Chapter 122: A Chaotic Situation

"You wish to see the Pope?"

Upon hearing this, Shijima's tone deepened. "If it were before, I would certainly grant your wish, but now that the Pope and the Pisces Saint have defected, I am afraid..."

Feng Zhe then shouted, "The Pope has not defected! This matter is extremely complex, and I must see him!"

"What? Have you defected as well?!"

Shijima, who had been somewhat lamenting the situation, reacted immediately by assuming the Altar Saint had also turned traitor. His voice turned cold. "If you wish to pass through the Virgo Temple, you will have to prove your strength!"

"I have not defected! How can I explain this to you!"

The situation was too intricate to be conveyed through a few words of telepathy, and at that moment, the environment shifted drastically. Feng Zhe felt all sound vanish from his surroundings, followed by a intense, piercing tinnitus that resonated directly within his skull, causing a wave of dizziness that nearly knocked him to the ground.

"Traitor, sink into my Silence Space!"

Provoked, Feng Zhe unleashed a burst of holy fire that descended from the sky, striking the center of the Virgo Temple's Silence Space. Flames soared, engulfing the entire temple, and the explosive power of the Cosmo was visible even to Pegasus Tenma and Andromeda Shun, who were far away at the Gemini Temple. They had left the temple due to the arrival of the Celestial Hero Star, Suikyo, only to witness this scene.

"Is that truly the Pope?"

Tears welled up in Shun's eyes involuntarily. When Tenma asked, curious, Shun replied, "In our era, the Pope was the Altar Saint, but he mysteriously disappeared after the war with the Nordic gods and did not even participate in the Holy War."

"Is that so?" Tenma could not help but feel a sense of curiosity about this mysterious figure.

Meanwhile, at the Gemini Temple, the Celestial Hero Star, Suikyo, clashed with Gemini Abel, their power appearing evenly matched. Sensing the disturbance at the Virgo Temple, Suikyo murmured, "The Altar Saint?"

The scene shifted as Gemini Abel appeared, unleashing his signature technique: the Genma Ken (Demon Emperor's Fist). Shortly after, Suikyo vanished from the Gemini Temple. Cain asked Abel why he had acted so, and Abel replied that Suikyo’s infiltration of the Sanctuary was not to assassinate Athena, but likely for another mission. He was merely assisting Suikyo. The malevolent Abel mused that it would be quite amusing if Suikyo were to wake up and discover he had killed Athena.

An enraged Cain lunged at Abel, but Abel dodged with a grin.

...

Elsewhere, the Virgo Temple, struck by the holy fire, developed a large breach in its barrier. Feng Zhe leaped through, escaping the temple. The hole vanished instantly, and the Virgo Temple was once again shrouded in the protective afterimages of Shijima.

"Thank goodness I didn't have to open the Four Gates of Buddha, otherwise..." Feng Zhe muttered before sprinting toward the next temple.

Far away at the Pope's Palace, Shijima’s expression turned grim. He was beset by enemies on all sides; the Pope and the Pisces Saint were trouble enough, and now there was this Altar Saint who did not belong to the current era. "Athena, is the Sanctuary truly doomed?"

At that moment, Pisces Cardinale appeared and attacked Shijima once more. Later, under the influence of illusions, Cardinale brought the heads of Athena and Shijima to the Pope's Palace to confront the Pope. However, such illusions could not deceive the Pope, and upon discovering they were merely two stones, he became furious. Shijima, unable to hold on any longer, collapsed.

When Shijima awoke, he saw a barefoot girl walking toward him. He knelt in respect, and the girl thanked him for his protection, explaining that she was the Athena of the future, Saori Kido. During her time travel, the god of time, Chronos, had disrupted her telomeres, turning her into an infant during the journey. She explained that the Athena of this era would soon appear, and then proceeded to heal Shijima's wounds.

Once healed, Saori announced she would depart alone. Before leaving, she smiled and said, "By the way, that Altar Saint is not from your era, but the Pope of my own. I never expected him to end up here."

Shijima was stunned to learn that the Saint was a Pope from the future, feeling utterly bewildered. Suddenly sensing danger, Shijima threw himself in front of Saori, taking the impact of countless Bloody Rose thorns. Pisces Cardinale reappeared, launching another volley of roses, vowing to defeat both Athena and Shijima.

Saori lightly touched her arm, and all the Bloody Roses fell to the ground. Cardinale attacked again, but this time, all the roses rebounded toward him; just as they were about to pierce his body, they halted in mid-air.

Cardinale was drained of all power and collapsed, limp on the ground. Saori wept as she apologized to Shijima. Shijima dismissed it, stating that even if she were not the Athena of this era, it was his duty to protect her. The immediate problem was how to escape the Labyrinth of the Gods. Saori noticed a thin thread attached to Cardinale—the legendary Ariadne's Thread that had existed since the Age of Myth. It was the key to escaping the labyrinth. Following the thread, Saori and Shijima soon arrived before a door—the exit of the maze.

When they opened it, Seiya appeared before them, seated in a wheelchair and pierced by Hades' sword. This was the result of the space-time distortion caused by her arrival. She explained to Shijima that she had traveled to this era to save Seiya.

Suddenly, space-time distorted. Saori screamed, "Do not let go of the thread!"

At that moment, twelve Golden Cloths appeared before Saori, followed by the twelve Gold Saints who had sacrificed themselves in the Holy War. Even from the distant past, the Gold Saints remained dedicated to protecting Goddess Athena.

Feeling the upheaval at the Pope's Palace, Feng Zhe’s face turned pale. "In the end, all twelve Gold Saints perished in the Holy War, did they?"

The immense inertia of space-time forced everything back to its original path, and aside from the five Bronze Saints, not a single Gold Saint remained alive at Saori's side. As the light faded, the Pope's Palace returned to silence. Saori and Shijima walked out of the hall, only to be met with an endless sea of Bloody Roses.

...

Feng Zhe had just reached the Libra Temple when he saw Dohko guarding the entrance. They met once more, though neither expected it to be in this place. Dohko felt a tremor in his heart; he had witnessed the power of this mysterious Altar Saint before, yet he was now forced to block his path.

Just as a great battle was about to erupt, a golden light descended. Feng Zhe looked closely and realized it was Dragon Shiryu, who had traveled through time and space, landing unexpectedly right in front of Libra Dohko.