The Pope bizarrely observed the Apostle of God charging at him with a smile that showed no signs of fear.
The Apostle of God he knew was a noble soul weakened by their own frailty. They stood tall and beautiful, not crumbling, but facing their weakness with resilience.
In other words, they were honest about their hesitations.
So, under normal circumstances, when he knew others were bleeding, he should have lost his smile and felt weak in his hands.
But Lucy didn’t hesitate.
The Pope, realizing this, granted power to the knights and took a step back to watch the scene unfold.
This was a place that should not exist, the hell he created with the Authority of the End.
And then he understood. The reason Lucy didn’t hesitate was that the Apostle of God believed in humanity, and humanity was reciprocating that faith.
Why?
The Pope pondered as he saw people raising weapons from all over.
Why are they rising?
‘Stop!’
‘Fight!’
‘We will win!’
‘For the great Lord Jushin!’
Why do they have will?
‘Don’t be afraid!’
‘The Apostle has walked this path before!’
‘This is the task entrusted to us by them! We cannot retreat!’
Why are they pushing forward, suppressing their fears?
‘Do not fear!’
‘The Lord Jushin is watching over us!’
‘For the salvation of the world!’
‘For our country!’
‘For our families!’
Why do they not fear death as they move forward?
The humanity the Pope knew was not like this.
Humans easily succumb to despair and collapse.
There are a few exceptions, but most humans easily give up and, to escape their fear, willingly plunge into evil.
This isn’t merely the Pope’s ideology.
It’s reality.
His conviction comes from witnessing humans since the time he lived as an Apostle of Evil God.
Humans are weak.
That’s why they turn evil.
They become evil, bowing to the weight of reality.
Some children grasp the hands of evil out of unbearable hunger.
Some men lower their heads under evil to preserve their lives.
Some parents embrace evil with the singular intent of protecting their children.
Some evildoers dive into evil out of their desires, which is weak in itself.
The mere fact that they cannot fulfill their desires through righteous action is evidence of their weakness.
Another evildoer, after many nightmares, acquires the false belief that wrongdoing is virtue and casually commits massacres.
This is also proof of weakness. If humans were truly strong, they would not harbor distorted beliefs.
Moreover, humans face evil with countless weaknesses, gripping its hand. It was the same now.
As the head of the Jushin Church, the Pope realized that countless evils existed in this world, and he had often used that evil for his gain.
Therefore, he thought it was only natural for them to betray the expectations of the Lord Jushin.
People in the past had done so, those recorded in history had done so, and he himself had done so.
When disasters arose from every corner of the land, he believed people would crumble.
Distracted by their own desires amidst despair, divided, bleeding, he was certain they would betray the Apostle of God.
But reality was different.
They did not run away.
They did not retreat.
They did not recklessly charge forward.
The Apostle of God was calmly facing the disaster they had planned for.
Why? Without needing deep thought, the answer came right away.
The reason they do not despair and give up lies solely in the belief granted by one person.
The Apostle of God.
Lucy Allen.
The many miracles she performed, seemingly simple, were things only she could accomplish; her day-to-day struggles brought faith to the continent.
There is no need to reach for evil.
We are strong.
If we do what we must, we can achieve victory.
We can remain good.
We can cause miracles.
The hope born from Lucy Allen spread among the people like a contagion, enabling them to willingly endure death.
A belief formed that even if they died, the world would become better.
The Pope felt awe once again towards the small girl charging at him.
She felt joy at being his trial.
And he harbored a tiny, tiny bit of anger.
He knew it was blasphemous, yet he couldn’t contain that anger.
This was different from before.
He couldn’t understand how he had only felt awe in the face of any obstacle until now.
“Puhaha♡ You’re so mad, aren’t you?♡ Is it bothersome because it’s not going your way?♡”
The Pope, caught by Lucy’s anger, touched his face and then frowned at his own expression, wiping it away.
The Authority of the End is indeed powerful. To think I’d get irritated when facing the Apostle of God. Does the concept of an end hold such strength?
“Hahahahaha!”
“What’s wrong?♡ Have you gone mad?♡ You already seemed like a fool, but there’s more insanity to uncover?♡”
Now the story changes.
