Saint Seiya, but Athena who disobeys?

However, the expanding black flames of the sun stopped for a moment. The Pegasus was within reach, but Huihuo suddenly spat out black blood containing fragments of his internal organs.

"This power is...!" At this moment of imminent death, Huihuo was shocked by this power that should not have appeared.

The black lines drawn by that swaying hand completely severed his ability to grow wings. It reminded him of someone, or rather, a god who should have been asleep.

Thanatos, the god of death, possesses the power to utterly sever connections and erase concepts. This power is now manifesting in Seiya's hands.

As for Seiya, he could naturally sense the departure of Hades Aaron, who was closely related to him.

He did not intervene, because this was exactly the situation the two popes wanted to create.

After several days of rest and recuperation, driven by the Cycle of Life and Death, the physical injuries have been completely healed. Only the consciousness level still bears traces of being shattered by the power of death and has not yet healed.

But compared to the gains, this is insignificant.

As for the gains from absorbing the power of the Grim Reaper, it is to upgrade the Cycle of Life and Death, and to possess some of the authority of Thanatos, the Grim Reaper, which is to say, the two manifestations of death.

—To give life to inanimate objects, and to bestow death upon all things.

From Seiya's fingertips, the terrifying fate of death completely locked onto the souls of the Specters. Even after the attack, the souls' ability to return to the cycle of reincarnation was a testament to Pegasus's mercy.

"Specters, submit to death."

Chapter 139: The Sun-Swallowing Divine Bird, The Curtain Falls

The sudden appearance of the black line completely severed the connection between the wings of the divine eagle and the radiant fire. The surging power receded from his body like a tide, while on the other side, Seiya's power was endlessly rising.

Seiya casually lowered his eyes and waved his hand, wiping away death. This was merely the most basic application of the concept of death, devoid of any skill, as casually as a child picking up a stick and breaking the branches of roadside weeds. Yet, Kagaho's Surplice tore open from the chest, and all the fragments of the Cloth were being erased—pure destruction, the authority of the origin. At this moment, Kagaho was no different from the roadside weeds.

In Seiya's eyes, the original brown-black eyes gradually turned into a clear black and white color.

"Farewell to fate, Specter!" Seiya's voice was calm and unwavering. "Say goodbye to destiny!"

From his palm, tens of thousands of atomic lightning bolts rained down like golden meteors upon the charging Specters. In Hell, the entire world shattered, the heavens and earth shook violently!

—Atomic lightning swarm!

His palm erupted with an blinding golden meteor shower! Tens of thousands of golden meteors, imbued with a destructive will, crashed down upon the charging army of Specters with a force capable of tearing everything apart. The entire underworld shattered amidst wails of agony. The heavens collapsed, the earth cracked! The golden torrent, with unparalleled might, crushed the air, tore apart the atmosphere, and even distorted space itself. The lava river encircling underworld was forcibly diverted, and towering mountains were instantly reduced to dust, transforming into a rain of fire.

Amidst this destructive frenzy, a pair of arms pierced through the raging energy storm and firmly grasped Seiya's outstretched arm! Immediately afterward, a fist burning with indomitable will, carrying a final frenzy, slammed into Seiya's face! A hint of astonishment flashed across Seiya's eyes, but his body's instincts reacted faster than his thoughts. His wrist suddenly exerted force, a crisp cracking sound rang out, and at the same time, he kicked the attacker away like a cannonball.

It was the Heavenly Violent Starfire, the Specter who Seiya thought should have been eliminated, had actually stood up again.

“A second burning of the soul?” Seiya looked at the Heavenly Storm Starfire, which was even more magnificent than its previous four-winged form. “Whether it’s the Saints or the Specters, they’re all a bunch of unreasonable guys.”

His golden domain continued to expand, ionizing everything within its reach, his grand will covering the space. The corona of radiant fire also blazed, but no longer with the hues of dusk; instead, it was closer to death, a dark, ghostly sun rising behind him.

"Whatever you take away, whatever you hide, this is the resilience of a soul from the underworld, burned to ashes when it has nothing left!"

The closer he got to death, the more Huihuo could feel the throbbing from the depths of his consciousness. Even though he could never step into reincarnation again, this obsession still made him raise his arm.

Facing Seiya so close at hand, Kaga's fighting spirit blazed like infernal flames, while the usually indifferent Seiya silently burned his own cosmos. A faint smell of burning filled the air; whether it was from the flames between the two or from the friction and collision of the powerful cosmos emanating from the warriors, remained unknown.

In short, there was only one thing that Seiya understood.

He, too, possesses a fighting spirit that surpasses his own limits, like the blazing fire of the Heavenly Storm Star.

