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*****
"Cough, cough... Pope of the Sanctuary, requesting an audience with Lord Poseidon!"
Under Sorento's lead, George quickly arrived at the underwater city of Atlantis. He didn't simply barge in; instead, he politely projected his voice throughout the entire Sanctuary as a greeting.
Whether it was Valhalla or Atlantis, neither posed much of a threat to him. A Poseidon who had lost his physical body and had yet to fully awaken was likely weaker than the twin gods, Thanatos and Hypnos, in their complete physical forms. Only the realm of Hades, the King of the Underworld, might prove slightly troublesome.
Therefore, there was no need for him to sneak around like a thief or weave intricate schemes. Addressing the problem head-on and openly was the better path. Only when one lacks strength must they rely on surprise tactics; when one's power far surpasses the opponent, a direct and honorable crushing victory is the optimal choice.
Just as in Asgard, the moment George's voice echoed, a massive surge of Cosmos erupted within Atlantis. These were Poseidon's Marina.
A streak of golden light shot forth, landing directly in front of George and Sorento. The newcomer was one of the seven Sea Generals guarding the front lines of Atlantis: Baian of the Sea Horse.
He first sized up George, then frowned as he looked at the Siren standing beside him.
"Sorento, what is the meaning of this?"
He remembered that Kanon had sent the Siren to monitor Hilda. Why had he brought the Pope of the Sanctuary back with him? Because Sorento showed no signs of injury, Baian had no idea that the Siren had been coerced into leading the way.
"He defeated Hilda and all the God Warriors. I was no match for him, so..."
Sorento quickly relayed the intelligence he gathered. George did not stop him from leaking information regarding his strength; if it meant drawing everyone out at once, it would save him the trouble of hunting them down individually.
As Sorento finished, Baian's expression shifted visibly. He turned to look at George, who wasn't emitting even a ripple of Cosmos.
"Is he truly that strong? Does he possess a Cosmos comparable to a god?"
"Baian, don't be impulsive. Go inform Sea Dragon and let him handle this."
Seeing the Sea Horse's Cosmos begin to burn, Sorento immediately shouted a warning. He wanted to use George to test Kanon of the Sea Dragon, but he didn't want George to actually slaughter the other Marina. Baian was strong, roughly equal to himself, but he was absolutely no match for George.
"Fine!"
Seeing Sorento's deadly serious expression, Baian suppressed the urge to test George's strength and turned to retreat back into the depths of Atlantis.
"Pope George, you seem very confident," Sorento remarked, turning toward George after Baian left.
Throughout the exchange, George had acted as if he were deaf, completely ignoring their conversation and making no move to stop Baian. Had he not been supremely confident, a man of George's caliber would have surely eliminated Baian first to weaken the Marina's forces.
However, the reason Sorento had been so honest with Baian was precisely because he sensed George's overwhelming confidence. He guessed George wouldn't interfere—much like how George dared to challenge Asgard alone and face Lord Poseidon without summoning the other Gold Saints.
"Confidence? No," George replied in the gentlest tone possible, though his words were incredibly biting. "I simply don't hold any of you in my regard."
Sorento's lip twitched. He felt that George was no longer just confident, but utterly arrogant. Even if he looked down on the Marina, did he really have no respect for Lord Poseidon himself?
It was a question Sorento didn't dare ask aloud.
***
Meanwhile, Baian rushed back to the Temple of Poseidon to report to Kanon. As the one who had gathered the Marina and brought back the human vessel of Poseidon, Kanon was the de facto leader of the Marina—essentially the equivalent of the Pope in the Sanctuary.
By the time Baian arrived at the temple, Kanon had already assembled the remaining Sea Generals, waiting for his report. When Baian recounted what he had learned from Sorento, disbelief washed over the faces of the generals. They refused to believe that a mere Pope of the Sanctuary could be as powerful as Sorento described.
Only Kanon remained deep in thought.
Truthfully, he knew very little about this new Pope. During his time in the Sanctuary, he had never even heard of such a figure. However, unlike the others, he didn't dismiss Sorento's intelligence. While Sorento was suspicious of him, he wouldn't lie about something that concerned the fate of all Atlantis.
