From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 468: Global Christian Leaders Gather

One day later, six planes landed in Rome in rapid succession.

Lomeini, who was supposed to be conducting research in Sicily, hurried down from her flight and went straight to the adjacent runway to greet the arriving passengers.

The man arriving was the acting Archbishop of the Roman Holy See, Angus Bennett. Over the past month, this extraordinary leader had firmly established his international standing and earned the profound respect of the entire world.

He was a living legend, the very first person in this era to truly possess Transcendent Power and make it known to the public.

He had saved half the population of Miami. He had sparked a storm known as the "Religious Inquisition" across all of America, striking such fear into the hearts of the Clergy that they would tremble at the mere mention of the Religious Tribunal.

Yet, in the eyes of The Faithful, he was also the most benevolent and gentle soul. He healed sick children, exorcised evil spirits for believers, warned officials against overstepping their bounds, and even personally took the field to judge terrifying Demons!

He was just and stern, yet simultaneously gentle and patient. This dual nature gave him a uniquely compelling aura. At the very least, the world recognized that he was not a traditional Pope-in-waiting, but rather a harbinger of absolute revolution in the future.

Lomeini shared this sentiment. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with this future Pope to cultivate a strong relationship.

After all, Mario was getting on in years. During the previous Divine Descent crisis, he had forcefully catalyzed a tremendous amount of power. He could return to the Heavenly Kingdom on any given day. When that happened, Angus was undoubtedly the only candidate to succeed him. No one questioned this.

No one in the world could compare to Angus in terms of prestige. As for divine blessings and the Lord's favor, others fell even further behind.Whether it was the favor of Angels, the gaze of the Gods, or sheer innate talent, Angus lacked nothing. He was indisputably the second most powerful figure after Mario, and the man destined to take control of St. Peter's Basilica!

During this period, Lomeini had finally come to understand what a true Supernatural Faction was.

The terrifying oceanic disaster in the Caribbean Sea had served as a sobering wake-up call for every ambitious nation, forcing them to clearly see their actual standing in the world.

Many Transcendent Beings were not actually that powerful. In every sense, their individual strength could not rival that of a sovereign nation; many could even be subdued by a single tactical squad.

But these minor details were inconsequential. The true crux of the matter lay with the Gods standing behind these Transcendent forces!

God, Jesus, Odin, Thor, Yu Sheshen, Tlaloc... The emergence of these Deities was the true source of the world's terror.

Let alone their small nation of Italy, not even America had the means to handle a crisis brought about by Transcendent Deities!

Therefore, they had to do everything in their power to build strong relationships with familiar Supernatural Factions to secure their own position within Italy.

In the recent international negotiations, Lomeini had truly experienced the immense benefits of having a powerful backer behind her.

The days when Italy had to bow to the major continental or global powers at international conferences were gone forever.

She could freely agree to deals that benefited her country and flatly reject unfavorable proposals. If anyone dared to object, a simple statement that The Church would not permit it was enough to shut everyone up.

As the leader of a Right-Wing Political Party, Lomeini knew exactly what she needed. Unfortunately, the old Italy had lacked this kind of power; its economic growth had been sluggish, its military development stalled, and it was mostly an object of ridicule on the international stage.

This naturally left them deeply dissatisfied, but such grievances were entirely useless. The gap in national strength was insurmountable; they simply had to endure it.

Aside from a meager amount of prestige, they had no real power left in the international arena.

Even when trying to implement policies that benefited the nation and its people, they had to cater to the whims of domestic capital. And those massive domestic corporations were, more often than not, just lapdogs for international capital. This reality had once caused Lomeini endless agony.

But that was all in the past. The situation was entirely different now.

Lately, Lomeini had been riding high on a wave of success. From being a complete nobody, she had transformed into a guest of honor at every European regional summit. From having no standing whatsoever, she had become a central figure that could not be ignored in the Great Power Game.

She now had a say in all European affairs simply because she was the Politician closest to The Church in the entire region.