If the main characters of the Sanctuary storyline are Pegasus and Sasha, then the main characters of the Underworld are Hades Aaron and the Fiery Storm Star, who constantly overcomes difficulties and obstacles despite failures.

"Pegasus, look at me with new eyes!"

His arms were outstretched, and a dark line traced an arc above his head, from which light and heat were released. He looked like the sun during a total solar eclipse, devouring the flames of the sun, with only his light seeping out from the darkness—a sun belonging only to the underworld.

—Dark Sunburst!

It was too late to escape. Seiya, himself, and even the Specters who couldn't get away would all be swallowed up by this dark sun.

The battles from the first to the sixth level gradually came to an end. Apart from a few casualties, each level was a complete victory for the Saints. When they arrived at the seventh level of hell, what they witnessed was the dark corona that destroyed the world.

The flowing flames and expanding corona nearly destroyed this layer of hell, turning the first trench where they stood into ruins of the last sunset, through the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh trenches.

Perhaps a few Specters survived in the future, but that's no longer important.

No one can stop the Saints from advancing into Hades' city now. Sasha doesn't want this victory, but rather to completely end the holy war about the underworld that will last for thousands of years.

But everyone still has one question: what about Pegasus?

“He is still alive,” said Hasgard, the Gold Saint of Taurus.

Although neither of their physical forms exists within the corona, Seiya's cosmos still remains in this world; at least his will still exists.

The underworld, the wheel of reincarnation. This is the path through which all beings in the world are reborn. Due to the karma they accumulated in their previous lives, they are reborn onto various planets through the wheel of reincarnation. The species they are reborn into are determined by the amount of blessings they received in their karmic body.

At the edge of that cycle of reincarnation, Huihuo looked at the form of his own soul in disbelief.

He wondered if he, who should have been completely consumed and left with not even a trace of his soul, was still qualified to enter the cycle of reincarnation. But soon, through the power flowing in his soul, he realized that it was his opponent who had given him life.

“You actually… saved me…” Huihuo’s soul let out a bitter sigh, his voice sounding ethereal in the void of reincarnation, “Pegasus, you… are a true warrior.”

Pegasus's fingertips were enveloped in the radiance of the power of the cycle of life and death, which enveloped his soul.

When Seiya devoured Thanatos, the god of death, he obtained two different manifestations of death and life through the Power of the Cycle of Life and Death.

The methods of using death were already demonstrated in the battle just now, and the Twin Gods' core concept of granting the power to bring all things to life has become a manifestation of their imagination. Its effect is to distort reality, to materialize the imagined, and to give life to inanimate objects.

Even if he were to sculpt Rin Tohsaka or Mikoto Misaka, he could bring the figure to life, and regenerating the soul light from a burnt-out will of radiant fire was also within the scope of his power.

The Sanctuary and the Underworld are diametrically opposed, with no room for forgiveness or hypocritical pleasantries. They only want to fight with all their might, letting their beliefs be tested in the clash of fists. But this doesn't prevent a certain understanding from developing between them at the depths of their souls. For Seiya, he always respected those warriors who held firm to their beliefs and fought to the very last moment, even if those beliefs contradicted his own.

However, just before stepping into that ever-turning wheel of reincarnation, Huihuo made a final, and only, plea to the Pegasus constellation before him:

"Pegasus! Since you can even offer salvation to someone like me... then please! Save Lord Aaron's soul!"

Chapter 140: Aaron, it's time for me to save you.

Completely isolated from the outside world, this otherworldly, demonic realm has already fallen.

This was another core of the holy war, yet it was so peaceful, with purple lightning dancing wildly in the sky, like the deep sky in a painter's background.

Hades Aaron and Sasha walked slowly in a circle, wary and suspicious of each other. At this point in their battle, neither could gain the upper hand. Hakurei used his ultimate technique, "Sekishiki Tenreiha," to summon the souls of all the previous Saints, ultimately defeating Hypnos and sealing Hypnos's soul with Athena's Ark. However, he himself was reduced to a mere spirit.

The battle between Pandora and Capricorn Elster and Scorpio Calradia continues. At this moment, she is already poisoned by needles and is relying entirely on her own cosmos to barely hold on.

The only change was between Aaron and Sasha. Sasha was inferior to Aaron in combat, but Aaron still had injuries caused by Pegasus, while Sasha was more inclined to defend throughout.

Aaron, the god of the underworld, moved silently, the wind lifting his robes, making him appear like a delicate and frail young believer, while his sister Sasha was strong and resolute.

“I still remember when I was eight years old, Pegasus said that we could get bread and apples at the town church the next day, so he dragged us to line up very early.” Sasha looked at her brother in front of her. The two sworn enemies who had fought each other for countless years with their divine weapons were talking about the past. “We arrived before dawn, but when it was almost our turn, you gave up your place to Maria because she was later. You stood at the very back again.”