The plans of the Apostle of God have become a threat to me.
Even if the Evil God of the End descends upon a stable world, I cannot eliminate all the gods alone.
Especially if that item the Apostle prepared injures my authority, there’s no need to speak further.
“Such a pathetic adult, pretending to be great while not even able to contain anger~♡ Puhaha♡ Ridiculous♡”
What’s more problematic is that my gaze is increasingly drawn to her.
That beautiful figure of hers, the bright light that dispels the darkness, her annoying smile, and that clear voice keep capturing my attention.
And she makes me want to charge at her.
Anger.
Anger.
Yes. Draw out the anger.
If I keep going like this, I’ll lose my sanity and forget my original plans, becoming attached to the Young Lady.
So, I must avoid that at all costs.
“Just a little bit♡”
The Pope suppressed his anger and utilized the Authority of the End.
A small gap formed after temporarily halting the confidence among them.
The Authority of Purification quickly pushed back the Authority of the End, but before that, the Pope’s hand reached the wizard and saintess.
It needed to reach them.
“Slow.”
But strangely, before his hand could reach, a sword cut through his wrist along with the power.
Not a sword of a Sword Saint, but a sword wielded by a still-young girl.
“How?”
Beyond the genuine astonishment, a man burdened with their powers appeared before him.
What trickery allowed that curse bestowed upon one to be transferred to themselves?
That deranged method should only be seen hundreds of years ago!?
But it’s not over yet.
The first attempt merely failed, and the distance remains!
If I intervene in the miracle they draw, I can ruin all their plans!
With veins bulging in his eyes, the Pope tried to step between them, but was first startled by the darkness blocking his way, then shocked again by the numerous illusions that lay beyond that darkness.
“…The Authority of God wielded by a human.”
The darkness that had obscured his sight was the power of the God of Darkness, and the illusions that later enchanted him were the Power of Void.
Fundamentally different, but the phenomena themselves matched the power perfectly.
Even if they say the disciple of Erginius, she must still be a young child.
“Your will is only that much.”
With round eyes wide open, the Pope momentarily lost his sanity at the sight of the saintess’ smile, and at the same moment, his body was pulled back.
This was not a normal phenomenon; this was power. The power of God had seized him.
“Annoying~♡ You’re so shoddy~♡”
The mace that plummeted from above mercilessly smashed the Pope’s face, and through the vanished view, he used his powers to chase away those around him.
“Shoddy♡ Shoddy♡ Shoddy~♡ So weak~♡”
And the moment his head returned, the voice that reached him stole away his sanity.
With instinct kicking in, the Pope recklessly charged at Lucy, only to realize he was going wrong when faced with her grin.
But it was already too late.
His fist had already been thrown, and Lucy’s shield came forward to block it.
Ordinarily, Lucy shouldn’t have been able to block a punch filled with the Pope’s power.
Just like every other time, she would have to be flung far away, unable to bear the shock. But the sound from Lucy’s shield was as clear as church bells.
“Puhuhuh♡ Is this all you’ve got?♡” Hahaha. Hahahahahaha! “Yes. I see this is indeed all you can do.”
As the Pope stretched his hand forward again, Lucy raised her shield, but strangely, his hand slipped past the shield and grabbed Lucy’s arm.
“Eh?”
She felt a shock of confusion at generating a mistake she would never make, but it was unavoidable.
The Authority of the End had transcended causality and reached Lucy.
“Well, I still have to try my best.”
There was no longer any time to think of retreat.
To achieve even a bit of my goals, I must overcome the trials before my eyes.
How arrogant I was.
How foolish I was.
The Apostle of God had become my trial, yet I thought I could win while considering retreat.
Miracles arise when one always tries their best.
Only when one doesn’t give up and puts everything into the current situation can miracles occur. Surely it will be the same for me.
“I will force this through.”
The large man twisted the girl’s arm, sending screams echoing as he sent their charges down below.
They possessed the Authority of God, so it wouldn’t be long before they escaped from the dungeon.
But it doesn’t matter.
By then, the Apostle of God will have been neutralized.
“Trial.
Please crumble.”
