"Hmm...?"
Hiroki's consciousness felt as if it were slowly surfacing from the cold, deep sea, a heavy numbness wrapping around his entire body. His vision shifted from blurred to clear, and the first thing that came into view was not the exquisitely carved ceiling beams of the Shihōin Clan he was familiar with.
It was a pure white expanse, with shadows cast by soft, inlaid light strips.
"An unfamiliar ceiling?"
A nearly dazed thought floated in his still-chaotic mind. He instinctively tried to lift his hand, but felt a surge of intense soreness and weakness in his right arm, as if even the marrow of his bones were filled with lead.
"My Lord, you're awake."
A soft and familiar voice came from the bedside. Hiroki laboriously turned his head slightly and saw Uchiha Izumi standing guard by the bed. Her face bore obvious signs of exhaustion, but her clear eyes instantly lit up when she saw Hiroki open his eyes, reflecting the warm yellow light from the bedside lamp.
Oh, good. Izumi is still here. Hiroki breathed a silent sigh of relief in his heart, as if half a giant boulder had been lifted from his chest.
Fortunately, he hadn't transmigrated again. At the very least, Izumi's presence anchored him to this world line.
"Water..." His throat was as dry as Sahara sand rubbing together, and the sound he made was as hoarse as a broken bellows. This simple command almost exhausted the sliver of strength he had just gathered.
"Alright, please wait a moment!" Izumi immediately stood up, her movements gentle and swift. She walked to a solid wood round table not far away, picked up a crystal glass, and carefully poured half a glass of fresh water from an exquisite crystal decanter (which was being used as a water pitcher).
Hiroki's gaze followed Izumi's movements. She carefully carried the glass back to the bedside, gently propped Hiroki's head up a bit, and brought the rim of the glass to his lips.
The cool liquid moistened his cracked lips and slid down his parched throat, like a sweet spring nourishing cracked earth. Hiroki swallowed the entire glass of water almost greedily, in small but continuous gulps.
Handing the empty glass back to Izumi, Hiroki felt his throat and mind clear up significantly. He took a deep breath, though the remaining sluggishness in his lungs made him frown. The heaviness of his body and the ubiquitous soreness served as a reminder of how severe the previous overexertion had been.
"How long have I been asleep?" He looked at Izumi, his voice still hoarse but having regained some steadiness. He then looked around the pure white, elegant room filled with modern minimalist style, "And, where is this?"
"My Lord, you have been asleep for three whole days." There was a hint of lingering fear in Izumi's tone as she gently set down the water glass. "As for here... this is another of Miss Saori's private villas, located in a hidden mountain estate controlled by the Kido family. It is very safe."
"Three days..." Hiroki repeated in a low voice, his brow furrowing deeper. Although using the Tai Xu Sword Qi after the great battle in Hueco Mundo had also left him exhausted, it was nowhere near as long-lasting or weakening as this time.
"Eh? We didn't return to the Soul Reaper World?" He keenly caught the key piece of information, his tone carrying doubt and a trace of imperceptible vigilance.
After the last mission ended, he had been instantly repatriated by the system.
"Yes, My Lord." Izumi nodded affirmatively, a hint of confusion also in her eyes. "After you fell unconscious, the system did not teleport us back to our original world. Miss Saori arranged for us to be moved here."
Strange... Hiroki's thoughts spun rapidly.
A core doubt surfaced: Why didn't we go back? And why did I sleep for so long this time? Although Tai Xu Sword Qi consumes a massive amount of energy, a three-day 'crash' was unprecedented.
Recalling the last scene he saw, could it be that I was actually knocked out by the shockwave? Or... in this world dominated by Saint Seiya rules, is the price for using a technique of that level magnified? Does the amount of consumption depend on the strength of the rules of the world one is in?
Various thoughts collided in his mind, but now was clearly not the time for deep investigation.
"Forget it, never mind." He temporarily suppressed these questions; the priority was to understand the current situation. With a slight movement of his mind, he called out directly: "System, why didn't we return as usual?"
The cold mechanical voice rang in his mind almost instantly: "Ding. Detected that the client (Kido Saori) has issued an emergency additional mission, triggering the 'Mission Chain Continuity Rule'. The previous mission 'Protect Kido Saori and assist in repelling Saga' has been settled, but the client's new request has overridden the basic return command. Please view the new mission details."
