Lucifer paused, gathering his memories before continuing. "The writing left on the wall by that man also stated that knowing his death was imminent, he placed the magical items he possessed right beside it, hoping they would be found by someone destined for them. These few magical objects he left behind held immense power, and if acquired and used judiciously, they 'would bring the possessor great assistance.'" A realization dawned upon the Pontiff, and he asked, his voice tight with tension, "What were the magical items that man left behind?" Lucifer gazed at the Pope’s expression and smiled faintly. "Indeed, just as you suspect, they are the very set of Pontifical Artifacts you know best. Their names are 'The Crown of Sanctity,' 'The Scepter of Divine Punishment,' 'The Shield of Holy Light,' and 'The Holy Cross'..."

"The moment I first laid hands on those four Pontifical Artifacts," a massive earthquake struck the area coincidentally. The cavern shook violently, on the verge of collapse. Thus, I had no choice but to abandon any thought of taking other things and retreat from the cave. Sure enough, immediately after I exited, the cave collapsed. Due to the immense destructive force of the earthquake, the orientation of the surrounding mountains shifted, resulting in the spontaneous appearance of a path leading to the outside world. I followed that path out and miraculously returned safely to my own village."

A smile began to spread across Lucifer’s face as he spoke, "From that cave, I obtained the method for magical cultivation. Coupled with the aid of the four artifacts upon my person, I swiftly transformed into a mage of unparalleled skill, becoming the most powerful person in our hamlet. I achieved success beyond precedent. Yet, as time wore on, remaining in the small village, I began to feel a loss of purpose in life. Thus, I started to yearn for the world beyond; I was unwilling to spend my entire life confined to this small community. So, after making my preparations, I bid farewell to my family and departed the small village, embarking on my life of wandering."

"Only after leaving my village did I discover the vastness of the outside world. I traversed countless places, acting righteously along the way, punishing the wicked and supporting the weak, which earned me the noble moniker, 'Lucifer the Gallant Hero.' My renown began to spread wherever I went. Furthermore, as I traveled, my magical prowess grew ever stronger; truly, no one was a match for me. Eventually, I lost count of how formidable my strength had become."

"When I next arrived at the seashore, I rescued a young man who had fallen into the water from the beach. This young man was handsome, quick-witted, and eloquent. After I revived him, we talked, and we instantly became the best of friends. We admired each other, swore brotherhood, and traveled the entire world together."

Lucifer’s expression softened with reminiscence as he continued, "The time I spent traveling the world with him was, in fact, the happiest period of my entire life. During our travels, he realized the immense power of my magic and prepared to learn from me. He thought that once he too became a powerful mage, we could champion chivalry together. I immediately imparted all the magical knowledge in my mind to him. However, his physique was somewhat peculiar; after several attempts, it became apparent that he could only cultivate Dark Magic. Moreover, practicing Dark Magic progressed much faster than other forms, so in his eagerness to catch up with me, he resolved to study it. At the time, I did not realize how grave an error this decision was; I continued to assist him wholeheartedly in his pursuit of Dark Magic."

The Pope’s complexion began to turn ashen. He inquired, "And then what happened?"

A look of compassion dawned on Lucifer’s face as he explained, "During my continuous travels, I discovered that the common folk of the world lived in dire straits, burdened by immense suffering. Though I could intervene to save some, with only my own strength, I could not save everyone. Thus, after deep soul-searching, I decided to establish a religion—to utilize this structure to unite the suffering and change their lives through its power. When I received the knowledge from that inherited orb back then, alongside the magic, there was also arcane knowledge concerning religious scripture, sourced from some unknown place. So, I utilized that religious canon, combined with the actual conditions I witnessed during my travels, and after years of meticulous revision, I finally forged an exceptionally perfect religion. I then authored many volumes on the doctrines of this faith, intending to ensure its perpetual legacy."

The Pontiff asked in a trembling voice, "What was the name of the religion you created?"

Lucifer smiled faintly. "Your Holiness, you already know everything in your heart; why pretend ignorance? Yes, the religion I founded has endured to this day. It is Catholicism."

The Pope gasped, "That is impossible! You are truly a devil, trying to mislead me! You cannot possibly be the founder of our Catholic Church; you are our greatest enemy!"

Lucifer’s face twisted in pain. "Believe it or not, my religion was established over two thousand years ago just like that. Through years of persistent effort and travel, demonstrating so-called 'miracles' to the world, my religion finally gained notoriety, and believers flocked to it in increasing numbers. Relying on my formidable martial strength, after repelling several assaults from other religions, our faith finally entered a period of stable development. The people revered our religion, and under the guidance of its doctrines, social order began to transition from chaos to order."

