[ After dealing with all the Specters, Hakurei pushed open the heavy door in front of him, and a heavy, turbid air emanated from within.
"This is the center of the barrier."
In the dead, silent room, a huge purple pentagram was located in the center. As long as he inserted the sword in his hand into it, he could destroy the barrier.
But just as the holy sword was drawn, Hypnos appeared behind Hakurei. After a brief moment of surprise, Hakurei erupted in a blazing fire.
Time returns to two hundred years ago... (This will not be written.) ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Hypnos has also appeared. I should have guessed it earlier. The wish of Sage and Hakurei, the two brothers who survived, was to defeat the Twin Gods."
"Good heavens, so they've been formidable since two hundred years ago. In the previous Holy War, you two brothers were also the main damage dealers."
"Each generation is worse than the last. The previous Athena was clearly a powerful fighter; her physique alone showed it."
As the images were released, everyone finally understood why these two brothers were willing to live until the next Holy War, determined to find a way to defeat the Twin Gods, as the threat was simply too great.
Because of the Twin Gods, only the two of them survived the previous Holy War.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Toeiverse, Anime timeline〜
Although it was only a fleeting image, Seiya clearly saw a scene that shocked him.
"Grandpa Hakurei was so strong when he was young?! He punched out Minos."
Minos was one of the Three Judges of the Underworld. Even Aphrodite, a Gold Saint, only managed to trade his life for Minos's when Minos was careless.
But Hakurei, who was a Silver Saint at the time, directly punched them out one by one.
He was simply too strong!
"The Athenas of the previous two generations didn't need our protection, did they?!"
Shiryu felt that this was a true Valkyrie, not someone who was captured every day, but someone who went directly into battle. And they could also let loose and deal with the Specters.
.....
〜Type-Moon World, ██████ Worldline〜
In the inner sea of the planet, in the furthest tower
Merlin carefully scrutinized the scenes from Hakurei's memory, then nodded.
"Now I finally know how they won the Holy War without their rosaries."
So they fought directly within Athena's barrier. As long as the barrier was open, the Specters couldn't revive. But doing so was too passive.
"And Hades, the King of the Underworld, is too careless. He didn't even wear his God Cloth..."
They've fought so many Holy Wars over the years, and lost so many times, why hasn't Hades learned his lesson?! He always underestimates humans; no wonder he always loses.
After all, with Athena's army configuration, it would be ridiculous for them to win every time...
.....
[ Two hundred years of regret, Hakurei dared not forget for a moment. This obsession with revenge, however, earned him a trace of admiration from Hypnos.
"Using your brother's power to seal Thanatos, that obsession, is truly wonderful. Accept my respect with gratitude."
"I have always been fascinated by the various things you humans weave..."
A chilling smile appeared on Hypnos's face. Suddenly, the sky darkened, and two figures descended from the dark sky.
When Hakurei saw their faces, he was startled to find that they were Shion and Yuzuriha from before, so he quickly stepped forward to catch them.
"How moving! It makes one feel pity. Then I shall grant your wish."
In an instant, the ground disappeared, and the three plummeted rapidly. With a flash of light, they found themselves in the sky, ten thousand meters high.
"Another Encounter With Reality—!"
"I can turn created dreams and fantasies into reality... First, experience the height of 10, 000 meters."
In a flash, the three of them slammed into the ground like cannonballs. A moment later, the thick smoke dispersed, but Hakurei still stood firm. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Good heavens, your brother Thanatos was sealed, and you're still praising them. You two brothers are really harmonious!"
"So Hypnos is actually a human lover?! He has quite an artistic flair. Thanatos just seems like a brute."
"'Another Encounter With Reality'...another absurd move. 'I think, therefore I am,' right? It's pretty much whatever you imagine comes true."
Although they had Hypnos as a baseline before, seeing Hypnos in person still made everyone feel a sense of oppression.
Perhaps because of the barrier, even Shion, a Gold Saint of Aries, was powerless before him, grabbed like an ant.
However, it seems that Hypnos and Thanatos have completely different attitudes. Hypnos doesn't hate humans; instead, he is full of curiosity about them.
.....
〜A Certain Magical Index World, Academy City〜
"You're telling me that's how many meters high?!"
