"—Pegasus!"
High above, a heart-rending roar echoed as the warrior's eyes widened in fury.
The figure, radiating light like a black sun, was none other than Kagaho of Bennu, the Sky Violence Star. Like a phoenix bathed in fire, he soared through the sky, layer upon layer of hatred igniting the wings behind him as he charged toward the light-enveloped Pegasus.
At this moment, the Saint raised his head and let out a cold laugh.
The black corona and the platinum corona clashed. Kagaho's roar was deafening, but his wings could never slice through the defense before him, even with his hated foe's face just inches away.
Seiya's gaze was like a blade, sweeping across the battlefield.
"Come on, maintain that furious visage. All of you. Otherwise, you don't stand a shred of hope."
He raised his right hand above his head and snapped his fingers. The platinum corona bloomed high in the sky. Within the Pegasus's corona, the Flames of the Sun, which targeted evil, rained down indiscriminately upon Hades and his warriors.
Alone did not move; the Cosmo belonging to a god would naturally defend him from all harm. But for the Specters, especially the weaker ones, they let out agonized howls. When those sparks of fire landed on them, it was as if sulfuric acid had been splashed on their skin, quickly burning and corroding it, leaving behind ghastly wounds.
Amidst the brilliant blaze of fire, Seiya's figure gradually vanished. Only then did a sharp glint appear in Alone's eyes.
"Move," he said.
During this time, he had already figured out the mechanism behind Pegasus's sudden appearances: it was his name. Since he dared to summon Pegasus forth, then there must be a way to intercept him.
At that moment, a barrier from the God of Sleep and lightning from Pandora sealed the void in all directions, causing Seiya's figure to suddenly freeze in place. Only then did Alone raise his right hand, as if the entire universe had appeared within his sleeve, a terrifying suction that not even light could escape threatening to swallow Seiya whole.
Combat Technique—Universe in the Sleeve!
But just as Alone thought he was about to succeed, Seiya's figure ultimately disappeared.
Hm? Alone looked with some astonishment at the spot where Seiya had vanished. All that remained were the Specters and the devastated ruins of Hades' City.
He glanced sideways at Pandora, whose expression was shifting indeterminately, but in the end, he did not pursue the matter. With a wave of his hand, he completely suppressed the clamoring Specters.
"Since Athena sent this Pegasus to declare war, then I shall grant her wish. If she thinks that a few plots and schemes can erase the gap between Sanctuary and the Underworld, she is gravely mistaken. I will let those Saints on Earth know what an unbreakable iron wall truly is!"
"Pandora!" Alone suddenly called out a name.
"Yes, Lord Hades!" Pandora, who had been in a daze beside him, quickly knelt on one knee.
"You shall command the great army of the Underworld, from the 108 Demon Stars to the ranks of infernal demons. You will not disappoint me again, will you, Pandora?" Alone looked down at the woman kneeling before him.
"As you command, your glory is above all else!" Pandora struck her chest with a clenched fist, the hesitation and doubt in her heart vanishing without a trace.
No matter what, she could not allow Lord Hades's honor to be sullied again.
"Your Majesty, what should be done about that Pegasus?" Kagaho asked the critical question.
"Do not worry. I have long since figured out his combat technique that crosses spatial distances," Alone said, gazing at the Specters below. "That is—do not speak his name."
"His name? So it was his name!" Many Specters showed expressions of sudden realization.
Problems they hadn't understood before all connected at this moment. That Pegasus had always appeared precisely after his name was spoken.
"As for Athena's warriors, let the Underworld serve as their graveyard."
The Underworld, the world created by Hades, the realm where all life in the universe goes after death. Beginning from the Acheron River, it is divided into various parts such as the Eight Prisons, Three Valleys, Ten Trenches... and Four Spheres. Every location is an unimaginably vast, boundless, and profoundly dark world.
The Underworld ruled by Hades is a world that cannot be interfered with by the powers of other gods, including Athena. Only those whose existence is acknowledged by the Lord of the Underworld, which is to say only the Specters, are permitted to act freely within it.
Thus, it has never been invaded by any other force. Since the age of myth, it has repelled all intrusions, priding itself on its iron-wall defense. Therefore, no matter how many times Athena reincarnated or how many battles were fought, her forces were never able to eradicate the power of the Underworld.
And the Saints, of course, would not take the most orthodox path of Yomotsu Hirasaka to reach the Underworld, because aside from the Cancer Saint, no other Saint yet possessed the right to cross that path of the dead.
But as the Pope's aide, Hakurei of Altar, the patriarch of the Jamir clan, waved his hand and opened a passage to the Underworld—
Whether it was the army of infernal functionaries stationed in the First Prison or Aiacos of the Giant waiting for the Saints in the Seventh Prison, they all now saw the figures of the warriors from the surface.
Seated on his throne in Hades' City, his gaze able to survey the entirety of the Underworld and even the Earth, Alone gradually ascertained the Saints' situation. With a wave of his hand, the phantom of a star-studded sky appeared before his eyes.
"The Leo Saint and Sagittarius Saint have appeared in the Third Prison. Dohko of Libra and Shion of Aries are attacking the Second Prison... Oh ho ho, even the Pope himself has joined the battle. Using the Cancer Saint's Sekishiki Meikai Ha to clear out the army of infernal functionaries is indeed the correct method. It seems the Saints have thoroughly mapped out the Underworld's sphere of influence over the years."
Alone looked at the nearly completed painting before him. Far from feeling anxious about the current situation, he added a few more strokes to the canvas with great interest.
But in that case, aren't you blatantly telling me that your Sanctuary Headquarters is empty... Alone gradually locked onto the tracks of all known Saints. If he wished, he could unleash a decree of death upon any Saint at this moment, but caution still kept him from acting.
It was not until he finally saw the figure of Pegasus in the Sixth Prison of the Underworld that a joyful expression appeared on his face.
"Pandora—"
At Alone's call, the Vice-Commander of the Underworld, dressed in a purple gothic gown, appeared before him.
"You shall lead a team to take Athena's life," Alone commanded.
Hearing an order that was entirely to her liking, Pandora was filled with joy.
"As you command!"
She strode out of the palace with her trident and turned to leave. But after a moment of contemplation, Alone found that the deep-seated unease in his heart had not subsided; on the contrary, it had grown more severe. He suddenly spoke, stopping Pandora.
"Do you have further orders, Lord Hades?" Pandora asked, looking at the human vessel of the Underworld King.
"Take the God of Sleep with you. No matter what, this time you must kill the Goddess!" Alone stood up, his long robes whipping in the air.
No matter how great the sacrifice at the Underworld's headquarters, no matter how severe the damage, as long as they could eliminate Sasha, the reincarnation of the goddess Athena, it would be equivalent to taking the enemy's king. They would directly achieve victory in this Holy War.
____
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