Chapter 186 : Free the Saints and trust me again!
As Hades withdrew from Shun's body, no Specter in Cocytus dared to stand up and resist the Saints.
Even the Hecatoncheir Briareus, seeing the unfavorable situation, stopped fighting. He tightly wrapped his arms around his body, transforming into a massive, unmoving rock.
Athena stopped Aldebaran, who was still relentlessly attacking Briareus.
"Aldebaran, stop. He is a Titan Giant, a descendant of Gaia, Mother Earth. As long as he touches the ground, he can live forever…"
Aldebaran kicked the rocky chunk of flesh in front of him a few times and said bitterly,
"Don't get cocky. Someone will come to deal with you soon."
Athena smiled and shook her head. Then, she raised the scepter of nike above her head, and the divine and gentle Goddess Cosmo burst forth like a supernova!
"In my name, Athena, I release the imprisoned heroic souls! The loyalty and sacrifice of a thousand years should not be desecrated by Death! Return, my Saints!"
The golden gem at the tip of the scepter of nike shot out billions of golden beams of light. Although gentle, they pierced through the deepest darkness of the Underworld with irresistible force, shining into those utterly forgotten corners.
Wherever the beams reached, Cocytus, which had not melted for billions of years, rapidly dissolved like ice and snow under the sun.
Subsequently, figures, some solid, some slightly ethereal, but all radiating an unyielding brilliance, were brought back by the Goddess Cosmo from the depths of Cocytus!
The first soul to appear was a handsome Jamir Tribe warrior, his eyes ancient and full of wisdom.
Mu's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim,
"He… he is the first Aries Gold Saint, Shion…"
Next was a burly giant whose aura was as steady as the earth.
Aldebaran's mouth dropped open.
"Holy cow, I actually saw the first Taurus Gold Saint, Hasgard! Legend has it he could take Ares' spear with his bare body…"
Following that, more heroic souls of Saints appeared: a pair of Gemini warriors with distinct temperaments but identical appearances.
A calm young woman whose cold aura was no less than Camus', but whose eyes were even more aloof.
A handsome young man holding a golden rose, yet with a hint of wickedness… More and more heroic souls of Saints were released.
They looked around blankly, feeling the long-lost freedom and the familiar Athena Goddess Cosmo.
Soon, everyone's gaze focused on the young woman radiating warm and powerful divine energy before them, the current reincarnation of Athena, Saori Kido.
Although her face was somewhat unfamiliar, that familiar Cosmo allowed everyone to immediately recognize that this purple-haired young woman was the current reincarnation of Athena.
Countless complex emotions welled up in their hearts: loyalty, excitement, but more so a long-forgotten, suppressed resentment… How many years had it been? The memories sealed in Cocytus were so distant that even their memories of the Holy War were somewhat blurred.
Among all the liberated heroic spirits, one figure was most striking.
He radiated a powerful Cosmo, his figure was tall and straight, and his eyes were fixed on Athena. It was Aiolos, who had sacrificed himself to protect the infant Athena!
"Brother… Brother!"
Aiolia, who had rushed from the Second Prison, saw this figure and could no longer move his feet. He clenched his fists, his eyes blurred, and he choked, unable to utter a word.
Aiolos's gaze lingered briefly on Aiolia, then precisely fell on Athena.
In his eyes, there was no joy of reunion, no calm acceptance of a selfless sacrifice, only a deep, rock-solid scrutiny.
He slowly spoke, his voice hoarse from the passage of time, yet every word was clear.
"Athena… Goddess."
He nodded slightly, his manners impeccable, yet his tone conveyed little warmth.
"We fulfilled our vows, fighting for you until the last moment, yet our souls were imprisoned here for eternity, unable to rest, unable to reincarnate…"
He looked around at the Saints who had just escaped Cocytus, covered in wounds, their souls almost dissipated. His gaze swept over the young, resolute faces of the current Gold Saints, including his brother, Aiolia.
