"What are you thinking about?" Saori Kido looked at Pegasus Seiya before her, gazing into his eyes.
They didn't reflect any single person, but the entirety of the Sanctuary. Was he troubled by the current state of Sanctuary?
For the moment, Seiya was unaware of what others were sensing.
He gazed upon the devastated Sanctuary. Although it was different from the other parallel timeline where all the Saints and the Goddess Athena were united as one, they had now arrived at the same starting point.
Though Sanctuary was now in ruins, only after purging the internal threats could they truly grasp the source of power and welcome the coming Holy War.
"Let me show you a magic trick," Seiya said, smiling at Saori Kido.
Seiya had many ways to repair Sanctuary, from the maintenance ability he first developed from the Great Authority of Sunlight to the restorative function of the Covenant of Decay and Revival.
Although Seiya hadn't specifically developed his own Authorities, the passive effects of his God of Combat power meant he didn't need to worry at all; his Authorities would naturally unlock deeper powers after continuous victories in battle.
"The future arises from the causes of the past. O, Fate, reveal the connection of cause and effect." Seiya snapped his fingers.
—Authority: Karmic Retribution.
He overwrote the present with the perfect reality of the past Sanctuary. Bricks and tiles automatically floated up, and shattered walls and ruins reassembled themselves.
In the span of a single breath, the once-devastated Sanctuary was restored to its original appearance.
Seiya strode confidently towards the Pope's Palace, the Gold Saints following closely behind him.
The remaining Silver Saints and Bronze Saints looked at each other in bewilderment, but seeing the golden doors standing open, they understood.
Shaina of Ophiuchus looked up at the statue of the Goddess Athena above her, then exchanged a glance with Marin of Aquila before they both stepped into the Pope's Palace.
On the throne in the center of the Pope's Palace, although he had not received Athena's permission, Seiya nonetheless sat in that very seat.
"Have you all assembled, Saints?" Standing beside the throne, Mu of Aries waved a hand.
"Here and now, Sanctuary has been set right, finally welcoming back the reincarnation of Athena and the God-Slaying Pegasus."
Seiya looked at the scene before him, a replication of a moment in time, as the past scene of the Specters paying homage to Alone replayed before his eyes.
"Warriors who guard the Earth and justice, Saints, behold—!" Seiya raised his right hand.
The dome of the Pope's Palace, originally carved with scenes of angels and demons locked in slaughter, transformed into a narrow scroll under the influence of Seiya's power.
"This is... the Holy War!" The Saints fell into a commotion.
"Can Pegasus already foresee the future before it has even begun?"
Although Shaka's eyes remained closed, it did not prevent him from observing the scene before him.
"No, it is as if fate itself is being unveiled before our eyes."
The scene before them unfolded like a long scroll. Like the most ancient of murals, it depicted the outline of the story with the simplest of lines.
On a snow-covered land, a host of evil gods gathered around a woman, bringing her a ring.
In a dark cave, a figure with a back resembling Saga's was unleashing some profound evil.
Further on were images of the gods, the shadows cast by their colossal bodies covering the entire world.
And at the very end stood a figure that towering over heaven and earth. He wore a fiery red cape, a sun-like halo behind his head, and his molten gold eyes seemed to pierce through time, fixing upon Saori Kido.
Even with the barrier of time, meeting the gaze of the figure in the scroll made Saori Kido's hand tremble slightly.
"Saga is only the beginning. The truly darkest, most chaotic era is about to arrive," Seiya said slowly.
"The Pope, incited by that evil, attempted to usurp the Goddess Athena's rule over the Earth. The queen who wore the Ring of the Nibelungen had her heart devoured by wickedness. A misguided warrior released the soul of Poseidon. The Lord of the Underworld, sealed during the Holy War 243 years ago, will make his return. And the gods in the heavens covet this land."
"In comparison, the Holy War of Saga and Tenma's generation was truly a blessing. Aside from the cursed Gemini Saint, the Saints and Athena worked together in harmony—a scene that is now the stuff of dreams."
"Two hundred years before that, the Saints of that era, who had not yet matured, were annihilated by the Twin Gods, forcing the reincarnation of the Goddess Athena at the time to manifest her form as a giant god of war and perish together with the forces of the Underworld."
