I Became The Pope, Now What?
chapter-769

They were aware. Sylvester knew it. But how were they going to react?

"How should I prepare—"

As he was about to ask Solis, he felt something change around him. As if the entire reality was morphing around him, despite there being nothing. It was an empty infinite space that consisted of nothing but two occupying forces—two consciousnesses—Aveda and Ashraska.

Just as expected, voices began reverberating from all sides. It was immense enough to make Sylvester feel like the smallest fish in an entire ocean.

"Amused, proud, and angered. I know not what to feel about you, mortal."

Sylvester reacted quickly, "Which one is speaking?"

"The one whose plaything no longer exists."

"Aveda?"

"So you have theorized it. Expected from the one who reached this far. But beyond this is nowhere, nor is this your realm to exist. Return to your world and be our messenger, Sylvester Maximilian. Or perish here, to be forgotten in the next cycle," Aveda stated, giving Sylvester the last offer to turn around and save his life.

Sylvester, formless, a mere thought, felt his own existence slowly being surrounded by something, someone, pushing him away from Solis. He knew there was only one other enemy in that same plane of existence.

"I never wanted any of this," Sylvester replied, trying to keep himself gathered. He had to accumulate and accustom himself to the surroundings, or else he'd be at the mercy of the God's will. "You pushed me into this uphill climb."

"You cannot save your world," Aveda added.

"But I will." Sylvester silently grunted, feeling Ashraska trying to rip his consciousness, like an insect that got noticed; step all over him and show him his place. "I will… when I become you!"

"Ha ha! I like this insanity." A second voice reverberated just then, much more cruel, muffled, and utterly evil. "Let's give him what he wants, Aveda. A mortal wishes to take our place. Laughable, but admirable, for he reached this far."

'Too proud of himself, conceited, overconfident, selfish, greedy, and evil.' Sylvester immediately made a character profile of the being. 'Being the highest two entities, it must have been an eternity since they last had to experience a life-threatening battle.'

"We would be repeating the ignorance that led to his rise." Aveda denied his brother's offer, "A mortal must die like a mortal—miserably."

'The thoughtful one.' Sylvester assessed Aveda, 'His voice is less cruel and holds warmth. Like a real god. Careful planner… like me.'

"Whatever your choice may be, your end shall be here." Sylvester antagonized, a mere attempt to measure the depth of his situation.

"See that pride."

"He's manipulating you," Aveda warned his brother. "Do not forget what Father warned you of."

Ashraska still chose to ignore it, "You truly believe we cannot defeat him? We are the creator, the destroyer, the ruler of the very vessel this creature was born into."

Sylvester pushed the two closer towards the edge. He needed a battle at all costs. "Perhaps your brother is afraid of a mortal who rose so fast and so far."

"Indeed," Aveda didn't refute.

But that angered Ashraska to no end, "That's enough. Cowardice is something I have never known! Speak, human, how do you wish to battle me? Or do you prefer to simply have your consciousness removed?"

'Extreme arrogance.' Sylvester felt he had found Ashraska's sensitive nerve. 'But an intelligent ant still remains an ant before an elephant.'

"A physical battle with real bodies." Sylvester demanded something he was well-trained in.

"The way of the lowly brutes." Ashraska disgraced that demand, but agreed in the end, "If you think you can defeat me through a physical body. Let me prove you wrong."

"Don't do this, Ashraska. He's getting what he wants." Aveda warned his brother.

"No more will I heed your cowardly warnings, Aveda. We are Gods!" Ashraska boomed and began to take a physical form. "Do not interfere in this… inconvenience. Bother with that 'god' instead."

Sylvester sensed freedom in that instant as Ashraska stopped trying to suppress him with his higher control over the space they were occupying. It left him free to construct a body of his own, albeit struggling to.

However, Ashraska had already started to form a body for himself. It was unknown if this was his true form, or merely something he connected with. As he took a humanoid shape, his skin began to form in glistening dark silver, which at times seemed as black as the deepest void in space.

It was as if looking at a human being created from scratch, first the veins, the bones, the flesh, and then the skin. But in this case, the blood looked like tar, and the flesh as if charcoal. On his waist formed a black, fluttering, multi-layered sirwal trousers, made from nothing but more of the skin. Even a cape formed on his back, also made of skin, but it looked like cloth.

