I Became The Pope, Now What?



A celestial sign, telling every being in the world that one more Supreme Wizard has been born— Rain fell everywhere across the world at the same time, from the desolate areas of the Divine Desert to the hostile Greenpeaks of the dragons. The world looked up when the golden drops fell. Some curiously wondered who it was, some felt scared, and some simply ignored it. 

In the Holy Land, it was a matter of great enthusiasm, as most of the higher Clergymen knew who was the closest to becoming a Supreme Wizard. As the rain fell from the sky, many walked over to the windows of their offices, smiling. 

Xavia knew where Sylvester had gone, and the worry slowly gnawed at her peace of mind. Choosing to remain at home, she paced back and forth in the living room while thinking about negative scenarios and hoping some news would arrive soon. 

But just then, she noticed it started to rain outside, "Golden?" 

That was all she could mutter before sitting down on the balcony floor and watching the message from the heavens. It was proof that Sylvester wasn't only alive but growing stronger.

Meanwhile, inside the Holy Land, there was one man delighted to see the golden rain. However, beyond Sylvester's rise, he had another reason to be excited about it.

"That madman did it!" Felix clenched his fist. "I can finally have my balls back!"

…

At the same time, across the Continent in Beastaria, there were some mixed reactions. Unlike Sol, where everyone rejoiced, in Beastaria, there was only one man who smiled while looking at the gentle golden rain from the window of his chambers. 

'He did it—Welcome to the big table, my son.' Rathagun muttered, smiling. Despite the humiliation he had faced in Sol, he still couldn't bring himself to hate his son. Especially not when his blood had proven to be so powerful, wise, and better than him. 'I wish we lived in a different world.' 

"He did it! Brother, look outside!" Avanss burst into the room, cheering. "We can deal with the Demon now! I knew he was waiting for his rise to the Supreme Wizard before he came back here!" 

Rathagun nodded, albeit uncomfortably, "The plague has almost been dealt with. What's left is the Demon. The dragons are too busy fighting each other—We can only rely on ourselves." 

Avanss chuckled loudly at the mention of the dragons, "I can imagine Malisius' reaction to this rain. He must know it's Sylvester." 

…

Avanss was right to some degree. 

"Noooo! How can this be?!" Malisius roared at the sky, spewing gigantic flames from his mouth. "He was nowhere close to peak Grand Wizard… It can't be that human."

Destruction trailed behind him as he took out his rage on anything he could reach. His breath was ragged, his eyes red, and his scales sizzled with steam.

"But then, who?!" 

…

Back in the Pentapeak Mountain Range near Mount Primis, the aftermath of the destructive battle started to settle down. The landscape was uprooted, small mountains flattened, and valleys were now flatlands—the unimaginable madness was caused by just two humans. 

Sylvester sat in one such flattened valley, his back resting on a boulder. His body slowly tried to heal and cover the exposed wounds. In the cold winter, he didn't feel anything, but his breath billowed out like clouds of smoke.

His eyes were barely open from the exhaustion, but he smiled at seeing a much calmer Julius sitting before him. The golden rain had stopped, and he could still feel changes occurring in his body. It was excruciatingly painful, but he held himself back from showing it. 

"Bloodrain…" Sylvester started, trying to advocate for the good. "He helped me end Prince Daemon, and saved me from a Grand Wizard. He… stood by the poor and needy. He stood against Niel—Your enemies are dead, Julius." 

Julius just sat there cross-legged, his back slouched forward and face looking down at nothing. His eyes were open and didn't look red, but his bloodied body was still terrifying to look at. The man was aimless. He had no idea where to go or what to do anymore. His life's purpose had boiled down to a thirst for revenge, nothing more.

Sylvester ignored his pain and raised his hand toward Julius. With some effort, he was able to touch the man's head again and show him something. A purpose worth fighting for, a danger worth protecting the world against. Something his family would be proud of.

"J-Julius… Our battle won't end until we defeat those who control us like puppets. You asked me why the world is still so rotten? That's because it was forcefully designed to remain rotten—Because those who came before were mere puppets." 

Julius still didn't respond and kept looking down at the ground. But he soon spoke, albeit in a hoarse and broken voice. "Ignus… my son. Wanted to become a knight in the King's army. My daughter, Alnia, loved embroidery—Why do the simple folks suffer the most in a battle that isn't theirs?"

