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Mist appeared.
As the mist materialized—the Virgo Temple transformed. The familiar surroundings shifted, the walls seeming to ripple and flow like water, the floor beneath their feet becoming uneven, treacherous.
The surroundings became pitch black. Visibility dropped to zero.
The thick mist obscured their vision, pressing in on them like a suffocating blanket. Even their enhanced senses, honed through years of training, were useless in this fog.
"Shaka's making his move." Aiolia adopted a fighting stance. Even he—a Gold Saint—felt a prickle of danger in the presence of Virgo Shaka.
"I didn't expect you two here. I thought you only had those five Bronze Saints left." Shaka's voice echoed from the mist, calm and dispassionate, yet carrying an undercurrent of immense power. His figure, initially a vague silhouette, gradually materialized before Mika and Aiolia.
A golden-haired man in the Virgo Gold Cloth stood before them. His eyes were closed. His hands were clasped in prayer—An aura of serene power radiated from him—the air around him seeming to vibrate with barely contained energy.
"So, this is Shaka." Mika sensed Shaka's powerful Cosmo, skillfully concealed but still perceptible to someone with his knowledge and experience.
It was a Cosmo of immense magnitude—far beyond the Seventh Sense—a scale he had never encountered before.
Eighth Sense...
'The Man Closest to God.' Mika understood. Shaka knew everything. He had chosen not to interfere, believing it was more advantageous for Athena.
'He's testing us.'
"Shaka, why are you blocking our path?" Mika asked, taking a step forward. "You separated us from Shiryu and Shun. What are you trying to do?"
While Shaka's mist blocked Cosmo-based senses, Mika—using powers beyond the conventional Cosmo System—remained unaffected.
"Unaffected? How…interesting," Shaka commented, his eyes still closed, his expression unreadable. "You ask why I obstruct you?"
"If I said it was the Pope's orders, what then?"
"Then we fight." Mika met his gaze. He wasn't afraid. 'Athena is at the Aries Temple. A single call, and she'll lend me her Cosmo.'
"A battle with me?" A faint smile touched Shaka's lips. "Relying on that newly acquired Cancer Gold Cloth?"
"Cancer Cloth is enough."
"Let's see you try."
Their exchange escalated quickly. Aiolia, initially eager for a fight, was ignored. Frustrated, he stepped back. 'Mika wants to face him alone. Fine. I'll watch...'
As Aiolia retreated—Mika's and Shaka's Cosmos ignited.
The air crackled with energy, the temperature in the temple rising noticeably. Shaka's concealed power—no longer restrained, pressed down on Mika like a physical force, a test of his will.
Mika's own Cosmo surged in response, rising to meet the challenge.
Facing Shaka, a top-tier Gold Saint, his blood boiled. This wasn't like his earlier fight against Aiolia; this was a true test of his strength.
Mika poured his entire being into the upcoming clash, his focus absolute. He felt a familiar warmth flow into him—Athena's Cosmo, a surge of divine power bolstering his own, pushing him beyond his normal limits.
"This Cosmo…!" Shaka's expression turned serious, the amusement fading from his eyes. He abandoned his initial plan. Survival was now paramount. What had begun as a simple test had become a true battle. He had been forced to use his full power.
"—Tenma Kōfuku (Demon Pacifier)!" Demonic energy erupted from Shaka's palm, coalescing into a destructive force that hurtled towards Mika.
Mika extended a finger. "—Sekishiki Meikaiha (Wave of the Will-o'-the-Wisps of Hell)!"
Waves of corrosive, swirling energy shot outwards, distorting space, tearing at the very fabric of reality.
Mika's unique insights into space and souls, gleaned from countless battles and worlds, amplified the technique, far surpassing Deathmask's version.
As the vortex of Praesepe energy expanded, the gates of the Underworld momentarily opened, revealing a terrifying glimpse of the realm beyond. A powerful suction force, threatening to tear their very souls from their bodies, alarmed both Shaka and Aiolia.
"Tenma Kōfuku!"
"Sekishiki Meikaiha!"
Their roars echoed as the two Gold Saint techniques collided.
'Booooooooooooooom'
A blinding pillar of light erupted from the Virgo Temple, shaking the very foundations of Sanctuary, drawing the attention of everyone within its walls.
———
"..."
"Whose Cosmo is that?"
"Who is Shaka fighting?"
