I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 614 Assault on Demon City

With slight hesitation, the leader of the Holy Knights ultimately took a step back and knelt on one knee, lowering his proud head in submission. With him leading the way, the other Holy Knights soon followed, kneeling to declare their fealty to Yulia.

Yulia let out a breath of relief and turned to face Wang Lan. "On behalf of God’s Country, I offer you a sincere apology for what the Pope did to you earlier. In this matter, God’s Country was at fault from the beginning.

"Then, I apologize to you personally. I’m sorry, I had no idea the Pope would do such a thing. I can understand his reasons, but I know his actions are unforgivable to you. If I had known he would do this, I certainly wouldn’t have come to ask for your help."

"I understand! You already proved your stance when we were in the Palace of the Saintess. But now, I want to know the position of the entire God’s Country."

"I’ll definitely have an answer for you tomorrow morning," Yulia said quickly.

「That night」

Wang Lan and his companions secretly traveled to Siberia. The Time-Space Gemstone had been detected in Demon City, and Wang Lan could not afford to be too far from it; otherwise, if the Hell Monarch activated it, even if Wang Lan could intervene, it would be too late.

「At the same time」

An emergency conference was taking place within the Papacy. The Twelve Bishops were engaged in a fierce debate over the Pope’s death, their faces flushed as they argued heatedly, unable to reach a consensus.

"The Pope was the spiritual symbol of our Holy Church, and he did indeed die at Wang Lan’s hands. If we don’t provide an explanation to the believers worldwide, the credibility of our Holy Church will be utterly shattered. Once the people’s faith is lost, the Holy Church will inevitably decline."

"How should we account for it? Claim that Lord Pope died from a spiritual power backlash after a failed attempt to use God’s Call on Wang Lan? That would be even more humiliating."

"Who truly knows how the Pope died? We could preemptively claim Wang Lan ambushed and killed him," roared one of the Cardinal Bishops, his expression savage.

"Harvest Bishop, do you wish to be locked in the Thorn Cage?" bellowed the newly appointed Sin Evil Bishop. "This is deceit, fraud!"

"We simply cannot conceal the true circumstances of the Pope’s death. Do you think Wang Lan is some insignificant figure from Jade Country? He is the son of the Flame Emperor, a standard-bearer for Jade Country’s younger generation, and the Titled Strongman known as Greedy Wolf."

"The priority now is to devise a plausible explanation for the Pope’s death. Otherwise, forget making Wang Lan pay; the sheer volume of criticism from the believers will be enough to drown us."

"The Pope acted for the development of our Holy Church; he merely wanted a new Guardian War God. Everything the Pope did was for the Holy Church. The faithful will understand."

"But the international community will not understand. This isn’t just a diplomatic dispute between us and Jade Country; it’s a dispute with the United Nations..."

The bickering continued unabated, causing Yulia, seated among them, to grow increasingly grim.

"Have you argued enough?" Yulia suddenly slammed the table and shouted.

"If this continues, we’ll never reach a decision by dawn. But we must decide before then, otherwise it will be too late when the United Nations takes action against us."

"Saintess, we haven’t even addressed your actions. Why were you so deferential to Wang Lan earlier? How could you apologize to him?"

"And why can’t we apologize? Do you genuinely believe the Pope’s actions were correct?"

"His actions were wrong because he failed. Had he succeeded, they would have been deemed right."

"Do you think Jade Country is the White Eagle Country of thirty years ago? Under the current circumstances, with the Demon Clan army threatening to descend at any moment, any hand that dares to offend Jade Country will be ruthlessly severed.

Have you forgotten the Nirvana Pact, established two hundred years ago? It stipulates that if human civilization ever teeters on the brink of collapse, with the Demon Clan army targeting it directly, all nations must forsake their own interests to preserve the flame of human civilization. And that flame, that seed, is Jade Country.

All other countries’ elite forces can be lost, but not Jade Country’s. Fortunately, the Pope failed. Had he succeeded, it would have spelled doom for God’s Country.

Is it truly so difficult to relinquish our arrogance? Is it truly so difficult to admit our mistakes? If God’s Country does not change its thinking, it will be isolating itself from human civilization. God’s Country, like all nations and all of humanity, is part of a single, interconnected whole."

Yulia’s words plunged the Bishops around the conference table into silence. No one had wanted to lift that delicate veil, to pierce that thin paper screen. But once Yulia had done so, the Twelve Bishops saw clearly that beneath it, God’s Country held no advantage.

It was not that the world needed God’s Country, but that God’s Country needed the world. The Pope considered only the interests of God’s Country, ignoring that his actions placed him in opposition to all of humanity.

Failure offers a chance for redemption; success would have plunged God’s Country into an abyss.

"Then, let us move to the next item on the agenda: who will become the new Pope?"

「The night passed quietly」

As the sun rose majestically in the east, Wang Lan and a group of top International Security Council experts maintained their round-the-clock vigil in a temporary camp just outside Demon City.

God’s Country had suffered grievous losses, as had the Hell Monarch. While God’s Country scrambled to deal with the aftermath, a nation left in ruins and chaos, the Hell Monarch retreated to Demon City to lick his wounds and recover.

Consequently, Demon City maintained a very low profile that night. Not only did Demon City refrain from any provocative attacks, but it was also fraught with anxiety, fearing that the enraged forces of God’s Country might launch an assault.

