Kapitel 43: Fighting the Specters Part 1

Geist POV - Greece, Sanctuary - 1987

The chaos started all over the Sanctuary just like brother predicted, a lot of evil spirits started attacking at random, but luckily they are pretty weak and can be easily defeated with a single Cosmo-infused blow, they aren't the real problem, just a nuisance, the real problem, are the countless foot soldiers of Hades, the Skeleton Soldier, undead warriors donning the Skeleton Surplice, made of the headpiece, a helmet that represents a skull with three small horns, the shoulder pieces, round with three horns each, a small chest piece that barely protects the upper part of the chest, and relative simple arms and legs pieces, it is dark grey in color and has a scythe as a weapon.

(Image Here - Skeleton Specter)

Right now, I and Cassios are leading a group of trainees equipped with the mass-produced model of Steel Cloth, these Steel Cloths vaguely resemble the Land Cloth, they have a basic design in the boots by a "fin" on each ankle, the right arm is simple although its center extends some kind of protection that exceeds the elbow, while the right arm has a somewhat different model to the left arm with a protection with a kind of arc, such protection allows the use of the Steel Bolt Arrow, a burst of compressed energy that can be charged with both Cosmo and the Cloth internal energy, the waist piece has four protections, located on the sides and on the front of that part of the body, the chest piece has the protection that exceeds the mouth of the stomach unified to the shoulders, the helmet also has basic protection in whose upper part is the protection of red color, the shoulder pieces have a cubic shape that covers the shoulders from above, all of them vary in color.

(Image Here - MP Steel Cloths)

Soon, we find a group of Skeleton Specters about to attack, the guards protecting the zone where the trainee lives, so I yell "Let's go! Send them back to the Underworld!!", and quickly move to attack the one leading this group, I raise my arm akin a cobra raising her head, sets my Cosmo on fire with my outstretched hand and fingers which produce real lightning with electric charges of 10,000 volts, generated by my Cosmo, then I attack yelling "Thunder Claw!!", and with a quick claw strike, I pierce through his Surplice and chest, sending the electric charge right into his body, frying him on the inside and killing him on the spot.

At the same time, I hear Cassios yell "Steel Saints! Focus on suppression!!", and see dozen of Steel Bolt Arrows, hitting the Skeleton Specters, blocking their advance, while Cassios, rushes inside and starts to literally wreck them apart with his monstrous strength, with one punch he caves in the head of one, a powerful kick and breaks the Surplice of another leaving him defenseless from the other Steel Saints' attack, he grabs the head of another and rips it off, then he throws it at another with such force that breaks his opponent's arm, he is brutal and efficient, using the minimal time, to kill or cripple as many opponents as possible.

I look around me and think 'Luckily these soldiers are weaker than a normal Bronze Saint, the only problem is that their armor is stronger than a Black Cloth and that they are unafraid of death...', but I stop thinking about that and focus on dealing with this group as soon as possible, and while entering the fray once again I think, 'Luckily we aren't the only ones here, sister, Seiya and the others are also running around dealing with them and the other Specters that made their appearance!'.

Mu POV - Greece, Sanctuary - 1987

I warily look at the three newcomers and get ready to react at a moment's notice, when, Bennu Kagaho says "Let's not lose any more time...", then he points his finger at me, and igniting his cosmos, Kagaho yells "Crucify Ankh", and projects stakes of black flames that are quickly moving toward me at the speed of the light, too fast for me to move away, so I do the only other thing, I teleport out of harms' way, but some locks of my hair are still burned by those black stakes.

Kagaho sees that I'm safe and clicks his tongue, then as he prepares to attack again he says "So you can teleport away... But this time, you'll lose more than just your hair, Mu", but before he could attack again, Dryad Luco steps forward, and putting his hand on Kagaho's shoulder he says "Wait... Don't waste your energy with him... I'll easily make him step aside, with my... Curse of the Lily", and as he says this, he raises his hand and gather his Cosmo into a strange small bell-like white flower it almost looks like a lily of the valley but something about it is very different, and the next moment, the same kind of flowers starts growing all around us.

At the same time it emanate a strange rotten scent, and as soon as I caught a whiff of it, I felt my body growing weaker by the second, and find more difficult to move, so I quickly stop breathing and try to distance my self, but I stumble and fall on the ground, then I hear Luco's voice as he explains "This is the only alive thing that grows in the underworld... A beautiful flower with many uses, first it is able to heal any kind of injuries... the only downside is that the one healed by it will become a slave, a Skeleton Warrior under the command of Hades... Another one is the one that you are experiencing now, it is able to sedate anyone who smells its scent until they fall into an eternal sleep as long as there is an Underworld Flower around...".

