BOOM!
At the first light of dawn, a deafening roar echoed in the mountains surrounding Miraj City. After the first blast, another grander and resonant sound came, followed by the earth slightly shaking. Scared, people came out of their homes, only to be appeased by the patrolling soldiers.
In the north of the city, Sylvester stood with Prince Jinn, Dwarf Elder Elrog, the Inquisitor High Lord, Felix, and Aurora. They watched as their latest creation shot its first beam of light in a short burst instead of a continuous beam.
However, after seeing the outcome of the test, they stayed silent with their lips closed and mouths dry. The cloud of dust in the distant mountain showed no signs of dispersing anytime soon, revealing how immense the destruction was.
"Every single person involved with the creation of this cannon must bind themselves to a Blood Contract with me. The technology must not be leaked to anyone—not even our allies." Sylvester immediately ordered Jinn and Elrog.
"This scale of destruction…" Aurora, who had arrived just the previous night, found no words to express her feelings. "I don't think my strongest attack can cause this much damage."
The Inquisitor High Lord agreed with her, "A mountain of such scale and height—vanished, leaving pure destruction on site. I can replicate this might, but it would take all my solarium, leaving me depleted for the further fight."
"That single shot of the beam depleted ten thousand Solarium Crystals and a thousand Light Crystals." Jinn elaborated. "The power was comparable to a level five Grand Wizard's full-powered attack, but with that cost, we can't repeat it too many times."
Sylvester nearly cursed under his tongue. However, seeing this was comparable to a nuke, minus the radiation, he felt it was worth it. "Only make smaller versions for the city walls without the use of Elder Runes since it was the catalyst. But I'll take ten of these cannons to fight the Saint Scepter. They say it requires almost twenty-five Grand Wizards to defeat a Supreme Wizard; this can help us greatly."
But somewhere in his heart, Sylvester cursed himself for his actions in Masan. He regretted not being more political and scheming. If he had somehow gained the loyalty of the Grand Wizards there, he could have defeated Saint Scepter with sheer numbers.
"I'm coming with you," Aurora suddenly exclaimed. "I've been training all these years for this."
"No, you're not." Sylvester denied her without a second thought. "You're a Grand Wizard level three at best. If we're ants to Saint Scepter, you'd only be dust."
Aurora insisted, showing minor frustration. "But I control thunder. I can help you with light-based magical attacks. I can even clear the skies for sunlight if needed."
Sylvester didn't listen to her any further. "You will stay behind and hold the fort. We still don't know what that man wants, so I'm trying to take everything into consideration."
"Ugh… Why do you always assume your plan is the best?" She retorted fiercely. "It has failed before, and it can fail again. I'm going with you, and there is nothing you can do about it!"
Without waiting for Sylvester's response, she walked back toward the palace. But Sylvester didn't show any annoyance toward her since he understood what she was feeling. He smelled it loud and clear.
"Don't mind her words. She's extremely worried about my well-being. I've 'died' once before. She does not want to go through that grief again." Sylvester clarified.
"Why don't you take her along then?" Prince Jinn asked. "Isn't 'the more, the merrier'?"
Sylvester shook his head. "All of you, understand one thing. If we're unable to win with Emperor Lich by our side, then even if we bring all the Grand Wizards, we'll be defeated—we do not have the numbers, and that's a fact."
"What about Shadow Knight?" Felix asked. "He's still lingering around, and he was a Supreme Wizard."
"First of all, he's not as powerful anymore. He's slowly diminishing and awaiting the complete dispersion of his consciousness from this world. Second, he's bound by vows to not hurt the Church, which is why he's never been seen inside the Holy Land. According to the official record, Saint Scepter still represents the Church." Sylvester helplessly revealed.
A weighty silence hung in the air. They just didn't have any better ideas.
"What if we lose?" Felix plainly asked. "Death? Does our story end? What's the backup plan?"
Sylvester glanced at the destruction they had caused to the mountain and rubbed his face wearily. "No, our story won't end. If everything fails, I'll have to use the last leverage—sacrifice a world for a world."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Felix questioned curiously.
"I have a backup—that's what it means," Sylvester replied, walking back toward the city. However, his inner turmoil deepened more than ever.
'This is the real world—this is where I have something to lose. The past is lost… I have to win, no matter the cost.'
…
The training continued for the next coming days. Not a single chuckle or laugh echoed in the Pope's Palace for the next six days. They neither slept nor paused, yet time seemed too little, fleeting by too quickly.
Before anyone realized, the last day was upon them, and the time had come for them to head out for the battle that mattered. The team heading out gathered at the Pope's Palace's gate, bidding a short farewell to everyone.
Xavia, seeing Sylvester's serious face, felt her heart quiver with worry. She embraced him firmly. "Please be safe… end this constant source of heartache for us all. My prayers will be with you, Max…"
"Let's have our peace once this is over." Sylvester patted her back and comforted her.
Sadly, none of them knew about the greater godly plot that the ghost of the first Pope warned him about. It brought incredible frustration to Sylvester, but he tried to find some comfort in the hope of victory right now.
"Believe in yourself; I know you can win," Sir Dolorem saluted Sylvester.
But Sylvester hugged the knight and whispered into his ears, "Stay sharp, don't let your guard down. When I'm gone, anything can happen. Expect the unexpected, even from those around you."
"Understood, Lord Bard."
Sylvester patted Sir Dolorem's back, "I will fulfill my vow soon—You'll see me on the throne."
Sylvester then stepped back and bid everyone farewell. "I'll notify Gabriel if we win, and he'll ring the bells five times."
