Right.
The burly giant before him, built like a tower and packed with muscle, was Shaina of Ophiuchus's disciple—Cassios, the future contender for the Pegasus Cloth.
Among these Saint candidates who had yet to awaken their Cosmo, Cassios was no ordinary figure. One look at that physique and you knew he was robust and incredibly strong.
He was just shockingly ugly.
Look at those cheekbones, those buckteeth, that big pancake face—no plastic surgeon in the world could make a dime off him.
"Damian, what's your deal? You actually put on that black robe and came to the prayer ceremony held by His Holiness the Pope?"
"And you're hanging around with that piece of trash Seiya?"
"You've really shamed Ms. Shaina, and you've shamed me. I'm going to beat you to a pulp."
Cassios's voice was loud enough to turn plenty of heads nearby.
"Cassios, shut your mouth."
Damian held back the flushed Seiya with a hand, his face unchanged.
He looked at Cassios. This kid was no pushover—cruel, violent, and eager to fight.
Judging by the posture, he was here to pick a fight.
The question was, who gave him the nerve?
He glanced at Pansy hiding in the crowd and saw the little girl wearing a strange smile at the corner of her mouth.
Pansy's doing?
Looked like she had some sort of ability to manipulate people?
Otherwise, even with ten times the nerve, Cassios wouldn't dare this.
"Bastard, you dare talk to me like that? Believe it or not, I'll beat you senseless right now?"
Cassios's tone chilled. He took a heavy step forward, murderous intent bared.
At that moment, Damian felt the other saw him as nothing more than a bug—someone to be crushed underfoot.
This was courting death?
Whoosh!
Sure enough, Cassios said he'd do it and did it. He swung a palm straight at Damian's cheek.
Big as he was, his movement was quick. That fan-like palm was on him in a blink.
Just as everyone assumed Damian would be slapped to the floor, a hand clamped down on Cassios's wrist.
What strength!
That was Cassios's first thought. It felt like his hand had been caught in a vise. He couldn't budge it, and the wrist pain was so sharp it made him want to scream.
How could this kid be so strong?
The move stunned those around them as well. The candidates who'd been egging it on looked incredulous.
No one expected Damian to catch Cassios's palm one-handed. Was Cassios holding back?
Bear in mind, Cassios was known for brute strength—he could lift a ton with one hand.
"Cassios, if you and I throw down in public, Ms. Shaina will be very displeased. No matter who beats who, it'll make us a laughingstock, and Saints are forbidden from private duels."
Looking up at him, Damian's voice was icy, fearless. He released the hand.
Cassios hurriedly pulled his wrist back. He had used all his strength and still couldn't break free, and it had felt like his wrist would be crushed. His mind suddenly cleared.
"S-Senior brother, I was wrong. What was I even doing just now?"
Cassios shuddered and, seeing Damian's expression, couldn't help crying out, fear plastered across his ugly face.
His right wrist trembled slightly, a swollen red handprint on it. His ugly mug looked ready to warp.
"Now you remember to call me senior brother?"
"Too late."
Damian fixed Cassios with a cold stare.
Cassios was like a mouse before a cat—he didn't dare move a muscle, cold sweat beading all over.
"Go on, Cassios."
"Take it to the arena and fight him—settle it fair and square."
"You two are senior and junior, right? Then have it out with a clean match."
The place was full of hot-blooded teens who trained daily, hormones surging—brawls were par for the course.
The Sanctuary arena was the tacitly approved place for such bouts.
"Enough, all of you!"
With a stern, magnetic woman's voice, a shapely female Saint appeared before Damian, and those candidates fell silent at once.
"Marin!"
Looking up, Damian first saw a pair of "weapons."
The newcomer was none other than Marin, the Silver Saint of Aquila.
She was also Seiya's teacher. In his memory, Marin's insight was outstanding, and in battle she was calm, with amazing speed—an excellent female Silver Saint whose strength ranked among the top Silvers.
By Damian's eye test, Marin was also the most "magnificently endowed" female Saint in the Sanctuary. That pair of weapons alone told him who she was—just as a single glance at a narrow waist told him who Shaina was.
"Silver Saint…"
The chattering candidates went still as cicadas in winter, their faces anxious. Even Cassios's attitude softened.
Saint ranks were strict. No candidate would act out in front of a Silver Saint—they could only look up.
Marin lectured, "Even the greatest teacher can produce a failure of a student. No matter how poorly Damian performs, his teacher is a Silver Saint. If Shaina were to hear of this, your punishment would be severe."
"Y-Yes, we understand. We were wrong. Please don't tell Shaina…"
The candidates broke into a cold sweat at that, remembering Shaina's vengeful viper nature. If she learned of it, they'd be in for it.
Uh…
Taking advantage of the moment, Cassios withdrew with a tremble.
As a powerful Silver Saint in a place where the strong ruled, Marin's words were law. Trainees could not refute her.
The scene fell quiet at once.
Marin glanced at Damian, then looked to Seiya. "Gravekeeper, see to your own conduct. I hope you won't disturb Seiya in the future."
With that, she led Seiya off to the side.
"Judging by that attitude, Marin really does have it in for Shaina. Is this a war between women?"
Damian wasn't surprised by Marin's reaction.
She seemed to be smoothing things over, but in effect she'd scolded him while disparaging Shaina's teaching.
It came down to the relationship between Shaina of Ophiuchus and Marin of Aquila. Like their constellations, the two women were archrivals—a snake and an eagle—long displeased with each other, locked in a competitive dynamic. This conflict would likely erupt fully once Seiya obtained the Pegasus Cloth.
At this rate, he might get dragged into the struggle between these two women as well.
No matter how you looked at it, Marin wasn't that selfless paragon from the original work—she projected a fierce pride.
"His Holiness the Pope approaches!"
With that cry, the Pope arrived.
Damian was instantly on guard.
Dark Saga had taken the stage…
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