Ikki's footsteps had just faded, and the Cosmo fluctuations within Virgo Palace had not yet dispersed; the ice particles scattered across the floor reflected fragmented halos in the lingering Buddha's light.
Shaka waved his hand, and a golden barrier completely isolated him and Li Yu from the outside world, which slightly surprised Li Yu.
He and Shaka had always had very little interaction; their past conversations combined probably didn't amount to as much as his arguments with Deathmask.
What exactly did Shaka intend by bringing him to this alternate dimension?
Li Yu raised an eyebrow, a hint of scrutiny in his dark eyes.
"Speak quickly, I'm in a hurry. You must have sensed it too—that palace that shouldn't exist between Scorpio Palace and Sagittarius Palace..."
Ophiuchus's Cosmo was gradually awakening like a hibernating python, growing stronger every minute. He didn't have time to waste here.
Shaka nodded slightly, his expression calm.
"Don't worry, it won't delay you long. Your appearance has caused a slight change in the future I've seen..."
"Oh, what change? One that prevents you from becoming the 'one who escapes'?"
Li Yu looked at Shaka with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, Shaka gently twirled his fingers, and faint ripples spread through the Buddha's light around him. The broken Buddha statues on the ground floated up on their own. In a few breaths, Virgo Palace was restored to its original state, showing no trace of the recent battle.
Li Yu nodded slightly. A Shaka who had awakened the Eighth Sense was probably only missing a divine personality to become a god.
After restoring Virgo Palace, Shaka formed a fetal breath mudra with his hands over his lower abdomen. His voice seemed to come from a great distance.
"All beings drift in the sea of suffering. My attempt is merely to find a small boat to cross this sea of suffering."
His voice was gentle, yet carried a compassion that saw through the ways of the world.
"If I use my body as a boat, burning myself to ferry all beings, perhaps then I can reach Elysium."
To others, these words would seem obscure and difficult to understand, but Li Yu's mind was clear as a mirror.
He looked at Shaka's closed eyes, as if he could see through to the obsession hidden behind them.
Shaka believed that by faking his death through battle with Ikki and retreating into Elysium, he could escape Athena's control.
Yet, he didn't know that after thousands of years of reincarnation, the true spirits of the Gold Saints had already been branded with Athena's mark.
Li Yu recalled the history in his memory: even if Shaka were to withdraw from the world now, when the Specters attacked, he would still return from Elysium to die for Athena.
When the The Wall of Sighs of the Underworld was broken, this generation of Gold Saints, regardless of whether they were abandoned by their Cloths or harbored resentment, would have to burn their souls and give everything for the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena.
Deathmask couldn't escape, Saga and Kanon couldn't escape, and even Shaka, a reincarnation of a Buddha, couldn't escape!
Shaka smiled slightly. He looked up, his closed eyes seemingly piercing the dome of Virgo Palace to meet the gaze of some unseen entity in the void.
A moment later, he refocused his gaze on Li Yu.
"I kept you here because I wanted to ask you, what are your plans, you, the strongest Saint of this era?"
Li Yu understood. Shaka was asking about Saori Kido's fate, and also about his ultimate attitude towards Athena.
Now, as the strongest in Sanctuary, he could easily decide Saori Kido's life or death with a mere gesture.
If he allowed the Bronze Five to obtain athena's shield, Saori Kido would live. If he offered even a slight obstruction, this reincarnation of Athena would perish completely.
His current strength was not yet enough to contend with Hades and the 108 Specters.
In the short term, the relationship between him and Athena was one of mutual gain if they cooperated, and mutual destruction if they separated.
Li Yu walked to a Buddha statue, his fingertips gently brushing its cold surface. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke.
"I made a bet with 'that one'. I won't interfere at all and will let the five Bronze Saintss challenge the palaces. If they can successfully obtain athena's shield, Saori Kido lives. If not... then it's her fate."
Shaka nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"If that's the case, why are you still rushing to Ophiuchus Palace? You should be clearer than I am about the consequences of Saori Kido becoming 'that one'."
"That one" they referred to was, of course, the Goddess of War and Wisdom, Athena.
Once Saori Kido reached Athena's Temple and fully inherited Athena's divine power, the entire Sanctuary would be enveloped by the goddess's divine domain.
Li Yu's expression was blank, a slight smirk on his lips. He was also a person with divinity, and he possessed his own reincarnation world.
He had quite a bit of experience with the tricks of the gods.
After Robert of the Human Race and Raen Saik of the Night Demon Clan became his divine officials, Li Yu could easily alter their emotions.
Athena, he presumed, would do the same to them, the Gold Saints.
Once Saori Kido became Athena, even Saints who harbored dissatisfaction towards her would gradually have their subconscious minds altered, eventually becoming utterly devoted and willing to burn everything for her.
But he was different. Thirty points of divinity protected his soul like armor.
Li Yu was no longer afraid of such subtle changes.
He said blandly, without expression,
"The appearance of Ophiuchus Palace is outside my plan, so of course it must be eliminated immediately. Besides, Saori Kido cannot die yet; she still has a purpose for me."
Upon hearing this, Shaka nodded slightly, the cinnabar mole on his brow flashing faintly.
He slowly opened his eyes, Li Yu's reflection appearing in his pupils.
"Since you know the relationship, I will say no more. If possible in the future, please ferry me..."
Before Li Yu could agree, the Buddha's light around Shaka gradually receded. He closed his eyes again, and even his breathing seemed to stop. His form flickered, as if he was no longer in the mortal world.
Li Yu shook his head slightly, chuckled, and stepped out of Virgo Palace. After his conversation with Shaka, besides himself, the two strongest Gold Saints in the world were now on his side.
Even if Saori Kido reclaimed Athena's divine position, she would have to think twice before trying to move against them.
How far could she go without the support of the three strongest Gold Saints of this era?
...In Libra Palace, Shun finally broke free from the void. Before he could figure out which palace this pitch-black hall was, a golden meteor crashed to the ground!
The Gold Cloth assembled itself into the shape of Libra, emitting a gentle Cosmo, protecting a comatose youth on the ground.
The youth, bare-chested and with eyes closed, was Shiryu, whom Dohko had rescued!
A moment later, footsteps sounded from outside the main hall.
Three youths, supporting each other, walked in. They were Seiya, Ikki, and Hyoga.
Seiya had finally awakened his Seventh Sense Cosmo, knocking off a golden horn from Aldebaran's Cloth, and successfully passed.
Hyoga, on the other hand, had been tormented repeatedly by Aiolia.
Aiolia clapped his hands contentedly and instructed Hyoga,
"You've passed. You must train diligently in the future and not tarnish your master's reputation!"
Among the Bronze Five, except for Shun, the other four were bruised, battered, and exhausted.
But they had no time to rest. At this moment, seven of the Zodiac Temple torches on the Summit of Holy Mountain had already been extinguished!
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