~ Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!
<><><><>
Just as Saga had anticipated, three days after Milo's return, Saori Kido arrived at Sanctuary with the five Bronze Saints.
The events unfolded as they had in the original story.
Ptolemy, the Silver Saint of Arrow—struck Saori with a poisoned arrow—preventing her from accompanying the Bronze Saints through the Twelve Temples.
After entrusting her to Mu—they embarked on their perilous journey, determined to reach the Pope's chambers and retrieve Athena's shield.
"It seems everything is going according to plan," Mika said, emerging from behind a pillar in Mu's temple along with Aiolia.
They were both wearing dark cloaks Mika had created, imbued with a special enchantment to conceal their presence.
Mika had developed this technique using the knowledge he had gleaned from Mu's Cloth repair methods.
While Mu specialized in restoration—his understanding of Cloths and Cosmo had provided Mika and Gabriel with valuable insights into the nature of this world's power system—allowing them to reverse-engineer its principles.
"Such ingenious craftsmanship. Even I could barely sense your presence," Mu remarked, observing them with admiration. "Truly remarkable."
"You still sensed us, didn't you?" Mika chuckled, though he was pleased with the cloaks' effectiveness.
Mu was a master of telekinesis.
If even he had to focus to detect them, it was unlikely anyone else could.
Few Saints dedicated their entire focus to sensing; they needed to divide their attention between offense, defense, and awareness.
The only one who might sense them was Shaka of Virgo, who had likely already achieved the Eighth Sense. However, Mika wasn't concerned about Shaka. Based on the original story, he was on their side.
Mu smiled, then Saori, who had been lying on the ground, seemingly injured, sat up.
Her injury had been a ruse.
"Everything is proceeding as planned. We've infiltrated Sanctuary without Saga suspecting a thing," Mika said, turning to her. "Now, we just need to reach the Pope's chambers. Master Mu, once they pass through Virgo, you can escort Saori to the Pope's chambers."
Mu nodded.
Once they passed through Virgo, only six temples remained: Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius were currently unguarded. Milo was on their side. Therefore, they only had to face the guardians of the final three temples.
By then, they wouldn't have to hide anymore.
Even if a full-scale battle erupted, their chances of victory were high.
They only needed to hold off Saga's forces until Saori could sway the other Gold Saints to her side. Faced with Athena's authority and the combined might of nearly ten Gold Saints, Shura and Camus wouldn't continue serving Saga. And Saga and Aphrodite alone wouldn't stand a chance.
Therefore, once they reached Virgo, victory would be within their grasp. Virgo was the true test.
"We'll be going, then." Mika and Aiolia turned to leave.
"Be careful, both of you," Saori said, her voice filled with concern. "And…come back safely."
"We will." Mika smiled at her, then, with Aiolia, he swiftly departed, heading towards Taurus.
——
——
They moved through Sanctuary like a whirlwind, their speed immense.
While the barrier surrounding Sanctuary prevented even Gold Saints from flying, forcing them to travel on foot, they were confident in their ability to catch up to the Bronze Saints.
They quickly caught up to the Bronze Saints, who were nearing the Taurus Temple. Mika and Aiolia slowed their pace, following them discreetly.
Their objective was to remain hidden, providing support if needed, and using the Bronze Saints as a distraction to reach the Pope's chambers.
"Isn't this a bit…underhanded?" Aiolia asked as they followed the Bronze Saints into the Taurus Temple.
"Underhanded? Not at all. We're here to—guide these misguided Gold Saints, not to assassinate them. While our methods might be unconventional, our intentions are clear," Mika replied with a grin.
"Indeed." Aiolia chuckled, then they both laughed.
——
Passing through Taurus was easy.
Aldebaran, having received Mu's message, was already on their side.
However, they stopped outside Gemini. They could feel it—a powerful Cosmo emanating from within, enveloping the entire temple.
——
"It seems…The Pope has decided to take matters into his own hands," Mika murmured, his and Aiolia's cloaks concealing them in the shadows.