Touma Kamijou thought he hadn't heard correctly. 10,000 meters high, wouldn't they be smashed to smithereens?
Index carefully removed her hands from her eyes and secretly peeked at the screen:
"You heard right, 10, 000 meters!"
When she moved her gaze back to the screen, her eyes instantly widened. She wasn't dreaming, were they all still perfectly fine?!!
Logically speaking, at such a height, let alone being alive, even having a complete corpse would be something to be thankful for. How strong were their bodies?!
.....
〜Sword Art Online World〜
Looking at Hakurei, who had smashed out deep craters, Kirito silently complained:
"Leaving aside their absurd body structure, the floor of Hades Castle is really hard."
He was met with Asuna's speechless gaze:
"Is that the point?!..."
But Kirito was right, the floor was really hard. Falling from that height was like a cannonball, yet it only created a deep crater.
They couldn't be killed by a fall of tens of thousands of meters; their bodies were like diamonds. It's hard to imagine how they managed to be both tanky and deal damage, and their health bars were thick, too.
.....
[ Hypnos narrowed his eyes at Hakurei, his face filled with disdain for Hakurei's two hundred years of obsession, then lightly raised a finger.
Purple-black light flickered, and an incredibly massive meteor suddenly appeared in the sky, hurtling towards Shion and Yuzuriha with lightning speed!
In a flash, the holy sword slashed and pierced into his abdomen. Hakurei stood in front of them, single-handedly enduring Hypnos's attack...
Relying on Athena's divine blood, Hakurei unleashed terrifying power, and the giant meteor instantly dissipated!
A gust of wind dispersed the thick smoke. Hakurei stood firm, holding a long blade, his abdomen stained with blood.
"Clang—"
Hakurei pressed the tip of his sword to the ground, and a blue cosmos spread out from him. Here, he would stake two hundred years of obsession to fulfill his long-cherished wish!
"Shion, Yuzuriha, this is my ultimate skill, exchanged for my life—"
As the light spread, the souls of the Saints from the previous Holy War appeared.
Shion looked at the surrounding souls of the previous warriors in shock.
"Could it be... that he summoned back the warriors of the previous Holy War through Praesepe??" ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"The old man is too strong. A meteor really falling is no different from a nuclear bomb."
"Moreover, this meteor is imbued with Hypnos's divine power. If Hakurei hadn't immediately dyed his body with Athena's divine blood, he would have been done for."
"But, Shion, where's your Crystal Wall?! You should have used it to block. It can't be that you can't even use that move."
Everyone from other worlds watched the battle intently, without strategy or tactics, purely enduring Hypnos's attacks head-on.
.....
〜Bleach World, Seireitei〜
Soul Society
"The Praesepe technique is really useful..."
Unohana Retsu's smile became a bit stiff.
She didn't expect to see this technique again now. The Praesepe technique, which their Soul Society considered a nemesis, was it actually easy to learn?!
Why did everyone know one or two moves? She initially thought it was a Cancer-exclusive ability.
"The souls of the previous Holy War have been summoned. Manigoldo probably doesn't even know this move."
Is this what they call a part-timer outdoing a professional?
.....
〜Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline〜
At this moment, Manigoldo was staring intently at the screen, afraid of missing any details. As someone who knew the prerequisite moves, he had pretty much understood this technique.
The other Gold Saints exchanged glances. They had never heard of the Praesepe having such a move... Unbeknownst to them, the honest-looking Leo silently nodded at the screen.
"Finally, it's come to this!"
Hakurei quietly clenched his fists. Two hundred years of longing, success or failure depended on this one move.
From the very beginning, there was no turning back. The Twin Gods were their sworn enemies, and it was up to them, the brothers, to resolve this. This was their reason for living.
.....
〜Saint Seiya Toeiverse, Anime timeline〜
Deathmask was speechless. How many moves did his proud Praesepe have?! And why did everyone know how to use it...
Pope Sage, of course, was the Cancer Gold Saint of the previous generation, but Hakurei, you're an Altar Silver Saint. Why are you joining in the fun?
This move is even more powerful than the original Praesepe. Among those who also use Praesepe, am I the weakest?!
.....