Then, at last, a humanoid face with an evil look, two shining blue eyes, and a vertical red eye slit on the middle of his forehead. White hair longer than his height, and two horns protruding out.

"So you were the one ruling over my world," Sylvester commented as he attempted to create his usual human form—Sylvester's form.

A sadistic smirk formed on Ashraska's face, "What gave it away?"

"Your looks and the history of my world," Sylvester replied. "Widespread chaos, madness, hunger, degeneracy, inhumanity, violence, suppression of anything that could make things better. What else but a Demon like you can find joy in that."

"Survival of the fittest is what I call that, human." Ashraska didn't get offended by that. "To prepare your world for the battle against my brother's realm, I needed warriors. Not pathetic meatbags content with life."

Sylvester remained silent after that, not feeling the need to antagonize him anymore. 'It explains all the misery I've seen at home. Even the finest jewel would lose its shine when in the hands of an uncaring brute.'

As his body completely formed, long golden blonde hair fell down his back, and white robes formed on his body, for no armor could help in that battle. No weapons, however, since he didn't know how the battle was going to be fought.

"Why even do all this?" Sylvester asked, feeling nothing but empty dark space around him. There was no time, no air, no vacuum—they were truly in nothing—a realm beyond existence itself.

"Why?" Ashraska raised his massive claw-like arm, his whole body thrice the size of Sylvester's. "Because we can."

Boom!

Faster than anything ever seen, Sylvester didn't realize when something connected with his belly and clawed out a hole in it. An entire arm passing through his belly and pushed him with the momentum.

Sylvester groaned. The pain was real this time, despite the body being a mere piece of flesh representing his overall consciousness and energy. Right there, Ashraska's entire hand passed through him.

"Because we are Gods!"

Bam!

"Argh!"

Ashraska stabbed the twin horns on his head into Sylvester's chest. Sylvester tried to stop them by grabbing them, but the difference in force was too vast. The two horns entered his skin and ruptured his lungs and heart.

Other than pain, Sylvester felt nothing since the organs served no use. However, they reminded him that he needed to be smart in this battle.

Crack!

"Hah! You think your light sword will hurt me?"

Sylvester honestly had no idea and just swung it down on the horns that were stabbing him. Extending from his right fist, the long shining white blade made contact, and sizzling sounds soon ensued.

'It's not working. Only the skin is burning.' Sylvester gritted his teeth, his body still pushed further into the infinite dark space. 'Half of this entire realm contains his energies. No wounds would be sufficient enough to kill him.'

How do you even kill a god that's merely a consciousness and energy?

"Quit!" Ashraska spoke again, retracing his horns from Sylvester's chest; his hand was still stuck in the regenerating hole in Sylvester's belly. As he pulled, he formed a new open wound, only to grab Sylvester's neck at an untraceable speed. "Quit and become my loyal dog."

Sylvester struggled against every move Ashraska made. He was stronger and faster. "You… should have asked… nicely."

"Arrogance!" Ashraska boomed and threw Sylvester away like a ragdoll.

'Such self-reflection.' Sylvester mumbled and immediately gathered himself. This time, he chose to use magic and created the strongest shields around him, made of hardened light through Creation Magic. Formed like a sphere all over and transparent, he tried to think of a strategy.

transparent, he tried to think of a strategy.

'Any weakness?'

"We create you, kill you, and pluck you out of your worlds as if nothing." Ashraska made a dashing flight towards Sylvester, both his claws out. "You think a mere lesser shield will protect you? You underestimate us, boy!"

Crack!

"Fuc—!" Those were the last words Sylvester could muster before Ashraska speared through his shield like a hot knife on butter. The claws came at Sylvester's neck and, in a single moment, snapped everything away.

The torso remained there, and the head separated, thrown away in the distance. Sylvester's long golden hair wrinkled around his shocked and somewhat distraught face, eyes still blinking. His torso, in the distance, disappeared in a puff of smoke and began forming again below his neck.

'It's impossible.'

As his regenerating body and head remained flying like a projectile, he tried to speak with Solis directly. "What's the plan? You've guided me to this place since I was born!"

You've guided me to this place since I was born!"

Solis, like Aveda, remained on the side and didn't interfere.

But Solis did answer vocally.

"It's your plan, Sylvester—always has been."