The Sacred Man’s eyes held a look of remembrance as he spoke, “If I told you that I am truly the God you have been praising all this time, would you believe me?” The Pope was genuinely shocked this time, and he sharply rebuked, “Demon, how dare you blaspheme the Almighty God. (Net) Know that I am God’s most devout believer; I will absolutely not be deceived by you.” The Sacred Man laughed softly, “You are God’s most devout believer; I know all this.

Because I have watched you on that painting for ten years. Especially during this recent period, I have seen you come here every night for penance and prayer.

Your heart is turned toward God; I know all of this.” The Pope stated, “Demon, since you know it’s impossible for you to tempt me, then stop trying to tempt me!” For the first time, the Sacred Man showed a bitter smile. He spoke, “Fate plays strange tricks.

I have been sealed within this painting for two thousand years. Every day I can only watch helplessly as you continuously misunderstand me, yet I am utterly powerless.

Would you call this the greatest sorrow in the mortal world?” The Pope asked, “Two thousand years? You mean you have been sealed inside this for two millennia?” The Sacred Man replied, “Indeed, I have been sealed within this very painting for two thousand years.” The Pope inquired doubtfully, “But this painting is less than six hundred years old.

How could you possibly have been sealed inside it for two thousand years?” The Sacred Man sighed, “This is to be blamed on your recorded histories; when those books documented this painting, the contents were altered. I was actually sealed upon a piece of stone, and that stone bore only the pattern of a single serpent.

Later, during the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica, that stone was transported here… and set into the wall.

Then they painted the image of my sealing upon this stone. In truth, apart from that serpent, all the other depictions were added by later generations.

And the span of my existence far exceeds your imagination.” The Pope murmured, “How could the books be tampered with? And how could you possibly live for as long as two thousand years?” The Sacred Man responded, “The reason I could live so long is entirely because of the stone that sealed me… In our time, we called that stone by the name Excalibur.” “Excalibur?

How is that possible? Excalibur is one of the Papal Artifacts, only later broken.

But the Excalibur you speak of is just a stone, not a sword. Do you people name things so casually?” Upon hearing the name Excalibur, the Pope felt something was amiss and immediately challenged him.

“I do not know what became of the 'Excalibur' that appeared later. In any case, what we referred to as Excalibur back then was the slab of stone that sealed me.

The sword within it was a magical artifact used to bind me. However, after being ravaged by two thousand years of time, this Excalibur completely lost its sealing effect, otherwise I would not have been able to break free at this moment,” the Sacred Man stated.

The Sacred Man's words jogged the Pope’s memory, and he immediately recalled that this Sacred Man was transformed from the serpent sealed by God. A shadow of worry crept into his heart.

The Sacred Man noticed the look on the Pope’s face and sighed, “I never imagined that the sect I labored so hard to establish, for two millennia, would not only fail to find a way to rescue me, but under the guidance of the Devil, would collectively turn against me, viewing me as your greatest enemy. This is truly heartbreaking.” The Pope listened, somewhat confused, and asked, “You just said you created a sect.

Which sect was it?” The Sacred Man smiled faintly, “You already know very well… The sect I founded is the very denomination you follow today. I am the true God you ought to worship; I created everything you are.” The Pope became enraged, “You demon, still trying to deceive me!

We are all devout children of God… we will not be fooled by you.” Hearing the Pope’s resolute words, the Sacred Man appeared deeply dejected. He said, “Your Holiness the Pope, have you ever personally met the God you speak of?

And when you call me a demon, have you seen that with your own eyes?” The Pope boomed, “God is omnipotent and omnipresent; we can feel His presence if we use our hearts. As for you, demon, although I don't know the extent of your evil, God decreed you must be destroyed… and we will certainly not let you go.” The Sacred Man laughed, “With the strength you possess now, I could eliminate all of you with just a wave of my hand.

Why would I waste words on you? It is because I cannot accept it—I cannot accept that my sect was stolen, and I myself was sealed for two thousand years.

Not only do I not receive your support, but I am cursed by you day and night.” The Pope retorted, “You are a demon, so naturally we must curse and destroy you.” The Sacred Man suddenly burst into loud laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face. Without wiping them away, he spoke, “What is called black being called white?

I have witnessed it constantly for these two thousand years. Yet, why am I still so heartbroken at this moment?” Seeing the look of sorrow on the Sacred Man’s face, the Pope suddenly felt a flicker of doubt.

He asked, “You keep saying this sect of ours was created by you. Do you have any proof?” The Sacred Man shook his head, “I have no evidence to prove that your sect is my creation… because two thousand years have passed, and all the original participants are long dead.

If I hadn’t been sealed by Excalibur, I too would have turned to dust. He acted so ruthlessly back then, altering everything and erasing all traces of my existence.

I can no longer prove my identity. However, you just witnessed it: I possess the purest form of Light Power and can wield it at will.

Have you ever seen this kind of power in a demon?” The Pope conceded, “It is true that you possess the purest Light Power; I can sense that.” He paused, then added, “Could you perhaps recount your story for me?” The Sacred Man was just about to speak when several clerical staff, alerted by the commotion in the cathedral, emerged to investigate. He pointed a finger at them and declared, “Devout followers, I bestow upon you a perfect slumber.” A ray of holy light shot from his hand, splitting into several beams that struck the clerics, who immediately collapsed to the ground, entering a deep, sweet sleep.