"We should come with you." King Highland said it once again.
"I'm grateful that you all value me enough to go into such a difficult battle. But I've already arranged for everything we may need for victory. Your Majesty, please protect this city while I'm gone—for everyone's sake." Sylvester saluted everyone with his arms crossed. "May the Holy Light enlighten us."
"May the Holy Light enlighten us." Everyone repeated it in unison.
With that, Sylvester turned around to leave. There were far too many people to greet personally and bid farewell. But since he didn't plan on dying, he chose not to do it with each person.
"GODFATHER!"
Abruptly, Sylvester stopped and looked back.
Making his way from behind his parents, young Rex ran toward Sylvester. "Godfather… wait!"
Sylvester allowed the boy to approach. "It's bad manners to stop someone who has started his journey."
"Sorry, sorry…" Rex fiddled with his pocket and took out a little pendant made of wood. It was square-shaped. On one side, Sylvester's face was carved, and on the other side, Rex's face was carved. "I made this myself—I learned Wood manipulation, Godfather. I trained my hardest… Will you accept me as your student now?"
'Wood Magic?' Sylvester remembered the story of the Pope who sacrificed himself to save people, only to be forgotten by the Church because wood magic was frowned upon.
But he held no such prejudice. "Wood Magic? That's wonderful, boy. But this isn't enough to become my student. We must see if Solis is also with you; a simple coin toss will do."
Sylvester took out a gold coin and placed it on his thumb. "Heads or tails?"
"Heads!" Rex chirped.
Ting!
Sylvester flipped it in the air, skillfully caught it in his palm, and closed his fist. "Alright, heads you win, tails I lose—Are you sure you want heads?"
Rex nodded vigorously, his blonde hair whirling. "Open your palm… quick!"
Sylvester finally did it, and it turned out to be a tail. Rex's shoulder fell, and Sylvester handed the coin to him before leaving. "Congratulations, kid."
But once Sylvester disappeared in the distance, Rex looked down at the tail side of the coin and frowned. "Congratulations? Wait a moment…!"
…
Sylvester, Felix, Inquisitor High Lord, and Soulbreaker left Miraj City in solemn silence, each on their own horse or chariot. The people of the city knew something was happening, and the guards were ordered to remain alert as if an attack was imminent.
Desert Road and Green Road, once packed and bustling with traders, now seemed utterly desolate as all the villages and towns had been evacuated long ago. With the destruction of Green City, the region had nothing to offer, so it was now a barren wasteland with overgrown grass and abandoned farmlands.
Since all four of them were either Grand Wizards or Platinum Knights, they found no problem traveling continuously down south. Their destination was the farmland between Baron Strongarm's keep and Duke Grimton's keep, as it rested at the heart of the Duchy.
"Stay alert." Sylvester cautioned everyone as soon as they crossed Pitfall Town. "Saint Scepter may be an honorable man. But when desperate, all honor is lost."
In no time, they crossed Baron Strongarm's keep. However, the road was destroyed, as it wasn't used in a while, and nobody lived nearby to maintain it. The nearby cliff had encroached upon the road, narrowing its path.
The four left their horses behind and went further on foot. Always alert and ready to fight, their blades of choice never returned to their sheaths.
Shhhhh…!
Shhhhh…!
Sylvester clenched his fist, signaling those behind him, alerting them of the sound. 'Someone's sharpening their blade.'
They cautiously walked closer to the sound, taking a left from the road and entering the abandoned farmlands. They remained at the forest's edge in case they had to take cover.
But soon enough, their curiosity was quenched. Sylvester prepared himself. "I see him!"
Right before them, a few hundred meters ahead, Saint Scepter stood alone, leaning by a tree at the edge of the forest. The man, still donned in his usual white robes, hooded cloak, and masked face, sharpened the blade at the lower end of his mysterious staff.
Sylvester inched closer toward him, knowing there was no possibility of a surprise attack. "May the Holy Light enlighten us."
Saint Scepter stopped sharpening his blade, turning his gaze toward Sylvester. His eyes gleamed in bright white. "May we be enlightened. So you left the others to hold the fort—good decision. But I don't see the undead."
'I was right! There's an attack coming. But for what?' Sylvester sighed internally, thankful that he left behind powerhouses, but also confused by the reason.
"There's no point in fighting when we stand in the same position." Sylvester tried to cryptically use their status as reincarnators, hoping for a response.
Continuing to lean against the tree, Saint Scepter kept sharpening his blade. "Do you have the key?"
Sylvester knew it was coming. "What key?"
Sounding slightly disappointed, Saint Scepter straightened his back and took a fighting stance. "Then we aren't standing in the same position. But I have no qualms with you, nor am I interested in stopping you. Give me the key, and you can live as you wish."
"What key?" Sylvester continued with his feigned ignorance.
Shaking his head, Saint Scepter took down the half-mask that covered his face. Shockingly, there was no muscle or skin there—everything below his eyes was just bone, also shining in white light.
"I knew it would come to this, my young friend—Every man lives to do his duty, and yours is to oppose me. And if you don't follow it, can you truly call it living?" Saint Scepter said, confusing Sylvester with his strange analogy.
'Who's going to attack the city?' Sylvester felt nervous about it as he knew nothing about the man's plans. 'Who's even left in his camp to launch an attack? The braindead Niel?'
"What's your name?" Sylvester plainly asked.
"Defeat me, and I will say it."
BOOM!
Within the blink of an eye, blinding light shrouded everything.
_________________
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