"Seiya, do you understand what you're saying? You really think that just because you're my disciple, I wouldn't dare kill you?" Aiolia's entire body radiated a terrifyingly dangerous aura.
The boys immediately tensed, eyes fixed on Aiolia, ready for a sudden strike.
"Never thought that even with the Seventh Sense, this Golden Lion's power would far surpass mine." Ikki narrowed his eyes at Aiolia. Just from this level of Cosmo pressure, he knew he couldn't compare.
If this weren't the Saint Seiya SS world but Saint Seiya G instead, every Gold Saint would be strong enough to shatter the heavens and fight gods.
Especially Leo as the protagonist Gold—his enemies weren't just ancient monsters, but also the Twelve Titans and the Primordial Gods.
Seeing the standoff between the boys and Aiolia, and that Aiolia could go all out at any moment, Saori was about to step in to defuse things—when Meruem stopped her.
"Let them get a taste of a Gold Saint's power first. Otherwise they'll never grow much. And since we'll be heading to the Sanctuary soon, they might as well feel it beforehand. Don't worry—Wang Hu and Bado are in the shadows. If things go bad, they'll step in." Meruem spoke calmly.
"Please trust Seiya." Only Shun would still use polite honorifics at a time like this.
"Silence! I don't want to hear any more of your lies. Since you won't hand it over, I'll take it myself." Aiolia's answer to Shun was a fist.
"Nebula Chain: Rolling Defense!" Shun's chains spiraled out, covering him in layers and blocking Aiolia's golden fist.
Aiolia didn't care. That had just been a casual punch. "You think flimsy chains like this can stop my fist?"
"This is bad! Stop him! Diamond Dust!" Hyoga shouted. His master was a Gold Saint—of course he knew how terrifying a Gold was once serious.
Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up and Saori herself had promised to explain things to Camus, Hyoga stood with the boys—for the moment.
"Mere cold. If it were Camus, I might worry a little. But you… no." Aiolia raised a single finger and effortlessly dispelled Hyoga's chill.
That was the essence of the light-speed punch—not just fists. Any part of the body could launch beams.
In the original, even Aiolia's eyelids unleashed light-speed punches to disperse the attack of the Earth Burrowing Star Worm Raimi.
"He's so strong. Totally different from any Saint we've fought before. Compared to Silvers, he's on a whole other level," Shiryu said gravely.
"Enough noise." Blazing golden light burst from Aiolia's fist, forming a huge net that enveloped every boy present.
In an instant, everyone but Ikki—who dodged by sheer luck—was hit. Even Shun, behind his Rolling Defense, was no exception.
The light-speed punches pierced the gaps in the chains and struck him.
"Oh? Someone actually dodged my fist? For a Bronze Saint, that's not bad," Aiolia said, surprised that Ikki could evade him, yet not sparing the praise.
"So strong… so fast…" Gritting their teeth, the boys forced themselves to stand again.
"We'll have to go together if we want a chance! Let's go! Rozan Rising Dragon!" A massive azure dragon shot toward Aiolia.
"Freezing Tornado!" "Nebula Thunder Whip!" "Unicorn Gallop!" "Pegasus Comet Fist!"
"In front of a Gold Saint, your power is far too weak. Lightning Bolt!" Countless beams of light, far stronger and more numerous than before, shredded all five attacks and smashed into the boys, sending them sprawling.
"Seiya, that Pegasus Comet Fist—you learned it under my guidance. Did you really think that move could defeat me? Naive." With overwhelming strength, Aiolia flattened everyone present except Ikki.
A serious Gold Saint could not be underestimated.
"That leaves you, Phoenix. What will you do?" With the field cleared, Aiolia turned his attention to Ikki, who alone hadn't struck yet.
His opponent was at least mid–late Seventh Sense. Even the Phoenix Illusion Demon Fist might not work—and could even be turned back on him.
Seems it had to be a head-on clash.
In that case, he wanted to know how far his power could go before a Gold Saint. "Phoenix Wings Rise!" Phoenix flames roared forth—Ikki's most powerful technique. After countless years in Death Queen Island's magma, the Phoenix Cloth was finally showing its true form.
"The Seventh Sense!" In the instant Ikki moved, Aiolia started—he instantly sensed Ikki's true level.
He'd assumed earlier that Ikki had simply been lucky to dodge his punch; he hadn't expected a mere Bronze to have the Golds' signature Seventh Sense.
Ikki traded blow for blow with Aiolia. In speed, Aiolia's Lightning Bolt was unquestionably superior. But Ikki refused to yield. What is a Phoenix? An immortal bird. Every time it falls, it rises again—stronger.
At first, Ikki's fists couldn't compare at all. Gradually, his Phoenix Wings could stalemate Aiolia's blows for brief stretches.
A remarkable talent, with fearsome growth.
Even so, Ikki was already panting hard. This level of combat was still strenuous for him.
But after this battle, his strength would jump forward.
He wasn't far from mid-Seventh Sense now.
"What a fine seedling. If I had no mission—and if you weren't on the hit list—it'd be a real shame," even Aiolia, as his opponent, couldn't help but feel reluctant to cut Ikki down.
"I have to finish it here. Lightning Plasma!" The proud fangs of Leo, Aiolia's signature move, hailed as the pinnacle of light-speed punches.
Countless golden blasts surged toward Ikki.
But just before they struck, a plain-looking hand appeared in front of him. The devastating golden beams vanished into thin air as they touched it.
Gone, as if they'd never existed.
"The Golden Lion's fangs really are something," Meruem said, clapping lightly. Aiolia's last strike had exceeded what Bado and Wang Hu could react to.
He had no choice but to personally defuse the crisis for Ikki.
A serious Leo was someone even Saga, strongest of the Twelve Temples, had to take seriously. That fist stood alongside Saga's Galaxian Explosion and Aldebaran's Great Horn as one of the mightiest.
If it had landed squarely, Ikki might not die—but he'd shed a layer of skin.
"Lord Meruem!" The boys brightened visibly when they saw him.
The immediate danger had passed.
Aiolia, however, frowned at Meruem. "Who are you?"
No one knew better than he the power of Lightning Plasma. For someone to erase it, without a ripple or any sign of strain, was no small feat.
"Me? At the moment, I'm just Athena's guardian." Meruem thought for a moment, then answered.
He'd once claimed to be King of the Chimera Ants. But if he meant to keep a low profile in this world for a while, a new title wouldn't hurt.
After all, that bastard Yoma was here too. This wasn't the time to hog the spotlight—there had to be a surprise for later.
And with his low profile, he was constantly underestimated.
So he changed labels.
Athena's guardian.
Who is Athena? The goddess of war and wisdom who guards humanity and the earth—one of the Twelve Olympians, high above.
Talk about instant prestige. Several tiers of gravitas added at once.
Ah—no more worrying about being looked down on for lack of fame.
"Are you joking? I've never heard of any 'guardian of Athena' in the Sanctuary," Aiolia said after a blank moment, then thought a bit and spoke in all seriousness.
"That's because the true Athena was never in the Sanctuary at all… she's always been by my side." Before he could finish, Aiolia was interrupted by Meruem again.
"Are you mocking me?" Aiolia flared, rolling up his sleeves for a fight.
Well—he wore a Gold Cloth, so no sleeves. Call it rolling up his cape to battle Meruem for three hundred rounds.
Seeing his disbelief, Meruem shook his head. "If you won't believe my words, then what about your own eyes? Come out, Pallas."
Pallas Saori, in Valkyrie-like splendor, stepped forward. Her flawless bearing and warm yet dignified Cosmo shook Aiolia to the core.
"Athena…" Aiolia breathed.
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