〜Type-Moon World, Carnival Phantasm Worldline〜
"Manigoldo—what can I say about his personality? He comes across as quite mischievous..."
Shirou Emiya watched the screen with a wry smile. Even at a time like this, he didn't forget to crack jokes; he truly had character.
Rin Tohsaka, who was usually quick, was already rummaging through everything, turning things over here, then going to another spot to mess with things, leaving everyone stunned.
Illya looked at the CDs scattered everywhere by Rin Tohsaka, full of confusion, her large eyes filled with bewilderment.
So, she asked Rin Tohsaka, who was still burying her head, searching for something,
"Um, Rin... what are you trying to find?"
Rin Tohsaka didn't turn her head, answering as a matter of course,
"Didn't he talk about ratings? I'm looking to see if there are any tapes."
"Oh, okay, you go on then."
Illya nodded blankly, not understanding such a foolish act, but supportive nonetheless...
.....
[ Facing the boastful Manigoldo, Thanatos did not take him seriously. In his eyes, this was nothing more than a toy for amusement.
"You're quite good with words."
As Thanatos placed a chess piece on the board, the shattered chessboard instantly repaired itself, and a dark purple light flashed.
A gigantic knight appeared out of thin air from the ground, thrusting its spear at Manigoldo, who raised his hand to block it.
Thanatos, seeing this, was incredibly leisurely, "You've interrupted my game. At least make me happy."
As his words fell, the battlefield changed again. The entire sky palace transformed into a chessboard, and various chess pieces were summoned to attack Manigoldo.
"BOOM—!"
The scepter in the chess piece's hand fell heavily, kicking up clouds of dust.
"What? Checkmate so soon?" Thanatos's tone and expression were filled with disdain.
Just as Thanatos thought the game was over, the next moment, wisps of blue-white light drifted out from the dust. Manigoldo, struck by the scepter, was still unharmed.
"PRAESEPE DEMONIC BLUE FLAMES—!"
The blazing blue-white flames burned again, instantly incinerating the four chess pieces surrounding him into ashes, and with undiminished momentum, set Thanatos's chessboard ablaze.
Manigoldo gazed intently at Thanatos, the blue-white flames engulfing the palace,
"The game ends here. I will cremate your soul along with everything else!" ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"I have to say, the Saint Seiya characters are incredibly tough. Their damage output is high, and their defense is absolutely insane. That massive scepter struck him, and he came out completely unscathed."
"'Demonic Blue Flames' is undoubtedly a powerful ability, capable of targeting souls, but it might lose its effectiveness when facing a god."
Thanatos truly displayed the arrogance of a god, treating Manigoldo, a Gold Saint, merely as a chess piece to toy with.
Even if Manigoldo seemed to have a fighting chance, everyone didn't believe he would be a match for the God of Death. It was clear at a glance that the other party was fighting purely out of a playful mood...
It couldn't even be called a fight; Thanatos was toying with Manigoldo.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline〜
"Truly a foolish man."
Before the throne above Hades Castle, Thanatos chuckled, toying with the chessboard in his hands.
There were always mortals who, not knowing their place, wanted to challenge the authority of the gods. Mere specks of dust, yet they blindly believed they could harm a god.
'Demonic Blue Flames'?! A mere mortal, yet fantasizing about harming a god's soul. It was nothing but a fool's dream.
The God of Sleep beside him said nothing, only chuckled lightly, perhaps because he thought the same.
.....
〜Bleach World〜
"The Cancer skill is indeed an invaluable divine technique against Specters... but it seems insufficient against Thanatos."
Aizen remained wary of Manigoldo's soul-targeting techniques. They might have a miraculous effect against Specters, but he didn't believe the 'Demonic Blue Flames' technique could burn a god's soul.
That was an existence from a different dimension, something that couldn't be described by normal standards.
And many captains in the Soul Society shared similar thoughts.
Shunsui Kyoraku stroked his chin, observing the screen while contemplating their current situation,
"Since Hades has the Twin Gods, does Athena's side also have divine help?"
However, the video had yet to show any gods appearing on Athena's side. As he thought about it carefully, Shunsui Kyoraku grew more and more astonished.
Perhaps this was never an equal war from the start, with immortal Specters and gods with extraordinary power!
