The fist once again met the source of the attack, like a star's grasp, determined to crush the opponent in his most proficient domain.
Black and red lightning burst forth from the fist, leaving no room for the Pope's Palace to exist. The structure tore apart like crumpled scrap paper, and a beam of light shot into the sky, shattering the heavens and the clouds. Even the laws of physics themselves bent to the will of these two individuals.
Before this shockwave could completely spread throughout the entire Sanctuary, a figure was sent flying from the epicenter of the blast, moving even faster than the advancing shockwave itself.
Saga of Gemini. Even if he was the strongest of the Gold Saints, facing Pegasus Seiya, he still felt a terrifying pressure. It was like a mortal challenging the heavens. "It's as if I'm not even facing a human," the thought echoed in his heart, "It's like he's a god."
Human, or god?
Flying backward at supersonic speeds, Saga realized the source of that terror. Yet, the pressure did not dissipate with his retreat; in fact, an even more terrifying crisis intensified in the depths of his heart, following the light before him.
With his hands behind his back, Seiya took a single step forward.
"—Atomic Thunder Bolt!"
An incredibly familiar flash of light, so familiar that it made Saga crack a smile, engulfed his entire body.
Atomic Thunder Bolt, the signature technique of his nemesis—Aiolos. As his rival, Saga was extremely familiar with this move. A fighting technique that unleashes hundreds of millions of light-speed fists in a single second, it was renowned among the techniques of the twelve Gold Saints for its incredible speed, overwhelming continuous attack power, and explosive energy that obliterated everything.
However, the Atomic Thunder Bolt unleashed from Seiya's hands was hundreds of times more powerful than anything Saga had ever experienced before.
Within this golden meteor shower that sang a song of destruction, his entire body shone brightly before turning into a massive explosive shockwave in the sky, as brilliant as a firework.
Is he dead? This thought occurred to many Saints who witnessed the scene.
Even a Gold Saint could not have survived that golden meteor shower. But as their gazes shifted to the Gold Saint Pegasus Seiya standing on the ruins of the Pope's Palace, they dismissed the thought, because he still maintained a state of high fighting spirit.
Soon, the space around Seiya distorted like a spiderweb, filled with dark red lines. And from an adjacent space, a bizarre attack was launched.
It was Another Dimension again. While this combat technique is a top-tier offensive skill, as seen in The Lost Canvas and Soul of Gold, it can also be used for movement or to neutralize an enemy's technique by teleporting terrain and other objects.
Saga was fully capable of such an application; he had just never before faced an opponent who forced him to display it. Facing the Seiya before him, he had to push beyond his own limits.
Watching the approaching Saga, Seiya, standing firmly on the ground, let out a cold laugh.
The Seventh Sense burned to its peak, the essence of his Cosmo pushing Saga's heart, spirit, soul, life, and very being to constantly ascend... Saga was surpassing his limits, but the fist containing all of Saga's will was caught in Seiya's palm.
"Saga, is this the extent of the power you can muster?" Seiya looked at the nearby Saga, whose Another Dimension was attempting to banish him to another world, yet it was barely affecting him. "Fool, don't you know that the same technique never works on a Saint twice? It seems I overestimated you."
What?!
"It's a pity your tricks are useless against me. No matter what resolve you carry, you can never defeat the Pegasus who has hunted gods since the age of myth. Accept your fate, Saga!" Golden light gathered around Seiya's four limbs. The terrifying physical destructive power of a close-range, light-speed fist chopped straight for Saga's neck.
If Shura's spirit were still present, he would have been dumbfounded by this sight. It was just an ordinary close-range light-speed attack, a simple hand-chop with no special technique woven into it, yet it possessed the destructive power to match his own Excalibur.
In the nick of time, Another Dimension distorted once more, narrowly deflecting the fatal blow. Saga grunted. Unable to free the hand Seiya had clamped down on, he took the hand-chop squarely on the shoulder. Overcome by excruciating pain, he dropped to one knee, smashing a deep crater into the shattered ground.
At that moment, a warm and peaceful radiance descended from afar. Soft white light rippled like water, and a dreamlike scene quietly emerged in Saga's blurring vision.
The goddess Athena, holding her golden staff, had finally arrived at the final battlefield. Her Cosmo, channeled through the staff, resonated with the Shield of Athena held by the towering goddess statue behind her, the two shining in harmony. Though it was the first time he had seen her with his own eyes, Saga was absolutely certain that the divine and noble young woman before him was the very infant he had failed to strangle fourteen years ago.
On the long flight of stairs ascending behind her, a line of familiar figures stood in support.
Mu of Aries, Aldebaran of Taurus, Aioria of Leo, Shaka of Virgo, the faint figure of an old master within the Libra Cloth, Milo of Scorpio, and Camus of Aquarius.
