Chapter 23: A New Mirror Node

Aries Palace, noon.

Athena’s Shield gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight, as if it were coated in a mantle of solar radiance. With the sun’s reflection cast upon the blood left behind by Mu, the Gold Saint of Aries, a vast brilliance spread throughout the entire palace.

Bathed in this light, a flame ignited within the Aries Palace. This was no earthly fire—it radiated warmth that seeped into one’s very soul, as if it belonged to another realm altogether.

At that moment, Feng Zhe’s Cloth detached from his body, assembling swiftly in the air to form the shape of the Altar Cloth. The Cloth took the form of a sacred altar, upon which the sacred fire burned, entwining with the Aries sacred flame—each drawing the other, until they suddenly fused.

A surge of intense light forced Feng Zhe to close his eyes. The sacred fire, akin to a divine miracle, filled even Mu of Aries with disbelief.

Regret flickered through Mu’s eyes; perhaps he should not have revealed this secret to Feng Zhe. Yet it was already too late. Once the Altar Cloth absorbed the Aries sacred fire, it swiftly disassembled and clothed Feng Zhe once more.

A gentle warmth flooded through his body, and his Cosmo surged as though he had taken a powerful elixir. The Cosmo, which had long remained stagnant, leaped forth, rising rapidly within him.

As his Cosmo gradually stabilized, he realized with a start that his strength had more than doubled. Where he had once been able to unleash a triple-sonic punch, now he could wield a quintuple-sonic blow with ease. His Cosmo had also advanced from the lower sixth sense to the middle stage.

From this moment on, he was now a true Silver Saint in both name and power.

Purely in terms of raw strength, he was now on par with Marin and Shaina. Of course, with the hidden techniques at his disposal, his true strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Silver Saint.

This realization filled him with boundless excitement.

Just as Feng Zhe was preparing to head to Taurus Palace, Mu offered a word of caution. “Cultivating the Cosmo requires a gradual approach, especially in harmonizing body and Cosmo. I suggest you first temper your physical form. Only when you’ve fully adapted to your current Cosmo should you attempt another sacred fire fusion.”

Feng Zhe immediately recognized the flaw. Though the sacred fire could rapidly elevate his Cosmo, it did nothing for his body. If his Cosmo exceeded what his body could endure, physical collapse would be inevitable.

A cold sweat broke out across Feng Zhe’s brow. If not for Mu’s timely warning, he might have recklessly attempted another fusion, only to have his body shattered by the overwhelming power of his own Cosmo.

“My sincere thanks, Sir Mu!”

Feng Zhe’s gratitude was genuine, and Mu nodded in response. “Should you ever need repairs for your Cloth, you may send someone to Jamir to find me.”

Acknowledging with a nod, Feng Zhe watched Mu disappear from the Aries Palace.

He glanced at the Pegasus Cloth and ordered it to be put away. “I wonder when Seiya will finally awaken his Cosmo—I truly look forward to it.” Muttering to himself, Feng Zhe returned to the Pope’s Palace.

His current priority was to fully harmonize his Cosmo with his body, and the fastest way to achieve this was through combat.

With that thought, Feng Zhe’s attention returned to the Altar Cloth.

...

Altar Space.

Once again, he found himself in this unique altar space—unchanged, still nothing more than a simple altar platform.

[Communicate with the ancient spirits of the Altar. With enough faith, one can traverse past and future, even reach all realms!]

[Preparing to enter D-level Mirror Node: Golden Apple!]

[This Mirror is a D-level node, total faith points: 50,000, time limit: 10 days. Prepare to enter...]

In this timeline of the Golden Apple, the Goddess of Discord, Eris, resurrected five fallen Saints: Arrow Sagitta, Lyra Orpheus, Southern Cross Crateris, Shield Jan, and Orion Jaga.

All five were Silver Saints, their backgrounds shrouded in mystery.

It was common knowledge that Saints, upon death, were interred in Sanctuary’s resting grounds. Yet the undead Saints revived by the Goddess of Discord were buried elsewhere—the only explanation being that they had defected and been slain by Gold Saints.

From the timeline, Orion Jaga was undoubtedly the strongest among them—not only for his signature technique, the Million Ton Meteor Crash, but also for having once defeated Phoenix Ikki.

To alter the story and earn faith points, the fastest way would be to personally defeat the Goddess of Discord.

But without the Sagittarius Gold Cloth, this was simply impossible.

If he merely followed the path of the five main heroes, his final evaluation would surely be poor.

To Feng Zhe, this battle against the Goddess of Discord was nothing more than a high-level training session orchestrated by Miss Saori for the five young Saints—especially considering her decree forbidding the Gold Saints from leaving the Twelve Temples.

Since that was the case, it wouldn’t be overstepping to adjust the story, raise the difficulty, and personally guide the five young Saints to defeat the Goddess of Discord. After all, this was something the goddess herself permitted.

How to raise the stakes? The answer lay with the Golden Apple.

A dark god exiled by Athena for ten thousand years, sealed within the Golden Apple—yet upon escape, she was forced to possess an ordinary girl instead of a Saint? That was hardly believable.

If the goddess hadn’t intervened in some way, Feng Zhe would be willing to eat dirt.

Having clarified his objective, Feng Zhe stepped alone into the sacred fire. A pillar of flame shot straight into the sky, carrying him toward the unknown mirror node.

...

Sanctuary.

“Evil sprite! Prepare to die!”

Equuleus Meteor Punch!

A barrage of punches, swift as meteors, struck the evil sprite, which howled in agony before collapsing to the ground.

Having dealt with the disturbance, Equuleus Saint Kyoko muttered, “Sanctuary truly knows no peace. For these evil sprites to appear here—how detestable!”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A round of applause startled Kyoko; she hadn’t heard anyone approach and tensed instinctively, turning to face the newcomer.

When she saw the stranger clad in Saint Cloth, her nerves eased.

“Equuleus Saint Kyoko, reporting, sir. May I ask who you are...?”

Kyoko did not recognize the Cloth, but she was certain it was a Silver Cloth.

“I am Altar Saint Alex. I sensed an evil presence here and came to investigate.”

Feng Zhe’s gentle smile and handsome features, combined with his magnetic voice, made Kyoko’s heart flutter—she had never encountered such a remarkable man.

“Altar Saint? Are you the High Sacristan?”

In this mirror node, Sanctuary had a position for High Sacristan, though the Altar Saint had long been absent.

Feng Zhe nodded. “Young Equuleus Saint, are you a handmaiden to the goddess?”

Kyoko replied affirmatively, a blush rising to her cheeks.