Even Saga, within the Pope's chambers, felt a tremor run through Sanctuary. He had seen Mika's destructive power but hadn't sensed his Cosmo directly. 'Is Shaka truly fighting for me? Or is this…a betrayal?'
———
The pillar of light also drew the attention of Seiya, Shiryu, and Shun, who had already left the Virgo Temple.
"Looks like Shaka and Mika are fighting," Seiya murmured, pausing to look back.
Seiya was alone.
Ikki, to ensure Seiya's escape from Saga's illusions in Gemini, had stayed behind to create a diversion. 'I hope Ikki's alright. But I have to keep moving.'
While the other Gold Saints didn't know who Shaka was fighting, Seiya recognized Mika's Cosmo. He had experienced it firsthand during their training. He pressed onward. This was the mission Athena and Mika had entrusted to him. He wouldn't fail.
———
As the light faded, the mist within the Virgo Temple dissipated.
Before Mika stood—nothing.
Shaka, the Gold Saint of Virgo, was gone. The temple, once filled with the oppressive weight of his Cosmo, now felt strangely empty.
"Where's Shaka?" Aiolia rushed to Mika's side.
Aiolia didn't believe Shaka had been completely obliterated. Even Shaka's Virgo Gold Cloth was gone. Mika couldn't have destroyed even that.
"I don't sense him." Mika retrieved his cloak and donned it, concealing the Cancer Gold Cloth beneath its dark folds. "He's gone."
"Just—leaving like this? Shouldn't we defeat him completely?" Aiolia asked, his voice filled with confusion.
"Shaka isn't easily defeated. There's no point wasting time here," Mika replied. "Besides, he opened the path for us, didn't he?" The mist, Shaka's sensory barrier, had vanished. The path to Libra was clear.
"I suppose so—" Aiolia agreed, though he was still puzzled by Shaka's actions.
——
As they left the Virgo Temple—Shaka materialized within the now-empty chamber.
"Mika… A Strong Underworld aura surrounds him, amplifying the Sekishiki Meikaiha. But he's not from the Underworld—I sensed Athena's Cosmo within him. He's—an interesting one." After a moment of contemplation, Shaka vanished.
Shaka hadn't been on Saga's side to begin with.
When the Bronze Saints arrived, he had chosen Ikki as his opponent, to unlock his potential, pushing him to the Seventh Sense. That was the only way they could reach the Pope's chambers.
Therefore, he had ignored the others, allowing Shun and Shiryu to pass. However, Mika and Aiolia's arrival, especially Aiolia—who was supposed to be dead, had alarmed him.
A warrior with a distinct Underworld aura had appeared with Aiolia, their Cosmos masked. This demanded his attention...
Shaka had intercepted them, their clash confirming Mika's allegiance and Aiolia's survival.
'But if Aiolia is alive, Milo deceived Saga—It seems I underestimated Athena. Her tactics are…remarkable...'
———
As Shaka reappeared in Virgo, Mika, now heading towards Libra, paused, turning back to look at the temple.
A complex expression flickered across his face.
Shaka didn't use his full power. He never opened his eyes. Unlike the previous Virgo Gold Saint, Shaka wasn't blind. He kept his eyes closed to train his Cosmo. When he opened them, immense power would be unleashed.
That was his true strength. But he hadn't done so.
"The Man Closest to God"—truly a formidable opponent. Mika shook his head and resumed his journey. "Let's go, Aiolia."
"Right." Aiolia, following close behind, understood.
'Shaka returned to Virgo. But it doesn't matter. He won't pursue us. He's on our side.' Three Gold Saints still stood before them: Shura, Camus, and Aphrodite. 'I hope they're not traitors…'
———
As Mika and Aiolia approached Libra—Mu stood up in the Aries Temple.
"Athena, the time has come," he said respectfully to Saori. "We should depart for the Pope's chambers." Despite the Sanctuary barrier suppressing Cosmo, Mu's powerful telekinesis, coupled with Mika's prearranged signal, allowed him to pinpoint their location.
"Then let us depart."
Saori's gaze was fixed on the distant Pope's chambers. Everything was proceeding as planned. The Bronze Saints were making their way through the Twelve Temples. Mika and Aiolia were moving undetected.
Soon, it would be time for the final confrontation.
"Yes." Mu and Aldebaran, having pledged their loyalty to Athena, followed her towards their final destination.
The battle for Sanctuary was about to begin.
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