I Became The Pope, Now What?

Over the clouds, they crossed the vast distance much faster than it had taken Sylvester to reach the capital. Above the cities, vast deadlands, and changing scenery, they moved further and further south towards the uninhabitable mountains.

Eventually, the signs of civilizations completely vanished, and the view changed. Beneath the ominous, blood-red sky was a mountain range of colossal proportions, a sight of both beauty and terror. Towering peaks, reaching into the heavens that defied mortal comprehension, cast long, sinister shadows over the rugged terrain below.

The ground below, an expansive tapestry of crimson-hued stones, stretches endlessly, bearing witness to the weight of eons. A realm untouched by the greenery of life, save for sporadic patches where rare and toxic flora emerge, their twisted forms a testament to the sinister essence that permeated the air.

"That's Mount Doomsday."

"I know," Sylvester responded. "We initially arrived here from that portal. But… I failed to realize how enormous it truly was because of the storm."

Mount Doomsday stood out in the desolate mountain range like a black sheep in a white herd. It was the tallest, possibly reaching the upper layers of the atmosphere. Its width was humongous, also surrounded by smaller mountain ranges that were, in their own right, tall.

There seemed no way to scale the colossal nature's creation other than a primal, physical climb with arms and legs.

"We'll have to go down from here. The airship can't land here. The storms would destroy it," Zenith suggested. "You lead us from here, Sylvester. You're more qualified for this than I am."

"Agreed, Empress," Sylvester didn't waste a moment and walked with her and Dalgan to an open hatch. "Follow me."

He created Light Steps behind himself and walked downwards towards one of the smaller mountains, wishing to land on its peak. There was no snow, thankfully, and in fact, the air felt very hot there, no matter the altitude.

"Mount Doomsday is just one mountain. Is there any other special mountain in this vicinity?" he asked, getting straight to work to narrow down the areas he needed to check. After all, 'go to Mount Doomsday' didn't simply imply something was inside it. On top of that, it was the most popular mountain that was explored the most.

Empress Zenith looked at Dalgan. "I don't remember such a legend. But I believe the Grand Prince spent more time around these parts. General Dalgan must know something."

So, both of them stared at the ex-general.

The old Demon nervously looked around at the view. "I don't think there was anything special around these mountains. There were a few unique and splendid lakes, some caves for hiding, and some mines. But nothing came close to being something like Mount Doomsday."

Sylvester hummed and finally landed on top of a mountain peak. It was rocky, sprawling with tiny pebbles. "In that case, I'll do an initial survey of the mountains. The area is too big, and we don't have that much time to spend searching each of them."

"But how will you survey them all from the outside?" Zenith asked.

"Magic of the ancients and elders," Sylvester responded. "The magic of those above us."

He started walking in the air, going upwards far above the mountains but still below the peak of Mount Doomsday. The air was warmer the higher he went, and also dry. The sky was clear and red, giving a clean view of the vicinity.

But then, like a beacon of blinding light, Sylvester's body began to shine completely golden-white. The hue of light kept on spreading in all directions and forming little sparks that came out as if lightning strikes.

Boom!

The light even crackled like lightning with Sylvester at the center. His body completely vanished in the brightness, and then, the magical sight befell their eyes.

Woosh!

With Sylvester at the center, thousands of unending, crackling beams of light came out in every direction. They all struck the mountains in the vicinity and entered the stony surface. Mount Doomsday, or the mountains nearby, all of them were probed by the lightning rods.

Boom!

The earth began to shake at the same time as Sylvester's energy started to become overbearing to the air around them. The warmth that resonated from him heated up the atmosphere, making it hard for Zenith and Dalgan to breathe.

It lasted a few long minutes before the beams of light started receding into Sylvester's body. The heat began to subside, and the light diminished. Eventually, Sylvester's form appeared again as if nothing had happened, and he made his way back down to them.

"Including Mount Doomsday, I sensed hidden chambers and caverns inside eight more of the mountains. But, let's start with Mount Doomsday," he revealed after landing. "I'll make way using Earth magic to form a tunnel path for us, directly into the hidden chambers. The regular pathway is riddled with traps."

