The fake Pope's eyes were dark and profound; the Goddess Temple was empty. Where was Saga going to find Goddess Athena to confront them?!
This was precisely why Saga had gone to great lengths to prevent Saori Kido from coming to the Sanctuary; the absence of Goddess Athena was his biggest weakness as Pope.
"Hahahaha! It seems I can no longer hide." After a moment of silence, the fake Pope laughed uproariously, his gaze sweeping over Shura, Aphrodite, and Deathmask.
"It's normal for that stupid lion to betray me! But why did you betray me?"
"Didn't you already know the truth? Might makes right! Only a strong person like me can truly protect the Earth. Do you really expect this little girl in front of you to fight against the gods who have always coveted this land?"
After he finished speaking, everyone's gazes were quite peculiar. Deathmask and the other two exchanged glances, unsure how to respond to Saga's words.
A moment later, it was Shura who finally looked at Saga with pity: "Might makes right, that's not entirely wrong... but Pope, you are ultimately a frog in a well, you haven't seen true power."
"It wasn't until we met Goddess Athena that we realized what true power in this world looks like."
"What?!" Saga was practically furious, pointing at Saori Kido, "You actually think this little girl is stronger than me?!"
If you had seen how this little girl stormed through the 12 Houses, beating up Gold Saints, you wouldn't be saying such foolish things, the three Gold Saints thought to themselves.
However, at this moment, Aiolia could no longer hold back. The Pope's words were a self-betrayal. Thinking about how he had been fooled by this Pope for so many years, and how his brother had carried a false accusation for over a decade, the Leo Gold Saint felt an uncontrollable rage.
"Bastard, give me back my brother's life! Lightning Plasma Fist!"
Countless flashes of light instantly erupted from Aiolia's hands. In his furious state, his Cosmos was burned to its peak, allowing Aiolia to unleash an attack beyond his usual maximum.
Facing the enraged Aiolia, Saga had to focus all his attention, concentrating on dealing with this furious lion.
Although Aiolia was not among the top-tier Gold Saints, his personality and the characteristics of the Leo Gold Saint meant that his explosive power was even greater than that of ordinary Gold Saints.
But Saga was indeed one of the strongest among the Gold Saints, especially the power of Dark Saga, which was even stronger than that of Light Saga. Even without wearing his Gold Cloth, he still managed to block all of Aiolia's attacks.
"Hmm... This power! Is he really a Gold Saint? Then his identity can be confirmed." Mu murmured, although he had long suspected, and even almost confirmed, the Pope's identity, it wasn't until now that he dared to be completely certain.
Hearing this, the other Gold Saints also showed surprise on their faces: "Are you saying that the Pope is an active Gold Saint?"
"That's right," Mu calmly stated, "The previous Pope should be over 200 years old by now, right? At that age, no matter how powerful his Cosmos, an aging body cannot unleash much power."
"Only a Gold Saint truly in their prime possesses the strength to rival Leo Aiolia!"
Of course, there was one thing Mu didn't say: the previous Pope, the Aries Gold Saint, was Mu's teacher! No matter how good an actor this fake Pope was, he couldn't fool Mu, his disciple!
"Which Gold Saint could it be?" Shura asked, somewhat puzzled, while Aphrodite answered in a deep voice: "Count all the Gold Saints we encountered in the 12 Houses, isn't the answer already obvious?"
"Exactly, subtracting all the Gold Saints we've met, only three Gold Saints are not here," Deathmask also spoke, "Sagittarius Aiolos, Libra Dohko, and—Gemini Saga!"
Aiolos lost his life to save Saori Kido, so it couldn't be him. Dohko stayed on Five Old Peak every day, and his age wasn't necessarily much younger than the Pope's, so it naturally wasn't him either.
The only possibility was the Gemini Gold Saint, Saga!
Subsequently, a group of Saints looked at Shin, who was wearing the Gemini Gold Cloth, with strange eyes.
At this moment, the battle between the Pope and Aiolia finally ended. Although Aiolia, fueled by his immense anger and explosive power, had fought the fake Pope to a standstill for a time, he couldn't maintain it for long and was ultimately sent flying by the fake Pope.
But as he was sent flying, the residual force of his Lightning Plasma Fist also knocked off the Pope's helmet, revealing his true face.
"It's really you, Gemini Saga!" Mu looked at Saga and asked coldly, "Where is His Holiness the Pope? What did you do to him?"
Saga sneered, "That old ghost. He refused to pass the title of Pope to me, and instead wanted to pass it to Aiolos, who is inferior to me in every way! I naturally sent him on his way."
Mu immediately fell silent, but a faint flicker of anger was visible in his eyes. Although he had long suspected this outcome, when Saga actually said it so brazenly in front of him, Mu still couldn't completely control his emotions.
"Indeed... my training is still insufficient." Feeling the fire of anger in his heart, Mu spoke with a hint of self-mockery. The training of Aries was completely different from that of Leo, always requiring a calm heart, which had a bit of a Virgo-like quality.
As his self-mocking words faded, Mu simultaneously made his move without hesitation. "Starlight Extinction!"
The training of Aries demanded calmness, but it didn't mean becoming cold-blooded and emotionless, enduring every insult. That would be a dead man!
"Galaxian Explosion!" On the other side, Aiolia, who had just been knocked down, was not seriously injured thanks to the protection of his Gold Cloth. He also stood up and attacked simultaneously without hesitation.
Facing two of the top-ranked Gold Saints, Saga, who wasn't even wearing his Cloth, finally couldn't hold on. The Galaxian Explosion he unleashed was torn to shreds by their combined efforts, and then he was sent flying backward, his Pope's black robe tattered and torn, looking truly pathetic.
"Damn it, don't think you can defeat me like this. Gemini Gold Cloth, heed my call!"
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Now available - Chapter 698: Finale (ENDING)