章節 42: The Holy War Starts

Jayr POV - Greece, Sanctuary - 1987

After checking Saori and making sure that she is fine, in fact physically she is in perfect health, but she is still mentally exhausted, I spent some more time with her, then I left the temple, and started walking back home, on the way, I start to think about what I can do to prepare better for the coming Holy War against Hades, 'I have already warned everyone about the abilities of the judges of hell and all the other Specters that I remember or at least the most dangerous ones... as there are 108 of them, and I didn't see all of them in my previous lives... Now, I should focus on fixing the damaged Cloths, as Poseidon did a number on them, it's a miracle that none of the Cloths truly died... And I should have enough time to fix them, as the Specters' spirits will break free in a week or so!'.

As I'm walking through the Pope's Chamber, I hear Saga call me "Jayr, wait a moment!", I turn around and see Saga calmly walking toward me, curious I ask "Hello Saga, what do you need?", and he replies "First, I want to thank you for saving my brother's life despise what he did and how he acted...", I shake my head and say "I did what I had to do... While Kanon indeed did make a series of wrong choices, he isn't an evil man, and in the future, I saw he became a splendid Saint of Athena and vanquished many of her enemies... in fact, even now he still is the other Gemini Saint, your Cloth will probably tell you the same, and should Athena need him he will for sure answer her summon".

Hearing that, Saga's eyes become misty for a few moments, before letting out a sigh, and he says "In the end, he took a wrong path because of me, if I didn't put him in Cape Sounion Prison, all of this wouldn't have happened... Anyway, I have something for you...", and as he said this, Saga uses his telekinesis to pull something and make it land in front of me, and I look in confusion, surprise, and shock at the Gold Pandora Box with a centaur engraved on it.

Saga's voice wakes me up from my stupor as he says "From now on, you are a Gold Saint of Athena... I greet you my fellow Gold Saint, Sagittarius Jayr!", stunned I can only stumble "W-wait... What? What about the Crateris Cloth? Its is my fated partner I don't want to...", and seeing my confusion Saga explains "Yes the Crateris Cloth is your fated one, and until you die or another fated Saint appears, you will be its only wearer, but the Gold Cloths are different, to wear one you only need to be born under its constellation and have a Gold level Cosmo, and you fulfill both requirements... Moreover, Aiolos' spirit and the Cloth also approve, and with this for the first time in a long time, all 12 Gold Saints are finally reunited... Now, take it!".

I slowly move my hand toward the golden Pandora Box, and as soon as my hand touch it, it opens on its own, revealing the Cloth inside in its Constellation Form, which then disassembles, and equips itself on my body, this time it felt different from when I have worn it in the Poseidon's Temple, this time I feel that the Cloth truly accepted me, then I hear Saga as he says in a moved tone "Finally after all this time, the Sanctuary finally has its 12 Gold Saints!".

After that, I unequipped the Gold Cloth, and once put it back into the Pandora Box, I got out of the Pope's Chamber and moved down the Gold Zodiac, but when I passed through the Sagittarius Temple, I had a brand new awareness of it, 'I have total control and know everything about the temple... I truly became the Sagittarius Saint...', and moving to the main hall, I lay the Pandora Box in the middle of it, and say "This is your home... But the real reason I don't take you with me is to not stir up too much chaos, see you later!".

Once back home, the first thing I did was to prepare dinner for my sisters, and after eating together, I go back into my room, and from my Soulbound Territory, I summon the Crateris Pandora Box and quickly move to inspect it, 'Damn, Poseidon...', the even with the repairing ability of the Pandora Box, the Cloth is still ravaged with cracks and broken pieces.

I lightly caress it with my hand while further checking its status, at the same time I say "Don't worry partner, I'll bring you back to your former glory... And even if I'm now the Sagittarius Gold Saint, I won't discard you... After all, we have a whole Omniverse to see, and for sure the Sagittarius Cloth can't come with me, its duty is to protect Athena and the Sanctuary... But you, buddy, you aren't under such strict rule!", and as if responding to my words, the Cloth lits up in a golden glimmer,

And with a smile on my face, I also pull out the tool to repair the Cloths, and the ingredients, Stardust Sand, Gammanium, Orichalcum, and a hell lot of my blood, and as I start working on it, I say "Only a few months until my birthday and we can finally travel to other Universes, and see many different places and cultures... But the first thing on my list is to learn some magic so that in case I'm in a place where I can't use my Cosmo I still have the means to defend myself... After that, it will depend, but I'm leaning toward fulfilling one of my wishes from my bucket list, piloting a Mobile Suit! But I still have to deal with Hades before that...".

