Sylvester and Aurora rushed to the city's entrance. The gates had been blasted open as the war concluded. Rubble lay scattered everywhere, along with the dead bodies of the city soldiers and the Holy Army soldiers.
The surviving city soldiers stood on the walls. Their bows pointed at the incoming giant figure. It was hazy outside due to the smoke billowing from the burning houses in the city, and the giant man's fiery footsteps made it even harder to see clearly.
"Lord Inquisitor!" exclaimed the few injured Holy Army soldiers who lay outside the walls, awaiting healers. They watched with delight.
Woosh!
However, the moment the giant man walked past them, the fire oozed out of his footsteps and burned those soldiers to ashes.
"Even with eyes, you chose ignorance. The moment you raised your blades at Lord Bard, you lost all innocence." The heavy rageful voice echoed, slowly killing the remaining Holy Army soldiers.
Sylvester watched it all with a faint smile. The old man remained the same, uncompromising towards enemies and strict in his treatment of his own men. In his eyes, all wrongdoers were sinners, and that was why Sylvester liked him; because there were no hidden motives.
Finally, the man draped in red and pointy helmet stopped before Sylvester, gazing silently, his eyes burning in red just as before.
"Welcome back to the light." Sylvester greeted him.
"Because of you, Your Holiness, I never lost my way," Lord Inquisitor replied with the same scent of rage in his words but now tinged with an abyssal amount of worship.
'Holiness? So he also considers me the Pope.' Sylvester noticed the wordplay.
Thud!
The giant man suddenly knelt down, his arms on his chest in salute. "What is your order, Your Holiness? When do you wish to squash the demons in the Holy Land? I shall be your sword and spear, just give me the command."
Sylvester approached and gently patted Lord Inquisitor's shoulder. There was no gap in their rank or power anymore. Sylvester was strong enough to battle against Lord Inquisitor and win, and at the same time, he had officially become a Saint and a Cardinal already.
"The time will come, Lord Inquisitor. But I do not wish to rule over a realm of ashes. Our first priority is to protect the people and enlighten them about my return—which side is truly holy, and which side is a demon's trap. Moreover, I have discovered a great many things on my long journey, and I would like to discuss a few things so we can plan a perfect offensive." Sylvester responded, implying that there was a lot more to it than just a battle of faith.
The Inquisitor High Lord nodded lightly and stood once more. "As you wish, Lord Bard."
"FATHER!"
Bam!
Abruptly, Aurora leaped forward and embraced the Inquisitor High Lord. She wrapped her arms around the big man's neck and planted kisses on his faceplate.
Jaws dropped among the onlookers. A man whose mere presence sent shivers down everyone's spine was now showered with affection. Kisses, hugs, and joyful cries.
But, the Inquisitor High Lord was not a heartless man. He didn't push Aurora away but rather patted her back and head with hands large enough to crush a human skull. "You did well, Aurora. To stand by the Bard, this is the greatest service to the Lord. I am proud of what you became, child… albeit wild."
"Hehe…" Aurora giggled like a child. "I was worried for you. Where were you? I searched everywhere."
"I was… waiting for the right time. Lived among the innocent, waiting for the revelation of heathens' crimes." Lord Inquisitor said and lowered Aurora back to the ground.
Boom!
Suddenly, an explosive sound reverberated in the distance, far from the city gates. A large cloud of smoke loomed, getting bigger with each passing moment.
The city guards swiftly beat the drums and rang the bells to alert everyone, assuming battle positions. However, none of them could see anything.
"Another foe?" Lord Inquisitor turned to face the distant disturbance, wielding his weapon of choice, his simple metallic staff. "So many holy men, heathens they have become. But we are ready—let them come."
Sylvester smiled and walked past the big man. "No need, Lord Inquisitor. They are friendlies."
He continued walking a considerable distance away from the city walls to avoid causing harm to the pitiful city.
"Hisss…!"
Sylvester chuckled. "She sure is excited. Well, it's been six years."
"Calm down," Sylvester said, his voice booming even though he didn't shout. "I'm not going anywhere now."
"Wraaa!"
"..."
Sylvester heard another voice. "Yogi as well? Poor bear, he's too normal to be with these two."
