23: Chapter 12: The Galaxian Wars Begin, The Sagittarius Gold Cloth!
(Part 1) 23: Chapter 12: The Galaxian Wars Begin, The Sagittarius Gold Cloth!
(Part 1) ‘The Pope?
We just met yesterday.
Why is he looking for me again today?’ Alex stood in the center of the Aquarius Temple, lost in thought.
Could Shion have noticed the disturbance of him traveling to and from the Reincarnation Space?
Or perhaps time flowed differently between the two worlds?
He had only spent half a day in the One Piece world; had a long time already passed in the Saint Seiya world?
Filled with doubt, he raised his hand and dispelled the defensive domain enveloping his temple.
The moment the domain vanished, the Silver Saint waiting outside instantly felt an overwhelming Cosmo that threatened to freeze his very blood, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
No, that wasn’t all.
Lord Alex’s Cosmo felt even more terrifyingly powerful than before, carrying a tyrannical aura capable of destroying everything in its path.
As Alex stepped out of the Aquarius Temple, a flash of lightning flickered deep within his eyes.
“Lord Alex, His Holiness the Pope is waiting for you in his chambers.” The Silver Saint kept his head bowed, not daring to meet his gaze.
“How long has it been since the Pope last summoned me?” Alex asked suddenly.
“Only one night, my Lord!” One night?
Alex raised an eyebrow slightly.
It seemed the time flow between the Reincarnation Space and the Saint Seiya universe was a one-to-one ratio.
For Shion to summon him again so urgently, there had to be a reason.
Following the Silver Saint through the corridors of the Twelve Temples, the morning sunlight cast a cold gleam across the stone grounds of the Sanctuary.
Upon arriving at the Pope’s chambers, he found Shion sitting upon his high throne.
His white papal robes cascaded down the steps, and his body was entirely motionless, as still as a pool of dead water.
“Your Holiness, you sent for me?” Alex gave a slight bow, his gaze landing on the eyes hidden beneath Shion’s mask.
Within those jewel-like violet eyes hid an indescribable exhaustion.
Shion waved his hand, signaling the Silver Saint to withdraw.
The heavy stone doors of the chamber slowly closed shut, completely sealing off the light from the outside.
He leaned forward slightly, his voice as low and frail as a candle flickering in the wind.
“Saori Kido announced in Tokyo today that the Galaxian Wars will commence in three days.” He paused here, his violet eyes locking onto Alex from behind the mask.
“The prize for the champion…
is the Sagittarius Gold Cloth!” Alex’s heart stirred slightly.
It was finally happening.
He remembered clearly that the prelude to the Holy War began with this very tournament.
Using the Sagittarius Cloth as bait, Saori Kido was gathering the five Bronze Saints, particularly the one she placed her highest hopes upon: Pegasus Seiya.
Among Athena’s Saints, two constellations were exceptionally unique!
In previous Holy Wars, the Pegasus Saint had managed to injure the physical body of Hades, the God of the Underworld.
Ever since that Holy War, Hades refused to fight using his true body.
Instead, he would search the mortal realm for a human host to bear his divine soul.
The other special constellation was none other than the Sagittarius Gold Saint.
The golden arrow of Sagittarius possessed the power to slay gods!
Throughout the history of the Holy Wars, there were multiple records of the Sagittarius Saint using the golden arrow to strike down divine beings.
In this moment, everything was as clear as a mirror to Alex.
The Sagittarius Gold Cloth was the pre-prepared backup armor for Seiya!
It seemed that for this Holy War, Athena had definitely hatched a plan: let the Pegasus Saint don the Sagittarius Gold Cloth, utterly destroy Hades, and finally end the eternal cycle of the Holy Wars.
Shion was evidently unaware of Alex’s internal monologue as he continued in his deep voice.
“The Cygnus Bronze Saint, Hyoga, is a key figure chosen by the Goddess.
Alex, you are to arrange for him to participate in the Galaxian Wars.” Having said his piece, he closed his eyes and leaned back against his throne.
The fluctuations of Shion’s Cosmo were even weaker than yesterday.
Like a flickering candle in the wind, it seemed ready to extinguish at any given moment.
Alex sighed inwardly.
Generally speaking, the lifespan of a Gold Saint did not exceed thirty years.
Shion had only managed to live this long thanks to the unique constitution of the Jamirian race.
But ultimately, he was old.
There was absolutely no chance Shion would survive this coming Holy War.
With the position of the Pope left unresolved, the Sanctuary was bound to face another period of massive turmoil.