If they had any lingering doubts about Saga's identity as the false Pope, they were now gone.
After all, the official story was that Saga had died thirteen years ago. Yet, here was his Cosmo, radiating from within Gemini.
"Saga himself? But what about Seiya and the others?" Aiolia asked, worried about their safety.
Mika simply sat down on the steps leading to the temple. "Relax, Aiolia. They'll be fine. If Saga kills them here, it would reveal that he's still alive. And since he can't be in two places at once, it would expose his deception. Therefore, his objective isn't to kill them, but to delay them."
Aiolia's eyes widened in realization.
Saga believed Saori had only twelve hours to live, due to Ptolemy's poisoned arrow.
And since Seiya and the others were trying to reach the Pope's chambers to retrieve Athena's shield, all Saga had to do was delay them.
Of course, if they died along the way at the hands of the other Gold Saints, that would be even better. But Saga was cautious. He wouldn't rely on others—he wanted to ensure their failure personally, hence his presence here.
Aiolia smiled. Saga had fallen right into their trap.
He sat down beside Mika. "So we wait until they pass through Gemini?"
"As a precaution, let's wait a bit longer," Mika replied, closing his eyes and entering a meditative state.
"To maintain his disguise, Saga can't unleash his full power within Sanctuary. Therefore, he can't stay here indefinitely. However, this is his temple, and his Cloth is here. So, even after Seiya and the others leave, it's best to be cautious."
"Indeed. With someone like Saga, we can never be too careful." Even the thought of Saga's cunning and ruthlessness was unsettling.
To assassinate the previous Pope and rule Sanctuary for thirteen years under a false identity, even attempting to kill Athena… he was a dangerous man.
"We'll wait. As for when we proceed…that depends on Seiya and the others." They couldn't interfere directly.
Mika entered a deep meditative state.
With the battle of the Twelve Temples underway, his confrontation with Saga was fast approaching. He needed to become stronger.
Mika wouldn't waste a single moment.
Aiolia, watching him, couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. He understood Mika's drive, his constant pursuit of strength.
While Mika was already incredibly powerful, he was still improving rapidly, unlike Aiolia, whose growth had plateaued. To become stronger now, he needed to fight, to push himself to his limits.
"A true genius—" he murmured, shaking his head, then turned his gaze towards the distant Sanctuary. Even for him, observing Sanctuary with such a detached, almost—peaceful mindset, was a novel experience.
——
"They're taking their time…" Aiolia muttered, looking at the Gemini Temple.
Seiya and the others had been inside for quite a while, yet Saga's Cosmo still enveloped the temple. They hadn't emerged yet.
Aiolia was growing restless. While Saori's injury was a ruse, they couldn't maintain the deception indefinitely. Saga would eventually discover the truth.
They needed to gain the upper hand before then. After all, the purpose of their plan was to minimize casualties. Otherwise, a direct confrontation between all the Gold Saints would likely destroy Sanctuary, leaving few survivors.
This was why Aiolia was so anxious.
He feared Seiya and the others would be trapped within Gemini until their twelve-hour deadline expired. They couldn't assist them here; this was a battle the Bronze Saints had to face alone. They could help with the other temples, regardless of the guardians, but not Gemini. They couldn't risk a direct confrontation with Saga yet.
"It's over," Mika said suddenly, opening his eyes.
"What?!" Aiolia was startled by his sudden voice. Just then, the Cosmo emanating from the Gemini Temple vanished.
"Did they…make it through?"
"Shun just left. It seems the battle separated them." Mika sensed their Cosmos in the distance.
While the Sanctuary barrier suppressed Cosmo-based sensory abilities, Mika still had his other powers, which, although integrated into his Cosmo, could be accessed individually if needed.
This allowed him to perceive things beyond Aiolia's reach.
"Let's wait ten minutes." Mika said, wary of Saga's lingering presence.
"Alright," Aiolia agreed.
<><><><>
Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters.
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)