"But even that is nothing compared to the disaster we are about to face."
"That is why Seiya forgave those Saints who had sided with Saga, and why he didn't want too many Saints to be killed. Even if they must die, they must die for a worthy cause."
Seiya raised his hand again. The magnificent scroll rolled up, revealing the cosmos above their heads.
"Oh, it's the starry sky!" Aldebaran of Taurus looked up in awe.
"No, these are the constellations, aren't they," Aioria of Leo said with a sense of relief.
"As we all know, every Saint has their own guardian constellation, and a guardian Cloth modeled after it. This is the prerequisite for being a Saint."
"Those without the destiny of a guardian constellation can only become Private Saints," Mu of Aries explained.
It was a simple statement, yet it caused many Saints present to cast their gazes towards a figure at the forefront of the Silver Saints.
It was the true master of Cygnus Hyoga, the first disciple of the Aquarius Saint, Camus—the Crystal Saint, who had taught many Saints but himself lacked the destiny of a guardian constellation.
"Why would you say such a thing!" Hyoga was anxious, feeling that this was an insult to the Crystal Saint, who was technically his senior disciple but effectively his teacher.
"The Crystal Saint may not have a guardian constellation, but he possesses the soul of a true Saint! Not even a Gold Saint should insult him like this!"
However, many realized that this statement from Mu of Aries, who was now serving as the acting Pope's aide, was Seiya's will.
"Crystal Saint, step forward," Seiya commanded.
Without any hesitation, the Crystal Saint stepped forward, leaving the ranks of the Silver Saints to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Gold Saints.
"Fate is never set in stone. Compared to the Cloth, the Saint's Cosmo is the core," Seiya said, raising a finger.
The light that shot from his fingertip covered the position of the Cancer constellation on the star chart.
"Crystal Saint, you have already proven with your noble character that you possess the soul of a Saint. Therefore, I bestow upon you the identity of the Cancer Saint."
Although he had expected some kind of reward, hearing these words still made the Crystal Saint tremble.
Was this truly possible? For a Private Saint, who had always been on the periphery of Sanctuary, to receive a guardian constellation.
But as twelve streams of light flew from the Cancer House and clad themselves upon his body, a resonance of Cosmo stirred a thrumming sensation deep within his soul that he had never felt since birth—
—The Cancer Gold Saint has returned to his post.
"As you command!" The now Cancer Gold Saint knelt on one knee.
"I swear in the name of a Saint! I shall burn my Cosmo and uphold the beliefs of justice and love. I will not shrink from sacrifice, nor fear any powerful foe. With my body and soul, I shall become the unbreakable shield and sharp blade that protect the Earth. Until my last moment, I shall not disgrace the glory of Cancer!"
Mu of Aries spoke last. "O Saints of Athena, the most difficult era has arrived! The duty of a Saint is to protect the Earth and its peace."
"Neither a Pope who seeks to replace Athena, nor the evil gods who wish to bring calamity to the world, can shake our resolve to defend this world!"
As the Saints left the Pope's Palace, they were still reeling from the shock, unable to recover.
"I understand now what Seiya's words truly meant," Shaka of Virgo suddenly said.
"What?" Aioria of Leo asked.
"From the scroll of the future Holy War to the demonstration with the star chart, this level of authority is not something a Saint should possess."
"Didn't you notice, Aioria? Throughout this journey through the Twelve Houses, Pegasus has not sustained a single injury."
"Indeed, his strength is truly immense," Aioria of Leo lamented.
"That's not it. It's because there is a type of existence... they, or rather, They, can inherently ignore the attacks of Saints, because their very existence transcends the normal plane of life," Shaka said.
Shaka recalled the clash of their Tenma Kofuku, which ended with his Virgo helmet being knocked off.
At the time, Pegasus Seiya's words made him think it was a gap in their Eighth Sense, especially since he had only awakened his under duress.
But looking at it now, perhaps what Seiya wanted to express was that his level of existence had already surpassed their own.
A hint of astonishment flickered in Aioria of Leo's eyes. "You mean to say—"
"Do not say it out loud for now. It is just a guess. After all, he is the Pegasus who has been reincarnating since the Age of Myth; anything is possible."
"It could also be that he is simply so powerful that not even the twelve Gold Saints can harm him. However—"
Shaka paused.