Seeing the Sacred Man fell the clerics so swiftly, the Pope was greatly alarmed, but when he heard them emit sounds of deep slumber, he finally felt reassured. The Sacred Man said, “I merely put them to sleep so they wouldn't interrupt our conversation.

Understand that what I am about to tell you will completely overturn your established understanding of the world.” The Pope replied, “You may speak now. I have lived a long time and possess the ability to discern; I will know the truth or falsehood of what you say as soon as I hear it.” The Sacred Man narrowed his eyes slightly, as if sinking into a distant memory.

After a moment, he slowly began, “Speaking of which, I haven’t introduced my name yet! In those days… they called me Lucifer.” The Pope was stunned: “What?

You are Lucifer?” Lucifer nodded, “Indeed, I am Lucifer… the great Devil Satan you constantly curse.” The Pope forcibly suppressed his shock and listened as Lucifer continued. Lucifer spoke, “More than two thousand years ago, I was merely an innocent, ordinary village youth.

I lived in a small hamlet. During a hunting expedition, I became separated from my kin… I got lost deep in the mountains.

In my terror, after pushing through a hidden gorge, I discovered a strange cavern.” The Pope listened intently to Lucifer’s words, though he felt an underlying sense of unease. In their dogma, Lucifer was their arch-enemy; they should have been mutually hateful, yet he never imagined they would one day sit together, chatting as casually as normal men.

A look of delight surfaced in Lucifer’s eyes, “Inside that strange cavern, I found the remains of a person. Next to these remains was a glowing orb of light, and the surrounding walls were inscribed with many texts and patterns.

Out of curiosity, I picked up that luminous orb, and somehow, it inexplicably recognized me as its master. After this bonding, I learned that the glowing orb was called the Orb of Inheritance, and I received the transmission of its vast and immense knowledge.” The Pope could not help but ask, “What knowledge was passed down from the Orb of Inheritance?” Lucifer replied, “The Orb of Inheritance mainly contained the transmission of various magical knowledge.

The magical lore inside was exceptionally comprehensive and systematic. I knew that if I cultivated according to the methods within, I could become a powerful mage the world had never seen.” Lucifer paused, then continued, “It is regrettable that the magical knowledge mentioned that if a person’s power is too weak, they can only cultivate magic of a single element.

Attempting to cultivate multiple elements simultaneously would result in catastrophic bodily explosion. Therefore, after careful selection, I prepared to cultivate one particular magic—this magic is the Light Magic that you now practice.” The Pope had just witnessed Lucifer’s Light Magic, and the Light Power within it was so pure that he was undoubtedly the most orthodox Light Mage.

On this point, Lucifer was not deceiving him. “Through this Orb of Inheritance, I also learned to recognize magical script.

I was curious about the origin of this Orb, so I began reading the texts inscribed on the cavern walls. Those texts happened to be written in magical script.

Thus, by reading the inscriptions, I immediately understood why the Orb of Inheritance was present here.” The Pope listened, becoming engrossed, and subconsciously asked, “Why was that Orb of Inheritance there?” Lucifer explained, “According to the records on the cavern walls, those texts were likely written by the person who died in the cavern. Judging by the literal meaning, he was probably an ancient human from millennia ago.

He recorded that he and his brother ventured out on an adventure, and inadvertently discovered a mysterious object in a valley—and their destiny changed drastically because of this object.” The Pope asked in surprise, “They found a mysterious object?” Lucifer nodded, “Yes, the text on the wall recorded it this way. After acquiring this mysterious object that was beyond their comprehension, their lives underwent a complete transformation.

With the aid of this mysterious item, it was as if a whole new window had opened before them to the world, allowing them to access knowledge they couldn't even have dreamed of before, meet strange people, and receive marvelous things from them. The Orb of Inheritance I obtained was acquired in this very manner.” “Relying on the miraculous items they obtained from those strange people, the two brothers quickly became the most powerful individuals in their tribe and achieved great success.

Unfortunately, the success they attained was insignificant compared to the world they glimpsed through that mysterious object. Consequently, the man’s brother grew weary of their current existence; he decided to leave his tribe and travel eastward across the land, hoping to find new thrills and excitement there.” The Pope, hearing this secret history from Lucifer, became intensely interested and asked, “What exactly was the mysterious object they found?

And what happened to them later?” “What that mysterious object was, the man could not explain clearly. He only wrote that after activating that mysterious item, one could meet many strange people who would propose trades for certain things.

They would offer strange and rare items from Earth in exchange for marvelous things from those peculiar individuals. I have pondered ceaselessly what that mysterious object could have been, but I have never been able to figure out what kind of thing could have such an effect.” “The younger brother knew the elder brother surely would not accompany him to the distant East, as the elder brother already had family ties.

So, one dark night, the younger brother left behind all the miraculous things he had acquired, took that mysterious object, and quietly departed from their tribe, setting off alone on the road eastward.” “However, the elder brother could not let go of the deep bond of brotherhood after learning of his younger brother’s departure. Thus, he abandoned his family and possessions and immediately set out to chase after his brother.

Remember, the era he lived in was extraordinarily ancient; road conditions were not as smooth as they are now. The elder brother left only one day later than his brother, but he lost all trace of him.

He continued pressing eastward but never found his sibling. Eventually, he became hopelessly lost in the wilderness.

He could not find a way out of that desolate mountain range, and so he found that cavern, where he died alone. At the moment of his death, he left behind that Orb of Inheritance and several miraculous items he carried, finally inscribing the narrative of his life on the wall,” Lucifer recounted slowly.

@.H