I Became The Pope, Now What?



Sylvester hoped that his speculation was wrong because if it was true, he had to find a way to destroy the means of travel to the past world. Of course, unlike other men from history who were often conquerors and rulers who wanted to return home and complete what they had left unfinished—he had no such dreams. 

Unlike them, he died after fulfilling his vengeance; now his current life was his reality. But at the same time, he knew that even a mere Grand Wizard could unleash devastation upon his former world that not even a thousand nukes would be able to stop. 

"Shadow Knight, Niel kept on crying about my naivety and lack of knowledge. Could it be that he was meant to be me but failed? Did you also reveal to him the secrets?" Sylvester abruptly questioned him as he remembered the man's dying moments. 

The Shadow Knight lacked a visible expression, but his words sufficed. "Niel Grey was once a good man, upright and fearful of God. I was misguided to believe he had the mental capacity to carry the burden of this secret. To my disappointment—he chose the opposite path. He was a weak-minded man who wanted to surround himself with unbreakable walls. Regrettably, no such walls exist." 

Sylvester kept looking at the key as he wearily rose to his feet. "So, if my guess is right, Saint Scepter is in Sol, waiting for me to bring back this key. And if I don't hand this over, I'll be in danger, along with all those I hold dear." 

"The possibility is not nil." Shadow Knight replied. "You can leave it here if that is your wish. My soul will keep it safe." 

"That means trusting another being with something so crucial. No, I have better methods of keeping it safely hidden." Sylvester placed his helmet back on, preparing to depart. "I should hurry back home now. Do you want me to bring your skeleton to Sol? If I'm not wrong, your soul can't find peace otherwise." 

"I'm in no position to make demands of you," the Shadow Knight replied.

Sylvester shook his head and tickled Miraj sitting on his shoulder. The furry boy quickly opened his sharp jaw and took in the skeleton. Being lifeless, it could be easily stored in the mighty belly. 

Woosh!

"Don't ask any questions." Sylvester stopped Shadow Knight before he could speak. "What about this blue tree? It's not vanishing."

"Absorb it." Shadow Knight said. "It holds the last remnants of my life force within this reality. Perhaps it will help your magic." 

Sylvester didn't trust the man at all, and in no way was he comfortable consuming someone's life force, as it could also contain the being's consciousness. The last thing he wanted was to be possessed. 

"Chonky, eat the tree." Sylvester vocally ordered since Shadow Knight was already a lifeless creature living on borrowed time. 

Woosh!

Miraj opened his mouth and once again sucked everything into his infinite belly. Though this time, he looked much more satisfied, wiping his mouth as if he had just finished eating a banana. 

"I'll be going back now," Sylvester announced, turning around and walking with his right hand magically emanating a brilliant light. "I heard the voice of the Goblin God on my way down. Could it have something to do with this place?" 

"Goblin God?" The Shadow Knight appeared confused. "No Goblin God existed in my time, nor is there now. However, there was once a Deca Imperia Councilman who happened to be a goblin. But because of his less-than-appropriate mental capacity, he was handled accordingly. Perhaps it's his leftover soul lingering in these ruins." 

'I should take a look at the Tome of Gods later.' Sylvester made up his mind and started to climb up the way he had come down. The climb was daunting, but he used air magic to prop himself up through the narrow chimney-like shaft.

BAM!

His speed was so intense that he smacked his head against the lid, bursting directly into the narrow corridor. Fully clad in armor, his abrupt appearance caught the uninvited guests off guard.

"Put your sword down!" 

"You will be detained for trespassing!" 

"You thought we wouldn't notice you sneaking around?!" 

Sylvester was left dumbly staring at the entire corridor before him, full of Deca Imperia city guards. They were all human-sized since the corridor was so small. It was mostly elfs, Beastkins, dwarves, vampires, and werewolves. They were all wearing their species-specific armor and had similar weapons. While Beastkins had swords or daggers, the dwarves only carried two-sided axes, the vampires had claymore swords, and the werewolves had sickle-like swords. 

'I got caught?' Sylvester's heart sank. 'It's going to be a messy escape.' 

"I don't wish to kill you." Sylvester talked back. "Put your weapons down." 

"Haha… There are thousands of us against just you. You seemed to have the wrong idea, elf. Surrender yourself, and we may show mercy!" One of the city guards shouted. 

Sylvester sighed and unsheathed his sword. "You leave me no choic—" 

Thud!

All of a sudden, all city guards placed their weapons on the ground and knelt as if they were frightened beyond measure. They shivered uncontrollably as if they had just seen death. 

"Let's go… elf…" Shadow Knight's voice came from behind. 

Sylvester looked back, and sure enough, it was the ghostly floating figure of the creature. The Shadow Knight was terrifying to everyone other than Sylvester at that point. One reason was his increased strength; and the other was that he knew the story now. 

'When one door closes, another opens.' Sylvester thought and rushed past the corridor full of city guards. Without pause, he stepped over a few heads as they took up too much space, and eventually, he arrived at the end of the corridor. 