As I struggle to ignite my Cosmo and get away from the influence of this flower, I see Behemoth Violate, slowly moving in front of me, with her arm crossed, then she says "Let's end this and move forward!", and she raiser her leg ready to finish me off, at the same time, I'm finally able to ignite my Cosmo, but just as I was about to move, I felt a strong psychic power take a hold and stopping me from moving, then as Violate was about to stomp me to death, I hear his voice "Enough, Violate, I've sealed Mu's movements, I shall finish him off myself, hurry and take Athena's head! Do not forget that we only have 12 hours...".

She simply shrugs her shoulder and says "Then we will be off...", and soon the three move past the Aries Temple, at the same time I feel many others pass through it after them, he moves in front of me and says "Have you prepared yourself? You have committed many crimes against me, Mu, but you are still precious to me, therefore, I shall kill you myself, painlessly... Farewell, Mu!!", but all of the sudden the Fire Clock lits up, and surprise he exclaims "What? The Fire Clock just blazed to life!! Wh-who in the world...".

Before he finishes his phrase, an old man laughing can be heard, and the next moment, the figure of Master Dohko calmly walking with his cane can be seen "Ho, ho, ho... It was me... Dio... ehm... I mean Dohko... truly the manga that young Jayr let me read was truly entertaining... Anyway, long time no see, Shion, 243 years, eh? I never thought we'd be reunited like this... Why don't you reveal yourself already, eh? My dear friend...".

Then Master Dohko burns his Cosmo to rip apart the cloak covering him with his telekinesis and says "You're the one who fell to the hand of Saga's evil side, the former Pope of the Sanctuary, Aries Shion!!", and indeed, in front of me there is a young version of my Master and father figure, Aries Shion, a tall young man with light green long hair and the similar facial features of me and Kiki, as well as the two tikas on his forehead all characteristic symbol of our muvian race, he is wearing a dark copy of my Aries Cloths, it is basically an Aries Surplice of dark purple color.

(Image Here - Aries Shion)

Both I and Master Dohko are surprised by his appearance even if we knew what to expect, in fact, Master Dohko says "You should be 261 years old, like me... But you look just as you did before the last Holy War!", and Master Shion calmly says "Surprised, Dohko? This is the power of the God of the Underworld...Because I've pledged fealty to Lord Hades, I've been granted a second life overflowing with vitality! My body is 18 years old, in the prime of life when humans are at their strongest and most beautiful! By contrast, my dear Dohko... You've aged".

But Master Dohko simply says "It's an illusion... Your life and youth are mere illusions, why do you think I lit the Fire Clock... Your life shall last only as long as that clock remains lit, you know that better than anyone, Shion", then Master Dohko looks at me and says "Mu, pursue the Specters at once, work with the others to prevent them from getting near Athena", then he raises his cane to send a blast of his Cosmo to free me and says "In mere 12 hours the Fire Clock will go out! During this time you must protect Athena at all costs and remove all the Specters from this place! I'll take over here, go, Mu!", and I simply reply "Yes, sir!", before rushing up the Gold Zodiac.

Aldebaran POV - Greece, Sanctuary - 1987

I can feel the chaos encroaching the whole Sanctuary, the Cosmos of the Saints and soldiers clashing against the malevolent Cosmos of the Specters, moreover I feel many very powerful Cosmos coming closer to the Taurus Temple, at the same time, I remember Jayr's warning 'He said that I underestimated my opponent and was caught by surprise by his technique... In the end, in the future he saw, I was only able to kill my opponent by exchanging my life for his... He also told me that in the last vision he saw that the number of Specters attacking the Gold Zodiac increased, as a result of his actions...'.

Soon I feel many presences enter the Temple, and I raise my guard for any unexpected attack, and one quickly came, a strong Cosmo Blast appears out of nowhere, but as I'm ready for it, I'm able to guard against it, but even so, the blast still pushes me back by a few meters, and at the same time, I feel many presences quickly pass through, and move out of the Temple continuing toward the Gemini Temple, at the same time, only one of them remains behind, most probably to stall or kill me.

And indeed, after I recovered my balance, I hear a creepy laugh, and my opponent finally makes his appearance "Hie, hie, hie... Nice to meet you, I'll be the one to kill you, I'm the Terrestrial Darkness Star, Deep Niobe!", he is a man of 20 to 30 years old, he stands slightly bent over as if he were hunchbacked, he has well-defined wrinkles or marks on his face, a wide nose, and a big mouth, his body is slim but athletic due to his condition as a warrior, and his armor, is dark grey and purple, the shoulders pieces are in the shape of large claws, his headpiece is a helmet that extends completely along the head of the Spectre, it has a design that resembles an amphibian with large fangs, the legs, hips, and arms pieces has several claws distributed along each protection.