"But it was at this critical juncture that [The Pope's companion's brother]—due to his practice of Dark Magic—suffered his temperament to be warped by the corrosive darkness. He manifested a fierce desire to destroy the world. I constantly pleaded with him to abandon this notion, but he would not heed my counsel. He believed that if the world were destroyed, the dark forces of the cosmos would reign supreme, his Dark Magic power would be maximized, and he would become the mightiest mage—perhaps even a true god..."

"Finally, after yet another argument, we completely broke ties. He stole two of the artifacts from me, departed, and became a lone wanderer, beginning to manipulate the lives and deaths of humankind according to his whims. While I strived to build a beautiful new world, he sought to obliterate that very world—something I could not tolerate. Inevitably, we found ourselves walking opposing paths. On one occasion, after he wantonly massacred all the adherents of one of my religious branches, I was finally enraged and confronted him directly."

"We arranged a formal challenge. Initially, I assumed that my talent for magic cultivation was superior, and having practiced longer than him, I was certain I could defeat him easily and bring him back to the righteous path. Unexpectedly, the great battle between us raged inconclusively; we each held two artifacts, and neither could overpower the other. So, we temporarily halted the fighting, retreating to cultivate further in preparation for a second confrontation." "Upon returning, I diligently practiced my magic, and my cultivation improved rapidly. However, when we engaged in our second battle a few years later, I realized I was no longer his equal. Fortunately, he was not overwhelmingly stronger than me either. After both of us sustained injuries, we agreed upon a date for a third engagement. During this subsequent truce, in his bid to win the third battle against me, he began to use horrific, bloody slaughter to augment the strength of his Dark Magic. Because of this carnage, his power far surpassed mine."

"Then I knew I had to eliminate him. Otherwise, if he defeated me, he might actually bring about the destruction of this world. Yet, at this point, my strength was already lagging behind his; I could not destroy him in a direct confrontation. I began to strategize, and suddenly, I recalled the words inscribed on the wall within the very cave where I first discovered the inheritance orb. That man had written that he had placed five artifacts in that cave, the most powerful of which was called Excalibur, the Sword in the Stone, possessing incredible capabilities. Alas, I encountered that great earthquake and only managed to retrieve four artifacts, leaving the mightiest one, Excalibur, buried within the cave."

"To deal with him now that he had gone mad, I saw no alternative; I decided to excavate the cave, retrieve that ultimate artifact, Excalibur, and use it against him. I returned to the location of the collapsed cave and spent an entire year painstakingly digging it out again, finally locating the ultimate artifact, Excalibur, within the ruins." "I immediately familiarized myself with the use of Excalibur and learned that its most potent function was sealing—it could lock a person away immovably, defying the passage of time, making escape impossible forever. Thus, I resolved to use Excalibur to seal him, now utterly deranged."

"In our third battle, his strength indeed far exceeded mine, and I was quickly defeated. Just as he approached me with a sinister grin, ready to extinguish me, I suddenly summoned Excalibur. Caught completely off guard, he was struck by the sword instantly. His body began to break down rapidly, and under the irresistible force of Excalibur, he was visibly about to be sealed completely."

At this point, tears welled in Lucifer's eyes. He paused before continuing, "It was precisely then that he suddenly reverted to his former self, begging me for mercy, saying he knew he was wrong and would immediately amend his ways. He implored me to save him, that he did not wish to be eternally sealed. I was initially inclined to ignore him, but he recounted cherished memories from when we traveled together, then repeatedly guaranteed he would utterly repent and help me propagate my religion to benefit mankind. My heart softened, and I halted the sealing power of Excalibur, releasing him."

"Throughout this process, my emotions were turbulent. Who knew that the moment he broke free from Excalibur's sealing range, he immediately changed his expression and launched a sneak attack! With just one blow, he left me gravely wounded. Then he snatched my Excalibur and—would you believe it—intended to use that very sword to seal me! I possessed no means of resistance, watching as I was about to be utterly sealed away. But how could he possibly grasp the true utility of Excalibur? While inside the sword, I utilized its immense power to strike him severely. Combined with his prior injuries, his wounds became irreversible. However, as I struck him, I also endured a powerful counterattack; in an instant, I lost all my strength and was thus sealed by Excalibur. From that moment on, I resided within Excalibur in the form of a serpent, remaining there for two thousand years," Lucifer concluded mournfully.

The Pope listened, his heart pounding. "But that doesn't add up. Later, you appeared in the form of a demon."

Lucifer managed a bitter smile. "Although I was sealed within Excalibur, I could observe everything happening outside. After sealing me, he too sustained injuries that would never fully heal; his lifespan was drawing short. In his shame and rage, he kept Excalibur close and began to eradicate my religion. But later, he felt that merely wiping out my faith was insufficient to quell his hatred, so he actually sought to usurp my religion, completely erase my existence, and brand me as a demon. He himself, meanwhile, transformed from a devil into the great God. He needed me to witness all of this so he could savor the ultimate revenge."

