[ "El Cid, I will never let the path you forged to the Dream World go to waste. I will go!"
Athena, who received a call from El Cid, in order to save Sisyphus' soul, unhesitatingly decided to personally go to the Dream World.
"Lady Athena, you are going to personally…" Hakurei was startled upon hearing this,
"Even if the Dream World's defenses are weak now, it is still full of unpredictable dangers."
Even if it's dangerous, she must go.
Athena looked at Hakurei with determined eyes: "Perhaps if I miss this opportunity, I will never be able to save him again!"
"I will bring Sisyphus back. Right now, the only one who can do this is me… Athena!" ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"This Athena is alright, she really steps up when things get tough, she's a bit like the Goddess of War."
"Decisive, resolute… At first, when I saw Icelus snatch Sisyphus' soul right in front of her, her indifferent look made me think she was just a pretty face, but I guess I misjudged her."
People from other worlds, although they felt this tactic was a bit like sacrificing a rook to save the king, also saw another side of Athena, not letting El Cid's hard-won path go to waste.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline〜
"Lady Athena—!!"
"Uwah… For Lady Athena, and for all the people on Earth, even if it costs us our lives, we must fight to the end!"
In the Sanctuary, almost everyone who believed in Athena was deeply moved by Athena's actions.
And in the Pope's Chamber, the reactions of the Gold Saints varied.
Sisyphus' bowed head sank even deeper. If Lady Athena were truly injured because of him, he would deserve to die ten thousand deaths.
Regulus of Leo was in a daze, while Dohko and Shion were advising Lady Athena not to be so impulsive in the future, as it was their duty as Gold Saints to protect her.
El Cid was slightly moved. Although he was the one who conveyed the information to the Sanctuary, whether to go or not was entirely up to Lady Athena's decision.
Manigoldo just looked up at the ceiling, indicating that the ceiling was beautiful.
Since he was already dead, he wouldn't express an opinion.
Just as the Pope's Chamber was filled with a heavy silence,
"Hahaha, it's as splendid as fireworks, truly worthy of Lady Athena!"
Finally, Cardia of Scorpio broke the eerie atmosphere. At this moment, Cardia also felt a touch of nostalgia.
The little girl he once took from the Sanctuary to play in America had now become a reliable Lady Athena… He remembered often even pinching the goddess's cheek back then! Just thinking about it felt incredible.
.....
[ And at this moment in the Dream World, the Oneiros, God of Dreams, stirred up new waves. He spread his hands and shouted: "Gather, my brothers!"
White lightning exploded in different directions, and three stone gates appeared out of thin air. The souls of the three gods, who had already died, all merged into Oneiros' body, creating a four-god fusion.
As they merged, their forms also changed, their bodies transforming into a centaur-like shape.
It turned out that what El Cid and Tenma had destroyed was only their physical bodies in the human world, while their souls remained unharmed.
El Cid showed no fear, suddenly leaping into the air. The next second, the holy sword directly pierced through Oneiros' body, splitting him in half.
However, Oneiros remained calm about this injury: "How foolish. No matter how much you harm this body, it is all in vain."
The hideous wound shimmered with purple light, and accompanied by electric sparks, it healed as good as new under the astonished gazes of Tenma and the others.
"This body has four souls. Four gods are one god. How can mere humans contend?"
The next moment, Oneiros, whose body was bursting with a purplish-black Cosmo, pointed a finger at the two below. Light appeared from his hand, emitting energy that could destroy the world.
El Cid's face became solemn. He had heard of this move: "If this move is unleashed, it's over. It is said that it once annihilated a country in a flash." ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"So that's the saying, destroying the body is futile against a god if the soul isn't destroyed. Now I realize Manigoldo's value is constantly increasing."
"A single move that can destroy a country, hehe… As expected, the world of Saint Seiya is not something we can contend with."
The three gods, whom they had finally eliminated, turned out to have their souls still alive, and even merged… Without destroying all four souls, Oneiros simply could not be defeated.
With a heavily injured El Cid and a Pegasus whose trial period had expired, the difficulty had increased too much. Facing such a move, they probably only had death awaiting them.
.....
〜Bleach World, Soul Society〜
In the Seireitei, all the captains gathered to watch this battle between humans and the four gods.