Dalgan and Zenith were still a little speechless, however.

"How did you do that? What was that magic?" the Empress asked. "I thought you were going to kill us."

"Ah, then I must have gone overboard." He apologized. "Using higher forms of magic can induce those sorts of feelings in people who can't comprehend it. I simply used nature itself to see inside the entire mountain range."

"Entire… mountain range?" Dalgan exclaimed, "It's bigger than an entire Kingdom."

Sylvester simply shrugged and looked at the massive mountain. "Let's move now. We don't have too much time to waste here. We don't know when 'they' might start reacting."

"Understood." Zenith got serious and stepped forward. "Please lead the way."

And so, Sylvester walked in the air to an altitude from where he could make a straight horizontal tunnel leading to the hidden deep chamber. He didn't even have to raise his hand to change anything. The mountain simply started melting and making a wide hole for them to walk inside. Even his body glowed faintly, providing them with enough light to see the way.

All the while, they didn't exchange a single word. Where Sylvester just wanted to rush in and finish his work in the Demon World, the Empress was in awe and somewhat envious of the power Sylvester had. As for Dalgan, he didn't care about anything anymore.

Crack!

"We're here," Sylvester warned and slowed down his steps. The wall in front of them began to crack instead of melting, revealing the empty cavity behind it.

Eventually, the pieces crumbled apart and exposed the endless darkness ahead. Sylvester carefully stepped forward and raised his hand forward to create a ball of light. He threw it in, using it like an external sun to light up the cavern.

"God!" Dalgan exclaimed, jaw hanging open. "I-It's like a whole new world in here!"

It was a small ecosystem, different from the outside. The area was massive, and there were even rivers of water, lava, and plant life. Some hills also seem to be covered with red grass, but no sign of moving life was evident.

"All the hills you see are made of gold." Sylvester shocked them even further. "I can also sense some metals in the air. Ancient… is an understatement. This place seems to be a tomb or something, on which Mount Doomsday grew over."

"Tomb of Void!" Empress Zenith exclaimed excitedly. "Mount Doomsday is where the tomb of the ancient God, Void, is located… is this the tomb?!"

Sylvester had no idea, so he walked into the cavern. They were standing very high on the walls, so he helped them follow him down and step on the untouched grounds. He could feel there was a treasure hidden underneath the surface of the nature around them.

"Tomb or not, it seems you got richer by coming here," he muttered and tried to sense the extent of the subterranean world. There was no sense of any moving life, thankfully. "What we're looking for isn't here. This is, at best, a place where someone in the past hid their wealth. Perhaps from the time before you lost the war."

"Wait, let me look around this place!"

Sylvester ignored Zenith's request. "You'll have a lifetime to do that. Right now, we need to find the place 'she' mentioned."

Through the same way they entered, Sylvester led them back out. Wasting no time, he chose another mountain and started making his way in. Similarly, a cave formed ahead of him, and eventually, they arrived in an empty space.

"Just a mineral ore deposit," Sylvester mumbled and turned around.

"T-This!" Dalgan didn't move, however. "This is worth more than any gold! It's… Your Majesty…"

Honestly, Zenith just hummed and followed Sylvester, not wanting to annoy him for now.

Eventually, they looked into more mountains. Sometimes, they found empty and plain caverns—other times, hidden treasures of someone ancient, and at times, just a mineral deposit.

A day passed, but they continued.

"Stop!" Sylvester displayed a different reaction this time, already walking inside another mountain. "Do you feel anything different here?"

"Different?" Zenith looked at the red walls left and right. It's hotter, but nothing else."

"Me neither," Dalgan added.

Sylvester's brows furrowed, and he continued making his way forward. However, just after moving a couple of meters, he stopped again. He looked at his palms, which were shaking, and he felt his vision turning hazy. The air started to feel oppressive as well; every single atom in his body seemed to resist reality itself.

"So this is where it starts?" He walked forward a little more to confirm his doubts. Indeed, the effects intensified. "This reality has finally begun to reject me."

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