Chapter 81: New Ally

Zaos stared vigilantly at the figure before him. The figure had dark hair reaching to his lower back, a face filled with wrinkles and the signature long ears possessed by elves.

He wore a dark robe reminiscent of the priest robes of the church of eternal darkness, and he also wielded an ancient bone staff that gave off an oppressive aura.

[Is he a bishop from the church?] Zaos remained vigilant in front of this old man, after all, the latter had just suddenly appeared in the vicinity even though Zaos was scouting the area the entire time.

This situation had never occurred before despite Zaos coming in contact with multiple stronger opponents than himself. It caused him to speculate that the individual in front of him was much stronger than most of the opponents he had encountered. Of course, he excluded the two beings he encountered the previous night from this list.

"Jack Armstrong…" The old man slowly spoke as he stared at Zaos. Yet, before he could complete his sentence, Zaos had already attacked while he rapidly retreated.

The nature of the attack was a toxic gas sealed in a glass vial. Zaos had thrown the vial at the old man while he rapidly gathered void mana to activate his teleportation with a grim expression.

[How does he know my former identity?!] Zaos was extremely shocked, but it did not hinder his movements. In the situation where he was facing a great enemy, it was better to have a head start than to wait idly.

As the void mana surged into his edict rune, Zaos heard a deep sigh reverberate through the room before his surroundings rapidly changed.

It was as if Zaos was pulled into a void of pure darkness with nothing but emptiness existing all around him. The rapid change in his environment startled him, but at the next moment, he heard the voice of the old man.

"Jack Armstrong, there is no need to be frightened, I am not your enemy," The old man's tone was soft but firm, giving one the impression of being before a compassionate ruler.

Hearing those words, Zaos' caution reduced slightly. He decided to hear the other party out, as he also felt no ill intentions from him. Despite that, Zaos remained ready to escape in case the situation devolved.

"Who are you?" He asked while facing the void.

The old man materialized before him once more, his face full of reverence as he replied, "I am the messenger of the Night Monarch; the pope of the church of eternal darkness."

[The pope?!] Zaos' mind shook as he heard this information. The pope of each of the elemental churches were individuals at the peak of Krulon's power system, individuals with strength that rivaled the chiefs of the elven tribes, and according to some rumors, the popes were even more powerful than those lofty rulers!

[He is an Empyreal elf!] The realization drained Zaos' will to fight. He was only a high elf and against an Empyreal elf, he wouldn't even last twenty seconds.

Zaos didn't doubt the other party too much as the strength he had shown was beyond anything he had witnessed, coupled with the old man's attire and his early show of reverence, Zaos believed that even if he wasn't the pope, he was a certainly a high ranking individual under the church of eternal darkness.

Thus he quickly replied, "What might sir need from me?" Although he was eighty percent convinced of the old man's identity, he still had his reservations about him. This was portrayed in the way he addressed the latter.

The old pope smiled and said, "Visitor from another world, the Lord wants me to tell you to prepare as there is limited time left."

The pope's words caused Zaos to frown, he asked with uncertainty, "The death god? Was he the one that brought me here? And what am I supposed to prepare for?"

Zaos didn't bother trying to conceal his identity, the other party already knew too much for such a tactic to work, thus he indirectly confirmed it while seeking more information.

The pope shook his head, replying in a calm voice, "You are still too weak to know the answers to your questions right now, instead, focus on getting stronger," the pope said.

Hearing the pope's answer, Zaos made a mental connection to the entities he encountered yesterday and shivered all over.

[It seems I truly have to face those creatures at some point,] Zaos' expression was grim but the flames of ambition silently kindled in the depths of his heart. If he was meant to face such strong foes in the future, it also meant he had the potential to advance to their level!

Zaos silently clenched his fist, he was incited by this prospect but he knew he was currently too weak and that potential didn't necessarily mean success, thus he asked the pope.

"Can I join the church? Considering we are already on the same team," Zaos asked. His aim was simple; he wanted to rely on this large organization to quickly raise his strength.

Previously, the reason he was against joining any large organizations was because he feared his secrets would be exposed and he would be eradicated or experimented on. But if he joined the church, he wouldn't have such worries as his secrets were already exposed to its leader. In that case, the only thing he would have to worry about was a potential betrayal which he deemed highly unlikely.

However, contrary to his expectations, the pope shook his head, denying his proposal.

"Your existence must remain hidden or unforeseen consequences may arise, after all, people's hearts are filled with greed, making them unpredictable." The pope spoke in an aged tone.

Zaos silently accepted this answer, since he understood what he was implying.

[Forget it, I have been doing fine on my own, it wouldn't be any different now,] Zaos tried to overcome the regret forming in his heart. He was about to express his understanding when the old pope suddenly spoke.

"Although I can't let you join the church, I can still offer you a bit of assistance," Saying so, the pope took out a bone flute and tossed it to Zaos.

Zaos caught the flute and examined it as the pope continued to speak.

"That is a one-time expendable item, use it whenever your life is in mortal danger." The old pope said with a consoling smile.

Zaos' eyes opened wide as he stared at the finger-bone flute with sparkling eyes. He quickly thanked the pope before stowing the bone flute in a secure bag he carried.

After handing Zaos the flute, the pope dispelled the dark world as he bade Zaos farewell.

"This is all the assistance I can give you, I hope to see you soon when you're much stronger…" As he spoke, his figure faded from the scene.

Zaos didn't respond, instead, his gaze burned with unwavering determination. Strength was something he sought instinctively to rid himself of the feeling of weakness and helplessness, yet now, he had another reason to get stronger; for survival!