"Seiya!" With just one punch, Seiya lost his ability to fight, shocking all the Bronze Saints.
"Forget about Pegasus. I've already stripped him of his five senses. Even if he doesn't die, he's nothing but a cripple now. Who's next? Or you can all come at once if you like. After I finish you off, I'll go kill Athena." Saga said arrogantly, his utter disdain for everyone laid bare.
His fist was so powerful it could even deprive someone of their senses—Dark Saga's strength far surpassed that of Blue Saga. In this blackened state, the Gemini Saint was practically invincible.
"Diamond Dust!" "Rozan Rising Dragon!"
Enraged, Hyoga and Shiryu erupted with Seventh Sense power. Ice and dragon, two intense Cosmos, roared toward Saga.
"Childish tricks, nothing more." Saga still regarded their attacks with contempt, even though they had unleashed Cosmos at the Seventh Sense level.
"Another Dimension!" A strange ripple appeared around Saga. The Diamond Dust and Rozan Rising Dragon simply vanished in front of him without causing the slightest disturbance.
"Unicorn Gallop!" Jabu seized what he thought was an opening and tried to attack Saga from behind, but Saga had noticed him long ago.
He did not even bother to dodge. He simply grabbed Jabu's kicking leg, then flung him aside like a piece of trash and added a punch for good measure.
Jabu followed in Seiya's footsteps, collapsing in the rubble with all five senses stripped away.
"I hadn't planned on using this move, but I want to help everyone too!"
"Nebula Storm!" This was Andromeda Shun's ultimate technique, the hidden peak of his power.
Shun's true strength was in no way inferior to Ikki's; it was only his gentle nature that kept him from ever going all out.
A massive storm formed from Cosmo engulfed Saga completely.
"I don't want to kill you. If you…"
"Kill me? With this?" Before Shun could finish, Saga's scornful voice echoed from within the raging storm.
"Go back where you came from!" The enormous storm was actually reflected back.
It struck Shun head‑on, his own technique hitting him. Fortunately, because Shun had held back, he didn't suffer any serious injuries.
However, after enduring the Nebula Storm, the papal robes Saga had been wearing had been blown off to who‑knows‑where.
What appeared in their place was a gleaming Gold Cloth.
"You're not the Pope, you're…"
"The Gemini Gold Saint!" the Bronze boys cried out in shock.
"Hmph. Since you've seen my true face, I'll just have to kill you." This was Saga's lightspeed fist. Compared with Aiolia's, Saga's light‑speed blows were even fiercer and heavier.
Every Saint present, Ikki included, was struck by Saga's barrage. Ikki in particular took double the damage as he shielded Esmeralda with his body.
"If this is all you've got, I really don't know how you managed to get through the Twelve Temples. Clearly not a single one of those Gold Saints is reliable. But don't worry—once I've killed Athena, they'll all have no choice but to serve me."
"I won't let you succeed!" The one who managed to stand was actually Seiya, stripped of all five senses. Unable to speak, he projected his voice with his Cosmo.
"Pegasus Comet Fist!"
"At this level, your punch isn't even enough to scratch an itch." Saga easily reflected Seiya's full‑power blow right back at him.
He had no intention of letting Seiya off so lightly. He stomped hard on Seiya's abdomen. "A mere Bronze… let me send you straight to hell!"
Just as Saga was about to finish Seiya off, a thick layer of ice suddenly formed around his wrists and ankles, and an ice wall rose in front of him, blocking his movement. "Ice?"
"This is a technique taught to me by my master Camus. I could never pull it off before… but now I've done it. This Ice Coffin can't be broken even by several Gold Saints working together. Give it up, Saga," Hyoga declared.
Seizing the brief opening, Shiryu rushed in and dragged Seiya away from Saga's feet.
"You're telling me this thin wall of ice can't be broken even by multiple Gold Saints? With just this? Ridiculous." Saga sounded as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"If that were true, the strongest constellation among the Twelve Temples would be Aquarius. But in all of history, no Aquarius has ever become the strongest. Open your eyes and watch closely, Bronze."
In an instant, countless cracks spread across the entire ice wall, and the rings of ice binding Saga's limbs shattered along with it.
The ice wall then crumbled to the ground like broken glass.
"See? Destroying it is easy. Die!" Before Hyoga could react, Saga's fist shot out, and Hyoga's body flew like a cannonball.
He repeated his old trick, stripping Hyoga of all five senses in one go and ending his ability to fight.
"Phoenix Wing Rise!" "Phoenix Dance in the Ninth Heaven!" Two blazing red phoenixes intertwined as they soared toward Saga, forcing him to halt his killing blow.
"Phoenix… and another Phoenix. You Bronzes are like locusts, popping up one after another."
"So damned annoying. Turn to dust in the heavens! Galaxian Explosion!" In a single instant, Saga grievously wounded both Ikki and Esmeralda.
Galaxian Explosion was truly Gemini's greatest secret art, and one of the most powerful techniques among all Gold Saints.
"It feels like every bone in my body has fallen apart. I can't even move a finger." Ikki looked at Esmeralda beside him with unwilling eyes, then glared at Saga in fury.
He and Esmeralda still had one joint mental‑type technique they hadn't even used.
"Rozan Rising Dragon!"
"Galactic Stardust Fist!" The last one still standing among the Bronze boys was Shiryu, but Saga casually threw out a punch and smashed the Rising Dragon to pieces.
"Heh… now you understand the gulf between us, don't you? Next is Athena." Saga did not even bother to look at the Bronzes who were barely clinging to life.
"Wait." Once again, the words came carried by Cosmo.
"You're still not dead?" Saga's eyes widened as he watched Seiya stand up in front of him yet again.
A strange white Cosmo radiated from Seiya's entire body.
"Your Cloth…" Yes—on Seiya's body, a magnificent silver‑white Cloth was faintly taking shape.
Anyone who knew their stuff would have cried out in astonishment: "Pegasus God Cloth!"
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.