(Two chapters in one!)
For Sanctuary, this defensive battle could be called a resounding victory. However, for the sacrificed Bronze and Silver, mourning was still offered.
As per tradition, the Pope, on behalf of Goddess Athena, presided over the funeral. In front of the cemetery located to the east of Sanctuary, Albafica gently placed white roses, the breeze softly ruffling his blue hair.
"Legend has it that for a truly awakened Saint, life and death are not boundaries as insurmountable as a chasm. The fallen petals from the branch are not heartless things; even if they turn into spring mud, they willingly become nourishment, nurturing beautiful spring flowers to grow."
Albafica, kneeling before the tombstone of the Southern Fish Silver Saint, softly recited an Eastern poem as he understood it.
The Pisces Saint Albafica inherently possessed a remarkably sensitive and rich inner world. And the fallen Southern Cross, Eridanus, and Southern Fish, were all his subordinates and friends, as he was a Gold Saint.
Seiya stood beside him, listening, seeming to realize something. "You mean the legendary Eighth Sense?"
"Yes." Albafica nodded.
The Eighth Sense within the Cosmo, also known as Arayashiki, is the divine consciousness of the Cosmo.
It is the ultimate realm beyond the Seventh Sense, a feeling that transcends life and death. Awakening the Eighth Sense while alive allows one to be free from the constraints of the Underworld's laws.
Death is not the end of everything. The Saints who once lived in this world, they all transcended life and death.
Albafica mentioned the Eighth Sense precisely because he saw the "Homage of Flowers" demonstrated by Seiya, which converted the Cosmo of the Specters into vitality for the Earth, prompting his question.
Albafica looked at Pegasus, but he shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I haven't awakened the Eighth Sense," Seiya said, hands in his pockets, looking into the distance. "My Homage of Flowers is merely a specialized combat technique that allows me to achieve the effect of transforming life and death."
"Can I learn it?" Albafica asked, looking at the Pegasus Saint before him with intense earnestness. He no longer wanted to see his comrades die.
Although there was no logical reason, Albafica could sense that the core of this special technique seemed to resonate with his own Pisces combat style.
"Of course, there's no problem, but I can't guarantee you'll be able to learn it," Seiya said, tossing the white rose in his hand to Albafica.
Essentially, whether it's a combat technique, Authority, Mysteries, or Divine Tool Release, they are all just forms of power manifestation.
An incendiary bomb can scorch an area, a flamethrower can too, and perhaps even if you wake up with a belly full of gas and hold a lighter, it might work.
But how to specifically construct an effect similar to The Covenant of Decay and Revival, that would be up to Albafica himself.
At this moment, a figure rapidly approached along the path down the mountain. It was a female Saint wrapped entirely in bandages, who had not yet put on her mask.
"Who is it?" Albafica gripped the white rose, which contained a special technique, looking at the unfamiliar veiled girl who had come up the mountain to stand before him.
"Greetings for the first time, I am Yuzuriha of the Jamir clan, and also a disciple of Hakurei, the Altar Saint and Clan Elder."
The female Saint, who had originally been some distance away, instantly appeared before the two of them.
"By the Clan Elder's command, there is something I must report to the Pope or the Goddess."
Sensing the surging Cosmo of the veiled girl before him, Albafica's heart suddenly filled with an ominous premonition.
Led by Seiya and the Pisces Saint, Yuzuriha, the girl from the Jamir clan, easily traversed the Twelve Houses, reaching the Pope's Palace.
"What?! The Specters will revive again?!" Dohko, who had also arrived at the Pope's Palace, cried out in shock. Standing beside him, Shion also showed an expression of unacceptable anger.
"Then, the Southern Fish, Southern Crown... no, what about the lives of all our sacrificed comrades?!" Albafica clenched his fist, kneeling on one knee.
"Calm down, Albafica. We are not without countermeasures," said Pope Sage, seated at the highest position, looking at the young Pisces Saint before him. "The Goddess has already extended a barrier in the Temple, covering the entire Sanctuary, to prevent Hades from awakening the Cosmo of the already resurrected Specters."
At this, Sage's gaze turned to the Pegasus Saint standing on the left, arms crossed.
"Therefore, we must especially thank Pegasus. Your combat technique seems to have completely transformed the Cosmo of the deceased Specters into vitality for the Earth. This is excellent news for Sanctuary, because extending the barrier to suppress the Specters' Cosmo is also a huge burden for Lady Athena."
"It's merely allowing the Specters who sought to destroy the Earth to nourish it anew. This is, after all, the principle of natural cycles." Seiya nodded.
"Then, can you go a step further and completely disintegrate the Specters?" Pope Sage suddenly asked this question.
At this moment, Shion, Dohko, and Albafica all wanted to say it was impossible, but seeing Sage's serious expression, they swallowed their words.
Seiya thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, currently I cannot do that."
