"What's going on?!"
"Lord Albafica's roses are all being swept into the sky!"
At this moment, the villagers in the village within the Sanctuary likewise saw this terrifying sight.
"Lord Albafica isn't going to lose, is he?!"
A villager, contemplating this possibility, instantly turned pale with fright.
"Has the Underworld Army already attacked? What about the other Saints!"
Meanwhile, in the sea of roses outside the Sanctuary, now more accurately called the Sanctuary Defense Zone, the originally magnificent Royal Demon Rose Sea was utterly annihilated.
Minos of the Sky Noble Star surged forward before Albafica of Pisces, grabbing his right wrist which he intended to resist with, while his other hand caressed Albafica's face.
"How does it feel? Your rose sea, which you relied on for survival, has vanished. You, standing before me, could be called the sole frail poisonous rose remaining in the wilderness."
Minos, overflowing with malice, stared at the beautiful face before him.
"No, rather, a soft, powerless, pitiful little flower."
Albafica still attempted to resist, but just as he tried to unleash his Piranha Rose technique, he found his limbs utterly immobile.
Unbeknownst to him, his entire body was already ensnared by imperceptible starlit threads, and these threads were reversing control over his actions.
"As expected of Lord Minos!" the Specters behind him cheered.
"Lord Minos is forcing the Pisces Saint to kneel!"
"Lord Minos surely intends to make the Saint his slave!"
"You all, go attack Athena's Sanctuary first. Destroy the village at the foot of the mountain—no, destroy the entire Sanctuary!"
Minos commanded.
Albafica's cries were utterly useless.
The Specters belonging to the Sky Noble Star transformed into streaks of purple light and charged towards the Sanctuary.
Without the Royal Demon Rose's obstruction, their path was clear.
They crossed barren peaks, traversed caves, and the village Minos spoke of was at the foot of the mountain.
"Let's destroy the village now," a Specter declared. "Then we'll go find Tenma!"
"Yes, first we must find Tenma! This arrogant Saint must be killed!"
"His strength is considerable, don't be careless. Let's first destroy the Sanctuary's border. Once our Underworld Army presses in, summoning that so-called Tenma will naturally be a done deal."
Just as this Specter, wearing a crocodile head helmet, leapt towards the foot of the mountain, his entire body disintegrated into taro powder and vanished.
"What?!"
The Specters watched this scene with astonishment.
When one of them instinctively recoiled, he startlingly realized he seemed to have bumped into something.
When he turned to look, fear exploded in his heart!
Because the Saint, encircled by blue strong wind, was right behind him.
And this Cloth, this appearance—they could absolutely not be mistaken!
"Weren't you looking for me? Why are you retreating now?"
Seiya, also holding a vibrant, dew-kissed rose in his hand, slowly walked towards these Specters.
"Hey, hey! All together!" another Specter yelled. "Let's hold him off first! Once Lord Minos deals with that Pisces Saint, we can naturally take down this Tenma!"
"Good! All together! Poisonous Sting!"
"Wasp Tail!"
"Dark Current Surge!"
However, these attacks, the instant they neared Seiya, transformed into poignant rose petals, falling to the ground to take root and sprout, gradually turning this barren peak back into a sea of flowers.
Meanwhile, these Specters discovered with horror that their feet were now immobile; crimson thorns coiled around their ankles and spread throughout their bodies, easily piercing their Surplices, completely draining their blood and even their life force.
Seiya blew away the rose petals in his hand, and the Specters before him likewise turned into fine powder and nutrients, falling into this sea of flowers.
The life force and Cosmo of the Specters, however, completely transformed this barren land into a mountain range teeming with life.
The former was the effect of the Pisces combat technique, while the latter was the effect demonstrated by combining it with the Melqart Authority, the Covenant of Decay and Revival.
"At least this combat technique is quite beautiful," Seiya smiled.
Almost simultaneously, Minos of the Sky Noble Star, who was currently suppressing Albafica of Pisces in the Defense Zone, was horrified to discover that the Cosmo of all the Specters under his command had completely vanished.
In a transformation, the ground beneath him rapidly filled with vitality; dry earth sprouted tender shoots, trees were renewed with life, and the Royal Demon Rose Sea that he had originally destroyed with Gigantic Feather Flap now reappeared before him.
The Sky Noble Star vigilantly watched the Pisces Saint before him, whom he had clearly already completely controlled, his lethal attack poised to strike.
"I didn't expect you to have such a move? Hmm? It's not you?"
Minos of the Sky Noble Star now noticed with a jolt that the Pisces Saint's face also showed surprise.
Only then did he realize that the Royal Demon Rose Sea before him was not his doing.
"To be able to make the land burst with life again? This combat technique, this rose!"
Albafica bit his lip.
At this moment, Minos completely disregarded the Pisces Saint's murmurs before him.
"Who is it? Who is it? Show yourself!"
Minos roared towards the sky.
His roar was deafening, a shockwave that once again obliterated everything flourishing before him.
But just then, he sensed a shifting presence to his left.
"Got you!" he cackled, swinging his palm down.
Countless nearly invisible threads swiftly enveloped that space.
Combat technique: Super Shredding!
But he quickly found himself striking empty air.
As he recoiled, he suddenly sensed someone standing back-to-back with him, directly behind him.
From behind him also came that intoxicating rose fragrance.
At this distance, even without visual confirmation, his identity could already be determined.
"Every time flowers bloom, you'll remember me."
Seiya stood back-to-back with Minos, gently blowing away the rose petals before his eyes.
Blood-stained vines rapidly coiled around Minos's legs, draining his life force.
With a violent shudder from Minos, the roses and thorns beneath his feet were instantly dispelled.
The starlit threads in his hand danced wildly.
He showed no carelessness towards the person before him; his combat technique already covered the entire battlefield.
Cosmic Marionation—Black Cage!
These nearly indestructible Cosmic Marionation threads had completely enveloped both Saints.
All that was needed was to await the moment of contraction to utterly strangle the Saint before him!
Yet an inexplicable unease grew within Minos's heart, because whether it was Albafica of Pisces looking up at him, or Pegasus Seiya looking down at only a flower stem, both were in a strange tranquility, a tranquility that filled him with dread.
It wasn't until blood dripped onto the sea of flowers that he slowly lowered his gaze to his own chest.
From within his damaged Surplice, vibrant roses, filling his chest, surged forth.
Countless thorny tendrils rooted themselves within his body, silently strangling his vital organs.
The numbing poison that paralyzed his nerves, even his very senses, meant that by the time he reacted, he had already entered death.
"How beautiful," Minos murmured, a smile gracing his lips.
He seemed to see Lord Hades trampling Athena underfoot.
He seemed to see the world stained black.
He seemed to see everyone attain tranquility.
Holding onto such a beautiful dream, Minos of the Sky Noble Star, one of the Underworld's Three Judges, fell with a smile into this Royal Demon Rose Sea of Flowers.
"What kind of combat technique is this?"
Albafica of Pisces, supporting his injured arm, came before Tenma, his stunningly beautiful face gazing intently at the man before him.
"It has no name. But if I had to name it..."
"...Homage of Flowers."
______
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