Despair and suffering are the catalysts for Specters.
At this moment, Aiacos finally realized this.
A raging tide of lightning sealed the four directions. In the center of this world, Seiya's gaze fell upon the infuriated Garuda Aiacos.
"How impolite, you Specters. First, you interrupt my reunion with Alone, and now you offer such feeble attacks. It seems that staying in the Underworld for too long has made you forget the terror of a Saint."
"To think you'd barge into the Seventh Hell all by yourself! You bastard, Pegasus! Charging in alone... you truly look down on us!!"
"You're the Saint from Hades' Castle the other day, the one who dared to defile Lord Hades's glory! That forced retreat—"
Among the few Heavenly Specters in this Seventh Hell, Grell of the Heavenly Retreat Star and Violate de Behemoth were the first to lose their patience. Roaring, they charged at Seiya, but were still forcefully repelled by the lightning.
This was the effect of Seiya's Orion Cloth, which could bestow the attribute of lightning upon its user's Cosmo attribute.
This power of lightning was a force of nature, an instinct, so to speak. Therefore, Seiya did not need to burn his Cosmo to command it, nor did it consume his stamina or energy.
It was as natural as breathing, allowing him to freely wield this authority over the sky.
Legend has it that the master of the Orion Cloth would become the king of the new world.
"What's wrong? I'm just speaking to you in your own usual tone, and you can't take it?" Seiya watched the Specters trying to charge him.
"You feeble souls of the dead, first you must understand the difference between you and me..."
A violent pressure descended from the sky. The lightning, accompanied by immense oppression, forced them to their knees.
After devouring the power of the Death God, Seiya's God of Combat aura had undergone a second qualitative change.
If before it was merely spiritual pressure on a mental level, it had now transformed into a force that could interfere with the physical world.
The legs of the Specters who tried to attack Pegasus sank into the ground.
They could hear their own bones groaning. The ground itself was sinking, and everything around them was shaking.
Their vision was filled with nothing but the lightning-wreathed Pegasus and his platinum eyes. In that moment, even their consciousness nearly went blank.
But a tremendously familiar roar pulled their consciousness back to reality.
"—Indra's Celestial Rite Baptism!"
A finishing-move-level combat technique right from the start. Garuda Aiacos—only he could tear apart the raging tide of lightning before them and strike the detestable Pegasus with these Flames of Purgatory.
But was it useful? At least for the current situation, it had a positive effect.
The ultimate attack from their leader, Aiacos, brought his subordinates back to their senses, but an even greater despair awaited them.
Because the ultimate attack of Lord Garuda Aiacos, who stood above all other Specters, was caught in the palm of the Saint before them.
"If this were the Cosmic Grand Illusion, it might have forced me to dodge. But these Flames of Purgatory... heh, they might be good for a barbecue."
Seiya's gaze fell on Aiacos, this King of the Skies renowned among the Specters for his arrogance, who was now shielding his subordinates, bearing the brunt of Seiya's pressure.
"To be my enemy is your greatest misfortune. Continue to mourn your tragic fate within the cycle of rebirth—"
Seiya's fingertip condensed the Solar Scorpion Corona that had annihilated Thanatos, but at that very moment, a purple light shot across the sky.
Whether they were Saints or Specters, demons or lost souls, at this moment all could feel that grand Cosmo streaking across the heavens like a meteor.
Alone... he has left the Underworld. Seiya realized this instantly.
It was his own appearance that had made him decide to leave his throne. And his destination was, naturally—Sanctuary!
Looks like I have to hurry up too, a trace of restlessness stirred in Seiya's heart.
At almost the same moment, the Purgatory Flames from ahead rushed toward him in a spiral!
"—Galactic Demon Eye Incineration!"
Flames from Hell, in the form of a beam, tore through the lightning barrier and struck the profile of Pegasus, who was looking sideways at the meteor symbolizing the god of the Underworld.
"It hit!" Grell of the Heavenly Retreat Star and Violate de Behemoth watched the scene with immense joy.
But when the light faded, a halo-like corona of light revolved around Pegasus, completely neutralizing the fatal blow.
One of Seiya's strongest defensive combat techniques, the Golden Corona.
This was a combat technique that could defend against even the attacks of a god, the pinnacle of conceptually-based techniques.
It could convert an enemy's energy attack into light for his own use, allowing him to counterattack. It was like a Saint's version of the Shining Aegis.
But for the Specters, it was an utterly terrifying sight.
Because they saw the light of destruction that should have injured Pegasus now transforming at Seiya's fingertip into a world-destroying solar flame, turning back towards them.
The lower-ranked Earthly Specters were completely vaporized under this full-power blow propelled by Seiya, while the slightly stronger Heavenly Specters lasted only a few seconds longer.
Aiacos also witnessed this light. The giant wings on his back formed a shield, enveloping his entire body, but just then, a figure suddenly blocked his path.
"Violate de Behemoth! Grell of the Heavenly Retreat Star!" he roared their names in a fury.
"Damn you! Did you think I couldn't block Pegasus's attack!?"
But no matter how Aiacos roared, the outcome would not change according to his will. The two Specters before him, who could have been his capable subordinates and lover, were now reduced to charred bodies under that radiance.
Seiya instinctively took half a step back.
It wasn't because he felt any guilt for killing these two Specters loyal to Aiacos. This was a battle between opposing factions, and he would never soften his hand just because of the friendship they briefly displayed.
But a strong sense of déjà vu washed over him.
However, compared to the Earthly Specters, as Heavenly Specters, their bodies still had some breath left in them under the light's onslaught.
On the back of his hand... "There's no need," she said. "Use my soul and Grell's as the arrow you will shoot at Pegasus."
Aiacos's body trembled uncontrollably, because he understood Violate de Behemoth's words. She was telling him to use that strongest attack.
"There is no need for pain, because I will soon send you to reunite with them in the cycle of rebirth," Seiya's voice came from ahead.
"Make me suffer? Don't be ridiculous! From the moment I stepped into the Underworld, I have never regretted a single second of my loyalty to Lord Hades!"
The combat technique of the Golden Corona protected Seiya. He glanced sideways at the Specter before him, who was burning his Cosmo to its absolute limit.
"Pegasus! The misfortune you speak of is the greatest fortune to me! I have rejoiced since the moment you appeared before my eyes! Even if I cannot win now, this blow will one day become the cornerstone for us Specters to strike you down—
Burn! My Cosmo!"
____
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