Aiolos took a deep breath.
"And the Holy War… it has never stopped. Generation after generation of Saints, following one after another, repeating the same sacrifices. We… what has the sacrifice of us Saints truly gained? Merely… to let this endless cycle continue?"
His words were not a fierce accusation, but like a cold dagger, piercing the hearts of all Saints.
The eyes of the newly liberated past Gold Saints also showed a faint resentment.
They died fighting for the Goddess, yet were trapped in the Underworld for a thousand years, watching the Holy War repeat itself again and again, with new successors constantly being imprisoned in Cocytus for eternity.
Were they truly just toys in the hands of the gods?
This feeling of insignificance was more suffocating than Death itself.
Facing Aiolos's direct and fundamental questioning, seeing the silent accusations in the eyes of the past Saints, Athena's eyes reddened slightly.
She bit her red lips, put away her divine arrogance, and her voice carried an unprecedented sincerity and gravity:
"Aiolos… and all the heroic spirits imprisoned here…"
She bowed slightly, adopting a posture of apology befitting a deity.
"I… feel deeply ashamed. Your loyalty and sacrifice should not be betrayed, much less forgotten. Imprisoning your souls was Hades' evil act, and also… my dereliction of duty in failing to completely end the Holy War."
She raised her head, her gaze sweeping over all the Saints, both contemporary and from past generations, both the living and the newly returned heroic spirits.
"This shame, this apology, I bear in my heart, but please believe that I have never forgotten your contributions! Liberating you today is not only for the battle at hand, but also for… ending all of this!"
Athena's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable resolve.
"I swear here! This battle will be the end of the Holy War! I will give my all to sever this curse of Death that entwines the earth! Let sacrifice no longer be in vain, let heroic souls find peace! Your pain and doubts, I will answer with ultimate victory!"
Athena held her hands to her chest, her eyes shimmering with tears.
"Please, believe in me one more time! Fight alongside me, and fight for humanity's last hope!"
In the eyes of many heroic spirits of Saints, the light of hope and fighting spirit reignited.
Then they silently transformed into streams of light and set off for the First Seven Prisons!
The contemporary Saints followed in the footsteps of their predecessors, rushing towards the First Seven Prisons!
A few minutes later, Hades' Army (Specters)'s last resistance completely collapsed.
Seiya's Pegasus Meteor Fist, like a swift storm, combined with Shiryu's Excalibur, severed Radamanthys's final defenses.
Hyoga's Aurora Execution froze Minos's Cosmic Marionettion.
Shun's Nebula Storm completely tore apart Aiacos's Galaxy Illusion.
Ikki's Phoenix's Flames incinerated the remaining Earthly Fiend Specters.
With the help of the returned heroic spirits of past Gold Saints, the contemporary Gold Saints unleashed power beyond their limits.
The main force of the Specters in the First Seven Prisons was completely defeated!
Witnessing the defeat of the Three Giants, the Goddess's descent to liberate the heroic spirits of past generations, and Hades' soul being expelled from his human vessel and disappearing… the remaining Specters completely lost their will to fight.
They dropped their weapons, knelt on the ground, their eyes vacant, awaiting their final judgment.
Hades' Army (Specters) existed in name only.
In Elysium, Hades, through a divine mirror, witnessed his Underworld army, which he had cultivated for ten thousand years, crumble, and his three most powerful Three Giants utterly defeated.
On Hades' incomparably handsome face, an extreme fury and ferocity appeared!
He suddenly stood up, and his dark Death divine power erupted like a boiling volcano!
"Athena! How dare you… how dare you trample the dignity of the Underworld like this! Releasing these lowly departed souls! Do you think you can defeat me this way?"
He could no longer tolerate it. Taking a step, he was about to personally descend, leave Elysium, and with his true form as Hades, crush all invading enemies!
Oneiros and Ikelos desperately lunged, one on each side, embracing Hades' legs!
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100 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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