Finally, Sylvester raised his palm towards the approaching cloud of dust and summoned a powerful gust of wind. It instantly cleared all the dirt, revealing the approaching creatures to everyone. A giant 200-foot-long snake, gleaming with white Mythril scales. Her venom was powerful enough to melt steel and kill a human within a minute.
However, while others felt terrified, Sylvester saw something different. The majestic creature had a cute smile on her massive face, her eyes were squinted with excitement, and her tail swished in anticipation of reaching him.
Sylvester used Light Tiles to elevate himself from the ground and reach her head's height.
BOOM!
Finally, they were reunited. Ashra, the giant snake, slammed her big snout on Sylvester's chest. But he wasn't pushed back at all and immediately began to pat her as if he was playfully wrestling with her.
"You've grown even bigger, girl. How have you been? Did you miss me?" He asked.
"Hiss!"
Chonky descended from the sky and also hugged Sylvester's head, wrapping his paws around his hair and gazing down into his eyes. "Maxy! She says she missed you lots and lots… And Maxy! I blasted the Holy Land… Everything went boom-boom, and big smoke even touched the clouds."
"Wraaa!"
Then the big brown bear, Yogi, also appeared, jumping down from Ashra's head and clinging onto Sylvester's back, shivering in fright.
"Yogi says he nearly died." Miraj translated.
Sylvester laughed heartily and played with Ashra until she was calm enough to listen to him. She coiled around him while he occasionally lifted her into the air. She hissed cheerfully, which were, in reality, her giggles from all the ticking she received under her chin.
"Good, now calm down, you three. Ashra, you'll come with us to Sandwall and live with the Dwarves. They will treat you like a goddess because of the Mythril scales you shed. Keep Yogi with you. He's too weak to fight alongside us. Chonky, you're responsible for them from now on." Sylvester ordered and led them toward the city.
"Aye, Ay…" Chonky swallowed his words abruptly. "Is that Injector Cry Lord?!"
"Inquisitor High Lord, Chonky. Yes, it's him." Sylvester corrected him. "Come, I need you to fill your bank with Gracia's treasury. Then we leave the city with its people."
"YES!" Miraj was always happy to fill the Chonky Bank.
Sylvester then brought them into the city. It took some talking and halo to convince the city folks that Ashra was friendly. But in the end, they saw how she behaved with Sylvester and just accepted it as another miracle.
Sylvester brought Ashra and Lord Inquisitor to the Royal Castle, as there was much to discuss while the people prepared to vacate their homes.
Upon their return, Sylvester and Inquisitor High Lord went to the highest terrace of the Royal Palace and discussed their next move in peace.
"Thank you for returning, Lord Inquisitor." Sylvester stood near the edge, gazing at the distant flat lands around the city, while the big man stood beside him, doing the same.
The sky was still sunny, but the air was quite somber. Although they tried their best, numerous lives had been lost in the city, a majority of the casualties being the innocent. Their pyres could be seen near the river from the castle.
"Lord Bard." Inquisitor High Lord started. His voice was heavy and hoarse, "During my last days in the Holy Land, I heard a few whispers about you and your bloodline. As a man of faith, I know all that happens is God's design. But, I yearn to know the truth, for what you stand for—how will you define?"
Sylvester felt his heart beating fast. He knew there was no danger to him, but he didn't want to lose the Inquisitor High Lord. The man was too respected, to the point that just having him in his ranks was going to attract a lot of Holy Army men, and the Inquisitors would remain loyal to him till their last breath.
"Before I speak, may I know what those words were? Faithwalker said the same thing before he died… I must know who is spreading them to understand who is pulling the strings of the grand scheme." Sylvester asked him as seriously as possible.
Inquisitor High Lord's gaze brightened, and his next words followed with some rare doubt in himself. "To the best of my attempts, I cannot recall how I came across these revelations. It's as if a memory of a dream, a mere sensation."
Sylvester smiled, exhaling audibly through his nose. "Then I believe I have the answer, Lord Inquisitor. Tell me, can you name all Sanctum Council members?"
"His Holiness, Seer, Wazir, Medico, I, and Keymaster."
"You missed one." Sylvester stared at the man's faceplate and revealed the tattoo on his wrist. "Saint Scepter—The Shield of Solis!"
____________________
[A/N: A slightly shorter chapter today as this Gorilla is celebrating his birthday.]
Thank you for reading. GT votes are much appreciated.
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