Dohko POV - China, Lushan - 1987

I'm still sitting in the same place as I briefly look at the clear night sky, the tension in the air is palpable, and a gloomy mood fell on the world, I can clearly feel it, the time is near, then it happened 'Ah! At long last... The time has come, for 243 years I have sat here before Lushan's Great Waterfall, keeping watch, but that time is coming to an end, in a secret region, 1.000 kilometers west of here, stands a giant stone tower...'.

With my sense I can clearly see it reflected in the water of the waterfall, the tower is shaking, '...After the last Holy War with Hades, Athena sealed the spirit of the Specters there, but Athena's seal is weakening and is about to come undone, when that happens the army of Hades will be reborn from the well of darkness, and they will seek to conquer the world of the living through darkness and fear... but as long as Athena and her Saints exist, Hades will not have his way'.

Then I see the giant stone tower shake even further as many flashes of lights escape from it and declare "A new Holy War is about to begin!!", after a few minutes, I felt the darkness encroaching the Sanctuary and say "It's as I feared, as soon as he is resurrected, Hades will assault the Sanctuary, he will have only one purpose... To take Athena's head!!".

I once again look at the night sky and it seems a little darker now, and think 'It's time...', I call Shunrei, the young girl I saved from the water and raised as my own daughter, and say "Shunrei, I'm heading out...", she sits next to me and asks "What do you mean you're 'heading out'? Where are you going?", and I don't know how to reply knowing the horror of the coming war, "That's... Well Shunrei, it's best that you don't know".

I can clearly feel her worry as she says "But for as long as I can remember, Master Dohko, you've never left Lushan... When will you return?", and unsure of the answer I reply "Hmm... I wonder, perhaps never... ho, ho...", now clearly scared she asks "...What on earth has happened?", instead of answering, I decide to tell my farewell as I feel the unrest in the Sanctuary growing "Listen well, Shunrei, even if I never return, you still have Shiryu, you must never let go of your beloved Shiryu, you hear? You're to live with Shiryu in peace and harmony understand? Farewell, my daughter...".

And with one last look at her face as tears start to fall from her clear eyes, I stand up and jump down, as I start to move my Cosmo to teleport to the Sanctuary, at my last moment, I look once again at the starlit sky that is growing darker by the moment and think 'Jayr, Kratos, Oliver... Young Jayr... Shiryu, Seiya, Hyoga, Shun, Ikki... I truly regret making them bear the burden of the battle for so long, but that's over now, from here on out, I can finally fully do my duty as the Libra Gold Saint, I hope to let the young Saints live the rest of their lives peacefully...'.

Mu POV - Greece, Sanctuary - 1987

I can sense the unrest all over the Sanctuary, and feel the gloomy and dark presence encroaching the Sanctuary, at the same time the sounds of battle can be heard, I let out a sigh and say "The Holy War truly started... And evil spirits are already attacking everyone in the Sanctuary, but we are ready for this, we warned everyone that this would have happened, and also told them how to deal with this... The only way to hurt a spirit is to use Cosmo, so guards and soldiers that are unable to use it are relegated to keeping order and scouting for those that can fight".

Then I felt their presence here in front of the Aries Temple, but knowing who is leading them, I naturally that they can easily bypass the other defense of the Sanctuary, "They are here.. huh...", and in the distance, I see a cloaked figure, Jayr told my his true plan, so I decide to act the part and say "I sensed some Cosmos stirring below, given that you've managed to breach the barrier and sneak up to the entrance of the Gold Zodiac, I suppose things truly are as Master Dohko feared... Now halt, if you proceed any further, I cannot guarantee your safety".

The cloaked figure moves closer and says "Heh... My safety? There is no way you can attack me... Have you forgotten my face, Mu?", and seeing him closer I quickly recognize his face, I make a surprised and shocked face and say "W-what? You... You're... No... It can't be...", seeing this the cloaked figure says "Heh... It seems you remember me after all, then why are you standing there so rudely? Kneel at my feet! Prostrate and pay your respects!! What's the matter? Can't follow my orders?".

I then get on my knees to greet him as this man still has all my respect, not only for what he has done, but also for what he is doing now, and what he is willing to bear for it, then the cloaked figure says "That's right, you cannot disobey me, I have an order for you, Mu, Within 12 hours, bring me Athena's head!", hearing this I stood still, and the figure asks "What's wrong, Mu? Why do you hesitate? Hurry and do as I bid!".

I stay still, with my head lowered, and I say "Even as an order from you... That's one thing... I cannot do...", then two other cloaked figures appear behind him noticing them I think 'This is bad they are able to conceal their presence so much that I couldn't even feel them before they exposed themself... This means that there could be others here, but they still did move past the Aries Temple if not I would have felt them once they were inside the Temple...', while I was thinking this the shorter one of the two says in an almost childish voice "I told you it wouldn't work... Athena's Saints are always so stubborn!", and the other one in a deep voice says "Well, at least he looks weak... I'm kind of curious how will his blood taste like...".

