Saint Seiya, but Athena who disobeys?

The Nether Dragon of Inanna, the Earth Mother Goddess from ancient Mesopotamia, collided with the Phoenix's fiery whirlwind, driven by the power of the sun. Immediately afterwards, Marquis Voban saw light rise before his eyes.

—Pegasus Light Speed ​​Fist, the dazzling platinum light once again surged towards the enemy like a torrent.

Without any hesitation, he swelled up and transformed into a giant wolf god, swallowing the light before him whole.

"—Hahahahahaha! Is this it? This is the light that defeated the Eastern War God in the clash with that brat Tony! How satisfying! This old man is truly satisfied!"

This power was usurped from Apollo Lycaos, the Greek god of light and wolf. It allows the unrestricted summoning of the wolf—Apollo's sacred beast, the beast of darkness and earth, with fur the color of a deep rat—as a familiar to protect itself. Furthermore, it can transform itself into a gray wolf, gaining terrifying physical abilities. Because of the divine light protecting it in this state, it can also devour light.

Normally, god-slayers fight deities by exploiting their weaknesses and developing powers far exceeding those depicted in mythology, but this old wolf king is an exception. Over three hundred years, he has amassed powers that surpass those of many gods, and he uses these abundant powers to specifically defeat his enemies.

The simultaneous sound of Woban's voice amidst the giant wolf's howl was an incredible phenomenon.

"Boy, your light is precisely what I have to counter! That is the reason for your defeat!"

The aftershocks of their fierce battle tore a jagged chasm into the earth! Almost simultaneously, a ferocious and excited smile flashed in the eerie green eyes of both Seiya and Wolf God!

--boom! ! !

The massive storm didn't originate from the sky, but rather erupted from the depths of the cracked earth beneath their feet! A chilling, ghostly aura instantly enveloped the two combatants! Then, an overwhelming swarm of black locusts, symbols of desolation and death, swept in like a destructive tide!

A massive shadow loomed over them. The God-King Mekal had made his move!

Both the Saint Seiya and the Demon King's vision was now covered by the swarm of death locusts, but neither side immediately took action to disperse the locusts, because they were both waiting for the other to make the first move.

But the God King was also waiting for this moment.

"Two god-slaying beasts, I fight them just the same!" The God-King laughed, shouting the incantation to unleash his divine artifacts, "Pursuers, banishers, Baal the Cloud Rider, I am calling you! Now swiftly ride, swiftly fly, and sweep away all!"

Lightning illuminated the earth, but even faster than the lightning were two blurry streaks. These were the Divine Artifact Pursuer and the Exile—this was the ultimate strike the God-King should be proud of!

The light-speed fist that rose from the Saint Seiya's hand crushed the pursuer who had closed in on him. Marquis Voban, however, fixed his gaze on the incoming divine artifact; grayish-white salt grains covered the wooden stick, gradually corroding it. But the next instant, an intense sense of crisis struck from the front.

A moment is only a very brief time difference, but it is the gap between life and death.

The scorching whirlwind of karmic fire completely opened the path from the Saint Seiya to Marquis Voban. "Seiya..." Marquis Voban had only uttered two words when he saw the light covering his face.

Infinite—Atomic Lightning Lightning Speed ​​Fist!!!

Even though it is a sacred beast capable of devouring light, it cannot withstand the near-infinite torrent of lightning.

It was an attack of light infused with the concept of lightning, which the aged Apollo Wolf could withstand… As the first punch landed on Marquis Voban's face, he was still calmly analyzing the Saint Seiya's moves. With a rapid thought, a dazzling white light suddenly shone from beneath his gray fur!

I too possess the power to restrain light!

"Like a star shining in the daytime... the light of the wolf can also reach the heavens!!" The high-speed divine words, full of fighting spirit, resounded! The divine radiance emanating from the wolf's body strangely merged with Mekal's lightning and Seiya's beam of light, transforming into a neutralizing and offsetting platinum field!

But then the next punch broke his facial bones, and his squeezed eyeballs even burst out.

Even in this state, the old wolf king was still trying his best to calmly analyze the situation. Wait, there's also the concept of destruction?! Is it Vereslana's power?!

The third punch landed on his raised right arm as he tried to block... The fourth, fifth, and sixth punches completely tore through his defenses. Apollo's wolf form was utterly unable to counteract the attack of light, and then pierced through his chest.

Even in such a dire situation, Seiya did not stop, because he knew that his opponent possessed such strong vitality that he had to make him fully realize the foolishness of his actions.

