In an instant, platinum-gold lightning tore through the sky, and the sound of shattering mirrors echoed simultaneously across several barriers.
"Do you feel it?" Radamanthys, leading his legion stationed in the Second Prison, glanced over at his right and left-hand men.
Papillon, the Specter of the Earthly Star, and Valentine, the Specter of the Sky Weeping Star, gazed up at the sky in unison. "A Cosmo as dazzling as the sun... this unbearable presence, could it be...?!"
The pressure of the God of Combat Authority, a power inherent to Seiya and his Cloth, permeated multiple dimensions before finally erupting in the vast Seventh Hell as a golden light that tore the sky asunder.
A colossal bolt of lightning descended like a magnificent world tree connecting the heavens and the earth. And within that light stood a figure in red and white.
In the skies of the Seventh Hell, Aiacos watched the Saint wreathed in thunder and lightning. His expression shifted from initial shock, to resentment, and then to a visage of utter joy and fury. He spurred his warship onward, charging toward the figure in the sky.
"—Pegasus!"
But what use was it? The figure within the light remained impassive. The Specters' light was completely devoured by the barrier surrounding him, transforming into a solar corona that illuminated Hell, its pressure bearing down on every warrior of the Underworld.
The ceaseless screams of demons and underlings filled the air. Even Aiacos could feel the intense oppression.
"You think this level of pressure is enough to make me submit? Pegasus, you're a hundred times more loathsome than the rumors say!" Though Aiacos spoke these words, his face was overflowing with a smile. "But I must thank you for appearing in my prison, and not one guarded by the other Specters. Otherwise, how could I ever have the chance to turn the hatred in my heart into fists and plant them on your face!"
"Oh? And you think your comrades will be spared?" Seiya revealed a smile devoid of joy or sorrow.
"Do you feel it? This Cosmo, like the sun itself."
In the Second Prison of the Underworld, Radamanthys, the most valiant of the Specters, faced Sisyphus of Sagittarius and the Leo Saint, Regulus—his fated rivals. "So my opponent as the warrior of the Sky Giant Star isn't Pegasus, but rather a wet-behind-the-ears brat and you, Sisyphus?"
Young Regulus stared at the man before him, the murderer of his father. He said nothing, instead turning his gaze to his uncle.
"You can only afford to boast for now." In response to Radamanthys's declaration, Sisyphus of Sagittarius drew his bow. "Both you and your wings will die here!"
As the arrow flew from his fingertips, it transformed into a shower of light that rained down upon Radamanthys's grand legion.
—In the Third Prison of the Underworld, the handsome Rune of the Heavenly Hero Star looked at Shion, a man he once thought might become a comrade. "Have you not yet realized your mistake? History is my guide, and past experience tells me that a rash attack after gaining a slight advantage will only lead to ruin. You still have a chance to turn back."
"I have already given you my answer. History is written by the humans of the present. It is you who was doomed to fail from the moment you chose to stand with Hades!" Shards of starlight radiated from Shion's body. Beside him, Dohko of Libra was already locked in battle with Kagaho of the Sky Violence Star.
—The Fourth Prison of the Underworld. From this level onward, they were in depths that not even Pope Sage's passage to the Underworld could reach. They could only rely on their own strength to press on.
The Specters here also felt the magnificent presence from the deeper levels, but they trusted in their comrades, trusted in Aiacos, who stood at the pinnacle of the Specters. And in this prison, there were no endless underlings or demons clad in Surplices—only a single man wreathed in ominous purple lightning.
He was completely different from the other arrogant Specters, possessing a noble and confident air. His long, jet-black hair danced wildly in the wind as he stared at his former comrades before him.
"Aspros...!" El Cid of Capricorn called out his name with joy. "You're still alive!"
"Don't go near him!" Degel of Aquarius blocked the Capricorn Saint's path. "Haven't you noticed? His Gemini Cloth and even his hair have taken on the colors of the Underworld."
"Don't sound so familiar. To be honest, I've long grown sick of you worthless scum." Aspros of Gemini, who had died two years prior in a failed attempt to assassinate the Pope and usurp his position, scanned the Saints before him, a familiar, mocking sneer playing on his lips. "Sisyphus isn't here? Since there's no opponent worthy of me, I'll just have to use you rejects to relieve my boredom."
Though his words were provocative, the Saints did not let anger cloud their judgment. Among their generation, Aspros of Gemini was renowned for his power; he had been the most promising candidate for the next Pope.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the depths of the mist-shrouded, dark swamp. "You all go on ahead. Leave Aspros to me."
But at that very moment, Aspros's expression suddenly changed. And from the ominous mist emerged another man of similar appearance.
"Deuteros...!" Aspros snarled through gritted teeth!
If the former Aspros was considered the light of Gemini, then the blue-haired man before them, Deuteros, was its shadow—and the younger brother who had killed him.
From the battlefield of the First Prison, swept clean by the Pope's burning Cosmo and the Sekishiki, to the successive hells crossed by the Saints—everyone, whether human or god, Saint or Specter, demon or lost soul, could feel the tremor emanating from the depths of the Underworld.
Should they feel worry? Or perhaps terror and anxiety? The Saints felt none of these.
The Saints now held the upper hand. Despite the Specters' overwhelming arrogance, both sides knew full well that the scales of victory had already tipped in Sanctuary's favor.
In response to the figure revealed in the Seventh Hell, a tangible, violet-black dragon of fury materialized from the shadows on the ground.
From those shadows emerged Violate of the Heavenly Solitary Star, who was also stationed in the Seventh Hell. The roaring dragon that charged toward the immensely oppressive figure in the sky was her most powerful technique—Dark Incineration!
Focusing her high-purity Underworld Cosmo with all her might, she formed a massive, dark purple beast. The powerful dark energy it contained could incinerate almost any matter it touched. The violet-black dragon easily extinguished the surrounding lightning and flames before swallowing the figure in the sky.
"Success!" A look of joy appeared on Violate's face, but in the next instant, she heard the anxious shout of Aiacos of the Giant. "Get back, you damn woman!"
The mad dragon passed through its target without any resistance. The figure within the light remained, a smile on his lips that radiated a deadly threat directly to her.
The next second, lightning flashed and thunder roared.
Aiacos's shout and a raging dragon of lightning descending from the heavens arrived before her at the same time.
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