〜Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline〜
Above Hades City, Hypnos, the God of Sleep, casually ate one of Thanatos' chess pieces. After picking it up, he paused for a moment and looked at the screen.
"Heh, it seems you've played a little too much, Thanatos."
Facing Hypnos' teasing, Thanatos stared absently at the wounds displayed on the screen, his face now so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.
The chess piece he held in his hand suddenly shattered. A mere Gold Saint had actually injured him, a god.
"Unforgivable! Cancer Manigoldo..."
Facing the enraged Thanatos, Hypnos directly flashed away from there. After all, Thanatos probably wasn't in the mood for chess at the moment.
.....
[ Touching the cut on his face, Thanatos stared blankly at the bloodstains in his hand, sinking into an angry silence.
Below, Manigoldo reached out and tore off his cloak, his face full of emotion for his master.
"How far have you foreseen, truly a terrifying yet reliable master!"
Thanatos' face darkened as he clenched his fists, visible anger overflowing onto his face, and a deep purple Cosmo erupted from his fists.
"Don't get too arrogant, humans! To dare to injure me, a god, this is a grave sin... Divine punishment, you shall endure it with your body."
The entire palace began to shake, and the ground started to crack into huge rocks, constantly flying upwards. Although Manigoldo feigned ease, his heart was already incomparably shocked... Thanatos' Cosmo was expanding.
Facing this intense pressure, Manigoldo, however, would not miss any opportunity to mock the God of Death.
"Eh, are you angry! Is His Excellency the God going to personally finish me off like a bird in a cage?!"
Facing Manigoldo's taunt, Thanatos' eyes were utterly indifferent.
"Don't be too narcissistic. To me, your lives are less than ants, merely dust. I wouldn't feel anything even if I trampled you underfoot."
As Thanatos raised his hands, lightning flashed and thunder roared in an instant, a terrifying Cosmo gathered in his hands, and the light sphere of the God of Death continuously condensed and magnified.
"TERRIBLE PROVIDENCE—!"
The giant light sphere whistled as it swept towards the Pope. In a flash of lightning, Manigoldo darted out from the side, reaching out to block in front of his master.
"Master! STEP BACK!!!"
Just as he made contact with the Terrible Providence, his Gold Cloth instantly shattered, and blood spewed from Manigoldo's mouth.
Dust, huh... He sure can talk. The defiant Manigoldo had long been prepared to die, and at this moment, even a dying vision appeared, recalling his encounter with the Pope.
In a moment of crisis, the Pope once again stepped forward, blocking the explosive Terrible Providence.
Manigoldo, who had thought he was dead for sure, immediately snapped back to reality. I'm still alive! ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Heh heh, his mouth is the toughest part of him. A Gold Saint is less than an ant in his eyes. I just want to ask him what it feels like to be injured by dust."
"Little Ma Ge( Manigo ), stop being so cheeky. Direct face-to-face taunts are just too much, you almost got yourself killed trying to show off. Good thing the old Pope was there."
Everyone watched Manigoldo selflessly block in front of his master, their hearts deeply touched. This subconscious act of protecting his master gave everyone a new understanding of the defiant Manigoldo.
"Taking on a god's ultimate attack alone... What a tough guy, brother, you actually dared to take that."
The power of this Terrible Providenceis simply too strong. Just a moment of contact, and the Gold Cloth shattered. Or perhaps, this is the true strength of Thanatos, the God of Death.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline〜
"Manigoldo! I'm not so old that I need your protection. The Sanctuary needs young Saints, not us old guys."
Although the Pope was deeply moved by Manigoldo's actions, fearing that Manigoldo would do such a foolish thing again, the Pope still gently reminded Manigoldo.
"Hai, hai Your Holiness,"
Manigoldo answered perfunctorily, but when truly faced with it, he would still unhesitatingly step up.
The Pope also sighed helplessly. In that instant, he truly thought Manigoldo would die from that move. Others might not know, but he and Hakurei were very aware of the power of that move.
There's no mistake, it was this Terrible Providence that attacked Lady Athena back then. One must know that even Lady Athena, exhausted after defeating Hades, dared not directly confront this move.
.....
〜Bleach World, Karakura Town〜
Rukia looked at Manigoldo's flashing memories, also filled with surprise.
