The aftershocks from the shattering of that demonic, otherworldly realm were a wave of destruction, extremely dangerous even for those who remained in the Sanctuary.
The Saints rushed anxiously toward the Goddess Sasha, only to see a carriage carrying Her Majesty instantly plunge into the void. Then, their vision was suddenly consumed by white light, and the world around them was completely transformed.
This was the mortal realm. Returning to a familiar world, the Saints had no time to search for the Goddess's whereabouts before they saw the advancing sun before them.
Endless light and heat, purple lightning and Sun Scorpion golden flames flew in all directions. The colossal sound of divine artifacts clashing was the death knell for the world's destruction!
Alone and Seiya clashed violently, striking sparks. There was no anger, no hatred—only the will to fight, rejecting each other's ideals, and a vortex of joy in battling a dear friend. In that brief moment, the two had already exchanged thousands of blows. It was the first time since the start of this Holy War that they could trade so many strikes, causing Seiya to subconsciously curl his lips into a smile. Perhaps only a battle like this was what Seiya's heart truly desired.
One was the human vessel for Hades, the other the Fox God Pegasus who had grievously wounded Hades's true body in the past. The two were fundamentally like fire and water. If Partita had not stolen Hades's soul, they would never have become brothers, but their fate of mutual slaughter and curses could not be rewritten.
"I am glad. At least you still shine as brightly as I remember."
The two descended upon the earth amidst a flash of purple lightning, and at this moment, Alone finally spoke.
Hades Alone's attitude remained arrogant, yet his words were woven with a tone markedly different from how he addressed others.
"Is that so? I hold the opposite opinion." Seiya's Cloth was damaged, but his stance remained proud and defiant. "I'm sure Sasha has told you everything that needs to be said, so I won't elaborate further."
A contemptuous smile touched Hades Alone's lips. His gaze swept over the world before him, and into the depths of the Underworld beyond. He watched Sasha's Saints storm his Hades' City, and he also saw that for thousands of years to come, the Underworld would be unable to launch another Holy War of any significance.
He also saw his own future.
Even if the current Pegasus was outmatched by him, as long as he could hold him off until Sasha recovered, she would activate the Goddess's Cage, long preset upon this land, and burn her Cosmo to perish together with him.
"But, the path I walk is the only correct one," Alone replied, shaking his head. "Your self-righteous mercy, on the contrary, is what drags humanity into an endless cycle of suffering."
"So you wish to kill all of humanity and drag the world into the Underworld," Pegasus laughed as well.
"Of course. Do you think Hell is only suffering?" Alone's demeanor changed, his gem-like green eyes fixed on the Pegasus before him. "You should know of the Elysian Fields."
Pegasus was slightly stunned. It was rumored to be a world in the depths of Hell, beyond hundreds of billions of light-years, through trillions of darknesses. Located far up the Acheron River in the Underworld, beyond the Lethe River, lay a field of infinite expanse. There, hunger, conflict, pain, and sorrow did not exist. It was an eternal paradise that liberated people from all suffering and troubles. There would be no division between rich and poor, no more oppression, and certainly no more Holy Wars that recurred every few eras.
Alone's philosophy had never changed.
He wanted to change this world, to save all of humanity.
"Dyeing the world in pure black is the simplest path. Heh heh... What are you laughing at?"
"It's nothing, I was just thinking of the past." Seiya waved his hand, his damaged Cloth already regenerating. "I was just recalling when we used to debate the teachings of the Bible. It seems that no matter when, I can never fully agree with you."
Before his words had even faded, Seiya, who had been smiling just moments before, charged toward Alone with a trail of brilliant golden flames, his posture that of a frenzied beast.
At that moment, a glint of chilling light seemed to flash within Alone's pitch-black pupils.
"It matters not if you disagree. It seems my confidants were right, you and I are foils to each other. You are a child who relies more on instinct than intellect to live."
The Sword of Hades swung again, and as if in response, the space behind Alone began to glow. Before this ultimate divine weapon, even the Pegasus Cloth was as thin as paper, and flesh and bone could offer no resistance.
Seeing this, Seiya also propelled himself with the power of the Solar Corona Furnace, constantly maneuvering with Divine Speed.
Alone's cold laugh could be faintly heard on the breeze as the familiar purple Death Space once again covered the battlefield. With no more room for hesitation, the Pegasus Sun Scorpion Source surged with the maximum power of its dual drive, charging at the approaching Alone. The Incarnation of the White Horse and the Great Authority of Sunlight enveloped Seiya's body, colliding head-on with Alone's Death Space.
Alone's rate of growth was no less than that of any warrior; he now displayed the true qualities of one. Before him, Seiya was merely a fly, maneuvering about, barely holding on by using combat techniques propelled by his Authorities.
In this situation, how much longer could he last?
An hour? Ten minutes? Or perhaps... ten seconds?
Facing Alone in his Surplice, most of his own combat techniques were completely ineffective. The Incarnation of Strong Wind could only serve as a mobility aid, while the Incarnation of the White Horse and the Great Authority of Sunlight propelled his techniques. The God of Combat might prove useful at a critical moment, but for the most part, he was barely sustaining himself with The Covenant of Decay and Revival.
But just then, as Hades Alone looked at Seiya, whose Cloth was progressively shattering and whose life force was now like a candle flickering in the wind, he suddenly heard a sentence.
"Have you ever felt the true Cosmo within your heart?"
He had no idea what this sudden question meant, but alarm bells screamed in Alone's mind as he saw the incredibly familiar prayer garland—the one woven by Sasha's own hands, originally just a promise between children—now appearing before Seiya.
He seized the object before him, and then—
—enormous white wings unfurled behind him, soaring into the sky.
It was a magnificent winged white horse, crying out to the heavens.
However, the sound was too beautiful to be a mere cry, as sacred as if a god of benevolence had descended, and all of creation began to sing a beautiful melody.
Two different cosmoses combined through the garland. The power of the Goddess Athena, propelled by Sasha, now bloomed within the Pegasus Cloth in a pure white radiance.
Not only Alone, but the people on the ground and the distant Saints all looked up at the sky.
"The Cloth awakened by the Goddess's Cosmo... will transform into a God Cloth that surpasses all." Capricorn El Cid stood with his hands on his hips, he too basking in the warm light radiating from the Cloth. He felt fortunate to witness this incredibly sacred moment with his own eyes.
"—Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
____
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