?”Sylvester?!” Aurora stepped forward, dumbfounded and excited at the same time. “Am I seeing things?”

‘She looks so… different?’ Sylvester noticed the effects of age on her face. Although still young and beautiful, he noticed sparse gray strands mixed in her brown hair. Tiny hints of aging wrinkles had also appeared around the edge of her eyes. ‘Must have been under great stress.’

“Stop staring at me. I know I’m handsome,” Sylvester jested and stood up. It had been a while, and a hug was the least she deserved, alongside his invisible blessing that healed any ailments in her body, whether dormant or ongoing.

So speechless, it took a few moments before she reacted to Sylvester’s embrace and hugged him back. She patted his back and touched his blonde hair to make sure it was him.

“Where were you?”

“Almost dead, lost, and getting stronger. It’s a long story, Aurora.” Sylvester let her go and looked up at the Lord Inquisitor. “Still going strong?”

“The only time I shall rest will be on my pyre. Until then, I stand to aid in whatever you may require.” Lord Inquisitor, like always, maintained his unique method of speaking. “Welcome back, Your Holiness.”

‘He’s getting older.’ Sylvester didn’t fail to notice the extremely faint shiver in Lord Inquisitor’s arm that held onto the weighty metal staff. ‘But he’ll be against me healing him now.’

Even then, Sylvester shook the man’s free hand and eased some of the pain he felt due to his unique physical body. The burning breath that scorched him from inside and outside under the visor. The bones that were growing weaker needed a little reinforcement, too.

“Good, I can’t have you leaving us now, Lord Inquisitor. I’ve seen much during my journey, and against what is coming, I will need all your aid.” Sylvester stepped back and leaned against the table in wait for the others. “I’ve returned, but I fear I will have to leave again. This time, it may be for a very long time.”

“What will happen to the faith?” Aurora questioned. “Without you, the cracks have already started to appear. Corruption and heresy are on the rise. Deviancy is being supported and promoted, while morality is silently quashed.”

“If I win, you won’t even feel my disappearance,” Sylvester added in the end. “To defeat a god, you need to become a god.”

“And what are you now?” A third voice came from behind Lord Inquisitor.

As the big red-draped man moved aside, Guardian Julius entered, a Supreme Wizard and currently the second strongest powerhouse of the faith—officially. He didn’t look a day older from the time Sylvester left. Such was the vitality and long lifespan of peak power.

“What do you mean?” Sylvester questioned back.

“As a Supreme Wizard, we can sense when another powerhouse is in the vicinity. I could sense you before. I can sense where Raz is. But now…” Julius stepped in and walked closer to Sylvester, stopping just four feet away. “Now I can’t even feel you standing before me—just air, nature, nothing.”

‘Is this what Chonky was talking about?’

Sylvester rubbed his face and mused over it. “What do you consider a god? If it’s Solis, then I’m afraid our understanding is different. There are only two ‘gods’ that I recognize who hold the power to be called such.”

“Which one are you?” Julius questioned, expressions missing from his face.

Sylvester hummed, once again asking himself what he should name himself. After all, he was clearly not as strong as Solis yet, but definitely close to him. He was far more than an Eldritch God too.

“Somewhere between Solis and those who rise beyond the shackles of this world,” Sylvester replied in words only those with half a brain would understand.

Julius took in a sharp breath and stepped back before crossing his arms on his chest and saluting. “May the Holy Light enlighten us. Welcome back, Your Holiness.”

“Let’s go to the Sick Bay.” Sylvester walked forward. “It’s better than waiting for Gabriel here. And where is our happily married Saint Viceman? Did he become a father yet? I’m sure Isabella was pregnant when he tried to hide it from me.”

“Triplets.” Aurora blurted. “Three daughters.”

“Sweet!” Sylvester grinned with genuine joy. “I can’t wait to spoil them. But I hope that fool is spending enough time with his children. One of the biggest reasons noble children turn sour is the ignorance of parents.”

“Felix is missing,” Julius announced.

That grin instantly turned into a frown. “What happened?”

Aurora tried to speak before Julius since the man lacked nuance of emotions. “He went to Beastaria to investigate something in the Greenpeaks. We lost communication with him after a while, and the search parties never found any clues. Raz, Rathagun, and Guardian Julius have toppled the lands and the seas, but still nothing.”

