Sanctuary, Sagittarius House.
Seiya looked at the two Gold Boxes before him.
One was the Sagittarius Cloth, and the other was also the Sagittarius Cloth.
During the battle of the Twelve Houses, Aiolos, upon seeing him, knew that protecting Saori Kido and restoring order to the Sanctuary would not be difficult. With his final lingering regrets dispersed, he officially passed the Sagittarius Cloth on to Seiya.
Now, Seiya had two Sagittarius Cloths in his possession. For Seiya, who was一心 singularly focused on strengthening the Sanctuary for the coming Holy War, this felt like a considerable waste of resources.
One option was to select another Saint with the disposition of Sagittarius to become the successor to the new Cloth.
The other was to forge a divine armament surpassing both Cloths by combining them.
To this, Seiya naturally leaned toward the latter.
However, as for how to combine them, Seiya already had some ideas.
His own Sagittarius Gold Cloth, while bearing the name of 'Gold', was a newborn Cloth bestowed by the system through Zeus, the God of the End. While possessing the essence of a Gold Cloth, it also had some properties of a God Robe.
Aiolos's Cloth, on the other hand, was the Gold Cloth passed down through generations of Sagittarius Saints. It had followed countless Saints through bloody battles, facing numerous wicked gods, and its strength was among the top tier within the Twelve Houses.
Beyond the most basic Sagittarius Gold Cloth, Sagittarius had many sublimated forms.
Such as the newborn Sagittarius Gold Cloth bathed in the blood of gods like Eris, the Goddess of Discord; Poseidon, the Sea God; Abel, the Sun God; Lucifer, the King of the Demon World; Ares, the God of War; Mars, the God of War; and Apsu, the God of Darkness.
There was also the Sagittarius Combination Cloth, formed when Gold Saints from all dimensions were summoned and, under Dohko's call, gathered the fragments of the twelve Gold Cloths to assemble on Seiya's body.
Each of these Cloths possessed power far beyond normal specifications, a power that even gods would fear.
Compared to the original Sagittarius Gold Cloth, these Cloths all represented a qualitative leap.
Seiya planned to reference the concept of a combination Cloth, but calling upon all dimensions to gather fragments of the twelve Gold Cloths into a new Sagittarius Cloth, as in the original work, was certainly not feasible. Seiya was more inclined to a peer-to-peer fusion of the two Cloths, allowing each to play to its strengths.
After some thought, Seiya took out the Prometheus Tablet, which he had not had time to deal with.
It was still covered in cracks, having been forcibly used without fully meeting its conditions and only recently repaired through the 'Covenant of Decay and Revival.' But this tablet housed the very power of Zeus, the God of the End.
The conditions for using the Prometheus Tablet were to have prolonged contact with a god, to understand them sufficiently, and for the Fire of Theft to cover them upon activation. When Seiya last used the tablet, only the first condition had not been met. After all, his time with Zeus, all things considered, amounted to two days. They met on the first day, fought on the second, and on the third, he scattered Zeus's ashes—there was simply no time to build a rapport.
Although it had not formed a complete Authority, this power was undeniably real. Seiya's original idea was to travel to the Jamir Plateau in Tibet to find suitable materials and forge it into a divine instrument.
But now, this power of Zeus might be more suitable as a fusion material for the Sagittarius Cloth, which symbolized Zeus himself.
"God Warrior Seiya, open your eyes. I am Hilda."
The mist swirled, and a cold wind swept the dust on the ground. Seiya arrived in this frigid land.
Seiya didn't feel the cold; on the contrary, the moment he opened his eyes, he saw firewood burning in a fireplace.
He found himself in a Nordic-style room, lying on a large, soft white bed, with the pleasant scent of lily of the valley wafting from the bedding. A bearskin was hung on the wall, and the warm, orange-red glow from the hearth illuminated the room, shutting out all the wind and snow.
Seiya looked up and saw a figure leaning over the bed; it was she who had awakened him.
She wore a white Mary blouse with exquisite lace details, a dark long skirt, a thick, hand-knitted wool cardigan with a classic pattern, and a pair of brightly colored wool socks. Her expression was anxious, and the pleasant lily of the valley scent emanated from her.
