The grueling training had just begun. Liu A'dou and Ada Wong trained and ate alongside the Amazon warriors, though they lived separately. Even though both had awakened their Cosmos, it still took relentless effort to develop techniques through that power. One had to truly master the Cosmos to mold it into usable attacks.
Liu A'dou still wore the Hercules Bracers. As his training progressed, his command over the Cosmos grew more fluid, and the faint sense of a technique taking shape began to emerge.
Saints gained power by burning their Cosmos. That meant the Cosmos itself was similar for everyone, but the techniques it produced were all unique—that was the secret behind their diversity.
So training was indispensable. The Amazons trained brutally, and no wonder—they could each take down three or four grown men with ease. Skilled in crossbows, spears, and every kind of weapon, they were equally at home on any battlefield.
Liu A'dou now understood why Diana had charged him head-on during their competition—it was the battle training they received. Besides close combat, they drilled in formations and tactics to become real soldiers.
He and Ada slowly integrated into life on Themyscira. Today, standing side by side in the center of the training field, both of them could feel it—if they could push their Cosmos to the limit, they might unlock their own signature techniques.
Diana stood beside her mother. The training ground was sacred. Whenever it was used, the queen had to be present in person.
After a week together, the Amazons had fully accepted the two outsiders. Though Liu A'dou was a man, his determination was undeniable. Amazons respected courage.
Today, Liu A'dou and Ada would display everything they'd learned and strive for the breakthrough that would forge their personal techniques.
"In a moment, give it everything you've got. No holding back," Liu A'dou said.
"I wouldn't dream of holding back," Ada smiled.
They wore light beige Grecian-style training outfits, straw sandals laced up their ankles, arms and legs bare, waists cinched by belts. Liu A'dou went shirtless, showing lean but not obvious muscle.
Queen Hippolyta stepped forward, raised both hands, and announced, "Begin!"
They ignited their Cosmos at the same time. Waves of energy rippled out, making the watching crowd shiver from the sudden chill.
"So this is the power of the Cosmos…" Diana whispered. After days of watching them, she'd learned a lot, but this was her first time seeing it unleashed.
The signal had been given, yet neither of them moved. Instead, they closed their eyes.
"They're floating?" Diana stared, stunned, as the two began to rise slowly into the air. Beneath their feet, the air itself rippled like water.
But they still didn't attack. The onlookers held their breath, waiting for them to make a move.
No one realized—the battle had already begun. At the edge of the energy clashing between them, pebbles were being crushed into dust. This was a clash of Cosmos, an invisible contest. Once that balance shattered, the fists would follow.
"I can't see anything, but I feel so tense I might forget to breathe," Diana murmured.
"My daughter," Hippolyta said, "watch closely. Their fight has already started. This is a battle on the level of energy."
Diana didn't really get it. To her, combat was all about fists connecting.
CRACK!
Suddenly, the walls around them splintered with a loud snap. The two dropped to the ground at the same time and opened their eyes.
Their gazes flashed with radiant light.
That was just the beginning. The battle wasn't over. They pushed off the ground and charged straight at each other—fast as thunder, sudden as lightning. Their four hands clashed in midair as the real fight began.
"Their punches are so strong, so fast," Diana murmured. She felt like their fists were harder than iron and sharper than arrows, every clash echoing like a smith hammering steel.
"They are indeed strong," Queen Hippolyta said calmly. "Even in the mythic age, only demigods wielding divine weapons could reach this level. No wonder Athena came in person."
The Cosmos didn't rely on bloodlines. Anyone could awaken it with the right training. With the vast number of humans out there, it was only a matter of time before some developed it. If such power ever spread, it would become a force beyond reckoning. Even the Goddess of Wisdom couldn't ignore that possibility.
Boom!
A thunderous crack shook the training ground. Diana turned her head sharply just in time to see—
Liu A'dou raise his arm, fist drawn back level with his shoulder. Across from him, Ada Wong stood tall, her fingers poised and curled, index finger extended as if pointing toward the heavens.
Both of them were about to strike.
Their Cosmos burned brightly, and the techniques born from it now took form—each a reflection of their will.
"Scarlet Needle—!" Ada's move came faster, a red flash slicing toward Liu A'dou like a bolt of venomous lightning. Clearly, her affinity for poison had found its way into her technique.
"Rozan Shō Ryū Ha!" Liu A'dou shouted as he launched his counterattack—a rising, spiraling blast in the shape of a dragon.
Diana couldn't believe what she was seeing. Ada's technique erupted in a crimson beam while Liu A'dou's punch summoned some kind of strange beast.
Some might ask—wasn't Liu A'dou a Virgo? Why was he using a technique from Libra? But these were trivial details. What mattered was the Cosmos behind them.
BOOM—
The entire training ground shook. The blessed stones of Themyscira's sacred arena groaned under the pressure. Even the enchantments from the gods trembled. Such was the sheer force of their unleashed Cosmos.
Their attacks collided midair—red light and dragon spiral fusing in a blinding storm of stardust. Countless points of light scattered from the center, washing over the field like a flood of stars.
Everything fell silent.
The audience could see nothing now—just light, just cosmos. It was as if the night sky had descended upon the earth.
Not a single word. The warriors of Themyscira were stunned. So this was the true power of Cosmos? Could humans really wield such terrifying force?
Many of the Amazons were now filled with desire—to learn this power, to understand this strength.
Liu A'dou glanced at Ada. He hadn't expected her to master the Scarlet Needle—the signature move of Scorpio Milo. So that's what a mature woman's Cosmos manifested as? Needlework?
Well, didn't that other elder sister from the East also love using needles?
As for Liu A'dou, he was still puzzled as to why his technique had turned out to be the Rozan Shō Ryū Ha. Was this fate telling him to "uppercut Athena with a rising dragon"? What kind of messed-up subconscious was that? He shook off the thought.
What he didn't realize was that the Rozan Shō Ryū Ha reflected one side of him—A'dou's sense of righteousness.
They had succeeded.
Liu A'dou and Ada exchanged a look of triumph. This was it—the moment they'd proven their mastery. Techniques powered by Cosmos were exactly as legends described: earth-shattering.
Diana began clapping. At last, she had to admit—Liu A'dou was stronger than her. And she was proud enough to respect that.
Queen Hippolyta smiled as well. Having allies like this was far better than having enemies.
Just then, the sky darkened once again. Swirling clouds formed, and another golden beam descended—it was Athena. She had returned just one week after leaving, and this time, she brought both the sacred Cloths—and dire news.
The God of War, Ares, had struck a deal with Hades, Lord of the Underworld.
Ares had escaped.
Queen Hippolyta's face fell. She rushed to inspect the prison, only to find it empty. Ares was gone.
So he had chosen the path of no return after all.
The price of dealing with Hades was steep. Ares's soul would now be bound in servitude to the Underworld for eternity—enslaved, never to know peace again.