Aaron laughed and raised his hand to gesture, "Because Maria was so pitiful. She was only shoulder-high to me back then, and even smaller than you. She was just a tiny little thing."

"So Pegasus mocked you, saying you should have let her come earlier. But he also arrogantly gave his spot to Anna, and in the end, only I, who was at the very front, got the bread and apple. Even so, you were so happy, and I was infected by your joy. I felt that bread with honey was the most delicious thing. Pegasus said that when he grew up, he would let me eat it every day. But the next day, he was punished by Aunt Giuseppe for fighting and was not allowed to eat dinner. So I gave him the remaining half of the bread. In the end, we shared the food on the wall of the orphanage and looked at the city in the distance. You said you wanted to be a painter, Pegasus wanted to become a Saint Seiya, and I wanted everyone to never be separated."

"Yes, back then we would make wishes on shooting stars. Now that I think about it, it's no wonder that only Pegasus's wish came true."

Sasha's eyes revealed sorrow. "Back then, you were someone who could feel happiness for others' happiness and sorrow for others' sorrow, Aaron."

Although her inner universe kept telling her that the person in front of her was not her brother, but Hades, the god of the underworld, a deep feeling told Sasha that from beginning to end, the owner of this body was Aaron.

These words did not shake Aaron's will. Instead, Pandora, who was listening intently nearby, was momentarily distracted and struck by the last poisoned needle.

"So you're the only one still stuck in the past." Aaron's smile faded.

"Because I truly believe that wishes made under a shooting star will come true. I'm sharing the apple with you. During the day, my nanny said that bread and wine are like the flesh and blood of the Holy Son, while bread and apples are my flesh and blood. To me, you are family, you are everything."

“But this is a lie, Sasha.” Aaron looked at the goddess before him, his steps shifting as he searched for any possible flaws in Sasha’s deception. “The original Hades was supposed to be born as the son of the city lord, the brother of Pandora. Our relationship in this life is inherently misplaced. What’s the point of deliberately living with sorrow and pain? How much stronger can a goddess who knows no mercy be?”

"You talk about pain and sorrow? Can what you've done be considered mercy? Is that your reason for killing Maria, Anna, and Gallo?!" Sasha roared.

“Of course, because my compassion is the true compassion!” Aaron’s expression was ashen. “It is because I have come to understand sorrow, pain, and poverty that I have realized that this world will never be equal, that there will always be rich and poor, servants and servants, and that life and death will cycle endlessly. And I am determined to reduce this world to nothing but a single color!”

"Is that what we're going to do, drag the world into the underworld?!"

“Wrong, it’s Elysium.” Aaron corrected Sasha. “Everyone will live happily ever after in the vast and boundless Elysium, and Maria, Anna, and Gallo are waiting for us there!”

An oval mirror of light appeared behind him, and in that blissful world of lush grass and fluttering birds, his former companions—Maria, Anna, and Gallo—were there. And they had indeed found happiness.

For a moment, Sasha's thoughts were finally freed from their constraints. This brief moment was exactly what Aaron had always wanted. His ultimate killing move, the Sword of Hell, roared as it pierced towards his beloved before him.

This sword of hell broke through Sasha's cosmos without any hindrance. How could Sasha possibly block it? How could she possibly stop it? All that could be seen was divine blood splattering across the sky and piercing through Sasha's chest.

"Go to sleep, Sasha. Soon Pegasus and I will reunite with you in the Pure Land, and those carefree childhood days will return once more." Aaron spoke words that were almost gentle, but the fingertips that were about to touch Sasha's brow were flowing with the power of divine destruction.

Sasha suddenly grabbed his hand, her inner power erupting unrestrained at close range—

—Titan's Nova!

Driven by Athena's cosmos, Taurus's combat techniques manifested as a true Titan Nova, with a devastating shockwave that easily destroyed the temple, then engulfed the Papal Palace, the Zodiac, and even the entire Sanctuary.

If it weren't for the acting Pope, Bailey, having anticipated this and completely relocated all the inhabitants, Sasha would have become the first goddess to destroy her own people. And with this suicidal move, devoid of any regard for the future, Aaron finally released his grip and flew backward, while the divine destruction emanating from his other hand was fully unleashed.

The purple light paused briefly before Titan Nova before finally passing through this microcosm. Just before reaching Sasha's brow, it changed its trajectory, extending upwards until it dissolved into infinity.

Before Sasha, the azure wind rose once more. Looking at the figure floating in the wind, Aaron, who had landed on the marble pillar, smiled, patted his chest, and bowed his head. "I've been waiting impatiently, Pegasus."

