At the North Pacific Pillar, Aiolos faced his opponent—Sea Horse Barlan.
"You've come."
"Sagittarius Aiolo—"
"No need to tell me your name. All I need to know is that you're my enemy, and that you'll die by my hand." Sea Horse Barlan interrupted Aiolos' introduction coldly.
Aiolos frowned slightly. From what he could sense, Sea Horse Barlan was a capable warrior. Unlike the Sea Phantom Beast Gesha's reckless behavior on land, Barlan did seem more grounded… but wasn't this going a little too far?
"Confident, aren't you?" Aiolos smiled faintly and asked.
"Every Sea General is a natural-born powerhouse. Other than Lord Poseidon himself, we are the strongest beings."
Hearing that, Aiolos chuckled in disbelief. He didn't even know how to respond. This was arrogance taken to the extreme.
So much so that…
"You're not going to announce your title?"
…
…
"The dead don't need to know my name."
"Fine." Aiolos wasn't interested in talking anymore. The man in front of him was a clueless fool.
So Aiolos struck first.
"Atomic Thunderclap Fist."
In an instant, hundreds of millions of light-speed punches rained out like a solid wall aimed straight at Sea Horse Barlan.
But Barlan stood there with his hands behind his back, unmoving. The impenetrable barrage stopped just short of him, blocked by an invisible wall. Ripples shimmered in the air where the punches landed—it was beautiful.
"Ripple Defense," Barlan explained loftily. "A defensive wall formed by high-speed spiraling airflow. Your attack won't break through."
"Is that so?"
Unfazed by the failure of his first attack, Aiolos struck again.
"Atomic Thunderclap Light-Speed Fist!"
"You fool, I just told you—"
Crack—
"What the—gah!"
Barlan hadn't finished his taunt when a golden punch broke through the Ripple Defense, blasting him far into the distance.
"How was that?" Aiolos asked with a smile, lowering his fists.
"How did you do that?" Barlan asked, stunned.
"If your defense is made of swirling air currents, then the center of that swirl must be its weak point."
"Impossible! The Ripple Defense is composed of tens of millions of miniature spirals! I covered every spiral center with new layers of spirals—there's less than a micron of space between them! You couldn't possibly—"
"Why not?" Aiolos looked at Barlan with disappointment. This was like watching an arrogant child throw a tantrum after getting bested. Totally immature.
"Again! That was a fluke! Ripple Defense!"
"Let's not forget—I've already seen through your defense. And the same move never works twice on a Saint. Atomic Thunderclap Light-Speed Fist!"
Same move, stronger power. The Ripple Defense was torn apart in an instant. Barlan was punched high into the sky and tossed around like a puppet by the golden winds of Aiolos' punches.
About a minute later—thud—Barlan hit the ground. His helmet had flown off, blood dripped from his mouth, and he stared blankly into the air, muttering, "Impossible… impossible…"
Aiolos shook his head in disappointment. He had been hoping for a rival—someone to truly test him. Though he served as a kind of commissar within the Sanctuary and was known for his wisdom and composure, he was still a warrior—someone who yearned for a meaningful fight.
He thought this might finally be it, but…
It felt more like bullying a child. Power without maturity.
Crash—
Barlan pushed off the rubble covering him and stood up, staggering.
"You've tarnished my honor. I won't hold back anymore. One move—that's all I need to kill you!" Barlan snarled.
"Go ahead," Aiolos said calmly. Considering Barlan's immaturity, he decided to give the kid a chance to strike first.
"Breath of the Gods!" With a sweep of his arms, a fierce current gathered into a hurricane, rushing toward Aiolos.
"Be torn apart! By an attack rivaling the gods themselves!"
"Pulse of Light."
The wings behind Aiolos flapped, releasing golden wind imbued with the light of the constellations. It became a brilliant pulse wave, colliding with the hurricane.
Boom—
The two storms clashed in midair. Neither side yielded, and the shockwaves turned into razor-sharp wind blades that shredded the surrounding palace into pieces.
"Impossible! Get through! Go!"
Fueled by fury, Barlan's cosmos began to burn brighter. Breath of the Gods started to overpower Pulse of Light, inching closer to Aiolos.
