Saint Seiya, but Athena who disobeys?

Although not at sea, Stella can still teleport instantly over short distances. Or rather, her abilities are geared towards facilitating movement, maximizing survival, controlling enemies, and utilizing the power of others.

She stood behind Seiya again and quickly figured out why.

Because he signed the contract with Athena in Athena's name, he only threw a punch at such a lovely and beautiful goddess after he requested that Athena unleash the Pegasus Meteor Fist. That must be it, right?

Stella's usual arrogant smile returned. She raised a finger and shouted haughtily at the goddess Athena standing before her, "It's her! Seiya, use the Pegasus Meteor Fist on this clueless old maid!"

Pickup! The light rose again, and this time there were no mistakes!

Under Athena's watchful gaze, Seiya's Pegasus Meteor Fist slammed into Stella's face, just a centimeter away. Yet, terrifying light still rushed towards her from both sides and behind her. That power, that light—just watching the meteor fist pass by her was enough to make Stella tremble violently, nearly causing her to collapse to her knees.

Stella slowly looked at the smiling Saint Seiya before her, her face no longer showing the bewilderment she had just displayed. She exclaimed in disbelief, "You weren't influenced by me? You're deceiving me! That's impossible! I've entered into a contract of friendship with you!"

It's not that Stella is still unable to face reality, but rather that she has unwavering faith in the power of love, just as the Saint Seiya believe in their own cosmos—this is the foundation upon which they maintain their identity.

"You're really incredibly dense. Even now, you still can't realize that I possess powers that are similar in nature to yours." Seiya crouched down and patted her cheek.

It is not the God of War who guides to victory. Rather, it is the one that Seiya obtained first, which unexpectedly merged with the Pegasus Cloth—the embodiment of strong winds.

Ruslagna is the god of victory and also the god who rules over kingship. However, he was widely worshipped during the Parthian and Sasanian dynasties of ancient Persia, and as a result, he became the patron god of the people. The wind is the most representative embodiment of Ruslagna's nature.

He transforms into a gentle breeze to protect the people—especially travelers. It is said that the ancient Persians chanted the incantation of Ursragna to pray for safe journeys, or carved small statues of him as guardian deities to place in the streets. The first incarnation of Ursragna is the wind. In mythology, the god of war appeared before the saint Zarathustra in the form of a powerful wind and said: "I am the strongest, I am the ever-victorious army on the battlefield, and I am the one who thwarts the hostility between humans and demons."

Because Seiya prefers simpler combat, he didn't develop this power's incarnation much. Like the Belt of Friendship, it can also teleport itself to the caller across space. Similarly, based on the legend of Saint Zarathustra, it can thwart and repel the Belt of Friendship's corruption.

Even without this power, the Saints possess extremely high resistance and adaptability from the inside out; to directly control themselves and become slaves to love is wishful thinking. At most, it would restrict their movement.

But there was no need to explain this to the goddess before him; she was indeed incredibly beautiful. If he said anything more, he might not be able to bring himself to do it.

Saint Seiya had naturally heard of the goddess of love and beauty, but such descriptions of beautiful goddesses existed in myths around the world and he hadn't paid much attention to them. However, now that he had been in close proximity to this goddess and even shared a kiss with her, he found it difficult to describe Stella's charm. If he had to describe it, it would be a perfect yet dangerous beauty.

Extreme beauty often inspires awe, like Guanyin, inspiring reverence and a desire to worship. But Stella's beauty evokes a sense of aggression, a desire to seize, even to hold in one's hands and crush it.

The Saint closed his eyes, his mind clear, and placed his index finger between her eyebrows.

"General, Your Majesty."

After his sixth sense breakthrough, he unleashed the newly mastered Pegasus Laser from his fingertips, easily reducing Stella to fragments. However, he quickly sensed something was amiss, for the goddess's torn limbs turned into bubbles and then, following the bond of friendship they had formed, appeared within his own body.

It is a dream, an illusion, a spiritual world.

"I will not lose! Especially not to Athena. I may lose ten thousand times, but I will win the last time!" Here, Stella reverts to her complete female form, a woman of breathtaking beauty, with long golden hair and porcelain-like skin, like the most radiant and dazzling rose in a sea of ​​flowers, vying with the sun for brilliance.

