Right, the newcomer was the Cancer Gold Saint, Deathmask.
Deathmask was clever and sly by nature, with keen insight, but he was also cold and ruthless.
He possessed a sinister, eerie Cosmo and powerful mental attacks, excelled in psychic ability, and was currently the only Saint in the Sanctuary who could freely go back and forth between the living world and the Underworld.
As Cancer, his special Sekishiki Meikaiha could ignore physical defense and rip an enemy's soul down to Hirasaka.
That was Damian's mental assessment of this Gold Saint.
Of course, there was someone else who could use Sekishiki Meikaiha: himself.
"How could it be a Gold Saint of Cancer?"
Seiya was startled.
Gold Saints were the Sanctuary's strongest, with the mightiest Cosmo, and the strongest Gold Cloths.
He had seen this Gold Saint at the execution ground. He hadn't expected the man to block their way. With that killing intent, he was here to murder someone.
Who?
Damian?
Or himself?
Seiya didn't dare relax, and didn't dare move—he only watched the man warily.
"Hey, you in the golden armor—who are you supposed to be?"
"Blocking a police car—want to go to jail?"
Officer Hannah seemed to sense the malice rolling off him and simply drew the pistol at her waist, aiming at him.
"Nice sense, gravekeeper Damian."
Deathmask sauntered up to Damian with a grin.
"The Pope sent you to see me off?"
Damian asked.
"Yes. His Holiness sent me to reclaim that item."
A wicked smile curled Deathmask's lips.
"Oh? Reclaim that item? Why is His Holiness taking it back?"
Damian asked with a laugh.
He glanced at the sky—the sun had not yet set.
That meant Saga had already shifted to his Dark Saga persona early.
He just hadn't expected a Gold Saint to be sent to kill him.
They were dead set on finishing him.
"Gravekeeper, you do love to put on a show."
Deathmask sneered. "Tell me—how did the Spider Silver Saint Arachne die?"
"He got himself killed."
Damian's face didn't change, his heart didn't skip.
"Don't make me laugh. You think I can't tell?"
"I inspected his Silver Cloth myself. He took a heavy blow and was crushed by someone very strong, with almost no room to resist."
"And on that cruise ship, the only one who could have killed the Spider Silver Saint Arachne—was you."
"That's right. You're the killer."
Deathmask laid out his deduction.
"Beautiful deduction. You're pretty sharp, Death‑Conan."
Damian gave a thumbs‑up.
Yep, I'll own that one.
"Heh heh heh, so I'm right?"
"Since you killed the Spider Silver Saint, that's Saints dueling privately, even murder. You broke a taboo. You must die."
Deathmask's killing intent flared; his face was still full of wickedness.
"Hey, you got it backwards."
"The Spider crawled into my room at night to kill me, and got killed instead."
Damian rolled his eyes.
"I don't care. The Pope's other order is for me to send you straight to hell."
Deathmask walked forward slowly and raised a fist. "Die, Damian."
Whoosh!
A golden flash shot out.
The ground ahead furrowed with fire.
A lightspeed punch!
In the blink of an eye, Damian was blasted away by the blow.
Seiya didn't even dare move.
The man's punch was too fast. He hadn't even seen the strike.
"This is a Gold Saint's power. A Bronze Saint's movement can reach the speed of sound; stronger Silvers hit two to five times the speed of sound. But Gold Saints are different…"
Deathmask strolled past Seiya with a wicked smile.
"Our punch speed and body movements reach the speed of light, and the destructive power is unmatched."
"Pegasus Seiya—stand still. If you move, I'll kill you too."
After warning Seiya, Deathmask headed toward Damian.
Bang!
A gunshot rang, and a bullet smacked into the Cancer Gold Cloth.
Officer Hannah, panicking, had pulled the trigger. Whether from nerves or fear of Deathmask's evil aura, who could say.
Of course, the bullet did nothing but go "clang."
Deathmask had no sympathy for anyone who attacked him. He simply raised a finger.
"Stop!"
Seiya, cowed into stillness by the man's aura, threw himself in front of the policewoman.
"Fool. You think a mere Bronze Saint can block a Gold Saint's fist?"
Deathmask's killing intent sharpened.
He was about to strike when a voice called out: "Deathmask, I'll go on ahead. Take your time playing."
"He isn't dead? Trying to run?"
Deathmask instantly left Seiya and the cop and flashed toward the voice, fast as lightning.
He decided to carry out His Holiness's command first.
Seeing him vanish, Seiya let out a breath.
He looked toward where Damian had gone, worry on his face.
Before leaving, Marin had told him not to travel with Damian—especially not to go to Japan with him—and to avoid the man if possible.
Now he understood why.
The Pope was trying to kill Damian.
The gravekeeper and he had no real ties—only acquaintance.
And the Pope had sent a Gold Saint to hunt him. A Bronze Saint could do nothing. If he forced the issue, he'd be making an enemy of the Pope.
Still… Damian was an interesting guy.
No—I have to go look…
Seiya gritted his teeth and started forward.
.
Deathmask reached the source of the voice and found Damian on a distant mountaintop.
With a flicker he appeared opposite Damian.
"I didn't expect you to be unhurt after that strike."
Deathmask's gaze fell to Damian's chest.
Blasted away by his lightspeed punch—by rights, the man's chest should have been punched through.
But his shirt wasn't even torn?
Without a Cloth, it was impossible to take a lightspeed punch.
How had he done it?
This gravekeeper Damian was definitely odd.
No wonder the Pope had sent him to execute the man.
He had thought it overkill; now it seemed His Holiness had already seen through him.
"Don't be surprised. Only if the previous Cancer Gold Saint, Manigoldo, went all out could he hurt me. You—absolutely not."
Damian said coolly, "Taking your punch was just for appearances."
"Previous Cancer?"
Deathmask laughed. "Ridiculous. Boasting as if you know the former Cancer Gold Saint…"
"Die!"
Mid‑quip, Deathmask's fist flashed out.
Another lightspeed punch.
A touch of ambush to it.
Damian merely raised a hand and caught it—like stopping a toddler's swing.
"This…"
Deathmask's face changed completely.
This gravekeeper Damian was a Seventh Sense Cosmo user?
Impossible!
"You're amusing—but still dead. Taste Cancer's greatest mystery."
"Sekishiki Meikaiha."
With a bad feeling, Deathmask went straight to his finisher to end it quickly.
As he extended a finger, he saw the other man extend his finger too—both beams shot out and slammed into each other.
Nani!
He can use Sekishiki Meikaiha too?
(End of Chapter)
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