Chapter 127: The Inner Universe of the Gauze Garment

"This is impossible!"

The Pope's daily duty was to observe the celestial phenomena from the Star Hill, formulate the calendar, and predict the future. He possessed a unique sensitivity regarding when Athena would descend. It could be said that Athena's descent could not escape his eyes.

"Do you not know either?"

At Feng Zhe's question, the Pope fell into deep contemplation, his brows knitting into a deep furrow.

"The descent of Athena generally takes two forms. The first is a direct arrival before the statue of Athena, usually appearing as an infant, though occasionally as a young girl."

"The second is descending elsewhere, indistinguishable from an ordinary girl until she awakens."

Feng Zhe understood now. The first was the way Saori descended, the standard method of arrival. The second was how Sasha descended, which usually required the protection of Pegasus.

"Legend has it that in the Mythological Era, Athena once descended in the form of a soul. This form is the most peculiar, existing only in fragments of lore, making it difficult to glimpse the full picture."

The Pope took a long time to recall this method, and it caused Feng Zhe’s eyes to light up. He reached into his robe and pulled out an Athena blood talisman, the blood upon it belonging to Shayi.

Sensing the unique blood that only a god could possess, the Pope held it in his palms, feeling the cosmos emanating from the deity. Suddenly, the Serpentarius Temple shook. The golden python guarding the temple raised its head as an even more powerful will descended upon the sanctuary.

This immense will was in no way inferior to the future Athena, Saori. Two identical powers created distinct, clearly defined divine domains.

"Shayi?!"

Sensing Shayi's cosmos, Feng Zhe’s expression turned to one of excitement. Seeing this, the Pope immediately understood: the person Feng Zhe truly intended to protect was this third Athena, Shayi.

Feng Zhe prepared to go to Shayi immediately, but the Pope stood in his way.

"You cannot leave!"

Feng Zhe glared at the obstructing Pope, his expression darkening. "Your Holiness, what is the meaning of this?"

The Pope replied, "If this era is to return to its proper state, two of the Athenas must die!"

Feng Zhe understood this logic, but countered, "Indeed, an era can only support one Athena, but Shayi descended in the form of a soul. You should be very clear about that!"

This was the point of divergence between Feng Zhe and the Pope. To restore order, only the Athena of this universe could remain; the Pope was determined to stop Feng Zhe's protection.

"Since words fail us, then we must fight."

Feng Zhe erupted with a powerful cosmos. It surged like a tsunami, directly suppressing the Pope and rendering him unable to move. The Altar constellation manifested behind him like reality itself. As Feng Zhe threw his punch, it carried such immense power that it could erase mountains and overturn the seas.

At this moment, Feng Zhe, having grasped the Eighth Sense and honed his skills through the trials of the Twelve Temples in the Next Dimension, was in no way inferior to—and perhaps even surpassed—the top-tier Gold Saints in both cosmos and combat experience.

Yet, the Pope simply spread his arms, using his own formidable cosmos to intercept the punch. The massive force sent a shockwave through the entire Pope's Palace, and the radiance, like a ring of light, suddenly illuminated the chamber.

"Hmm?"

Feng Zhe had not expected the seemingly plain Pope to be able to withstand his punch, and the nature of that cosmos was distinctly different from that of a Gold Saint.

"Galaxian Explosion!"

Suddenly, countless massive meteors appeared behind Feng Zhe. The sheer magnitude of his cosmos made it impossible for the Pope to resist. As the meteors descended, a thunderous explosion rocked the entire Pope's Palace.

"That is..."

When the dust settled, the Pope's robes had been blown away, revealing the sacred armor he wore beneath.

"Caelum?"

It was one of the four unique sacred armors. The specialty of the Caelum Cloth was enhancement; it could not only boost the wearer to an unfathomable level but also bestow strengthening effects upon Gold Saints over a wide area. Whether on the battlefield or off, it was an incredibly practical constellation. Unfortunately, by Saori's era, these had all become legends.

...

Elsewhere, before the first temple, the Aries Temple, a man clad in Gold Armor approached. It was the resurrected Gold Saint of Ophiuchus, Odysseus. His objective was to kill the Athena who had come from the future.

"A third Athena's cosmos has appeared in this era."

"No matter how many there are, I will return this chaotic era to normal!"

He looked up toward the Pope's Palace at the summit of the sanctuary; the power erupting from it made the entire sanctuary tremble.

"Whoever you are, even if it is you, it will not be allowed!"

His immense power left others unable to distinguish if he was human or god, nor could they discern if he stood for justice or evil. If Virgo Shijima was the man closest to god, then Odysseus was a god himself.

Odysseus immediately awakened Aries Shion.

As Shion drifted between sleep and wakefulness, he recalled an incident from many years ago. Shion and Dohko, in their eagerness to train, had gone to a volcano. When it suddenly erupted, they would have perished in the lava had it not been for Odysseus. Odysseus himself had been swallowed by the molten rock, and when he was pulled out, he was covered in burns. Dohko and Shion had been consumed by guilt.

Odysseus had comforted them, telling them not to be sad, as his mission was to save the Saints.

The memory felt as though it had happened yesterday. If Feng Zhe were present, he would surely have remarked, "What a sucker."

When Shion fully awoke and saw Odysseus before him, he was stunned. Shion knew that after that event, Odysseus had worn a cloak for years. Seeing him resurrected, his face once again marked by the soot of the past, left him speechless.

The graceful and noble Odysseus declared that he had been resurrected to slay Athena. Shion could not believe he would say such a thing. Odysseus asked him whether he would follow him or protect Athena.

At that moment, Shion did not hesitate. He raised a Crystal Wall before him, choosing his path through action.

Odysseus offered a word of praise, then tapped the wall, shattering it. When he extended his hand again, Shion’s stamina and cosmos seemed to be completely drained, and he collapsed to the ground.

Odysseus asked again, but Shion remained resolute in his vow to protect Athena. Sensing Shion’s resolve to die, Odysseus cast him into a deep slumber.

This was merely the release of the awakening method he had applied to Shion, allowing the hypnotic therapy emitted by the Serpentarius Temple to take effect once more.

Odysseus looked up toward the Pope's Palace again. The shockwaves from the battle between those two had sheared off half of the palace. The outcome would be decided in an instant.