A goblet-shaped relief was carved into the Cloth Box.
There was no doubt about it.
This was indeed the Crateris Cloth.
In Saint Seiya: Next Dimension, Crateris was the Cloth worn by the Silver Saint Suikyō.
However, the Crateris Cloth had never appeared in Saint Seiya.
Along with the Ara, Caelum, and Sculptor Cloths, it had once been known as one of the Lost Cloths.
Unlike other Cloths, the Crateris Cloth possessed two abilities that could only be described as godlike.
Healing and Foresight.
When not being worn, the Cloth took the form of a cup.
Any clean water poured into it would be transformed into Divine Water, allowing anyone who drank it to recover their strength and injuries instantly.
When the cup was filled with clean water, its surface would also reveal visions of its holder’s future.
In other words, it could foresee the future.
Ryosho never could have imagined that the Cosmo calling to him belonged to the Crateris Cloth, much less that the Cloth would be hidden in this place.
For a moment, he could not tell whether the Water of Life possessed healing powers because of the Crateris Cloth, or whether the spring had always possessed those miraculous properties on its own.
Just then, a dazzling blue-white light burst from the edges of the Cloth Box.
Under Ryosho’s astonished gaze, the Crateris Cloth Box slowly opened.
Inside lay a Cloth gleaming with diamond-like blue radiance.
The cup was now filled with spring water.
Ryosho instinctively looked into the water-filled Cloth, and an image woven from light and shadow appeared upon the mirror-like surface.
When Ryosho saw the scene clearly, his pupils contracted.
In the vision, Seiya was wearing the Pegasus Bronze Cloth, but his head had been severed from his body.
Blood splashed across the marble floor, vivid as blooming red spider lilies.
Beside Seiya lay the bodies of Marin of Aquila and Shaina of Ophiuchus.
Seiya, Marin, and Shaina were dead?
How was that possible?
Seiya was the undisputed protagonist of Saint Seiya.
How could he die, much less here in the Sanctuary?
What had gone wrong?
For a moment, Ryosho found it difficult to accept what he had seen.
He had no idea how future events would unfold if Seiya died.
Would everything collapse?
Spiral out of control?
Or return to chaos?
Chaos…
That was right.
Until now, the future had been clear in his eyes.
He had known exactly what was supposed to happen.
But once Seiya died, the future he knew would dissolve into chaos.
More importantly, Seiya was one of the key fighters protecting Athena, Saori Kido.
If Seiya died, Ryosho doubted whether Athena could return to the Sanctuary at all, much less achieve victory in the future Holy War.
No.
He had to save Seiya, Marin, and Shaina.
He could not allow the worst possible outcome to occur.
And to save Seiya, he needed a Sacred Cloth of his own.
As though responding to Ryosho’s wish, the Crateris Cloth suddenly released a powerful Cosmo that locked onto him.
In the next instant, he lost all control of his body.
A pillar of light connecting heaven and earth appeared between him and the Cloth.
Within it, both Ryosho and the Cloth soared toward the surface.
Through the dazzling light, Ryosho vaguely saw a goblet flying toward him.
The moment Ryosho and the Sacred Cloth emerged from the pool, the goblet-shaped Cloth spun apart into more than a dozen streaks of light.
They shot toward him and fastened themselves around his body with a series of metallic clangs.
For the first time in 243 years, someone had donned the Crateris Silver Cloth.
…
Jamir, Mū’s Mansion.
Mū was sitting cross-legged outside the mansion in meditation when he suddenly raised his head and looked toward the far end of the Jamir Plateau, his brows drawing together.
Kiki stood beside him with both hands behind his head.
Seeing Mū suddenly awaken from his meditation, he asked curiously, “What’s wrong, Mū-sama?”
Mū replied, “I sensed an astonishing Cosmo appear at the far end of the Jamir Plateau.”
“Mount Jandara?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that where the Spring of the Water of Life is?