I raise my head and look at them as they are close enough to show their features, one possesses the appearance of a short young man around 160 centimeters with dark skin, short silver hair, and full yellow pupils, similar to those of a cat, the other is a young looking man who appears to be between the ages of 20 to 30 years old, he is 181 centimeters tall with a slim built body, his hair stands on its end and are black in color and so are his eyes, he also has large fangs.

Looking at them I ask warily "Who are you?", and the younger-looking one says "We are one of 108 Specters of Lord Hades..." at the same time, they rip off their cloaks and show what they were hiding, they are both wearing a dark armor that gleams like it is made directly from the gems of the underworld, something that from what I read from other Muvian's Scripts is probably true, those are the Surplice, the armor of Hades' Specters, that not only allows them to easily travel to the Underworld, but they also contains the souls of the specters making them revive every time Hades rises, moreover the Surplices are almost as durable as a Gold Cloths.

The shorter one starts introducing himself "I'm the Terrestrial Bestial Star, Cait Sith Cheshire! I'm going to rip you apart!!", his Surplice has the shape of a cat with paws tucked in, the headpiece forms the feline ears, the arms, and legs pieces are folded and the edges have claws, it chest piece is strangely open in the middle, and the whole armor has a dark purple color.

(Image Here - Cait Sith Cheshire)

Then the other Specter says "I'm the Terrestrial Searching Star, Bat Wimber... Move aside, we'll take Athena's head ourselves", his Surplice is dark green with black tones, the headpiece is a helmet and protects only the forehead, on the chest piece is represented the head and ears of a bat, the wings of the bat are on the spine, and the protection of the legs pieces represents the legs of a bat.

(Image Here - Bat Wimber)

I stand up, ready to stop them, and Wimber seeing this says "Do you dare disobey him?", while at the same time they start to rush at me, and spreading my arms wide while gathering my Cosmo, I say "I could never disobey his own orders, but don't think that means I'll let the two of you pass", and in response to this Cheshire yells "What? Then we'll force our way through!".

I make my Cosmo explode and yell "Crystal Wall!!", and using my psychic power I create a transparent, glass-like barrier, between me and them, stopping them in place, while Wimber exclaims "What is this? There is some kind of wall in front of us!", but Cheshire unafraid says "I'll take this sham down with a single move!", I feel him moving his Cosmo as he points his finger at the barrier and yells "Perky Party!!", summoning several colorful cats made of Cosmo, that attacks the barrier, but once they hit it, they explode, and the force of this attack is reflected back at Cheshire who is sent flying by it, and crashes against one of the columns around here, and yells in surprise and pain "Impossible! The full force of Perky Party was deflected back at me! I-I almost got sent back to the underworld ahead of schedule... Urgh...".

Wimber moves forward and says "Steps aside Cheshire, I'll overcome this pathetic trick...", at the same time, his Cosmo starts to flutter, back and forth, and countless bats start coming and flying around him, then I hear him say "...With my Nightmare Sonar that can pass through anything!!", and Wimber and the bats emit Cosmo-infused ultrasounds, inaudible to normal humans, but once they reach the barrier, they are once again reflected back to him, and before he could do anything, the ultrasounds directly attack their nervous system and all of them fall on the ground paralyzed, but before the technique could do more Wimber cuts off his supply of Cosmo and stops the technique, 'From what I saw this technique is able to induce his victim into a state of paralysis, and even deep sleep if exposed long enough, leaving the victim in a defenseless state and at the mercy of user... That is truly dangerous... Luckily my Crystal Wall is able to reflect back anything!'.

As I'm thinking this I say to further destabilize them "Do you understand now? The Crystal Wall is virtually indestructible... Attacking it, is like attacking your reflection in a mirror, the force of your blow is simply reflected back at you", but as the two recover and slowly get up, the cloaked figure steps forward and says "Cease and desist, Mu, these two are under my command, everything you're doing may be considered treason against me, now take down the crystal wall, Mu!".

Before I could say anything, I feel him urging his Cosmo, and using his psychic powers, "If you don't, I shall take it down for you! Do you really think such a thing could stop me?" and gathering his power he hits a very specific point of the Crystal Wall, easily breaking it in many pieces, while Cheshire exclaims "Yohoo! It's completely gone!!", then the cloaked figure command "Now nothing stands in your way, go forth and bring me Athena's head".

Following his command the two rush forward, and Wimber says "Thanks to him we know every detail of the Gold Zodiac! We'll be at the Pope's Chamber in no time! Move aside!", but I stood my ground and block their way, and I prepare for the fight saying "If it can't be helped, let's fight!", but his voice stops me, "Enough, Mu! I told you, those two are under my command, if you raise your fist against them, you're raising it against me".