'I can smell the overwhelming scent of anger… But no death yet,' Sylvester concluded that many more were waiting for him beyond the door. But he felt the urge to leave quickly before some experts arrived. 

Nevertheless, he had to find a window for himself. So he looked back. "All of you! Run out of this door right now, or I'll start butchering you all, one by one!" 

His killing intent was apparent in his voice and eyes. He stood beside the door with his sword at the ready. "I'll count to three! If you don't move, heads will roll!" 

"MOVE!" The Shadow Knight only whispered a bit too loudly, releasing an intense cold that permeated the air. 

That was the cue. Every single one of the city guards tried to rush out of the small door. But Sylvester dragged back one of the elves trying to run. "Not you… I need you to get naked for me first." 

"..."

Sylvester used his sword masterfully to violate the poor elf right then and there and stole the armor. In a rush, he suited up and joined the crowd in running out. Knowing the trick, he allowed the crowd's movement to carry him along instead of fighting it, and in no time, he found himself in the small staircase area. 

"Go up!" The Shadow Knight whispered. 

Sylvester jumped from within the crowd and started climbing up the stairs. He saw many other city guards on his way, but as they saw the right insignias on his armor, it took them a few moments before feeling suspicious. 

It was all he needed to create a gap and rush up. Without stopping, he climbed all the floors, and with one final push of his shoulder, he appeared on the open terrace. A myriad of sounds greeted his ears, along with a view of the city's landscape.

Ding!

Ding!

"Ugh… This is bad!" Sylvester cursed under his breath as he heard the distant chimes of the bells. They were ringing too intensely for them to mean anything but an alert against an intruder. "The sky is my only way out." 

Without wasting a moment, Sylvester went to the edge of the building, prepared to jump. However, his gaze briefly looked down, causing his brows to shoot up in surprise. The entire building was surrounded by city guards of various races, from rhinos to elephants to lion Beastkins. They came in all sizes. They were innumerable since the crowd extended far beyond his line of sight.

"Chonky, hold tight!" 

Sylvester crouched a little for a split second and then propelled himself with the full force of a Platinum Knight. His move created a deafening roar as the building suffered beneath his feet. From the thrust of his legs, almost ten floors of the building caved in from the corner and left the structure tilting toward another skyscraper behind it. 

Boom!

The blast echoed after he had already vanished. The destruction had given Sylvester the desired lift and velocity he wanted. His body, unnoticeable by ordinary eyes, vanished into the skies above the city, headed toward the Old City in the southeast. 

Mid-flight, as the rushing wind forcefully pounded on his face, Sylvester tried to concentrate and speak with Felix. "Felix! It's me… My cover is blown, but I don't think they realize I'm not an elf!" 

Felix immediately responded with more maturity than what Sylvester was used to. "Then I'll meet you at the beach on the Eastern shore—I'll take a ship and prepare for our return to Sol. Sir Dolorem and Dagorith are already with me… we can make it." 

But Sylvester knew the issue with that. "Felix… The success rate of a voyage from East Beastaria is less than five percent—Do you think we can make it?" 

"With the two of us—we sure can," Felix replied confidently. 

Choosing not to disturb Felix further, Sylvester agreed to the plan. "Then continue. I'll see you there." 

After cutting off the connection, Sylvester quickly mentally connected with Louis and Griffin, who were still in the Beastkin region, preparing for the invasion into the Divider Swamp. "Louis! Griffin—It's Sylvester…" 

The two men weren't accustomed to hearing someone else speaking in their heads. They needed a few moments to accept it was real at first. But once they recognized the voice, they turned serious. 

"What happened, Your Holiness?" 

"Retreat!" Sylvester ordered them. "Destroy all the Solarium-Light cannons, and hijack as many pirate ships as you need. By tonight, leave Beastaria and head to River City in Sol! Deca Imperia might be pursuing us very soon. The Inquisitors have already lost too much, and we can't lose what's left—This is an order." 

"Understood." 

"We'll see you in Sol." 

Griffin and Louis were soldiers now, not nobles. They were used to taking emergency commands, and this was no different. 

"Good, I'll speak with you again when I—" Sylvester's connection was abruptly cut off midway. 

His eyes snapped open while his body was still in the middle of an unguided flight in a single direction. But there was now a change in the air and the scenery as fire engulfed his entire body. 

"WRAAAAA!—You elven pest… You can't escape after sullying my land!" 

This one was gigantic, more than the Elder Krakazan he had fought before. Its body was covered in dark red scales, with glaring, fierce yellow eyes. Red flames blew from its nostrils as its wings flapped in a furious rage.

Sylvester was forced to halt and stand on a Light Tile or risk being swallowed. Yet, with just one glance at the colossal creature, he knew he could defeat it. And with that possibility, a quick scheme formed in his mind. 

'If I kill him now… A new war between elves and dragons will erupt. But to do that after Avanss and… fath… King Rathagun helped me…' 

_________________

Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated.