"Shining Hell Claw!" The first to move was the Lynx Corona Saint, Jao. Having been instantly defeated by Cain earlier, Jao, eager to redeem himself in front of Abel, struck first at the Gold Saints.
He intended to regain his confidence by defeating them.
"How dare you offend Lord Abel! I'll wash away your sins with your blood!"
"This is the Sanctuary. Don't even think about running wild here! Lightning Plasma—Lightning Bolt!" Once Abel left the Pope's Hall, the pressure on the Gold Saints lessened greatly. Their Cosmos were still somewhat suppressed, but thanks to Athena's barrier around the Sanctuary, it was nowhere near as severe as in Hades's castle or near the World Tree in the north.
And sure enough, Aiolia's iron fists met Jao's claws head‑on.
According to the setting, Jao's Shining Hell Claw, with its beastlike speed and ferocious strikes, was said to inevitably kill its target and was the representative "speed punch" among the Corona Saints. Even so, the fangs of the Leo Gold Saint were in no way slower than anyone else's.
A golden net woven from countless rays of light instantly shredded Jao's yellow flashes.
"Aiolia… To think that ever since Aiolos returned, this long‑slumbering lion has finally awakened. What terrifying speed." Watching the proud Aiolia on the field, Mu could not help but speak with some relief.
A little older than Aiolia, Mu, who loved lecturing others, had always regarded Aiolia as his own younger brother. In fact, all the Gold Saints had treated Aiolia like a younger brother ever since Aiolos left the Sanctuary thirteen years ago.
Otherwise, how could Aiolia, the brother of a "traitor," have inherited the Leo Gold Cloth? It was only because the other Gold Saints had all backed him.
When the golden light faded, Jao had already crashed down from the sky.
"No one can harm my comrades while I still stand."
"Damn it… So this is the power of a Gold Saint? I really underestimated you before." As expected of Abel's Corona Saint—he had survived the Leo's fangs unscathed. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Jao once again rose from the ground.
"To come out of that kind of punch without a scratch… This is going to be tricky." Mu thought to himself.
"Hmph, so what if you can still stand? I'll just knock you down again. This time, I'll make sure you never get up!" Aiolia was unfazed, his fighting spirit blazing even higher.
The Golden Lion feared no challenge.
He spoke with absolute confidence. Ever since his brother's resurrection, he had increased his training countless times over. The Golden Lion of now was not the Golden Lion of the past. He was ready to challenge even the gods.
"Lightning Plasma… What the—?" Before Aiolia could unleash his strongest punch, his body suddenly froze. At some point, countless golden "hairs" had wrapped around him.
This was no ordinary hair; it was preternaturally tough, binding Aiolia tightly in place.
"Golden Hair. I won't let you have your way, Gold Saint! These strands are woven from a god's own hair—you'll never break free."
"Jao, leave this big golden cat to me!" A man with short golden hair and armor styled much like a Heavenly Warrior's stepped forward, his body burning with a Cosmo no weaker than Aiolia's.
The Coma Berenices Corona Saint, Berenice.
"Even if you're the strongest Gold Saint in the Sanctuary, you can't break free of the hair of Coma Berenices."
"Hahaha, Golden Lion! Go to hell—Shining Hell Claw!" With Aiolia's movements completely restrained by one Corona Saint, the other immediately launched his strongest attack.
The two Corona Saints actually ganged up on Aiolia together.
"Two against one—did you really think the rest of us Gold Saints are dead?" A cold voice sounded right by Jao's ear.
"Try taking this—Diamond Dust!"
At the same time, a calm voice rose on Berenice's side. "You said no one can break your hair? Then try this—Excalibur, Holy Sword."
A metallic flash sliced past, and Berenice's hair snapped apart.
"Hair of the gods? That's all? There is nothing in this world my Holy Sword cannot cut."
Camus and Shura, who in the movie version were supposed to be killed by the three Corona Saints together, now displayed their true strength. They easily broke both Corona Saints' techniques and saved Aiolia from danger.
"Corona Blast!" At this point, the strongest of the three Corona Saints, Adoras, also lost his patience and moved in for a surprise attack.
Ordinarily, it would not have mattered if Berenice and Jao lost, but now Abel himself was watching. This was their collective reputation as Corona Saints on the line.
"Head‑on battle? Then leave that to me, Aldebaran!" A huge figure stepped in front of Adoras.
Aldebaran did not throw a single punch. Crossing his massive arms over his chest, he planted his feet and stood there like a towering wall between the Gold Saints and their foes. "Let me see the power of a Corona Saint—Great Horn Defense."
Inconceivably, Corona Blast, which had never failed before, did nothing this time. It could not injure the towering Taurus Gold Saint in the slightest.
Great Horn Defense—the strongest "shield" of Taurus, the opposite of Great Horn, the Taurus's strongest "spear." It was the Gold Taurus's ultimate physical defense.
Known as the bravest of the Gold Saints, Taurus feared no one on the front lines. Even Mu had once said in the Hades Twelve Temples arc that Aldebaran alone could hold off Camus, Shura, and Saga attacking together. That alone showed how terrifying the Taurus was in a frontal battle.
Of course, Taurus's weakness was also obvious. While the Taurus Cloth granted him overwhelming physical offense and defense, it offered almost no protection against special abilities.
If he had been up against Coma Berenices instead, Aldebaran would not have had such an easy time.
Those strands of hair were not something you could snap with brute force alone.
"Hahahaha… That punch of yours is really something. Even I'm feeling the strain." As Aldebaran laughed heartily, Adoras's face twisted in disbelief and disgust, as if he'd just eaten curry that tasted like excrement.
"It's rude not to return a favor. Now taste the fist of Taurus!"
Aldebaran once again crossed his arms over his chest. Before Adoras could react, his body was slammed backward by a tremendous force.
"Great Horn!" The mightiest punch, faster than any other Gold Saint technique.
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