"Cry, scream, and then—die!!!"

The final blow was a charge. Though the name was unpleasant, it embodied the most destructive concept. Seiya's fist utterly obliterated the resilient wolf's body, completely silencing the intruding old demon king.

In that realm between life and death, the old man let out a laugh that defied comprehension. Meanwhile, in reality, the Saint Seiya turned to look at the two divine artifacts, the Pursuer and the Exterminator, that had shattered the Pegasus Cloth and pierced his back.

These are the core weapons in Mekal's mythology, signifying banishment and repulsion respectively. He used them to lure the dragon king Yam away from his throne and kill him, thus ascending to the throne of the gods.

But he slowly looked up at the giant god surrounded by thunder and storms. He was so powerful that even the god-king Mekal felt an overwhelming pressure sweeping over him.

"Congratulations, you've forced me to low health."

Seiya gently examined the tattered Pegasus Cloth, and as he raised his hand, an even brighter platinum-gold radiance enveloped his entire body—

—The God Suit Veleslana is fully equipped!

Chapter 84: The God King, The Curtain Falls

"Is this the first power you usurped from the Eastern War God Uruslagna? It's truly an armament befitting you."

Gazing upon the dazzling white-gold Saint Cloth before him, God-King Mekal lavished praise upon it. Yet, in an instant, a triumphant smile, typical of a conqueror, appeared on his face.

"Only when it is worn by me can its value be realized! By the right name of the God-King, Baal Haddad, I call! O storm, heed the call of the cloud rider, come swiftly!" Mekal chanted incantations and brandished his weapon, which was storm and lightning.

A tornado-like gale swept across the Sardinian coast, creaking stone and steel structures, overturning parked cars, and sweeping ships from the docks into the sea. Lightning crackled and shone like countless serpents in the dark clouds. The storm's target was, of course, Saint Seiya; a tempestuous tempest surged towards the boy who led a nebula of a thousand rays of light.

At that very moment, the golden light rising from the boy completely neutralized the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning that filled the sky.

—It is the power of words, the light, the sword, hovering around Seiya at this moment.

The power of victory, the God of War, perfectly suited to this God Cloth, is finally fully unleashed in Seiya's hands.

"Mercato is a god who originated in the ancient Middle East. His real name is Baal. He was originally the god of the primitive nomadic people who raised sheep as their food source. In ancient times, people regarded the gods as the infinitely vast sky itself!"

Several tiny orbs of light began to appear in response to this incantation. Initially there were only about ten, but their number quickly increased several times over, all shimmering with a golden hue. This was the golden blade, symbolizing the strongest weapon within the power of the God of War, capable of severing divinity.

“The nomadic peoples of Central Asia—such as the Mongols—also deified the ‘sky,’ but Baal-Mercato is a god born in the Middle East…the East. He is not simply a sky god; this is his most distinctive feature. He is the god of the rainy season!”

What kind of being is this god before us? The surrounding light increased with Seiya's rapid divine incantation, from hundreds to thousands, from thousands to tens of thousands, and in a few breaths, a golden sword covering the sky flashed.

It shone like countless stars filling the night sky, just like a dazzling Milky Way.

"In the Middle East, where the dry and rainy seasons are distinct, storms only come during the rainy season. The earth is ravaged by violent storms, tornadoes, and massive landslides, and lightning strikes from the sky. But it is the rain brought by the storms that brings life. Without the blessings of this water, plants, wild animals, and humans would certainly not be able to survive. Although your storms kill many things, they also bring life-sustaining food!"

"Hmph—just as you say. I am the storm of the rainy season, a god who embodies both the grace and the destructive power of heaven!" Mekal shouted, sensing the approaching danger. "Let me see just how powerful the sword you forged with your clever words truly is, wind, rain, thunder!"

This too is a word of power. Just like the one Seiya used, it is a word imbued with power.

However, the orbs of light surrounding Seiya were not defeated by the gale and lightning.

The sphere of light—a sword of spiritual power generated by the God of War's words—flew swiftly, tracing dazzling paths through the air. The storms cleaved by the radiant sphere of light were instantly annihilated, the wind ceasing. The lightning bolts, similarly severed, were also destroyed, their heat and impact reduced to nothingness.

Even the wind and rain stopped the moment the sword light approached.

"Ugh..." God-King Mekal cried out in uncontrollable pain.

