"Yesterday’s tragedy shows us all how great a danger the world is in, my brothers," the Pope said, looking seriously at the female reporter during the interview. "God knows that humanity is under the threat of the rebellious demons."
The female reporter maintained a serious and professional expression, but her face slightly twisted at the Pope’s words. It was clear she found them childish. Still, she had a professionalism to uphold.
"Yesterday’s incident was something everyone regarded as terror," the reporter calmly said. "There were attacks in eight different locations. Sadly, we lost eight people, leaving behind grieving families. What do you plan to do about this?"
Though the Pope felt relief and joy at the deaths of his opponents, he managed to maintain a somber face on camera. "Yes, when I heard this tragic news, I almost suffered a heart attack. They were all loyal servants of God, fulfilling their duties faithfully. I am certain the gates of Heaven have opened for them."
"That’s why I want to reassure everyone," the Pope said seriously, "these attacks, whether you believe it or not, are the result of defiance against God. They are drawing closer to the world, in the same way that caused Lucifer to abandon his duties."
"Do you think this is a sign of the apocalypse?" the reporter asked calmly. The Pope nodded in confirmation, with a look of disappointment and deep faith. "Yes, the apocalypse is closer than ever. That’s why the demons are excited and are trying to hasten it with their lust for killing."
The reporter frowned. "Hearing this from you is troubling. Yet, people are still saying it’s a joke. What are your thoughts?"
The Pope looked thoughtfully at the camera for a moment before speaking. "My words may sound like a bad joke. They can hear them however they wish, but this is the truth. When the apocalypse begins earlier than expected, all humanity will be at the mercy of the demons, and God will bring an end for everyone."
A brief silence fell between the reporter and the Pope. The reporter decided to end the interview as she had no more questions to ask.
[POV: Lucifer]
As the television switched off, Lucifer smiled. "Things seem to be falling into place."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Are you sure the Pope will keep his word?" Gwen asked curiously. Lucifer turned to her, giving a confident smile. "The Pope is old and weak. Sooner or later, either death or the people will remove him from his position. People like him always cling tightly to their only hope."
"What if he betrays us?" Ethan asked, glancing at Lucifer. "Didn’t you say you didn’t trust the Pope before?"
"It’s true that I don’t trust him, but if he’s necessary for my plans, then chaining his will serves me," Lucifer said mockingly. "If he betrays me, it will only harm him. After all, we have an invasion coming. Humanity will pay the price for the Pope’s decisions."
Ethan would be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised. "You—are you trusting humans?"
Lucifer laughed at Ethan’s words, then abruptly stopped and went silent. "Do you think humanity can do anything against demons? No. That’s why they will need me."
Sam didn’t know whether he should be worried about Lucifer’s words, but he chose to remain silent. "So, what you’re saying is you want to make humans dependent on you?"
"Exactly," Lucifer confirmed, letting out a satisfied hum. "As I said, if humans want to survive, they’ll have to depend on me in exchange for mutual benefits."
"But what if they still don’t believe or take this lightly?" Sam asked hesitantly. He could somewhat predict what Lucifer’s response would be.
Lucifer’s eyes turned cold as he smiled. "Then let them taste the demons. Let them experience terror, destruction, and fear."
Thoughtfully, Lucifer added, "Then I’ll wait for them to come crawling to me, begging for help."
"Isn’t this a bit too harsh?" Sam stammered. Lucifer seemed to be going a bit overboard. Perhaps a softer approach might be better.
Using his authority among the demons, Azazel entered Beliar’s mind. His face immediately dropped upon arrival. The groans echoing in his head gave him a headache. That fool was once again indulging in mortal lust.
"Beliar!" Azazel growled angrily. Seeing that Beliar was still with the succubi, he sent a jolt of pain. Beliar trembled and recoiled in agony.
"A-A-A-Azazel?" Beliar stammered, trembling. Sensing his fear, Azazel smiled sadistically. "Beliar, I finally have an important task for you."
Beliar momentarily forgot his fear and grew excited. Azazel continued, "You will enter the human world and create chaos. The greater, the better."
"Does that include things like rape?" Beliar’s mind wandered to mortal bodies, nearly making him lose control. Azazel’s expression darkened. "You’re not a lowly human, Beliar. Act like a demon and focus solely on causing chaos."
Hearing Azazel’s reprimand, Beliar felt a momentary pang of disappointment but still obeyed his king. No sex with humans. At least, by embracing chaos, he might finally indulge his long-held desires.
"Remember, Beliar," Azazel said coldly, "failure doesn’t matter. What matters is creating chaos."
"Understood! Trust me, my king!" Beliar grinned arrogantly, radiating confidence that struck fear in friends and foes alike. Azazel grunted and withdrew from Beliar’s mind.
"Lord Beliar! Aren’t you going to continue?" The succubus smiled seductively, capable of ensnaring any man’s mind. Beliar paused momentarily before making a gesture, causing the succubus’s body to explode, covering the area in a pool of blood.
"It seems King Azazel has sent a signal about the human I need to possess," Beliar said, recalling the coordinates of the human world. While in the human realm, Azazel continuously stole fragments of memories from human minds and sent them to Beliar.
Among these memory fragments, Beliar identified two significant individuals: a gang leader named Jonathan and a wealthy businessman named Samuel.
If Mammon were in his place, he’d choose the wealthy human without hesitation. But Beliar opted for the gang leader. After all, his goal was chaos.
Without further delay, Beliar opened a dimensional rift to the human realm and began occupying the mind of his target. Consuming the human’s experiences, thoughts, and memories, Beliar laughed.
Thanks to Mephisto, the barrier of the human world had weakened even further. Feeling only a sixth of his power, Beliar savored the atmosphere of the human realm with a devilish grin.
He immediately searched for a place to wreak havoc. Fortunately, Lord Azazel hadn’t just provided him with human memories; he had also given him an idea.
The gang leader was a mid-tier underground lord in Los Angeles with around 200 men. That was enough to invade at least one neighborhood.
Additionally, Beliar knew, from key memories, that the city housed prisons, which meant 2,000–3,000 more humans to manipulate.
It was worth noting that the more sinful a human was, the easier their mind was to manipulate. Perfect for creating the chaos Beliar desired.
"JJ! Gather the men! We’re moving out!"
Beliar called out to JJ, his lieutenant, urging him to follow quickly. JJ, bored as usual, was startled before his mind was wiped clean, now entirely under Beliar’s control.
"Yes, Lord Beliar!" JJ said emotionlessly, immediately making calls to gather the men. Beliar grinned, unable to contain his excitement. He was eager to enslave all the humans.
Anticipating the chaos to come, a devilish smile spread across his lips.