My moment of hesitation is enough to give Wimber the chance to land several punches on me while yelling "Out of our way, Mu! Come on! I told you, to get out of our way!", but even while receiving this beasting, I stand my ground and say "I... It's my sworn duty to defend the Aries Temple... I can't let you pass... Even if it means death...".

Hearing that, Wimber yells "So be it! Die, Mu!!" and moves to punch me with even more force hoping to knock me down, but I decide that it is finally time for the peaceful ram to show its horns for the first time, I grab his arm and with a small pull, I move his center of gravity, and flip him on the ground, at the same time, I throw a side kick at Cheshire, hitting him on the stomach and pushing him next to Wimber.

He once again yells "Mu!! Do you still not understand? By raising your fist against those two, you defy me!!", I make my Cosmo burn, and as a gold aura envelopes my body I reply " And I told you, that it's my sworn duty to defend the Aries Temple, if that's considered rebellion against you, then I'll atone for the rest of my life and beyond! But I shall not forgive the Specters, I'll send them back to the Underworld by my own hand!".

At the same time, the two Specters stand up once again enraged, and move to attack me, and seeing that, he tries to warn them "No! Run, you two!", but it is too late, the phantom image of the ram appears behind me, and I unleash on my favorite moves, "Starlight Extinction!!", and my accumulated Cosmo is released in the form of multiple photon shocks, which hit them across the body at the speed of light countless times, at the same time, blinding light completely surrounds the target all while it, absorbs, dissolves and extinguishes the opponents in a swirl of light, and the next moment nothing of them is left behind.

At the same time, I think, 'In essence, this technique does not rely on destroying the opponent but on removing him from battle, by teleporting the opponent out of sight and out of the fight, but if it is required, I can completely obliterate the opponent by sending him to another plane of existence... just like now!', but my thoughts are interrupted by his voice "Mu, you fool, you may have eliminated those two, but you haven't ended the battle, in fact, you are making things worse", and recovering my breath I reply "With respect sir, I still cannot retreat, not until all 108 of Hades' Specters are defeated".

He let out a depressed sigh and says "Those two aren't the only ones who have come for Athena's head", and indeed, now I can sense several Cosmos behind him, all more powerful than those two, especially three of them, who now appeared right next to him, and quickly they remove their cloaks and show themselves.

The one on the right is a tall man with a muscular build, long reddish brown hair tied with a ribbon, and fair skin, he is wearing a Surplice, that lightly reminds me of a monstrous plant with a female body from which accessories are detached as branches which form the helmet and the skirt of the surplice once assembled, has a female face which is hidden behind the helmet, while the separated neck of the dryad becomes the arms while the lower "branches" are separated and the leg protections come out all in a deep purple color, and in a polite tone he introduces himself "Nice to meet you, I'm the Celestial Rise Star, Dryad Luco".

(Image Here - Dryad Luco)

The one on the left is a young man with blue-black hair and dark eyes, with a pale skin tone, he is wearing a Surplice that slightly reminds me of the Sagittarius Cloth, this Surplice protects its body very well by covering it almost entirely, and like all the other Surplices, it is very dark in color, with very accentuated edges, and very large wings, he seems the most impatient as he introduces himself "I'm the Celestial Violent Star, Bennu Kagaho, move and I'll rip you apart if you keep standing in my way!".

(Image Here - Bennu Kagaho)

And the one in the middle, at first glance, she could be mistaken for a man because of her unfeminine appearance, but she is a beautiful woman, but very strong and muscular, she has long dark purple hair and reddish eyes, and her Surplice, is very tight to the body in its majority as it covers almost all of it, in the elbows the protector protrudes a little, and on the left shoulder there is the Behemoth's head, while on the other is only the smooth protector, in the chest sector has two horns bent down to the belly sector, the waist protector is almost connected with the leg protector, the boots end with knee pads that protrude quite a bit from them, all of it and dark tones of blue and purple, she simply says "And I'm Celestial Solitude Star, Behemoth Violate, I'll destroy all who oppose Lord Aiacos and Hades' will!".

(Image Here - Behemoth Violate)

Looking at them in shock, I can't help but think 'Their presence and Cosmos are truly fearsome, especially the female one, her presence alone provokes some kind of terror in me, I have never felt something like this, moreover I feel many other presences behind them, some at the same level of the Gold Saints, others much weaker, but we are ready from this, the more Specters we bury here, the less resistance we will find when it finally is our turn to attack!', and burning my Cosmo, I prepare for the hardest fight in my life, ' This is truly the start of the Holy War...'.