Moments later…
He arrived at the Pope's Hall.
The Pope's Hall remained silent, just as before. Unlike his last visit, there was no Silver Saint from the Altar constellation to welcome him.
Instead, a gentle, aged voice rang in his ears: "Come in."
The voice, though old, carried a sense of kindness, and Jiang Chen stepped inside. He passed through a corridor etched with the marks of time and soon arrived in the Pope's Audience Hall.
At its center stood a lone figure.
And the moment Jiang Chen's gaze met that figure—
He couldn't help but freeze slightly in surprise.
At that moment, the figure in the papal robe standing in the hall was no longer the same person as before; he had been replaced by the Silver Saint of the Altar constellation who once stood guard.
"Pope, you summoned me?" Jiang Chen was momentarily stunned, then immediately bowed and spoke respectfully. Being someone who knew the storyline well, he naturally understood what was happening.
In the original Saint Seiya story, Shion was killed by Sage, who then impersonated him to become the new Pope. In the TV and novel versions, however, Shion died of old age, and Alex inherited the Pope's position. Sage then killed Alex, taking his place.
Clearly, this timeline followed the TV and novel version.
The Pope, Alex, spoke in a soft, aged voice, his gaze unconsciously settling on Jiang Chen: "Chen, you must have sensed that Palace beyond the Twelve Zodiac Temples. Do you know what it is?"
Jiang Chen's heart stirred slightly, but he shook his head: "I do not."
Alex's voice grew solemn: "That is a new Palace located beyond the Twelve Zodiac Temples. It belongs to a Golden Saint outside of the Twelve Gold Saints; it is called the Ophiuchus Palace. Since the Mythological Age, it has stood above all other Zodiac Temples."
Jiang Chen listened silently, making no reply.
Alex continued: "Chen, the Holy War that occurs once every 243 years is about to begin. The Sanctuary needs stronger power. I need you to inherit the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth. Are you willing?"
Jiang Chen had remained silent, so Alex paused before continuing with a hint of anticipation in his voice.
Jiang Chen, without hesitation, bowed slightly and responded: "Pope, I accept your command."
Though he had already awakened his Great Cosmo and could likely wear any Gold Cloth, even among the Twelve… The Ophiuchus Gold Cloth was undoubtedly exceptionally powerful.
As Alex had said, it was a Saint Cloth that surpassed even the Twelve Zodiac Gold Cloths.
Of course, there was one risk: The Ophiuchus Cloth had a history of taking over the wearer's will, making it highly dangerous.
But to Jiang Chen, this wasn't an issue at all.
The previous Ophiuchus Gold Saint, Odysseus, had been known as a saintly healer, revered as the reincarnation of Asclepius, the god of medicine. In truth, he had been possessed by Asclepius's soul. When he was resurrected, his body was completely taken over by the fallen Asclepius, who had become a dark god.
Thus, only Asclepius himself could truly bear the Ophiuchus Cloth.
But Jiang Chen wasn't worried in the slightest.
Asclepius wasn't even a true god, and even if he was… Jiang Chen was a Saiyan God.
He had nothing to fear. Not to mention, his Cosmo wasn't just a small Cosmo, it was the Great Cosmo, the very force that rivaled the divine.
Even if Asclepius tried to take over, it wouldn't be easy. In fact, the benefits far outweighed the risks. If he could obtain the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth, it would greatly accelerate the growth of his Cosmo.
The rate of advancement would likely surpass any other Gold Cloth.
After all, no other Gold Saint had truly approached godhood, but the Saint of Ophiuchus had. Maybe even succeeded. The Ophiuchus Cloth, compared to the others, clearly possessed a divine quality.
Alex nodded slightly, his voice filled with expectation: "Young Saint, I believe you will become the next Ophiuchus Gold Saint. I await your good news."
"Yes, Pope!" Jiang Chen bowed respectfully.
After that, Alex instructed him on a few more matters before allowing him to leave.
Jiang Chen exited the Pope's Hall and headed straight for the Ophiuchus Palace.
Now located between Sagittarius and Scorpio, the Ophiuchus Palace had become increasingly real and defined.
When Jiang Chen arrived, he immediately sensed layers of time and space energy intertwined around it.
"What is this…?" His brows furrowed slightly. Surprise crossed Jiang Chen's face. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but now he realized: The Ophiuchus Palace didn't exist in the present, it was rooted in the past.
As someone who had already mastered aspects of time manipulation, he could clearly feel this anomaly.
And he sensed even more…
Moved by intuition, he raised his right hand and touched the palace gate.
"Buzz!"
A pulse of energy surged outward and a moment later, invisible ripples began to spread from the Ophiuchus Palace…
At the same time —
In the Sanctuary—
The Silver Cloth of Ophiuchus, the Giant Snake Cloth, suddenly lit up with a blinding radiance.
"Whoosh!"
Around Jiang Chen, the time energy that he hadn't used in a long while began to ripple outward layer by layer. Behind him, the Twelve Zodiac Temples lit up one by one, and then the Ophiuchus constellation above the Ophiuchus Palace began to shimmer.
As the constellation flickered—
Jiang Chen's silhouette stepped into the realm of illusion and at the very instant he stepped into that illusion—
Inside the Pope's Hall—
Alex suddenly opened his eyes wide.
"Flash!"
His figure instantly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already floating high above the Ophiuchus Palace.
His pupils widened in shock—
Because in that very moment, the phantom-like Ophiuchus Palace had completely disappeared, leaving nothing behind but empty space.
Just like in the very beginning.
"It's… gone!" Alex murmured to himself, his expression filled with shock and deep confusion.
He had considered many possibilities:
Jiang Chen might be unable to inherit the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth.
Jiang Chen might successfully inherit it.
Or perhaps Jiang Chen wouldn't be able to enter the palace at all.
Considering the palace's mysterious nature, even he himself could not touch it, sense it, or step into it. It would have been completely normal if Jiang Chen had failed to enter.
But he never expected this—
That both Jiang Chen and the Ophiuchus Palace would vanish entirely from existence.
"Boom!" A majestic Cosmo burst forth from Alex's body, spreading across the surrounding space in an instant.
Yet no matter how his Cosmo swept the area, he couldn't sense even the slightest trace of the Ophiuchus Palace.
His outburst of Cosmo quickly alerted several Gold Saints.
"Flash!"
"Flash!"
"Flash!"
Four silhouettes appeared one after another:
Mu of Aries
Shaka of Virgo
Sage of Gemini
Aiolos of Sagittarius
"Pope!"
"Pope!"
The four Gold Saints immediately saluted upon arrival.
"Pope Alex, has something happened?" Mu of Aries asked with both reverence and concern.
As he spoke, all four Saints turned their gazes toward Alex. Alex hesitated briefly, then spoke without hiding anything: "Chen just stepped into the palace moments ago… But both he and the Ophiuchus Palace disappeared from this space entirely."
"What?!" Aiolos's eyes went wide in disbelief, blurting out the words.
Sage and Shaka also tensed.
"Gone?" Mu frowned, spreading his own Cosmo throughout the area—
But like Alex, he could sense nothing.
"Buzz…" Shaka calmly closed his eyes, his Cosmo radiating in layers, He extended his perception to the entire surroundings.
But soon after, he too shook his head.
(End of Chapter)
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