"Inside here is... Athena's Cosmo?"
Shin looked up, feeling that vast and warm Cosmo, which was exactly the same as the Goddess's Cosmo that Saori Kido occasionally emitted.
After stepping into the Sanctuary, Saori Kido's eyes flickered for a moment. Unlike the original story where the Goddess's Cosmo within her had just begun to awaken, Saori Kido's Cosmo was already fully awakened. She could clearly feel the compatibility between the Sanctuary and herself.
She slightly closed her eyes. A grand and boundless Cosmo swept out. Every Saint in the entire Sanctuary who had awakened their Cosmo felt that unimaginable power in an instant. For a moment, the entire Sanctuary seemed to be cheering, and the cloths of all the Saints were constantly resonating with this Cosmo.
"So warm..."
"Is the cloth... rejoicing?"
"What's going on? Why is the Goddess's Cosmo so active? Has Goddess Athena already appeared?"
Seeing this scene, Shin finally understood a question he'd had about the Saint world.
"So a portion of Athena's Cosmo has always been preserved within the Sanctuary's barrier. I was wondering how a guy like Kanon could feel the presence of her Cosmo."
This was also a bug in the original story. Kanon was Gemini Saga's twin brother. Because of his early ambitions, he was imprisoned in a water dungeon by his twin brother Saga, who hadn't yet developed a split personality. At that time, he frequently felt a vast and warm Cosmo, which allowed him to survive in the water dungeon.
It was later confirmed to be Athena's Cosmo, but in reality, Saori Kido—Athena's reincarnation—had probably only stayed in the Sanctuary for a few days before Saga made his move and she was rescued by Aiolos.
In such a short time, how could Mr. Kanon have felt Athena's Cosmo every day?
It seems now that Athena's Cosmo was originally present in the Sanctuary.
As Athena's Cosmo spread out, the most panicked person at this moment was likely Saga, sitting in the Pope's Temple: "What's going on? Didn't I send Shura and the other two to kill Athena? Why would Athena appear here?"
"Moreover, Shura and the others haven't sent back even a single piece of information. Could it be that they were killed? Or..."
Saga had bad premonitions in his heart, and just then, several Cosmos rose simultaneously alongside Athena's, instantly confirming his fears.
Shura, Deathmask, Aphrodite, and Mu all erupted with their Gold-level Cosmos at the same time. Subsequently, other Bronze Saints and Silver Saints also burst forth with their Cosmos. Countless Cosmos shone in competition, nearly shaking the entire Sanctuary.
"This is... Damn it! Accursed Athena! Accursed Gold Saint! Shura, you actually betrayed me!"
Saga spoke with some impotent rage, but then his eyes calmed down. "No, I haven't lost yet! The Golden Arrow of Sagitta is made of the same material as the Sagitta cloth; it also possesses the power to slay gods!"
"I just don't know... under this Cosmo, will Sagitta still obey my commands?"
Even the Gold Saint who were his confidants had defected directly. Saga truly didn't dare to believe whether a mere Silver Sagitta Saint would start trembling and bow down immediately upon seeing Athena.
"Could it be that destiny truly lies with this Little girl Saori Kido? Is my ambition ultimately just wishful thinking!?" This thought faintly surfaced in Saga's mind. His originally pure black hair began to turn slightly blue, and at the same time, a gentle voice seemed to echo in his heart.
"Go, Saga. Go face the great mistake you have forged, and go atone to Athena..."
"No! I am not wrong!" Saga roared in rage. "Only I, only a powerhouse like me, can truly protect the earth. What is wrong with the world submitting to the strong?!"
Shin, who had just entered the Sanctuary, had a smile on his face. There were actually many barriers in the Sanctuary, but they were basically designed to prevent Cosmo and telekinesis. Against Shin's Super Vision, they were truly defenseless.
Therefore, Saga's self-muttering and split personality were all seen by Shin.
"What a pity. The world is indeed dominated by the strong, but you, Saga, can't be considered a powerhouse. At most, you're just an ignorant frog at the bottom of a well."
In fact, Shin also knew very well why the old Pope ultimately passed the position to Sagittarius instead of Gemini—the Gemini split personality was almost a tradition. The Pope wasn't a fool; how could he give the position to a patient with a split personality?
Saying things like 'I felt an evil aura in the depths of your heart' was all nonsense. None of the other Gold Saint, not even Shaka—who was claimed to be the reincarnation of Buddha—sensed it, so why did only you? It was simply because he had already learned about the Gemini through the records of the Sanctuary.
After entering the Sanctuary, the group's speed wasn't very fast. In Saori Kido's eyes, this trip was meant to recruit defectors and accept surrenders, not to conduct some kind of blitzkrieg. Naturally, they wanted to apply more psychological pressure to Saga and the others.
This also gave Saga time to prepare. Because Saori Kido had only said she was coming to the Sanctuary without setting a specific time, and Saga had been too confident in the three Gold Saint to gather intelligence, Athena's arrival caught him off guard.
If they had charged directly into the Twelve Palaces, Saga probably wouldn't have had any time to prepare and would have had to face them head-on immediately. Fortunately, Saori Kido, moving at the pace of a young lady, gave Saga some preparation time.
Of course, whether this so-called preparation was useful or not was hard to say.
Soon, just as the group reached the front of the Aries Temple, a person wearing a black hood appeared before them.
To prevent Sagitta from also defecting directly, Saga naturally had to concoct some lies. Since entering the Sanctuary, Saori Kido had been emitting her powerful Divine Cosmo without hiding it at all. In this situation, the Sagitta Saint would definitely have doubts.
At that time, Saga had an idea and told this Sagitta that Saori Kido was actually the reincarnation of Eris, the Goddess of Discord. He claimed she had bewitched a large number of Bronze, Silver, and even Gold Saint, calling herself Athena just to seize the Sanctuary. To prevent the Saints from killing each other, he hoped Sagitta would take on the mission of assassinating this goddess.
Sagitta had thumped his chest and agreed at the time. However, seeing the current situation, especially the four Gold Saint, his heart couldn't help but tremble.
*******************************
If you would like to gain early access, you can join me at www.patre on.com/bookbattalion
Now available - Chapter 698: Finale (ENDING)