Chapter 136: The Aquatic Harvesting Duo

Mirror Parallel World
Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter

Inside Heinstein Castle, Pandora was playing the harp while several Specters knelt before her. They were the former Aries Shion, former Cancer Deathmask, former Pisces Aphrodite, former Capricorn Shura, former Aquarius Camus, and former Gemini Saga.

"Go to the Sanctuary and bring me Athena's head," she commanded.

"Understood!"

Just as they were about to depart, Wyvern Rhadamanthys suddenly stormed in. "Lady Pandora, they are Saint Seiya by nature! You should send me instead!"

Pandora continued to play her harp, speaking with indifference, "You have more important matters to attend to. This is Hades's decree."

"But..."

Pandora shot a glare at Rhadamanthys, causing his hair to stand on end. He was forced to bow his head in frustration, his eyes filled with defiance.

"Let them go," a voice echoed. Pandora was startled and ceased her playing.

On the other side, the leader, former Aries Shion, felt his skin crawl as a terrifying aura descended. Pisces Aphrodite had already bowed his head, not daring to look up.

"Lord Thanatos, the God of Death!"

Pandora stood and bowed to the god. Thanatos continued, "This Holy War must eradicate Athena's forces completely. No survivors are permitted!"

"But Lord Hades has not yet awakened; a full-scale Holy War now, I fear..." Before Pandora could finish, a divine punishment struck down toward her, but another force intervened to shield her.

"Lord Hypnos!"

Seeing that the God of Sleep, Hypnos, had saved her, Pandora offered her gratitude with the necessary reverence. Hypnos then transmitted his thoughts to the God of Death. "Lord Hades must be given sufficient time to grow; only then can he fully awaken."

Indeed, the obstacles had arrived.

"I shall explain this to Lord Hades myself!"

"Very well, but you may only deploy a portion of the Specters!"

The gods of Death and Sleep reached an agreement, and the God of Death relayed a new command to Pandora. "You shall go yourself; ensure you bring back Andromeda Shun. Rhadamanthys, you are to follow behind them and ensure you harvest every single Gold Saint!"

"Understood!"

The God of Death, Thanatos, issued two consecutive orders, which surprised the God of Sleep, Hypnos. "Thanatos, you seem unusually eager."

The God of Death laughed. "I cannot wait to sever Athena's head."

The God of Sleep chuckled as well, appearing quite pleased.

...

Having endured the battles in Asgard and the Sanctuary of Poseidon, the Gold Saints had suffered severe losses, leaving the Sanctuary’s strength clearly depleted. Fortunately, under the protection of Athena Saori and her Five Bronze Saints, the Sanctuary had managed to recover some of its power.

However, on this day, the Sanctuary received word from Libra Dohko at the Five Old Peaks: the blood seal of Athena that had restrained the 108 Specters had been broken. This signaled the beginning of the Holy War.

Upon receiving the news, Saori was filled with anxiety, unable to hide her distress. Knowing that a Holy War of this magnitude was beyond the capacity of the five young Saints, she dismissed them, sending them home in hopes of preserving the seeds of the future.

As dusk fell, Aries Mu, guarding the first temple, sensed an evil presence.

"Who goes there?"

Mu gazed at a group of figures shrouded in long cloaks. Their faces were obscured, and they exuded an aura of death, as if they had emerged from the Underworld. One of them stepped forward, and as the moonlight illuminated his face, Mu’s eyes widened in terror. He immediately knelt, filled with reverence.

Suddenly, two others lunged from behind, eager to prove their worth. The leader could not stop them, and they were promptly blasted away by Mu. These two were Cancer Deathmask and Pisces Aphrodite.

Even though he dared not defy the leader’s command, Mu was determined to prevent them from entering the Sanctuary and erected his Crystal Wall. Deathmask and Aphrodite charged, but their Praesepe Underworld Waves and Piranhan Roses were reflected back upon them. The two were struck by their own power and slammed heavily against the stone pillars behind them.

At that moment, the leader opened his eyes, and the Crystal Wall shattered instantly. The two others attacked again, but this time, Mu did not hold back. He unleashed his Starlight Extinction, and the two were blasted away, vanishing from the battlefield.

Once the "seafood duo" had been disposed of, the remaining trio—Gemini Saga, Aquarius Camus, and Capricorn Shura—revealed their true forms. Their power far surpassed Mu's, and the situation turned against him. Mu was pushed back repeatedly before watching the three depart from the Aries Temple.

Kneeling on the ground, a bewildered Mu questioned why this was happening. Suddenly, Dohko, who had not visited the Sanctuary in a long time, appeared. He ignited the clock, signaling that they had only twelve hours to live.

Having done this, Dohko did not forget to mock his old friend. The leader, seeing this, threw back his hood to reveal his true face: the former Pope who had died during the Saga Rebellion, the survivor of the last Holy War—Shion.

...

Elsewhere, Rhadamanthys, who had been tailing Shion and the others, dragged Cancer Deathmask and Pisces Aphrodite into the Yomotsu Hirasaka. He had not expected Specters—let alone Gold-level ones—to attempt to flee. Feeling his honor insulted, he prepared to cast them into the abyss.

Just as he was about to throw them, a voice rang out. "Destroy them immediately."

Startled by the voice of the God of Death, Rhadamanthys released them. "You should feel honored!"

"No! Lord Thanatos, we are still of use!" Aphrodite pleaded, terrified.

This only invited more contempt. Rhadamanthys, at his full strength, used his Greatest Caution, a technique capable of crushing any Saint. Amidst their screams of terror, the two were reduced to dust.

Two spirits attempted to flee, but a black hole suddenly appeared, drawing them in.

"Lord Thanatos?!" Rhadamanthys was surprised by the god’s sudden intervention. Though he did not understand why, he turned to leave; if the God of Death required it, he would simply obey.

[Ding! Two novice Gold-level souls acquired. Decompose?]

"Decompose!"

[Ding! 200 points of Death Energy acquired!]

Upon receiving the energy, a visible smile appeared on the face of the God of Death, Thanatos. "It seems these two individuals no longer exist in this world at all."

In truth, Thanatos had not intended to intervene, but after Rhadamanthys destroyed them, he discovered that Athena’s power was clinging to their souls, attempting to spirit them away. The God of Death had acted decisively to intercept them, grinding them to nothing with his Death Energy.

On the other side, a look of profound shock appeared on the face of Athena Saori, who murmured, "This Holy War... I fear we have encountered a terror unprecedented..."