"Saint Seiya." Fourth Godslayer instinctively took a step back as he looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared before him.
But he quickly realized this was merely a reaction born of his body's instincts. For a Godslayer, that half-step of retreat was a disgrace.
On one hand, his Godslayer constitution was surging, raising his power to its peak, but on the other, the Black Prince's reason kept him from advancing.
This Fourth Godslayer had always considered himself the most rational, intelligent, and strategically adept nobleman among their kind. His combination of Authorities was sufficient to grant him a high win rate against most opponents.
Yet, against Saint Seiya, he found himself in a situation where he was completely countered.
His own lightning-fast Divine Speed was utterly suppressed by his opponent, forcing him to rely on fourth-dimensional movement to evade. The Goddess of Vengeance, the Demonic Sphere of Desire, and the Great Labyrinth all required him to seize the initiative. If he relied solely on the Faceless Queen, how long could he possibly stall?
Alexander began to calculate instinctively, but no matter how he looked at it, in his current unprepared state, the outcome was defeat. There was no path to survival.
"You hold animosity toward me? But why don't you make a move?" Seiya spoke at that moment.
His expression unchanging, Saint Seiya addressed the intruding Fifth Godslayer. At the same time, he tilted his head in puzzlement, as if finding the situation genuinely baffling.
"Your body wants to fight, but your reason refuses. You're a strange mutt indeed."
"Saint, between us...?" Before Alexander could finish, in a flash of lightning, the temporal element of his Authority warned him of danger, and his body once again instinctively entered the realm of Divine Speed.
An intense sense of crisis made him realize—he shouldn't be this close to him!
—Pegasus Meteor Fist!
Countless streaks of light that filled his vision erupted like a solar flare. An unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped his entire body, but at the same time, the innate talent of a Godslayer allowed him to seize the sole chance of survival.
In that instant, the Black Prince demonstrated the supreme application of Divine Speed before Seiya—a technique that transcended the bounds of space, allowing him to evade every single meteor with incredible skill. From Seiya's perspective, it was as if he were constantly leaping to another gap via spatial teleportation.
"Not bad. You've impressed me," Seiya said as a fierce wind swirled around him.
"Allow me to ascertain whether you have any value as an opponent!"
Facing the Saint who exuded an immense, oppressive aura, Alexander manifested a body of lightning and retorted with extreme displeasure, "Don't be absurd. A warrior driven by instinct is nothing but an unqualified primitive."
His figure dissolved into countless tiny arcs of electricity and vanished from Flower-Fruit Mountain. With his opponent's departure, the heightened battle lust brought on by Seiya's Godslayer constitution gradually subsided.
"That's just how the Black Prince is. Compared to most Godslayers, he is far more rational. He never partakes in meaningless battles," Guinevere's sweet voice sounded from the side.
"Come to think of it, that guy Doni made a similar assessment." Seiya retracted the gale around him.
The Godslayer most skilled in strategy, a king you could fight but never schedule a fight with.
But after hearing all this, Seiya's evaluation of him was that of a confoundedly wise mutt, but not a bad person.
"If you can't act as you please, what kind of king are you? You're just a mutt shackled by the very rules you set for yourself."
He was the Fourth Godslayer, who came even before Doni, yet he couldn't even control his own territory of Great Britain, still locked in a stalemate with the Council of Sages.
If it were Voban or Luo Hao, they would have slaughtered every last magician who did not submit. If it were Doni, he would have used his absolute, overwhelming personal might to force their submission.
If it were Saint Seiya or John Pluto Smith, they would have acted as heroes during the descents of Divine Ancestors and Heretic Gods, making the people see them as saviors.
Of course, it would be troublesome if it were Madame Aisha, but her personality wasn't suited for ruling as a king anyway. Yet Alexander preferred to resolve problems peacefully, resulting in the current stalemate.
But from the perspective of an ordinary person, perhaps the methods of this noble of Divine Speed could not be called wrong; it was just that he was incompatible with most Godslayers.
Only then did Seiya turn his gaze to the Guinevere before him, the Divine Ancestor he had once mistaken for his sister-figure, Marin.
Compared to the elegant, silver-masked woman of the past, her current form, shrunk down to that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old loli, made it almost impossible for Seiya to look directly at her. The memory of lying with his head in her lap as she gently stroked it now brought an extremely strong sense of dissonance to his mind.
"You can still call me Sister Marin. I don't mind," Guinevere said, seemingly noticing Seiya's embarrassment.
After a brief conversation, Seiya watched as Guinevere crossed worlds, slipping into the Astral Plane and vanishing from his sight.
