The golden pillar of light in the Pope's Chamber still swirled in the dome, and Li Yu looked at the Staff of Nike in Saori Kido's hand, his eyes subtly shifting.
Did she think she could just send him away from the Sanctuary like that? Too naive.
His gaze flickered, and he took a step forward, his white cape gently swaying in the air.
"Your Grace, the Titan God Clan is an ancient divine race, incredibly powerful, with countless descendants lurking in the world. If I go alone, I fear my abilities may be insufficient and could jeopardize this important matter. I humbly request that Aiolia and Shaka be dispatched to accompany me, so we can look out for each other."
Aiolia, standing nearby, heard this, and his amber eyes instantly lit up. His tightly clenched fists turned white at the knuckles, and even his breathing quickened.
If he could investigate alongside Li Yu and Shaka, it would be both an honor and an excellent opportunity to improve his strength.
He was about to speak, but then he saw Li Yu subtly shake his head, a look in his eyes signaling him to be patient, which made him swallow his words.
Shaka also slowly raised his head, his long eyelashes trembling slightly beneath his closed eyes.
He sensed the deeper meaning in Li Yu's words, and a barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. As the man closest to a god, he naturally understood Li Yu's true purpose in wanting to bring him along.
Saori smiled and shook her head.
"I have other tasks for those two. Li Yu, I trust your abilities. You were able to suppress Ophiuchus As..., so a mere Titan God Clan will be no match for you."
He said in a deep voice.
"Your Grace, my personal safety is a minor matter. But if irreversible consequences occur, and the Titan God Clan returns to the earth, I fear it will affect the upcoming Holy War!"
Li Yu's subtext was clear: without some benefits, he definitely wouldn't go.
Saori Kido gazed at Li Yu for a moment. She took out a crystal bottle, within which a red liquid subtly undulated.
"The liquid in this bottle, when applied to your Cloth at a critical moment, can lend you a helping hand!"
The corner of Li Yu's mouth subtly curved upwards, his eyes flickering. Was she bringing out the Goddess's blood so early?
Athena's blood was a good thing; it could evolve a Saint's Cloth into a God Cloth, although with a time limit.
But the evolved Cloth could greatly enhance the Cosmo and defense, instantly boosting a Saint's abilities tenfold or even a hundredfold!
The crystal bottle left Saori's palm, defying gravity, and slowly floated towards Li Yu.
Li Yu reached out and caught it, and an item attribute window immediately popped up before his eyes.
[Goddess's Blood (Athena's Divine Blood), One-time Consumable Divine Artifact]
[Core Effects]
[One: Cloth Awakening]
[For Bronze/Silver/Gold Cloth]
[Upon dripping, it can instantly evolve the Cloth into its God Cloth form, unlocking the God Cloth form, lasting 24 hours.]
[Two: Repair Damaged Cloth]
[Regardless of the extent of damage (excluding complete physical annihilation), the divine blood can fully repair it within 3 seconds, and it grants a twenty-four-hour Eternal Radiance effect (immunity to conventional physical damage).]
[Divine blood extracted from Athena's reincarnated body. Every drop condenses the Goddess's will to protect the earth, and is only produced through the Goddess's active sacrifice when the Holy War descends or the world is on the verge of collapse!]
[Reincarnation Space price: 10 million credit points!]
Very powerful... Li Yu felt at this moment that sparing Saori Kido's life was a very correct decision.
Even as a large blood bottle, Saori Kido was worth it.
Li Yu put away the crystal bottle and said calmly.
"Li Yu is willing to go! However, when I slew Hydra, I didn't find any abnormalities. May I ask the Goddess for the direction of investigation!"
Athena's red lips moved slightly, uttering a few words.
"Tartarus Abyss!"
Li Yu nodded slightly, then turned and left. He had once seen this place mentioned in the Sanctuary's ancient texts... Everyone present gazed at Li Yu's flowing white cape until he had departed, and only then did they feel a sense of relief.
Unbeknownst to them, Li Yu's existence had already become capable of rivaling Goddess Athena.
