"Miss Saori, what exactly are you trying to do?" Mayura's expression was calm, but her voice was low as she asked the question.
Over the past few days, she had learned that many Saints had left the Sanctuary. In fact, even the Gold Saints had departed one by one.
What exactly was happening? Mayura did not know. She only knew that they had left their Cloths behind before departing. When she returned to the Sanctuary, it felt like a deserted building.
She had also seen her close friend, Olivia. However, the feeling Olivia gave her was very strange. She was certain it was still the same woman, yet she seemed entirely different.
There were too many questions.
Especially today, when she saw Saori and discovered this man who appeared like a phantom. Meanwhile, the young girls around them seemed to know something.
Right now, Mayura was filled with bewilderment. She felt like a spectator standing outside a locked room, running around in circles, yet knowing absolutely nothing.
"Ah?" Riku was stunned and asked curiously, "Saori, didn't you tell her anything?"
"Mayura, I wasn't sure if this child would choose to stay," Saori said softly. "I didn't intend for her to return. I planned to wait until everything concluded before slowly considering how to handle things."
Olivia and Mayura were best friends. Furthermore, as an aunt figure, Olivia cared deeply for Kyoko, Shoko, and the other children.
Because of this, Saori did not want to force Mayura to make a choice. She had not intended for her to come back, preferring she stay outside until the curtain fell on everything.
However, she had not expected Mayura to return on her own.
"Miss Saori." At that moment, Olivia walked in. She bowed slightly and said, "Let me speak with Mayura."
"Very well." Saori nodded in agreement. Olivia was indeed the most suitable person for the task.
"Olivia?" Mayura's brow furrowed behind her mask.
Olivia wore a gentle smile and said peacefully, "Don't be anxious, Mayura. I will explain everything to you slowly."
"Fine."
The two sisters left the Goddess's Temple. Led by Kyoko, the other girls also departed one by one.
"What's next?" Riku frowned slightly. "Saori, you're being a bit hasty. You've dismissed almost all the Saints before the Holy War has even ended. There aren't many people left in the Sanctuary now."
Kyoko, Shoko, Mii, Xing Xiaoling, Katya, and Erda, six girls.
Saeko Busujima, Rika Minami, and Rei Miyamoto, three more.
Aside from them, the presences Riku could sense were few and far between, just a few scattered individuals.
Clearly, with only a few women left, including Olivia and Mayura, the numbers were far from enough to face the upcoming Holy War. To put it another way, if this was not handled properly and news leaked out, it would be a major problem.
"Riku, they protect the Earth and peace, they do not fight for my selfish desires." Saori's voice was calm, yet tinged with a hint of emotion.
In a sense, Saori was not a good person. To put it bluntly, as long as one was a god, they were not good in the conventional sense. But similarly, while Saori was not a saint, she was unwilling to treat the Saints of the Sanctuary as mere cannon fodder, only to discard them without hesitation once everything was over.
"Fair enough." Riku smacked his lips. He did not really mind, saying casually, "It's your call. Dealing with it shouldn't be a big problem anyway."
"However..." Riku began to ponder, considering how they should proceed.
The Holy War required people, it was not something that could be handled haphazardly. But where would the candidates come from? That was the question.
"Mr. Riku!"
At that moment, accompanied by the sound of a Zen staff, a tall figure clad in a Gold Cloth entered the Goddess's Temple.
"Sanzang?" Riku raised an eyebrow as he looked at the newcomer, finding it interesting. "Why did you choose to stay? And you're even..."
The Virgo Gold Saint!
That's right. Sanzang was wearing the Virgo Gold Cloth. Riku truly had not expected this development.
"Miss Saori persuaded this poor monk," Sanzang said with a peaceful smile.
Riku looked at Saori and smiled, nodding in approval.
As expected, it took a professional to deal with a professional. When it came to the gift of gab, Riku knew he was no match. If it came down to fists, he had no problem, at worst, he would just start a fight. But talking someone's ear off? Sorry, that definitely was not his specialty.
"The start of the Holy War won't be that sudden," Saori said gently. "Under my suppression, the Holy War will not fully erupt for at least another five years."
"Huh?" Riku was slightly stunned to hear this and asked in surprise, "Is that even possible?"
Sanzang walked to the side, quietly listening to their conversation.
Generally speaking, the Holy War began in cycles of 243 years. And regardless of how many gods were faced, the war usually ended within three to five months, certainly less than a year.
Yet now, Saori was saying she could suppress it? For five years? Or even longer?
Now, this was interesting! How was she doing it?
"He hopes to use me as a blade to completely sever Hades in this battle. In that case..." A smile played on Saori's lips. "As long as I don't completely flip the table, the initiative of this Holy War remains in my hands."
"I see..." Riku thought for a moment and agreed.
Would Saori make some secret moves? Zeus knew, but he did not care. In Zeus's eyes, as long as Saori followed the path, it did not matter, as this was already the final Holy War.
Because of that, nothing else was important. To put it simply, it was a game of tug-of-war behind the scenes. As long as they did not tear through the paper-thin veil of civility, everything was fine.