But this woman, without any strategy, lunged at him. Even after he knocked her to the ground with a single punch, she still pounced on him. The Saint Seiya had never seen such a brutal fighting style. Crying and screaming, tears streaming down his face, his milky-white hair swayed wildly, and the countless white ribbons that followed him also charged forward. "Why did you refuse me! Pegasus! If you had obeyed me, none of this would have happened!"

The Belt of Friendship is the most representative divine artifact of the goddess of beauty.

In mythology, after her birth, the Horae, the goddess of the seasons, had been waiting nearby, adorning her with a glittering golden crown, dressing her in magnificent and elegant attire, and fastening her with a golden sash, making Stella even more captivating. Afterwards, Aphrodite rode in a chariot pulled by pigeons to Mount Olympus. The gods on Mount Olympus, upon seeing the extraordinary beauty of Stella, were all full of praise and utterly captivated by her.

And this is the ribbon of friendship, which is now drawing closer to me along the connection we just established. If I were completely wrapped in the ribbon, I would become her slave.

But—in this process, I can kill her a hundred times, no, a million times!

Seiya didn't act because the second effect of the God of War's power was currently locked onto the goddess before him. Seiya had never encountered this situation before, and as he pondered it, a familiar power and a familiar feeling were transmitted from the outside world into this spiritual world.

—It is the power of Athena.

It was as if time had reversed and reappeared, with the Trinity goddess cradling Seiya's cheeks and exhaling the fragrance of thyme.

"Guardian deity, sir of the great gods, protect my pegasus! Come forth, Aegis, guardian artifact bestowed by Zeus! Winged staff, Gorgon stone, come to my side as well! Offer the fruits of victory to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war!"

As her most despised yet inextricably entangled nemesis, she would plunge Stella into the hell despised by the gods. This was the Triune God-King's punishment for her!

After whispering the victory incantation, he lowered his head and kissed Pegasus's lips.

Chapter 52: I command you to awaken a super universe for me.

For gods, death is not the end. To fight against mythical adversaries and die heroically at the hands of their nemesis is itself an honor for most gods who hold mythological concepts of heroes and war.

But if we're talking about what constitutes a disgrace to the gods, then it's the exact opposite.

The ritual was transmitted into Seiya's body through a kiss. At that moment, subject and object were reversed, love and being loved were reversed, and Stella felt her divine body crumble. In that instant, Stella suddenly remembered the fate that the goddess of fate, Moira, had revealed to her in Asgard: that in the not-too-distant future, she would be devoured by a human and forced to use his soul.

Stella, once the goddess of love and beauty, scoffed at this prophecy, for even all of humanity combined could not resist the power of her own love. But now, the prophesied future is unfolding right now.

At that moment, Saint Seiya also received the victory feedback from the God of War's power in his mind.

That is to offer up the entirety of the goddess before them as a reward for victory. But for Stella, it is a reenactment of a myth.

If Athena and Stella, these two goddesses who are constantly at odds, have anything in common, it is that they both share the mythological lineage of Ishtar from ancient Babylon.

Legend has it that Ishtar killed her husband, Tamms, but because Tamms was the god of plants, his death caused nothing to grow on earth and led to natural disasters. So Ishtar ventured alone into the underworld, undergoing seven trials, defeating her sister Ereshkigal, and bringing her husband back, restoring abundance and vitality to the world. The Babylonians believed that the lack of harvest each winter was because Ishtar and Tamms were in the underworld during those months.

Therefore, after the harvest, the ancient Babylonians knew how to fertilize the land. The fertilizer represented the mangled body of Tamms, and fertilizing meant that Tamms nourished the land with his own flesh and blood. When fertilizing, women would wail loudly to express their mourning for the death of Tamms. And the spring of each year represented the return of Tamms. Ultimately, this was a product of nature worship.

Stella's flesh and soul were devoured by Seiya, and even the Belt of Friendship, which was considered half of her body, was being reshaped into a weapon worthy of Seiya, according to his needs.

In the real world, Seiya's entire body radiates a faint light, which means that he is receiving everything from Stella.

