~ Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline ~
"Hey, Albafica, dealing with these few Specter soldiers should be solvable with a light-speed punch; no need for that move."
As part of the "Seafood Duo," Manigoldo and Albafica had a good relationship.
They had even carried out missions together in the Gaiden, with Manigoldo expressing a strong desire to be Albafica's partner.
Manigoldo's surprise stemmed from the fact that all Gold Saints' punches could reach light speed, making it theoretically easy to deal with these small fries.
Albafica remained silent, but the Pope also frowned slightly,
"The next opponent is Minos, and he's not easy to deal with."
Dealing with these Specters had almost exposed all of his trump cards to Minos.
The same move was basically useless against a Saint.
Crimson Thorn was a move that, if it merely grazed a strong enemy, would basically be fatal. Unfortunately, it was exposed too early! Minos would definitely be on guard against this move.
.....
[ "WINGS OF HELL!!" Minos stretched his hands forward, and the wings that adorned his Surplice also spread, a fierce wind rising from the ground.
Centered on Minos, a massive Tatsumaki uprooted all the Royal Demon Roses from the ground! Even large rocks couldn't escape, floating into the air!
Just as Albafica was still wondering what kind of move this was, Minos was already right in front of him,
"How about it? The feeling of your poisonous roses, which you rely on for survival, disappearing?!"
"COSMIC MARIONETTE"
The fine threads formed by Minos's Cosmo entangle Albafica's body, causing Albafica, who had intended to attack, to lose control of his body.
"What... my body is moving on its own..."
Minos calmly glanced at Albafica, his body emitting a purple Cosmo.
"You can no longer follow your own will."
"You can't even move a single finger. Everyone controlled by lines invisible to the naked eye has become my loyal puppet."
"I heard there's a small village near the Sanctuary. Interesting. To boost morale before attacking the Sanctuary, let's kill everyone in that village."
While Minos suppressed Albafica, the remaining Specters obeyed orders and began to advance towards the Sanctuary. ]
[ .....]
~ Projection of All Worlds ~
"Cosmic Marionette... this move is too cheap. The strong control of these threads is simply unsolvable."
"How could they fight now?! The intelligence was completely unequal. Albafica had no idea about the opponent's abilities, but Minos, thanks to the previous probing by the Specters, knew Albafica's moves inside out."
First, 'Wings of Hell' directly cleared the poisonous roses, then 'Cosmic Marionette' controlled Albafica himself. This was too difficult...
And how strong were these threads?! Even Albafica, one of the Gold Saints, couldn't break free.
.....
[ "WAIT!!" Albafica wanted to stop the Specters, but Minos simply moved his arm slightly, and Albafica's body flew up uncontrollably, then crashed to the ground.
"To toy with those who can't resist is the privilege of those with power. If you insist on resisting, I will shatter your bones."
"Before attacking the Sanctuary, let me play a little. First, I'll destroy that beautiful face you're so proud of."
Minos moved his finger slightly, and Albafica's fist, uncontrollably smashed into him, punch after punch.
"Hmph hmph hmph!" Minos seemed to be playing with a toy, his mood becoming joyful.
"Next, your hand? Or your foot? Or should I just twist your neck off? Ah... let's start with your defiant eyes!"
The next moment, Albafica found his fist uncontrollably extending two fingers, and to his horror, they plunged into his own eyes.
"Splurt..."
A large amount of blood gushed out, dripping onto the ground, but the blood was flowing from his shoulder.
"Minos, I'm not in the mood to play with you or be played by you here."
Albafica's hand fell limply to the ground. To avoid the previous attack, he had broken his own right arm.
"My face, hands, and feet, you can destroy them as you please. But... I will never let you pass this point!"
Even with a broken arm, Albafica still smiled, looking at Minos with determined eyes.
Minos was only slightly surprised at this.
"As expected of a Gold Saint, but my subordinates will be able to destroy the entire village in no time."
Facing such a dire situation, Albafica laughed.
"Foolish, it's your subordinates who will be completely annihilated. Do you think the Royal Demon Rose Garden only has one layer?!"
The scene showed the Specters heading towards the village, all lying motionless on the ground with a white rose stained with blood embedded in their bodies.
"Bloody Rose. Once an enemy is struck, they can only wait for death. It directly strikes the enemy's heart. When the white petals are dyed crimson, your subordinates are dead." ]
[ .....]
~ Projection of All Worlds ~
"So that 'wait' meant asking them to die slowly... I thought he was worried about the village before. His acting is too good."
"Holy crap, I feel the pain just watching it. Breaking his own arm, that's too brutal."
But he had to be brutal. If he didn't break his arm, he'd lose his eyes, and dealing with Minos would be even harder, as his roses basically lock onto their targets.
