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*****
"What do I intend? To rule the world, of course!"
The white-haired Hilda made no effort to conceal her ambition. "Your Sanctuary has ruled this world for eons, monopolizing the finest lands and the most abundant resources. You live without the bite of frost or the gnawing of hunger. Meanwhile, the people of my Asgard are forced to survive in this desolate, frozen wasteland, destitute and starving. I will slay Athena and become the sovereign of this world so that my people may finally know prosperity!"
"If that is truly your only grievance, you needn't resort to such extremes," George replied, not reaching for violence but instead offering a calm smile.
"Sanctuary wields influence over many nations. If your people lack food and clothing, I can command the wealthy nations to ship supplies to you free of charge. If charity wounds your pride, we can establish trade routes; you may exchange Asgard's unique local specialties for whatever you require. Open your borders to commerce. If life in the Far North is too harsh, we can open migratory paths so your people can settle in warmer climates. In this era, transportation is convenient; anyone with capable hands and feet can lead a decent life in any country. Or, if you refuse to abandon these lands, I can personally construct spatial teleportation gates for you. You could cross glaciers and oceans in an instant, visiting any nation you wish and returning whenever you please. What do you say?"
Hearing George's terms, the eyes of the God Warriors flickered with hesitation. The offer was, frankly, far too generous to ignore. Even Hilda's expression shifted momentarily, but a dark light suddenly flashed from the ring on her finger, and her face hardened back into a mask of cold cruelty.
"Asgard has no need for Sanctuary's pity! Once we have killed Athena and razed Sanctuary to the ground, everything in this world will belong to us. Asgard shall be the sole master of the Earth!"
"Excluding the Silver and Bronze Saints, Sanctuary currently boasts ten Gold Saints, myself included," George noted coolly. "As for our strength... the two 'younger brothers' you sent couldn't even make it past the first temple, the Temple of Taurus. Even if the six of you here are stronger than them, the notion that you could wipe out all the Gold Saints and assassinate Athena seems... unlikely. But fine, let's assume you succeed. How many of Asgard's people do you think would be left alive when the dust settles? How many children will lose parents? How many wives will lose husbands? Is that the 'prosperity' you wish to see?"
George's words were like whetted blades, stabbing into the consciences of the six God Warriors. They knew he was right; even a victory against Sanctuary would come at a devastating cost. They had declared war to give their people a better life—but what good is a better life if everyone is dead? Especially when Sanctuary had just offered everything they wanted on a silver platter.
"Furthermore, there is one more thing you should know," George continued. "The Holy War that occurs once every two hundred years is about to begin. The Specters have already assassinated our previous Pope. Soon, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, will descend upon the mortal realm with his 108 Specters, as well as the twin gods of Death and Sleep. If Sanctuary falls now, the survivors of Asgard will have to face them alone. What do you think your chances are then?"
"Hades...!"
At the mention of the King of the Underworld, even the ring-controlled Hilda couldn't suppress a flicker of dread. The six God Warriors looked grim.
"Queen, I believe he makes sense," Siegfried of Dubhe, the leader and strongest of the God Warriors, whispered as he turned to Hilda. "Perhaps we truly can live in peace with Sanctuary."
Hilda's face contorted in a struggle. Though the ring amplified her lust for power to an infinite degree, she was no fool; George's logic was ironclad. But the desire to be the sole Queen—a sovereign more exalted than Athena—raged within her.
"No! Kill him! What does Hades matter? Once we rule the world, we can raise even more God Warriors. The Great Odin will surely support me and help me defeat Hades! Besides, I have the Nibelung Ring; it allows me to command the magic of the entire world. And I have... other support!"
In the end, the Ring's corruption overrode her reason. Hilda leveled her scepter at George and struck first. Though the God Warriors disagreed with her words, their absolute loyalty to their Queen forced them to follow suit.
"Odin Tempest!"
"Titanic Hercules!"
"Amethyst Shield!"
"Northern Wolf Pack Fist!"
"Blue Impulse!"
"Stringer Requiem!"
The power of the Nibelung Ring, combined with the might of six ultimate Seventh Sense Cosmos, descended upon George like a cataclysmic storm. It was an attack so terrifying that no other Gold Saint in Sanctuary—not even Dohko, Saga, or Shaka—could have blocked it head-on.
"Do you truly think I spent all that time talking because I feared you?" George shook his head slowly. "I was merely showing respect to Odin."
Since arriving at the altar, he had sensed a faint ripple of mental energy emanating from the colossal statue of Odin. Clearly, the God-King of this world had been watching ever since Hilda fell under the Ring's control. George suspected Odin wasn't unable to intervene; he was likely feigning ignorance. If Hilda succeeded in replacing Sanctuary, it benefited Odin. If she failed, he could claim he never noticed, keeping things civil with Zeus.