At the same time, Athena sensed that the changes within Seiya were nearing their end. She intended to transform into the night wind and depart as usual, but a strange stirring within her made her look at Pegasus's face. She reached out and wiped his lips, then kissed Pegasus's forehead.

------------

------------

The sun was high in the sky, and some of the dazzling sunlight fell on Seiya's face.

It's already noon! I can't believe I slept for so long.

The moment Seiya opened his eyes again, the second effect of the God of War's power had already provided feedback for his victory.

[Sixth sense breakthrough, please check your inbox.]

Combat Techniques: Demon Palace Rose, Royal Demon Palace Rose, Piranha Rose, Lust Rose, Guiding Rose, Pegasus Flash Fist (Beginner), Pegasus Laser (Beginner), Atomic Lightning (Simplified)

[Divine Artifact: Wheel of Friendship, Golden Arrow of Victory—Mastered.]

[The third reward will be issued soon, please check your account.]

A breakthrough in his sixth sense, a whole new realm—the power of his inner universe flowed through his limbs and bones, and all his senses experienced a significant enhancement, with hearing, vision, and touch all multiplying. His dark brown eyes surveyed the new world.

It was a world that was almost still. The fluttering butterflies and the dust suspended in the air, whether it was the surrounding courtyard scenery or the unpredictable changes in the sky, all stopped moving at this moment.

But this wasn't time stopping; it was just that his thoughts were accelerating a thousandfold, causing a qualitative change in his perception of time. It was a change in his sense of time. When Seiya looked back further, he saw that the scene before him was actually moving backward.

The microcosm is the seventh sense, or rather, the seventh sense is the essence of the microcosm. Because the seventh sense isn't something you can awaken at will; it's closer to a god-slaying talent, an innate ability. But even this most rudimentary application allows him to distort the laws of physics to a certain extent, reaching a level where he can fight against gods.

Even if it's just a barely manageable step into this level, compared to the sixth sense I once had, it's still a qualitative change.

Ultimately, it's entirely due to the insufficient strength of the divine incarnations from those divine realms. Saints are warriors who should be constantly tempered in arduous and extraordinary battles. The battle not long ago wasn't particularly oppressive for Seiya. If it weren't for the forced victory feedback from his powers, and most importantly, the manipulation by Leto, the Goddess of the Night, to cloud his senses, he might not have been able to overcome that barrier.

Sigh, it's my first day missing Apollo's mom. I miss her.

Speaking of goddesses, Seiya looked in another direction, towards the bed in the room. There was a tiny creature, about thirty centimeters long, drooling while hugging a pillow.

For the gods, the most humiliating and unacceptable thing has happened.

Stella had a nightmare in which her soul and even her body were twisted and turned under the old maid's ritual, becoming the possession of a god-slaying demon. This was a nightmare that made her entire consciousness tremble; her soul would be branded with a mark of monstrous cruelty, never to be redeemed.

But when she opened her eyes, what she saw was a boy sitting in the pavilion, lost in thought.

"Wow! I don't want to be a slave to lowly humans!" Stella cried out, clutching her head in despair.

Seiya frowned upon hearing this. "Shut up."

This wasn't a word of power, but for Stella, it was far more terrifying. Because as soon as Seiya gave the command, she involuntarily shut her mouth, even ceasing her crying.

This is Stella's current state, a topsy-turvy relationship. From body and soul to spirit, she has become the possession of the god-slaying Pegasus.

Seeing the goddess choking up but unable to speak, Seiya curiously moved closer to her and said, "Do a one-legged stance."

Completely unable to control herself, Stella was forced to lift her left leg. She glared resentfully at the Pegasus that was controlling her, trying to warn it with her eyes not to go too far, but Seiya continued to give the order, "Position yourself for the Pegasus Meteor Fist."

As expected, Stella's hands traced the path of Pegasus in the air. Seiya's eyes lit up, and he uttered his final command, "Stella, awaken the Super Omega Cosmos right now and unleash Eternal Dance! Annihilation of Ten Thousand Chariots!"

Chapter 53: Power, Divine Realm, and Controlling My Husband

Seiya looked at Stella, who was the size of a rag doll, with great hope, but what he got in return was a fist that swung at him.