"Hilda..." Seiya tried to say her name, but she forcefully pushed him back down onto the bed.
The girl's softness pressed against him. Seiya could feel the gentle, undulating contours of her body, and in that moment, the fragrance of lily of the valley washed over him like a tidal wave.
"I am Hilda. Please, don't speak yet. Listen to me." The girl with the soft voice covered Seiya's mouth with one hand, glanced around, and then her gaze became firm. "I am the real Hilda. I'm sorry, I know I'm causing you all a lot of trouble right now... but you must listen to what I say next..."
Seiya wanted to remove her hand from his mouth, but she was straddling him forcefully. He was about to struggle, but when he saw the tears in her eyes, he ceased his movements.
"Don't believe what I say next, and don't go along with her. As the God Warrior I have chosen, I believe you can resist the temptation she brings. The true culprit who changed me into this is the Nibelungen Ring on my left ring finger. You must take it off!"
Hilda spoke quickly, as if something were chasing her. Only after Seiya nodded did her sorrow turn to joy, and she revealed a gentle smile. "I can only entrust this to you, legendary warrior... You're awake, my God Warrior!"
Her tone changed abruptly. Seiya looked at the girl before him again. It was the same face, yet her eyes now held a razor-sharp fierceness. The hand that had been covering his mouth was now teasingly stroking his cheek with its index finger, before lightly hooking his chin.
"A fine face. Not bad. A God Warrior worthy of me."
She was back. The queen who had truly summoned him, the evil Hilda, appeared before Seiya.
Compared to the pitiful little creature who had been as soft as a lily of the valley just moments ago, the Hilda before him was filled with a self-centered dominance, even though nothing had started yet. Her warm blue eyes revealed a sense of arrogance, as if to say, 'You are my God Warrior.'
Sitting on Seiya, Hilda's hand continued its downward caress. She felt the rise and fall of Seiya's muscle groups, sensed the immense power latent within his body. With a soft "Mmmph," her face instantly flushed crimson, and she couldn't help but press her entire body against his.
"Mmmph, how wonderful, this perfect body... It's simply magnificent. So this is my God Warrior..."
For no reason at all, a slap aimed at Seiya's face was blocked by him in advance. Hilda looked at Seiya, displeased that he had dared to resist her. "You are not to address me by my name! You will call me Your Majesty, the Queen! Or Lady Hilda!"
"Hilda, Shmilda, Psyduck, Dali, Lulu Walnut Drink!"
Seeing Seiya continuously provoke her, Hilda didn't get angry this time. A faint blush still lingered on her face. For this strong and powerful God Warrior, Hilda felt she needed to show a little more tolerance to express the great magnanimity of a queen.
"God Warrior Seiya, you probably do not yet know your duty and mission."
Hilda saw that Seiya was about to speak again and, just as she herself had done moments before, placed her hand over his mouth.
"I suspect you're about to say something unpleasant. Right now, you serve under that wicked Athena, but what you don't know is that the plan to eliminate the Saints was devised by Athena herself."
Hilda watched Seiya's eyebrow arch, and she too smiled. Pressing her left elbow into Seiya's chest, she propped up her chin and looked at him teasingly. "Despite being the reincarnation of a god who surpasses humanity, she feared the power of the Saints and let you kill each other. Only after using your hand to purge the Sanctuary of those who would not submit to her did she ascend to the position of Goddess, claiming all the glory for herself. How vile! This profoundly scheming Athena is surely a great enemy to my rule of the world!"
In that case, you two are just two peas in a pod... Seiya wanted to retort, but his mouth was forcefully covered.
"So, you see, I cannot stand by and watch her vile plan continue. I must save you, in your confusion, from her grasp." Hilda wore a rare, serious expression. "Actually, I've known you for far, far longer than she has... A long time ago, do you remember your younger days, when you would punch at the sea from a black cliff where the windflowers bloomed? I saw you even then."