Did someone climb Mount Jandara?”
Mū shook his head.
“What in the world happened?” Kiki murmured, clasping his small hands behind his back as he gazed toward Mount Jandara.
…
The Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary Colosseum.
The Pope, who was presiding over the semifinals of the Pegasus Cloth tournament, suddenly turned his head toward the east.
Confusion appeared in his compassionate eyes.
He sensed an astonishing Cosmo awakening in the east, as though something lost for countless years had returned from the depths of death.
What could it be…?
The Pope was not the only one who sensed it.
Dohko at the Five Old Peaks of Rozan and Hilda, Odin’s Representative on Earth in Asgard, also felt the Cosmo erupting from Jamir and instinctively turned their gazes in that direction.
…
Meanwhile, the source of all this attention stood beside the Spring of the Water of Life, feeling the immense power granted to him by the Crateris Silver Cloth.
His Cosmo had fused and resonated with the Cosmo of the Crateris Cloth, increasing the strength of his own Cosmo several times over.
And that was not all…
A faint Cosmo still lingered within the Crateris Silver Cloth.
It contained traces of the thoughts left behind by generations of Crateris Saints, and that remnant had awakened the instant he donned the Cloth.
It had no consciousness of its own.
Rather than thought, it was more like a spiritual imprint, or perhaps the Cloth Memory.
It was passing down the signature techniques of Crateris.
White Lotus Ice Spear.
Hundred Roaring Fangs Whirlwind Ice Spear.
The former crystallized the moisture in the atmosphere and launched countless ice spears with enough power to pierce a Gold Cloth.
The latter was Crateris’s ultimate technique, releasing innumerable crystallized ice spears in a spiraling whirlwind.
Ryosho had only just awakened his Cosmo and had not yet learned any special techniques.
The legacy of Crateris had given him valuable new means of both attack and self-defense.
“White Lotus Ice Spear.”
Ryosho’s eyes snapped open as he thrust both hands forward.
Countless ice spears crystallized in midair and shot ahead at tremendous speed, instantly shattering a massive boulder on the summit.
He lowered his head and looked at the Silver Cloth covering his body.
It shimmered with a crystalline, diamond-like luster, and delight flashed through his eyes.
Clearly, the Crateris Cloth had acknowledged him.
From this moment on, he was the Crateris Silver Saint.
Just then, his vision blurred, and the entry for the Crateris Cloth lit up in the Cloth Compendium.
The illuminated entry immediately dissolved into Soul Crystals.
In the upper-right corner of his vision, the Soul Crystal counter changed from 0 to 100.
Unlocking a Silver Cloth had rewarded him with 100 Soul Crystals.
Those 100 Soul Crystals could be exchanged for 10 units of Orichalcum, 2 units of Gammanium, and 1 unit of Stardust Sand.
With those Soul Crystals, he could obtain the materials needed to repair his Cloth.
More importantly, unlocking the Cloth Compendium increased his Cosmo Comprehension and Strength by 1.
He closed his eyes and carefully examined the change.
However, the Crateris Silver Cloth had already amplified his Cosmo so much that he could barely feel the effect of the additional point in Cosmo Comprehension and Strength.
It felt like something had increased, yet at the same time, it felt as though nothing had changed.
It might as well not have increased at all.
Ryosho grumbled inwardly as he closed the system interface, then turned his gaze toward the west.
Whatever the case, it was time to return to Athens.
Eight days had passed since he left Greece, though most of that time had been spent searching for Mount Jandara.
Unless he had miscalculated, the Pegasus Cloth Selection Tournament should have reached the semifinals by now.
The finals should be tomorrow.
He had to return to the Sanctuary before tomorrow night.
That was when Seiya would leave the Sanctuary and return to Greece, and also when the Crateris Cloth had foretold the deaths of Seiya, Marin, and Shaina.
…
“Cassios!
Cassios!”