"Don't go too far, Pegasus! I'm your concubine, show me some respect!" Stella roared, but her fist couldn't even break through Seiya's index finger.

After absorbing her flesh and soul, besides gaining divine artifacts and combat techniques, it seemed that his own cosmos had also undergone a slight change. However, Seiya couldn't quite figure out what that change was, as if a newly built campfire was still lacking enough gods as nourishment to drive its qualitative transformation.

Stella before him was a goddess who was completely easily fooled; despite her sharp tongue, she was also the kind of woman whose defenses were easily broken. Only after confirming that she was now completely subservient to him as a puppet did Seiya learn the whole story from her.

In the world known as the Divine Realm, gods dwell, drawn from Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and Eastern mythology, and the stories of these myths still endure within these realms. Among them, Stella, possessing a special divine artifact—the Belt of Friendship—is targeted by Hera, the Queen of the Gods.

“That’s right. I love Aphrodite’s sash, the goddess of love and beauty. It’s a divine artifact that can manipulate feelings of love and affection at will. Even gods cannot resist this power… Do you understand, you foolish Pegasus?”

Stella, hands on her hips, resumed her previous arrogant demeanor.

Although she was only thirty centimeters tall, she still proudly spoke to Seiya:

"Hera, the white-armed goddess and wife of Zeus, the king of the gods, attempted to deceive him using my belt. My original plan was to hide this powerful divine artifact and myself on this island, and then use my power to capture you, thus escaping danger..."

"But I never expected to become a god-slaying demon so quickly, nor did I expect to fall into this state." Seiya's words were instantly shattered by Stella's arrogance. She squatted down again, burying her head in her hands. "Who could have imagined that my friends would be so unreliable? They couldn't even handle you! And there was a bunch of amused gods watching the show. This has absolutely nothing to do with me! It's not my fault!"

Seiya patted her head, as if petting a whimpering puppy.

He knew Stella's grievances, because Athena had already conveyed a message through the authority of night, and now probably all the gods in the realm of gods knew that Stella had submitted to Pegasus, her nemesis and the god-slaying beast, for survival. She was now utterly humiliated, and if she were to wield the Belt of Friendship... oh, it should now be called the Wheel of Friendship, probably few gods would be willing to pay her any attention anymore.

According to the message Athena conveyed to me, although it contained a lot of Athena's subjective opinions, the most concise way to put it is that this goddess of love and beauty is herself a deity with a relatively weak sense of self.

Although she possesses considerable power over love, Stella lacks the madness expected of a deity. Her actions and the combination of powers she previously held demonstrate that she relies more on the strength of others than on herself.

The immense divine power capable of summoning eleven deities to descend to earth was also an incredibly vast reserve. According to Stella's description, this far-eastern island nation seemed very special, possessing a power of awe unlike any other place, or even any other world. It could be easily converted into divine power, and it seemed there were other undiscovered secrets waiting for Stella to discover.

Seiya's knowledge of the Godslayers was limited. He vaguely remembered that Susanoo inhabited the Netherworld of this island, along with a god-ancestor connected to the Last King. Besides that, there seemed to be some kind of divine artifact, like the Steel God, but he didn't know the specifics.

“But that cunning husband of yours is also a madman and a rather despicable fellow,” Stella suddenly said.

The premonition of a Saint Seiya, the intuition of a god-slayer, were both triggered the moment Stella finished speaking. In his hazy vision, he saw cannon fire raining down from the sky, people crying and wailing, an orderly army, and the maniacal laughter of an old man.

Seeing Seiya's astonished expression, Stella revealed a mocking smile again, "Don't you know? Right after you defeated me, he started doing things that angered both heaven and man. He's supposed to be the Steel God, worshipped as a national cultural hero, but he only shows his madness when he wields his fists against his own people."

Addresses of various Shinto shrines in Tokyo, including the Onmyō-chō (Yin-Yang Hall).

Even earlier than dawn, when Seiya was still asleep.

The earth was still shrouded in the night mist, but the Hachiman Shrine Guardians, who belonged to the official history compilation committee, had already arrived in Chiyoda.

