Scorpio Temple.
Balenda had launched into a fierce battle with Cardia, seeking vengeance for Rhadamanthys.
Cardia's heart had only recently stabilized, so he couldn't fully exert his power.
The two were evenly matched.
Sagittarius Temple
Minos and Sisyphus were locked in combat.
Both had awakened their Eighth Sense Cosmo, and their clash was evenly matched.
However, Minos's Marionette Strings were extremely difficult to deal with.
At the start of the battle, Sisyphus had been caught off guard and ensnared.
His body was turned into a puppet, forced to harm himself.
Had Albafica not passed by on his way back from the Libra Temple and saved him, Sisyphus might've never broken free.
Now, Sisyphus had figured out a countermeasure—summoning constant strong gusts of wind around him to scatter Minos's Marionette Strings, preventing them from binding him.
"Heh, Sagittarius, that trick of yours does make it difficult for my strings to reach you. But all you're doing is wasting your Cosmo—you'll burn out first. And when that happens, it'll be your end."
Minos sneered.
Realizing this, he stopped clashing head-on with Sisyphus and resorted to guerrilla tactics.
He lashed out with his strings to keep Sisyphus from ceasing his wind technique, steadily exhausting him.
And because Sisyphus wanted to end it quickly, his attacks consumed even more energy than Minos's.
"Maybe I will run out first… but when I do, I'll take you with me."
Sisyphus had already steeled his resolve. He didn't care about the cost.
"Fool. We Specters can revive endlessly. What good is a mutual death when you're the only one who stays dead?"
Minos mocked.
"You're the fool. Lady Athena has already activated the barrier. As long as your corpse remains here, you can't be revived!"
Sisyphus locked onto Minos's voice and fired his Golden Arrow!
Though it didn't strike dead-on, it grazed Minos, drawing blood.
Pope's Chamber
Sasha was continuously releasing her Cosmo, strengthening the barrier over Sanctuary.
It prevented the Specters from reviving.
But doing so drained her Cosmo and stamina rapidly—her expression began to tighten in pain.
Pope Sage stood at her side, guarding her.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Sage sensed something. He immediately looked around with heightened vigilance.
"Boom boom boom!!"
The walls of the Pope's Chamber shattered as several figures crashed down, smashing into the floor and forming craters!
Sage instantly unleashed light-speed punches at the craters.
But whatever was inside matched that speed, darting away and melting into the shadows.
"Heh, non-human creatures? Tricks like that won't work on me."
Sage sneered, then released a powerful Cosmo, dispersing a strange gas into the area.
From the shadows, several figures bolted toward him and Sasha—Xenomorphs with the Seventh Sense.
"Sekishiki Meikaiha!" (Accumulated Corpse Spirit Netherworld Wave)
Sage raised a finger and unleashed the deadly technique, dragging the Xenomorphs' souls from their bodies and sending them straight to Yomotsu Hirasaka.
Their bodies collapsed, lifeless.
"So that's their plan… they threw the Xenomorphs in from afar to bypass the Twelve Temples. And to avoid interference, they had the three Judges stall the Gold Saints. Quite a clever tactic."
Sage saw through the strategy and even complimented it.
"Now all I have to do is trace the lingering Cosmo from their throw to find the source."
He looked up at the broken ceiling, sensing the residual Cosmo in the air.
"Hm. It's incredibly aggressive… feral."
"Boom boom boom!!"
At that moment, more Xenomorphs were hurled in—over ten of them this time.
Only a few had the Seventh Sense, but the others also possessed strong Cosmo.
While Sage was concentrating on tracing the Cosmo, the Xenomorphs pounced.
"Shing! Shing! Shing!!"
Suddenly, golden light flashed through the Pope's Chamber, followed by slicing gusts of wind.
All the Xenomorphs without the Seventh Sense were instantly cleaved in two.
The others, sensing danger, managed to dodge but were still scratched.
They turned toward the chamber's entrance to see El Cid slowly walking in.
"Pope, forgive my lateness."
El Cid bowed to Sage.
"No, you arrived just in time. I'd only just sent the order."
Sage showed no complaint, still gazing calmly at the ceiling, not even glancing at the remaining Xenomorphs.
"But why me? Wasn't Deathtoll the closest?"
El Cid asked while watching the enemies.
"He has his own opponent to deal with."
Sage smiled as he spoke.
Mountain Valley near Sanctuary
Fuyuki stood atop a cliff, coldly observing Sanctuary.
Behind him were more than twenty Xenomorphs, all stronger than Silver Saints.
"Hmph. Why do I have to waste time on this nonsense? Well, whatever—Lord Alone's orders are absolute."
He clicked his tongue, preparing to throw more Xenomorphs at the Pope's Chamber.
But then—the temperature suddenly plummeted.
Frost began to form in the air.
Fuyuki's eyes widened as he sensed danger and turned quickly.
The Xenomorphs behind him… had all turned into ice sculptures!
And standing behind them, unnoticed, was Degel.
"The Pope was right. You're here. What a twisted invasion tactic."
Degel stared coldly at Fuyuki.
"Aquarius Degel, huh? Perfect. I'm itching for a fight—don't disappoint me."
Fuyuki wasn't fazed. He exploded with a ferocious Cosmo.
Despite the freezing atmosphere, flames ignited across the surrounding terrain.
"Such intense fire… no wonder the Pope sent me. You're not just anyone."
Degel now understood Fuyuki's strength. He took a breath and raised his Cosmo.
"Take this—Corona Blast!"
Fuyuki unleashed a solar windstorm, burning hotter than fifteen million degrees Celsius.
"Aurora Execution!"
Without hesitation, Degel responded with his ultimate technique—absolute zero!
Ice and fire clashed!
That night, the second great war between Sanctuary and the Hades Army erupted.
No one knew how this battlefield would end.
(End of Chapter)
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