"What's going on? Why isn't the Gemini Cloth responding to me?" After a moment, Saga's face was filled with confusion. He unleashed his Cosmo once more, attempting to summon the Gemini Gold Cloth.
"Uh, well, the Gemini Cloth is right here!"
Shin, who had been hiding at the back and maliciously using his cloak to cover himself, stretched out his hand, removed the cloak, and revealed himself clad in the glittering Gemini Gold Cloth.
Saga: "..."
Even Saori Kido, who hadn't been able to get a word in, now felt that Saga looked truly pathetic.
Originally, Saori Kido felt that she should have intervened in this final battle, but Aiolia and Mu had already rushed onto the scene in a blazing hurry.
She couldn't stop them, especially Aiolia; his reason for seeking revenge for his brother was perfectly justified.
However, the scene looked like she, the Goddess, was standing by with her group of enforcers, watching menacingly, and then sending out two Gold Saints to gang up on Saga, who didn't even have his Gold Cloth.
"We look more like the villains here…" Saori Kido muttered to herself.
Saori Kido was still pitying Saga when she saw him suddenly look up and point at her.
"Bastard! Despicable! Athena, you orchestrated all of this, didn't you? You made the Gemini Cloth abandon me!" Saga glared furiously at Saori Kido and roared.
Saori Kido: "???"
Seriously, what does this have to do with me? Saori Kido was momentarily stunned.
Of course, Saga's suspicion wasn't wrong from his perspective—besides Athena, who else could command a Gold Cloth?
Gold Saints are not selected; they are destined by fate. In the flashbacks of the Gold Saints in the original manga, there were memories of them wearing their Gold Cloths before the age of ten. Because of this, the Gold Cloths and the Gold Saints are almost inseparable, maintaining a connection even after death.
Besides Athena, Saga truly couldn't think of anyone else who possessed the ability to sever his connection with the Gold Cloth.
A massive blame was suddenly placed squarely on the head of the unprepared Saori Kido. Saori Kido's eyes darted around twice, and once she realized what happened, she became immensely annoyed.
"I did no such thing!"
"To deal with just one Gold Saint, I don't need to resort to such methods!"
"Just one Gold Saint~?" Saga sneered, "What arrogance!"
As he spoke, Saga suddenly punched, and a golden stream of light immediately shot toward Saori Kido.
Saori Kido extended her delicate hand and gently clapped, instantly sending Saga's punch back at him. With a loud crash, the force knocked Saga back, making him stumble.
Saga's eyes widened. Only in this state did he sense the incredibly powerful Cosmo emanating from Saori Kido—a Cosmo that, while not belonging to Athena, was still immensely strong.
'Are you kidding me? Athena... no, Saori Kido is actually this powerful? Her Cosmo... based on what I just sensed, it's far superior to mine!'
"No, impossible, how can this be? Who are you, really? Saori Kido is just an ordinary young girl!"
"Pathetic man, have you already begun denying reality?" Mu mocked coldly. "As the human vessel for Athena's reincarnation, isn't it only natural for her to possess such talent?"
Shin secretly glanced at Mu, thinking: 'When I suggested training Saori Kido, and when she achieved mastery, your expression wasn't much better than Saga's is now.'
"Is this why you all betrayed me?" Saga looked somewhat bewilderedly at Shura and the other two. "The talent of a god... is there such a massive gap compared to humans?"
Finally, Saga gritted his teeth, his face serious: "Saori Kido, let me see just how strong you really are!"
Saori Kido also stepped forward without hesitation: "Saga, even now, at this moment, will you not repent?"
Seeing the Goddess Athena step forward, Aiolia and Mu, despite their raging fury, had no choice but to step back and yield the center stage.
Saga, currently ragged and without his Gold Cloth, looked like a beggar. In contrast, Athena stood opposite him, radiant and holding the Staff of Victory, backed by a crowd of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Saints. Saga looked every bit the defeated antagonist.
After hearing Saori Kido's words, Saga's eyes momentarily glazed over, and a faint trace of light blue appeared in his pure black hair. But quickly, a surge of violent Cosmo rose again. "Are you kidding me?! I have done nothing wrong; I have nothing to repent for."
"Illusionary Demon Imperial Fist!"
Unfortunately, while a physical attack like Galaxian Explosion might have held some destructive power against Saori Kido, the Illusionary Demon Imperial Fist, a psychic attack, was truly like a gentle breeze against Saori Kido, who possessed the soul of Athena.
Saori Kido sighed softly, completely ignoring Saga's attack. She raised her own hand and delivered a punch, sending Saga flying backward, spitting blood, until he crashed into the massive Athena statue behind him.
Blood flowed down the Athena statue. Saori Kido looked up, sensing a strange resonance. The shield in the statue's hand instantly emitted a golden light, shrinking rapidly, transforming from a stone shield sculpture into a pure golden shield.
In that golden light, Saga, already severely wounded, let out a shriek. Countless black wisps flowed out of his body, forming a hateful visage in the air before vanishing into the sky.
"The Curse of Eris..." Saori Kido's eyes suddenly became profoundly deep as she murmured the words.
The other Gold Saints might not have heard clearly, but Shin, possessing super hearing, caught every word: "The curse of the Goddess of Discord? No wonder Saga's split personality was so strange. I remember in the original work, his dark personality was expelled when he was illuminated by the light of the Shield of Athena."
Especially since that dark personality even manifested as a materialized soul; it definitely didn't look like a normal case of split personality.
"Could it be that every generation of Gemini has been cursed? After all, these guys seem to suffer from split personalities quite frequently..."
The golden light shone brightly. After all the black mist and the black, hateful face disappeared completely, what remained was the good Saga, with long blue hair, and a gentle gaze and demeanor.
The good Saga was now weeping profusely. Without a word and disregarding his injuries, he immediately knelt before Athena and began to repent.
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Now available - Chapter 698: Finale (ENDING)