"By elevating the Crystal Saint to the Cancer Saint... with such power, I fear he can bring all the Private Saints who drift outside Sanctuary's authority under his control."
In the Goddess's Temple, Seiya sat by the window, painting stroke by stroke.
Although he had never learned to paint before, the Authority of the God of Combat had pushed his talents in all fields to their absolute peak.
Saori Kido quietly approached from behind with her hands behind her back.
Seeing the image on the easel, she blushed slightly, because the person depicted on it was herself, standing under a tree with a smile, wearing an olive wreath.
"You spoke wonderfully, Seiya." Saori Kido moved closer to Seiya's side, reached out to the fruit bowl beside them, plucked a grape, and fed it to his lips.
"I was originally worried that there might be turmoil after taking over Sanctuary, that the Saints would become disloyal. But thankfully, you're by my side. Now I can rest easy."
"Actually, I don't really have the talent to be Pope. I'm just imitating someone else," Seiya said, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
Whether it was Mu of Aries or Aiolos, both were far more suitable than him. He was certainly not like Shion, Saga, or Hakurei—Saints brimming with talent.
But there was one person he knew who was born with the talent of a king, capable of making both warriors and gods submit with a single glance.
Although he had already killed that person, it didn't stop Seiya from emulating his way of thinking to temporarily act as Pope.
"You need to have more confidence in yourself," Seiya said.
"In fact, as long as you can master your own Cosmo, you'd be able to win back all the Saints smoothly even without me."
After all, even the dark Saga who wanted to replace Athena had to operate under the Goddess Athena's name.
So, as long as Saori Kido could master this Cosmo, which was on the level of a high-tier god, most Saints would submit to her command.
Moreover, with such an overwhelming power advantage, even if she knew no combat techniques and just swung her fists wildly, she could still beat the dark Saga to the ground.
"I can't. I can only barely stimulate my Cosmo with the golden scepter you gave me." Saori Kido became a little sad at this.
"But how did you manage to bestow the destiny of Cancer upon the Crystal Saint? Tell me!"
"It's a secret." Seiya placed his index finger on her lips.
Because Seiya himself couldn't explain it clearly. It was likely a combination of his causality-based Authority and the Divine Mandate he once held as the God King Zeus that allowed him to do such a thing.
Furthermore, most high-tier gods could do this. For instance, Alone could erase a Saint's life through their constellation. And as the reincarnation of Athena, Saori Kido was theoretically capable of similar feats.
It was just that she was still too inexperienced, to the point that she hadn't even mastered her Cosmo.
Looking at Seiya's firm gaze, Saori Kido knew she couldn't get an answer from him for now.
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly leaned close to Seiya's ear and whispered, "Do you like them big?"
"Big what?" Seiya was baffled.
Saori Kido looked at her childhood friend, who was feigning ignorance, with a teasing gaze.
"Then why did you paint me so... big in this picture? And I don't remember ever wearing an olive wreath."
"Uh, well... yes... I just like them big."
Seiya nodded vaguely. Looking at the painting before him, he suddenly felt as if he had painted the wrong person.
Fortunately, this Saori Kido was a bit dense and hadn't recognized who it really was yet.
Taurus House, training ground.
Aldebaran crossed his arms, a surging Cosmo burning between them.
The red aura transformed into a colossal beam of light that shot towards the sky, then slammed violently down onto the ground.
As the earth shook and the mountains trembled, the entire Taurus House was overturned.
"—Titan's Break!" A smile appeared on Aldebaran's face.
Although Seiya had passed down the Taurus combat technique, Tartarus Nova, to him, he had been unable to grasp it no matter how much he studied it.
But today, inspiration struck. Since he couldn't directly master the technique, he would simplify it based on his own learning and comprehension, turning it into the preliminary Titan's Break.
Aldebaran had a feeling that as long as he could skillfully use this Titan's Break, he wouldn't be far from completely mastering the much more terrifying Tartarus Nova.
At that very moment, he instinctively crossed his arms.
A massive shockwave descended from the sky, colliding with the Great Horn in his hands.
His entire colossal frame was sent crashing back into the Taurus House behind him. And the figure, radiating undisguised malice, was looking down on him from above.
"So this is one of Athena's Saints? Turns out you're not so tough after all!"
______
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