Furthermore, if this man could defeat his brother Saga, become the new Pope, and take down the God Warriors of Asgard single-handedly, his strength—even if not as exaggerated as Sorento claimed—was certainly formidable.
"What 'Pope of the Sanctuary'? He dares demand to see our Great Lord Poseidon? Let me go and deal with this self-important fool!"
Caça of Lyumnades, who possessed a rather treacherous appearance, wore a sinister sneer. He wasn't the strongest among the seven Sea Generals, but he was arguably the most dangerous.
With his mind-reading abilities, he could peer into the deepest memories of his opponents and transform into the person they held most dear—perfectly mimicking their appearance, voice, techniques, and personality. No matter how powerful an enemy was, he could get close and kill them with a sneak attack while their guard was down. If this Pope had defeated all of Asgard alone, Caça felt he was the perfect counter.
"There's no rush. Wait," Kanon said, waving a hand to stop him. "Lord Poseidon is about to finalize his control over the Seven Mammoth Pillars. Our priority right now is to ensure he isn't interrupted."
In the ages past, when Poseidon built Atlantis, he used his divine power to create eight massive pillars. One was the Main Breadwinner (Main Pillar), which supported the Temple of Poseidon and ensured the eternal survival of his lineage by providing a vessel for reincarnation. The other seven were the Mammoth Pillars, which supported the seven oceans of the Earth.
Currently, the soul of Poseidon within Julian Solo had not fully awakened, so he could not yet control the oceans at will. He needed the aid of the Mammoth Pillars. Once Julian gained control over them, he could trigger a Great Flood to submerge the continents, forcing Athena to surrender.
As for why Kanon didn't fully awaken Poseidon's soul? Because if Poseidon were fully conscious, Kanon's role would be over. To rule both the continents and Atlantis, he had to keep the Sea God's soul in a state of partial slumber that he could manipulate.
The other Marina were dissatisfied, but they understood that protecting Poseidon was paramount and remained silent.
"It is done!" Kanon announced.
Just as he spoke, seven directions within Atlantis suddenly erupted with light as seven stone pillars, infused with Poseidon's immense divine power, rose high. The divine energy radiating from them connected to the seven oceans, causing the sea levels of the world to slowly begin to rise.
"Ignore the Pope and the Siren. Take your men and guard the Seven Pillars!" Kanon commanded the remaining five Sea Generals.
As long as the Seven Pillars and the Main Breadwinner remained intact, the rising tides would submerge the world in less than an hour. No matter how powerful the Pope was, his efforts would be in vain.
***
"That is... It seems Lord Poseidon has made his move."
Outside the city, Sorento looked at the rising light of the Seven Pillars, a pained expression crossing his face. Raising the sea levels to drown the world would result in countless deaths. He followed Poseidon because he wanted to build an ideal kingdom where everyone could live in happiness, not to achieve it through such cruel means.
He believed Lord Poseidon wouldn't truly agree to this; surely it was Kanon misleading the unawakened god. Unfortunately, he had no proof.
"Lord Poseidon is about to flood the continents. Your Sanctuary has no chance of victory," Sorento said solemnly. "Unless you can destroy the Seven Pillars and the Main Breadwinner. But no human force can destroy those pillars, especially the Main Breadwinner... What?!"
Before Sorento could finish, an unbelievable surge of Cosmos erupted from George beside him. Then, a calm, indifferent voice reached his ears.
*"Kienzan! (Destructo Disc)"*
A circular disc of condensed energy shot from George's hand, arcing through the waters of Atlantis. In a single, fluid motion, the newly risen Seven Pillars and even the massive Main Breadwinner were sliced clean through the middle. Their divine power dissipated instantly.
"What were you saying?" George asked with a smile, looking at the dumbstruck Sorento.
George knew all about the pillars; they were indeed nearly indestructible to ordinary humans. In the original timeline, the Bronze Saints had to borrow the Libra weapons just to crack them. But who was he? With a Cosmos as vast as a Main God's and the cutting power of the Kienzan, hitting stationary pillars was child's play.