In truth, she was still hiding many things, such as the purpose of her and the Black Prince's visit, the divine tool in her hand that resembled the Disc of Usurpation, and the lingering aura of the God of Steel whom he had slain.
However, Seiya didn't press the matter. He simply commanded the Authority of Nikko Daigongen to regulate the turbulent ley lines.
"Sister Marin, I pray we do not reach a point where we must cross blades."
Dawn broke, and morning light filtered through the thin clouds. The air, repeatedly cleansed by the downpour, became exceptionally clear. Bathed in such morning light, it felt as if everything had returned to normal.
The television was broadcasting breaking news, the headline startling: "Meteorite Impacts Nikko!"
On screen, reporter Hitagi Senjougahara wore a grave expression. Behind her was a massive, circular crater, easily three thousand meters in diameter.
Even after being washed by rain, the crater's dark walls remained menacing. Even the Vice Governor of Tokyo, Miyuki Shirogane, was on-site to dispel rumors.
According to Senjougahara's report, a "micro-meteorite" had struck Nikko City at Mach 9 the previous night, severely damaging the Toshogu Shrine, which would be closed for two months for repairs. The broadcast also interspersed footage of the comet impact in Itomori Town from several years ago to reassure the public that there was no need to panic.
On the internet, however, posts about witnessing a "descent of myth" and the "manifestation of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven" were still spreading like wildfire.
"It's normal for some people to be able to glimpse a part of the true world. It means they possess some kind of special talent—perhaps they are shrine maidens, onmyoji, ninja, or samurai—but lack the heritage and live as ordinary people," after listening to Kaoru Sayanomiya's explanation, Seiya understood that the matter was settled.
Seiya looked at Stella in the room. This arrogant little brat of a goddess hadn't come to bother him after he had forcibly ordered her to go and fight Sha Wujing.
"A change of heart?"
Seiya immediately dismissed this naive thought. Though he couldn't directly read her heart, his perception as a master god towards a subordinate god was crystal clear: anger, unease, caution, fear... and a hidden sliver of hope were all mixed within her.
Seiya understood: this little wench was in trouble, and she needed his help.
Stella remained silent, and Seiya couldn't be bothered to ask. When her trouble finally cornered her, it wouldn't be too late to deal with her then.
He gazed at the clear sky, raised his hand, and spoke the words of power: "Come, Heavenly Skill Star, Hanuman! Cross the boundary of life and death, and manifest before me!"
An ominous, deep violet light instantly enveloped Seiya's entire body.
A set of sinister armor, completely different from any he had worn before, perfectly resonated and bonded with him.
The ominous purple light covered Seiya's entire body, and then a suit of armor utterly different from his previous ones completed its resonance with him.
It was not a God Robe, and certainly not a Cloth, but a Surplice belonging to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits under Hades: the Heavenly Skill Star. For a Saint of Athena to don a Surplice of Hades was, one might say, an old tradition.
These days, if you didn't betray Athena a couple of times, you couldn't even claim to be loyal to the Goddess.
The origins of this Hanuman Surplice of the Heavenly Skill Star trace back to Indian mythology.
Hanuman, the divine monkey from the Ramayana, had four faces and eight arms. He aided Vishnu's avatar, Prince Rama, in rescuing his beloved wife Sita from the ten-headed demon king Ravana. He was valiant and clever, able to ride the clouds and mist, set fire to the demon palace, steal immortal herbs, and perform countless heroic deeds. This divine monkey is also considered one of the most important prototypes for Sun Wukong.
The Surplice Seiya obtained after slaying that God of Steel was this very item. Its original master was none other than Tokusa of the Heavenly Skill Star, the Specter Seiya had kicked away like a stray dog during the chaos in Hell.
"But for me, this might be the weakest combat uniform I've ever had." Seiya pursed his lips.
To be honest, he would rather not have this connection and have obtained a Great Sage Equaling Heaven God Robe instead.
This wasn't to say that Surplices were weak. On the contrary, with their adaptability and mass-producible numbers, they were the main force that allowed Hades to contend with Athena in the Holy Wars.
Specters like the Three Judges, Kagaho, and Asura were no weaker than Gold Saints.
But for Seiya, the Pegasus Cloth, the Orion Cloth, and the God Robe had all experienced countless battles and trials alongside him, shattering and reforming to fit him anew, their strength far exceeding their original levels. Furthermore, each of them was enhanced by an Authority.
