Somebody Stop the Pope – 300



Episode 300

98. A World Without You

1.

The war is over.

After Limen was destroyed along with all of Pluto’s forces I naturally came down to the ground.

When I got to the ground everything was over.

“Me… why me?”

“Conscripts! Conscripts!”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Citizens freed from the influence of the ancient gods were wandering around in confusion and corpses were strewn everywhere.

The monsters that the ancient gods brought to Earth have long since disappeared.

And the same goes for the Purifier.

The chimeras and undead brought by the Purifiers were disappearing into dust.

I clenched my fists taking in all that scenery.

It was a moment I had been waiting for but I wasn’t happy.

Only emptiness fills my heart.

The once splendid sanctuary was no more.

All that takes its place is a crumbling city.

The false divinity was gone but the empty space was being filled with death and despair.

I walked weakly down the road filled with screams and groans.

How long did it take to walk like that?

“Siu!”

“older brother!”

The irregulars who discovered me quickly approached me.

Aiden and Ja-hyun.

The condition of those two was not good either.

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Aiden’s muscular torso was covered in arrows and deep-looking wounds were visible here and there.

And Ja-Hyeon’s white shirt was dyed blood red.

You can tell just by looking at him that he’s tired and worn out.

Still they came running to me smiling brightly.

“You did it.”

“I trusted you brother…”

But they met my expression and said nothing more.

I forced a smile and waved at them.

“You guys have worked hard.”

Aiden looked at me silently for a long time.

Then he spoke in a voice heavier than ever.

“The war is over just as we hoped. You brought peace to this world. But why do you look like that?”

“In return I lost something precious.”

“…what?”

“My half.”

It’s hard.

Just standing here now makes my head spin and I feel tired.

An excruciating pain as if my flesh had been torn out coursed through my entire body.

There is no remen.

I no longer feel the power of Limen.

Hururuk.

He lit a firework in his hand.

It was thought that all divine powers would disappear with the annihilation of Limen but the gray sacred flame remains.

It wasn’t much different from before except that the level was gone.

“Siu we have to clear the battlefield now. This is the most important time.”

Aiden said as he roughly planted the axe he was holding into the floor.

Then he picked up a stone from around and sat down on it.

“The troops are in disarray.”

“…Why?”

“The system has stopped. Players can no longer receive assistance from the system.”

“Has the power completely disappeared?”

“That’s not it. It’s just that a really great guide has disappeared. But it doesn’t matter to Nana Ja-hyun since she didn’t receive any help from the beginning.”

Could it be that the change occurred because the main throne itself was completely destroyed?

It seemed like this change would have to be confirmed slowly over time.

In the first place the system itself was a concept governed by the Lord so in some ways this might be a natural result.

I nodded with a faint smile.

“You’ve worked really hard.”

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“The hardships are just beginning. So what’s your next plan?”

“What’s next?”

“There must be a goal.”

target.

…What other goals could there be for me now?

I have no thoughts.

I just want to rest.

I just want to rest for a very long time in a place where nothing comes to mind.

“It’s not there anymore.”

I muttered weakly.

Then Aiden who had been sitting quietly suddenly stood up from his seat. Then he suddenly punched me in the stomach.

Phew.

I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

“What difference will it make if you act so depressed like a guy who just broke up with his lover? Get a grip. The important thing is from now on. You can’t just sit there with that stupid expression on your face like you are now.”

Aiden continued talking still holding my shoulder.

“The public enemy is gone. From now on the fight for power will begin. You must take the lead. Up until now thanks to the Purifier and the Ancient Gods humanity has been able to unite but have you not thought about what will happen if those enemies disappear?”

“I agree with Aiden. Siwoo this is not the time for you to be like this.”

“Quickly take control of the battlefield and declare victory. Then put order back in place with you at the center. That’s all you need to worry about right now.”

I looked at Aiden who was spouting passionate words at me.

Aiden was right.

“Aiden.”

“why?”

“Limen was destroyed along with Pluto. It was she not me who saved this world.”

Aiden answered as if he had been waiting for my words.

“This is the world that the being you loved so much protected. Are you really going to watch that world being destroyed with your own eyes?”

Maybe Aiden had guessed.

On the outside he looks like a thoughtless savage but he’s quicker than anyone else.

I took a deep breath at Aiden’s words.

What the guy said wasn’t wrong.

Now is not the time to be consumed by feelings of loss.

Limen protected my precious ones even by giving up himself.

Now all of this is the legacy she left me.

There’s only one thing I have to do now.

To thoroughly preserve the legacy she left me.

I couldn’t stand to see the choices she made for me fade away.

I looked around for a long time trying to collect my emotions.

And then slowly moved forward.

2.

After the enemies disappeared the battlefield recovery was not very difficult.

With all enemies destroyed the sea and air were free to use so supplies were made available immediately.

“Please maintain order.”

“There is sufficient supply of supplies!”

“After receiving your supplies please wait at your assigned location! We will take you to a safe place.”

The Awakened People of Shanghai brought by Mr. Lee Se-min take the lead in resolving the chaotic battlefield.

Actually it’s a bit odd to even call it training.

Because we’re evacuating the survivors.

Beijing was no longer a place where people could live.

Most of the buildings collapsed and historic sites were destroyed beyond recognition.