The effect of Authorities is often about specificity. Although I previously mocked Old Wolf King Marquis Vauban, saying his Authorities were the most useless, the Authority of Apollo and the Authority of Osiris, which command the souls of the deceased, could easily achieve this goal.
However, my own Authorities, such as the God of Combat, Strong Wind, Self-Horse, Pegasus, Great Incarnation of Sunlight, and The Covenant of Decay and Revival, are more about enhancing my combat abilities, and none of them, at least currently, have developed properties in that regard.
But Seiya was not as anxious as the other Saints, because there was still the Virgo Saint, the man suspected to be Buddha reincarnated, who could achieve it under the right conditions.
"There's no need to worry. Clan Elder Hakurei sent me here this time precisely to solve this problem for Sanctuary," Yuzuriha said, kneeling on one knee.
"In the Underworld, between the Valley of Threes in the Sixth Hell and the First Trench in the Seventh Hell, there is a tree nourished by the blood of the Great Blood Waterfall. On this tree grow Mokurenji fruits, which are the only weapons capable of repelling Hades' Army's immortality and sealing the souls of Specters."
The Gold Saints' expressions grew solemn upon hearing this. "So, that means we must delve deep into the enemy's main camp to seize or steal this fruit that counters the Specters? If we are to seize it, we need to dispatch sufficiently powerful warriors for a direct assault. If it's a theft, it's precisely the opposite."
At that moment, Dohko suddenly thought of Asmita of Virgo, who had been on a secret mission. He had comprehended the truth of Arayashiki, understood the path of life and death reincarnation. Was this man, the closest to a god, already working on this very matter?
Just then, Pegasus stepped forward voluntarily.
"Pegasus, do you intend to take the initiative and offer to go?" Pope Sage asked curiously.
"If it's just about going to the Underworld, I believe we can choose two separate routes. I'll attack the Underworld's main base, drawing attention." Seiya glanced towards the Goddess's Temple.
"And taking this opportunity, the Sanctuary can then dispatch a squad of Saints, not exceeding Silver, skilled in concealing their presence, to the Great Blood Waterfall to steal the Mokurenji Fruit."
"Actively attacking the Underworld's main base, that's a very dangerous endeavor." Just as Pope Sage was about to speak, he recalled the recent feat of the Pegasus Saint, and then rephrased his words, responding after a moment of thought, "Then do as you propose. However, I will dispatch a Gold Saint, also capable of traversing both the Underworld and the mortal realm, to support you."
In truth, by this point, both Seiya and Hakurei already had the answer in their hearts.
To traverse the Underworld, besides the Eighth Sense, the simplest way is to master a combat technique.
And this combat technique has always belonged to the secret arts of a certain Zodiac constellation.
— The Cancer Saint.
However, what Seiya didn't know after he left was that he had guessed one thing wrong.
The current Pope possessed far more power than he imagined.
— City of the Underworld, Spiral Twisted Dark Church.
"It seems Minos's attack strategy failed; his Cosmo, along with the Cosmos of his subordinates, has vanished." Pandora stood behind Alone, gently massaging his pressure points with her fingers to ease his worries.
"But he also brought the lives of the Saints back to the Underworld."
Alone and Pandora exchanged a knowing smile, then rose and entered the even deeper, more eerie tunnel behind them.
The twisted tunnel, like solidified agony, exuded a suffocating aura of death. On the cold stone walls, countless bas-reliefs of varying forms were vividly etched. They were not mere decorations, but the souls of the fallen warriors. The souls of the Specters who died in this Holy War were enshrined here, becoming the eternal murals of this Dark Church.
"Actually, I didn't want to do this. The Specters who have already escaped the shackles of life might once again face pain and torment." Alone, holding his left hand in a flower-like gesture, gently blew.
"Now, awaken once more, Specters, rise to battle!"
A deep purple power, shimmering with the purest essence of death, surged forth from his fingertips like the waters of a bursting summer river, instantly engulfing the entire deep tunnel. This power imperiously washed over the solidified images on the walls.
A miracle — or rather, the power of Hades — was distorting the boundaries of life and death. The cold bas-reliefs and dim paintings, as if infused with living ink, rapidly expanded and solidified from their ethereal flatness. Flesh and armor reformed in the purple light.
"Return from the shackles of death, from eternal tranquility, and fight for me once more!"
Under the power of Hades, the boundary between life and death was indeed so blurred. The Specters who had been killed were actually resurrected with ease.
The newly resurrected Specters knelt on one knee, "By your command! Lord Hades!"
Alone watched the Specters before him with indifferent eyes, "From the very beginning, Sanctuary never stood a chance, Pegasus—"
He clutched his chest, where a dull ache seemed to persist. But he quickly realized that the resurrected Specters before him had no Cosmo left in their bodies. Was it Athena's barrier suppressing them? No, the familiar pain in his chest quickly gave Alone the answer: it was still Pegasus.
"It was he who stripped the Specters of their Cosmos, preventing their power from being resurrected!"
