In truth, there was a third choice, which was to drag and search for Manigoldo, who was infinitely close to death in the deepest reaches of Hell. But Thanatos, arrogant as he was, would absolutely not choose him.
Thoughts raced through Thanatos' mind. No matter what, he still leaned more towards Pegasus. Though he had always spoken of Pegasus with disdain and animosity, it was precisely because he held him in regard that he couldn't stop thinking about him.
Yet, at this moment, the solar flames surrounding him, and their effect against evil, made his soul incredibly uncomfortable.
Only a moment passed in the real world before Thanatos found his answer. Even with the risks, as a proud God, he would still choose the best physical vessel!
At this moment, even Pope Sage, whose breath was as faint as a wisp of smoke, narrowed his eyes.
This was because, from the very beginning, whether it was the appearance of Thanatos, or Hypnos' detached observation, or the various techniques Thanatos employed, all were within his predictions.
And the final outcome, naturally, was to use himself as bait to completely seal Thanatos, who attempted to seize the body of him, the Pope of Sanctuary. He even had the Divine Ark prepared long beforehand.
But at this moment, he saw Thanatos' soul not heading towards him, but instead speeding away towards a distant figure.
"Damn it! It's Pegasus!" Pope Sage summoned the Altar Cloth, intending to forcefully capture Thanatos' soul, but it was already too late.
For Seiya and the other two caught in the struggle, Alone and Pandora, who were originally suppressed, now saw a streak of purple light, arriving late, finally striking Pegasus' back. It was a terrifying sight, like a demon possessing a body, making even Alone hesitate, though he wanted to press his advantage.
The Pegasus before them had a distorted expression; silver light burst from one eye, while the other remained brown-black.
"Yes! This body, brimming with power! Is this the divine Pegasus I desire? It's mine now, ah!" An incredibly familiar voice emerged from the person before them.
"Is that you, Thanatos?" Pandora's eyes lit up.
But before her joy could fully blossom, the Pegasus' right hand, which should have been under control, suddenly grabbed his own eye.
"Perhaps I should have done this sooner! This is so much better than my previous human vessel! I will use this body to go to Sanctuary without any hindrance, slaughter all the Saints, and then come before Athena, and with Pegasus' own body, chop off her head!"
Although this body wasn't truly suitable and wouldn't last long, slaughtering Sanctuary and beheading Athena would at least wash away some of his humiliation.
But in the next instant, Thanatos' voice abruptly ceased.
Because from Seiya's hand, the Golden Sword appeared and pierced his own chest. This supreme divine artifact, specifically made for Gods, also fixated Thanatos' soul within the body.
Seiya, at this moment, looked at his friend, Alone, who was disfigured yet still fiercely clenching his fist and resisting him. "Alone, let me answer one of your questions. You asked why I wasn't distracted by the fight between the Pope and Deathmask of Cancer."
Seiya said, while igniting his Cosmo.
"That's because from the very beginning, I had absolute faith that they could defeat Thanatos. Although there's been a slight unexpected turn, I'll complete this final piece of the puzzle."
At this moment, behind him, Thanatos' Dimensional Gate was forcefully torn open. From that purple rift, countless Undead, closer to death than mere lost souls, rushed towards Seiya, quickly enveloping him.
But it was at this very moment that the Cloth, powered by the White Steed and the Great Manifestation of Sunlight, also reached an unprecedented state.
"No!" Pandora raised her hand, but in the next instant, she turned into black charcoal.
——The Solar Corona Furnace fully unleashed!
If the Solar Corona Cloth previously released heat of one million degrees, the temperature at the edge of the sun, then the fighting technique now powered by the White Steed and the Great Manifestation of Sunlight instantly broke through that threshold…
Five million, ten million, fifteen million, twenty million degrees Celsius, even transforming this layer of the Underworld into a purgatorial sea of fire.
Immense light and heat, while drawing in the surrounding air, simultaneously constrained the two closest Gods.
Thanatos' screams echoed in the furnace.
The Golden Sword, belonging to the Authority of the War God, pierced his divine soul, while within the Solar Corona Furnace of the Solar Corona Cloth, what continuously refined him was the White Steed's manifestation, an anti-god special attack.
Yet, even so, there were no words of plea from Thanatos.
He only had curses for Seiya, for the Saints, and even for Hades and his brother Hypnos, with no words of plea or remorse.
What kind of ending this battle truly reached, even the returned Pope could not answer.
For the people on the ground, they only knew that the bells of the Pope's Palace rang twelve times, signifying the fall of the strongest Gold Saints. For Aphrodite of Pisces, who was close to Seiya, as well as Dohko and Shion, it also meant the sacrifice of their friend Pegasus.
Pandora rushed hurriedly through the palace. Hades' Castle was now in utter chaos.
In the battle with Pegasus, both she and Alone suffered extensive burns. Her own wrists were fractured, and her head and ribs sustained injuries of varying degrees.
Alone, moreover, had fatal wounds remaining on his chest, forehead, and head, even to the point where he had to soak in the waters of the Acheron to recover.
As for Pandora, she continuously destroyed the palace, scolded servants and maids, and constantly sought to vent her fear and pain.
At this moment, she finally realized how weak her situation truly was.
Although she was the commander of the Specters, now a divine being, beyond her Cosmo, the Divine Will, and the special abilities granted by the Twin Gods, her grasp of combat might even be inferior to that of the Three Judges under her command.
"It's too late to hastily prepare now," Pandora could only hope that in the next Holy War, she could truly appear as the commander of the Specters, a demigod of the underworld.
But for now, there was something even more important to do.
Pandora pushed open the door. She had a feeling.
Because Hypnos told her that Pegasus, who had shamed the pride of the gods, was not dead, and even Thanatos' soul had not returned to the Pure Land.
If nothing unexpected happened, he was still in this layer of Hell. No matter what, she had to find him.
But just as Pandora racked her brain, wondering where the Saint Pegasus could possibly be, the moment she pushed open the door, she saw him.
For what greeted her eyes was the figure of the Pegasus Saint, Seiya.
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