Li Yu's eyes turned incredibly cold.
He could clearly sense that the thief had left this trace specifically to guide him into the Tartarus Abyss!
The opponent's objective was crystal clear: the whereabouts of the Aquarius Cloth pointed directly to that legendary place, the lowest level of hell, which even the gods avoided!
This was by no means an ordinary theft or act of destruction; it was more like a meticulously planned trap, a sacrilegious invitation using the Aquarius Cloth as bait, aimed directly at him, Li Yu!
The Aquarius Cloth held extraordinary significance for Li Yu; in fact, all Cloths had their special attributes, and the Aquarius Cloth was the most suitable Cloth in this world for ice-based abilities.
Li Yu had fought countless battles wearing this Cloth, and had long come to regard it as an extension of himself.
"Indeed, these rats in the darkness are already stirring!"
Li Yu's eyes were icy, his heart congealed into a cold flame more biting than Absolute Zero.
Without a moment's hesitation, he summoned the Ophiuchus Cloth, and the vast and magnificent Cosmo of his Eighth Sense ignited instantly!
Li Yu's body transformed into light, forcefully piercing through the black mist! He became a meteor tearing through space and dimensions, plummeting towards the Tartarus Abyss, the ultimate prison beneath the world's foundation, where the most ancient deities and eternal nightmares were said to be confined!
The Tartarus Abyss in the Saint Seiya World is synonymous with eternal hell and is the true form of the underworld.
This abyss is actually a living entity, born from Chaos, who separated heaven and earth.
Tartarus's seniority is even comparable to Gaia, Mother Earth; it appeared after Gaia's birth.
Many often confuse Tartarus with the Underworld.
In reality, the Underworld is where the souls of mortals go after death, governed by Hades.
Tartarus, however, is a place used to imprison demons, monsters, and some fallen deities.
In the Greek pantheon, Chaos was the first generation of gods, the creator god, also known as the God of Chaos; he gave birth to Gaia, Mother Earth.
Subsequently, Gaia, Mother Earth, gave birth to Uranus, the God of Heaven.
These two were known as the Primordial Gods!
The two Primordial Gods, Gaia and Uranus, combined to produce eighteen powerful descendants.
Among them were three Cyclopes: Brontes (Thunder), Steropes (Lightning), and Arges (Flash).
Three Hecatoncheires: Briareus, Cottus, and Gyges.
And twelve Titans: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, and Cronus.
These twelve Titans were also known as the second generation of gods.
Cronus was the strongest among these twelve Titans; he defeated all his brothers and sisters to become the King of Gods!
Cronus and his sister Rhea then gave birth to the twelve Olympian gods, including Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus; these powerful deities were all descendants of Cronus.
Because of Cronus's tyrannical rule, the gods became dissatisfied, and Zeus, allied with Hades, Poseidon, and other third-generation gods, defeated the second-generation Titans and sealed them all within the Tartarus Abyss.
The moment he entered the Tartarus Abyss, Li Yu felt a chill throughout his body, but then the divinity within him emitted a soft light, dispelling all gloom.
Li Yu discovered that human vision was utterly meaningless here.
There was no light whatsoever; even the faintest glimmer born here would be instantly and greedily devoured by the abyss.
This was also absolute void and Chaos, with no distinction of up, down, left, or right, no past or future, and not even the concept of existence.
In Li Yu's mind, the superimposed eternal sighs of billions of lost souls continuously echoed.
He could vaguely hear the wails of certain colossal beings, their bones constricted and flesh crushed by eternal chains, these sounds stretched, distorted, and played backward, forming an incomprehensible, sanity-blaspheming cacophony.
Time became a deeper, incomprehensible whisper, like the pulsating heart of the abyss, resounding in Li Yu's mind.
Each tremor stirred the most primal, darkest instincts deep within the soul—madness, destruction, submission... If Li Yu hadn't been protected by his divinity, the moment he stepped into the Tartarus Abyss, he would have been completely robbed of his sanity by the forces of corruption and Chaos!
The Tartarus Abyss is a forbidden zone for life; only gods can set foot here!
Fortunately, Li Yu did not lose his way; he had a clear goal.
Amidst countless twisted, writhing giant shadows and the gaps between flowing cursed chains, a faint, yet utterly pure golden radiance, like the last glimmer of starlight, stubbornly flickered in the Chaos!
This light was precisely the radiance emanating from the aquarius gold cloth, constantly calling to Li Yu with a familiar frequency!
The Cloth itself shone with an unyielding light, continuously purifying a small surrounding area, repelling the viscous dark filth, forming a small, fragile yet incredibly precious ice-blue halo!
"I found you, old friend!"
Li Yu's eyes ignited with intense fighting spirit!
His speed surged, and he flew rapidly towards the Aquarius Cloth.
Along the way, giant shadowy hands continuously attacked him.
They were either instantly frozen by the Absolute Zero emanating from Li Yu, or blocked by the Ophiuchus Cloth, unable to inflict effective damage on Li Yu.
Just as he was about to reach the location of the Aquarius Cloth, a colossal, broken body, nearly a hundred meters tall, rose from the ground before Li Yu, blocking his path.
A deafening voice resonated in Li Yu's mind.
"Human… don't be nervous, I mean no harm!"
Feeling the immense oppressive force emanating from this broken body, Li Yu showed no fear; he looked up, scrutinizing the other party. This body only had an upper half.
He was pierced through the shoulder blades and ribs by black chains, his body withered, like a wind-dried specimen, crawling out of a subterranean crack like a demon.
His once perfect skin had long lost the bronze luster of the Titan God Clan, becoming like corroded copper, its surface covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
Dark purple blood flowed from the cracks, dripping onto the ground and stirring up ripples of dark green.
His intuition told Li Yu that the shadow before him should be a Titan, though he didn't know which one of the twelve Titans it was specifically.
"Hand over the Cloth, I don't want to waste words!"
Li Yu said coldly, taking without permission is stealing!
He had no fondness for this thief who had stolen his Cloth.
The giant chuckled, and the entire space trembled.
He leaned down, his pair of huge, cold golden eyes gazing at Li Yu.
"Human, let's make a deal. Believe in me, give me an anchor point, and help me return to the world. I can grant you infinite power and endless life!"
"I refuse!"
"Hahahaha, insignificant human, although your strength is not bad, in my eyes you are like the light of a firefly. Let me guess, you are a devotee of one of my descendants, aren't you?"
"Do you know that their divinity and godhood were all plundered from me? Rather than believing in them, why not turn and believe in me!"
Li Yu sneered, and a sharp spear, seemingly made of twisted roots, suddenly appeared in his hand! The God-Slaying Spear, the spear of longinus!
"I don't believe in any god. I'll count to three. If you don't move, then die!"
Li Yu raised the God-Slaying Spear in his hand, poised to strike.
The imprisoned prehistoric Titan must possess considerable divinity.
Sooner or later, he would embark on the path of god-slaying. If he weren't in the Tartarus Abyss, with too many uncertain factors around, Li Yu would have already made his move!
Feeling the murderous intent emanating from the gray-brown spear in Li Yu's hand, the broken giant couldn't help but feel a little wary.
He took a few steps back, his body twisting violently, and faint sounds of chains could be heard. He exclaimed in surprise.
"Hmm, you humans always manage to create some astonishing little trinkets…"
"This spear actually makes me feel a long-lost threat!"
Rumbling, the ground beneath Li Yu's feet trembled violently, and more broken bodies of giants burst forth from the earth.
They stared greedily at Li Yu.
"Heh heh, delicious human flesh… let us taste it!"