Chapter 84: Aquarius Camus's Confession

At the moment when two powerful waves of freezing air collided, the fierce chill froze the entire Palace of Aquarius, transforming it into a kingdom of ice. The two men's cold auras kept intensifying, especially Hyoga, who had entirely forgotten himself, unconsciously raising his own cosmos to the utmost limit.

Camus watched Hyoga, lost in unconsciousness, and felt a warmth in his heart, thinking to himself, "The time is about right!"

Camus' cosmos suddenly shifted; the freezing air turned golden-red, then calmly awaited death...

"Farewell, Hyoga!"

Camus closed his eyes, as if savoring the serenity of this final moment, quietly waiting...

But after a long while, that chilling air never descended upon him.

Opening his eyes, Camus saw Feng Zhe standing between them. At the last moment, he had used the Sacred Flame to melt the absolute zero cold.

Hyoga, unable to withstand the freezing energy, collapsed to the ground, his body seemingly frozen solid, sparkling and beautiful.

Compared to Hyoga, unconscious on the ground, Camus—still clad in the golden Aquarius Cloth—remained exceptionally calm.

Especially the look he directed at Feng Zhe, calm yet tinged with a trace of harshness.

"Why?"

"The Aquarius line has always been known for wisdom and erudition. You know well that during Saga's rebellion, you sealed the Pope Shion in ice, which objectively aided Saga. Now, even if you grovel before the Goddess, you cannot truly be accepted into her camp. So you decided to take a gamble.

"If the Goddess forgave you, she would revive you upon her arrival. If not, your death would serve to help Hyoga grow, and the trust in the path of freezing would remain with the Goddess."

Every word from Feng Zhe seemed to pierce straight into Camus' soul, causing a subtle tremor beneath his composed exterior.

"You knew all this, yet you ruined my plan!" Camus, his defenses broken, shouted angrily.

Feng Zhe shook his head. "If I could see through your little scheme, do you think you could hide it from the Goddess? She would see it as nothing but clever self-deception. If you really died, that would be the beginning of her suspicion toward your entire path of freezing."

"That's nonsense!"

Camus' glare did not stop Feng Zhe's words. He continued, "Among the 88 Saints under the Goddess, twelve are the peerless Gold Saints. Each generation of the Goddess has depended on these twelve.

"The Gold Cloth of Aquarius was bestowed upon your school, and the Goddess has long tolerated your heretical ways for the sake of unity in the Holy War.

"Since you became the Saint of Aquarius, you should have understood your mission. Yet, for your own sake, you placed the honor and shame of your school above the Goddess. If you were the Goddess, would you continue to tolerate this?"

Camus fell silent, his mind racing to calculate the truth in Feng Zhe's reasoning.

"If I were the Goddess, I would not save you. Not even Hyoga would be trusted again. After the Holy War, it would mean the extinction of your path of freezing in Sanctuary!"

Camus suddenly looked up at Feng Zhe, a flash of panic in his eyes.

In truth, Feng Zhe was not wrong. Even with Camus' help, the next Aquarius Saint would rather be a chaotic figure like Tokisada than a disciple of the freezing path. Hyoga, knowing full well he could never be fully trusted, would later destroy his entire school himself, to prove his loyalty.

Feng Zhe did not believe that the followers of the Goddess of Dawn, in Camus' lineage, were just a single branch. Most likely, like the Jamir clan, they were a distinct group.

Camus understood deeply that whether they were trusted would determine the future of his school.

So he suddenly approached, half-knelt before Feng Zhe, and said, "I was wrong. I will confess before the Goddess—for my past mistakes and for my folly today."

A smile appeared on Feng Zhe's face as he gazed into the distance.

The Goddess' cosmos descended again, and a gentle thought spoke: "Camus, I accept your repentance."

Feng Zhe smiled inwardly. As expected, that Lady Saori had been watching nearby all along.

Hearing the Goddess' voice, Camus broke into tears, completely embodying sincere remorse.

...

Meanwhile, the battle between Shun and Aphrodite was drawing to a close.

Shun, his Cloth shattered, had fully unleashed his cosmos and ascended from the Sixth Sense to the mid-level of the Seventh Sense in an instant.

This sudden surge left Aphrodite dumbfounded. He could not comprehend how this seemingly ordinary Bronze Saint could leap to the mid-level of the Seventh Sense so abruptly, and even appeared to have strength to spare.

Thankfully, following Feng Zhe's advice, Aphrodite had also improved his cosmos and reached the mid-level Seventh Sense.

With a grave expression, Aphrodite drew a dark blue rose from his hand, preparing to strike a mortal blow.

"Stop!"

Feng Zhe's voice instantly turned Aphrodite's anger into delight.

"Alex, I knew you would come back!"

With a twist of his waist, Aphrodite came before Feng Zhe.

Feng Zhe smiled. It was thanks to Aphrodite's help that he had finally broken through to the Seventh Sense. Seeing his old friend again, he naturally embraced him.

Feng Zhe regarded it as a friendly hug, but Aphrodite blushed, looking bashful.

As for Shun, though uninjured, he seemed dazed, as if some awareness had been triggered within him. Subconsciously, he felt he must defeat Aphrodite, and thus his cosmos soared again.

Aphrodite exclaimed in astonishment, "His cosmos has reached the high level!"

At present, aside from the ancient Master Dohko at Rozan and Shaka of Virgo, no one else in Sanctuary had reached the high level of the Seventh Sense.

Yet this unknown Bronze Saint of Andromeda had achieved it—this was not just a failing student becoming top of the class, but a failing student turning into Einstein, a shock so great that Aphrodite was left speechless.

"No wonder that one took a liking to his body!"

With a flash, Feng Zhe appeared before Shun and tapped his forehead, murmuring, "Corpse Gas..."

When Feng Zhe returned from the Yomotsu Hirasaka, Shun had regained his senses.

Aphrodite cast him a resentful glance and scolded, "You almost killed me just now!"

"I'm sorry, truly sorry. It was my fault," Shun, back to his gentle, timid self, bowed repeatedly in apology.

Fortunately, Aphrodite, in good spirits after seeing Feng Zhe, did not hold a grudge.

The two shook hands and made peace. Just then, a violent tremor erupted from the Pope's Palace.

Feng Zhe looked into the distance. "It seems Seiya's battle with the false Pope has begun."

He turned to Aphrodite and asked, "How did that Arvid manage to become Pope? Is your tolerance really so high?"

This was Feng Zhe's greatest question.

During the two years he had been gone, what had happened that allowed such a dubious figure to become Pope? It was simply unfathomable.

Aphrodite sighed, then began to explain the whole story.