‘Johnathans?’

Sylvester’s doubts deepened the more he learned. “Does Isabella know?”

“No, we told her that Felix is on a secret duty. But it’s been months, and she’s starting to demand answers.” Aurora looked down frustratingly. “Where could he go, Your Holiness? We looked everywhere.”

“Except for one place,” Julius added.

Aurora immediately denied it. “Isabella was just about to give birth. He may be insane at times, but he’s not foolish to enter the portal.”

‘The Darkpit Sea portal?’ Sylvester recalled the phenomenon.

“If he had a good enough reason, then yes, he’s insane enough to jump in it.” Sylvester declared and abruptly closed his eyes. “Be silent for a moment. I’ll search the entire planet.”

How outrageous that sounded was evident by the frozen faces of Aurora and even Julius. A Supreme Wizard was a kingdom-

ending entity already. So what was Sylvester now? A world-

ending being?

They had no idea how vastly mistaken they were.

…

Sylvester could, but didn’t want to use the conventional Eldritch God means to spread his senses around the universe. He had another trick to surround the entire planet with his gaze.

Solarium particles were still a thing. His knowledge of Elder Magic had already allowed him to sense them in his surroundings. In addition, the entire world, from inanimate to animate beings, had solarium particles infused within.

‘This’ll be easy.’

As if he were the center of a circle, an invisible field of magic blasted off his being. It spread out at great speed, only sensed faintly by Julius due to his deeper understanding of the magical particle.

First, covering the entire surface of the Holy Land, it spread in all directions simultaneously. On one side, it took over the regions of Gracia, while on the other side, it took over the Blood Sea. The West, the East, the South, or the North—everything entered Sylvester’s indirect vision within a minute.

It took him that long since this was an unconventional and slower means. But he wasn’t done, as the moment the entire surface of the planet was covered, the magic entered into the ground and the ocean, all the way to the center of the core, thousands of kilometers deep.

After that was done, Sylvester finally stopped and began checking the world. So much information entered his head at the same time, but he felt nothing anymore. He noticed his father in Alfia, having noticed his magical actions.

He watched the various riots ongoing in Deca Imperia and some other parts of the world. He watched every single State Councilman appointed, their corruption, and all those under him. The humans, the dragons, the dwarves, the Beastkins—

everything fell directly under his gaze.

However, nowhere did he find the black-haired man in his prime. Forget the surface, he didn’t find him in dirt or water either, not even his bones.

‘He either disappeared or jumped into the damn portal.’

But Sylvester did find someone rather interesting. And to his surprise, that person was right outside the Pope’s Palace, being escorted in by a group of Holy Knights.

Before that, he opened his eyes as he saw the Deputy Pope coming in, his feet rushing. “Here comes Gabriel.”

Lord Inquisitor, Aurora, and Julius looked behind at the open door.

“What are you all doing in the office?” Gabriel interrogated, “Ah, ignore that. It’s better you’re here. I’ll need your help interrogating this man. He came to the Holy Land’s gates and said he knows where Felix is.”

Instead of telling Gabriel, the three Guardians of Light stepped aside and cleared the path.

“Y-You’re ali—” Like everyone else, Gabriel was at a loss for words and froze. His dark eyes, and face that appeared older than it should twitched. His lips tried to utter something but failed to do so.

‘I was selfish.’ Sylvester felt such when he noticed the aged and tired look on his best friend’s face. ‘But I couldn’t trust anyone other than you two.’

With a bit of guilt and a little warmth, Sylvester walked up to Gabriel and hugged the living hell out of his brother-like friend. Of course, giving the same magical treatment as the others.

“You did well, my friend.”

“No, I failed. Felix is missing, and peace is slowly falling apart.”

Sylvester patted his back, letting him embrace back, “It’s not your fault if Felix had another fit of insanity. Don’t worry, I’ll find him and bring him back.”

Gabriel stepped back, his heart still racing. But he didn’t have the luxury to celebrate Sylvester’s return yet or ask him countless questions. “Then we’re in luck. A man nam—”

Sylvester finished his friend’s words.

“Named Johnathan?”

_________________

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