"I didn't hold back; that hit really was heavy."
"But you guys are way too flimsy."
Damian raised a brow. These Specters also had Cosmo fluctuations.
"This kid won't be easy. You two go together!"
The Specter leader reacted fast.
Before the words fell, Damian had already flashed to the three of them. He moved so fast they couldn't react at all—like a streak of light before their eyes.
His palm swept from left to right with a gust of force and slapped the man across the face.
Smack!
One of them was sent flying outright, teeth and a mist of blood spraying from his mouth almost simultaneously.
In that stunned heartbeat, that alabaster hand was already before another man's face.
Smack!
He too was swatted away, slammed hard into a boulder, then slid slowly to the ground.
He had used only raw physical strength, without invoking his Cosmo.
"Incredible!"
The Specter leader sucked in a cold breath.
No one expected the enemy to be this ferocious and violent. He swatted three Specters in a row, hitting them as simply and brutally as swatting flies.
"W-Who the hell are you? I am the Specter Haf, commander guarding the First Prison of the Underworld!"
The Specter who'd been swaggering moments ago instantly realized the youth before him wasn't ordinary. This level of power was not that of a normal human.
He fancied himself no worse than other Specters; given the chance, he could obtain a Surplice and a Demon Star of his own.
In a straight fight he'd never been afraid—bare-handed, he could take two or three ordinary Specters.
But this alarmingly fierce youth put him on edge.
Why would a human show up in the Underworld? It made no sense!
"I don't care to know nameless small fry."
"I have a few questions. Refuse to answer, and your only path is death."
Damian's voice was cool.
The leader chafed, jowls bunching, muscles swelling. "Arrogant, aren't you. Who do you think you are? This is the Underworld, Lord Hades's domain."
"You, a mere human, hanging around here—who dies isn't settled yet..."
Before the threat finished, a pale golden gleam flashed.
Thud...
The fist was too fast. The brute collapsed without warning, blood spurting from his mouth, back against the boulder.
The other Specters stared, mouths agape, as their towering, fearsome leader was knocked flat with a single punch.
They had thought their leader would beat the kid till he was picking his teeth off the ground. Instead, that unstoppable leader had been floored by one punch?
Their foe was still punching; a streak of fist-light crashed into the boulder behind like a breaking wave.
In an instant, the hard boulder shattered and collapsed, shards spraying.
A boulder that had seemed unbreakable was pulverized by Damian's lightning punch.
Li... Lightspeed punch!
You're a Go... Gold Saint?
Stone grit stabbed the Specter leader's face painfully. He turned stiffly to look at the big hole beside his head and almost screamed for help.
The body he'd prided himself on was paper-thin in the other's eyes.
Seeing the boulder blasted apart, Damian was startled too.
He'd only meant to scare them with a warning punch, but it came out a lightspeed punch.
That was a bit much...
The punch's pressure alone had the Specter leader trembling.
"M-May I ask who you are, sir? Which Silver—no, which Gold Saint of the Sanctuary are you?"
Damian: "You don't need to know who I am. Just answer my questions, or I'll make you wish for death."
"I'll talk, I'll talk—everything..."
The leader's face went green.
He might be a Specter commander, strong enough not to fear the Sanctuary's Bronze or even Silver Saints.
But Gold Saints are the Sanctuary's strongest—the mightiest under Athena—said to rival the Underworld's Three Judges and other elite Specters.
This man had thrown a lightspeed punch casually, without even wearing a Cloth.
No doubt—he was a Gold Saint. How could he dare challenge such a master?
"Why is Pandora going to the Sanctuary?"
"Have the Specters of the Underworld revived?"
"Any movements in the Underworld's army?"
Damian asked impassively.
The man knew nothing—only that Pandora had summoned them to kill a Sanctuary gravekeeper.
"Oh, right... Lately many bizarre phenomena have appeared in the Underworld. There are frequent earthquakes, and even corpses revive on their own and turn into twisted monsters."
Seeing his displeasure, the Specter leader hurried to offer intel, afraid of angering him.
"This is the Underworld. Isn't it normal for corpses to revive?"
Damian was puzzled.
"Not normal. Things in the Underworld cannot revive on their own. Only Lord Hades and a few gods can resurrect the dead."
"And Lord Hades has remained asleep."
"Those revived monsters are terrifying, with many strange abilities. Many in the Underworld have already been devoured."
Damian fell silent.
When did the Underworld become this chaotic?
He didn't know the Underworld's situation. It seemed he'd need to come often to investigate.
After all, the Saint Seiya plot was already showing signs of diverging from the main line. He had to read the situation and stay informed.
"My lord, may we go now?"
Seeing him silent, the Underworld leader signaled the others to get up and withdraw.
"Leave? Did I say you could?"
Damian's voice was like an ice cave.
"Damn it, he's not letting us go. Everyone, together!"
Prepared for this, the leader squared up for a desperate fight. The others struck with him, swearing to make it a battle to the death.
"Plasma Lightspeed Punch!"
Damian simply threw a sudden punch.
Dazzling golden light burst from his fist.
The area was shrouded in a net of golden lightning.
The Specters caught within were riddled with holes and killed on the spot.
"Wh-What a fast punch..."
Bathed in blood, the Specter leader got out only one line before life left him.
Damian sent their bodies and souls straight to nearby Yomotsu Hirasaka and was satisfied.
It was for safety. Though these Specters weren't Demon Stars, the Underworld had divine arts that could revive the dead.
To keep prying eyes from tracing it back to him, sending them off to reincarnate was safest.
Pandora, huh!
You thought a few Specters without Surplices could kill me?
Pure fantasy.
If you want me dead, at least bring the Three Judges of the Underworld!
Come to think of it, I haven't fought Specters on the Gold Saint level yet.
In real combat, could I hold my own against the Three Judges?
Honestly, I've had too little real combat. Looks like I need to build more experience.
Maybe I should try barging through the Twelve Gold Temples one of these days?
Thanks for reading!If you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and leave a review.Your support keeps the cosmos burning and helps me write more epic Saint Seiya battles!