The combined strength of God’s Country and experts like Wang Lan gave them an overwhelming advantage over Demon City. After all, Demon City boasted only the Hell Monarch’s formidable power; his subordinates stood no chance against three hundred thousand Holy Knights.

Confident in their eventual strategic advantage, Wang Lan and the others decided against needless sacrifices. They would wait for humanity’s top experts to arrive and then overrun Demon City with minimal losses.

Wang Lan’s only concern was that the Hell Monarch, seeing his inevitable defeat, might activate the Time-Space Gemstone prematurely. If that happened, Wang Lan would be forced to launch an immediate, preemptive assault.

"Wang Lan, the experts from various countries have already set out. By noon today, three superheroes from White Eagle Country will arrive, and two Nordic War Gods from Polar Bear will be here. Jade Country has only dispatched Qing Emperor and the Titled Strongman, Wise Heart Sword God," Dyson said softly, approaching Wang Lan.

"These forces should be sufficient!"

"Indeed. This morning, God’s Country issued a global statement apologizing to you and the world. They claimed the former Pope had acted stubbornly against global sentiment. This wave of apologies and playing the victim has certainly garnered them some public sympathy."

"God’s Country taking such a step is quite surprising. In terms of shifting blame, they’re no less adept than White Eagle Country."

"This time, they had no one else to blame. If they hadn’t apologized, the United Nations’ condemnation would have swiftly followed. However, God’s Country’s willingness to disclose all its Star Martial Skills to the United Nations was a remarkably grand gesture. Their magnanimity exceeded my expectations..."

"If apologies alone were effective, what use would Law Enforcement Organizations be? Without making their Star Martial Skills public, they couldn’t have silenced the United Nations. For us, this is indeed the best possible news."

「That afternoon」

As Wang Lan and the others watched eagerly, the reinforcements began to arrive in God’s Country. Six Star Soul Realm experts and thirty Titled Strongmen arrived. Such a formidable contingent was the kind usually assembled only to confront a Demon Clan army.

Demon City was enveloped by the Hell Monarch’s spatio-temporal domain. Even in daylight, no sunbeam could penetrate its barrier, leaving the city shrouded in darkness. From the outside, Demon City looked as if it were trapped beneath a colossal dome of obsidian.

Within, black smoke roiled and Demonic Qi pulsed.

Though existing within the same spatio-temporal continuum, Demon City seemed to have been carved into an independent space, governed by its own unique Laws.

「Inside the Demon Fortress」

Where the Demonic Qi was even more concentrated and the air heavier, a warrior in black armor ascended the steps into the central hall. His crisp footsteps echoed through the vast, empty chamber.

"Master—" The armored warrior knelt on one knee before an ink-black pool on a raised dais in the hall, from which dense Demonic Qi emanated.

"Have you gathered the intelligence?"

"Forgive me, Master. Demon City is now surrounded by the Holy Knights of God’s Country. We cannot penetrate their layered defenses to gather intelligence. Our operatives concealed within the City of Angels are also unable to transmit any information."

"However, the Holy Knights did not attack last night. My subordinates speculate that God’s Country is also preoccupied with managing the aftermath. Their next move will likely be in several days, at least."

"Speculation... Can you take responsibility for your speculation?" the Hell Monarch asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Originally, establishing the New Blue Country was my primary objective; taking revenge on God’s Country was merely incidental. But why was the plan subverted before it even began? Thirty years of preparation, all for naught in an instant. Tell me, where precisely did my plan go wrong?"

"Master, no one erred. It is that human, Wang Lan—he is utterly detestable! He discovered the flaws in our strategy, leading to the collapse of the New Blue Country plan."

"In the battle for the City of Angels, we fought with all our might and killed the Unparalleled Knight and the Saintess. Even the Pope is likely on his last breath, incapable of further combat. As long as you recover from your injuries, Master, we still have a chance."

"It won’t take long for my injuries to heal, but to reconsecrate a Different Dimensional Space will require at least three months. Do you think the humans will grant us that much time?"

"Your subordinates swear to fight to the death to secure those three months for you," the black-armored warrior quickly pledged, his head bowed.

"Leave," the Hell Monarch said with a slight wave of his hand. The black-armored warrior bowed and retreated.

「After the black-armored warrior left」

The Hell Monarch slowly raised his head, spectral gleams flickering within his hollow eyes.

He slowly extended a hand. Amidst a ripple of distortion, the Time-Space Gemstone materialized in his grasp. A look of profound disgust contorted his features, as if recalling his former glory in the Demon World, only to be thrust from that zenith into the abyss.

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed once more. The Hell Monarch hastily concealed the Time-Space Gemstone.

"Master, someone is outside," an attendant’s voice announced. "He claims to be an envoy from Paradise Bird."

"Paradise Bird?" The Hell Monarch snorted. "A pack of treacherous curs. Tell him to get lost."

"Yes!"

"No, wait. Bring him in."

「Soon」

Led by an attendant, a middle-aged Caucasian man dressed in white was ushered into the hall.

"Greetings, Hell Monarch. I extend regards to you on behalf of my leader, General Baffle."

"I don’t know any General Baffle. If you have something to say, say it plainly," the Hell Monarch stated bluntly.

"Very well, Lord Hell Monarch. We wish to ask: at this critical juncture, why have you not yet activated the Time-Space Gemstone to welcome the arrival of the Divine Clan army? What, precisely, are you waiting for?"