Seiya wanted to say something, but Hilda clamped her legs together, pressing the entire front of her body against him. She brushed back her bangs and, her face inches from his, said word by word, "If you do not believe me, then summon your true Cloth. I can feel the God Robe named Verethragna hidden within you. As a God Warrior, you should serve me!"
Seiya ran his tongue along Hilda's palm, causing her to yelp in surprise and quickly retract her right hand. She then looked, flustered and annoyed, at the man she had pinned beneath her.
Finally able to speak, Seiya let out a breath. "Even having a God Robe doesn't prove anything. Mine is from the Persian god of war; it has nothing to do with your Æsir."
"You deny it now only because you have been brainwashed by the innately evil Athena!"
"Don't blame everything on Athena. You just have a prejudice against her."
"Your current state is a symptom of brainwashing. Your mind no longer belongs to you, your will is completely controlled by her, and your heart has been stolen by her."
Seiya closed his eyes. He already knew this was a dream.
He didn't intend to argue with this queen any longer. "Let's settle what's right and wrong at the source, in reality."
"Trying to escape, God Warrior!" Hilda shouted. Seeing no reaction from Seiya, a vicious light flashed in her eyes. "Do not defy me! Do not refuse me! Do not leave me!"
Even within this dream, the ring on her left ring finger still pulsed with an ominous purple light. Stung by the sensation, Seiya's eyes shot open, only to see that face, exquisite as an ice sculpture, rapidly approaching.
Their lips met. Before Seiya could react, he felt a soft, nimble tongue part his teeth, injecting the darkness of Hilda into his body.
Whoa! A reverse infusion!
Hilda revealed a proud expression. The ominous power of darkness, through this method, directly broke through Seiya's defenses and was poured into his body. In no time, she would be able to completely capture the man before her as her God Warrior.
It was at this exact moment that a brilliant light erupted within this space.
Saori Kido, holding her golden staff, appeared in the form of light within the dream. She saw Seiya, the Saint, being controlled by the wicked priestess queen's vile power and showed a look of anxiety.
"—Let him go!"
It was not any kind of fighting technique, but simply the pressure of the Goddess's Cosmo. Facing this raging Cosmo, Hilda was completely unable to mount any resistance, and the entire dream world disintegrated under the light.
Early in the morning, Seiya awoke to the chirping of sparrows.
The scent of lily of the valley seemed to linger in the air. Seiya instinctively touched his lips.
That wicked Queen Hilda actually tempted me with her beauty. Indeed, compared to my power, which is enough to slay natural-born gods, my beauty is a far more threatening weapon. That Hilda truly has eyes that surpass even the gods.
A knock came from outside the Sagittarius House. It was Andromeda Shun. He had come only to deliver a message from the Goddess Athena, asking him to come to the Goddess's Temple.
Within Athena's Temple, Crystal of Cancer and Aldebaran of Taurus had not yet returned. Standing in the center of the hall, however, were Cygnus Hyoga and a girl with golden hair.
She wore a white Mary blouse with exquisite lace details, a dark long skirt, a thick, hand-knitted wool cardigan with a classic pattern, and a pair of brightly colored wool socks.
Seeing this outfit, Seiya raised an eyebrow slightly. Sure enough, she lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed to Athena on her throne and to the Saints.
"Greetings, Lady Saori Kido, and all you Saints. I am Freya, sister of Queen Hilda of the Land of Gods."
"Please, be seated." Saori Kido nodded. Although she was the sister of the enemy leader, she could still sense the girl's kind heart.
"I have come to ask for your help in saving my sister. I know she is currently carrying out a plan to destroy the world, but she used to be a kind person. It was only after she put on that ring that she became this way." Freya got straight to the point.
"A ring? Are you referring to the one on her left ring finger?" said Mu of Aries.
The day before, many had noticed that ring. Or rather, it was hard to ignore. The ominous aura it emanated and the terrifying power it contained added a dreadful might to Hilda's every move.
"Yes, your perception is brilliant." Freya nodded. "It was after she put on that ring that my sister became like this. If you can just take it off, I am certain she can be freed from the vortex of darkness."
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