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*****
"Our bodies?"
Shion and the "Fishery Duo" (Deathmask and Aphrodite) stared at their vibrant, living flesh with expressions of utter disbelief. Unlike the temporary, cold life granted to them by the King of the Underworld, they now felt truly alive, as if they had never died at all.
This miracle stemmed entirely from the power George had injected into them using the Serpent Staff.
"Do not doubt it; you have indeed been resurrected and are no longer under Hades' control."
George unfastened his papal robe, revealing the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth beneath.
"I discovered this Gold Cloth hidden beneath the Temple of Scorpio and the Temple of Sagittarius. It possesses the divine power of healing and resurrection. As long as the physical body remains, life can be restored."
Technically, George could have bypassed Hades' restrictions and resurrected them without the Cloth, but that would have been difficult to explain. The Ophiuchus Cloth provided the perfect "logical" cover for his god-like abilities.
"So the legend of the Thirteenth Gold Cloth was true!" Shion sighed. Having served as Pope for over two centuries, he had seen fragmented records of the Thirteenth Cloth in the Sanctuary's secret archives, but he had never been able to verify them until now.
"Master, you're back!" Mu of Aries cried out, his eyes brimming with tears of joy.
But the moment of reunion was short-lived as George's command rang out:
"The Holy War has begun. Mu, immediately summon all Saints, God Warriors, and Marina to gather at the Sanctuary!"
After giving the order, George transformed into a streak of golden light and appeared before a lonely gravestone in the mountains outside the Sanctuary.
Thirteen years ago, Aiolos of Sagittarius had succumbed to his wounds after delivering the infant Athena to Mitsumasa Kido. Kido had buried Aiolos here before fleeing to Tokyo with the baby and the Gold Cloth.
"Rise!"
George stomped the ground, and Aiolos' body surfaced. Saints were not immortal, but because their bodies were tempered by Cosmos, they far exceeded human limits; their remains could stay preserved for decades. Aiolos looked exactly as he did the day he fell.
"Resurrect!"
George tapped the body with the Serpent Staff. Aiolos' eyes fluttered open. With another tap to the forehead, George uploaded the history of the last thirteen years into Aiolos' mind, then teleported him back to the Sanctuary.
Half an hour later, the Pope's Great Hall was packed with the elite warriors of three realms.
"Hades has established his base at Heinstein Castle in Germany," Shion, now fully restored, reported. "Currently, the castle is managed by Pandora, and the strongest defender there is Wyvern Rhadamanthys, one of the three Judges of Hell."
Shion detailed the current state of the enemy. When a Holy War begins, Hades opens a gate to the Underworld and builds a castle above it. Much like the Sanctuary has Athena's barrier, Heinstein Castle was protected by a field that suppressed the power of any non-Specter to one-tenth of its original strength.
"Since we have the location and intelligence, I propose we strike while they are still unaware of our numbers," George suggested. "We go straight for the throat, eliminate the defenders, and occupy Heinstein Castle. This will give us absolute initiative in the war."
The warriors nodded in unison. With the Triple Alliance, they had the advantage in both quality and quantity—not to mention a Pope who could seal Poseidon.
Saori Kido, now wearing the Athena Cloth, looked concerned. "In my current state, I might not be able to completely nullify Hades' barrier."
Though she wore the Cloth, she couldn't yet exert Athena's full Cosmos. At best, she could weaken the barrier's suppression by half.
"That won't be a problem," George smiled. "I've made some... modifications to the Sanctuary. We're going to bring the entire Sanctuary to Heinstein Castle. Between the original Athena barrier embedded in the mountain and your own Cosmos, we can completely negate Hades' field."
Shortly after becoming Pope, George had modified the Sanctuary's foundations, allowing the entire mountain range to lift off the ground and fly. Even without this, the combined forces of three realms at 60% power would have crushed Rhadamanthys. After all, Saga, Shion, Dohko, and Shaka were all present—any two of them could flatten a Judge of Hell.
"Then let us go!" Saori agreed.
"Depart!"
At George's command, a massive magic circle beneath the Sanctuary activated. The holy land tore itself from the earth and soared toward Germany. During the flight, George returned the Pisces and Cancer Cloths to the "Fishery Duo" and the Sagittarius Cloth to Aiolos.
As for himself? George donned the Poseidon Scale (God Cloth) he had claimed after sealing the Sea God. Normally, a God Cloth wouldn't recognize a mortal, but as a master craftsman, George had "reprocessed" it to suit his needs.
The Marina weren't thrilled about seeing their lord's armor on George, but with their god in a rice cooker in his pocket, they decided to save their anger for the Specters.
Ten minutes later, the Sanctuary hovered over Heinstein Castle. Saori stood at the peak of the mountain, releasing her golden Cosmos to suppress the darkness below.
Inside the castle, Rhadamanthys was being lashed by Pandora's whip.
"My words are the will of Lord Hades," Pandora said coldly after the punishment. "Disobedience, even from a Judge of Hell, will not be tolerated."
"Pandora-sama, the defection of Shion and the others was clearly a ruse. The fact that all our monitoring Specters are dead proves it," Rhadamanthys growled, standing up despite the pain.
"Do you think Lord Hades is unaware of what you've deduced?" Pandora sneered. "Your shallow thinking cost us those Specters. Do not let it happen again."
Just then, both of them froze, staring out the window. Their pupils dilated in shock.
"That's... the Sanctuary?!"
"I am the Goddess of Wisdom and War, Athena!" A youthful yet commanding voice echoed from the sky. The Sanctuary glowed with blinding golden light. Figures began to rain down from the floating mountain into the castle grounds.
"The barrier is broken!" Pandora gasped. She couldn't believe the Sanctuary had initiated a full-scale invasion with such overwhelming numbers. "Rhadamanthys! Take every Specter in the castle and intercept them! You must bring me their heads!"
"With pleasure, Pandora-sama," Rhadamanthys smirked, regaining his confidence. He had never respected Saints. He walked out to rally his troops, eager to end the war himself.
"Stupid fool," Pandora muttered once he was gone. She immediately turned and sprinted toward the spiral staircase leading to the Underworld entrance.
She didn't underestimate Athena. If the Sanctuary were weak, Hades would have won ages ago. With the barrier gone and only one Judge present, the castle was lost. She ordered Rhadamanthys to fight only to buy herself time to retreat.
She reached the entrance to the Underworld, but before she could jump, a voice stopped her.
"It's impolite for a host to leave so abruptly when guests have arrived."
She turned to see a man clad in the God Cloth of Poseidon, holding the Sea God's trident.
"Why do you have Poseidon's Cloth?" Pandora stammered. She recognized him as George, the new Pope. Had Poseidon and Athena joined forces? Was George actually Poseidon?
"Because I sealed Poseidon, so his armor belongs to me for the time being," George laughed.
Pandora's brow furrowed. If he could seal a god, he was a monster. "Uninvited guests are not welcome. If you truly wish for me to entertain you, come find me in the Cocytus of the Underworld. I'll be waiting in the frozen hell!"
She sneered and leaped into the abyss. As Hades' sister and commander of his army, she possessed a divine necklace that allowed her to travel anywhere in the Underworld.
Boing!
Like hitting a trampoline, Pandora was bounced right back out of the hole.
"How?!"
"You didn't think I'd arrive after you, did you?" George shrugged. The moment the barrier broke, he had teleported to the gate and set a seal. No one was going in or out without his permission.
At that moment, Shion and the other Saints descended the stairs, surrounding Athena. Behind them, Kanon followed, dragging a bloodied, unconscious Rhadamanthys like a dead dog.
(End of Chapter)