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*****
"Well done!"
Shaina didn't press the matter further, instead giving George an appreciative pat on the shoulder. For Dio to be injured as a Silver Saint by George—who didn't even possess a Bronze Cloth—was embarrassing enough. Pushing it further would likely cause a total meltdown. The trio of Musca, Canis Major, and Heracles were close-knit and served as the Pope's trusted confidants; making too many enemies out of them would be troublesome.
George didn't care much. If his memory served him right, the Saint of Musca didn't have much longer to live anyway.
Late that night, George quietly slipped out of his stone hut and made his way to the entrance of the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac.
"Athena's Barrier... quite impressive."
He didn't immediately rush toward the space between Scorpio and Sagittarius. Instead, he stopped to examine his surroundings. From the first house of the Zodiac to the very peak of the mountain, the entire area was enveloped in a barrier personally laid down by Athena in the Age of Myth. Within this barrier, flight and spatial teleportation were nullified; one had to climb the mountain step by step.
"Still, I can handle this."
After observing for a moment, George activated the authority of the Marauder pathway. Finding a loophole in the barrier, his figure flickered and vanished. When he reappeared, he was already positioned midway between the House of Scorpio and the House of Sagittarius.
"Open Door!"
Stretching out his hand to "draw" a door on the ground, he bypassed the divine seal entirely and entered the Ophiuchus Temple, which was buried deep within the mountainside.
"As I thought, the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth."
Inside the temple, he immediately spotted the glittering golden armor resting in the center of the hall. Placing his hand on it, George utilized the "Fraud" authority of the Marauder pathway once more.
Cloths were not inanimate objects; nourished by generations of Saints' Cosmo, they possessed a rudimentary sentience. You couldn't simply put one on and fight; specifically with Gold Cloths, one needed the powerful Seventh Sense and the Cloth's own recognition. Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a heavy suit of leaden armor—or worse, the Cloth would actively reject the wearer.
George currently lacked the Seventh Sense and had no prior connection to Ophiuchus. Left to normal means, he wouldn't be able to use it. Thus, he used "Fraud" to deceive the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth, making it believe he was its original master, Odysseus.
Sure enough, influenced by the deception, the Gold Cloth disassembled and automatically equipped itself onto George's body. In that instant, a flood of useful information flowed into George's mind.
Saints of the same constellation across generations often use the same techniques, even if they aren't master and disciple. This is because inheriting a Cloth grants access to the residual memories and "information" left behind by previous owners—chiefly their secret techniques.
Having gained the "recognition" of the Ophiuchus Cloth, George inherited the techniques of Odysseus. Ophiuchus was known as the strongest Gold Saint not just for a Cosmo that surpassed the others, but for its unique mastery of Medicine and Poison. His medical skills could heal any wound or even snatch a soul back from Hades. His poisons were so potent they could affect gods—not just minor deities, but Great Gods like Poseidon or Hades. If they were struck by the full force of Ophiuchus's toxicity, even they faced the risk of death.
"If I wear this for a few hours a day, I should reach the Seventh Sense in no time."
Beyond inheriting the techniques, the Gold Cloth allowed George to experience the "atmosphere" of the Seventh Sense ahead of time. Given his high-level status, it wouldn't take long for him to elevate this body's Cosmo to the Ultimate level.
George stayed in the Ophiuchus Temple all night. The next morning, he removed the armor and stored it in a specially created "Wardrobe Space." From now on, he could equip the Gold Cloth in a split second without having to carry a heavy Cloth Box everywhere like other Saints.
During the day, George hung around the plaza, using his Sixth Sense Cosmo to challenge the elite soldiers and even the resident Bronze Saints. Defeating armored Bronze Saints while unarmored caused George's reputation in the Sanctuary to skyrocket. Many believed that by next year, George might skip the Bronze rank entirely and go straight for a Silver Cloth.
At night, he returned to the sealed temple to wear the Gold Cloth and meditate on the Seventh Sense.
Five days later, at dawn, George opened his eyes within the Ophiuchus Temple.
"So this is the Ultimate Cosmo? Interesting."
Upon reaching the Seventh Sense, he realized it was essentially the prototype of a universe. If one could understand the laws of creation on this foundation, there was a high chance of expanding it into a literal universe. Of course, the Saints of this world didn't follow the path of creation; they simply focused on increasing the intensity of their Cosmo to unleash greater power.
George stored the Ophiuchus Cloth and headed to the plaza as usual. Because of his burgeoning fame, he was no longer required to participate in standard drills and had the freedom to choose his daily activities. His treatment was already on par with a Bronze Saint.
"What's that?"
Walking along the edge of the plaza, he heard a commotion nearby. One of the voices belonged to Chief of Staff Gigas, who managed the Sanctuary's daily affairs. Since Gigas lacked combat power but was loyal to the current Pope, he held the authority to command soldiers below the Silver rank.
"Marin is here, too."
Moving toward the noise, George spotted Marin of Aquila—Seiya's master—hiding near a rock and eavesdropping.
"Why are you doing such things in Siberia? I demand an audience with the Pope for an explanation!"
"Watch your tone! You are being impolite to Chief Gigas!"
"Shut up, you lapdog of the new Pope."
"You... do you intend to oppose His Holiness?"
