"Pegasus Meteor Fist!" Countless blue bursts of Cosmo appeared before Saga once more.
"I already told you this kind of—" It hit. This time Seiya's fist smashed hard into Saga's face, and then a flurry of punches rained fiercely down on his body.
"You actually… managed to hurt me." Saga stared in disbelief at the blood on his fingertips after wiping the corner of his mouth with his right hand.
However… this was as far as Seiya could go for now. After unleashing that final Meteor Fist, he exhausted the last of his strength and collapsed.
"A mere Bronze… don't get too full of yourself." Red light flashed in Saga's eyes. To prevent any accidents, he decided to finish Seiya off for good.
"Stop!" A golden wall appeared in front of Saga, blocking his movements.
"Crystal Wall!"
"Mu, are you planning to stand in my way?" Aside from harboring a bit of wariness toward Virgo (River Crab) Shaka—whose depths he couldn't fathom—Dark Saga feared no one in the Twelve Temples.
Not even the direct disciple of the previous Pope, Shion.
"Saga, I can't let you keep making mistake after mistake," Mu said calmly.
"Anyone else, come out as well!" Dark Saga barked coldly. He refused to believe only one Gold Saint had shown up.
"Leo Aiolia." "Virgo (River Crab) Shaka." "Taurus Aldebaran." "Scorpio Milo."
Apart from the three Gold Saints who had stayed behind in Pisces, Deathmask who was still unconscious, and Dohko who remained far away at the Five Old Peaks, nearly all the rest had arrived.
"Saga, surrender. You don't have the slightest chance of winning."
"You're all actually willing to work under a little girl?" Dark Saga sneered.
"She is Athena."
"Shut up. Just a little girl—what right does she have to command me, Saga?" Dark Saga had already fallen completely into madness. He was not only stubborn but utterly unwilling to turn back unless someone literally beat some sense into him.
"I, Saga, am the incarnation of a god. Only I can lead humanity to escape the gods' control."
"That's enough, Saga! If you keep this up, don't blame me for forgetting old ties," Mu warned.
"Hahaha, Mu, don't think numbers guarantee your victory. If you don't believe it, you can try me…"
Mu fell silent. As a master of telekinesis, he could clearly sense the gap between himself and Saga. If he acted, the one to lose would undoubtedly be him.
"So from what you're saying, as long as someone can defeat you one-on-one, you'll surrender?" A voice completely unfamiliar to Saga cut in. It wasn't loud, yet every Gold Saint heard it clearly.
At the sound, Dark Saga turned his head and looked at the newcomer. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"Just Athena's humble guardian. If you really mean what you say, I can keep you company," Meruem replied.
"Hmph, when I, Saga, speak, my word is law. But… what if you lose?" Dark Saga, even in his madness, was no fool. There was no way a single person could take on so many Gold Saints at once.
"Then you can keep being Pope."
"Outrageous!" "How dare you!" Before Dark Saga could speak, the Gold Saints had already exploded in anger.
"Heh… does what you say really represent Athena's will?" Dark Saga cast a disdainful glance at the Gold Saints bristling all around him.
"His words are my will." A clear voice rang through the great hall. Saori had arrived at the Pope's Palace as well, accompanied by the three Gold Saints who had remained in Pisces earlier.
"Athena, you mustn't—" XN
"What, my words don't count for anything?" Seeing someone actually dare to oppose her, Saori slammed her staff into the floor in anger.
The ground shook violently as an indescribably vast Cosmo burst from Saori's body. "We wouldn't dare," the Gold Saints said.
"See, Saga? This is what a true god's power looks like. You can judge for yourself the difference between what you were and what she is now," Meruem said to the dumbstruck Saga beside him.
Saga bristled with defiance, but he knew the other was right.
He had been too full of himself.
"Throughout history, many have tried to challenge the gods… yet every one of them has failed. Do you know why?"
"Why?" Dark Saga asked.
"Because they were weak."
"…"
"You think you've got this in the bag, do you? Athena's Cosmo may be powerful, but our wager is a duel between you and me," Dark Saga countered, inspiration flashing through his mind.
Whoever said Dark Saga was just an arrogant idiot—step forward.
"Humans need a sense of self-awareness. Or do you really think you're stronger than me?" Meruem looked straight at Saga.
"That line about self-awareness—I'll give it right back to you," Dark Saga shot back.
"Since you insist on deluding yourself, then come at me. To deal with you, I'll only need one finger." As he spoke, Meruem extended the index finger of his right hand, folded his other arm behind his back, and faced Saga.
"Heh heh heh, I'm going to crush every bone in your body!" Dark Saga snarled.
"Athena's guardian…" Shura watched Meruem with some concern. Even he felt Meruem was overconfident. True, anyone worthy of guarding Athena for so long couldn't be simple—but beating Saga with a single finger? Even a god couldn't pull that off.
After all, Saga's nickname was the "incarnation of a god."
"Heh… you'll eat those doubts soon enough. Just wait. I almost feel sorry for Saga," Saori's reply left all the Gold Saints speechless.
Only Mu, who seemed to have known something all along, showed no surprise.
Saga planned to greet his opponent with everything he had right from the start. From Athena's earlier display, it was obvious this man held a significant place in her heart. Even if he ultimately couldn't escape judgment, Saga would have no regrets. Athena, let me show you!
"Turn to dust in the galaxy! GalaxianExplosion, Galaxian Explosion!"
A violent Cosmo erupted, vast and overwhelming, swallowing heaven and earth.
Truly worthy of Gemini Saga…
A terrifying technique that seemed capable of shattering even the Milky Way itself—that was the Galaxian Explosion.
Yet faced with this attack that defied human imagination, Meruem showed not a trace of panic. Calm as ever, he simply held out one finger.
Under the crazed stares of all the Gold Saints, that lone finger met Saga's Galaxian Explosion head-on.
"Die!" Seeing this seemingly suicidal move, Saga burst into wild laughter.
"Heh heh, try the Cosmo version of…"
"Shinra Tensei!"
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