"Hiss~! Manigoldo's talent is quite formidable. Even without guidance, he naturally possessed the ability to manipulate souls from a young age."
He looks only eight or nine years old, yet he can calmly accept the existence of souls.
At an age where he should be playing in the mud, he constantly witnesses the deaths of others.
Ichigo Kurosaki also felt that it was truly fortunate that Manigoldo met the Pope.
"If it weren't for the Pope, Manigoldo's mind would have probably gone astray long ago..."
From that, it could be seen that Manigoldo, constantly witnessing death, had begun to disregard life. It was only the Pope who guided him.
Ichigo just didn't expect that beneath Manigoldo's sunny and playful exterior lay such experiences... His entire village was wiped out, leaving only him. Despite his tragic background, he could remain optimistic, truly thanks to the old Sage.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Toeiverse, Anime timeline〜
"YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS IS CANCER?!"
Mu of Aries felt his worldview starting to collapse, his face full of doubt about life.
This image of respecting his master, hating death, and valuing life truly elevated the status of Cancer. Deathmask was pressed directly to the ground and rubbed.
Aside from being a rebellious teenager in his childhood, attempting to rob the Pope, there's nothing about him that resembles the current Cancer.
It's all because of the stereotypical impression Deathmask of Cancer left on him, making him think all Cancers were the same, even more like Specters than Specters themselves...
.....
〜Gintama World〜
"It's precisely because one sees too much death that one develops an immense hatred for it....."
Gintoki, picking his nose, watched the scene of the Pope picking up Manigoldo, his thoughts also returning to the past, just like back then, Shoyo-sensei...
"Really? Why don't I see Mr. Manigoldo hating it that much?"
Shinpachi pushed up his glasses. Manigoldo only showed optimism; he didn't seem to hate death that much.
Aside from initially going after the God of Death, he didn't show much of his inner thoughts.
"Idiot, that's why you're just Shinpachi-chi, you'll never become Shinichi!"
Gintoki looked at Shinpachi with a disappointed expression.
"True hatred never surfaces. Manigoldo truly hates it to his core."
.....
[ "Don't be reckless. You almost got torn to pieces." The Pope held a charm in front of him, scolding Manigoldo.
Blood flowed from Manigoldo's face, and he knelt on one knee on the ground. For a moment, he had lost consciousness, and even his helmet had fallen to the ground.
"Even if I'm considered useless by the gods. Even if I'm trash, I still want to shine brilliantly once."
Although Thanatos was somewhat surprised that Manigoldo was still alive, "Saved by the Gold Cloth? A Cloth that has never been destroyed since the Age of Myths, indeed, it's not just for show."
"But... you yourself are too fragile."
The God of Death Thanatos' right hand emitted Cosmo, and gently clenched, a strange power instantly struck Manigoldo's abdomen.
Manigoldo's pupils immediately dilated, a gush of blood surged from his body, and then he heavily collapsed to the ground, his life hanging in the balance. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"LITTLE—MA—GE!! What exactly did Thanatos do? Did he directly bypass the Cloth and attack his body?"
"So the Cloth really isn't just for show. I was wondering why anyone would make clothes out of gold. Wouldn't it be heavy? Turns out it's actually useful!"
Since the Age of Myths, having gone through so many Holy Wars, the Gold Cloth, which had never shattered, somehow broke just by touching the Terrible Providence for an instant.
This also indirectly showed the immensely powerful strength of the God of Death. Or rather, it was already good that he didn't die just now.
It's just a pity for this playful Little Ma Ge. After all, his opponent is a god. Otherwise, if he had encountered other Specters, even one of the Three Judges, he might not have been without a fighting chance.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline〜
"Damn it, and he said he wanted to shine once, stand up! What have you accomplished if you just lie there?"
Manigoldo looked at himself lying on the ground with some resentment.
Since you said you wanted to shine once, don't you dare die here... leaving Master alone to fight the God of Death.
Manigoldo wasn't afraid of death; he was just afraid of dying meaninglessly.
"Calm down, MANIGOLDO!"
The Pope looked at his beloved disciple, whose life was unknown, yet he remained calm.
"What needs to be done now is to carefully observe Thanatos' techniques, so that when you encounter them again, you'll have a chance."
Instead of grieving over death now, it's better to remember Thanatos' techniques and prepare countermeasures, because future battles are the key.
.....