~ Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!
<><><><>
In Mika's memory, this generation of Gold Saints was the most—Disorganized.
Perhaps due to Saga's influence—they rarely interacted, even unaware of each other's identities unless they donned their Cloths or unleashed their Cosmo.
Aiolia, for instance, when sent to eliminate Seiya and the others, had even remarked that he didn't know how many Gold Saints there were—not the total number, of course, but how many were currently active in Sanctuary.
After all, The twelve Gold Saints rarely gathered in one place.
It was clear that under Saga's rule, they were isolated, rarely training or sparring with each other.
Therefore, few in Sanctuary knew about Mu, who wasn't residing there. Even if they did it wouldn't have made a difference.
After all, [Crystal Wall] was invisible. And Milo and Aiolia weren't facing Mu but a supposed follower of an Evil God.
"Lightning Plasma!" The moment Milo was struck, Aiolia unleashed his Attack.
Lightning Plasma was a rapid-fire punch Technique, delivering hundreds of millions of blows in an instant, their combined power focused and compressed into a single, high-density sphere of lightning energy.
It was Aiolia's most powerful Technique.
Facing such an Attack, Mika couldn't rely on Crystal Wall. In a battle between Saints, using the same Technique repeatedly was a fatal mistake.
Crystal Wall was effective against energy-based Attacks like Milo's Scarlet Needle, it was less effective against physical Attacks like Aiolia's Lightning Plasma.
While it could block such Attacks, it was better to avoid a direct confrontation, especially against a close-combat specialist like Aiolia.
Mika, outnumbered, couldn't afford to give them any openings.
"Besides—this is more important." He transformed into a streak of light, dodging the Attack and streaking across the sky, the space debris in his path disintegrating into atoms under the force of his Cosmo.
"Don't run!" Aiolia transformed into light, pursuing him.
Suddenly, a Golden light erupted from the Earth below, drawing his attention. He sensed a familiar Cosmo.
"Brother…" he murmured, stopping his pursuit.
As he hesitated, the Golden light surged towards Mika, merging with him. When he reappeared before Aiolia, he was clad in the—[Sagittarius Gold Cloth].
"This—Is My True Power," Mika said, feeling the warmth of the Cloth, his Cosmo resonating with the armor.
He looked at Aiolia and Milo. "Mika, Gold Saint of Sagittarius. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You bastard!" Aiolia's eyes burned with rage, remembering the Pope's words:
'Don't let that Cloth—a symbol of love and justice, fall into the hands of evil.'
He had failed.
But it wasn't the failure itself that angered him, but the sight of Mika, a supposed servant of an Evil God, wearing the Sagittarius Gold Cloth.
While his brother, Aiolos, was currently considered a traitor, a stain on Sanctuary's honor, Aiolia still believed in his innocence.
Mika's actions seemed to confirm Aiolos's betrayal—adding insult to injury.
"Lightning Plasma!" Fueled by his rage, his Cosmo burned fiercely.
Mika felt a surge of excitement. "Yes! That's it! That's the spirit!"
"Atomic Thunderbolt!" Mika countered Aiolia's Attack with Aiolos's own Technique.
The Two Gold Saint Techniques clashed, filling the sky with light.
Their Cosmos ignited—burning brightly. While Mika's Cosmo was stronger, it wasn't enough to Overwhelm Aiolia completely.
Their battle was about to become a war of attrition, a stalemate between two evenly matched Gold Saints, a clash that could last for days, fueled by their immense Cosmo, their indestructible Gold Cloths—and their ability to learn and adapt during battle.
They would quickly analyze and counter each other's Techniques, the fight becoming a constant back-and-forth of changing strategies.
——
The essence of such a stalemate stemmed from their impenetrable defenses. Without their Cloths, with their light-speed Attacks and Superhuman bodies—a single exchange would be enough to determine the victor. There would be no prolonged battle.
Therefore, Cloths were essential for a Saint's survival.
——
As Mika and Aiolia clashed, the seeds of a stalemate were sown. However, they both knew this battle wouldn't last.
They weren't alone.
Milo, the Gold Saint of Scorpio was watching, his Cosmo focusing—his [Scarlet Needle] ready.
He was waiting for an opening—a moment of vulnerability.
And that moment soon arrived.
Facing Aiolia's full power, Mika couldn't afford to be careless. His focus on Aiolia created a blind spot, the inevitable weakness of facing two opponents simultaneously.
"Scarlet Needle!" A crimson needle of light shot towards Mika's vital point.
"Crystal Wall!" Mika instinctively raised his hand, summoning the barrier. However, this time, the needle didn't deflect but pierced straight through, striking his palm.
"Ugh!" He grunted, the pain, while not enough to make him cry out, was still significant. Milo's Attack had penetrated his Crystal Wall.
He had anticipated such a possibility but hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Battles between Gold Saints weren't simply about unleashing their Cosmo.
Due to their exceptional learning abilities, they constantly develop variations and countermeasures.
[Crystal Wall] wasn't a single, static barrier, but a complex structure of countless crystals, each one unique. And for a Gold Saint, with their light-speed reflexes and enhanced perception, any Technique, no matter how perfect, had a weakness, a flaw they could exploit.
At their level of speed—the world seemed to slow down, giving them ample time to analyze and react, similar to "Bullet Time" or other "Time-Dilation" abilities.
But, when facing an opponent with similar reflexes, this advantage was negated.
Mika had modified his Crystal Wall, but it had still been penetrated. This was because Milo had used a Charged Attack.
Even in battles between normal humans, a Charged Attack was far more powerful than a standard one. And for Gold Saints, with their immense and seemingly limitless Cosmo, charging an Attack allowed them to bypass their normal limits, determined by their Cosmo's current output.
While their instantaneous output was finite—charging allowed them to unleash even greater power.
And for a ranged Attacker like Milo—specializing in energy-based Techniques, charging significantly enhanced his Attacks, similar to Shaka—who kept his eyes closed to conserve energy and unleash devastating Attacks when he opened them. However, such Techniques weren't commonly used.
Any moment of vulnerability could be fatal. Only Shaka, who had mastered this Technique, regularly employed it.
Milo [Scarlet Needle] was naturally suited for charging, a Technique he often practiced in his spare time. And now, he had used it against Mika.
"This is bad…" Mika thought, channeling his Cosmo to heal his wound.
Mika was at a disadvantage facing both Aiolia and Milo—Aiolia was a close-range brawler, while Milo was a ranged Attacker.
Together, they formed a formidable duo.
Mika had to act.
"To break this stalemate, I need to quickly injure one, then focus on defeating the other before dealing with the remaining one." Mika knew how to quickly injure one of them but needed to create some distance first.
Aiolia was constantly pressing his Attack, preventing him from maneuvering. He needed a powerful, wide-area Attack to push them back.
He had just the Technique!
Mika retracted his fist and retreated, Aiolia and Milo pursuing him relentlessly.
They wouldn't let him escape. As he retreated, his Cosmo ignited. He looked at his pursuers and swung his arm.
"Try this!—Stardust Revolution!!"
<><><><>
Support & Read 10 Advanced Chapters.
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)