Sensing Li Yu's Cosmo leaving the Sanctuary, Saori Kido smiled faintly, and the youthful vivacity and cheerfulness returned to her eyes.
"Seiya, Hyoga, Ikki, Shun, Shiryu, the five of you, come back to Tokyo with me for a banquet. Consider it my thanks for your self-sacrificing rescue this time!"
If Li Yu were here, he would naturally know that Saori Kido would meet Sea Emperor Poseidon at the banquet, and then be abducted by Sea Emperor Poseidon, triggering a great war between the Saints and the Marines.
But since Saori Kido had sent him out of the Sanctuary, he would no longer concern himself with Saori's fate.
After assigning tasks to the remaining Gold Saints, Saori Kido walked out.
"Saga, I'm leaving the Sanctuary in your care. If you discover any abnormalities, notify me immediately, and I will return at once!"
Saga's gaze darkened slightly. Saori Kido's actions...
Clearly, she regarded the five Bronze Saintss as her confidantes, intending to keep them by her side at all times.
They, the Gold Saints, could only remain in the cold Twelve Palaces, with meager food and clothing, until the moment of their deaths in battle.
Saga's last shred of hope for Athena was completely severed.
Li Yu was right; in this Holy War, they, the Gold Saints, had been completely abandoned by Saori Kido.
The main force of this Holy War was the five Bronze Saintss!
It was rather pathetic. As the strongest humans in the entire world, the Gold Saints lived extremely simple lives, with plain food and coarse linen clothes, never enjoying any luxuries throughout the year.
Guarding the Zodiac Temple, their beds were merely cold stone slabs!
Watching Saori Kido gracefully leave with the five Bronze Saintss, the Pope's Hall fell silent, a deathly stillness.
Even the few Gold Saints loyal to Athena couldn't help but harbor a trace of doubt.
No? Athena, what were you thinking?
Are we Gold Saints really inferior to a few Bronze Saintss?
If it weren't for us holding back, they wouldn't have been able to pass the Twelve Gold Palaces even in a hundred years!
This generation's Athena seems a bit... No wonder Li Yu treated her this way; she deserved it!
If I had Li Yu's strength, I wouldn't bother with her either!
Aiolia was the first to break the silence. He let out a scoffing laugh and walked out. As he exited the Pope's Palace, he stretched, as if trying to expel all the pent-up frustration in his heart.
"It's getting late. Time to go back and sleep!"
Only then did everyone seem to awaken from a dream, slowly walking out... Camus, however, full of hope, hurried back to the Aquarius Palace.
What made his pupils constrict was that the Aquarius Cloth box had disappeared.
In the place where the Cloth box had been, only a line of text formed by ice crystals remained.
"Camus, I've left the Aquarius Palace to you. You can live here for as long as you like. I've taken the Cloth. As a mature Aquarius Saint, you must learn to create a Cloth from ice crystals. If anyone questions the color of the Cloth, you can consider applying some gold dust."
Camus clenched his fists, squeezing out two words through gritted teeth.
"Li Yu..."
...At the same time, Li Yu, carrying the Aquarius Cloth box on his back, stood at the foot of the Olympus mountain range.
The setting sun dyed the two-thousand-meter-high peaks a dark red, and the shadows among the rocks slowly writhed on the ground like the claws and teeth of a giant beast.
This mountain range in northern Greece, known as Olympus in Sanctuary mythology, was a passage connecting the human world and the divine realm.
Gods, demigods, and their servants all once lived here.
And the Tartarus Abyss, mentioned by Athena, was, according to Sanctuary texts, hidden in a cave at the foot of the mountain range.
Li Yu gazed at the dark-shrouded cave entrance, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
What do the reasons for Hydra's resurrection, or the ancient secrets of the Titan God Clan's suppression, have to do with me? You Olympian Gods imprisoned them; you yourselves should deal with it.
I, of course, am going to the Reincarnation Space to earn source crystals.
Li Yu patted the Aquarius Cloth box, feeling the mournful hum of his destined Cloth.
"Old friend, just a little longer. You'll be free soon..."