The Pope asked, "But hadn't you already spread your influence abroad? And the religious texts you wrote—he couldn't have erased all of those, could he?"

"After he began practicing Dark Magic," Lucifer sighed, "he became an incredibly violent man. He forcibly took control of my religion, began slaughtering the elders of the faith, and had all my original scriptures and books rewritten. He projected the image of the demon described in those texts onto me and sculpted himself into an omnipotent God. Using constant violent coercion, he finally finished off the devout followers I had personally converted. Then he promulgated the revised, new doctrine to a fresh congregation. Although he too died soon after from excessive injury, he had completely altered the true nature of the religion I founded. In the new faith, the demon became God, and the original God became the demon—that is why I appear as a devil in your eyes." Lucifer spoke with sorrow.

"Didn't you say that Excalibur could permanently seal a person while defying the passage of time? How did you break free then?" the Pope inquired.

"It is true that Excalibur possessed the ability to seal someone forever, but before I was sealed, I used a fraction of its power to grievously wound him, which significantly diminished the sword's sealing strength. After enduring two millennia of temporal erosion, its power gradually weakened. And then, today, its strength finally exhausted itself, allowing me to break the seal."

"However, two thousand years of sealing is an impossibly long time; my own strength was continuously depleted within the confinement. When I finally emerged, I was left with only a sliver of power. That is why, when I faced that injured electricity mage just now, I could only summon my remaining strength to frighten her away. Had she detected my weakness, she likely would have killed me. Fortunately, there are several corpses of deceased Popes here. They dedicated their lives to worshipping God, so their remains are saturated with immense light energy, which I can use to slowly recover. Once I absorb all the light energy from every Pope in this great cathedral, I will regain my former formidable strength, enabling me to help you through the current crisis—and perhaps even advance beyond that."

The Pontiff was dumbfounded after hearing Lucifer's explanation; his words truly overturned everything he believed. Under Lucifer's gentle narration, the Pope somehow felt that the story was overwhelmingly true, yet he sensed that something was fundamentally amiss.

Regardless, the pure Light Magic emanating from Lucifer could not lie. After all, in the Bible, Lucifer was depicted as supremely wicked, one who should suffer injury upon encountering any light energy; therefore, he could not possibly be the real Devil.

The Pope then considered the dire predicament the Curia currently faced. There were no grandmasters left to guard the Church; danger lurked everywhere. If they now had the protection of such a supreme expert, perhaps they could survive this immediate peril.

The current Pope, unlike his predecessors, did not truly believe in the existence of a tangible God. He knew that the so-called 'God' was merely a focal point for faith. Thus, he felt little aversion in his heart regarding whether Lucifer was their true God or the terrifying Devil. At this juncture, even if Lucifer was the embodiment of the Devil, as long as he could ensure the security and advancement of the Church, the Pope would not hesitate to strike a pact with this demon. Because, right now, only this potential 'Devil' posing as a God could safeguard their interests.

"So, now that you know the truth of the matter, what do you believe I am?" Lucifer asked, smiling at the Pope.

The Pope also smiled. "God resides within our hearts, so only we ourselves can feel His presence. Our current standard is this: whoever can protect the safety of our Church and ensure our proliferation, that one is God."

Lucifer smiled again. "Worthy of the title of Pontiff, truly a man of great wisdom. Rest assured, even though your scriptures have been tampered with to turn me into a demon, I will not hold it against you. I shall continue to shelter you."

The Pope said, "But how am I to address you outwardly? You know your reputation is utterly ruined outside."

Lucifer chuckled. "Reputation is like floating clouds to me. Furthermore, so many years have passed; I stopped caring long ago. If you wish, you may simply call me 'Mister' from now on!"

The Pontiff let out a sigh of relief that Lucifer did not forcefully insist on being called 'God.' Even if everything Lucifer had just said was true, and he truly was the God recorded in the scripture, the Pope dared not call him God in front of outsiders. If he publicly addressed Lucifer as God, not only would his position as Pope instantly vanish, but his very life would likely be in jeopardy.

"Mister," the Pope began, "our Church is facing tremendous difficulties..."

Lucifer waved a hand dismissively. "I am fully aware of the specifics; you repeat them to me every night. In a few days, select some valuable items and deliver them personally to the Augustu Family as compensation for the service provided by the deceased Augustus. That electricity mage is formidable; while my strength is not yet recovered, I am no match for her, and we have no need to provoke her. Once my strength is fully restored, I will be invincible across the world. I will personally journey East, defeat the Black Hero, and reclaim the lost artifacts. That will be the true beginning of our Church’s revival."