Chapter 39: The Battle with Tiger Tong

What surprised Feng Zhe even more was that Defteros at this moment was nothing more than a novice, completely inexperienced, and even his status as a mere foot soldier was thanks to his elder brother. His brother had long since become the Gemini Gold Saint, nearly ascending to the position of Pope. Knowing the entire history of the LC Holy War, Feng Zhe recalled that two and a half years before the war began, Aspros, tempted by dark forces, attempted to assassinate the Pope and seize power, but failed and died. After the Holy War commenced, Defteros donned the Gemini Gold Cloth and became a top-tier Gold Saint. If not for his brother Aspros being resurrected by Hades and Defteros sacrificing himself to restore his brother's sanity, the outcome between them would have been uncertain.

Without Feng Zhe, the butterfly effect, the ordinary Defteros would have, in just two and a half years, grown from a complete novice to a top-tier Gold Saint—a talent among talents. Of course, compared to Regulus, the prodigy, there was still a gap. Truly, this era was ruled by a host of genius Saints.

“Master Alex, would you be willing to be my teacher? I wish to become a Saint!” Defteros’s eyes were filled with hope.

Alex was momentarily stunned, unable to respond to the situation. Defteros’s excitement faded, and he lowered his head, murmuring, “I was foolish to hope. No one in the Sanctuary is willing to be my teacher…”

Because he was marked as an ill omen and his appearance was fierce, even Saints who cared little for such superstitions avoided the trouble of taking him as a disciple.

Feng Zhe smiled gently and said, “Of course, I’ll take you as my disciple—and I’ll do so before the eyes of all!”

“Really?” Defteros’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Feng Zhe nodded and added, “Endure for three days, and then I will formally accept you as my disciple!”

Defteros grinned with joy, his face seeming far less fearsome.

…

Three days later

The vast plaza was crowded with nearly every Saint, including the Gold Saints, who had come out of curiosity. All wished to witness the selection battle between the Libra Gold Saints.

On the altar, Alex from the Altar constellation faced off against Dohko of the Dragon constellation.

The entire plaza was packed with people, even the lowest-ranked soldiers felt fortunate to witness such a rare battle between Gold Saints.

For them, this was a precious opportunity to improve themselves.

Among the crowd, Defteros was filled with excitement. The man standing on the stage was his teacher.

Pope Sage, dressed in his papal robes, announced the start. Both combatants immediately assumed their stances.

Compared to Dohko’s aggressive style, Alex from the Altar constellation had pitifully few attack techniques.

Only the Sacred Fire within his Cloth remained usable.

“Alex, I won’t hold back. Let’s fight like men, with all our might!” Dohko, full of youthful vigor, was especially eager in front of the crowd.

Feng Zhe nodded and replied, “If that’s so, don’t blame me if you get hurt!”

“Haha! That would be perfect!”

After their exchange, Feng Zhe began to move, his Cosmo flaring, and the star map of the Altar constellation appeared behind him.

Dohko’s Dragon constellation star map likewise appeared with his Cosmo.

If judged by their personal Cosmo, Dohko, who had awakened the Seventh Sense, was clearly stronger, but with the boost from the Altar’s special Silver Cloth, Alex had the advantage.

Sevenfold Sonic Fist!

At the moment, Feng Zhe’s greatest technique, the Sevenfold Sonic Fist, combined with the Silver Cloth’s augmentation, was formidable, making him stand out among the Silver Saints.

Having witnessed the Pegasus Meteor Fist and the Plasma Light Speed Fist, Feng Zhe had gained insight and further improved upon them.

Under the influence of his Cosmo, Feng Zhe’s Sevenfold Sonic Fist transformed into an Altar constellation meteor shower, each punch alternating between real and illusory, forming a tight net with no gaps.

This Sonic Fist could be adapted to various enemies, capable of both wide-range attacks and concentrated strikes.

Now, facing Dohko, the net of Sonic Fists trapped him completely.

Lushan Rising Dragon Strike!

As the founder of the Lushan techniques, legend claims Dohko gained this move from the Lushan fairyland.

With the power of his Dragon constellation Cosmo, a surging green divine dragon charged forward and collided directly with the Sevenfold Sonic Fist.

The two were evenly matched for a moment, prompting cheers from the surrounding Saints.

It was as if they were witnessing an exhilarating battle.

After watching, Pope Sage remarked, “It seems Alex’s strength has increased again in this campaign against the Evil God.”

Elder Baile laughed, proud of his wise choice, “As a whetstone, his strength is more than sufficient.”

“There may yet be surprising facets we haven’t seen!”

The two elders chuckled, pleased by such an exciting battle.

Dohko’s Cosmo grew ever stronger, while Feng Zhe began to feel he couldn’t keep up.

Ultimately, in terms of Cosmo, Feng Zhe was far inferior to Dohko, who had awakened the Seventh Sense.

Feng Zhe let out a loud shout, leaping forward, relying on his speed to create three afterimages, then shouted again.

Triple Sevenfold Sonic Fist!

This was a variant developed by Feng Zhe, exploiting his superior movement speed to create brief afterimages and unleash triple the force.

With attacks coming from three sides, Dohko’s pressure intensified.

Ha ha!

Lushan Hundred Dragons Strike!

Suddenly, countless divine dragons appeared, some large, some small, some long, some short, but all combining into Dohko’s greatest technique.

As a wide-range attack, Dohko’s power now, though not as great as it would be two hundred forty-three years later, was more than sufficient.

Again, it was a contest of Cosmo. Though the battle seemed evenly matched, Feng Zhe was clearly at a disadvantage.

Any Gold Saint could see this.

“Tch, Dohko’s taking so long to deal with a high-level Silver Saint. How boring, I’d rather be sleeping,” Manigault habitually scoffed. Regulus remarked, “Dohko isn’t that impressive either. I have no idea why the Pope chose him—he’s hardly suited for Libra.”

When Saints choose their Cloth, they always pick one matching their constellation, so they can attune to the star map’s wisdom and insights.

The Cloth is itself a legacy artifact, and only those whose constellation matches can unleash its full power.

Dohko was perfectly matched with the Dragon constellation, but with Libra, not so much.

All Gold Saints who had awakened the Seventh Sense could see this.

As the struggle of Cosmo continued, Feng Zhe shouted, letting the Sacred Fire on his body merge into the Altar Cloth.

Sacrifice!

Stripping!

To everyone’s astonishment, Feng Zhe stripped Dohko’s Cloth before the crowd, and the Dragon constellation Cloth floated in the air.

The plaza erupted in an instant.

To strip a Saint’s Cloth directly—this was truly defiant of the heavens!

Many Saints could hardly believe their eyes.