I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 609: The Appearance of the Hell Monarch
Indeed, these two also possessed Divine Might, but everyone who had learned its principles from Wang Lan knew how to counter it. There was more than just the Illusion Technique to counter Divine Might.
Those with Divine Might could retreat into the Divine Might Space when under attack, but they had to emerge from it to launch their own. For battle-hardened Star Martial Warriors, there were plenty of ways to exploit this fact. These last two lackeys were already a notch weaker than them, and with such overwhelming numbers, creating an opportunity for a one-hit kill was simple.
La’s sword easily swept across the throat of the gold-masked Star Martial Warrior, but the figure before him seemed like an illusory shadow. His black longsword was already thrusting towards La’s chest. As La’s sword passed by, missing the other’s body, the other’s sword was less than ten centimeters from La’s heart.
At this distance, even a Titled Strongman wouldn’t have time to dodge, and a hit would undoubtedly be fatal.
"It’s over," a smile touched the lips of the gold-masked Star Martial Warrior. He knew he was doomed to die today, but if he could drag someone down with him, it would all be worth it.
Suddenly, the gold-masked Star Martial Warrior’s body trembled. An ice sword protruded from his throat. The gold mask slowly slipped from his face, revealing one identical to that of the Sin Evil Bishop.
A look of terror was frozen on his face. He couldn’t understand how Jiang Xinyu had suddenly appeared behind him. Jiang Xinyu was clearly in front of him...
BANG——
A puff of smoke dispersed, and the Jiang Xinyu before him instantly turned into water vapor and vanished. It was only then that he realized what kind of stratagem he had fallen for. They had used his own mindset of dragging someone down with him, using La, the Titled Strongman, as bait to kill him in one fell swoop.
Looking up at La in front of him, a relieved smile appeared on the face of the masked Star Martial Warrior, and then he fell backward as the ice sword shattered.
Similarly, on the other side, was it difficult for Wang Lan and Yulia to kill Murraku? Murraku was killed by Wang Lan in a single blow before he could even demonstrate his strength. Even Divine Might was useless; the killing blow was delivered with such speed that there wasn’t even time to activate it.
After dealing with both of them, Wang Lan looked at the empty space and let out a long breath. This hidden space concealed considerable power. If unleashed during tomorrow’s Christmas Day festival, it could inflict immense destruction upon the City of Angels.
After shattering the spatial node, the group exited it and returned to their hotel. The group led by General Dyson had also successfully returned. Their operation was also highly successful. They had eliminated a total of one hundred and thirty spies deployed by the Hell Monarch and had also encountered experts capable of wielding Divine Might.
At first, they suffered some losses, but fortunately, the people sent this time were very experienced. Even without fully understanding Divine Might’s characteristics, they still managed to devise strategies to defeat their opponents. The operation was a great success, and General Dyson also informed the Pope of the details of the night’s actions after the operation ended.
When the Pope learned that Murraku, the Unparalleled Knight’s son, had not only been killed by the Hell Monarch but also impersonated by his men, he broke out in a cold sweat. This was because Murraku was scheduled to be at the Pope’s side the next day, substituting for the Unparalleled Knight during the ceremony. The Unparalleled Knight and the Saintess were currently confronting Demon City in Siberia and could not be pulled away. The Pope, after a brief shock, immediately expressed his gratitude to General Dyson and the others. Now that the Hell Monarch’s hidden agents had been entirely wiped out by the International Security Council, the Pope finally felt at ease.
Although he had indeed been dismissive before, surely the Hell Monarch no longer possessed the power to cause any disturbances during tomorrow’s ceremony? Having lost so many underlings, with most of the hidden bases wiped out, what could the Hell Monarch possibly do? Besides, the Hell Monarch lacked a physical body and could only hole up in Demon City, barely surviving. The subordinates he had cultivated were hardly worth mentioning.
After returning from the Papacy, Dyson conveyed the Pope’s gratitude to Wang Lan and invited Wang Lan and his group to the Temple to observe the ceremony tomorrow. It was already five in the morning, with five hours to go until the Christmas Day festival.
After battling all night, everyone was exhausted, so Wang Lan asked everyone to rest well to regain their strength. Although the previous night’s actions had dealt a heavy blow to the Hell Monarch’s covert forces, Wang Lan still sensed that the Hell Monarch’s plans were not so simple. He suspected the Hell Monarch must have other schemes hidden away.
After sleeping for five hours, Wang Lan was awakened by Dyson to prepare to attend the ceremony in God’s Country. Dressed in formal attire, he sat with Dyson in seats closest to the festival’s Temple.
By now, the Temple was surrounded by a sea of people. Christmas Day was the most important festival in God’s Country each year. But this year’s Christmas Day was even more significant as it was the Pope’s handover ceremony. Consequently, even more believers flocked to the City of Angels this year to witness the ceremony. Many pilgrims also journeyed from across the globe, causing the city’s population to swell severalfold.
When the clock struck the auspicious hour of ten, the festival officially began. The Pope, adorned in a luxurious white sacred robe and wearing a gold mask, approached the altar, instantly igniting cheers from the believers. That fervent calling, like otaku at an idol’s concert, surged in waves, each louder than the last, threatening to lift the very sky.
