Chapter 142: The Fall of Pandora

Watching Saga, Camus, and Shura witness Aiolos and Aiacos perish together, they knew their time was running out. Pandora continued to play her harp, seemingly unaffected by Aiacos's demise. Outside Heinstein Castle, Leo Aiolia, Aries Mu, Gemini Kanon, Seiya, and Hyoga arrived simultaneously, immediately engaging the guarding Specters in battle. Due to the influence of the Underworld barrier, the Gold Saints' powers were severely crippled; even Kanon was left battered and unable to rise.

The commotion outside caught Pandora's attention. Frowning, she lost interest in playing, rose, and prepared to depart. The trio of Saga, Camus, and Shura attempted to fight, but the sunlight left them gasping like dying dogs, unable to reach Pandora despite their proximity. Just then, thick storm clouds obscured the sun, gathering rapidly until the sky turned pitch black. Pandora looked up, startled. Before she could react, Saga struck. A dark radiance suddenly enveloped her, leaving her unscathed. Shura’s Excalibur and Camus’s freezing air followed, but Pandora remained unmoved. A trident suddenly appeared in her hand, summoning thunder and lightning that lashed out at the three, leaving them sprawled on the ground, smoking and gravely wounded.

"Hmph, pathetic men, you are unworthy of fighting me," Pandora sneered, preparing to leave via the bottomless staircase.

Saga rose once more, declaring, "We have long since cast aside all thoughts of life and death." Camus stood up as well, adding, "Even in death, we shall protect Athena." Shura followed suit, saying, "Young companions, let us pave the way for you!" The three stood together, forming the trinity posture.

"Athena Exclamation!"

A light, comparable to the sun itself, engulfed Heinstein Castle. Pandora turned back, her face filled with disbelief as she stammered, "This is impossible..." But there was no such thing as impossible; the solar radiance slammed directly into her. Her body was disintegrated by the intense light, leaving not even a trace of dust behind.

With Pandora’s death, the barrier over Heinstein Castle vanished, and the Gold Saints waiting outside surged in. As the clouds dispersed, sunlight fell once more upon Saga, Camus, and Shura. Their bodies began to fade, but they wore expressions of serene relief. Inheriting their legacy, the remaining Gold Saints stared into the abyss of the staircase and resolutely dove down—the entrance to the Underworld.

The moment they vanished, a black hole appeared above the castle, dragging the trio's souls into the void.

[Ding! Soul of Gemini Saga acquired and auto-decomposed. Obtained 100 points of Death Power. (Current: 1100)]
[Ding! Soul of Aquarius Camus acquired and auto-decomposed. Obtained 100 points of Death Power. (Current: 1200)]
[Ding! Soul of Capricorn Shura acquired and auto-decomposed. Obtained 100 points of Death Power. (Current: 1300)]
[Ding! Soul of Pandora acquired and auto-decomposed. Obtained 100 points of Death Power and 10,000 Faith points. (Current: 1400)]

Thanatos, the God of Death, was taken aback; he had not expected Pandora to possess Faith points—an unexpected bonus that brought a hidden smile to his face. Suddenly, his consciousness was pulled aside. Regaining his composure, he found Hypnos, the God of Sleep, staring at him with grave intensity.

"Thanatos, explain yourself. Why did you allow Pandora to die?" As the commander of the Specters, Pandora was indispensable, both in caring for Hades and in orchestrating the Holy War. With Hades not yet awakened, the loss of Pandora and the Three Judges, combined with the Gold Saints’ entry into the Underworld, marked a failure unprecedented in the history of the Hades army.

Thanatos ignored his brother’s anger, sat back, and chuckled. "Brother, could you not replace Hades and become the true Ruler of the Underworld?"

Hypnos’s eyes brightened; he had clearly not considered this. Seeing his interest, Thanatos continued, "Hades' physical body is currently held by Athena. To reclaim it, we must lure her into the Underworld and prevent her from entering the true Land of the Dead." This was Athena’s final contingency: regardless of whether one attains the Eighth Sense, death leads to the Land of the Dead, an eternal slumber. To save Shun’s soul, Athena would have to awaken her own soul and enter the Underworld to negotiate for Shun’s release. Thanatos’s plan was to force Athena and Shun into the Land of the Dead permanently. If Hades could not awaken, the Holy War would be unable to proceed and would naturally conclude, leaving Hypnos to rule the Earth for 243 years until the next cycle.

"Brother, haven't you long grown weary of this endless game of Holy War?" Thanatos had struck a nerve.

As Hypnos pondered this, an alarm sounded from the chamber housing Shun’s body. "Intruders!"

Thanatos and Hypnos teleported instantly to find Phoenix Ikki standing in the hall. "Damn it!" Hypnos’s forehead glowed with a purple pentagram, releasing a beam of light that struck Ikki. Ikki suffered agony beyond measure—pain of the soul so severe that even suicide became an unreachable luxury. This was the power of a god, the Power of the Pentagram. Though it should have reduced him to ashes, Ikki merely collapsed, his Phoenix Cloth shattered, unable to rise again.

"He didn't die?!" Both gods were surprised. "As expected of Ikki, that fierce and indomitable man," Thanatos inwardly conceded.

Ikki raised his head, reaching toward Hades’ body, and roared, "Shun!" The call caused Shun, who had been like a walking corpse, to turn his head, despite his clouded, vacant eyes.

"No! He is trying to lure Hades’ soul back!" Both gods realized the danger. If Hades awakened now, Thanatos’s plan would be reduced to nothing.