"I'm sorry, Aaron." Seiya, having crossed the line of the impossible, stood before Sasha, looking up at his dearest friend.

"As agreed, it's time for me to come and save you!"

Chapter 141: Mistaking her brother and son, Pandora the loser

"Are you Hades... or Aaron?! From beginning to end, you've always been Aaron, haven't you?!"

At the heart of this final battle, the most hysterical person was not the heavily injured Sasha, nor the close friends Aaron and Pegasus facing off, but Pandora, who was struggling to maintain her collapsing cosmos and letting out a blood-curdling roar at the incarnation of Hades.

"Answer me! Aaron—!" Pandora's voice pierced through the roar of the battlefield, carrying a despairing force.

Aaron turned around and looked at the hysterical woman behind him, the city lord's daughter whom he had once looked up to. "Pandora, you are just like the humans you despise, the most self-righteous fools."

Within the shattered sanctuary, a purple death space rapidly devoured the present world, its target being Pandora, who was walking towards Aaron.

The place was filled with the light of annihilation; the concept of death destroyed everything in its vicinity. Even the twelve zodiac signs, caught in the crossfire, were reduced to ashes. Those who witnessed this solemn yet tragic scene gasped involuntarily. This space, filled with deep purple light, was practically a declaration of the end of the world.

But everything comes to an end. The ever-expanding light gradually subsided, disappearing like dust. The land where Pandora once stood was a scene of utter devastation, a completely sunken crater visible even from the highest heavens.

But to her surprise, she found herself still alive, high in the air, being held in someone's arms, when a familiar profile appeared before her.

“Pegasus, my son…!” Pandora instinctively called out his name.

"Don't be stupid. Since you know he's not your Hades, just back off." Seiya frowned as he looked at Pandora. "Besides, I think you should get some glasses. Don't assume every man you see is your brother or son."

Before he finished speaking, Seiya flicked his arm, and Pandora was thrown downwards like a kite with a broken string. A familiar carriage sped out from the void and caught her falling body precisely. Seiya's figure, like a golden shooting star, instantly landed back in front of the heavily injured Sasha.

"Be careful, Pegasus." Sasha looked at her childhood friend's sturdy back and Aaron, who was slowly walking towards them with the Sword of Hades in his hand. Instinctively, she grabbed his clothes. "He's completely different now. If he used to only roughly wield that terrifying power of Hades, now he truly masters it. He's entered a different dimension!"

Seiya simply patted Sasha's hand in response to her worry and walked towards Aaron as well.

Two men, once close friends, now walk towards each other across a ravaged land. Amidst mutual curses and smiles overflowing with fighting spirit, almost simultaneously, they unleash their inner power to an unprecedented peak!

The phantom of a winged Pegasus appeared before Seiya. Now that the Orion Cloth and the Veleslana God Cloth had both collapsed, the first and last Cloth answered his call once again.

"You're next, Pegasus!"

"Stop nagging, Aaron!"

The red and white Pegasus Cloth and the purple and gold Hades Cloth were instantly fully armed. Amidst the thunder and gale-force winds, the two close friends were like two bloodied beasts in a cage, roaring angrily and ferociously at each other.

boom--!

Without probing or hesitation, the two figures collided like comets tearing through space and time! The violent shockwaves, like two ancient dragons colliding head-on, completely crushed the surrounding boulders and architectural ruins into dust!

The terrifying recoil from the first collision sent the two flying back, but they didn't even pause for a moment. They pushed off with their feet, cracking the ground, and launched another deadly charge at each other at an even more ferocious speed!

Clang—! A piercing sound of metal scraping and energy tearing apart rang out!

The Blade of Hades drew an ominous purple light. One moment the tip was a meter away, the next it ignored spatial distance and slashed straight at Seiya's neck! Blood splattered instantly! The wound contained Hades' power, which even briefly suppressed Seiya's proud Cycle of Life and Death!

Seiya was not to be outdone. A power originating from the deepest part of his body, as intense as the core of the sun, erupted, and a burning Corona Cloth instantly appeared on his Pegasus Cloth! He transformed into a human-shaped blazing sun, forcefully using his shoulder to block Aaron's charge, and with a terrifying force capable of shattering continental plates, pushed Aaron violently into the deepest part of the Sanctuary!

Boom! ! !

The land of the sacred realm sank violently amidst mournful cries, forming a massive crater.

For some reason, Pandora looked at the crumbling alien realm before her and felt that the Saints who protected the earth might have inflicted even more damage on it than the Specters.

The difference between the two was evident in their first encounter. In terms of pure combat awareness, Aaron was inferior to Seiya, but now, armed with the Hades Armor, he completely overwhelmed his nemesis who had once brought him shame in terms of performance.