"Not bad."
After a brief silence, Zeus's eyes sparkled, and he said with a smile:
"I did not expect the Cosmo you awakened to be so perfect comparable even to a degraded version of divine power!"
Athena also exclaimed in awe:
"Sage Asshu, it is no wonder you are held in such high regard among mortals."
Seeing Asshu's somewhat nervous expression, the beautiful goddess explained gently:
"Do not worry. The power you just awakened is called Cosmo, and it is generated by simulating the great universe outside."
"Therefore, only with a sufficient understanding of this world and the cosmos can it be awakened in a relatively complete form."
"But mortals of this era have no way to truly understand the nature of the earth beneath our feet, nor of the heavens above our heads."
"So, even if some—because of a profound ancient lineage—accidentally awaken and gain unimaginable strength, becoming worshipped and praised as heroes by other mortals, their Cosmo remains only a one-sided and limited power."
At first Asshu did not fully understand, but soon the realization struck him.
So that was it.
According to the original explanation in Saint Seiya, the Cosmo is "the ultimate power capable of shattering atoms, generated by simulating the Big Bang within the human body."
And in this ancient city-state era, civilization was only just beginning.
Let alone the Big Bang—concepts such as the formation and movement of celestial bodies, or the four fundamental forces—were entirely unknown.
The people of this time simply could not have a correct understanding of the world. Most believed the world was flat, that the scattered city-states and the Aegean Sea were the entirety of existence.
Without correct understanding, naturally it was impossible to simulate correctly!
That is why, even if someone accidentally awakened their Cosmo and reached the Sixth Sense, the power would be one-sided and severely incomplete.
But Asshu was different.
The scientific education of his previous life had given him a more accurate grasp of the world.
Though not an expert, living in the age of information had provided him with a relatively complete knowledge of astronomy.
And by coincidence, the Saint Seiya vision of the universe aligned perfectly with the "Big Bang" theory from his former world, allowing him to apply it with ease.
Asshu recalled the various travel journals he had read in this life, and his eyes gleamed with sudden comprehension.
Those mortal heroes who had gained tremendous power had undoubtedly done so by awakening their Cosmo.
According to the journals' descriptions, they had powerful bodies, limitless strength, unparalleled speed; they could summon flames, make plants grow, foresee the future…
This was because their understanding of the world was insufficient, so the Cosmo they awakened was incomplete.
Their strength or rather, their special abilities could only lean toward one aspect.
But the true, complete Saint Seiya were as described in the original work.
After awakening the Sixth Sense, as they continued to deepen and strengthen the Cosmo within their bodies, they could gradually obtain a wide array of superpowers: manipulating elements, foreseeing the future, shattering atoms, flight, telekinesis, telepathy, illusions, mind control, intuition…
They were simply omnipotent!
The Cosmo Asshu now controlled was entirely different from that of those heroes. It was a simulation created through a (correct understanding of the real universe).
This was the very same power that Saint Seiya of later eras would wield.
Because in the wars for Earth's supremacy, the gods—forced by circumstance—had to teach humanity the most precise vision of the cosmos!
That was why Zeus had called it a "degraded version of divine power," something also mentioned in the original story.
All mortal power, including Cosmo, was a degraded product of the Ultimate Power wielded by the gods.
That Ultimate Power was the "Divine Power."
It was said to be pure energy, capable of easily creating and destroying universes, and also the Power of Chaos that could make the universe expand infinitely, forming all things.
If that was the case… Asshu remembered that the gods of Saint Seiya's world controlled the Will of the Gods.
That was the supreme sense, far above all others.
Only a great being who had awakened the Will of the Gods could generate the "Divine Power," a force that far surpassed the Cosmo, the Ultimate Power.
Asshu began to muse:
So, the so-called (Will of the Gods)… could it be the gods' understanding of the deepest levels, or the most fundamental essence of the world?
At that moment, Zeus spoke again.
A trace of anticipation appeared on his majestic face:
"Sage of Athens, since you are able, through your deep understanding of the world, to awaken this exquisite power of the Cosmo, then regarding my earlier question you should also have a particular insight."
"How can the gods advance to a higher level?"
Asshu hurriedly suppressed his other thoughts and focused on the question.
After a pause, he spoke slowly:
"According to Your Excellency's words, this power—the deeper one's understanding of the world, the easier it is to advance?"
"Correct." Zeus nodded lightly.
"Then…"
He had already successfully awakened the Cosmo, and moreover, it was a "gift of the gods."
If he refused to answer this question, he feared Zeus would not let him off lightly.
Better to use the persuasive skills of his past life to cloud the issue.
With some hesitation, Asshu continued:
"In truth, for a long time I have always pondered the sky above my head and the earth beneath my feet. This world seems to conceal infinite mysteries."
"And then… at times I wonder"
"Could there be other worlds outside of this one?"
"Worlds very similar to ours, where another version of myself might live?"
The expressions of the two gods, which had been casual, suddenly turned serious.
Zeus straightened his posture.
"Sage Asshu, please continue."
For the first time, his tone carried respect.
"Why do you hold such a strange idea?"
Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, though silent, let her beautiful eyes shine with a look of unbroken astonishment, showing her intense attention.
"It is very simple."
Asshu smiled and said:
"My two distinguished guests, who have journeyed to Athens from afar, must be well acquainted with the many city-states of mortals."
"Since beyond Athens, in distant places I cannot see, there exist other mortals and nations, those nations—besides the king of Athens—surely have their own kings as well."
"If at the end of the sea there are other continents, why could there not be other worlds beyond this one?"
"Just as there are different kings, and just as another city-state may have someone renowned named Asshu"
"Then why could there not, in other worlds, be another of us?"
"Though as a mortal I have limited sight, standing here in Athens, my eyes cannot cross the ocean to see faraway lands, I cannot deny and various travel journals confirm that other continents, other nations, and other kings truly exist."
"Therefore, other worlds may indeed exist as well, only we mortals have no means to cross the barrier of worlds."
Hearing this, Zeus's eyes burst with dazzling brilliance.
But he quickly restrained it.
And Athena, silently savoring those words, sighed once more:
"Though it is but speculation without proof, Sage Asshu, the wisdom you have shown is enough to astonish even the Goddess of Wisdom!"