Immediately following that, a familiar mission panel forcibly expanded within his conscious vision:
[New Mission Request]
Client: Kido Saori
Mission Content: Assist Kido Saori in returning to the Sanctuary and defeat Pope Saga!
Core Objective: Ensure the personal safety of the client, Kido Saori.
Participant Requirement: No mandatory limit.
Mission Reward: 2,000,000 points.
Status: Unaccepted.
Accept? (Yes/No)
"Huh??? Another new mission???" Hiroki almost lost his breath, the veins on his forehead throbbing slightly. He had just risked half his life to block an AE for someone, and as soon as he woke up, he was handed a warrant to subjugate the former Pope?
What is this? A full-service package? No, Athena, you're just plucking wool from a single sheep! He complained indignantly in his heart, feeling a faint ache in his kidneys.
But complaints aside, he hadn't forgotten the key point.
Fortunately, the last mission was completed.
It seems his ultimate move was still quite effective!
As long as it's finished! The lion's share of two million points is safely in the bag! However, the information that 'Saga is not dead' still weighed on his heart; that old schemer was indeed difficult to kill.
Calming his emotions, Hiroki looked at Izumi and began to learn about the information gap after he fell unconscious: "Izumi, what was the situation after I passed out? What exactly happened? What about Saga and the others?"
Izumi organized her words and reported clearly: "My Lord. We didn't see the full extent of the battle between Dohko and Saga, but Dohko said that Saga and his group retreated. After using Athena's Exclamation, they were not in peak condition. After fighting him for a while and realizing they couldn't get past him, they chose to retreat."
She recalled the scene at the time, weighing her words, "But it is certain that none of the three showed signs of obvious heavy injury. Although they were all somewhat disheveled, Dohko and the others were unable to keep any of them there."
"Tsk, not even one died?! Dohko is really useless..." Hiroki's voice rose instantly, carrying an extremely absurd sense of surprise.
No, man! Are you serious?! That was my desperate ultimate move! Saga and the others' condition must have been terrible. Except for Saga, the other two must have been severely crippled! You should have gone in for the finishing blow.
Sigh, Hiroki sighed silently in his heart, complaining about Dohko's unreliability.
Or was it that Saga's foundation as a demi-god level existence was simply too strong?
Sigh, it seems his trump card, 'Tai Xu Sword Qi', is becoming less and less effective.
Could it be that his ultimate move can only deal with fodder?
Hiroki couldn't help but doubt the power of his ultimate move.
Aside from the first time it was used, which wiped out the fleet of the Destruction Legion.
The second time it was used, it only heavily injured Aizen.
The third time it was used, clashing with Saga, although he didn't lose, it didn't seem like he won either.
It seems that under the influence of world rules, the power he can exert is just that much?
Seeing the ever-changing and vivid expressions on Hiroki's face, Izumi hurried to continue her explanation: "Then, the situation reversed. While the two were fighting, two other extremely powerful golden lights descended from the sky, landing around Miss Saori and us!"
Hiroki's gaze sharpened: "Which two?"
"It was the leo Aiolia and Aries Mu, whom you saw knocked down in the Kido residence before..." Izumi recalled.
Tsk tsk, are these Saint Seiya so hard to kill?
Or was Saga in such a hurry to hunt down Athena that he didn't give them a final blow?
Or did Athena use long-range healing again?
But still, you three Gold Saints are together now, so blast him with an AE!!!
But Dohko! One of the only two survivors of the last Holy War, a living fossil who has lived for over two hundred years! He actively left the Five Old Peaks and released the Misopethamenos seal applied by Athena, restoring his youthful state at full strength.
Just how much pressure must it have been to make this'strongest teacher of earthly forces' step out of his final seclusion? Or had Saga's threat made the Libra feel it was an absolute necessity?
"However, it seems Dohko is still very capable..." Hiroki rubbed his chin, thinking rapidly. "Plus, my Tai Xu Sword Qi consumed a large amount of Saga and the others' Cosmo and mental strength. Two Gold Saints plus a fully restored Dohko might not necessarily have the advantage. That old schemer Saga probably wasn't sure of victory either."
"Saga's retreat... is logical. With Dohko presiding, at least Athena's side has stabilized their base for now. What happened next?"
