Chapter 485 [485] The New Pope.
"No one...?"
I looked around, each and every member of the church present here were mindlessly staring at me. Their gazes felt sharp, like swords piercing into my body.
"... Everyone?"
I called out. But their stares did not move. They felt more and more sharp each passing second. Nothing moved. My mind felt as if it was in a cage, and I could only...
I could only see his smile within it.
Those teeth, those lips churning around to make the best smile ever. But it wasn't 'best' in the good way.
It was creepy, it was horrifying. I lost my vision of my surroundings as that was the only thing that was present in my mind, like a plague meant to consume me in seconds.
"Agh..."
I gasped for breath, as the smile changed. Emerald green eyes formed above the pristine white teeth. The smile shifted, and changed into one that did not belong to a barbarian...much less a human.
Small, white spots appeared.
I stepped back, as the smile approached. The white spots became clearer and clearer until I realized.
'Those aren't white spots.'
Those are scales, shifting and transforming around the...smile. Forming something.
A snake. Its tongue reached out and touched my face, I could feel the burn. It was as if the venom was not present in the fangs but the tongue.
"What's wrong?"
I heard his voice, as small spirals of red and blue appeared everywhere in the darkness. The black was soon devoured by these spirals.
"Hallucinations..."
I managed to mutter, and I heard his sinister laugh.
I gulped. Taking more steps back, but soon I felt as if there was a wall behind me. I could retreat any further.
"Monster!"
I called out, as I expelled my holy power to fight against the snake. It transformed into multiple smaller snakes after cackling. I twisted and turned, dodging the bites of the snakes as I ripped them apart.
"Devilish beings!"
I yelled, as I increased the protection around my body, and fought, and fought, and fought.
The snakes showed a sense of alarm, I do not know how, or why I could perceive it upon their scaly faces, but I could!
That is all that mattered... Yes! That is all that fucking matters!
I can kill them! They are afraid of me.
Drunk in this feeling, I yelled like a warrior of light, tearing all evil in my way.
I could not feel pain, I could only cause it! I can kill them!
No....
I am killing them!
The thoughts turned into actions, as my fear disappeared, and I was victorious.
"Ha... Ha..."
Gasping for breath, I stared at the half ripped body of the snake in my hands as I let out a cackle. The rest were staring at me in fear, and did not dare approach. The largest snake was dead before me, its body littered with wounds. Its skin was ruptured from my fierce strikes. And I ripped its skull open, pulled its tongue out and used its fangs against it.
"Ha ha ha!"
My gasping for breath turned into a fit a maniacal, hysterical laughter. I looked at the disappearing spirals and yelled in triumph.
"You cannot defeat me! Even If I do not use Gaebolg or Stella, My lord provides me with the strength to defeat you!"
But I was not done yet, I still had more to say.
"Do you see this?! Do you see my might?! I have defeated y-"
"Have you?"
The spirals disappeared all of a sudden, and everything I was seeing disappeared. The bodies of the snakes and their blood. I was back in the church, And saw the barbarian, whose name was James, still sitting on my seat.
"Get down from there!"
'Plop!'
I heard a strange, meaty sound as I felt a sort of weight leaving my shoulder.
I looked down and I found... I found...
Guts.
Intestines, organs, and flesh. That was what had dropped from my shoulder. Furthermore, my hand was holding an arm that had been ripped off by brute force. The arm was wearing the church's robes. This was not the body of a snake, but it was an arm of a member here.
That was not all, my entire body was covered, in guts, in flesh, and my robes were sullied. There was not a single inch of my body free from it.
"Impossible..."
I muttered, in disbelief. The snakes I was battling for so long...were the members of the church.
"The new pope slaughters the church members...tsk tsk... Now isn't that a headline."
His voice rang in my ears, In a fit of anger, I rebutted.
"You used your vile magic on me!"
I knew I would not fall to such manipulations! It must be a vile magic he used! Demonic magic.
"Did I?"
But his words were like a lightning bolt striking me, leaving me paralysed.
I checked the state of my body, and I found something shocking. The holy barrier I had erected around myself was at full strength.
If he had used any magic, it would defend against it and thus be reduced in power. But it was not.
I refuse to believe he did nothing... I refuse to believe it. I looked around and saw the people, who were still alive, staring at my body in fear.
"No...don't be afraid... I am the pope. I am your protector."
But my words did not get to them. They ran away from the grand hall, and I was left with him.
I stared at him in disbelief.
The surrounding air shifted, and a crack appeared in space. I stared at the crack, thinking.
'What is that for?'
I wondered, as I considered rushing upwards o strike him yet again. To try to defeat this menace that had reduced me, that had reduced the church to such a state. That had reduced the position and reputation of the pope.
I started to walk as his hand went inside the crack. I thought he would take out a weapon to fight me and I, rejoiced and went upwards to fight him.
But I stopped all of a sudden when I saw my own spear, Gaebolg being thrown towards me. I hurriedly caught it. Confused, I looked at him.
"Come on, fight."
With my powers, I had confirmed that the spear in my hands truly was the Gaebolg. This was not a trick.
"This will be your undoing!"
I yelled as I approached him in a mere second, My body disappeared, and I appeared in front of the bastard. I turned my hip, took a stable footing and thrust towards his neck.
But, regardless of how fast I was, his body moved like a fluid, calmly and slowly away from my spear.
"Why are you so slow, Cardinal Stefan?"
'Cardinal...?'
That word induced such anger within me, I could not fathom it. Does he not know...what I am now?!
"It's pope!"
I sliced towards his neck once again, but he jumped on top of my blade, sitting on top of it like it was a chair...
"Is it?"
"You bastard!"
A thousand times, I thrust. But none of them hit. I did it all within the span of a few seconds, but I slowly watched him get closer and closer, treating my attacks as nothing but mere breezes on a stroll in the park.
Nice things, not deadly attacks that were meant to kill him. In but a moment, he was in front of me, looking down at me...the pope.
He was at a distance where my spear was useless.
"Do you know of a person called 'Spear God'?"
He asked. But I could not answer. I did not even want to. If I knew it.
"God...?"
But that word threw me off. How could one person who just wields a spear so well be labelled as a god? That was utter blasphemy!
"It's cringe, isn't it?"
He stated a word I didn't understand. He moved closer, close to my ear. And whispered.
"Do you know, you are technically looking at him?"
"What?"
The words he spoke were literal bullshit in my eyes. All this time he hadn't exhibited any qualities belonging to a good spearman.
Hell, it was all as if he had never held a weapon in his life! Just relying on his physique to do whatever heinous acts he wished.
He touched my chest, And I instinctively reacted and jumped back.
"Ha!"
I laughed, happy that I had prevented whatever he wanted to do with me. I jumped back towards him to strike once again. But I found out that I could not move. There was a distinctive, cold, chilly feeling on my chest.
His outstretched finger retreated, and my chest felt cold.
I looked down on and found ice forming around it. This bastard managed to hit me! I must kill him now.
Having no choice left, I equipped Stella in order to defeat him.
But a chill went down my body, not originating from the piece of ice on my chest.
It originated from his sudden, wicked smile, as the roof of the grand hall burst apart, showering us with a power of divinity unlike any other.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om