The Sanctuary Colosseum was packed with people, and deafening cheers erupted from the crowd from time to time.
Cynthia stood in the spectator stands, squeezed among a group of low-ranking soldiers.
Her small, slender figure looked especially frail among them.
She searched the arena in every direction, but the familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.
It had already been nine days.
He had clearly promised to return within a day or two, yet Ryosho still had not come back.
She did not appear as worried as her grandfather.
But inside, she was terrified.
Grandpa had told her that Athena’s Saints existed to protect Athena.
And to protect Athena, they had to fight against evil.
When people fought, some of them died.
She did not want Brother Ryosho to die.
Aside from Grandpa, he was the person closest to her.
…
“You have each defeated nine opponents and earned the right to compete in the finals!”
“Of the 1,024 warriors who entered, only the two of you remain.”
“Now, fight!”
“The victor will receive this…” Wearing a mask and voluminous papal robes, the Pope pointed his staff toward the Pegasus Cloth.
“The symbol of Athena’s Saints.
The Pegasus Cloth will belong to the winner.”
“Brother Ryosho, the match has already started.
If you don’t come back soon, you’ll miss it.”
Cynthia clenched her small fists and silently watched Seiya and Cassios begin their fight.
…
Ryosho appeared in the Sanctuary.
It had taken him only one day to return from Jamir.
After donning the Crateris Cloth, his Cosmo had grown considerably stronger, and his Sixth Sense had improved as well.
He was now capable of Teleportation over slightly greater distances.
However, the Sanctuary was protected by Athena’s Cosmo.
Even Mū, whose Psychokinesis was extraordinarily powerful, had to travel through it one step at a time.
Ryosho certainly could not do otherwise.
He had not brought the Cloth into the Sanctuary.
Carrying a Cloth Box on his back would have attracted far too much attention.
Until the enemy destined to kill Seiya appeared, remaining hidden was the wiser choice.
The Sanctuary Colosseum was alive with noise.
Before Ryosho had even reached it, Seiya’s voice carried toward him.
“For the past nine years, we’ve struggled just to survive in this Sanctuary.
That’s why I’ll spare your life.”
Had the match already begun?
Ryosho quickened his pace.
By the time he reached the spectator stands, Seiya had already taken his attacking stance, his hands tracing the paths of the thirteen stars of Pegasus.
So the match was about to be decided?
Ryosho narrowed his eyes, sensing Seiya’s Cosmo steadily rising.
There was no longer any suspense about the outcome.
Before someone whose Cosmo had awakened, even Cassios, with his gigantic physique and Saint-level destructive power, was still nothing more than an ordinary man.
Ryosho looked away and turned his attention toward the Pope.
Gemini Saga.
At this point, Saga’s benevolent side should still have been in control of his body.
However, when Ryosho noticed the alternating blue and white at the ends of Saga’s hair, his pupils contracted slightly.
Had his evil side already awakened?
Ryosho’s eyes flickered.
Why?
What had caused the plot to deviate like this?
Was it because of him?
But he had not done anything yet.
While Ryosho was lost in thought, the match came to an end.
The result held no surprises.
Seiya won ownership of the Pegasus Cloth and officially became one of Athena’s Saints.
“Brother Ryosho…”
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ryosho turned toward the sound.
Cynthia was waving her small hand at him, her face flushed with excitement.
The moment she saw him, she hurried over, her clear eyes brimming with joy.
“Brother Ryosho, you’re back.”
“Mm.”
Ryosho pushed aside his troubled thoughts, crouched down, and affectionately ruffled her hair with a smile.
But he felt no relief at all.
Seiya, Marin, and Shaina were all going to die tonight.
No matter what, he had to find a way to stop it.
But who was the enemy?
The Pope?
Why would the Pope want to kill Seiya?
Even Evil Saga had no reason to kill Seiya at this point in time.
Ryosho had no clues at all.
Forget it.
He would find out tonight.