"Then," Izumi added, "Saga took a deep look at Lord Dohko, then at Miss Saori, whom we were protecting. In the end, he didn't strike again, only saying coldly: 'See you at the Sanctuary.' Then he led his subordinates away from the battlefield."
Hiroki nodded.
It seemed the opponent needed to regroup, and his side finally had truly top-tier combat power. Although the mission chain had been extended, at least they had a fighting chance.
As for the remaining Gold Saints.
Taurus Aldebaran, Virgo Shaka, Scorpio Milo, Capricorn Shura, and Aquarius Camus.
With the dual banners of Athena's true form and the legendary Dohko, it shouldn't be hard to win over most of these five Gold Saints. Especially Virgo Shaka, who is the reincarnation of the Buddha and leans toward the Goddess.
As long as Saga isn't given an opening.
Hiroki cast aside the complex situational analysis; the advantage was his!
"Accept!"
He decisively issued the command to the system.
"Ding! Mission accepted!" the system responded.
"Oh, right, claim the rewards for the previous mission!" Hiroki's mind moved again.
"Ding! Congratulations on completing the mission [Protect Kido Saori and assist in repelling Saga]!"
"Issued: 2,000,000 points."
"Issued: Random Summon Scroll x1."
"Issued: Special Item — sagittarius gold cloth x1!"
Following the system prompts, Hiroki felt the reassuring number of points in his account jump frantically into seven digits (the previous 200,000 plus the 2,000,000).
At the same time, a magnificent Cloth box about a meter long, shining with gilded light, appeared out of thin air and landed heavily on the thick carpet not far from the bed with a dull 'thud'. The centaur relief on the surface of the box, looking ready to fly, was lifelike.
Sagittarius! Just as expected! The only masterless gold cloth has finally been obtained!
Hiroki's heart burned with excitement.
He forced his still-weak body up and, with Izumi's support, walked to the Cloth box.
He reached out, touching the cold metal surface of the gold cloth box with anticipation and a trace of excitement.
An indescribable divine connection seemed to be transmitted through it, flickering in and out of existence.
He pressed his palm against a specific pull-ring position on the box—following his previous memories and a subtle intuition—and his mind moved slightly.
Click! Buzz... With a crisp mechanical sound and a burst of soft golden light, the Cloth box automatically unfolded like a giant golden flower bud! Dazzling golden light instantly filled the room! The light was not piercing, but warm and grand, filled with the will to soar freely. The box transformed into several components, which flew up automatically as if they had a life of their own, instantly covering Hiroki's body!
Helmet, pauldrons, cuirass, tassets, vambraces, greaves... all parts assembled, fitted, and locked seamlessly! An indescribable, surging sense of power instantly swept through his entire body!
So this is... the power of the gold cloth? This feeling!!! Hmm??? Wait... no!!!
The expected sensation of divine power pouring into him and a surging Cosmo did not arrive. Instead, it was replaced by an extremely intense—sense of weight!!!
It felt as if... a mountain of gold had been placed on him?! Hiroki tried to lift his arm, but the movement of the golden plates felt incredibly sluggish. He even clearly heard the faint metallic sound of the armor joints rubbing together. This Cloth seemed to weigh millions of tons!
"Holy crap! What's going on?!" Hiroki almost stumbled. If Izumi hadn't supported him in time, he might have even been pinned to the ground.
"System! Get out here! Why is this damn Cloth so heavy??? Forget fighting, I can barely even walk in this!!"
Almost as soon as Hiroki's complaint began, an ancient piece of parchment glowing with a faint golden light appeared out of thin air and slowly drifted into his hand. It was the'small gift' the system hadn't explicitly mentioned when the Cloth box appeared—the gold cloth: Cross-World Fusion Adaptability User Manual.
Hiroki's mouth twitched. Suppressing the urge to complain, he quickly unfolded the parchment to check. Lines of mysterious text that were automatically translated clearly in his mind flowed past:
The Cloth is a creation originating from the combination of the divine power of the ancient Greek Olympian gods and human belief.
Its core power stems from the 'Cosmo'.
Given that the holder, Hiroki, does not possess the specific energy of this world, 'Cosmo', a 'system-based adaptation fusion of this universe's power system' is required.
Optimal fusion vessel: Holder's soul-bound weapon (Detected: Zanpakuto: asauchi).