I Became The Pope, Now What? - Chapter 765: A Provocaton

Sylvester moved from his place and appeared where he sensed Felix to be. It was at the northernmost point of the planet, right at the pole. It was scorching hot, with fields of lava and little to no land.

Standing alone in front of a demonic entity, even by the world’s standard, Felix raised his blade. He looked bloodied, battered, and seriously malnourished from the appearance of his frame. Around him also lay the defeated bodies of the four Supreme Commanders.

“Who is he?” Sylvester questioned, appearing with his arms spread wide as if he was holding onto something. Standing on the surface not far behind Felix.

Felix rubbed the corner of his lips with his free hand, clearing the trailing drop of blood. “That’s the Grand Prince. He made a deal with some ‘god’ and received all these powers. But he paid the price with his sanity.”

Sylvester had never seen the Grand Prince before, but from the looks of the creature before him, he knew the man was gone by now—rotten-bodied, nine foot in height, gruesomely muscular with no skin on its deep gray body. Red veins bulging everywhere, no eyes, and its entire body covered with teeth. Even calling it a Bloodling felt shameful to the name of Bloodlings.

“Need help?” Sylvester asked, holding the planet from splitting apart from the forces of the Black Hole. The Demon-kind were still in the midst of getting transported. “I can simply erase him from existence.”

Felix’s head turned in surprise, “He’s likely stronger than a Supreme Wizard.”

“And?”

Felix looked back at the demonic creature, and let out a deep sigh, “Fuck! How strong did you grow this time? And why are you calling me over for a hug?”

“Hug?” Sylvester looked down and realized the misunderstanding. “Buddy, I’m holding the fabric of this reality with my palms.”

“…”

Felix waited for Sylvester to laugh and say it was a joke. But nothing came, and he let out an even bigger sigh. His injured shoulders fell in weariness, his sword finding its way into the scabbard on his back. “Are you really Sylvester?”

“I think so,” Sylvester responded, and looked at the Demon slowly getting enraged, preparing some attack. “What are you doing here? Why did you jump into the portal? You missed the birth of your daughters.”

Felix smiled broadly like a fool, “You met them?”

“Met them, blessed them, and spoiled them a bit.” Sylvester fondly remembered, “They’re as beautiful as Bella, and as strong as you. Good luck getting all your hair pulled out by their claws.”

Felix giggled even more, “Now I can’t wait to have a son—a good, strong boy to protect his big sisters. But I’ll have to calm Bella down first. I had no choice, Max. That Oracle somehow spoke to my mind and pleaded that I come and help this world. She said you and the Demon Empress were missing, and the Supreme Commanders were losing.”

‘A plot to lure me away in Felix’s pursuit?’ Sylvester wondered and glanced at the Grand Prince turned mutated Demon. As he burned the man with his simple gaze, the Grand Prince’s tall, demonic body turned into ashes. ‘I can’t put this battle on hold anymore.’

“I’m sending all the demons from this world to our world, Felix. The Primordial Gods have begun to personally take action, and I can’t save both worlds at the same time. So you have to return home and help Gab deal with this mess,” Sylvester said, his tone carrying a great deal of emotions, something he rarely let leaked out. His arms came down as well, and right then, the earth started to shake.

Felix balanced himself on his feet and looked at Sylvester’s face. “What are you going to do?”

“Since they won’t stop, I can only try and turn this realm into their graveyard.”

“Need any help?” Felix asked.

Sylvester nodded and walked over to him. Miraj, having received all the strict orders, jumped from his shoulder to Felix’s. After that, Sylvester raised his palm towards Felix’s chest, and closed his eyes for a second to recheck and ensure the dying planet was empty.

Crack!

“Yes, you can help.” A glass-like crack appeared in the air behind Felix, and in his confusion, Sylvester slammed his palm on Felix’s chest, throwing his good friend into the portal. “Tell Mum… I’ll be home.”

Bam!

“No! Fuck!” Felix tried to stop himself from falling completely. But Sylvester’s will superseded his, like how his will meant nothing to the Primordial Gods. In one clear fall, Felix disappeared into the portal, and then the portal itself vanished.

Sylvester rubbed his tired face, feeling scared, confident, helpless, and yet empowered. This confrontation had been in the making for years.

‘It’s either going to be their graveyard, or mine.’

The Demon World was ripped apart and shredded to pieces. Its gravity was in ruins, its magnetic field destroyed. The temperature increased until the entire orb took the shape of an elongated ball with rivers of flowing lava.

Sylvester remained standing, watching the world end. A bit disappointed, feeling like he had failed Diana.