Facing these disadvantages, how did the previous Athena lead the Saints to win the Holy War...??
.....
[ "Truly a foolish man, still not understanding the difference between gods and humans."
Looking at Manigoldo, who was still stubbornly resisting, Thanatos directly mocked him.
"Now, let me show you a glimpse of my power."
As he spoke, Thanatos had already donned his God Cloth. A flash of light suddenly erupted above his head, and in the void, the Gods' Pathway was opened.
The Gods' Pathway was like a universe. From the vast starry sky, an extraordinary suction force emanated, constantly pulling the debris of the palace into it.
"This space is the Gods' Pathway, but... if an ordinary person takes a step inside, they will be torn to shreds."
The debris sucked into the pathway was also continuously disintegrated until it vanished.
"You are not worthy of me personally acting. Just turn to dust."
At this moment, Manigoldo showed panic for the first time, looking at his feet with cold sweat, using all his strength to resist the suction.
His body... was gradually being pulled in. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"The Gods' Pathway, what could be inside? The legendary dwelling of the gods?"
"If Thanatos didn't explain, would Manigoldo rush in headfirst? After all, if he wanted to attack Thanatos, Manigoldo might actually do that."
The Gods' Pathway... everyone in other worlds could only say it was too unfair. This move, unless Athena herself, being a god, came in person, would mean death for anyone else.
That meant Manigoldo was now doomed. Athena, as the linchpin, shouldn't easily leave the Sanctuary, and Manigoldo had no countermeasure.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline〜
"The Gods' Pathway...!!"
At this moment, all the Gold Saints looked grim.
This was indeed something they couldn't deal with, but if things continued like this, let alone fighting, it was only a matter of time before Manigoldo was sucked in.
"Is this the difference between a god and a human... damn it!"
Sisypus's face also looked bad. He hadn't expected Manigoldo, a fellow Gold Saint, to exert his full power and still be unable to pose even a slight threat to Thanatos.
Regulus, the young lion who possessed all the Saint's skills, also voiced his thoughts,
"If Manigoldo used 'Praesepe Underworld Waves' to transfer his body and soul to the Underworld, I wonder if he could escape."
At these words, even Manigoldo himself began to speculate. Only the Pope beside him shook his head; Thanatos wouldn't give him that chance.
And on Kanon Island, Defteros looked at the Gods' Pathway in deep thought,
"With Another Dimension, he should be able to escape the pull of the Gods' Pathway."
.....
[ At the critical moment, a voice echoed in this starry sky.
"This won't do, Thanatos!"
Golden lightning opened a crack in the pathway, and Pope Sage, holding Athena's charm, calmly appeared in the pathway.
"We finally meet!"
In an instant, the charm was thrown by Sage, flying to both sides of the Gods' Pathway. The charm's power forcibly closed the pathway.
"Who are you? How can a human survive here?"
Sage stood beside Manigoldo, directly facing Thanatos,
"Pope Sage, the Gold Saint of Cancer from the last Holy War." ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Pope!!! You are way too reliable! How can you be so cool at such an old age?"
"Holy crap, who's that hottie? I didn't expect him to be so handsome when he was young! Is the standard for a Saint Seiya really not based on looks?"
Having an elder in the family is truly a treasure! That was the thought on everyone's mind. They never expected the Pope to be so reliable, arriving grandly at such a critical time.
They hadn't expected the Pope to be a great beauty comparable to Albafica in his youth. No wonder he could be a Gold Saint; not only could he fight, but his looks were also out of this world.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Toeiverse, Anime timeline〜
"Does such a Pope truly exist...?"
Mu of Aries could only say that this Pope was too reliable. The moment he appeared, he brought a sense of security.
Remembering how their own Holy War hadn't even begun but was plagued by internal strife, the Gold Saints sighed, wishing they could be united like the previous generation.
Deathmask looked at the two generations of Cancer Gold Saints side by side, his heart filled with complexity. Compared to them, he might be the weakest Cancer.
"But how did this Pope live for over two hundred years?"
This was what puzzled Deathmask the most. No matter how powerful he was, he was still human. How did he manage to live for over two hundred years and still have the stamina to participate in the Holy War?
.....