He could endure the physical pain, but the sword of light generated by the power of words, aimed at him, shattered his divine essence. He would be unable to use his power to command storms again for the time being.

The God-King Mekal raised his eyes, and before him shone a brilliant golden ocean, with countless swords of light raining down upon him. As always, Mekal's powerful body dispersed into a storm, with hundreds of bolts of lightning scattering in all directions.

"You are the Stormy Sky God worshipped by the nomadic people. Soon after, these people came into contact with the settled agricultural population who worshipped the gods of the sea and the earth, and you overwhelmingly dominated them with force!"

"Hehehe... The weak should submit to those stronger than themselves; this is the truth of the world!"

"The sea god worshipped by farmers living in villages and towns is the sacred beast symbolizing the god of the earth—the dragon. Therefore, Baal-mekal is a dragon hunter!"

Swords of light and lightning streaked across the sky, clashing and clashing, while golden blades that cleaved through divine power enveloped the heavens. Until all hope was lost, the countdown to death for the god-king Mekal finally began.

—The power of the storm, shattering the seal!

—Thunderous power, shattering the seal!

—Warriors, desolation, swarms of deadly locusts, deserts and wastelands, rainy seasons and life, dragon hunters are all affected by the power of this sword of words.

At that moment, the most crucial incantation rang out from Seiya's mouth.

"You are the god of storms, the god of the sea, the god of the sun, and the god of life who governs harvest and desolation. You wield winds with the power to blow away cities, and summon armies of the dead from the underworld, waves like floods, and thousands of bolts of lightning like spears from the sky. Your weapons, Yagrush and Aymur, signify banishment and repulsion, respectively. With them you lured the dragon king Yam from his throne and killed him, thus ascending to the throne of the god-king!"

At that very moment, His form solidified completely, even though the effects of the Sword of Words could only last for a brief moment. But a danger far more terrifying than the Sword of Words was already upon him.

It was Pegasus Seiya, the god-slayer, almost within reach. Megal could even clearly see his sinister smile. This final, deadly move was simple and straightforward, consisting of only five words.

"Pegasus - Light Speed ​​Fist!!!"

The torrent of light rose before his eyes once more, but this time he could no longer transform into storms and thunder to evade Seiya's attack.

The light that enveloped his vision enveloped God-King Megal's entire body. Seiya's fist ravaged the God-King's form, causing his muscles, stronger than the hardest steel in the world, and his bones, imbued with divine power, to crumble and disintegrate, rendering God-King Megal completely unable to sense his own body. His massive form plummeted into the near-sea like a cannonball.

The immense mass creates towering waves, and within minutes, a tidal wave will reach the island.

But at the same time, the torrential rain that had been swirling over Sardinia suddenly stopped, and the typhoon that was about to make landfall on the island slowly dissipated, revealing a clear and beautiful night sky.

The Saint Seiya stood under the night sky, his hands raised, bathed in the moonlight that shone through the dark clouds onto him.

"Athena, I know you're watching me." Seiya spoke slowly, gazing at the moonlight that seemed to favor him above the pitch-black night sky. "Are you listening to me?"

Chapter 85: Goodbye Athena

The ritual to kill the god has begun, which means that the death of the god-king Mekal is an inevitable end.

The heavens are the glory of God, the sky the work of the divine hand. Day conveys language, night transmits knowledge. Seiya looked up at the night sky; though there was nothing there, a gentle night breeze seemed to swirl around the Saints.

His gaze suddenly drifted into the distance.

His perception expanded infinitely as his microcosm burned—from the ruins of Sorrento, then to Palermo, and finally encompassing the entire island of Sardinia, with no end in sight. He vaguely caught a nostalgic aura, but could not discern its origin.

Was it Athena? Seiya had no idea, but his intuition told him it was Athena.

Saint Seiya closed his eyes, as if he were focusing all his attention on a single point, and then took a step forward.

This step marks the distance between the human world and the netherworld; his figure completely vanishes from this world.

But just after the Saint Seiya figures disappeared, two residual auras rose from this battlefield where the curtain had fallen. In the center of the Sorrento ruins, the flesh and bones looked like the embers left after being burned by a furnace. But from these embers, a new aura was born, and a pitch-black dragon beast was born from the ashes.

This black dragon was none other than Marquis Voban, and this miracle of resurrection was a power he had usurped from Inanna, the ancient Mesopotamian earth goddess. The immortality of dragons and serpents meant their souls were indestructible; even if a dragon's body was destroyed, it could regenerate from its soul state. If a human body was killed, even if it turned completely to ash, it could be resurrected intact by consuming a large amount of magical power. However, the consumed magical power would not be replenished for one to two months.

