Dawn was just beginning to break.
A group of Sanctuary grunts barged into Manos’s blacksmith shop like bandits, sending tables and chairs clattering across the floor.
But they had clearly come up empty-handed.
One of the grunts hurried out of the shop.
“Sir, there’s no one inside, and we couldn’t find any Cloths.”
The young man in the white cloak frowned, then gave a derisive chuckle.
“As expected of Crateris.
His instincts are remarkably sharp.”
“Still, they won’t get far.”
…
Athens International Airport.
After buying their tickets, Ryosho sat in the departure lounge with Cynthia, telling her stories about the Five Old Peaks of Rozan as they waited to board their flight.
Just then, he sensed a powerful Cosmo locking onto their location.
Already?
Ryosho raised his head and looked toward the airport entrance, unable to keep himself from frowning.
“Brother Ryosho, why did you stop?
What’s beneath the waterfall at the Five Old Peaks of Rozan?” Cynthia asked curiously when he suddenly broke off in the middle of his story.
Ryosho’s gaze shifted.
There were still more than ten minutes before boarding.
That was plenty of time for the enemy to find them.
If a fight broke out here, countless people would die.
Manos and Cynthia would also be in mortal danger.
With that in mind, he immediately stood and turned to Manos, deliberately keeping his tone casual.
“Grandpa Manos, I just remembered that I left something important at the blacksmith shop.
I need to go back and get it.”
“If I’m not back before the plane takes off, don’t wait for me.
Take Cynthia and go on ahead.
We’ll meet at Rozan.”
Manos looked up at Ryosho with eyes that seemed to have seen through everything life had to offer.
He wanted to say something, but after glancing at Cynthia beside him, he swallowed his words and waved his hand.
“You’re as forgetful as ever, kid.
Hurry up and come back.
It isn’t easy for an old man like me to earn money, so don’t waste what I spent on your ticket.”
Faced with the tremor in the old man’s eyes, Ryosho could not bring himself to meet his gaze.
He gave a quiet acknowledgment, then turned to Cynthia with a smile.
“Be a good girl, Cynthia.
I’ll be right back.
It won’t take long.
But in case I don’t make it in time, listen to Grandpa and stay close to him.
Don’t wander off.
We’ll meet again at Rozan.”
Cynthia said nothing.
She merely looked up at him and clutched the hem of his clothes tightly in both hands.
Ryosho tried several times to pull away, but she refused to let go.
“Cynthia, if you don’t let me leave, it’ll be even harder for me to get back in time.”
Cynthia pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment before raising her head.
“Then promise me, Brother Ryosho.
You have to come back.
Cynthia will wait for you here!”
“All right.
I promise I’ll come back.”
“Pinky promise?”
“Pinky promise.”
After reassuring Cynthia, Ryosho hoisted the Crateris Cloth Box onto his back and quickly left the departure lounge, putting as much distance between himself and the airport as possible.
…
“Farewells are always so touching.
Unfortunately, you’ll probably never see them again.”
Once Ryosho was far from the airport, a young man’s voice came from nearby.
Ryosho closed his eyes and gave a cold laugh.
“Whether I see them again isn’t for you to decide.”
“You brat, who do you think you’re talking to?
There’s no need for our lord to lift a finger.
The few of us are more than enough to deal with you.”
A group of Sanctuary grunts rushed over and surrounded Ryosho.
One of them continued shouting for the others to take him down.
“You lot?”
“A bunch of grunts?”
Ryosho made no attempt to hide his contempt.
“Grunts?
Who are you calling grunts?
Get him, brothers!
Let him see what we can do!”
Ryosho’s words clearly enraged them.
They swarmed him all at once, throwing punches and kicks like a pack of starving wolves.
Ryosho closed his eyes.
He did not even raise a hand.
A powerful burst of Psychokinesis erupted from his brow, hurling every charging grunt into the air.
They crashed to the ground one after another, completely unable to move.
“Misty, stop wasting time.
Whatever you came here to do, get on with it.
I don’t have time for this.”
Ryosho turned to face Lizard Misty, the Silver Saint.
Long golden hair.
A handsome face.
Deep blue eyes.
Fair skin.
His cloak, purple on the outside and red within, complemented the Lizard Silver Cloth, giving him an aristocratic elegance and an almost indescribable beauty.
There was no denying that Misty was an exceptionally handsome man, more beautiful than most women.
Unfortunately, his nearly pathological obsession with his appearance had also made him terrified of being injured in battle.
With that kind of mindset, how could anyone hope to win a fight to the death?
Misty could not help laughing when he heard Ryosho’s words.
“Fight?
You intend to fight me?”
“Crateris?”
“Even among the Silver Saints, my strength ranks within the top three.
Don’t assume that being accepted by the Crateris Cloth makes you worthy of facing me.”