"That's more like a warrior! I won't lose either. Burn, my cosmos! Haaa—!"
Seeing Barlan finally awaken his fighting spirit, Aiolos responded with his own. His cosmos flared violently, making the pulse wave shine even brighter. It reversed the momentum, pushing Breath of the Gods back toward Barlan.
"No! I won't lose! I'm a Sea General chosen by Lord Poseidon! Haaa—!"
The standoff reignited, neither side backing down. Their cosmos burned so fiercely, it seemed they would sooner die than let go.
The storm intensified, spreading wider and wider. Many nearby Sea Soldiers who had been on their way to assist Barlan were caught up in it and instantly torn apart.
Tragically, several Bronze Saints happened to be nearby as well. They would soon be swept in—and had no hope of surviving.
"No! That's Lord Aiolos' cosmos! Retreat!"
They tried to flee, but it was too late. The storm's suction had already reached them.
"Damn it!" Aiolos sensed the danger to the Bronze Saints. He let go of his pride and willingly withdrew the Pulse of Light.
Without resistance, Breath of the Gods engulfed Aiolos in an instant. The sheer force tore through his body.
"Urgh—ahhh!" With a cry of pain, Aiolos crashed to the ground. One of his wings was broken, his armor cracked all over.
"Haha! You've lost!" Barlan laughed maniacally.
But a second later, his face turned grim. He could sense the cosmos of the Bronze Saints… and the many Sea Soldier corpses. He realized Aiolos hadn't withdrawn his attack out of weakness—he had done it to protect them.
"Lord Aiolos!" The Bronze Saints ran over, just in time to see him fall. Fury consumed them—they were about to attack Barlan in rage.
But Aiolos, enduring his injuries, stood and raised a hand to stop them.
"Lord Aiolos!"
"Are you alright?"
…
"I'm fine… you go. Complete your mission," Aiolos stood tall, showing them his back like a shield.
"But—"
"Go! This is Lord Melin's order!"
The Bronze Saints fell silent. Their faces were torn with guilt. On one hand, they wanted to help Aiolos. On the other—Melin's command.
"Are you mocking me?" Barlan asked angrily.
"Hm?" Aiolos was confused.
"You took my Breath of the Gods just to protect those weaklings?!"
"What?!" the Bronze Saints gasped. They hadn't realized Aiolos had been injured for their sake.
"Protecting your brothers and family—what's wrong with that?" Aiolos wiped the blood from his lips and smiled. He turned to the Bronze Saints: "Go now. I'll handle this. Lord Melin's orders are top priority."
This time, the Bronze Saints didn't hesitate. They turned and left, heads low and eyes full of tears. They wanted to become stronger—they didn't want to be burdens anymore.
"Brothers? Family? Those weaklings have no right to be brothers or family to the strong! They are subordinates—nothing more! Their only purpose is to obey and die for us! That is their highest honor!" Barlan shouted.
Aiolos' expression darkened. His fists clenched.
But Barlan, oblivious, continued ranting: "I used to acknowledge you. You were worthy of being remembered. Worthy to know who defeated you. But now you've tarnished the honor of the strong—you are no longer worthy!"
"No. You're wrong."
"What—"
"I no longer want to know your name. You're not worthy of knowing mine. Because you are unworthy."
With that, Aiolos' face turned solemn. He reached behind and pulled out a golden bow and an Arrow of Gold.
"You! Very well! I will no longer tolerate your existence!"
Ignoring Barlan's screams, Aiolos placed the arrow on the golden bow. The bowstring was pulled into a perfect arc, cosmos flaring along the arrow.
"Die, weakling! Surging Tsunami!"
"Golden Arrow."
Facing the raging tide, the Golden Arrow surpassed the speed of light. It pierced through the waves, through Barlan's heart, and pinned him to the sacred pillar behind.
"How… can… this… be… Lord… Posei—…"
As the flame of life vanished from his eyes, Sea Horse Barlan still couldn't believe he'd lost.
"I take back what I said before. You're not worthy of being called a warrior."
With that, the Golden Arrow returned to Aiolos' hand as he turned and left.
Barlan's lifeless body fell, along with the crumbling fragments of the sacred pillar.