Even if Mu didn't say anything, Shin would definitely not let go of this opportunity. The value of the Bronze Cloths of the Five Bronze Saints definitely exceeded that of ordinary Silver Cloths, especially the Pegasus Cloth. Through the struggles of generations of Pegasus Saints, its foundation could be said to be terrifyingly strong, absolutely second to none among the 88 constellation Cloths.
As he thought, Shin put down his work and followed Mu out. "Repairing real Cloths? I'd really like to see that."
Mu looked back at Shin, his mouth twitching. "Uh, Shin, could you please retract the Gold Cloth you're wearing first?"
Shin paused slightly, then realized that in front of himself, clad in a Gold Cloth, the plainly dressed Mu looked like an attendant.
There was no helping it; the Gold Cloth was simply too dazzling, especially in the eyes of Saints. If the two of them walked out like this, Shiryu would definitely mistake Shin for Mu.
Judging from Mu's actions—both testing Shiryu and acting mysterious—this guy was clearly a bit of a show-off. He didn't want to genuinely show off and end up looking like an idiot.
Shin readily retracted his Gold Cloth. At the same time, his Cosmo, which had reached the peak of the Eighth Sense, also vanished without a trace. With a corner of the'spirit' (representing the soul and mind) missing from his essence, energy, and spirit, Shin immediately felt his state decline significantly, and the feeling of being close to a Silver Superman also dropped considerably.
However, to his surprise, his Cosmo, which he originally thought he had no feeling for, actually had a vague,'seeing flowers through a mist' sense of existence. Although this sense of existence was fleeting, Shin didn't think it was his imagination.
"Is this... the ability of self-evolution?" Shin thought to himself, "Is even my soul beginning to transform and evolve?"
It was certainly impossible for the soul to directly transform and achieve the Seventh or Eighth Sense. If the self-evolution ability had seven or eight thousand years to be strengthened to its limit, perhaps it could reach such a level in a few short days. For now, that was just a dream.
But if the self-evolution ability merely allowed his soul to evolve to the point where it was possible to ignite the Cosmo, that would be much easier. According to Shin's estimation, it would probably take three to five years?
As long as he could ignite the Cosmo, with his ability to directly absorb and gain insights into the Cosmo from the Cloths, the remaining Seventh Sense, Eighth Sense, and even the so-called Ninth Sense of God, he could directly "learn" them himself. He guaranteed his upgrade speed would be faster than those hot-blooded Bronze Saints.
Later, when he had beaten all the gods in the heavens, and with the help of their God Cloths, he could even fully master the so-called divine Cosmo.
He was thinking a bit too far ahead for now. Shin followed Mu out and saw Shiryu standing at the entrance.
Without the Gold Cloth, Shiryu glanced at the two and immediately identified Mu, whose attire was somewhat similar to Kiki's, as the true master—of course, the difference in appearance also played a significant role.
Among Saints, strength didn't necessarily mean extreme handsomeness, but at least there had to be some distinguishing feature. For example, Seiya and Aiolia of Leo had a hot-blooded look, while the less impressive Taurus still needed to look honest yet brave and steady.
If you looked like a certain crab, and didn't have the wicked and arrogant aura of the previous Cancer Saint, then you could pretty much be confirmed as cannon fodder or a fake.
Shin, on the other hand, was just ordinarily handsome, which, in the eyes of Saints, was completely unremarkable. So, Shiryu automatically took him for an attendant.
Of course, as an apprentice, Shin didn't mind. He just looked at the Dragon Saint with curiosity.
In the original manga, the Five Bronze Saints and the Five Bronze Weaklings were all children of the old man Mitsumasa Kido. In fact, at the time, the old man had 100 children of similar age, all sent for Saint training. The 1/10 who survived were the Five Bronze Saints and the Five Bronze Weaklings.
Shin couldn't understand what author Masami Kurumada was thinking back then. Was he just stubbornly imitating the biblical sacrifice of a hundred sons?
Mitsumasa Kido had 100 children, and they were all around the same age? Was that something a normal person could do? Mitsumasa Kido was already an uncle back then, wasn't he? Did he have that much energy? Wasn't he afraid of dying from a stroke? Were they all test-tube babies?
Although Shiryu found Shin's gaze a bit strange, he didn't pay much attention and instead looked at Mu: "Mu, can these Cloths be repaired?"
At this point, Mu adopted a grand demeanor, speaking vaguely about how repairing the Cloths required the blood of a Saint. Each Cloth needed about a quarter of the blood, so two Cloths would require about half of a person's blood. For a Saint, this was a potentially fatal amount.
Shiryu, perhaps caught up in the heat of the moment, immediately took off his upper garment after hearing this, revealing his ultimate form, and then clasped his wrists together, drawing blood. He declared that he had plenty of blood and wasn't afraid to die.
Shin watched for a long time, then turned to Kiki, who stood beside him with a moved expression, and said, "Is this guy a bit silly? Why doesn't he repair one first, recover some vitality, and then repair the other?"
"Uh... isn't he saying that his companions are currently in danger and need the Cloths' help?" Kiki blinked and said.
"He's silly, and so are you! Repairing two Cloths at once requires half of his blood. Even if he survives, he probably won't have any combat power left."
"In other words, even if he repairs two Cloths at once, only his friend's Cloth will be usable. He himself won't be able to go to battle. So why is he so eager to repair his own Cloth?"
As soon as these words left his mouth, Kiki turned his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Huh?! That makes sense! Why is this guy so hastily repairing two Cloths?"
Shin hadn't spoken quietly, and both Mu and Shiryu heard him. Mu's face showed an awkward expression, and Shiryu also looked a bit bewildered.
Right, anyway, after losing half his blood, even if he survived, he probably wouldn't have any combat power left and wouldn't be able to catch up to the battle. So why was he pushing himself so hard?
Couldn't he just repair the Pegasus Cloth first? Waiting a day or two to recover a bit before repairing his own Dragon Cloth shouldn't be a problem, should it?
*******************************
If you would like to gain early access, you can join me at www.patre on.com/bookbattalion
Now available - Chapter 698: Finale (ENDING)