A souped-up motorcycle tore across the endless snowfields, its engine howling as it kicked up a spray of powder. The rider—a wiry teenager—handled the machine with effortless precision, weaving through obstacles without easing off the throttle.
Behind him thundered a dozen knights clad in black armor, galloping hard on horseback. They hurled spell after spell, streaks of magic slicing through the air toward the fleeing rider.
"Hah! You really think you can catch me? Watch this—triggered alchemy array!"
With a flick of his wrist, the boy tossed two metallic spheres behind him. They landed ahead of the charging horses, and with a low hum, expanded into glowing webs of woven metal threads. In a flash, stone walls erupted from the snow. The knights had no time to react—one after another slammed into the barriers, horses rearing, riders tumbling. The motorcycle vanished into the distance.
"Ha! Keep chasing me! I never go over seventy!" the boy shouted with a laugh, then shook his head and muttered, "That line's not even funny. Guess recycled jokes really don't land. Am I seriously this bored? Maybe I've been solo for too long…"
As he spoke, a peculiar book materialized beside his left hand, flipping open on its own.
"Huh? Now of all times… Heh. So it's him. Looks like my prediction was spot on—he's the one who made it."
He glanced at the page, then gradually brought the bike to a halt. Smiling, he said, "Time to keep my promise. Accepting teleport signal."
A flash of light shimmered across the book's page. Not far off, the snow lit up with a matching glow. A figure appeared—young, maybe sixteen or seventeen, with one eye a piercing blue and the other a vivid green. It was Jack Harper, fresh from the mission world Son of Descent.
And the rider? None other than Elliot Gray.
Back in the Claymore world, before the final battle, Elliot had laid out a powerful ice-based alchemy array for Jack. They'd exchanged marks via the Reincarnation Book, allowing Jack to appear near Elliot upon entering the open world—no risk of getting lost in the multiverse.
Elliot had made a promise: if Jack survived the cursed mission Blood Vengeance of the Styx and wiped out the Dark Oath squad, he'd earn a place on Elliot's team. Now that Jack had succeeded, he wasn't about to let a strategist of Elliot's caliber slip away.
Elliot grinned. "I figured you'd pull through, but I didn't expect to see you this soon. Only one mission since we split? And what's with your eyes—did you turn into a Persian cat?"
Jack blinked. He hadn't looked in a mirror since absorbing the three Remnants. At Elliot's comment, he conjured an ice mirror and checked. His left eye—once blind—now glowed with Jenova's signature green. He chuckled and began recounting the battle.
"You actually let Sephiroth descend into your body? Weren't you worried he'd take over completely?" Elliot looked genuinely startled.
Jack shrugged. "What other choice did I have to separate Lady Night from Flora? Anyway, enough talk—do you have a way to fix Flora's awakening?"
He summoned Flora's frozen coffin from the Valhalla Page.
Elliot examined it closely. "Back in the Claymore world, I dug into the mechanics of awakening. It's basically cancer—Yoma cells are far more aggressive than human ones. Every Claymore is a stage-one patient. Partial awakening is stage two. Flora's current state? Full-body metastasis. Late-stage. Reversal's out of the question."
Jack's expression darkened.
"The only real fix," Elliot continued, "fix is to enhance her human cell strength so they can overpower the Yoma cells.. If it surpasses the Yoma cells, she can devour them instead. I do have some Life Essence extracted from the Hulk—it's stronger than a combat Claymore, but weaker than an Awakened Being. It might stabilize her, but it won't cure her."
Jack nodded. "Stabilizing is enough. Flora's already awakened her Microcosm. She can convert Yoma energy into Microcosm power. If we can buy her time, she might suppress the awakening herself. Once we enter the Reincarnation worlds together, we'll find a way to strengthen her cells."
He thought of Wolverine and Sabretooth from X-Men—their regenerative cells might be the key.
Elliot frowned. "Be careful. First, even with Hulk's essence, she might awaken the moment she thaws. Second, her Yoma energy is far stronger now. Even if she stays conscious, it could take ages to purge it. She might awaken mid-process."
Jack sighed. "I'd wait if I could. But my ice coffin isn't true absolute zero. Somehow, her Yoma flesh still resists the cold. I can feel it—her energy is pushing back. In a few days, her cells will start to thaw. If I increase the cold, the tug-of-war might damage her permanently."
Elliot nodded. "We can boost her mental strength during thawing. I have an alchemy array that amplifies mental power. You also have that Mental Blessing Scroll, right? Together, they should help. As for her Microcosm level… wait, didn't you say you have a treasure card that lets someone train as a Dark Saint Seiya for five years?"
Jack's eyes lit up. "Right. But will it help?"
Elliot grinned. "You said that space prevents death, right? Even if she dies, she revives with all her training intact. Awakening is physical. Microcosm is mental. If she trains there, and dies each time she nears awakening, she'll suffer—but she'll grow. With her talent, she'll surpass you in no time."
Neither of them was the indecisive type. Once the plan was set, they moved fast.
Elliot had Jack use the Mental Blessing Scroll on him first—he'd be controlling three alchemy arrays simultaneously: thawing, physical enhancement, and mental amplification. Every bit of extra mental strength helped.
Once the arrays were etched, Jack placed Flora's ice coffin at the center and activated the system.
Three nested arrays lit up in perfect harmony, each supporting the others without interference. The complexity was staggering—like running three boss fights at once. Only someone with Elliot's monstrous intellect could pull it off.