"The responsibility of the Sanctuary and its Saints is to maintain peace from the shadows when evil overruns the world. It is not to act willfully for selfish desires. I, the Crystal Saint, will never recognize such behavior—even if it is the Pope's command!"
"So it's the Crystal Saint, Hyoga's master," George mused as he listened. He remembered this part of the plot: Saga, posing as the Pope, had ordered the forced labor of Siberian villagers to build an ice pyramid. The Crystal Saint had come to the Sanctuary to protest.
In the original story, he was hit by Saga's Genma Ken (Demon Emperor's Delusion Fist), brainwashed, and sent back to Siberia to oversee the pyramid. He was eventually beaten back to his senses by the combined efforts of Hyoga and Seiya, and he died destroying the pyramid with his remaining strength.
"Guards! Seize this traitor!" Gigas screamed.
Gigas ordered the nearby soldiers and Bronze Saints to capture the Crystal Saint. However, the Crystal Saint was the disciple of Camus of Aquarius and the master of Hyoga. His strength was superior even to most Silver Saints; a few Bronze Saints and foot soldiers were no match for him. They were quickly laid low.
Just as the Crystal Saint was about to finish off Gigas, the Pope (Saga) finally appeared. The scene played out as it did in the original timeline: Saga used the Genma Ken to control the Crystal Saint's mind, and the latter obediently left the Sanctuary.
However, George didn't just stand by. He followed the Crystal Saint and intercepted him just after he exited the Sanctuary's perimeter.
"Why do you block my path?" The brainwashed Crystal Saint looked at the soldier before him with cold, murderous eyes.
George smiled. "You were hit by the Pope's technique. Your mind is being controlled. I am here to help you."
"Bold! To slander His Holiness is death!" The Crystal Saint's Cosmo erupted. "Diamond Dust!"
A blast of freezing air and supersonic punches surged toward George's vitals.
"All spells end."
George's figure flickered, dodging the attack at the speed of light, and he tapped the back of the Crystal Saint's head. Having mastered the Seventh Sense and the Ultimate Cosmo, his speed was now at the light-speed level. The Crystal Saint, while strong for a Silver-tier, only moved at roughly Mach 3—he couldn't even touch George.
"Ah!"
The Crystal Saint trembled and collapsed to his knees. After a long moment, his dull eyes cleared and regained their luster.
"Was I not going to see the Pope? Why am I here?" He remembered defeating the guards and meeting the Pope... then things became a blur.
"The Pope attacked you and took control of your mind," George reminded him.
"Yes... the Pope attacked me!" The Crystal Saint recalled the meeting and realized the truth. "Thank you for breaking the control. But who are you? Why help me?"
The man before him wore the standard armor of a trainee, yet possessed power far exceeding his own and had easily dispelled the Pope's high-level technique.
"I am Ola, a Saint candidate. I have been training in the Sanctuary. I happened to be hiding nearby when you met the Pope," George explained.
The Crystal Saint looked skeptical. "A candidate? A candidate doesn't have power like yours." He felt George's strength was top-tier even among Silver Saints.
"I only awakened my Cosmo recently. I've had some... unique encounters that granted me this power," George said, brushing past the details. "That's not important. What matters is that the Pope is a fraud. He is not Pope Arles; he is an impostor."
"What?!" The Crystal Saint's expression turned grave. He forgot about George's "unique encounters" instantly. "How do you know?"
Even though the Pope had attacked him, he had assumed the Pope had simply become tyrannical; he never considered the man might be an impostor. The Sanctuary was guarded by Athena's barrier and the Gold Saints; even Poseidon or Hades couldn't have replaced the Pope silently.
"I happened to overhear a conversation between the Pope and Chief Gigas, and I did some investigating of my own." George shared some of the intelligence he possessed.
The Crystal Saint was stunned. "You're saying the man who killed Pope Shion wasn't Aiolos, but Saga of Gemini? And that Saga killed Arles and stole his identity?" It was hearsay of the most scandalous order.
"I used a special ability to turn invisible and see the Pope without his mask. He looks exactly like the missing Saga. Furthermore, the move he used to control you is the Gemini secret technique: the Genma Ken."
George provided the final, decisive piece of evidence. The Crystal Saint was convinced. "I must go tell my master immediately!" His master was Camus of Aquarius. Only the Gold Saints could expose Saga's conspiracy.
George caught the Crystal Saint before he could rush back. "If you enter the Sanctuary now, Saga will detect you. Besides, on words alone, it will be hard to convince the other Gold Saints that the Pope is an impostor."
"Then what should we do?" The Crystal Saint looked anxious.
"The priority is protecting Athena and stopping the Saints the Pope sends to Tokyo to steal the Sagittarius Gold Cloth..." George laid out his plan.
The Crystal Saint nodded. "Fine. I will go to Tokyo immediately!"
In Siberia, he had already taken out the men overseeing the pyramid construction before coming to the Sanctuary, so he didn't need to return immediately. If the girl Saori Kido was indeed the Athena Aiolos saved, he had to be there as a Saint. Plus, his student Hyoga was there. It was the perfect chance to verify George's claims.
"Take this. If anything happens, channel your Cosmo into it to contact me. I'll stay in the Sanctuary and notify you of any developments here." George handed the Crystal Saint a magical "mirror" he had crafted for long-distance video communication.
(End of Chapter)