But this Hanuman Surplice? It wasn't cool enough, it lacked the Authority that should have merged with it, and it only had three combat techniques—
—Cloth Repair Technique, Eight-Armed Heavenly Net, and Sekishiki Nyoi Reirin.
The 'Sekishiki Nyoi Reirin' that Tokusa had inherited from Hakurei was merely a wide-area attack that released multiple soul beams. For the current Seiya, it was practically useless.
The truly core techniques—'Sekishiki Meikai Ha,' 'Sekishiki Kisōen,' 'Sekishiki Konsōha,' and especially the 'Sekishiki Tenryōha' that Seiya most desired—Tokusa knew none of them.
But it didn't matter. The power usurped from Sun Wukong was more than enough to compensate.
Seiya took out the crack-covered Prometheus Slate, within which resided the first Authority he had usurped from Sun Wukong.
[Authority: Victorious Fighting Buddha.]
[One of the Thirty-Five Buddhas. After enduring eighty-one tribulations, Sun Wukong finally attained this fruit. A Buddha is an enlightened one.
Only by eliminating selfishness, shattering the ego, holding to the right view, and conquering all attachments to prejudice can one transcend duality and enjoy eternal peace.]
[Effect One: Battle Ascetic.]
[Since the dawn of creation, the two principles have been my body. I have taught the Three Realms to weary their spirits. The gods and demons of the four quarters fear me; the spirits of the Five Sacred Mountains spew... The Nine Heavens cannot capture me, nor the hundred thousand demon lords.
The so-called 'Victorious Fighting' means that the more one fights, the more one can exhibit superhuman growth, continuously improving in battle until all opponents are surpassed. This growth is not just a combat sense, but an innate nature.]
Seiya's rudimentary understanding of the first effect was that it was likely similar to the talent of Leo Regulus, allowing one to continuously grow in battle and imitate any combat techniques one witnessed. It also accelerated the growth of both the Cloth and himself.
As for the second effect, The Enlightened One, its description consisted of only four characters—Arayashiki.
The second Authority, the one he had truly usurped through the god-slaying ritual, Intelligent Stone Fetus, was not with him now. To be precise, the moment he obtained it, it was transferred into the Ancient Night. And Athena's Ancient Night was still in the Astral Plane where the previous God War took place.
Thinking of this, Seiya's expression turned strange. It seemed he would have to make a trip to Fourth Godslayer's territory after all. But given their recent conflict, if he really went, it would probably ignite a civil war between Demon Kings.
But soon, a piece of news—whether good or bad was yet to be seen—reached Seiya.
Tokyo, Japan, near the coast. At the former site of the Official History Compilation Committee, now the Onmyo Academy, both the person in charge, Tsuchimikado, and Amakasu Touma looked pale as death.
"Nikko Daigongen, you've arrived." Amakasu Touma was the first to kneel on one knee.
This uncle with a remarkably low presence was also the first to notice Seiya's arrival on the scene. "Are you that... Ma Dongmei?"
"I am deeply honored, but my name is Amakasu Touma." Amakasu Touma gave a wry smile.
This was the third time Seiya had gotten his name wrong.
"That's not important. What's the situation now?" Seiya glanced around.
Within these ruins, an aura similar to Sun Wukong's still lingered.
"The Utsusemi Erize ruins we were excavating... a divine tool that is practically equivalent to Japan's creation myth has vanished," Amakasu Touma replied.
The divine tool, Ama-no-Sakahoko, had been taken beforehand, despite being under heavy guard.
To this king, who was likely not of the Yamato people, Amakasu Touma could only explain, "The Ama-no-Sakahoko is the spear used in Japanese mythology to create the first piece of land, also known as Ama-no-Nuboko.
Legend says that the last generation of the Seven Divine Generations—Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto—were tasked with creating the world.
They used the Ama-no-Nuboko to stir the chaos of the earthly world, and a single drop that fell from the spear's tip created an island."
The first volume of the Kojiki states: The heavenly gods bestowed the Ama-no-Nuboko upon the two deities Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto.
Standing on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, the two stirred the sea with the spear. The brine that dripped from the spear's tip coagulated and became an island, which was called Onogoro Island.
The first volume of the Nihon Shoki states: Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto stood on the Floating Bridge of Heaven and wondered together, "Is there not a country beneath?"
So they thrust down the Ama-no-Nuboko and pierced the great sea. The brine that dripped from the spear's tip gathered and became an island, which was named Onogoro Island.
But whether it was the Kojiki or the Nihon Shoki, both recorded that the heavenly gods used this staff to create the land of Japan. Yet this divine tool, on the verge of being excavated, had suddenly vanished.
______
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