(Image Here - Deep Niobe)

Without waiting another moment, Niobe ignites his Cosmo and says "I'll quickly kill you, don't worry it will be painless!", his Cosmo reaches the maximum, and he yells "Deep Fragrance!!", to produce from his Surplice, a sweet fragrance of death of purple color, but as soon as he urged his Cosmo, I jumped back to increase the distance between us.

Seeing the purple cloud expanding, I once again think about the details of this technique, 'I remember that Jayr said that this scent, once inhaled, causes the victim to begin to lose his senses, then the limbs of his body begin to fall asleep, and he begins to lose consciousness, moreover holding the nose or closing the mouth to avoid inhaling the fragrance is impossible, as the fragrance seeps through the pores of the skin and travels through the nervous system to override the five senses, and within seconds causes the victim to plunge into the deepest death... Truly a dangerous and deadly technique... If you don't know anything about it!'.

I take advantage of the fact that my opponent is taken by surprise by my quick reaction to unleash my strongest technique, I take my fighting stance by crossing my arms, ignite my Cosmo to the maximum, and as the phantom image of a bull appears behind me, I yell "Feel the might of the Golden Bull! Great... Horns!!", and I unsheathe my arms like an Iai technique, to release, two powerful massive waves of Cosmo towards my enemy at the speed of light, that hits Niobe with such force that his Surplice pulverizes on impact, and his body is literally ripped apart by the overwhelming force, so much the what impacts the Temple's wall is an almost unrecognizable mess.

I look surprised by how easily I dealt with so much that I say "Really...? That's it? I expected more from the specter that was able to kill me...", then I finally notice another presence entering the Temple, only this time is a friendly one, and indeed, Mu calmly appears and says "Did you forget, Aldebaran? In the first vision seen by Jayr, you were deaf because of your fight with Siren Sorrento, and didn't know anything about your opponent, taking you out by surprise with that nasty technique would've been really easy... But now things are different...".

I nod at that, then I ask "True... By the way, how was your meeting with the former Pope?", Mu lets out a sigh and replies "Couldn't do much or say anything too revealing... The Specters were always near him, the less they know the more effective our counterattack will be... Now, I'll keep moving, as we don't know how the others will fare against the other Specters... After all the Crateris Cloth's vision aren't omnipotent... When I wanted to check if my future opponent changed last week, what I saw was the image of an older Kiki donning the Aries Cloth, while it did make me proud seeing him like that, it wasn't useful for the current threat...", but I rebut "What do you mean it isn't useful? It clearly showed what you are fighting for! For a better future!!".

Saga POV - Greece, Sanctuary - 1987

I'm quickly moving toward the Athena's Temple when I feel that the enemies have invaded the Gemini Temple, and so to delay them, I quickly activate the Labyrinth of the Twins, an illusion to make the enemies wander aimlessly around the Gemini Temple without being able to find an exit 'This should keep them occupied for a while... After all, not even Gold Saints can easily escape from it, even while knowing of its existence...'.

After that, I focus on the other intruder who is now inside the Temple, I can clearly feel that he holds no malice toward Athena, that's why I'm not in hurry, and this very familiar Cosmo already tells me, who he is, and why he is here, and indeed, once inside the Temple, I see him, my brother Kanon, kneeling in front of Athena, seeing this I have some mixed feeling about it, on one hand, he was the one that gave the chance to the evil spirit possessing me to take control and acted against Athena with his plot with Poseidon, but on the other hand, he realized his error, and once he heard about the attack on the Sanctuary he quickly came to defend Athena, and I can't help but be proud of his choice.

Athena looks at Kanon and says "As I already told you, I forgive you, and if you truly desire so, the Sanctuary will be your home once again, so rise your head Gemini Kanon", my brother raises his head, and I notice the tears falling from his eyes, then he notices my presence and says "I'm glad that you absolved me of my sins, even if I still didn't forgive myself, but I can't be the Gemini Gold Saint, that is my brother Saga".

I move forward and say "You are wrong about that... We both are the Gemini Saint, I'm also the Pope now, and I can't move as easily as before, but you on the other hand can do it... the Gemini Constellation represents the twins, one light, the other dark, one protect, the other destroys, it was such since the Age of Myth, together we are the strongest Gold Saint, so, will you fight for peace and justice with me, once more?", and I offer my hand, Kanon looks at me, still with a hint of a tear in his eyes and holding my hand he replies "Yes, Saga, I swear to sacrifice my life in the fight for justice!".

But the moment is interrupted by the fact that now I feel that the Specters were able to pass through the Labyrinth of the Twins, and are now quickly moving toward the Cancer Temple, so I say "Kanon, keep guarding the Athena's Temple, while I watch over the situation at the Sanctuary, we have to deal with all the Specters here before we start our counterattack!", I bow to Athena, and quickly move out of the Temple and say "I'll make sure to protect it, this is my duty as a Gold Saint and Pope... Kanon isn't the only one that has to atone for his sins and truly forgive himself" and with a chuckle, I add "Really what a pair of brothers...".

