Chapter 149 Regaining Trust

The battle between Athena and the Underworld King Hades ultimately concluded with the assault on the Elysian Fields, the destruction of Hades' physical body which he had preserved since the age of myth, and his final sealing within the Underworld's Elysium, the sanctuary of the gods' solace.

From then on, led by Athena's mortal reincarnation, Miss Saori, the Holy War that had raged since the age of myth achieved final victory.

However, the greatest hero, Pegasus Seiya, was pierced in the chest by Hades at the very last moment. Although Miss Saori utilized her divine cosmos to save him, Seiya was nonetheless left in a deep, deathlike slumber.

Athena's ultimate victory thoroughly enraged the Olympian gods. The three celestial consorts gossiped behind her back, and Apollo, the Sun God who governed the day, personally issued an order to prepare a punitive expedition against Athena.

Just as Athena was returning to the Sanctuary, a mysterious voice echoed forth.

"There remains one final trial awaiting you all. Rise up for the sake of this world!"

A beam of light shone down upon Athena, and the next moment, Athena and the Five Bronze Saints reappeared within the Sanctuary.

Within the Sanctuary, six Gold Saints had also been resurrected.

They were Libra Dohko, Aries Mu, Leo Aiolia, Scorpio Milo, Virgo Shaka, and Gemini Kanon.

Everything seemed to have returned to the state before the Holy War, as if the Gold Saints had never perished.

Libra Dohko spoke, "A power even greater than Athena's has guided us back from the abyss of death."

At this moment, a ball of light descended upon the Sanctuary, revealing Athena and the Bronze Five.

The six Gold Saints cried out in unison, "Athena!"

Then, they rushed toward Miss Saori.

Seeing that the Gold Saints were still alive, Miss Saori was filled with joy.

Only then did the Gold Saints notice that the cosmos of the Bronze Saints were fading away. Pegasus Seiya, in particular, pierced by the sword of Hades, appeared withered and frail, on the verge of death at any second.

Just as the Sanctuary was plunged into commotion, another streak of comet-like light crashed directly into the Pope's Palace.

Miss Saori was startled, wondering who had arrived at the Sanctuary.

The six Gold Saints exchanged glances and then accompanied Athena up the mountain.

When they reached the Pope's Palace and beheld Feng Zhe clad in the Altar cloth, they cried out in astonishment, "Lord Pope!"

Indeed, the one who had suddenly appeared here was none other than the Pope Arles, who had vanished during the Asgard Chapter.

Feng Zhe had never expected that, after twists and turns, he would ultimately arrive in this very reality of the world.

He then bowed slightly to Saori and said, "Miss Saori."

Having weathered so many battles and experienced the Holy War, Miss Saori had attained a brand-new height both in insight and in her fusion with Athena.

The very first moment she laid eyes on Feng Zhe, she perceived the truth.

Then, she asked in astonishment, "You... are no longer a Saint!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the six Gold Saints instantly turned stern, slowly surrounding him as if terrified that he might escape.

Feng Zhe glanced at the six of them. Shaka, the strongest among them, probably possessed a true combat power not far inferior to his own.

Instantly, his cosmos erupted directly, and the powerful shockwave abruptly forced all six of them back several paces.

Virgo Shaka exclaimed in shock, "The Ninth Sense!"

Pope Arles of the Altar constellation, who had vanished for so long, displayed such towering strength the moment he returned. This could not help but furrow Miss Saori's brow as she seemingly considered how to deal with this former Pope.

Ignoring the six Gold Saints, Feng Zhe fixed his gaze upon Miss Saori.

"Let us have a talk, you and I!"

Miss Saori nodded, gesturing for the six Gold Saints to withdraw so she could speak with Feng Zhe alone.

Dohko was startled and protested, "Athena..."

Dohko entirely mistrusted this former Pope, but Miss Saori's will was resolute, leaving him with no choice but to depart the Pope's Palace with a heavy heart.

Once the six Gold Saints had left, Saori looked at Feng Zhe and whispered, "God-defier!"

Having his identity exposed, Feng Zhe smiled faintly and replied, "Since the age of myth, the Altar constellation has existed as Athena's Saint, and this is unquestionably with Athena's permission and trust!"

Among all of Athena's reincarnations, Miss Saori was exceptionally intelligent; otherwise, she would never have secured the ultimate victory.

Thus, she stated, "You wish to become a god?"

"Comprehending the Ninth Sense is merely the threshold to divinity. The path to becoming a god remains long, does it not?"

Feng Zhe's counter-question startled Miss Saori once more, prompting her to exclaim, "You have actually found the path to divinity?!"

At that moment, Saori had not expected that Feng Zhe had truly discovered the path to godhood, and it appeared he was concealing many other matters.

Yet Saori was shrewd; a brief moment of reflection told her that the Feng Zhe before her required her assistance.

"If I merely help you, what do I stand to gain?"

"Even without me, you have completely offended the Olympian gods, have you not?"

Feng Zhe's rhetorical question nearly drove Saori to despair.

Indeed, ending the game of the gods was something the Olympians would never tolerate; it could even be termed an act of betrayal against the divine pantheon.

From the moment Saori returned to the Sanctuary, she knew that the final trial spoken of by the mysterious voice would likely begin imminently.

"What is it that you want me to do?"

Miss Saori ultimately chose to compromise, a development that brought a surge of inward joy to Feng Zhe.

He had genuinely feared that this goddess might act recklessly and attempt to strike him down regardless of the consequences, which would have left him in a highly passive position.

"Help me conceal the fact that I am a God-defier."

Feng Zhe knew that this Zeus Chapter was a battle among gods, where every single one of the Thirteen Apostles possessed the might of high-ranking deities.

Under such circumstances, he would find himself in extreme peril.

Therefore, forming a provisional alliance with Athena was advantageous both to himself and to Athena.

"What can you do to help me?"

Saori remained the consummate tactician, the successor to a great family groomed by Kido Mitsumasa.

"I will help you win this final trial!"

"You actually know of that existence!"

Feng Zhe smiled cryptically, stirring boundless imagination within Saori.

Saori's pupils contracted sharply, and she felt as though she had gained an entirely new understanding of the mysterious Feng Zhe before her.

"Very well, I will help you, but you must save Seiya!"

Feng Zhe was momentarily stunned. The Athena before him truly possessed more human sentiment, actually desiring to resurrect Seiya.

Yet the sword of Hades embedded within Seiya's body posed a severe problem.

In one timeline, the Heavenly Emperor Abel had burned away his entire body just to draw the Underworld sword from Seiya, while in another timeline, Athena personally traveled back 243 years with the intent of destroying the sword of Hades, only for both Athena and Seiya to be reduced to mortals in the end.

The answer was equally obvious, and no further elaboration was needed regarding the choice to be made.

"Seiya will be fine, but the one who saves him will not be me!"

Seeing Feng Zhe's confident demeanor, Miss Saori ceased her fretting and produced the Staff of Nike.

Feng Zhe knelt on one knee before Miss Saori, and as the Staff of Nike lightly touched his shoulder,

An invisible power seemed to surge toward an unknown realm. Once again, Feng Zhe's Altar cloth received Athena's trust, and he officially became Athena's Saint.