"Renjo, leader of the Yamantaka Guardian Shrine, reports that the Guardian Corps has successfully arrived at Chiyoda, detected the target's movements, and begun the exorcism operation." The man wearing a black top hat said expressionlessly, "In the morning mist of Shibaihara, the bottoms of our tabi socks are gradually getting wet... After a long journey across the Nasu-Nagashino Plain, and beyond the Shirakawa Pass, may the divine sword Kusanagi protect us and grant us the glory of war!"

The Hachiman Shrine Guardians were a group of guardian samurai active during the Heian period, with Susanoo being an important figure of worship for the samurai class. This group had been silent for half a year while fighting against the Southeast Asian deities. However, now, with the order from the Emperor, this special group of guardian samurai, dormant for six months, has raised their swords.

This is the headquarters of the Onmyoji Agency, so the strongest Hachiman Shrine Guardians are here to deal with it.

Meanwhile, in Saitama, Sendai, Nagoya, Wadayama, Kochi, Kobe, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, and other places, Onimusha, Yomi Army, groups of vengeful spirit warriors, exorcism squads, shamans, and the Kyoto Soul-Suppressing Spear squads make their appearances one after another.

The humiliation of having his dignity trampled underfoot for half a year is something his beloved husband needs to wash away with the blood of the lowly.

Seiya pressed his temples; his spiritual senses allowed him to glimpse the present and the past events that had occurred on this land. Susanoo, he repeated the name of the deity. He frowned and pushed open the courtyard gate, where an Onmyoji dressed in hunting robes waited respectfully at the foot of the steps.

"I am the head of the Liancheng family. It is an honor to have the opportunity to meet Lord Rakshasa." With that, the head of the Liancheng family handed an envelope from a servant to Seiya. "This is an invitation from our clan god, the Lord of the Rakshasa. We would like to invite you to... three days from now..."

Liancheng couldn't continue speaking because Seiya's gaze was already on him. "Invite me? Then let the person in charge come. Who do you think you are?"

Chapter 54: Saint Seiya, we love you!

A surge of offended anger welled up within Lian Cheng, mixed with an unspeakable embarrassment. He was the head of the Lian Cheng family, one of the Five Great Families! In this island nation, he was a highly respected figure, second only to the three elders. His chest heaved, and he instinctively wanted to take another step forward to argue. However, the instant his toes touched the ground, Seiya's icy words fell like a guillotine:

"Then kneel here and die."

The command wasn't directed at him alone; it was like an invisible edict, instantly imprinted on the souls of every Onmyoji on this street who defied the "God-Slaying Rakshasa." Lian Cheng's pupils constricted, his mind went blank. He couldn't comprehend how such a brief, brutal incantation could exist in this world. It wasn't like human magic; it was more like an ancient priest acting on behalf of Heaven, delivering a final judgment directly upon insignificant humanity!

The power of love—Seiya unconsciously wielded this power for the first time, yet it granted him the authority to control all things.

A pure, primal fear, originating from the depths of their souls, exploded within them, chilling them to the bone. Yet, their bodies yielded even faster than their consciousness. The dull thuds of their kneecaps striking the hard ground echoed one after another. Their throats felt as if they were being gripped tightly by invisible iron clamps, unable to even utter a whimper of pleading; they could only remain in a stiff kneeling position, their bodies obeying Seiya's commands more than their will.

Only Stella—the goddess of love who had just become a Saint and was subordinate to a deity—sharply noticed Seiya's unusual state. It wasn't simply anger or a command; his mental state seemed off.

"Pegasus? Seiya?" she called tentatively in a soft voice, a hint of worry in her tone.

Seiya remained silent. Just moments before, a burst of explosive will had resounded like thunder in his spiritual world—fear, hope, the cries of millions… The black curtains fluttered in the wind, and sunlight silently pierced through, showering down upon the beasts tamed by the gods.

[Times of vulnerability have arrived; let us pray together.]

The golden wheel symbolizing love and connection—the Wheel of Friendship—turned silently and solemnly behind him, radiating a soft yet undeniable golden glow. Even without being summoned, the Pegasus Cloth appeared on his body.