“The dead brought back to life?”
“The Malevolent Spirit Formation?”
After hearing Ryosho’s account, Dohko frowned and sank into thought.
“Could Hades, the King of the Underworld, have already awakened?”
Deathtoll said, “The kid and I suspected Hades as well, but knowing his ways, he wouldn’t be hiding in the shadows like this.
One thing is certain, though.
Only a god could resurrect Gold Saints like us.”
Ryosho asked, “Senior, has there been any movement from Hades’ Army under your watch?”
Dohko looked at Ryosho and chuckled.
“You seem to know quite a lot.”
Ryosho smiled awkwardly.
He could hardly admit that he had come from another world, so he could only attribute his knowledge to the Crateris Cloth’s prophetic abilities.
“It has been more than 240 years,” Dohko said.
“Athena’s Seal normally remains effective for only around 250 years, so the time is certainly drawing near.
However, I have yet to detect any sign that Hades’ Army has revived.”
Ryosho nodded.
As long as the seal upon the 108 Evil Stars remained intact, the Holy War against Hades had not yet begun.
Moreover, Hades’ mortal vessel in this era, Andromeda Shun, was essentially right under his nose.
Even if the Holy War began ahead of schedule, there would surely be signs around Shun.
For now, Hades could be ruled out as the cause of these resurrections.
Aside from Hades, which gods could command the dead and restore them to life?
Ryosho thought it over, recalling both the main Saint Seiya story and its various spin-offs.
Quite a few gods had resurrected fallen Gold Saints before.
Phoebus Abel, the Sun God.
Odin, the god of Asgard.
And the evil god Loki, whose resurrection ritual had been taken over by Odin.
“Odin?”
“The evil god Loki?”
Ryosho’s eyes lit up.
Could these be the Einherjars of Norse mythology?
Judging by the timeline, Loki should have awakened long ago.
However, Einherjar Marks normally appeared on the bodies of Einherjars, and Ryosho had seen nothing of the sort on Cain or Deathtoll.
It also did not match Deathtoll’s description of the Malevolent Spirit Formation.
Still, the Malevolent Spirit Formation did resemble Loki’s handiwork.
It bore some similarities to his method of summoning the dead.
“Didn’t your Crateris Cloth give you an answer?” Dohko could not make sense of it either.
Ryosho shook his head.
“The Cloth only showed me a vision of Seiya being attacked and killed by Cain.
I haven’t seen any more visions of the future since then.”
“If we have no leads, then there’s no point dwelling on it.
Whatever god is responsible, all we need to know is that this danger exists.”
“For now, that god’s objective appears to be eliminating you and the Bronze Saints.
We may not know why, but we simply have to make sure he fails.”
“Of course, that also means you’ll have to face many former Gold Saints in the future.”
“Get moving, kid.
Hurry up and master the Seventh Sense.
From what we’ve seen, you’re the only one capable of foreseeing when and where they’ll strike.
I suspect that’s precisely why they want you dead.”
Deathtoll was far more easygoing about the situation, but his words gave Ryosho a sudden sense of clarity.
He was right.
What good would overthinking it do?
Some god was behind all this.
Even if they discovered which one, did they currently possess the strength to slay a god?
Worrying about it now would accomplish nothing.
They would deal with whatever came their way.
As Deathtoll had said, the most urgent task was to grow stronger.
However…
The only reason Ryosho could think of for wanting to eliminate the Bronze Saints in advance was that the enemy knew their potential.
Or, looking deeper, perhaps they were also trying to alter the course of the future.
To change certain events in the future, one first had to know what that future held.
If that were true, it would explain the details that had not added up before.
That was probably the worst possible scenario.
Of course, it was also possible that Ryosho himself, like a butterfly gently flapping its wings, had caused these changes.
“Deathtoll, you’re still as tactful and carefree as ever.”
Dohko gazed wistfully at Deathtoll’s spirit and found himself thinking of his other fallen comrades.
“Of course…”
Ryosho looked from Deathtoll to Dohko.
After more than two hundred years apart, the two old comrades surely had much to discuss.
He excused himself and withdrew.
Cynthia was already awake and chatting happily with Shunrei inside the house.
Manos sat nearby, staring at them in bewilderment.
He had no idea when the little girl had learned Chinese, much less become fluent enough to carry on a conversation.
When Ryosho entered, the beautiful and kindhearted Shunrei hurried over to greet him.
“Master has already told me everything.
From now on, you’ll be staying in the house beside the fields.”
“Thank you.”
Ryosho thanked her politely.
“You’re welcome.
I’ll take you there now.”
Shunrei smiled brightly.
She did not seem bothered by the arrival of guests.
On the contrary, she appeared delighted.
It was not difficult to understand why.
At the Five Old Peaks, there were only Shiryu and Dohko.
One was quiet and reserved, spending all his time training, while the other meditated beneath the waterfall all day.
Neither had much time to talk or laugh with her.
Their arrival brought a small ripple of excitement to her otherwise peaceful life.
Of course, none of that truly mattered to Shunrei.
She only had eyes for Shiryu.
“You’ll be staying here from now on.
I’ll prepare your meals and bring them over.”
Shunrei soon led them to a house.
It was very simple, but more than adequate to shelter them from the wind and rain.
A broad stretch of farmland lay before it.
A gently flowing stream ran alongside the fields, dividing them into neat squares.
In the distance, the peaks of Rozan rose into the clouds, with pine and cypress trees clinging to the sheer cliffs.
Mist curled among the mountains, making the landscape look like a realm of immortals.
It was a secluded paradise untouched by the outside world.
Ryosho gazed at the picturesque scenery and became absorbed in it without realizing it.
Dohko certainly knew how to choose a place to live.
This hardly seemed like the mortal world.
It was a true paradise.
Only such a place could nurture people as kind, compassionate, and full of spirit as Shiryu and Shunrei.
“Wow, it’s beautiful!”
Cynthia ran to the edge of the stream and stared into the crystal-clear water, her bright eyes sparkling with delight.
She turned and waved toward Ryosho.
“Brother Ryosho, Shunrei, come quickly!
There are crabs in the stream!”
Ryosho walked over and gently patted her head.
“Do you like it here?”
“I do!”
“Then you must listen to Shunrei from now on and not cause her any trouble.”
“Cynthia is very well behaved.
I would never cause Shunrei any trouble.”
Cynthia pulled a funny face.
Shunrei covered her mouth and laughed at the adorable, mischievous girl.
Ryosho straightened and looked at the graceful young woman beside him.
“Shunrei-san, I’m afraid we’ll be imposing on you quite a bit for the time being.
Please forgive us if we cause you any inconvenience.”
Shunrei shook her head and replied somewhat shyly, “Not at all.
You don’t need to be so formal.
Just call me Shunrei.
Unless you need anything else, I’ll head back now.
I’ll prepare lunch and bring it over later.”
“Thank you for your help.”
“It’s no trouble.”
Deathtoll did not return until evening.
It seemed he and Dohko truly had a great deal to discuss.
“Working hard, kid?”
Upon returning and seeing Ryosho sitting cross-legged in meditation by the doorway, Deathtoll could not resist teasing him.
“Are the old man and the little girl already asleep?”
As he spoke, he craned his neck and peered into the room.
The sound of steady breathing drifted from inside.
Without opening his eyes, Ryosho gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment.
“Hey, your Cloth is glowing!”
Ryosho’s eyes snapped open.
In a flash, he appeared beside the Cloth.
Sure enough, it was emitting a faint light.
He glanced at Deathtoll, then opened the Cloth Box.
The light was coming from the cup.
Reflected upon the clear surface of the water was a golden scepter.