Shunsui Kyoraku felt even more regret.
"Ah… Manigoldo died too early. His techniques could basically counter most of the Specters."
Not only could he counter Specters, but he could also specifically deal with gods who had flashy techniques, as few could play with souls better than him.
If Manigoldo and the Pope had lived a little longer, one of them would probably be here now. Dealing with the four-god fusion Oneiros would be an absolute kill.
Retsu Unohana still smiled gently.
"El Cid is doomed now…"
A move that could destroy a country, in such a confined space, was impossible to avoid. Even if they managed to escape, they had no means to defeat Oneiros.
.....
[ "ORACLE OF THE GUARDIAN—!" As Oneiros' voice fell, in an instant, a massive energy orb shot towards the two. The ground shattered and disintegrated at this moment, and El Cid and Tenma could only endure it with their bodies.
The blow, said to be able to destroy a nation, kicked up a large amount of smoke and dust from the ground. Oneiros looked down with a mocking expression.
"May your bodies and souls vanish together."
Oneiros, convinced that the two could not survive, turned to leave. But just as he turned, a voice that sounded at any moment caught his attention.
The next second, Oneiros' pupils contracted. He saw a golden staff standing between Tenma and El Cid, shining with a golden glow.
"Athena's staff? Impossible..."
A phantom of Athena in white robes also descended from above the staff, and after blocking the attack for the two, she walked directly into the gate where Sisyphus' soul was imprisoned.
Only then did Oneiros, the God of Dreams, understand that El Cid's slash at that time was a gap created to allow Athena to enter the dream.
After seeing Lady Athena go to the Dream Gate, El Cid's Cosmo burned.
"In that case, there is only one thing I should do now… protect Lady Athena to the end."
Even if it cost him his life, he would protect Lady Athena. Then, three brilliant golden sword energies were unleashed, aimed directly at the wall behind Oneiros, causing cracks to reappear in the space barrier.
"Look behind you!"
Only then did Oneiros realize that El Cid had torn a hole in space behind him:
"What?!"
Seizing this opportunity, El Cid's body erupted with powerful energy, kicking the God of Dreams squarely in the chest. He wanted to push the enemy out of the Dream World to create an opportunity for Athena.
Understanding El Cid's intention, Tenma also leaped into the sky, becoming the last straw that broke the camel's back. The belief in protecting Athena seemed to provide strength to both of them.
The next moment, the sky in the real world shattered like glass fragments, and the God of Dreams was successfully pushed out of the Dream World by their combined efforts. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"It has to be Athena. Her combat power is good. A single staff blocked this attack, and she didn't even glance at the God of Dreams."
"By the way… is Athena wearing shoes?!"
"Both leaders don't care about the other side's home turf. They just walk in and charge in."
However, everyone still had black lines on their faces… If possible, why don't you deal with the one outside before going in? Leaving such a big risk outside.
If not, at least heal El Cid! At least give him some blood back, he's almost bled dry!
His current physical condition is not good.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Toeiverse, Anime timeline〜
"The previous generation's Athena, Sasha, seems a bit different from Miss Saori."
Seiya was silent for a moment. She was a bit different from the Athena he remembered.
Sasha really steps up when things get tough. This feels more like what Lady Athena should do.
Ah… Thinking of Miss Saori being captured for no reason, Seiya sighed with a tired heart. Miss Saori really has a hard life; she's either a hostage or on her way to becoming one.
There's no helping it. Who knew the current Gold Saints couldn't compare to the previous generation?
.....
〜Bleach World〜
"So, the act of tearing space earlier wasn't accidental…"
Aizen also looked at El Cid with some surprise.
He hadn't expected that with his half-crippled body, he could still tear open the Dream World, meaning that space could truly be split open at will for him.
However… personally, going to the Underworld is not a wise move, especially as a soul. One should know that the previous invasion of the Sanctuary by Hades almost ended in failure.
In the real world, Ichigo and the others naturally saw this scene, but Uryu Ishida, whose focus was different, had a conflicted expression.
"Are the Gods of Dreams so honest? El Cid said 'Look behind you,' and he actually looked."
One dared to speak, and the other dared to look. It felt just like Ichigo Kurosaki, a fool.
.....