In the original story, Odin only intervened once Seiya and the others had collected the Odin Sapphires, briefly lending Seiya his Robe to cut the Ring. By then, Hilda's defeat was inevitable, and Odin chose to help Athena rather than let Poseidon claim the spoils.
Regardless of the gods' schemes, George—acting as the Pope—felt it best to try diplomacy first. I offered the best possible terms, he thought. If you still want to kill me, don't blame me for what comes next.
"Tenma Kōfuku!"
A divine-level Cosmos surpassing the Eighth Sense erupted. George unleashed Shaka's signature move.
The Heavenly Courts of the East, the Buddha's sermon at Vulture Peak, the Twenty-Four Devas of India, the Paradise of Jehovah—various divine realms manifested around George. Under his overwhelming Cosmos, these ancient deities seemed to come to life, striking out to meet the God Warriors' assault.
Boom!
Seven screams rang out simultaneously. Hilda and the six God Warriors were utterly crushed by George's overwhelming power. They collapsed to the ground, coughing blood, their God Robes shattered into remnants.
"This... this is impossible... How can you be this strong?" Hilda gasped, her eyes filled with disbelief. When George's Cosmos fully erupted, they had felt the terrifying sensation of standing before a true, primordial god.
"Seal!"
George walked calmly to Hilda. He reached out and grasped the golden ring on her finger, layering seal upon seal onto it. He slid the ring off with ease and remarked pointedly, "I thought something felt off. It was this ring all along."
As the ring was removed, Hilda's hair instantly reverted from white to its original grey-blue, and the madness in her eyes faded into clarity.
"My Queen!" the wounded God Warriors cried out, their faces full of concern. They didn't fully understand George's words, but they could feel that their kind and gentle Queen had returned.
Hilda looked at George, her face pale with apology. "I am deeply sorry for the attack on Athena and for what just happened. Please, forgive us... that was not my true will."
"I know. It was the ring. Now, tell me—who placed this ring on your finger?" George waved his hand, raining down golden light upon the God Warriors. Their wounds healed instantly, and their God Robes were restored to perfect condition.
"It was Poseidon. Beware the Marina..." Hilda recounted the experience of being forcibly controlled by Poseidon's divine power.
"Cursed Poseidon! Damned Marinas! We will not let them get away with this!" The God Warriors were livid. To think their beloved Queen had been used as a puppet to incite a war with Athena was an unforgivable insult.
"It seems the one hiding over there is a Marina. This was all Poseidon's scheme from the start," George said with a smile, turning his gaze toward the area where the melting glaciers met the sea.
In that instant, a powerful Cosmos erupted from the water and began to flee into the distance at high speed.
"Damn, I've been spotted!" Sorrento of Siren, one of the seven Marina Generals, didn't hesitate for a second. Having witnessed George defeat Hilda and six God Warriors with a single blow, he knew the Pope was not someone he could handle alone. His priority was to report this back to the Undersea Temple.
"That's Siren Sorrento! Poseidon sent him to monitor me!" Hilda exclaimed.
"Filthy Marina, you won't escape!" The God Warriors prepared to dive into the sea, but George stopped them.
"Stay here and protect Queen Hilda. Ensure Poseidon cannot influence her again. I'll go have a little 'chat' with the Marinas myself."
With a shimmer of motion, George appeared high above Sorrento.
"Tenpō Rinné—The Buddha's Palm!"
George extended his hand. Sorrento, who was on the verge of vanishing, found himself snapped back to his original position. No matter which direction he fled—even trying to fly at the speed of light—he could not move away from George's side. This was another of Shaka's techniques, refined by George's own mastery over spatial laws. It wasn't quite the level of the Buddha trapping the Monkey King, but it was remarkably close.
"Dead End Symphony!"
Seeing no way to outrun George, Sorrento raised his flute to play his ultimate melody. He hoped to weaken George's strength and use the moment of confusion to escape. He didn't even dream of killing George; the power gap was too vast.
However, as the first note began to form, George simply said:
"Silence."
No matter how hard Sorrento blew, no sound emerged from the flute. Then, George's voice echoed directly in his mind:
"Cease your resistance. You are no match for me. Do not worry, I will not kill you. Lead me to Atlantis to find Poseidon; I wish to speak with him."
"Fine... I will take you." Sorrento hesitated for a moment before nodding. He agreed not out of a fear of death, but because he saw an opportunity to uncover the truth. He had long suspected that Kanon, the Sea Dragon General who had gathered them in Poseidon's name, was hiding something.
As a General, Sorrento believed Poseidon could wipe out evil and build an ideal world—that was why he fought. But manipulating Hilda was not a righteous act. He suspected these were the private machinations of the Sea Dragon, who might be using Poseidon's name to rule both land and sea.
"Then, lead the way!"
George saw right through Sorrento's thoughts but chose not to expose them. He followed the Marina down into the depths toward the sunken city of Atlantis. Even if Poseidon were fully awakened in his original divine body—let alone his current half-awakened state—George was not afraid.
(End of Chapter)