Electric arcs danced across the arrays, wrapping around the coffin. Layer by layer, the ice began to melt. Green life crystals floated in, seeping into Flora's body. Silvery threads drifted toward her head, reinforcing her mind. Jack took the chance to use the Mental Blessing Scroll on Flora as well.
She was finally about to wake.
But things didn't go as smoothly as hoped. Before she fully regained consciousness, red Yoma light began to pulse from her body.
"Damn it. Her Yoma energy's even stronger than before," Elliot muttered. "Rime, if you're willing, use the Holy Spirit Sword Technique card on her. High-level martial arts can help stabilize the mind. If you'd rather not risk it, refreeze her now."
Jack didn't hesitate. He pulled out the silver-tier card—the one that granted mastery of the Holy Spirit Sword Technique—and activated it.
A razor-sharp sword aura burst from Flora's body, fierce and pure. Her twisted form snapped back to normal. Her eyes opened—clear, focused. Without needing a word from Jack, her Microcosm surged to life, steadily suppressing the Yoma energy.
"Flora!" As the arrays faded, Jack rushed in and pulled her into his arms.
"Jackie… thank you," she whispered. Her voice was soft, her body weak, but her words were steady. "Even when I was under control, I saw everything you did."
Jack was about to respond, but Elliot cut in. "We're not done. Her Yoma energy's still massive. You need to send her into Queen of Death Island—now."
Jack exhaled. He knew Elliot was right. For him, it would be a blink. For Flora, five years of isolation. But there was no other way.
He gave her a quick rundown. Thankfully, Flora had already been marked by the Valhalla Page and had absorbed plenty of knowledge from Lady Night. She understood the situation immediately.
In her original world, she'd have no choice but suicide to avoid awakening. Jack had given her another option—and she wasn't about to waste it.
After reviewing the details, Flora stepped into the Dark Saint Seiya training space.
Jack paid the survival points. Five years for her—an instant for him.
It was a strange feeling.
One moment, Flora vanished. The next, she was back.
No trace of Yoma energy. Only immense Microcosm power and a refined, crystalline sword aura.
"I'm back," she said, smiling. Calm, but clearly elated.
"Welcome back." Jack stepped forward and embraced her tightly. She might now carry the edge of a blade, but in his arms, she was soft and fragrant.
They held each other for a long moment before finally pulling apart. Jack could now sense her strength clearly.
She was powerful.
Even without awakening, Flora now rivaled an Awakened Being. Her Microcosm dwarfed Jack's—easily a hundredfold. She had mastered all twenty-two forms of the Holy Spirit Sword Technique. Her sword aura was smooth, contained, and flawless—on par with Magnor's peak.
"How's the Yoma energy? Any risk of awakening? What's your Microcosm level now?"
Flora smiled. "I can amplify my body's strength by about 150 times. All Yoma energy has been purged. Even in sleep, my Microcosm stays active. No more risk."
Jack could hear the weight behind her words. "It must've been hell. I've died and come back before—I know what it's like."
A flicker of fear passed through Flora's eyes. She lowered her gaze.
"It was," she said softly. "At first, I had to kill myself every couple of days. Later, I pushed my Microcosm harder and stretched the intervals. By the second year, I could hold on. By the third, I didn't need to die anymore."
Unlike Jack, who'd entered Queen of Death Island as a rookie, Flora was a seasoned warrior. No Dark Saint Seiya could kill her. Her deaths had come solely from losing control—self-inflicted, deliberate.
But five years of training brought more than pain. It brought power.
"Jackie, look."
A set of dark-golden armor shimmered into place around her—the Capricorn Dark Gold Cloth.
It was even more refined and powerful than Jack's Aquarius Cloth. Back when Jack forged his armor, his Microcosm was only tenfold. Flora's had reached over a hundredfold, condensing day and night. Her armor's strength now rivaled the true Gold Cloths.
She had chosen Capricorn for the same reason Jack had chosen Aquarius. Her innate traits left little room for alternatives. Among the Twelve Gold Saints, only Capricorn specialized in swordsmanship—perfect for her talents.
Jack stared at her, stunned. "You mastered Capricorn's ultimate technique—the Sacred Sword?"
Flora shook her head. "Without awakening the Seventh Sense, the Sacred Sword can't reach its full potential. But with the sword aura from the Holy Spirit Sword Technique, I can do this."
She raised her slender, pale hand and gestured toward a massive boulder ten meters away.
A moment later, a clean diagonal line appeared across the stone. Its upper half slid off silently, splitting into two perfect halves.
"Incredible," Elliot murmured, running his fingers across the polished surface. "This cut is smoother than a mirror—almost like a monomolecular blade. I wonder what the Sacred Sword looks like with the Seventh Sense."
Jack nodded. "According to the records I found on Queen of Death Island, the true Sacred Sword, empowered by the Seventh Sense, can slice electrons, photons—even smaller particles. It can wound the essence of a soul. But none of the exiled Dark Gold Saints ever awakened the Seventh Sense. Their accounts were hearsay. No one knows what it truly is, let alone how to attain it."
He turned to Flora. "By the way, where's your helmet?"
Flora looked flustered for once, turning her head away. "Well… I don't like wearing helmets. And the Cloth's helmet doesn't affect combat, so…"
Jack chuckled. "No need to explain. I get it."
Among the Gold Cloth components, the helmet was the least used. Most Gold Saints never wore theirs in battle. The general consensus? The designs were awful. Aside from Jack's Aquarius helmet—which had a touch of artistry—the rest were aesthetically questionable. Capricorn, Cancer, and Taurus were especially notorious. Asking a girl to wear a helmet with horns sticking out? Pure fantasy.