Sylvester sighed, wondering the same thing. He remembered being screwed over by those he served in his past life, which ended with Diana's death. She didn't deserve it; they merely wanted to live a happy, normal life. 

"As long as free will exists, there will always be criminals. But to squash free will is to render our world colorless—without feelings, without any joys. What we can fight for is a world where evil is crushed before it takes root and where sinners are punished without bias. It will take work, but it's possible in our lifetime," Sylvester answered, taking in examples from his past. Of course, the modern world was flawed too; the rich always got away, but those were the lessons he could use now to create a better society. 

"Argh…" At that moment, Julius moved and tried to stand up. However, there was no longer any hostility, just a lot of confusion and regret. He turned to look toward the north and seemingly made a decision. "You shall receive the names of the high-ranking and most radicalized members of the anti-light. You cannot change their minds; only kill them. Their hate, too, stems from injustice caused by the faith." 

Sylvester nodded firmly, "For a peaceful future, I must do what I need to." 

"We're in the same boat, it seems," Julius muttered, looking toward the sky. "I hope they will accept me when I arrive there." 

'Is he thinking of killing himself?' Sylvester was worried, as that would contradict what he wanted. 

"You still have years to grow and do good. I, alone, can't keep this world free from chaos," Sylvester said, indirectly extending an offer. "You and I have blood on our hands, and unless we wash it away, I doubt even Solis would embrace us, let alone those we cherish." 

Sylvester didn't consider the blood on his hands as evil, but for the sake of keeping Julius with him, he placed himself in the same shoes. Sure, he killed countless, but it was all to turn the world into a better place. He knew his actions today would change the lives of millions in the future, so his conscience was mostly clear. 

"I must think before I take another step," Julius said and kept walking into the distance. "I have been mindlessly moving for the past hundreds of years—I need to sit down and think… I can't afford not to." 

Sylvester didn't try to stop him at that moment. He could only hope that the man wouldn't kill himself in depression. He had already shown him a path to atonement. Now, it was up to Julius to walk on it. He hoped Julius would, because then the Church would have two Supreme Wizards.

Eventually, Julius vanished from his line of sight, and he finally heaved a sigh of relief. In triumph, he raised his hand up. "Finally, a Supreme Wizard."

"Maxyyyyyyy!"

Bam!

Miraj came diving down from the sky and crash-landed on Sylvester's chest, hugging the life out of his human. "I was so worried… I looked for you everywhere, but that black circle was too strong. Are you okay? I will put healthy potions on you." 

Miraj quickly vomited out the bags filled with supplies and overturned containers filled with healing potions; all brewed to the highest grade. Sylvester had the privilege to take as many as he wanted since he was the Pope. 

"I'm fine, Miraj," Sylvester replied with a groan. "It's just… the changes in my body are painful." 

"Changes?" Miraj looked at Sylvester closely and soon started licking his face to clean the blood. "Oh! Did you see what happened, Maxy?" 

"W-What?" Sylvester asked, waiting for Lord Inquisitor and Emperor Raz to find him since it took all his willpower to not fall unconscious at that point. 

Miraj gasped and replied, "Someone peed on us from the sky!"

"Pfft!" Sylvester almost laughed, but the pain all over his body stopped him. "Aargh… That was because I ranked up to Supreme Wizard, Chonky."

"Woah!" Miraj was in awe of his human and hugged Sylvester's face. "You grew stronger then? Will we go to Beastaria and look for my friends next?"

'This boy—He won't be satisfied unless he gets an answer.' 

"Yes, we'll head there very soon," Sylvester relented and stared at the sky. Finally, he noticed a dot slowly increasing in size. Eventually, Lord Inquisitor and Emperor Raz appeared. With that, exhaustion began to overwhelm him. His face and skull were still cracked and needed proper medical attention. 

"Your Holiness!" Lord Inquisitor quickly jumped from the sky, using his crimson fire to land softly.

Sylvester smiled as his final act and raised his right hand, showing his thumb to the old man. A sign that, at last, the remaining threat looming over Sol was neutralized. Finally, it was time to work toward creating a better society.

At least in the eyes of the mortals, the last threatening chapter in Sol's story was over—And for the future celestial threats, they need not have such exposure. 

It was only a few people's burden to carry.

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