Just then, a ripple from within the Underworld pulled at Alone's wound, making him frown deeply. He suddenly looked towards his own world, "This presence is—"
"Pegasus!"
The Underworld, the Forest of Death, the Dark Church.
Accompanied by the solemn strains of the pipe organ, the unfinished painting slowly revealed itself before Veronica of the Heavenly Beast Star's eyes.
"Ah, beautiful! Too beautiful! It's simply too beautiful!"
Nasu Veronica, with his effeminate beauty and golden long hair, gazed with flushed cheeks at the painting before him. The painting depicted the melancholic King Alone, but this painting was still an unfinished work. Because on that painting, Alone's exposed chest, whether or not to paint a wound on it, had left Nasu Veronica perpetually indecisive.
If he painted the wound, it would be disrespectful to the King; if he didn't, it would be unfaithful to his art.
These two beliefs intertwined in the mind of Veronica of the Heavenly Beast Star, tearing at his heart. He clutched his head, in painful agony on the ground, "Accursed Pegasus! Why did you leave a wound on such a perfect body!"
"Why? Probably because I won't allow you Specters to continue living in this world." A completely unfamiliar voice sounded behind him.
A hand rested on his shoulder, and the voice, overflowing with malice, made the Heavenly Beast Star tremble all over. He instinctively tried to reach out and activate his Gravestone Fortress, but the pain emanating from his own body made him look in disbelief at his chest.
"How can this be? The immortality bestowed upon me by Lord Thanatos, cough...!"
Blood continuously overflowed from his mouth and chest. The white rose blooming in the wound torn open on his chest quickly absorbed his life force, then transformed into a green tide nourishing the earth.
"Why? Because your death will be converted into life for more people to survive." Seiya's voice gradually faded in the mind of the Heavenly Beast Star.
This also meant that the immortal Veronica finally succumbed to death.
Seiya had no intention of appreciating the unique combat technique of this Heavenly Beast Star; his death was merely an appetizer before the official war began.
This Great Forest of Death, guarded by Nasu Veronica of the Heavenly Beast Star, was now more vibrant than the human world. Green trees grew upwards as if possessing their own will, gradually transforming this realm into a forest barrier dominated by Seiya.
"Is life the absence of death, or is death the completion of life? What do you say, Alone?"
Seiya lowered his head, lightly sniffing the beautiful rose dyed with Veronica's blood. He watched, with a subtle smile, as Alone appeared before him, along with the wide-eyed, furious Pandora behind him.
The scorching light forced Pandora to defend, and only after she was dragged a great distance across the ground did she see the Pegasus Saint before her pointing at herself, "Shut up, you stupid stench-ridden woman! While Alone and I are catching up, there's no room for you to interject!"
This was the first time Pandora had been so directly insulted, but as Alone raised his hand, her surge of anger could only be suppressed.
The black-haired Alone looked at his dear friend, "This power of yours, traversing space, is neither spatial transference nor psychokinetic teleportation; it must be the Authority of some deity."
During this time, Pegasus had already replaced Athena, occupying Alone's thoughts. He had been pondering why Pegasus had changed so much, and where those powers, so different from the Pegasus's combat techniques, originated.
The answer was a deity, the power of another deity.
Could it be that you, Pegasus... are also the reincarnation of some deity?
"Just like the remaining power of immortality and the power of the path within Veronica of the Heavenly Beast Star?" Under the disbelieving gaze of Alone and Pandora, this Saint of Athena smiled as he held this power of the God of Death in his hand, flowing into the Covenant of Decay and Revival.
"Though bamboo shoots fall, they become beautiful scenery. If they could always exist, when would they ever wither?" He clutched his chest, a smile on his face.
At this moment, Seiya gazed at his dear friend before him, a smile on his lips. Then he tossed the rose in his hand towards Alone, who gently caught it. The next instant, the rose withered.
The pitch-black petals fell to the ground, transforming into countless thorny vines that shot up from beneath their feet, their glistening forms frantically trying to drag these two deities into the abyss of death.
Alone looked at his own equally pitch-black hand. This time, he had genuinely wanted to chat with Seiya, but he hadn't expected that the venom contained within this rose was corroding his body. However, it was quickly expelled by the King of Wisdom's Cosmo from his body.
Pandora summoned her Trident and unleashed a torrent of wild purple lightning against the furiously dancing thorns, but the ominous oppression overhead resisted her divine power. She watched the opposing presence in disbelief.
It was the trees, this Land of the Dead, this Great Forest of Death. This realm was, by its own will, engulfing Alone and Pandora, transforming into an alien, flourishing domain!
At this moment, Seiya's voice echoed like thunder above this realm, and an entirely unfamiliar platinum light enveloped his entire being, as if he were a divine warrior wielding the heavens.
"Don't get it wrong, Alone. This isn't your Underworld, but my Undying Sanctuary!"
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