Behind them were Saints who had also awakened their Seventh Sense: Dragon Shiryu, Cygnus Hyoga, Andromeda Shun, Phoenix Ikki, Cepheus Daidalos, and the Crystal Saint.
Further back was an even larger formation of Silver and Bronze Saints.
The tide had turned; all dissent had vanished into thin air. All the Gold Saints and those present had sworn allegiance to the reincarnation of the goddess Athena—Saori Kido. Even those Saints who once held hesitation or guilt now knelt without exception, offering her their loyalty.
Saga looked around and suddenly realized with horror that he had been deserted by all, utterly alone.
"Oh, ill-fated twins, born under a curse, your conspiracy has been exposed by Pegasus Seiya," Mu of Aries said, looking down at Saga, who was pinned to the ground by Seiya. "Now that the reincarnation of Athena, Saori Kido, is before you, repent for your sins."
Saga looked dazedly at Saori Kido slowly walking towards him. The radiance of the goddess Athena caused his gray-white hair to gradually return to a vibrant blue. "Athena... I..."
Camus of Aquarius wanted to stop Saori Kido from approaching this most dangerous figure in Sanctuary's history, but as Saori gave him a slow nod, he could only watch warily as Saga knelt before her. She spoke in a gentle tone, "I can feel the confusion and division in your heart. It has been painful all this time, hasn't it, Saga?"
Tears streamed down Saga's face as he reached out a hand towards Saori Kido. "Athena... what... what have I done...? Galaxian Explosion!"
The turn of events was completely unexpected. The two spheres of light released from Saga's hand spiraled towards Saori Kido's terrified face. Even this reincarnation of Athena was caught off guard. The journey here had been so smooth, rebellious Saints bowing their heads wherever she went, a vibrant new order just within reach. She truly could feel the pain and confusion in Saga's heart, so why would he still attack her?!
Saori Kido closed her eyes. The pain she expected never came, only the cool sensation of a gentle breeze rustling her hair. She opened her eyes, and what met them was the resolute profile of Pegasus Seiya.
"Seiya...!" Saori Kido murmured, the joy of survival still pounding in her chest.
She found herself held by the waist in his arms, high up in the sky. He carried her down, landing gently on the statue in the Goddess's Temple, placing her behind the Shield of Athena.
Seiya didn't say a single word of rebuke. He had anticipated this outcome. It was just a dark sense of humor in his heart that wanted Saori to experience Saga's darkness, to make her realize that the title of Athena's reincarnation wasn't omnipotent.
With the protection of the Shield of Athena, Saori Kido would be safe even if Hades himself were to awaken at this moment. Seiya then returned to the battlefield.
And there, amidst the furious roars of all the Gold Saints, Saga still stood on the earth, as firm and unmovable as a mountain.
"What Athena! What Saori Kido! If I'm expected to just bow my head to a mere title, then what's the point of a Pope!" Saga scanned his surroundings with cold, arrogant pride.
After he had struck at Athena, the Gemini Gold Cloth on his body could no longer be suppressed and transformed into twelve golden meteors, flying towards the distant Gemini House.
And so Saga stood upon the earth, clad only in dark blue shorts. His shoulder-length, gray-white hair grew wildly, and the scarlet in his eyes burned even brighter. Though he no longer wore a Cloth, his imposing aura had not diminished but had actually grown stronger.
His peripheral vision swept across the Saints before him, and only when Pegasus Seiya reappeared did a smile grace his lips.
"A Pope has his own way to die! Pegasus Seiya, you are the only one who can kill me! Come!"
The talent belonging to a god-child was faintly stirred at this moment. Seiya looked at Saga, who was burning his Cosmo to its absolute limit. If not for the absence of a silver-red set of armor, he would have thought the man before him was Ares, God of War.
"Then as you wish." Seiya raised his arm.
The Sagittarius Gold Cloth also transformed into twelve streams of light and headed for the Sagittarius House. Both Mu of Aries and Aioria of Leo anxiously called his name, but Seiya stopped them.
"Haha! Good! This is the will I want to see—!"
Saga laughed loudly, lowering his center of gravity and tracing a spiral pattern with his hands in front of his chest.
"Oh, Pegasus, who has challenged the gods since the age of myth, listen to the sound of the galaxy's stars exploding—"
At this moment, Saga was burning his Cosmo inside and out, through his very soul; otherwise, he could not unleash this supremely powerful strike. Regardless of victory or defeat, he would die after this blow.
That was why Mu of Aries and the others felt it was unnecessary. Why take such a risk to kill the fated-to-die Gemini?
Seiya raised the corner of his mouth. In the instant he took a single step forward, a powerful bolt of lightning erupted from his entire body.
