I Became The Pope, Now What?
chapter-519

For a moment, the battle ceased within the city. All heads peered toward the sky and watched as the heavenly being descended onto the wall around the Royal Castle. His booming voice shook the hearts of every man, woman, warrior, or commoner, and those lacking resolve crumbled to their knees in submission.

♫In the embrace of Solis, there is love and forgiveness.

Don't let the demon seduce you, fight against that sickness.

It is yet not too late; there is still a pathway to solace.

Come, children of Solis, you are welcome to my embrace.♫

The warm, soothing, yet threatening words shook the cores of every soldier of the Holy Army. They were simple men, ordered to fight, but in front of Sylvester's radiance, could they say they were right?

"I shall wait until the sun sets. Any man still found holding a weapon in this bleeding city shall face the might of my light, and damnation to eternal suffering of your soul. Forget the warmth of the Lord. You won't even receive the last words from his Bard!" Sylvester concluded his resounding speech and landed.

His wings retracted behind his back, but his halo remained vibrant. Lost in his magnificence, people even forgot to see the landing of four other figures.

"Aurora and Lord Dagorith, you go and deal with Faithwalker. Beat him down and place the Darkstone Cuffs on him. Guardian Soulbreaker, I believe dealing with Blackfire will be easy for you. Please capture him alive. I shall pass judgment later. And Bishop Lazark, send your undead around the city and help the people. Douse the flames where there is fire, and free the people trapped under the rubble. Keep an eye on the city to see the focal points of violence."

A flurry of orders left Sylvester's lips as he sent them out to fulfill their tasks. Capturing the two Grand Wizards of the Holy Land would prove easy, given that Gracia's Grand Wizards were also there. Moreover, Sylvester had the element of surprise, as most were oblivious to the extent of his true power.

But first, he had to greet a certain Queen.

"You have grown even prettier, Isabella." Sylvester greeted her. "But what's with the long face? Seen a ghost?"

Sniff!

"SYLVESTAAA!" She roared and leaped toward him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight enough to snap his neck if he was an ordinary man. "I was… I was so scared! I thought I'd die before seeing you ever again."

Sylvester chuckled and returned her embrace, patting her back and caressing her head over his shoulder. "Shh… I'm here now. You can relax and leave all the fighting to me. And we'll soon find Felix too, so don't ruin these beautiful eyes with tears."

He pulled her back and wiped away the tears from her face. "Go back inside and prepare to evacuate the castle. It's too close to the Holy Land and at risk of sudden attacks. Tell your people to join us if they wish to fight against the demon residing in the Holy Land."

"But where will we go?" She asked. "The population of Green City is at least half a million."

Sylvester pointed towards the West. "Sandwall County, I'm establishing a Church-In-Exile there. A clan of a thousand Solis believing Dwarves are constructing a walled city for people to reside. As for food and supplies, I have plenty, and more are secured from the West."

She nodded resolutely. "I'll follow your plans."

"Then go. One more thing, leave the doors of your treasury open—I will use space magic to store all of it."

With that, Isabella rushed into the city. Meanwhile, Sylvester spoke with Miraj on his shoulder. "Chonky, you go first and drop the explosives on the Holy Land. We need to keep them preoccupied so they don't send reinforcements too soon. But please, be safe."

Miraj nodded his head and pecked Sylvester's cheek affectionately. "You be safe first… You always scare me, Maxy. How can this father have a peaceful mind with such a bad son."

'Haha… Ah, I nearly forgot he 'adopted' me.' Sylvester nearly burst into laughter.

"This time, I'll be safe, don't worry. Go now, so you can come back sooner."

Miraj flew up. "Bye-Bye then!"

Woosh!

Indeed, the furry boy was utterly fast. He vanished with a blur of white streaking across the sky.

…

Miraj understood how important and dangerous his task was. He recalled how the Pope once sensed his presence because of his breath. So he knew venturing into the Holy Land alone carried a risk. But, seeing Sylvester doing so much already, he could never refuse and do any less.

"I'll show you, Maxy… Ugh! But why are my wings itchy again?" Miraj muttered to himself as he made his way to the Holy Land.

He knew the way. Simply follow the Green Road and turn left when the path diverges. He arrived at the crossroads in an hour since the Holy Land was very close. From there, he went north and soared over the entrance of the blessed lands.

The gates were closed and guarded by numerous armored knights. The place felt much more gloomy now, with very few Clergymen seen walking around on the streets. Heck, even the port looked deserted in the distance, and the Guild Peninsula, with its big markets, seemed nearly abandoned.

"Okie… Maxy wanted me to blast the weapons manufacturing division, research division, all the ten granaries, and the crystal deposits. Here I go…!"

He dived down; his wings outstretched wide. No one could see him, so he easily placed the crystals in critical locations. One after another, within an hour, he was done, yet a few remained unused.

"Hmm… Naughty Pope, I should throw these over Pope's home." He decided, and flew past the Pope's Palace and randomly dropped the explosives without batting an eye. He refrained from landing or going near the building, not wanting to cause trouble for Sylvester.

However, just as he thought of returning home, he saw a distant peninsula with a giant tree and immediately remembered someone.

"Wait! Big Ashra lives there!" Miraj remembered the giant Mythril snake. "She must be lonely. Let's take her to Maxy too."

And so, he soared like the wind and landed inside the Soul Peninsula, under the shade of a giant Soul tree. Just a few shouts from him were enough to call the giant snake over.

Boom!

With incredible speed, Ashra tore through the tree roots, blasted apart small hills, and appeared before Miraj. "Hiss?!"

"Ashra, can you swim? Bad people live in the Holy Land now. So I'll take you to Maxy. Wanna come?" Miraj asked.