Deathmask POV - Greece, Sanctuary - 1987

I'm waiting for the intruder to come for some time now, I can clearly feel the chaos that is happening all over the Sanctuary, Saints, trainees, soldiers, and Specters are all fighting with everything they have, and we are clearly the stronger force, while I can feel that we have some casualties, that is only among the soldiers and guards, even our trainee are now able to fight thanks to those Steel Cloths.

At the same time, I think about what has happened since Jayr defeated me, and the various events that made me reconsider my values 'It's strange how things can change, after my defeat in the battle for the Sanctuary, my Cloth kept rejecting me, not accepting my belief that the goal justify any means and all kind of sacrifices, and so I decided to drown my melancholy in gambling and drinking alcohol...'.

Remembering the next part, a small smile appear on my face, 'Then one day I met Helen and all her siblings, and things started to slowly change, something about them called me and as I got to know her and the kids better, and seeing their struggles I started to secretly help them form time to time and in the end, as time passed I fell in love with her, for a few months I forgot about the Cloth and about being a Saint, and just enjoyed spending time with them... But one day, it all crashed when her illness worsened and almost died, at that moment I truly understood what Jayr was trying to say to me, how we should always try to protect the lives of the innocents no matter how small, and remebering the fact that he was the best healer of the Sanctuary, I quickly used my Cosmo to call him, and he quickly teleported, and saved Helen, at the same time, I once again felt the connection with the Cancer Cloth...'.

Soon I felt many presences invade the Cancer Temple, and I prepare to deal with them, and once I see their figures in the distance, I decide to use a preemptive attack, I ignite my Cosmo and shout "There is no need for the other Gold Saints to act, I'll send all of you back to the underworld!", I concentrate my Cosmos on the tip of the index finger of my right hand, from which a white aura gushes forth and yell "Spiritual Infernal Waves!!", then send out radiation in the form of white rings that expands, to try to coil around my victims' bodies to separate the souls from it and suck the soul it into the realm of the dead.

But as my attack was halfway through its trajectory, I hear a young man's voice that yells "Seki Shiki Nyoi Reirin (Spiritual Departed Soul Summoning)!!", and rain of large energy rays crash against my technique, causing a strong explosion leaving me in shock, and at the same time, gave the chance at the others Specters to quickly move past me, as I remain stunned in place.

But it isn't the fact that my technique was blocked that shocked me, what truly left me wordless is that my opponent used a Spiritual (Seki Shiki) technique, those are the secret techniques of the Cancer Gold Saint, no one else can learn them, and so I quickly look at the remaining Specter, is a young man of slim build, blond hair, green eyes, and fair skin tone with two tikas on his forehead all characteristic symbol of the muvians, but this further confuses me, so in the end, I ask "Who the hell are you? How do you know the Spiritual (Seki Shiki) techniques?".

At the same time, I can finally see his Surplice, the headpiece is a helm and possesses two species of fins each one located on each side of it, on the top it has a tail that reaches until the knee, around the neck presents a species of semicircular protection which possesses in the center a gem of which in turn on two strips that through the arms are unified to the back, the shoulder pieces possess a simple and scarce design, the chest piece in complete which is unified to the waist piece that this subdivided among four protectors which in turn are subdivided in three protections superimposed each other in the front part the protection is subdivided four protections, the arms pieces are of basic design, the legs pieces cover from the thighs to the feet, in the boots the design of leg of a primate can be noticed.

(Image Here - Hanuman Tokusa)

The young man looks at me and says "I'm the Celestial Skillful Star, Hanuman Tokusa, and it is natural that I know about the Spiritual (Seki Shiki) techniques... After all, I'm the disciple of the first Cancer Saint, Hakurei!", I look at him with scorn on my face and say "So, you are cowardly traitor, so afraid of death that decided to become Hades' slave for an illusion of eternal life... Pathetic!", but Tokusa shook his head and says "No, I didn't become a slave... I chose to swear fealty to Hades in exchange for power and eternal life, and I became one of Hades' powerful Specter..." then he spread his arms wide and with a smile he adds "...And to gain all that I only had to kill all my loved ones... It was quite an easy thing to do!".

Hearing that, almost reminds me of my former self, and shame hit me once again, 'Not too long ago, I was really close to becoming something as disgusting as this thing in front of me... Really a dreadful thing what power can do to man, well, one more reason to not lose this fight... I have planned a date with Helen, and you can't have a date if they are all dead... So, Hades and his cronies have to die!', and with a small smile on my face, I think, as Helen and her little brothers' faces appear in my mind, 'The feeling of fighting to protect something you care about... Is nice!', and at the same time, I take my fighting stance and say "Prepare yourself, Hanuman Tokusa, it's time to face your judgment!".