Steel and Mana - Chapter 409 – Royal Duel (1)

Johnathan, an old man with an extraordinary past but an ordinary end, gets reincarnated in a dark fantasy world full of magic, darkness, and mysteries furled.

However, he committed a grave blunder by taking the fiction he had read as a reference. Reborn as a baby, he hoped to be deemed gifted by speaking early.

One thing led to another, and tragedy struck. The villagers declared him a demon-possessed and called the church. Johnathan, now known as Sylvester Maximilian, realized that he had messed up.

When the church's inquisitors came to judge him and burn him on a pyre. As a last resort and to welcome his soon to arrive second death, he started chanting holy hymns as his last breath.

Overwhelmed, they kneeled, thinking he was a messenger of Solis.

From there, the story of how Sylvester Maximilian rose through the ranks to sit at the top began.

But his life won't be ordinary, as he uses his cunning and the tag of 'God's favored' to his advantage. Fighting treachery, unearthing secret plots and world mysteries, facing the darkness around him and creating his place in history, engraving his name in the annals to be forever remembered as the—Immortal Pope, The Young.

[A/N: To not mislead you, the novel's name does not mean he instantly becomes the Pope from the start. The story will follow the life of MC. Though he will become the Pope at a pretty young age. 40% of the novel will be based around MC fighting to sit on the supreme throne.

If you enjoy world building and lore building, then you will like this story.]
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***Main Tags: FANTASY, ADVENTURE, MAGIC, DARK, STRONG MC(Weak at the start because he's a baby. Not an instant OP though.), WHOLESOME, COMEDY, KINGDOM BUILDING. MENTALLY OLD MC, Politics, Backstabbing, World Building.***

[WARNING: MC will not go around saving everyone. Absolutely not if it puts him in danger. But if he can save someone using his status or position in the church, he will. He will kill innocent people if he has to. MC is not crazy, cynical, or unsociable. The world at some times may seem very DARK.]
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[DISCLAIMER]
The religion will be fake. I won't make it similar to those existing in our world not to trigger anyone. However, the Church terminologies and designations may feel identical as they are simple vocabulary words.

Again, everything you read in this novel is fictional and has no relation to our world.

I hope you enjoy my work. Stay safe and eat healthy bananas.
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【Follow the Ship】【I'm a Marine on My Own】【System】Ike thought he could convince Luffy to give up being a pirate, but instead, he ended up joining the Straw Hat crew. To make things even more awkward, he awakened the Justice Marine System—but luckily, he had a letter from Garp appointing him as a Private Marine. This meant that all the good deeds done by the Straw Hat Pirates would count as achievements for the Private Marines.Arlong: “So what if the Straw Hats defeated me? It’s not like I’m wanted.”Ike: “Huh? We’re a Private Marine crew. We just fly the Jolly Roger, but we’re not pirates. Why would we be wanted? One call, and the bounty is gone.”Crocodile: “The Straw Hats are in Alabasta. Why isn’t the Marine arresting them?”Marine officials: “Huh? They’re Private Marines, not pirates.”World Government: “The Straw Hat Pirates destroyed Enies Lobby! Arrest them immediately!”Ike: “Who said that? It was clearly that idiot Spandam who pressed the Golden Den Den Mushi, and the Buster Call wiped out Enies Lobby. Our Private Marines were just there to eliminate Spandam—the real culprit behind the destruction.”

After a tragic accident, an ordinary young man awakens in a new world teeming with floating islands, supernatural abilities, and mysterious dangers. Reincarnated in a body he doesn’t recognize and granted a cryptic “system” that refuses to explain itself, he’s thrust into Vanguard Academy—a high school where only the most powerful and determined survive.With no clue why he’s been chosen or what the system wants from him, he must navigate a cutthroat world of rivalries, alliances, and mind-bending challenges. Armed with courage, wit, and untapped potential, he embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind his reincarnation and the forces pulling the strings in this enigmatic universe.Can he rise above the chaos, or will he fall like countless others before him?Perfect for fans of Solo Leveling and The Beginning After The End, this story blends reincarnation, epic battles, and intricate worldbuilding into a gripping tale of survival and self-discovery.

There is no master god, no system, no exchange, and some are just source codes that are fused in the mind to open up the world, not to be forced or suppressed, but to constantly go through in order to become powerful Look at my infinitely powerful source code …

- Description from uukanshu