"Yes, Master!"
Facing Damian's order, the two immediately squared up, without the slightest doubt or pause.
"Don't hold back."
Damian gave a kill order.
He wanted to see how loyal they really were.
"Giant Axe Smash!"
Gordon suddenly swung his great-axe down at Gugado, momentum surging, holding nothing back.
"Giant Fist!"
Opposite him, Gugado also hurled a sudden punch at Gordon's vitals.
Both struck with full force, incredibly fast.
In a flash, the outcome was decided.
Thud!
Gugado took an axe blow; his left arm was chopped off and fell to the ground.
Gordon took a punch to the chest; his Surplice shattered and his chest was badly wounded.
"Stop!"
At Damian's barked order, both halted and reined in their killing intent.
No mistake about it.
Killing intent can't be faked; they hadn't hesitated for an instant, fighting for their lives as if his word were divine decree, not to be disobeyed.
A single sentence could send them to their deaths.
No doubt about it: these two had betrayed Hades in body and soul and become his dogs!
This cemetery was truly wondrous.
The 108 Specter Stars' souls all belonged to Hades, so their loyalty to him was 100%.
These two Specters were no pushovers, and bona fide Specters with Surplices—the Demonic Stars—were all under Hades's control.
They were absolutely Hades's most loyal hounds; no matter when or where, they'd never dare speak ill of him.
Yet now the pair looked down on Hades and acted utterly devoted to him.
Say the word and they'd hack each other to pieces without hesitation, as if he had become their god.
That was something else.
Maybe this cemetery had some special brainwashing effect on Specters?
Then could he bury the entire Underworld army?
If he buried the three Specter bigwigs here, wouldn't that give him three top-tier Gold-level lieutenants?
Later he could raise an Underworld army and call himself Hades Damian?
By then marrying Athena with a fat bride price would be no problem, and their status would match.
The sun had just risen, and a chill, pale purple glow seeped from their Surplices, a light not of this world.
Keeping these two Specters in the cemetery was a bit tricky.
This was the Sanctuary after all; getting spotted would be bad.
Dong, dong, dong...
Just then, alarm bells rang out across the Sanctuary.
It was the highest-level special alarm, struck twelve times in rapid succession.
It meant the Sanctuary had entered full lockdown, and everyone had to take their posts.
The Pope was summoning Saints, even calling in the Gold Saints.
Normally, this was a Level One alert, only used before a Holy War.
Saga must be rattled and looking to purge the Sanctuary.
But the Saint muster had nothing to do with him; he was still just the gravekeeper.
"Damian, Damian, Damian, get out here!"
"Damian, come out."
Shouts came from the cemetery's edge.
Hearing them faintly, Damian felt something was off.
First the bells, now people at the cemetery.
Was His Holiness going to summon him again?
He absolutely couldn't let anyone see his two Specter underlings hanging around the Sanctuary cemetery.
If that got out, he'd never be able to explain it.
"You two get back in your graves. Without my order, don't come out."
No sooner had he spoken than both happily scuttled into their original graves, faster than diving under a quilt in winter.
After he covered them with soil, the words on the headstones reappeared.
[Corpse: Gugado]
[Rank: Earthly Violence Star Cyclops Specter]
[Status: Fanatically Loyal]
[Abilities: Giant Grapple, Giant Fist]
[Surplice: Arm Severed]
[Grave Grade: Silver]
.
[Corpse: Gordon]
[Rank: Heavenly Prison Star Minotaur Specter]
[Status: Fanatically Loyal]
[Abilities: Giant Axe Smash]
[Surplice: Chest Shattered]
[Grave Grade: Silver]
Tsk, tsk, tsk—seeing this, Damian was all the more certain.
These two had truly defected.
Time to go see His Holiness.
To be safe, Damian summoned the cemetery's crows, told them what to prepare next, and gave each one its orders, only then breathing easier.
With instructions given, Damian strolled out of the cemetery as if nothing had happened.
No sooner had he stepped out than several Silver Saints with guards ringed him in tight.
"Gentlemen, what's this about? Looking to buy a plot?"
Unruffled, Damian said quizzically, "Good graves are limited. Highest bidder gets one."
"Damian, His Holiness summons you. Do not resist, or you'll be killed without mercy!"
At their head, Perseus Argol, a Silver Saint, raised the Medusa Shield, his voice icy.
Well then, Saga still came for me.
That lunatic is hard to fool.
To arrest me, he even brought three Silver Saints.
Argol of Perseus.
Moses of White Whale.
Babel of Centaurus.
All three were strong, each able to hold his own—top-ten among the Silver ranks.
Looks like I count for something in Saga's eyes.
In the end, Saga still misjudged me.
Fine, let's go—I'll swing by the Sanctuary Affairs Office and apply for white jade stone while I'm at it.
Surrounded by the three Silver Saints, Damian followed them out of the cemetery.
The Silver Saints showed little hostility, even a touch of indifference; they probably thought the Pope was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Sending three Silver Saints to "escort" a gravekeeper was really overkill.
Along the way, Damian also saw several Sanctuary guards and trainees being marched in shackles, with a few Silver Saints guarding them, the whole scene like a prisoner convoy.
Damian, who'd hoped to walk apart, was shoved into the prisoner group by Moses.
Well then, I've been categorized.
"Hey, brother, what'd you do?"
Damian asked the prisoner beside him.
"I... I collected a few things."
The man answered, "I saw a gold cup that looked nice, so I collected it, and then I got caught."
Damian's mouth twitched. "Buddy, that's called stealing. Let's not be so artistic with the wording."
"No, I'm a collector. Please don't insult my hobby."
He lifted his chin, looking rather odd.
"Keep it down—we're at the execution ground."
Argol said coldly.
The execution ground?
Damian raised a brow.
Ahead was the Sanctuary's execution ground!
The Sanctuary execution ground was where Sanctuary criminals were punished and put to death.
If the Pope went there, it meant important prisoners were to be executed.
As the sun rose, the execution ground gleamed with a metallic luster unlike before.
The Pope sat high on the execution dais, looking down.
Beside him stood a full four Gold Saints.
Aphrodite of Pisces.
Deathmask of Cancer.
Shura of Capricorn.
And Shaka of Virgo.
In addition, a bunch of Silver Saints stood on either side, eyes like tigers watching their prey; even Seiya, a Bronze Saint, was present.
By the Pope stood a black-haired little girl—his maid Pansy.
Well then, nearly all of the Sanctuary's top combat power was here.
"Everyone, just yesterday His Holiness survived an assassination attempt. Today we will execute the spies lurking within the Sanctuary."
Chief of Staff Gigas announced to the crowd, his expression grave, killing intent surging.
Besides Damian's group, there were several others who looked like prisoners on the grounds, each trembling, some even weeping—every one of them looking doomed.
Hey!
Isn't this lineup a bit much? What the hell is going on?
Taking in the scene, Damian went straight into Oscar mode, eyes dazed and body shaking.
Four Gold Saints, no less.
No—counting Pope Saga, that made five.
And even Shaka of Virgo!
Hey...
This is too much!
Are you trying to force me to flip the table and run?
(End of Chapter)
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