Chapter 123: Casually Blasting Vermeer to Death

Upon landing, Dragon Shiryu immediately spotted Dohko and rushed over, face flushed with excitement. He sputtered and stammered for a long moment before finally blurting out, "Master!"

Dohko, however, had no idea who Shiryu was. Realizing he had arrived in an era over two centuries in the past, Shiryu began to explain that he had come from two hundred years in the future, following Athena.

Dohko was skeptical and grabbed Shiryu by the collar. But when he saw the deep, affectionate look in the young man's eyes, he found himself unable to strike. Shiryu then recounted their shared past at the Five Old Peaks, rambling on about Shunrei and his own child. Dohko listened in bewilderment; their conversation was entirely at cross-purposes, with only Shiryu’s emotional fervor filling the air, much like a young disciple reuniting with his master after many years to recount the history of his own growth.

"Ahem!"

Seeing the classic scene of a master and disciple reuniting, Feng Zhe, who had been watching from the sidelines, felt compelled to clear his throat. He tried to leave, but Dohko blocked his path. Only then did Shiryu turn his head, finally noticing Feng Zhe.

"Pope!" Shiryu exclaimed in shock.

"What?" Dohko was stunned that Shiryu had addressed the Altar Saint as the Pope. He asked with grave seriousness, "Who exactly are you?"

Feng Zhe offered no explanation, so Shiryu did it for him: "He is the Pope of our era, Ares of the Altar constellation. He went missing years before the Holy War..." Shiryu could never have imagined that Feng Zhe, missing for so long, would reappear here.

"Long time no see, Shiryu." Feng Zhe’s words confirmed the truth of Shiryu's claim.

"Pope, what brings you here?" Shiryu could tell Feng Zhe’s goal was not the rescue of Seiya.

"The situation is critical," Feng Zhe replied. "I must see the Pope of this era immediately. Athena is in danger!"

Shiryu looked toward the Pope’s Palace, assuming the danger referred to Miss Saori, while Dohko remained half-convinced by these claims. "Even so, I cannot let you pass." As the guardian of the Libra Palace, Dohko could not simply let him go.

"There is no time," Feng Zhe said. "It seems I must force my way through." With a single strike of his light-speed punch, he shattered Dohko’s Rozan Sho Ryu Ha. Feng Zhe shook his head inwardly; the Dohko of this era was, in truth, perhaps only slightly stronger than a Silver Saint. Defeated, Dohko harbored no hard feelings and allowed Feng Zhe to pass.

When it was Shiryu's turn, he removed his Cloth, revealing the dragon tattoo unique to the Rozan-style Saints. Dohko, in turn, revealed his own tiger tattoo. The master and disciple engaged in a friendly spar, a magnificent display of skill. Yet, no matter how spectacular the scene, it had become secondary to Feng Zhe. He had to find the Pope before Odysseus awakened, and he sped toward the next palace.

...

Elsewhere, the team of Pegasus Tenma and Andromeda Shun had engaged in a fierce battle with Queen in the Cancer Palace, eventually trapping her using the Coffin of Silence. Meanwhile, Phoenix Ikki, who had arrived earlier, was being beaten into the ground by Abel in the Gemini Palace; had Cain not frequently intervened to cause trouble, Ikki would likely have been killed long ago. By this point, all the Bronze Saints except Seiya had arrived in the Sanctuary of this era.

As for the Specters, Suikyo’s battle was becoming increasingly difficult. In the Leo Palace, he was essentially being slaughtered, the physical and mental oppression and sense of guilt forcing him to walk a path of thorns.

...

Feng Zhe arrived at the Scorpio Palace but saw no sign of the Scorpio Saint. Suddenly, he was frozen in place; he immediately realized this was the Scorpio Restriction. Feng Zhe quickly declared his intention to seek an audience with the Pope. No sooner had he finished speaking than three Scarlet Needles struck him, causing agonizing pain, as if he had been stung by a scorpion.

"Since you have attacked, do not blame me," Feng Zhe shouted. He descended from above, unleashing his Holy Fire. The massive, wide-range attack set the Scorpio Palace ablaze. The Scorpio Saint appeared within the flames, though he revealed no physical form, appearing only as a silhouette through his Cloth—the Saint was transparent.

Three more Scarlet Needles struck out, but this time they only pierced Feng Zhe’s afterimage. Feng Zhe countered with a roar: "Sekishiki Meikai Ha!" In an instant, both were transported to the Yomotsu Hirasaka.

There, they saw the Cancer Saint, Death Toll, who had been pummeled into a ball of flesh, locked in battle with the Celestial Noble Star, Vermeer. As Feng Zhe prepared to strike, a phoenix feather flashed through the air, severing the threads binding Death Toll.

"I told you to leave," Death Toll muttered. "Why did you come back?"

"I don't like to owe favors," Ikki replied, his expression as cool as ever. Both of them then noticed Feng Zhe and the Scorpio Saint, Ecarlate, whom Feng Zhe had brought along via his Sekishiki wave.

"Pope!" Ikki’s eyes betrayed little excitement, though he remained composed. Upon seeing the Specter, Ecarlate abandoned his fight with Feng Zhe to engage Vermeer.

Taking advantage of the brawl, Ikki approached and asked, "Pope, surely you aren't on the same path as us?"

The intelligent Ikki then asked in shock, "Are there Athenas from other times descending into this world?"

Feng Zhe nodded. "It is hard to accept, but with three Athenas appearing in this era simultaneously, the entire universe will likely collapse within two days."

"What?!" Not only Ikki, but even Death Toll, who had been bouncing around in his shell, was stunned, clearly believing Feng Zhe.

"Then what are we to do?"

Vermeer’s puppet threads had ensnared Ecarlate like a giant web, trapping the scorpion regardless of how he struggled. Just as Vermeer began to laugh cruelly, a blast of Sekishiki energy sliced through his threads. Suddenly, a massive amount of Sekishiki energy materialized before Vermeer.

Feng Zhe shouted, "Sekishiki Konso Ha!"

After a massive explosion, Vermeer was shattered into fragments, leaving not even a trace of his Surplice. Death Toll was shocked. He was a Cancer Gold Saint himself; though he often acted the fool, his strength was at the pinnacle of the Gold Saints. He had never expected to meet someone so skilled in Sekishiki who could unleash an ultimate technique that even he could not master.

With a loud thud, Death Toll knelt. "Master! Your disciple has searched for you so long!" He wept bitterly, shedding tears and snot, completely disregarding his dignity as a Gold Saint. Feng Zhe was left utterly speechless.