"I, Leon.God.York, pray to the God of Heaven! May my Lord have mercy on the world, bless this mortal realm, and dispel hatred, greed, jealousy, and arrogance! May He eliminate sickness, sorrow, and misfortune! May the people heed my Lord’s teachings: to love all humanity, be kind to friends and kin, uphold justice, fortify their will, and triumph over evil!
"I, Leon, blessed by the trust of God’s children, have held the Divine Staff for seventy years. Though I claim no world-shaking achievements, I have always diligently spread God’s radiance and disseminated His will throughout the mortal realm. Now, I am advanced in years and shall soon return to my God’s embrace.
"Today marks the last time I, Leon, will preside over the Christmas Day Grand Ceremony as Pope. I hereby seek guidance from the divine and declare to God’s faithful: I shall pass the Divine Staff to my close comrade-in-arms, my trusted disciple, the Righteous Bishop Mula!"
As the Pope spoke, the Righteous Bishop Mula strode step by step towards the altar, positioning himself behind the Pope. Then, he knelt on one knee with reverence and extended his hands devoutly.
The Pope held the Divine Staff horizontally and solemnly placed it into the outstretched hands of the Righteous Bishop. "Mula, from today on, you will be the five hundred and twenty-third Pope of the Heaven God Sect.
"You shall inherit the will of the five hundred and twenty-two Popes before you, honor God’s teachings, lead the one hundred and fifty million believers worldwide, spread God’s radiance, and teach humanity benevolence, justice, and virtue."
Saying this, he gently helped the Righteous Bishop to his feet. "Go, swear your papal oath to God and receive the acclamation of the faithful."
Mula took the Divine Staff, a faint smile curling at his lips as he slowly ascended to the altar, lifting the Divine Staff high. At this moment, the entire world seemed to have only one figure, the newly appointed Pope Mula. At this moment, the tens of thousands of faithful around all knelt down in unison, worshipping him in a prostrate manner.
"It really wasn’t easy... After so many years, the Papacy’s Divine Staff finally falls into my hands." Mula held the Divine Staff high and suddenly muttered these words.
Instantly, everyone was stunned and raised their heads to look at Mula. Was that how the Pope’s prayer went? Everyone could recite the Papacy’s prayers by heart. But Mula’s remark was utterly unsuited for such a solemn occasion. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Every Pope before had taken up the papal authority with trepidation, then with great solemnity swore an oath to the God of Heaven, each filled with reverent awe. But Mula’s tone was unexpectedly casual. The Pope’s face instantly darkened, and from the stands, Wang Lan’s expression also shifted slightly.
"There might be trouble, have the brothers get ready," Wang Lan said in a low voice.
Dyson quickly touched his earpiece, issuing an alert to his International Security Council brethren.
"Ah, Christmas Day, a sacred festival of the Papacy. For three thousand years, I have been entangled with the Papacy, but today, I shall turn this detestable organization into history. The God of Heaven has long since fallen! A new god is about to be born, and that new god shall be I!"
"Mula, what are you saying?" A Cardinal Bishop could no longer hold back and stood up, yelling loudly.
"He is not Mula!" the Pope declared, his voice grim as he slowly rose. "He is the Hell Monarch!"
"Hahaha... old fool, only now do you realize who I am? Isn’t it all too late?"
BOOM— A tremendous explosion shook the earth. Mula, holding the Divine Staff, pointed fiercely to the heavens, a ray of white light shot forth from the staff. In an instant, myriad rays of light fell from the sky, and within that Holy Light, the world seemed so pure and holy.
But along with sounds like glass shattering, a spider web of cracks appeared throughout the sky’s Holy Light. The believers watching this scene widened their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing.
The Holy Light Array... was shattering?
What was even more unbelievable to them was that the new Pope brandishing the Divine Staff was actually the greatest enemy of the Papacy—the Hell Monarch?
"Hahaha... The God of Heaven has fallen! The new god has risen! From this day forward, my Hell Church shall replace the Holy See and become the new divine faith!"
"In your dreams!" The Pope stepped forward, ripping off his sacred robes to reveal the gleaming battle armor beneath.
"Holy Shield! Holy Sword!" the Pope roared. He held the Holy Shield in one hand and the Holy Sword in the other, his aura immense. The Holy Light around him solidified, forming a one-meter-thick Holy Light Wall.
BOOM— His sword strike cleaved the air like a heavenly chasm, fiercely slashing down towards Mula’s head.
Mula neither dodged nor evaded. He simply raised his hand, and a ripple of power spread outwards. A terrifying shockwave swept out, sending the nearest spectator stands flying. At that moment, many of the faithful finally reacted, screaming and running in all directions.
"Quick, assist the Pope!" a Cardinal Bishop roared, leading twelve other Cardinal Bishops as they charged forward.
"You protect the faithful and facilitate their evacuation. Leave the Hell Monarch to me. And, notify the Saintess and the Unparalleled Knight to come back and support immediately—"
Wang Lan hesitated for only a moment before swiftly rising. "General Dyson, help the Papacy evacuate the civilians. I will support the Pope!"
Among the International Security Council agents, only Wang Lan and Yulia were capable of assisting the Pope in battle. The others would be more effective protecting the crowd. As Wang Lan stood, Yulia, already bathed in Holy Light, was charging towards the high platform.
