Who would have thought that the Holy Lord Empire, known for its brutality, is actually the last bastion protecting humanity's survival...?
"My God, look at this magnificent miracle! Damn, why do I feel like He's still breathing?"
"His Majesty has already said not to look too much, you damned fool!"
"God should not be looked at directly!"
A few gasps of surprise echoed from the cave behind the Holy See, reaching the entrance where the two people there heard them clearly.
Edward ( Karl ) carefully followed the newly crowned Pope, who was also the Emperor of the Boya Empire, Yalian III, into the cave behind the Holy See.
Yalian III, dressed in a magnificent golden papal robe, stood with his hands behind his back at the entrance of the cave, gazing intently at the ancient murals carved there.
Edward stood cautiously behind him, appearing very respectful, but his eyes were actually full of jealousy and hatred.
"Damn it, I just finished off a few competitors, and you Yalian III, have stolen my throne!"
Edward gritted his teeth in hatred, and the thought of the old Pope Adam only intensified his frustration and anger.
In order to become the sole successor to the papacy, Edward has been working for years to secretly poison all the potential successors chosen by the old pope, hoping to secure the final papacy.
Who would have thought that just as he was waiting for the old pope to die and finally ascend the throne, the Blood-Boya Allied Forces actually broke through the Holy See, Yalian III, the emperor of the Boya Empire, became pope!
How could Edward possibly accept this?
The thought of this made him grit his teeth with hatred for Norton, the Vampire Progenitor.
"That Old Norton, I fed you a lot back then, who would have thought that the first person you'd turn on after you started your business was me!" Edward gritted his teeth in hatred, wishing he could have skinned that old beggar alive back then.
Indeed, he had already guessed that the current Vampire Progenitor Norton, was the beggar he had helped in Lino City back then.
Guessing the truth is not difficult.
After all, how could a real beggar possibly sit at the church door day after day for ten years? A proper beggar would have starved, frozen, or died of disease long ago!
Furthermore, His Adam stated that Norton, the Vampire Progenitor, appeared in Lino City. Doesn't that perfectly match up?
He was initially very excited about the news, after all, Old Norton was an acquaintance of his, and even if he didn't care about the monks, he could at least get the identity of First-Generation Vampire.
Then Edward will be able to enjoy both the eternal life of First-Generation Vampire and the power of a pope.
Then we'll kill Norton, who has absolute control over those Vampire.
In this way, Edward could remain forever high above, enjoying the happiness of power for eternity.
As a result, Norton's Blood-Boya Allied Forces has caused him to lose his papacy!
Edward was already an instinctive learner of backstabbing, without needing to be taught.
"Phew!" Edward looked at Yalian III, who was intently looking at the mural in front of him, and at the golden robes he wore that symbolized royal power and papal authority. He felt so jealous that his head was spinning.
Looks like I'll have to find both a boy and a girl to comfort me tonight!
Edward a long sigh of relief, feeling incredibly angry.
Norton was indeed a good teacher back then, and Edward has now perfectly inherited Norton's strengths—he wants everything!
He wanted boys, he wanted girls, he wanted immortality, he wanted power... there was nothing he didn't want.
Years of secluded and perverse Church life made his already impure heart even more eccentric, his thoughts becoming unpredictable, dangerous and fickle, eccentric and tyrannical.
If Edward were to become Pope, he would truly be a tyrant!
Hearing the faint sounds behind him and feeling the intense gaze directed at him, Yalian III narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them.
Edward's presence here was primarily due to Yalian III's appeasement policy.
With the restoration of the Holy See, Yalian III proclaimed himself Holy Lord Church Pope. Although he had gained the support of Archbishop Duoxia, he still had few followers in the major cities of the Old Faith.
With the threat of Vampire looming, Yalian III had no choice but to adopt a policy of appeasement to win over these Old Faith members and gain their support quickly.
Edward, as a former close aide to His Holiness the Pope and a purple-robed archbishop who ruled over three continents, was one of the few remaining representative figures among the many archbishops in the Church. He had no choice but to select Edward as the object of appeasement in order to demonstrate his magnanimity and benevolence to the few remaining archbishops of the Papal State.
After all, he had even accepted Edward, a close confidant of the old pope, so how could he not accept other archbishops?
In reality, Archbishop Edward was eccentric, violent, and had extreme and evil ideas, which even Yalian III was reluctant to accept!
But unfortunately, several other representative archbishops died mysteriously, leaving only Edward. He had no choice but to accept him!
" Edward!" Yalian III exclaimed suddenly, looking at the cave paintings.
"Your Majesty!" Edward, standing behind Yalian III, immediately responded respectfully, his posture extremely humble.
"Do you have any knowledge of Church scriptures?"
Edward frowned as he listened to Yalian III's question.
Although he didn't know why Yalian III would ask such a question, Edward response.
Although Yalian III claimed the title of Pope and painted numerous portraits of God, he did not pay attention to Church scriptures after ascending to the throne and even suspended Church Mass. This shows that he was not truly convinced of the Church and more likely wanted to use Church means to fight against that foolish Old Norton.
Therefore, his answer could not reveal that he had been brainwashed by the Old Faith.
"I haven't discussed it, Your Majesty. I have little faith in the Old Faith; on the contrary, I have long admired the Boya Empire, which represents freedom and democracy. Your country's system of governance is truly exceptionally wise..."
"Hahaha, alright, I understand." Yalian III smiled slightly at his dog-like praise, then raised his hand to stop him from saying anything more.
"Since you don't study Church scriptures, I imagine you won't feel too much awe for what you're about to see... That's good, after all, too much awe can actually hinder one's progress."
"What... what did I see?" Edward recalled the various gasps he had just heard and felt a sense of foreboding.
"God!"