As he likewise clenched his fists at his waist, the electric current, driven by his breathing, spread to cover his whole body. The current reached a state of complete mastery, and a red war pattern appeared on Seiya's forehead. The ultimate secret technique belonging to Sagittarius, an ultimate skill that should have been manifested through a golden arrow, was now unleashed in the style of the Pegasus Meteor across the boundless sky.
"Galaxian Explosion!" Saga's whole body was covered in cracks as he roared and launched his fighting technique.
Phantoms of the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus appeared one after another behind the cracking figure of Saga. At the center of his chest, two cyclones spun against each other, then merged into a single mass of light containing the destruction of stars, hurtling towards Seiya.
"Infinite Shattering!" Seiya proclaimed his own true words.
Endless light, endless fire, endless flames met the cluster of stars. The stream of light shattered the stars one by one, yet the still-unending golden meteor shower pierced through Saga's chest and continued its rush towards the sky.
The brilliance of this golden meteor shower once again circled high above this world, enveloping the land.
In the realm of Asgard, a situation similar to that in Sanctuary was unfolding. The turmoil in Valhalla Palace was also nearing its end. Hilda gazed at the meteor shower streaking across the sky. For some reason, she could feel the aura of a God Warrior.
Could there be an eighth God Warrior out there who has not yet been awakened?
In the Sea Sanctuary, they too saw the meteors streak across the sky. They knew the turmoil in Athena's Sanctuary was over.
Only the Marine General guarding the North Atlantic Pillar, Kanon, felt a faint pang in his heart. He knew that his brother had passed away, but his face showed no sadness. "What a waste. He had already become Pope, yet he was defeated by a group of immature brats. Just you watch, Saga. The earth that you failed to control will be ruled by me."
At Lushan in China, beneath the Five Old Peaks, was the aged figure of Dohko. A clear joy showed in his cloudy eyes.
"It's finally over."
Saori Kido reappeared. Saga's figure still stood tall on the earth. His body was covered in cracks, but this time, the scarlet in his eyes had completely returned to clarity, and his gray-white hair had reverted to its original, vibrant blue.
Step by step, he walked slowly but firmly towards Saori Kido. Having learned from the previous incident, the Saints instantly tensed up, their Cosmos flaring.
Saori Kido looked to Seiya and received an affirmative nod in return. She took a deep breath, tightened her grip on the golden staff, and watched as Saga finally collapsed powerlessly at her feet.
"Athena..." Saga's voice was a mere whisper, as if he wanted to say something but no longer had the strength to form the words.
As if sensing his intent, Saori Kido slowly knelt down and gently brushed the sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. Saga seemed to have found his final peace, letting out an extremely soft sound of assent. A gentle breeze blew past, and his crack-covered body disintegrated like a sand sculpture, dissolving into countless points of light that scattered between heaven and earth, leaving no trace behind.
The dark clouds scattered completely, and sunlight shone down upon the land. On the ruins, only one man stood tall.
Pegasus Seiya.
All the Saints stared at the figure bathed in golden sunlight, momentarily speechless. After a moment of silence, with a crisp clang of metal, the first Gold Saint, Mu of Aries, knelt on one knee before Seiya.
Then followed the second, the third... until all Gold, Silver, and Bronze Saints bowed their heads, offering the highest respect of the Sanctuary.
Thirty minutes later—
All of Saga's remaining partisans were brought under control. A total of thirty-two rebellious Saints and apprentice Saints were arrested. With that, the Sanctuary rebellion was declared completely over. For a proactive strike to restore order, the result was perfect, with losses so light they could be considered negligible.
Leaving the cleanup to the support staff, the Saints regrouped at the entrance of the Pope's Palace.
According to ancient ceremony, the state of battle could only be officially declared over after that figure had completely withdrawn from the battlefield.
"Salute!"
The Pope's aide, who had popped out from somewhere, shouted at the top of his lungs. Whether Bronze, Silver, or Gold, all the Saints forgot to breathe in shock when they saw Seiya appear.
Seiya strolled leisurely through the entrance of the now-ruined eleven Houses of the Zodiac. Behind him, Athena—Saori Kido—followed slowly, her gentle gaze fixed on the back of the figure before her.
Seiya stepped onto the main road, squinting in the brilliant sunlight as he looked up at the clear sky, now free of dark clouds. Above him, the giant statue of the goddess Athena faced him, the light reflected from her raised Shield of Athena happening to envelop his body.
A mysterious smile appeared on his face as Seiya once again strode forward.
The blue sky above, the solid earth beneath, and the reincarnation of Athena following behind him. And yet, one could sense from his leisurely pace that none of this seemed to occupy the core of his thoughts. Even though the ominous shadow of death and destruction had just dissipated, that confidence, born from the very marrow of his bones, had not wavered in the slightest.
The Pegasus Saint, Seiya.
This was the bearing of the man fated to slay the gods in heaven and become the strongest of all Saints.
_____
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