The giant happy snake bobbed her head. Of course, she was exceedingly bored there and missed Sylvester. It had been so many years already.

"Then, follow me. Bring Yogi too" Miraj, this time, flew slower, so Ashra could blast through the wall of the Soul Peninsula and enter the water. She also scooped up the unsuspecting Yogi, the bear, and placed him on her back before making her way toward the mainland.

By the time they exited the Holy Land, Miraj flew high in the air again with a big grin. He took out the small red crystal that Sylvester talked about.

Crack!

He broke it in his soft paws.

BOOM!

And with that, the chaos commenced. Gigantic mushroom clouds engulfed the Holy Land. Buildings blew apart, leaving behind craters, and the scent of scorched grains wafted through the air.

The fiery red flames reflected in Miraj's eyes as he watched with delight.

"Meowahahaha! That's what you get for messing with my son!"

…

Back in Green City, Sylvester had no idea about Miraj's exceptional work, surpassing his expectations.

After all, his focus was solely on the city. He looked at the two Guardians of Light. As the odds were heavily against them, it wasn't too hard to capture them, and it wasn't even a challenge for Soulbreaker. The man brought Blackfire to his knees without even touching him.

"Why have you betrayed the faith?" Sylvester questioned the two Guardians. "Faithwalker, aren't you the adopted son of the Pope? How can you betray the order he gave his all to strengthen?"

Puh!

Faithwalker, draped in his black robes, spat at Sylvester's feet. "Don't you dare utter father's name! He taught you everything, he stood for you every single time… and you killed him!"

"..."

Sylvester almost punched the man for blabbering nonsense. "Killed? I don't possess such abilities, Faithwalker."

"Then where is he? If not for Niel, the Holy Land would have fallen into chaos after the Pope's disappearance. And now you return to destroy what remains standing." Faithwalker continued shouting. "Niel was right… You're doing this to weaken us, aren't you? You're one of them…"

Sylvester knelt down. His heart nearly shook. 'Them? Elves? Does Niel know?'

"Tell me, Faithwalker, can you name all Sanctum Council members? Say it, and I will prove that the true enemy of the faith sits in the Holy Land," Sylvester asked him. "You too, Blackfire, say it."

Blackfire was a very old Grand Wizard Sylvester had never met before. He was a man with no arms and instead had strange thick black tentacles made of dark magical energy, which he used to battle.

"Pope, Saint Wazir, Saint Seer…" Faithwalker started. "Saint Keymaster, Inquisitor High Lord, and Saint Medico."

"What about Saint Scepter?" Sylvester added.

"..."

"What?! H-How… How did I forget his name? Wait, why didn't he protect father?"

Sylvester smiled. "Tell me, do you serve Niel knowing he's evil? Knowing he does not deserve to be the Pope?"

"What? What are you saying? I only serve the faith, and Niel is stronger than you." Faithwalker confidently defended.

"Such a pity." Sylvester heaved a sigh and stood up, taking a few steps back from the kneeling Faithwalker. "You don't even know how to lie. You may have nothing to do with Saint Scepter, but you did serve Niel knowingly. You volunteered to come here to kill my mother—I see all that hatred and jealousy within you. Lord Soulbreaker—Kill both of them."

"What?! No… You're mistaken. How can you be so sure?!"

'Because scents don't lie. And I had seen your jealousy long before.'

"If the Pope was here, he'd be very disappointed in you—a talented boy, yet a massive failure, all because of a weak mind," Sylvester muttered. "I have no place for traitors. I have no time to worry about your backstabbing every second moment—it's better if you're dead."

"I can help fight Beastaria! Don't kill me!" Faithwalker pleaded. "Or will you let them win… you traitor of blo—"

'He knows!' Sylvester was now certain. 'How?…'

Shhh…!

"NO!"

Soulbreaker did his magic and began destroying Faithwalker's soul and body. The man disintegrated with pure agony, fear in his eyes. But the scent of hatred towards Sylvester never vanished until the man himself disappeared.

'I can't afford mercy at this stage.'

"What about you? Any last words?" He glanced at Blackfire. "Why did you follow Niel?"

Blackfire shrugged with his eyes, his wrinkled old face containing a smile. "To me, both you and First Guardian are the Church. I serve the faith, and you both represent it. You've caught me, and if you order me to attack the Holy Land, I will. If he orders me to attack you, I will—I'm merely a soldier, Lord Bard, and a good soldier follow orders."

Sylvester looked down, saddened by another loss. "Then you're a liability. But I respect your honesty. Aurora, behead him—and give his body the faithful treatment with proper rights on a pyre."

Blackfire nodded, expressing gratitude towards Sylvester. "Thank you, Lord Bard. I was too old for this war to begin with."

Woosh!

Thud!

Swift and clean, the head fell. In an instant, Sylvester weakened the Holy Land by two Grand Wizards. Yet, it felt too effortless for his liking, and he couldn't help but smell a conspiracy.

"Lord Bard!" Bishop Lazark abruptly voiced. "All fifty thousand Holy Army soldiers surrendered—they have been confined in the dungeon for you to judge."

"Good." Sylvester gazed toward the sky. "We will wait for three hours before marching back towards Sandwall."

"LORD BARD! LORD BARD!"

Suddenly, a city soldier came running beneath the castle wall. "Someone's approaching the city gates! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Who?"

"It's…He's a giant man!" The soldiers stuttered. "E-Each step he takes ignites flames on the ground. He's wearing red robes and a sharp-pointed helmet!"

Sylvester's eyes widened, and a broad grin appeared on his face. But he wasn't alone; Aurora was the same.

"Old man?!"

[A/N: See Queen Isabella]

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