The 12 Houses of the Sanctuary.
There's nothing to say about the Aries House. Mu is already standing by Saori Kido's side, so he can't possibly use the excuse of a test to fight the current reincarnation of Goddess Athena again.
The key is that he couldn't win anyway! What's the point of letting everyone see him get beaten black and blue?
In the original story, Mu was constantly testing, but he wasn't testing Saori Kido; he was testing the five Bronze Saints. Who knows what that was all about? It made him seem like he wasn't an Athena Saint like the five Bronze Saints.
Now he wouldn't dare say such a thing. It seems that these tests depend on the boss's strength. The only difference between the current Saori Kido and the original Saori Kido is that this Saori Kido is extremely powerful. If provoked, she can really beat a Gold Saint to a pulp.
"Test me? Let this goddess test you Gold Saints first!"
Everyone's Cloths had already been adjusted to their optimal state, so there was naturally nothing to say about the Aries House; they passed right through.
"The next house should be the Taurus House... Aldebaran of Taurus is a stubborn fellow. Although his loyalty is sufficient, given the current unclear situation, he might not let us pass."
Mu explained to everyone as they walked. Saori Kido nodded: "Will there be a fight? Don't worry, I'll go easy on them."
Mu choked slightly, always feeling that it was a bit strange for Goddess Athena to say such a thing.
But it was true. Even without considering this group of Saints, Saori Kido alone could easily clear the 12 Houses. If Saori Kido truly didn't hold back, the entire 12 Houses would be a bloodbath.
As for the others, Saori Kido had instructed them not to interfere—since she wanted to win over these Gold Saints, it should naturally be Goddess Saori Kido herself who acted.
"Halt, intruders! This is the Taurus House, guarded by me, Aldebaran!" The tall Aldebaran stood at the entrance of the house, his words firm, but his eyes were filled with surprise and uncertainty as he looked at the group, especially lingering on Saori Kido.
Although Saori Kido had restrained her divine Cosmo, being in the Sanctuary, her divine Cosmo was constantly interacting with the vast Cosmo of the Sanctuary. Aldebaran could naturally sense this.
Moreover, unlike those Saints who hadn't awakened their Seventh Sense, when Saori Kido first entered the Sanctuary and resonated with the entire Sanctuary's Cosmo, the other Saints who hadn't awakened their Seventh Sense could only feel the active Athena's Cosmo, but they couldn't pinpoint its exact location.
However, all the Gold Saints who had awakened their Seventh Sense could already confirm that Goddess Athena had actually walked in from outside the Sanctuary.
According to the Pope, Goddess Athena had always stayed in the Goddess Temple. So, who was this person who suddenly walked in from outside? This situation couldn't help but make these Gold Saints ponder.
The group exchanged glances, and Saori Kido was the first to step forward, "The guardian of the Taurus House? Even after seeing me, do you still intend to serve the wicked Pope?"
Cold sweat dripped down Aldebaran's forehead: "I don't know who is righteous and who is evil, but as the guardian of the Taurus House, my duty is to guard this temple. Without the command of the Pope and the Goddess, no one can enter! Unless you can defeat me!"
"Alright, I understand what you mean." Saori Kido nodded with a serious expression: "Then I shall be your opponent!"
"You understand my ass!" Aldebaran wanted to shout. "Couldn't you all just rush me, I'd put up a token resistance, and then surrender? Why does the Goddess herself have to fight!?"
Saori Kido had now more or less figured out the pulse of these Saints: they pursued power and worshipped strength. As long as she held the moral high ground and defeated them, she could basically win them over easily.
Naturally, Saori Kido didn't want to delegate this matter to others; she wanted to personally subdue these Gold Saints.
Aldebaran looked at Saori Kido, who wasn't even wearing her Cloth, and couldn't bring himself to fight. On one hand, it was due to the suppression of the Goddess's Cosmo; on the other hand, he simply couldn't bring himself to hit a woman who wasn't even wearing a Cloth.
So he simply adopted a stance with his arms crossed over his chest. This was Aldebaran's unique Iai defense, a method of striking first after the opponent has initiated their move.
At this moment, he was still thinking that he definitely couldn't directly attack the Goddess. So, when he made his move later, should he aim a little to the left of Saori Kido or a little to the right?
Then he felt Saori Kido ignite her Cosmo. That powerful Cosmo instantly stunned Aldebaran.
"Are you kidding me? This isn't Athena's Cosmo, is it? It's just a human vessel's Cosmo, how can it be so many times stronger than mine, a Gold Saint's?"
"Lightning Plasma!"
With a loud bang, even though he had adopted the Iai defense stance from the very beginning, technique only works when the Cosmo difference is not significant.
With Saori Kido's completely overwhelming Cosmo, let alone Taurus's Iai defense stance, even Mu's Crystal Wall could be shattered directly!
Saori Kido, who appeared delicate and fragile, her fair and slender fists transformed into countless rays of light, instantly sending the tall and strong Aldebaran, resembling a wild bull, flying. He smashed through seven or eight walls of the Taurus House, from one end to the other, almost knocking Aldebaran directly out of the Taurus House.
Clapping her hands, Saori Kido picked up the Staff of Nike, which was stuck nearby, "It seems I won this time."
Aldebaran, dizzy and disoriented, dug himself out from a pile of rubble. His cape had long since been shredded to pieces, and his face was covered in blood. Fortunately, Saori Kido had held back slightly when she attacked, not targeting his vital points. Therefore, although he looked severely injured, he actually only had a slight concussion.
"You... you won." Waving his hands twice, Aldebaran had no intention of fighting to the bitter end. Not to mention that the opponent was very likely Goddess Athena, he truly couldn't defeat this human vessel of the Goddess.
However, even so, looking at Saori Kido, who was as delicate as a small flower, this Taurus Saint's face was flushed red when he conceded, feeling as if he had lived his life in vain.
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Now available - Chapter 698: Finale (ENDING)