It was the result of the aftermath of the clash between divine power and magic.

While relief supplies and other post-war measures were being implemented throughout Beijing five Irregulars including myself held an emergency press conference.

“The war is over.”

I continued talking while holding the microphone.

“All enemies that threatened the world have been destroyed and there are no more enemies left to threaten you.”

It’s a kind of declaration of war.

Letting the world know that we have won.

I understood better than anyone else the post-war order that Aiden was worried about.

When the public enemy disappears the original fight for each other’s rice bowls begins.

As long as the Awakened still exist in this world the next war will be a war between the Awakened.

With all the ancient gods destroyed it was likely that the gate would no longer appear.

If the gate phenomenon really disappeared… what choices would humans make?

Harmony and peace?

That’s not even funny.

It was so in Eden and all the history of the earth shows what happened after this.

Friends who fought against a common enemy will now be divided by their own interests.

And that division will lead to another tragedy.

We must prevent that as much as possible.

And I already knew how to stop it.

“We the Limen Church will always be there to protect you. We will be there with you closest to you to make sure that such a terrible thing never happens again.”

This is a kind of warning.

A warning to not think differently because the war is over.

There was no need to speak at length.

Anyway the reporters would interpret the meaning of what I said and convey it well.

With that I handed the floor over to Aiden.

Then one of the war correspondents who appeared to be from the United States asked Aiden.

“I’m curious about Mr. Aiden Howard’s future plans. Now that the war is over do you plan on re-acquiring your American citizenship?”

A direct question.

It was a question that assumed the post-war order from the beginning.

Just a few hours ago the world was going to end. People are truly treacherous.

“Hahaha!”

Aiden burst into laughter at the reporter’s question. Then he glanced at Raphael who was sitting next to him and said

“I won’t go back to the US. If I were a South Korean citizen I might be okay but if I were an American citizen I don’t know. I don’t really like it.”

“Can I ask why?”

“That’s why…..”

Aiden thought for a moment then smiled and answered.

“I want to eat the soybean paste stew that my friend’s grandmother made. That’s all there is to it.”

“soy bean paste soup?”

“It’s the soul food of Korea. Is that a sufficient answer?”

Aiden chose to stay with me.

Perhaps unsatisfied with the answer the reporter asked the same question to Raphael who was standing next to him.

Then Raphael also answered in a leisurely voice.

“What does nationality mean to someone who is going to go back anyway?”

“Going back means…..”

“I will go back to where I belong.”

I briefly recalled what Raphael had told me before the press conference.

-I think I found a way back. I plan to start research in my lab as soon as I return to Seoul.

I could only congratulate Raphael who spoke to me in a voice brighter than ever before.

They say they’ve collected crucial data.

If it’s Raphael he’ll eventually find a way to go back.

The press conference slowly came to a close as the reporters asked the irregulars questions.

All the questions had something in common.

The whereabouts of the irregulars.

That means they are already thinking about the next struggle for hegemony.

But they will find out through this press conference.

That our Limen sect is still going strong.

And that I have a lot of friends next to me.

Thinking of something else?

If you can try it.

If someone wants to turn this world that Limen has protected into hell I will gladly send that guy to hell.

3.

After the press conference I quickly returned to the Seoul temple with the Limen sect’s troops.

I was able to fly to Shenyang and then quickly return there using the underground passage.

“Your Majesty I give you the final report. 1029 dead. 2501 injured. All injured have been transferred to hospitals under the Foundation.”

“…Thank you for your hard work. Leo you should go and see a doctor too.”

“it’s okay.”

I stood in front of the sacred tree and listened to Leo’s report.

The sacred tree was still green.

“His Holiness.”

“huh?”

“Lord Limen… has he really disappeared?”

To Leo’s question I just nodded slowly.

“okay.”

Then Leo paused for a moment. Then he opened his mouth very carefully.

“There is a passage in the Bible that says:”

Leo slowly approached the sacred tree and knelt down.

“In the beginning the Mother loved mortals so much that she created the Tree of Life with a part of herself.”

Leo carefully placed his hand on the sacred tree.

“It means that the sacred tree contains the power of Limen. But if His Holiness Limen had truly disappeared would the sacred tree be this green?”

Although Limen was destroyed only the divine power of Limen that was in my body disappeared and the divine power of Leona Luna and others did not disappear.

“Leo you are now…..”

“We believe that Limen still exists.”

Suddenly I remember the question Limen asked me at the last moment.

-Even if you can never find me will you still find me?

To that question I answered without even thinking ‘Of course.’ And then.

“…Even if I wander through time forever.”

I added that.

One in a million really one in a million.

What if there was a possibility to change this sad ending?

It may be an unfounded hope.

But why is that?

My heart keeps swaying with that hope.

“If Limen hadn’t disappeared… would I really be able to find Limen?”

Leo then turned around to answer my question. Then he answered with a soft smile.

“Shouldn’t the answer lie with Your Majesty not with me?”

It may be a slim hope.

But my worries didn’t last long.

“Leo.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

“I have to find it.”

I was willing to hold on to that slim sliver of hope.

Do you think my answer was good to hear?

Leo said with a rare broad smile.

“You must do so. You must do so to be holy.”

Our story is not over yet.

At least for now.

Our Pope please stop this