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Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: The Strongest Lunatic in History—Saga!

Saga!

The Gemini Gold Saint, wielding powers like shattering galaxies, manipulating dimensions, dominating minds, and stripping the five senses—a Saint superior in "mind, skill, and body."

Known as the "incarnation of a god," he was one of Athena's mightiest Gold Saints and a leading "Pope candidate" of his time, yet he possessed dual personalities of good and evil.

More precisely: Saga is an overpowered split-personality case.

In short, a mental case.

The unified good-and-evil Saga was now under the control of his evil persona—bloodthirsty, ruthless, wildly ambitious, terrifyingly strong, and bold enough to slay a god.

In his darkened state, Saga's hair turns black—hence "Dark Saga."

My own "lunatic" act is just a persona. This guy is the real deal.

"The Pope approaches!"

A man in black sacred robes strode into the hall.

He was tall, crowned with the Pope's diadem, his face covered by a black mask.

Everyone fell silent in an instant and dropped to one knee to pay respects—without exception.

The Pope is Athena's proxy, a figure of boundless power. In truth, the Pope is the Sanctuary's actual ruler, his authority rivaling even the goddess's.

Every Saint in the Sanctuary, including Gold Saints, must bow to the Pope.

Damian performed a token bow.

A powerful surge of Cosmo radiated from the Pope, jolting many to the core with an overwhelming pressure that left them barely able to move.

"Seiya—hold on!"

Nearby, Marin and the other Silver Saints trembled, struggling to breathe.

Many Saint candidates fainted outright. Only the thick-browed Seiya, Cassios, and a handful of others managed to endure, cold sweat soaking through.

"What a formidable Cosmo! With such power, he's practically a god."

Pansy's knees hit the floor as she braced herself.

She could feel just how strong that Cosmo truly was.

The Pope of the Sanctuary was said to have reigned for two hundred years. Humans shouldn't live that long, and yet not only was he alive, his Cosmo was still this powerful—showing no sign of waning.

He hardly seemed human.

"Dark Saga is indeed strong! I can feel that exquisitely pure Seventh Sense Cosmo."

Damian could feel the crushing weight of it.

If he wished, Saga could single-handedly thrash every Silver Saint present.

It's said Dark Saga's Cosmo can blanket nearly the entire Sanctuary. That's no exaggeration. Thankfully, even so, he can't sense what happens in the graveyard.

Anyone who killed the previous Pope, Shion—no doubt about that strength.

An average Gold Saint wouldn't last a few exchanges against him.

Saga had unleashed his Cosmo pressure from the outset—plainly to showcase overwhelming might and subdue everyone.

As for Damian, even though that Cosmo was immense, it wasn't irresistible.

How many chances would he have in a direct fight against Saga?

Best not to find out.

He didn't even have a Gold Cloth, and Saga's Galaxian Explosion is one of the hardest-hitting techniques among Gold Saints.

One Galaxian Explosion, and he'd be lucky to be merely crippled.

Time to play along.

Damian dropped to the floor like the other candidates, wearing a mask of pain, and shot a glance at the miserable Pansy.

Her cute little face was nearly twisted under the Cosmo's pressure.

Still trying to hold out?

Trying to make a splash in front of the Pope, huh? Heh…

Too bad you don't know the Pope is a fake—and an evil lunatic to boot.

Only when the Pope drew back his Cosmo did the crowd exhale in relief.

"Saints, I have ruled the Sanctuary for two hundred years now, guarding the earth according to the will of the goddess Athena."

"I have always said: only the strong can protect the earth; only the strong can rule the world; only the strong can defeat Hades…"

"The Sanctuary belongs to the strong. Power is justice!"

The Pope's voice was stirring and infectious.

"A textbook 'might makes right' lunatic philosophy."

Damian couldn't help picking at his ear.

Dark Saga is Dark Saga—he exalts power and believes power is justice. No wonder he'd dare godslaying.

"Now, with twelve Gold Saints guarding the Twelve Temples and nearly all Silver Saints present, only the Bronze Saints remain."

"I hereby declare: in half a month we will hold the Bronze Saint selection and award Bronze Cloths to the winning candidates."

The Pope's voice boomed, echoing in the air.

At that, faces across the hall changed.

"Your Holiness, the candidates are still training."

"Indeed, Your Holiness—the candidates aren't ready."

"Please delay the Bronze selection; many have not yet awakened their Cosmo…"

Several Silver Saints spoke up.

"Enough. My mind is made up. Silence!"

With a sweep of his hand, the Pope sent that irresistible Cosmo pressure crashing down again—heavier than before—leaving everyone gasping.

Great. Seiya, Cassios, Pansy, and the others who'd just started to recover were flattened again.

"This is the will of the goddess!"

"The goddess Athena has sensed an evil presence spreading around the Sanctuary. By my estimation, some malignant force is eyeing the Sanctuary. The Holy War may begin early."

The Pope's voice was placid, but it set off tidal waves.

The Silver Saints were genuinely surprised and began murmuring at once.

The Holy War?

The legendary Holy War was starting early?

Not only the Saints present, but even Pansy was stunned.

The Holy War is about to begin?

Why doesn't the commander of the Underworld—that is, me—know anything?

Pansy was utterly baffled.

She'd only just arrived in the Sanctuary—had Athena already sensed her?

Impossible!

Damian was puzzled too.

The timeline was completely off. The Galactic Tournament hadn't even begun. What was Saga playing at?

By rights, Seiya and the rest should have at least a year before contending for Bronze Cloths.

Saga rushing to select Bronze Saints and award Cloths was highly abnormal.

The so-called will of Athena was pure nonsense.

The "Athena" in the Sanctuary was just a fake stand-in.

The goddess's will was essentially Saga's will.

Had he really sensed something odd in the Underworld?

If so, Pandora's unusual behavior became even harder to read.

The Underworld's supreme commander slips into the Sanctuary, and the Underworld's intentions are exposed immediately?

That's a stretch!

Bang!

Suddenly, the hall doors swung open and two bloodstained figures appeared.

"The Silver Saints sent to scout have returned!"

"What happened? Why did only two Silver Saints make it back?"

"What about the Bronze Saints?"

The Silver Saints instantly sensed something was wrong.

Both had wounds; one was seriously injured.

"Moses of the White Whale, and Shaina of Ophiuchus!"

"What happened?"

The Pope also sensed something amiss and asked.

Shaina handed the badly wounded Moses off to others, pressed her bleeding left arm, then slowly knelt and reported, "Your Holiness, we tracked those mysterious black-clad men in Sicily and were ambushed. One Bronze Saint was killed, another Silver Saint is missing, and several Bronze Saints are missing."

Her weary voice echoed in the pin-drop silence.

Everyone's faces changed.

"For detailed intel, please allow me to report to Your Holiness in private."

Shaina didn't say everything—she kept something back.

The hall erupted.

Who were those black-clad men?

Why would they dare attack Saints?

Pansy's face changed at that… and it caught Damian's eye.

What does this little girl know?

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!

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