Ryosho had no interest in wasting words on such a narcissist.
He extended one finger, and a beam of white light shot from his hand toward Misty.
“How insolent, Crateris…” Misty raised a finger of his own, sending a burst of light from his fingertip to meet Ryosho’s attack.
The two streams of force collided, producing a powerful shockwave.
They were evenly matched.
Ryosho was not surprised.
Both attacks had merely been tests.
“Watch carefully, Misty.
White Lotus Ice Spear.”
Moisture gathered from the air and crystallized into countless ice spears.
In the next instant, they shot forward at tremendous speed.
A smile played across Misty’s lips as he raised both hands and formed an invisible Air Wall before him.
Every one of Ryosho’s attacks was stopped.
This was Misty’s signature technique, the Air Wall.
By compressing the air into an invisible barrier, it could block physical attacks and even reflect a portion of their force.
“Crateris, there’s no reason for us to fight.
The Pope did order me to take your life and bring back the Crateris Cloth.”
“But I, Misty, have never cared for killing.”
“Nor do I like blood staining my body.”
“The Cloth is a legacy of Greece.”
“Hand it over, and I’ll make an exception.
I’ll spare your life and allow you to leave.”
“Misty, could you stop whining like a woman?
I already told you I’m in a hurry.
I don’t have time to waste here with you.”
Ryosho frowned and snapped at him.
He checked the time.
He truly could not afford to waste another moment.
He ignited the Cosmo within him.
The instant the Crateris Cloth sensed it, the cup-shaped armor opened and separated into individual pieces before swiftly assembling around his body.
“You…”
Misty’s face flushed red, then his expression turned cold.
“Since you’re so eager to die, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”
Now clad in the Cloth, Ryosho stared coldly at Misty.
“Enough talk.
Take this.”
“Hundred Roaring Fangs Whirlwind Ice Spear.”
“Air Wall!”
“It’s useless.
A technique will never work on a Saint twice.”
Ryosho burned his Cosmo.
He had already gauged Misty’s strength, and it was far inferior to that of the fake “Saga.”
As his Cosmo surged, a brilliant starry sky appeared behind him, revealing his Guardian Constellation, Crateris.
Spinning ice spears materialized around Misty from every direction and closed in to tear him apart.
Some even bypassed the Air Wall entirely, forming directly against the surface of Misty’s body before striking him with tremendous force.
“What is this?!”
“Impossible.”
“How can this be?!”
“Waaaaaah!”
The countless ice spears hurled Misty high into the air.
He plummeted back down and slammed into the ground, shattering the concrete beneath him.
His helmet flew from his head and landed some distance away.
Ryosho checked the time.
Good.
Just in time.
He turned and began walking back toward the airport.
“Damn you!
This is unforgivable!
You actually wounded me, Misty!
You’ve truly enraged me, Crateris!”
Misty’s voice came from behind him.
He stared at the blood on his hands, trembling with uncontrollable rage.
Ryosho stopped.
He had originally intended to spare Misty’s life.
After all, he needed to leave someone for Seiya to test himself against.
If Seiya wanted to survive the battles in the Twelve Temples, fighting the Silver Saints was essential, especially powerful opponents like Misty.
But Misty clearly had no intention of remaining on the ground and pretending to be dead.
That was only natural.
The stronger someone was, the greater their pride tended to be.
Misty was no exception.
Besides, Ryosho had injured his body and left him in such a humiliating state.
Misty probably wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.
Ryosho turned to face Misty as he staggered to his feet.
Once again, he ignited his Cosmo and drove it relentlessly toward its limit.
“This time…
I won’t hold back.”
“I’ll tear your head off with my own hands and make you atone for defiling my body.”
Misty also began raising his Cosmo with reckless intensity.
Vast galaxies and nebulae seemed to pour into their bodies one after another, accompanied by the sound of meteors streaking through the heavens.
It was as though they stood within an endless sea of stars, their respective Guardian Constellations appearing behind them.
The moment both their Cosmos reached their limits, they attacked simultaneously.
“Hundred Roaring Fangs Whirlwind Ice Spear!”
“Marble Tripper!”
Their techniques collided in midair.
Their powerful Cosmos crashed together, unleashing a terrifying shockwave.
A colossal pillar of light shot into the sky, causing the whole of Athens to tremble.
The concrete beneath them shattered and rolled outward like surging waves.
Suddenly, Ryosho’s pupils contracted sharply, then rapidly dilated.
Without Ryosho’s power to sustain them, the ice spears shattered beneath Misty’s Marble Tripper.
The violent gale created by the Marble Tripper swept the unconscious Ryosho high into the air.
He crashed heavily to the ground and lay motionless.
Misty remained where he stood.
As he watched Ryosho’s body fall, he could not help frowning.