "Holy Light"—spotless, flawless, and deeply reassuring.

And that black devil was visibly terrified of the Holy Light, gradually backing away, trying to put distance between itself and the cross.Father Angus certainly wasn't about to pass up this golden opportunity to press his advantage. Holding the cross aloft, he recited from the Gospel:

"For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

As these words were spoken, the cross, already radiant, blazed with even more intense light!

The brilliant white light was so dazzling that everyone present except Angus could barely keep their eyes open.

Yet, a piercing, wretched scream reached their ears:

"Ah! Damned Holy Light, vile power! How is this possible? How can His power still remain in this world?"

This devil let out a mournful wail, its terrifying tone echoing throughout the entire town!

"Get out of her body, devil!" Father Angus's voice grew increasingly fervent, as if new power was erupting from within him!

The light flared again. Franz and Hank, straining to open their eyes, saw a black ghostly shadow gradually rising from Fuli's body under the white radiance.

Now, they could clearly see the monster's appearance!

What kind of monster was this?!

Its body was formless and chaotic, but its face was hideously twisted, exuding palpable malice, and it extended a tongue that was a full two arm-lengths long!

Forced by the light, it drifted bit by bit upward into the sky.

"Damn you, priest! I'll rip out your eyes! I'll drag your soul down to hell!"

It roared threats at the man before it, then was compelled to retreat further by the advancing cross!

Angus was also frustrated—he only had this one cross, and he didn't know how to destroy the entity.

Therefore, he chose to drive it away first.

With each step the priest took, the devil's form grew fainter, and its voice dwindled.

"Priest, I won't leave! I'll linger in your dreams! I'll make every one of you suffer a living hell in endless nightmares!"

Finally, the devil resorted to a parting threat before dissolving into particles within the cross's light.

"Whew..." Only then did Angus rehang the cross on his chest and approach the still-sleeping girl.

"She should be fine now!" Looking at the vanished black mist around the girl, Angus said with a smile.

At that moment, Hank and his wife stepped forward, embracing their daughter with tears streaming down their faces.

They were safe—for now.

Sheriff Franz walked with Angus as they reopened the church doors. Gazing at the clear, washed-blue sky, his mood was heavy.

He had countless questions burning inside him, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know where to start.

Seeing the conflicted look in his old friend's eyes, Angus cheerfully raised a hand, making a "shush" gesture. "All of this was the Lord's guidance, Franz!"

That explanation made sense to Franz—old Angus had no intention of elaborating.

Thinking about it, it made perfect sense. This guy had been in this town for a full twenty years without showing any hint of this.

It was only today, when Hank's daughter somehow got possessed by an evil spirit, that Franz discovered his old friend's true capabilities.

This couldn't help but make him curious: if evil spirits and priests were both real, then didn't that mean...

He thought of all those widely circulated legends and myths from his childhood, and he recalled those pamphlets the church used to distribute.

Back then, they had all seemed like just stories.

But now, thinking about it, they were probably more than just stories!

Then, Sheriff Franz remembered the curse the evil spirit had uttered as it left, and he recalled his own nightmare from last night. Suddenly, his face changed.

"Father Angus, I had a nightmare last night! Hank said he had one too!" Franz said urgently. Just at that moment, a few other people arrived at the church entrance.

These were all townsfolk, devout believers who frequently attended church services.

Of course, they saw Franz too and came over to greet him one after another!

"Hey! Sheriff Franz, you're here too? Did you also have a nightmare?"

Hearing these successive remarks from the townspeople, Franz and Angus exchanged a glance.

This was bad. The tranquil town probably wouldn't remain tranquil for much longer!

...

"Alvin, tally up the gains!" Bai Yang sat on the church roof, squinting as he watched the residents discussing last night's "terrifying nightmares," lost in thought.

Beside him, Alvin hovered in mid-air, rapidly reporting:

"Entire town entered dreams: consumed 10 points of Wish Force."

"From the devil's appearance to disappearance: consumed 20 points of Wish Force, and that was with us closing the church doors to reduce light influence."

"Total consumption: 30 points of Wish Force, because sound propagation requires a certain degree of real attributes."

Bai Yang nodded. "About what I estimated for consumption. So, what about the gains?"

"From four individuals, we harvested a total of 40 points of Wish Force!" Alvin said. "Creating such special phenomena really makes them believe it's real!"

"However, because part of the Wish Force adhered to the cross, we could only recover 30 points. Overall, we broke even!"

Bai Yang shook his head. "No, Alvin, you can't simply judge profit or loss based on that kind of return! Right now, we've stirred up the entire town, and the story about the church will definitely spread through the town as they talk!"

"As long as one person believes this story, our Wish Force will increase!"

"And besides, it's not just one person!"

Bai Yang looked downward. He could clearly see the newly awakened Fuli and her family eagerly telling their recent story to acquaintances in the town.

And with this storytelling, the Wish Force within the God of Lies' Divine Spark was gradually increasing!

"Moreover, we've planted a nightmare in every single person's mind! Now, all we need to do is detonate those dreams, and Wish Force will come pouring in!" Bai Yang said excitedly.

"I believe you are correct, Your Grace!" Alvin said to Bai Yang, observing the sudden surge of nearly 100 points of Wish Force.

Bai Yang waved a hand. "Then begin the next phase of the plan, while they're all at the church!"

Alvin bowed. "It is already underway, Your Grace!"