She possessed the privilege to meet with the Pope at any time, which granted her the power to alter the Transcendent landscape. Even if her influence was minor, it was enough to make the entire world green with envy!

This was the reward Italy reaped for fully aligning with the Roman Catholic Church and forcefully implementing all of its institutional doctrines.

Just look at Macron; he was practically on his knees begging The Church, desperately hoping that France would be chosen as the third nation to undergo a comprehensive rollout of The Church's institutional reforms.

In this Supernatural Era, a nation's standing was no longer determined by its military, political, or economic might, but rather by its relationship with and influence over Transcendent factions!

After wrapping up her internal pep talk, Lomeini wore a nearly flawless smile as she approached an Airbus aircraft painted in pure white. Bathed in the radiant glow of a Golden Cross, she watched the man step directly down from the exit. It was Cardinal Angus Bennett. His was a face that had become known across the entire globe in just a few short months—upright, stern, and yet gentle.

He immediately noticed Lomeini waiting for him and gave a slight nod. "Madam Prime Minister, you are here as well?"

"Yes, Cardinal Bennett!" Lomeini quickly replied. "As soon as I heard that His Eminence Mario had awakened, I rushed over immediately!"

"His Eminence is the Bishop of the entire city of Rome. Everyone is deeply concerned for his well-being!"

Angus could easily guess what was on her mind, and he had no intention of disregarding her goodwill. Lomeini knew he would eventually take over St. Peter's Basilica, and Angus was certainly aware of it too.

He needed to maintain this relationship until his next visit.

"You are very thoughtful, Madam. His Eminence Mario summoned us urgently the moment he woke up. Since you are here, let us go together!"

The two walked side by side toward the other planes.

Naturally, the passengers in the remaining aircraft were also figures of immense importance. Among them was Saintess Caroline, who had paused her eastward journey, the current Patriarch of Eastern Orthodoxy, and several Bishops from major Patriarchal dioceses.

Now that Roman Catholicism held true divine authority and the power to interpret the will of the Gods, no matter how much resentment they harbored in their hearts, they all had to step forward and perform their declarations of loyalty.

After all, they had all previously been followers of The Lord, refusing to submit to or be convinced by one another. But now, The Catholic Church was backed by real Deities. If they didn't come to vie for some semblance of recognition, they would lose all claim to legitimacy.

Thus, the people gathering here were almost entirely the most highly respected Bishops and Patriarchs from their respective regions. Yet, even they took the initiative to bow in greeting when they approached Angus.

After all, the Pope was universally recognized as The Lord's messenger, while Angus was known to the entire world as The Lord's emissary. Standing there, he was considered a literal Angel, Heaven's spokesman!

"Cardinal Angus!"

Faced with the courteous greetings of the crowd, Angus did not put on any airs. Instead, he quickly swept his gaze over them and asked, "Did you come on your own accord, or were you invited by His Eminence?"

He sensed something highly unusual. If these people had simply come on their own initiative, that was one thing. But if this was Mario's invitation...

"His Eminence invited them!" From a distance, Nicky walked over with steady steps. "The situation is urgent, which is why His Eminence didn't explain the details to you. He is already waiting for everyone at St. Peter's Basilica. Please, come with me!"

Everyone naturally recognized Cardinal Nicky. Ever since Rasinger's departure, he had served as the Spokesperson for the Roman Holy See.

Hearing this, Angus's heart suddenly tightened. "Cardinal Nicky, if something major has truly happened, should we have Leon bring the Knights Templar?"

Mario had never done anything like this before. Angus was terrified that the kind of crisis the Angels had warned about had finally arrived, prompting the Pope to act with such urgency the very moment he awoke!

"His Eminence the Pope hasn't said anything. It is best to wait until you arrive..." Nicky shook his head. "But before that, I want to ask you all—has the Lord's Radiance been extinguished?"

"Of course not!" the crowd replied.

"Should we lend our strength to the Lord's Radiance?"

"We should, it is our duty!" they answered again.

"His Eminence is waiting for you in the church. Please, follow me!"

Although nothing explicit had been said, his words were enough to make everyone's heart leap into their throats!