Chapter 118: The Year 1743 of ND

"Uncle, wake up!"

Feng Zhe opened his eyes slightly. The first thing he saw was a young man in medieval attire—a black robe with white trim—who had evidently saved his life. But it was the boy's face that instantly jolted Feng Zhe out of his daze.

"Uncle, what's wrong?" The boy looked flustered by Feng Zhe’s reaction, and the flowers he had worked so hard to gather scattered across the ground.

"You are..."

"My name is Alone. People call this place the Elysian Fields. Don't you think it's beautiful here, Uncle?" Alone took a deep breath, clearly enjoying the environment.

Only then did Feng Zhe look around. It was a meadow filled with wildflowers and butterflies; the very air was scented with the fragrance of fresh grass. Suddenly, two Saints appeared and struck, but they were sent flying by a burst of Cosmo radiating from Alone.

Sitting on the ground, Feng Zhe recognized them and whispered in surprise, "Dohko? Shion?"

Dohko and Shion finally noticed the young man sitting behind Alone. He appeared to be of a similar age to them, but his deep, piercing eyes made his face impossible to forget.

"Who are you? How do you know our names?" Shion asked, his face uncharacteristically stern, as he clearly did not recognize the stranger.

"Could it be..." Feng Zhe muttered to himself.

Seeing Dohko injured, Alone stepped forward, intending to use the flowers he had gathered to heal him. Suddenly, Shion appeared behind Alone, hand-blade raised, ready to finish him off. Just as he was about to strike, a voice stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing to my best friend, Alone?"

Alone turned around and shouted excitedly, "Pegasus!"

"Alone, I have abandoned the name I used when I was a troublemaker. From now on, call me Tenma!" With that, Tenma threw a punch at Dohko and Shion, but they dodged it with ease.

Tenma was shocked that his Pegasus Meteor Fist had missed. Dohko and Shion asked, "Who taught you the Meteor Fist?"

Tenma didn't answer, instead launching another barrage of meteors, which Dohko caught effortlessly. "With your current level of Cosmo, you pose no threat to Shion or me."

Realizing he couldn't win, Tenma grabbed Alone and started to run. "Uncle, run!" Alone shouted back.

Feng Zhe remained seated, watching calmly as a barrel fell and shattered, revealing a Pegasus Cloth Box. Dohko and Shion were stunned. Feng Zhe stood up, stretched his back until it cracked, and shook his head at them. "Between your combat experience and your conduct, if you weren't wearing Gold Cloths, I’d have taken you for mere Bronze Saints."

Dohko clenched his fist, ready to teach him a lesson, but Shion held him back and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

Feng Zhe sighed. By now, he knew exactly where—or when—he was. This was 1743, but a 1743 in a parallel timeline: the world of *Saint Seiya: Next Dimension*. It was even more dangerous than *The Lost Canvas*; not only were there the Specters and the Sanctuary, but also Athena Saori, who had traveled through time to save Seiya, and her Bronze Saints. More importantly, the 13th Saint, Ophiuchus Odysseus, would awaken in this era.

With two Athenas appearing simultaneously, the universe was in chaos, time and space were collapsing, and everyone was locked in a grand melee: Suikyo and the Pope were trying to assassinate the future Athena Saori; Shijima of Virgo was trying to protect her; Asclepius wanted to become a god; and Odysseus sought to protect the Earth. The overall strength of the Gold Saints in this era far exceeded those of the *Lost Canvas* timeline.

But why was he here? He had been following Shayi (his sister), but he had ended up in this era instead. He was confused. The Athena Saori of his original world looked exactly like Shayi, yet their personalities were polar opposites—they were clearly different people. Was Sasha, the Athena of this era, actually his sister Shayi? If so, he didn't know how he would handle it. And if Sasha wasn't Shayi, then his sister, hiding somewhere in the shadows, was in even greater danger. Three Athenas in one era—good heavens! Feng Zhe broke into a cold sweat.

"Dammit! Who are you?!" Dohko interrupted his thoughts. Feng Zhe looked at him with annoyance but remained silent. As Dohko prepared to strike, Tenma ran back and saw the scene. "Stop! Don't hurt the uncle!"

Dohko and Shion were more interested in Tenma than in Feng Zhe. Seeing Tenma's anxiety, they asked, "Boy, do you know what's inside this box?"

Tenma shook his head; his teacher had told him to open it only when facing monsters or powerful enemies. "Try opening it!"

Seeing the overwhelming power of the two, Tenma pulled the box open, and the brand-new Pegasus Cloth clad his body. Feng Zhe recognized it immediately; it was the form the Cloth took after being reborn in Athena’s blood. *As expected of the protagonist,* he thought.

Dohko explained that it was the Pegasus Cloth and that only an Athena’s Saint could wear it. Tenma remained bewildered, unable to believe he was a Saint. Shion patiently explained that Tenma was their ally, but Tenma only cared about protecting Alone. When Shion told him that Alone was Hades and would bring disaster to the world, Tenma refused to believe it. After a brief clash, Tenma fell to the ground, though the two Saints clearly had no intention of killing him.

Just then, the sky above a distant cottage was swallowed by black and purple mist, and a bone-chilling Cosmo emerged. Feng Zhe knew exactly what it meant: Alone had drawn the Sword of Hades, signaling the start of the Holy War. Dohko and Shion rushed toward the castle that had suddenly appeared in the mist. Tenma followed, shouting Alone's name in desperation.

"It is too late; Hades has awakened," Dohko and Shion declared as they ran inside. Tenma followed, only to see Alone being led away by a woman in black. When Tenma tried to intervene, she struck him down with a bolt of lightning. No matter how much Tenma called out, Alone did not respond.

Suddenly, three Specter grunts appeared to kill Tenma. He tried to fight back but was completely outmatched. Just as he was about to be finished, Dohko and Shion appeared and dispatched the Specters in seconds.

Feng Zhe appeared, speaking coldly, "There is a barrier of Hades here. If you don't leave quickly, even you two Gold Saints will be trapped here forever."

Shion turned to Feng Zhe and asked, with utmost gravity, "Who, exactly, are you?!"

It was the third time they had asked. Feng Zhe closed his eyes, ripped off his outer robe, and revealed the armor beneath.

"The Altar Cloth!" Dohko and Shion shouted in unison, unable to believe their eyes. The shock was ten thousand times greater than when they had seen the Pegasus Cloth. Even Tenma looked on in curiosity, asking blankly, "Is there something wrong with this Cloth?"