In his current state, Voban could no longer sustain a battle at the god-like level. Nor did he intend to. He had lost this three-way brawl. He accepted his defeat. But his pale green dragon eyes coldly locked onto another rising aura.

The disobedient god was in that aura, in the same posture as the Phoenician god-king who had just confronted him at the ruins.

“You haven’t returned to mythology, Mekal.” Voban’s voice, hoarse like a dragon’s, pierced the night wind. “If I remember correctly, you should also possess the miracle of resurrection from the underworld.”

“Under normal circumstances, it is indeed possible, but it is a miracle that can only be activated by a combination of powers, and the part of the underworld was sealed by that brat’s sword at the crucial moment.” Mekal showed a frank smile, but then saw that Marquis Voban in front of him had a displeased expression. “He is clearly my opponent who has defeated me, yet he has no intention of saying a final goodbye to me. What an arrogant brat!”

"He probably has another urgent matter to attend to." He vaguely sensed something.

"Then let you, his fellow countryman, convey the declaration of the God-King. The reason we can fight again once he recovers is that this time I have lost. Let him remember to always maintain his fierce fighting spirit and the myth of invincibility, after all, he is the rebellious beast who killed God-King Mekal! If he loses to another god, even if his soul returns to the underworld, I will not forgive him, hahaha!"

The wild laughter, like the final thunderclap, echoed through the silent night sky. Before the words had even finished, Mekal's majestic body could no longer be sustained, transforming into starlight and vanishing completely, returning to the source of mythology.

Meanwhile, the magicians who had been risking their lives to observe the battle from its inception were overjoyed, unable to contain their excitement. This chaotic battle between gods and demons had come to an end, but in the underworld, an even greater storm was about to sweep through the entire magic world because of it.

Saint Seiya from the Far East defeated the ancient demon king Marquis Voban and killed the god king Mekal.

And will Saint Seiya, who consecutively defeated the Sword King Tony and Marquis Voban, compete for the throne of the strongest god-slayer in the world?!

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In the depths of a familiar forest in a secluded world, before a steaming hot spring, the god-slaying Pegasus stopped, his gaze piercing through the misty vapors, locking onto the figure he had been chasing.

"How did you end up here?" The goddess stared at the Pegasus before her.

The goddess holding the Winged Staff looked at the boy in front of her with surprise for the first time, clearly not expecting him to appear before her.

"It was the embodiment of the strong wind that brought me here." Seiya walked towards Athena.

The goddess instinctively stepped back. "You're lying. The strong winds of Vereslana can cross distances, but..."

“…But you need someone to call you, right?” Seiya interrupted her. “It was you who called me. Otherwise, how do you think I broke through the hidden protection and got here?”

Was it I calling out to him? The goddess didn't know. But looking into Seiya's burning gaze, she had to admit that another part of herself was calling out to the boy before her.

"Do not go any further, Pegasus." The goddess raised her winged staff to block her and Pegasus's path. "Now is not the time for you to appear before me. When the time is right, I will naturally welcome you back, and then we will become inseparable."

Seiya, observing the conflicted and agitated expression on the goddess's face, remained unmoved. He didn't question why she had used the Prometheus Tablets on him, nor did he ask what she intended to do, or why she had saved him in the first place. Instead, he asked another insignificant question.

"Athena or Metis?" Seiya asked.

"Is this important?" The goddess, holding the winged staff, looked at the pegasus before her. "Whether it's Athena or Medusa, they are both pillars of the Holy Trinity. And at this moment, I am..."

The goddess, holding the Winged Staff, narrowed her eyes as she stared incredulously at the approaching fist.

Pegasus? Meteor Fist?!

The veil of night instantly enveloped the goddess, forming a formidable defense. But for the Saint Seiya, this was merely the prelude to a warm-up! He raised his outstretched arm, his tone calm and almost matter-of-fact:

"It's alright, Athena. It's just a split personality, nothing serious. Come back with me, I'll help you."

"..."

How to help? How to get back? And then there was the Pegasus Meteor Fist from before. At this moment, the goddess suddenly understood a little more about the child before her. He possessed a completely independent, even almost tyrannical, logic of action! He didn't even question what he was supposed to do; instead, he raised his hand, his entire body radiating light!

—God Armor Veleslana, instantly equipped!