‘Forgive me, Diana.’ He apologized and found solace that at least her body was secured. ‘Just a little more… I promise.’

…

“Where is he?!” Roared the ancient, godly voice outside the realm of reality. Ashraska frantically searched for Sylvester’s existence, but all he got in return was nothingness.

Aveda silently heard his brother, disappointed at how the events had unfolded. It wasn’t his plan, but he had allowed his brother to do as he wished and see how far he’d go with his simple plans that only involved chaos and death.

“He used the artifacts his other versions left him,” Aveda reminded his brother. “If we cannot see him, we cannot see his future,” Aveda said. His unchanging, unvarying tone held a different kind of threat, one that actually felt dangerous. “He saw through your plan.”

“Who is helping him? Why does every move he makes turn out right?” Ashraska questioned, for he was still a Primordial God in the end. “Now he has unified both the worlds into one so he can defend them better.”

“He would not have done so if you had not moved the Demon World to the Black Hole.” Aveda reminded his brother, “Must I remind you that you had no jurisdiction over this world. It was mine to prepare for the final battle.”

Ashraska annoyedly responded, “It matters not as long as that mortal lives.”

“No longer a mortal.” Aveda reminded him, “Calm your anger. Father warned you of this, and yet you repeat the same mistakes. I shall handle the human world now, and I expect you’d follow my lead. Like I have done for you.”

There wasn’t much he could do any more with Sylvester disappearing from their view. “How is he doing this?”

Indeed, that question arose in Aveda’s mind as well. But instead of raging about it, he chose to act and find the answer himself.

“Our mistake was underestimating him. There is something more going on behind him that we are not aware of yet.” Aveda declared, “We cannot see his future. The key lies there.”

####

“Noooo~” Felix fell out of the portal, right on top of the grassy ground somewhere in the Holy Land. However, he didn’t look around, and tried to jump back into the portal. Despite that, it quickly closed away. “Don’t you fight alone! Max!”

“Fe-Fe, don’t shout.” Miraj was also there, sitting on the ground and licking his paws clean. He was in a foul mood too, forced into agreeing to Sylvester’s plan. “Maxy knows what he’s doing.”

“Who are you?” Felix looked down.

Miraj hissed, baring his fangs. “How did you forget the guardian angel? I am Miraj, known as Chonky by some.”

“Did he tell you what he’s planning on doing?” Felix asked him. “Why didn’t he join us?”

“He’s going to fight the big bad Gods and defeat them. I know he can beat them. He always does,” Miraj said, sounding like he was giving himself some reassurance. “He always wins no matter what.”

Thud!

Felix knelt down at that, tired and frustrated. “This isn’t how it was supposed to go. No matter how strong I get, I can never get closer to his side.”

Pat!

Miraj came flying and landed on Felix’s shoulder before patting his black-haired head, “Don’t worry, Fe-Fe. Nobody can stand beside him. He’s very strong now.”

“I know that.” Felix sighed. “I can’t face Mother Xavia like this.”

Miraj didn’t say anything at that since he shared the sentiments.

…

Crack!

“Why aren’t you joining?!” Empress Zenith stood at the crossing of the portal and looked at Sylvester behind her. “You’re not strong enough to go against them yet.”

Sylvester shook his head, sending off the woman as the very last. “It’s not something I can decide anymore, Zenith. They wish to destroy this world and me now, and I can’t stop them.”

Zenith sighed and fully crossed the portal while keeping her gaze behind herself, looking through the gradually closing portal. “What if you lose even after all this?”

“Losing means the death of all. I can’t afford that,” Sylvester replied and fully closed off the glass-like portal.

At last, he stood alone completely. The planet melted away, and the Black Hole simply became a decorative thing in his gaze. It couldn’t harm him, nor could it pull him in.

He had no idea how to approach the Primordial Gods. So he openly called them forth.

“Come out, Aveda! Ashraska!” Sylvester roared, “Is this not enough humiliation? How much longer will you be cowards in the shadows?”

‘Will they take the bait?’

Sylvester continued to berate them. “Couldn’t even deal with a mere mortal like me. I now wonder if you’re truly the overlords of all existence.”

Nothing happened, making Sylvester feel a little panicked.

‘Wait! Can they really not see me?’ Just then, Sylvester realized that he was wearing the artifacts. ‘Am I truly invisible?’

Seeing no reason, a plot arose in his mind. But for that, he needed knowledge that was forbidden and still eluded him.

‘If I can reach into where they live, will I remain invisible?’

A perfect means of attack? Or a false hope?

Sylvester chose to gamble on the odds.