Bloody Rose. If this rose were used for assassination and sneak attacks, wouldn't it be a sure kill every time?! Wouldn't it be even better to use it against Minos?!
~ Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline ~
"As expected of Albafica, he had already foreseen all of this and set up a deeper layer of roses in advance."
Dégel pushed up his glasses, praising without reservation.
Albafica's roses were undoubtedly fatal. If Minos hadn't known the information, perhaps they could have fought, but now...
Manigoldo also saw the trick,
"Cosmic Marionette, it's too much of a counter to Albafica!"
Dégel nodded; that was the reason. If he were to fight Minos, he would have more of an advantage. He believed his freezing air could freeze the puppet threads.
~ Saint Seiya Toeiverse, Anime timeline ~
"Hahaha, isn't that your Bloody Rose? He actually used it as an ambush."
Deathmask's laughter sounded so harsh in Aphrodite's ears.
Aphrodite's handsome face couldn't help but be covered in black lines. His proud ultimate move, Bloody Rose, was actually just used as a means for the Demon Rose Garden.
Looking at Deathmask, who was still laughing, Aphrodite could only swallow his anger and clench his fists slightly...! Laugh, I hope I don't get a chance to mock you; otherwise, I'll mock you to death.
Aphrodite now understood that the previous generation of Saints definitely had moves that had not been passed down.
.....
[ Minos indeed sensed that the Specters' Cosmos had disappeared, but he showed no pity for the death of his subordinates; instead, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, my apologies! As expected of a Gold Saint, truly worth destroying."
Minos showed a fierce look, and his Cosmo erupted again. With just a flick of his hand, Albafica's left leg began to twist unnaturally, rotating a full circle.
"Ah!!"
Albafica's eyes widened. The intense pain still made him cry out in agony.
A large amount of bloody mist also floated in the air. Minos looked around, not paying much attention, and instead laughed,
"It wouldn't be fun otherwise."
Blood flowed from Albafica's mouth. He tried hard to clench his fist, his eyes still filled with defiance,
"Break my hands, break my feet. Even destroy my face."
Then, preferring to break his bones, he clenched his fist tightly, blood spilling from his hand, and let out the most resolute roar,
"I WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT LET YOU PASS!"
"Hahaha, well said." The more Albafica resisted, the more excited Minos became, and the threads began to pull at Albafica's arm.
Just as all his fingers were about to be broken, Albafica suddenly unleashed his Cosmo, breaking free from the restraints!
"CRIMSON THORN!!" Fine needles made of blood assailed Minos like a storm.
From a distance, the dense needles made it seem as if Minos was enveloped in blood.
As the smoke cleared, Minos retracted the wings blocking him, reappearing here unscathed.
"To be honest, it surprises me that a beauty like you possesses such a strong fighting spirit. But... your power is still insufficient."
The Cosmic Marionette threads, formed from his Cosmo, had unknowingly re-entangled Albafica.
"Crack..." The sound of bones twisting came from Albafica's body.
"AH!!!"
Then he let out a scream, blood gushing everywhere; his arms, legs, and even all the bones in his body were forcibly broken.
"You truly are a very entertaining puppet, Albafica!"
Albafica was now lying in a pool of blood, his body and limbs twisted unnaturally. The Cosmic Marionette had just broken all the bones in his body. ]
[ .....]
~ Projection of All Worlds ~
"Hiss—"
The people from other worlds gasped, a pain so severe that just watching it hurt.
At this moment, everyone present had only one thought: 'Where were Dohko and Shion?! They knew Albafica was guarding alone; couldn't they have checked?'
The enemy had already reached the doorstep, but why didn't anyone come to help...? Damn it, those two wouldn't just stand at the door and watch, would they?
~ KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! ~
"Ow, ow, ow!!"
The masochist Kazuma tried twisting his arm, but stopped his foolish action halfway.
"This is just too painful."
Honestly... he'd rather die than suffer such treatment. This kind of pain was no joke, except for Darkness, that pervert, who would get excited.
Megumin shivered instinctively, crouching by the side, trembling.
The outside world was too terrifying... Thankfully, she had teammates.
.....
~ Type-Moon World, Kaleid liner Prisma Illya Worldline ~
"Albafica has done his best."
Shirou Emiya also turned his head, unable to watch anymore.
His will, to rather break his fingers than stop attacking, perfectly illustrated what it meant that beauty does not equal fragility.
It was just that the compatibility between Minos and Albafica was too poor; his abilities were completely countered.
Minos's skill was also a "first-sight kill." Albafica didn't seem to be an offensive Saint; he would be better suited for defending the Sanctuary.
The most crucial point was... his moves were completely figured out by Minos!
.....