Hades had not yet revived, but Sea Emperor Poseidon had awakened first. This unexpected turn of events gave Saga, the newly appointed Pope, quite a headache.
He stood by the window of the Pope's Palace, gazing at the swirling clouds on the peak of the Holy Mountain, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the back of a chair.
Only ten Gold Saints remained. If they were to go to war with the Marine, it was truly unpredictable how many Gold Saints would be left when Hades's Specters attacked.
Currently, the blue Saga personality was in control of his body. Although Athena did not favor him, his loyal heart to the Goddess compelled him to ring the great bell of the Pope's Palace.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The deep bell tolls echoed throughout the Sanctuary, piercing through the barriers of the Twelve Palaces and reaching the ears of every Gold Saint.
Though full of questions, the Gold Saints swiftly put aside their tasks and gathered at the Pope's Palace.
Saga surveyed the room, noticing that only Shaka of the Virgo Palace was absent; all other Gold Saints had arrived. His blue eyes beneath his mask flickered slightly.
"I just received a distress call from Hyoga. Sea Emperor Poseidon has awakened, Athena has fallen, and five Bronze Saintss are fighting valiantly, requesting support from the Sanctuary!"
As the name Sea Emperor Poseidon was uttered, the pupils of all the Gold Saints in the hall constricted slightly. They had all, naturally, heard Mr. Shion, the old Pope, speak of the history of the Holy War between the Saints and the Marine.
Mr. Mu frowned slightly, his long hair falling over his shoulders.
"Didn't they say Sea Emperor Poseidon wouldn't awaken for at least another two hundred years?"
Shura of Capricorn drew his Holy Sword and sneered.
"Why think so much? Let me go! I'll cleave the sea with one sword and let them taste the might of a Gold Saint!"
Aldebaran of Taurus clenched his fists, making cracking sounds, and veins bulged on his thick arms.
"Let me go! Last time, I had to fight those brats with restraint, and I've been holding back a fire in my heart ever since!"
Saga's voice echoed through the Pope's Hall, carrying an undeniable authority.
"No, Hades is about to revive. If we go to war with the Marine now, losses are inevitable. When the Holy War begins, what will we use to protect the safety of the human world?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Have you considered? If Hades takes this opportunity to invade the Sanctuary, the Goddess's Staff of Victory, Aegis, and God Cloth are all here. Once they are lost, this Holy War will be lost without a fight!"
The many Gold Saints felt a chill in their hearts. Indeed, as Saga said, the existence of the Zodiac Temple was precisely to prevent the invasion of the Specters.
If they all went out, and the Specters seized the opportunity to attack, there would be no one to stop them.
"Then what do you propose? We can't just stand by and watch!"
Aldebaran, the most impetuous, couldn't help but roar.
Saga's eyes flickered, and he slowly spoke.
"This matter, we must go, but not all of us. At most, three Gold Saints will be dispatched."
"Now, those whose names I call, please step forward!"
"Shura, Aphrodite, Camus!"
Camus was utterly bewildered. He slightly opened his mouth.
Ah? Why send me?
I don't even have a Cloth. Saga, are you sure you're not trying to kill me with a borrowed knife?
Saga saw the doubt in Camus's heart and said with a smile.
"Before Li Yu left, he once instructed me that if Athena was in danger, I could send you to rescue her."
"He has entrusted you with the important task of guarding Aquarius. You are a rare Aquarius twin companion. Your strength is comparable to his, and against the Marine, your ice abilities are precisely their bane!"
This time, not only Camus, but the other Gold Saints also widened their eyes, looking at Saga with disbelief.
The meaning in their eyes at this moment was clear:
No way, Saga. It's one thing for Li Yu to say that, but for you to say it in front of everyone, do you really have no shame?
Camus and Li Yu are equally strong?
What kind of international joke is that?
If you told that to a ghost, even a ghost wouldn't believe it!
Camus clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling with cold anger.
I don't even have a Gold Cloth. What will I use to fight the Marine wearing Sea Scales?
Saga didn't know that the Aquarius Cloth had been taken by Li Yu. He saw the hesitation in Camus's eyes and thought Camus was afraid of battle.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. After all, Camus hadn't been a proper Gold Saint for many days, so it was inevitable to feel apprehensive before a battle.
"You don't need to worry too much. As far as I know, the strongest among the Marine are only seven, known as Marina Generalss. Their strength is closely related to Poseidon's degree of revival."
"According to the Sanctuary's ancient texts, Poseidon will not fully revive for at least another two hundred years."
"Although I don't know how he returned early, his strength must not have recovered to its peak. Therefore, with the power of three of you, plus the five Bronze Saintss, this battle will surely be victorious!"
With words spoken to this extent, the three Gold Saints he named could only nod slightly and respond in unison.
"Yes, we obey the Pope's decree!"
"The rest of you, please strictly guard the Sanctuary. Without the Goddess Athena's command, no one shall pass!"
"Yes!"
The Gold Saints swiftly returned to their respective guarded palaces.
Shura and Aphrodite donned their Gold Cloths, transforming into three streaks of light that pierced through the sky. However, Camus's streak of light appeared somewhat dim.
Saga watched from afar, shaking his head. No wonder Camus lost to Li Yu in the Saint competition; his strength was indeed slightly inferior.
Thinking of this, Saga immediately recalled his twin brother, Kanon, the Gemini Saint whose strength was on par with his own!
Before Kanon was imprisoned by him, his angry roars were still vivid in his memory.
"Brother, how much longer will you be foolishly loyal to Athena? With our combined strength, even gods will kneel before us!"
"Brother, are you well?"
In Saga's mind, scenes of the two brothers playing and fighting in their youth emerged.
His heart ached, and he had already decided that if he was still alive after this Holy War, he would release his brother from the water prison.
The two brothers would find a small village, live in seclusion, and quietly guard this beautiful human land!
...Meanwhile, Li Yu tore through the space-time barrier, carrying the aura of the Reincarnation Space, and returned to the Tartarus Abyss.
The sight before him made his pupils constrict. The hard ice coffin he had set up had been broken open by an unknown external force.
The magnificent aquarius gold cloth, shining with the cold light of the eternal pole star, crystal clear and full of icy radiance, was now nowhere to be seen!
Only a few wisps of abnormally dark and cold aura remained on the base of the ice coffin, not yet dissipated, like a sigh from the abyss, greedily sucking up the last bit of light remaining in the grotto.
Li Yu's finger gently traced the edge of the ice coffin's crack.
The sensation from his finger indicated that the ice coffin was not destroyed by pure physical attack, but rather... by a deeper power of law.
This power carried endless malice and a corrupting aura.
Li Yu gazed at the cave filled with swirling black mist before him, the source of this aura.
"The Titan God Clan..."