"Seiya!"
"Attack together!"
Seeing this, Shiryu and the other three knew they had no chance of winning in single combat.
The three simultaneously burned their Cosmo, each unleashing their strongest techniques, attacking Shion from three different directions.
"Rozan Shoryuha!"
"Diamond Dust!"
"Nebula Chain!"
Dragon's roar, ice crystals, nebula… intertwined into a destructive torrent.
However, Shion simply raised his right hand gently.
"Step back."
His telekinesis formed an invisible barrier, sending all three attackers flying, crashing heavily to the ground like Seiya.
Horror was written on the faces of the four. They had already fought against powerful Gold Saints and even the Marina Generals.
Yet, facing this former Pope, they still felt their own insignificance.
So this was the former Pope. So this was the strength of the legendary previous generation of Gold Saints, considered the strongest generation?
Even after becoming a Specter, his strength remained unfathomable.
Shion slowly lowered his right hand, looking at Seiya, who was struggling to his feet, and Shiryu and the other two, who had steadied themselves. He sighed softly.
"Although your strength is average, the fact that you dared to attack me proves that the faith and courage of you Saints have not been tarnished."
He paused, then spoke words that left the four stunned: "That being said, I can entrust you with the mission of saving Athena."
"Saving Athena?" Seiya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of confusion and vigilance. "What do you mean? Isn't Saori-sama already..."
Shion knelt on one knee, holding up Athena's still-warm divine blood with both hands.
His body trembled slightly. "This... this is the meaning of Athena's death!"
He murmured to himself, like the most devout believer reciting scripture.
Then, before the shocked eyes of Seiya and the other three, Shion suddenly splashed the divine blood he held in both hands onto the giant statue of Athena before them.
Something incredible happened.
The Athena statue suddenly erupted with a sacred radiance, then rapidly shrank.
The texture of rock faded, transforming into a brilliant golden metallic luster.
The outline of the statue became more delicate and vivid, as if it had come to life.
Within a few seconds, the Athena statue had transformed into an exquisite 'figure' held in Shion's hands.
"Th-this is..." Seiya's mouth fell open.
"This is Athena's God Cloth." Shion's tone was complex as he explained to Seiya and the other three. "Just as human Cloths need the blood of Saints to repair when damaged..."
"Athena's God Cloth is the same. It needs Athena's divine blood to awaken from its eternal slumber."
"To fight Hades, Athena must have her own God Cloth. But this secret was known only to the successive Popes."
Shion's voice turned bitter as he continued. "And I was assassinated by Saga thirteen years ago, causing this secret to be lost with my death."
"So, we deceased Saints pretended to agree to Hades's terms, put on these humiliating Surplices, and returned to the Sanctuary as 'traitors'!"
"Our goal was to return to Athena's side and personally tell her this truth."
'The truth was actually like this?'
Seiya and the other three were shocked, then felt ashamed. They had misunderstood.
'So Shion-sama and those Gold Saints were not traitors. They were protecting Athena in their own way.'
But Seiya was still confused: "If that's the case, why didn't you just say so from the beginning?"
Shion shook his head slightly. "We were being monitored by the [Hell Butterfly] sent from the Underworld the entire time. It was only after Athena died that those Hell Butterflies, thinking their mission complete, left."
Seiya clenched his fists and asked urgently, "Shion-sama, what should we do now?"
Shion said seriously, "As Pope, I command you to go to the Underworld and deliver this God Cloth to Athena."
He solemnly handed the 'Figure Cloth', containing vast divine power, to Shun, who was closest to him.
Shun instinctively held it with both hands, feeling the small God Cloth weigh as much as a thousand kilos, carrying the hope of the entire earth.
Then, Shion again approached the pool of Athena's divine blood, dipped his hand in it, and splashed it.
The moment the divine blood touched the Cloths, a faint sizzle sounded.
The four's Cloths simultaneously emitted unprecedented light. Although they still had the luster of Bronze, a sacred aura was added to that light.
Shion explained, "The souls and bodies of the living cannot enter the realm of the Underworld unless they have attained the [Eighth Sense], which transcends life and death."
"Your Cloths, having been bathed in Athena's divine blood and blessed by the goddess's will, can allow you to enter the Underworld."
"We understand!" Seiya and the other three exchanged glances. There was no more confusion in their eyes, only an unwavering determination to press forward.
Just then, a voice gentle as violin sounded: "Shion, over two hundred years have passed, and you have grown."
The moment he heard this voice, Shion's body suddenly froze.
He quickly looked toward the direction the voice came from. A figure walked out from the shadows.
"Setsuna-nii, I..." Shion's voice was excited, but when he clearly saw the Surplice on Setsuna, his voice suddenly caught in his throat.
"Shion-sama?" Seiya noticed Shion's abnormality and looked at the suddenly appearing Setsuna warily, asking, "Is this person someone you know?"
Setsuna smiled slightly. "Of course we know each other. After all, I was also once a Saint of Athena."
"He's telling the truth." Shion spoke with difficulty, his voice dry. "Setsuna-nii was the Pope of our Holy War. He single-handedly severely wounded Hades and led us to victory in that Holy War, earning him the title of the strongest Pope in history!"
Hearing Shion give such a high assessment, Seiya's eyes instantly lit up.
"So that's it! Amazing!" Seiya shouted excitedly. "Then we have another powerful senior to help us, don't we?"
"With Setsuna-sama here, our hope of rescuing Saori-sama and defeating Hades is even greater!"
However, Shion showed no joy at all.
His gaze was fixed on the Surplice Setsuna wore. "Setsuna-nii, the Surplice you're wearing doesn't seem to be... the kind we were temporarily granted, is it?"
Facing Shion's questioning, Setsuna calmly nodded. "Correct. This is the Mephistopheles Surplice, ranked first among the 108 Evil Stars."
Shion took a deep breath and asked again, "So, you really have joined the Hades forces?"
Setsuna nodded again. "In a sense, that is correct."
"Why?" Shion finally could no longer maintain his outward calm, letting out a heartbreaking cry.
"Why... you, hailed as a hero among all Saints, regarded by us as a hero and a role model... would defect to Hades? Is eternal life truly that important?"
"Important enough... to make you abandon your former faith, trample on past glories, and kneel to a former enemy?"