Descent of a God

The Black Pope

|Jude|

The ball following the dance was a typical gathering of nobles, all vying for Cordelia's and my attention. It was a tiresome affair, with the constant barrage of requests for introductions and matchmaking attempts.

I grew frustrated and decided to put an end to it all by kissing Cordelia in front of everyone. It was a spontaneous decision, fueled by the intense desire that had been building up inside me. Her soft, red lips were like a flame that ignited a hot sensation within me.

Cordelia scolded me afterward, insisting that such a public display of affection was unnecessary. I couldn't argue with her, but the thought of her lips lingered in my mind.

The monotony of battle continued as Cordelia and I took turns slaying tens of thousands of battle angels each day. Our progress was slow, but we finally completed Main Quest 1 after meeting with the Prince. To my surprise, he seemed to have taken an immediate liking to us, putting his trust in us right away.

However, the next Main Quest posed a far greater challenge.

Main Quest 2:

Uncover the true identity of God Ra.

This quest was accompanied by a few clues. First, the fact that Ra had an identity to uncover suggested that he might be an Asura from my world. The similarities between holy power and Asuran magic further reinforced this possibility.

'If Ra is an Asura,' I thought, 'then he must be a Phoenix. Unfortunately, my knowledge of Asuran individuals is limited since I never had the opportunity to visit Epheotus like Arthur.'

In the dead of the night, my thoughts were interrupted by a sudden intrusion. A knight burst into my quarters, gasping for air.

"What's the matter?" I asked, on alert.

"The Church has launched a full-scale attack on the Northern Front!" the knight exclaimed, trying to catch his breath.

My mind raced as I recalled what the Emperor had previously mentioned about the Northern Front being captured by the Church before.

'This means they're after the Imperial Capital,' I thought to myself.

Without wasting any time, I rushed out, utilizing my lightning magic to move swiftly. With the help of my All-Seeing Eyes, I was able to locate the mana signatures of the royal family and Cordelia, who were already on the move.

I increased my speed and appeared in front of them, startling them at first.

"What's happening, Your Majesty?" I asked, my heart racing.

"The Black Pope is on the move," the Emperor explained. "I am not equipped to face him alone. Please, Heroes Jude and Cordelia, we need your aid to defend our Empire."

After weighing the options, I made a decision. This fight presented an opportunity to test out my more powerful techniques, and it could potentially help me complete Main Quest 2 if I captured the Black Pope.

"Emperor, I will take on the Pope myself. Cordelia and the others should stay back in case this is a diversion and they plan to attack another location."

Cordelia and Angelina had troubled expressions on their faces, but they seemed to understand the importance of this battle.

"Don't worry, I will not only survive, but I will return with the Pope's head," I said confidently, hoping to ease their worries.

The Princess stepped forward and handed me a handkerchief with a beautiful sword embroidery on it.

"Please take this before you depart, Hero Jude," she said softly.

I accepted the handkerchief with gratitude, admiring the stunning embroidery. It reminded me of my past life, and I hadn't seen anything as beautiful as this since my reincarnation.

"Thank you, Princess," I replied with a genuine smile before taking off towards the Northern Front.

In a matter of seconds, I traversed the vast distance of one thousand kilometres between the Capital and the newly formed Northern Front. As I flew, I couldn't help but be awestruck by the sheer scale of the Hyperion Empire. It was enormous, spanning a distance of two thousand kilometres from the Capital to its farthest front. If one were to assume the Empire was a perfect circle, its area would cover 12.6 million square kilometres, making it larger than any kingdom in Dicathen and even surpassing the size of any of Alacarya's dominions.

Unfortunately, there weren't any teleportation gates in this world nor were there any spatial rings. While this place was certainly more technologically and magically advanced, the lack of aether devices and tools created by the Djinns certainly made it feel like it was behind.

As I approached the battle site, the sight before me was chaotic. Soldiers adorned in chainmail armor and wielding metal weapons engaged in fierce combat against the Church's believers. But this battle was just a precursor to the real conflict, which was being waged between the magic casters on both sides.

I observed as magicians and aura knights unleashed their spells and abilities, clashing with the battle angels and priests of the Church. Even more powerful magic masters and swordsmen engaged in deadly combat against the bishops, who were among the Church's strongest fighters.

I activated my All-Seeing Eyes and the previously dimly lit surroundings were suddenly filled with bright colours. The four elements of mana, along with the purple particles of aether, danced before me. I honed in on the strongest energy signature, which belonged to none other than the Black Pope.

He was shielding himself with a layer of dark holy power, but I could sense the malevolent energy radiating from him. I also sensed that he was almost as powerful as I was, which explained why the Emperor had struggled to defeat him.

I activated my signature spell, the Yin-Yang Armour, and summoned my Creation and Destruction Godrunes. The armour materialized around my body, and I flicked my left wrist, creating shields of Creation to protect the Empire's mages. They seemed taken aback by my sudden appearance, but quickly stopped attacking, probably at the Emperor's command.

With a push of my right hand, I unleashed a torrent of purple flames, aiming them directly at the Black Church. The bishops raised their hands to channel their holy power, but it was useless against the flames. However, the Black Pope remained unscathed, shielded by a sphere of holy power.

With a snap of his fingers, he dispelled the sphere and stepped out, an excited and sadistic grin on his face. "I've been waiting to meet one of the Heroes from another world," he said.

I was surprised that he knew about me, but I shouldn't have been. The Church's extensive information network was likely one of the reasons they had been able to pose such a threat to the Empire.

"So you're the Black Pope," I said.

"They call me that now? How flattering that a being like you would even bother to know a nobody like me," he replied, his formal tone grating on my nerves.

He grinned again before saying, "So, do you think this world is just a Relictomb?"

I was taken aback by his words, my eyes widening in shock.

(A/N: This chapter was a bit shorter than what I wanted to go for but I wanted to end with a cliffhanger. See you guys tomorrow!)