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"Miss Saori…" Shun was deeply touched by her words.
Saori nodded. "With four pieces of the Gold Cloth in our possession, Ikki will undoubtedly make his move. We simply don't know how yet. But it doesn't matter; we'll adapt as needed."
They all nodded in agreement. With Mika's ability to retrieve the Gold Cloth at any time, they now held the advantage. All they had to do was wait.
"Since we're all in agreement, let's conclude this meeting. You've all fought hard tonight. Get some rest," Saori said gently.
"Then we'll be going, Miss Saori." They filed out of the room and returned to their respective quarters.
Once they were gone, Saori turned to Mika. "There's still one more matter we need to address."
"What is it?"
"Seiya and Shiryu's Cloths were destroyed in their earlier battle. They're beyond repair. They'll need new ones."
Normally, Cloths possessed self-repair capabilities, fueled by their own Cosmo. However, this ability was limited to minor damage. For example, Shun's shoulder guard—shattered by Ikki's attack, would eventually regenerate within its Cloth box.
However, more extensive damage could overwhelm a Cloth's regenerative abilities, extinguishing its Cosmo and rendering it—dead. In such cases, a Saint's blood was required to revive it, a technique mastered by Mu, the Gold Saint of Aries.
However, there was one exception: the Phoenix Cloth. Like the mythical bird it was named after, it could regenerate even from complete destruction. Its self-repair capabilities were unparalleled.
"The Cloths—I'll handle it," Mika offered.
He was interested in Mu, not the Saint himself, but his Cloth repair techniques. Mastering them would likely provide insights into Cloth creation as well.
His ultimate goal was to learn the secrets of the God Cloths, the armors worn by the Olympian Gods, not the evolved forms of the Saints' Cloths, imbued with Athena's blood.
With such knowledge—and the rare materials he had collected from various worlds, he could potentially create his own Cloth, perhaps even surpassing the Godly ones.
"You will? Do you even know where to find someone who can repair Cloths?" Saori asked, surprised.
"I don't, but Shiryu does," he replied with a smile. After all, Shiryu's master was Dohko, the Gold Saint of Libra.
If anyone knew Mu's location, it would be him.
"Shiryu…" Saori nodded.
She had already deduced Shiryu's master's identity from his fighting style. And Dohko, tasked with guarding the 108 Specters of Hades—His location, the Five Ancient Peaks, must be a place of great power.
"Very well. I won't interfere. Do as you see fit." She trusted Mika's judgment.
"Leave it to me." He smiled and left.
——
"You're saying you were attacked?" The next day, after escorting Saori through a throng of reporters, Mika returned to the guest house and received Shun's message. He had been attacked, and his assailants were—Black Saints.
"Not just one, but four: the Black Pegasus, Black Dragon, Black Swan, and Black Andromeda. They call themselves the Black Four and claim to be Ikki's subordinates," Hyoga explained.
"The Black Four? How strong are they?" Seiya, summoned by Saori, asked, concerned.
"I don't know about the others, but the Black Swan was slightly weaker than me."
"Weaker than Hyoga? Then these 'Black Four' aren't to be underestimated. With Ikki, they outnumber and likely outmatch us," Seiya said, his brow furrowed in thought.
"It seems we're in for a tough battle," Shiryu sighed, shaking his head.
"In that case, repairing our Cloths should be our top priority," Seiya said, his eyes lighting up.
"Can our Cloths even be repaired?"
"They can. My master told me about someone who can repair Cloths," Shiryu replied.
"I'll depart immediately and take our Cloths to him."
"Thank you, Shiryu," Seiya said gratefully.
"Don't worry. I'll return with the repaired Cloths before your battle with Ikki," Shiryu reassured him, his voice filled with gratitude for Seiya, who had saved his life during their duel.
"I'll go with you, Shiryu," Mika offered.
"You will, Mika?" Seiya asked, puzzled. Mika didn't have a Cloth that needed repairing.
"Indeed. I'm not going for the Cloth repair, but because I'm interested in Mu."
"Master Mu?" Shiryu asked. "You know who can repair Cloths, Mika?"
"I do," Mika replied with a smile. "He's not just a Cloth repairer but also a Saint. His lineage has a long history of Gold Saints. And the current Mu—is the Gold Saint of Aries."
"The Gold Saint of Aries?!" The four Bronze Saints exclaimed in shock.