The Kienzan, Krillin's signature move, was powerful enough to harm enemies dozens of times stronger than the user. Its only flaw was its speed, but pillars didn't tend to dodge.
"It seems you aren't very welcoming. I suppose I'll just go in and have a chat with Poseidon myself."
George grabbed the frozen Sorento and flew directly toward the Temple of Poseidon at the center of Atlantis.
***
"What?!"
Simultaneously, the Sea Generals who were about to deploy to their respective pillars were left in a state of total shock.
"How can this be? Are the Mammoth Pillars not as sturdy as the legends say?" Kanon's confusion flashed briefly across his face.
Before he could process the situation, a roar of fury erupted from the nearby Marina.
"He's entered the temple! Protect Lord Poseidon!"
They watched as George, carrying Sorento, turned into a streak of light and crashed into the temple, landing directly in front of Poseidon's vessel.
"Not good!"
Kanon's face paled as he led the others in a desperate sprint toward the god's throne. Unlike the others, he wasn't afraid that George would kill Poseidon—no matter how strong George was, he couldn't kill a Main God. He was worried that George's attack would shock Poseidon into a full awakening. If Poseidon fully woke up, Kanon's dreams of world domination would turn to ash.
Fortunately, they were fast. Just as George landed across from Poseidon, the Marina arrived at the speed of light.
"George, Pope of the Sanctuary, greets Lord Poseidon."
George ignored the arriving Marina and offered a casual greeting to the vessel of Poseidon. Julian Solo, the vessel, frowned at George's appearance.
"Mortal, you dare enter my presence without permission? You destroyed my pillars; you are seeking death."
"Zeus entrusted the Earth to our Goddess Athena. She is its true ruler," George replied, unbothered by the threat. "I ask that Lord Poseidon stop being so obstinate. Stay in the sea where you belong and cease this attempt at war."
Infuriated by George's words, Julian Solo pointed his trident at him. "How dare you! A mere servant of the brat Athena dares speak to a God in such a manner!"
A terrifying force, capable of killing a Gold Saint in a single strike, shot from the trident. George simply waved his hand, swatting the attack into nothingness.
"Since you are unwilling to cooperate, Lord Poseidon, I have no choice but to seal you once more in Athena's name."
"With what strength?!"
Seeing George easily neutralize his attack, Poseidon's anger flared. His consciousness began to awaken further, his Cosmos swelling with power.
"Kill him together! Strike down this man who dares blaspheme Lord Poseidon!" Kanon shouted, not wanting the god to wake up any further. He struck first.
*"Galaxian Explosion!"*
The other Sea Generals followed suit with their signature moves.
Baian of the Sea Horse unleashed his breath: *"God Breath!"*
Io of Scylla summoned a massive serpent: *"Big Tornado!"*
Krishna of Chrysaor thrust his golden spear: *"Flashing Lancer!"*
Isaac of Kraken unleashed the freezing air: *"Aurora Borealis!"*
Caça of Lyumnades tried to read George's mind, but finding it a void, he resorted to a direct strike: *"Salamander Shock!"*
George's lips curled into a smirk.
*"Rozan Shin Ryu Ha! (Lushan Ten Thousand Dragon Force)"*
Tens of thousands of green dragons erupted from his fist, instantly blowing back every single Marina, including Kanon. He didn't kill them, only heavily wounded them; he still had uses for them later. He had learned and improved this technique from Dohko of Libra during their "sparring" sessions at the Five Old Peaks.
"Now then, it's your turn."
Having dealt with the Marina, George pulled a rice cooker out of thin air and set it on the ground. He intended to use the Mafuba (Evil Containment Wave) to seal Poseidon's soul.
However, the wounded Marina were slowly, shakily rising to their feet.
"As long as we draw breath... we will not let you harm Lord Poseidon! Burn, my Cosmos!"
"Man, you're making me feel like the big villain here," George remarked, rubbing his chin.
"Maybe... I should play the part for a bit? Use a little 'villainous' pressure to see if I can't draw out some of their hidden potential?"
(End of Chapter)