——
The Gold Saints were legendary figures, the pinnacle of Athena's army.
The grand prize for the Galaxian Wars, the Sagittarius Gold Cloth, was so coveted precisely because it was a Gold Cloth—and there was no current Gold Saint of Sagittarius. This prevented them from truly understanding the power of a Gold Saint.
And now, Shiryu and Mika were about to visit Mu, the Gold Saint of Aries.
This was naturally shocking.
Mika, seeing their astonishment, smiled inwardly. Gold Saints weren't that rare. Shiryu's master, Dohko—was the Gold Saint of Libra—and Hyoga's master, Camus, was the Gold Saint of Aquarius. Two out of four of them had Gold Saint mentors.
"Indeed. That's why I'm interested in meeting him," Mika said with a smile.
"In that case, I'll handle the Cloth repairs with Mika," Shiryu declared.
He was eager to travel with Mika. While he hadn't seen Mika fight—his powerful healing abilities and the Nen he had used to mark the Gold Cloth—as mentioned by Saori, suggested immense power.
'How did he manage to mark the Gold Cloth in the first place?' Shiryu wondered.
Saori had claimed she hadn't known about it until recently. This meant the marker wasn't part of her plan. Therefore, Mika must have had access to the Cloth, perhaps even worn it, with Saori's permission.
This suggested that Mika's strength might be close to that of a Gold Saint, hence Saori's offer to let him try it on—to test his abilities.
Regardless of the outcome, Mika was clearly incredibly powerful. Traveling with such a strong companion would make their journey much safer.
"Very well. You can depart today. I'll arrange a private jet," Saori said.
"Have it fly to Lushan. I need to ask my master about Mu's location," Shiryu said.
"Lushan. Understood." Saori nodded.
And so, Mika, Shiryu, and Shunrei boarded a private jet provided by the Graad Foundation, heading towards Lushan.
——
"Shiryu, I won't be accompanying you to the Five Ancient Peaks. Just—ignite your Cosmo when you're ready to leave. I'll sense it and find you," Mika said, declining Shiryu's invitation to join him.
He wasn't ready to meet Dohko yet. His current Cosmo, having absorbed his other powers, was far larger than that of a normal Sixth Sense Saint, several times larger, in fact.
While he was confident in his ability to conceal his true power, even from Gold Saints, that didn't apply to Dohko.
Unlike the other Gold Saints, who had achieved the Seventh Sense, Dohko was an Eighth Sense Saint—a level far beyond their reach. While Mika could conceal his power from Seventh Sense Saints, he wasn't sure he could fool Dohko.
Moreover, unlike the other Gold Saints, who were relatively young and specialized in specific abilities, Dohko—having spent over two hundred years at the Five Ancient Peaks, was a well-rounded warrior, his skills honed to perfection.
He had no weaknesses. He was practically invincible. Even against an Eighth Sense Gold Saint of this era—Mika wouldn't want to face the current Dohko.
Furthermore, Dohko was tasked with guarding the 108 Specters of Hades.
If not for this duty, he could have single-handedly led Saori's assault on Sanctuary. After all, based on the original story, he was clearly aware of Saga's treachery.
But he couldn't act. Any move from him would trigger the Holy War prematurely. And with Sanctuary under Saga's control—and Seiya and the others still too weak, Athena had no chance of victory.
Therefore, Saori had to rely on Mika and Seiya.
"I understand. We'll be going then." Looking at the familiar landscape, Shiryu was eager to see his master. He and Shunrei quickly disappeared from sight.
Mika looked towards the Five Ancient Peaks, then turned and left, searching for a quiet spot to meditate.
He was close to fully integrating his Demonic and Light energies.
——
Three days passed in quiet meditation.
The Demonic and Light energies within him had diminished significantly, less than half remaining.
He estimated he could complete the process in two more days.
He had wanted to finish it in one go, but Shiryu's Cosmo suddenly flared, signaling his return.
Mika went to meet him and learned, to his surprise, that Mu lived in Jamir, in the Himalayas. He hadn't remembered that detail from the anime.
Having confirmed Mu's location—he and Shiryu began their journey, taking a private jet to the nearest airport, then continuing on foot.
The terrain near Jamir wasn't suitable for vehicles, and their speed far surpassed any car.
They ran across the vast plains, eventually reaching the desolate region where Jamir was located.
They crossed the barren landscape and reached the base of the towering mountains. After exchanging glances, they began their ascent.
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