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Mu, Shura, and Camus—three of Sanctuary's most powerful Gold Saints. Besides Saga and Shaka, who had already reached the Eighth Sense, these three were the strongest.
Through rigorous training with Mika, they had reached the peak of the Seventh Sense, even touching upon the Eighth.
Now, wielding Gold Weapons, their combined power was immense.
Even Mika, facing their combined assault, found himself struggling, though it was more of a test than a true challenge—His battles with Shaka had honed his skills, particularly his spatial manipulation techniques.
Facing the three Gold Saints and their powerful Gold Weapons, he utilized this technique to its fullest extent, weaving through the battlefield, dodging their attacks.
After all, their weapons' power was meaningless if they couldn't hit him.
However, Mu, Shura, and Camus weren't without countermeasures. Having observed his movements, they quickly devised a strategy.
Mu used Starlight Extinction to distort space.
Shura used his Excalibur to slice through it.
And Camus used Aurora Execution to freeze it.
Each unleashed their most powerful techniques, hoping to trap Mika, to limit his mobility.
But Mika knew them too well. He had mastered their techniques, his own versions even more refined.
He countered Mu's spatial distortions with his own Starlight Extinction—re-stabilizing the warped reality.
He instantly repaired the spatial rifts created by Shura's Excalibur.
And as for Camus's ice, he effortlessly melted it with his flames.
He had anticipated their every move, his counters ready, seamlessly neutralizing their attacks without a moment's hesitation.
This became the recurring theme of their battle.
While they could anticipate his attacks, they couldn't match his speed or versatility.
They lacked his vast repertoire of techniques and knowledge—gleaned from countless worlds.
"His battle sense—it's terrifying,"
Mu murmured inwardly as another of his attacks was neutralized.
Their battle was taking place at the speed of light—a blur of motion that pushed their minds to their limits.
To think and act, to strategize and adapt, at such speeds—it was an extraordinary feat, one that even Mu, a student of the former Pope, Shion, found astonishing.
He knew that while the Eighth Sense was a significant improvement over the Seventh.
The difference wasn't as vast as that between the Sixth and Seventh Senses—at least not when both combatants were wearing Gold Cloths, which provided similar levels of defense.
And while an Eighth Sense Saint's Cosmo was stronger—the Gold Weapons could compensate for that difference. Furthermore, their three-on-one advantage should have been enough to overwhelm him.
Yet, they couldn't even touch him...
Mika had countless opportunities to counterattack but had refrained, his focus elsewhere. He wasn't interested in simply defeating them; he was after something more.
He wanted them to use Athena Exclamation.
"It's frustrating... this feeling of helplessness," Mu thought. "Fortunately, our opponent is Mika. If this were a battle against the Specters—such hesitation would be unforgivable."
As a student of the former Pope, Mu was usually calm and collected, his emotions rarely swaying him—But now, he felt a surge of frustration, a desperate desire for victory.
"Argh!"
He stopped pursuing Mika and roared, his Cosmo erupting, surging skyward.
"Here it comes!" Shura exclaimed excitedly. He, too, had been eager to unleash his full power, frustrated by Mika's effortless evasion of their attacks.
"Are we going all out, Mu?" Camus asked, his expression grim.
"Yes! Now! Right here! It's time for our decisive battle!"
Mu lowered his stance, adopting the posture required for [Athena Exclamation]—It was a combination technique, requiring three Gold Saints to synchronize their Cosmos in specific poses.
"THEN LET'S BEGIN!" Shura and Camus joined him.
Their bodies mirroring his stance as their Cosmos resonated, merging within Mu's outstretched hands, compressing into a single, incredibly dense point of energy.
Mika, seeing them prepare for Athena Exclamation, felt a familiar chill run down his spine, a premonition of death he hadn't experienced in a long time.
"YES! This is it!" Mika exclaimed.
His excitement surging as they adopted the stance for the forbidden technique.
Mika had stopped dodging, his light spear and light sword held before him. He hadn't invited them here to simply avoid their attack.
"Then I, too, shall unleash my full power!" He brought his weapons together, their energies merging as he channeled his Cosmo, a blade of fiery light extending outward from his hands, growing larger and larger, until it resembled a massive greatsword, its tip piercing the sky.
"TRY THIS! Heavenly Fire: Calamity Annihilation!"
———
"Athena Exclamation!"
"Calamity Annihilation!"
They unleashed their attacks simultaneously, their voices echoing through the pocket dimension.
Mu, Shura, and Camus's Athena Exclamation, a forbidden technique with the power to recreate the Big Bang itself within a limited area—clashed against Mika's Heavenly Fire: Calamity Annihilation.
Fueled by his burning Cosmo and imbued with the Laws he had gleaned from countless worlds.
Infinite power against infinite energy, their attacks collided, merging, their energies intertwining and amplifying each other in an unexpected and terrifying synergy.
Then, before their eyes, a singularity formed at the point of impact, expanding rapidly, consuming them and shattering the pocket dimension completely.
"That was close," Mika muttered, dropping the three unconscious Gold Saints he had managed to pull from the collapsing dimension.
He hadn't anticipated such a reaction.
While Athena Exclamation possessed immense destructive power, its range was limited.
It had the force of the Big Bang, but not its scale.
After all, it was still the combined Cosmo of three Gold Saints.
However, when two Athena Exclamations collided, as had happened during the battle of the Twelve Temples when Mu, Milo, and Aiolia countered Saga, Shura, and Camus's attack, the resulting singularity could expand indefinitely, its destructive power growing exponentially.
If not for Seiya and the others deflecting that combined attack skyward with their own Cosmos, Sanctuary itself would have been destroyed—and Sanctuary, protected by layers of powerful barriers imbued with Athena's power, was incredibly resilient.
However, the collision between Athena Exclamation and Calamity Annihilation was even more devastating...
It wasn't just the scale of the explosion that increased, but its power as well.
Mika had been caught in the blast, the rapidly expanding energy threatening to consume him completely.
He had been forced to activate his Cancer God Cloth, unleashing the full power of his Eighth Sense Cosmo, to escape the collapsing dimension, dragging Mu, Shura, and Camus with him.
Even then, they were all severely injured, on the verge of death.
"Don't worry... I won't let you die." Athena's voice echoed from behind him just as his vision began to fade. A wave of warm Cosmo enveloped him.
"You arrived just in time, Athena,"
Mika said, turning to face her, his voice weak but filled with relief. He always used the formal address when other Gold Saints were present.
"I've been watching over you," She replied with a gentle smile.
She had anticipated such an outcome when Mika requested her permission for the duel.
Athena Exclamation was a volatile technique, its power easily amplified, especially when combined with Mika's unpredictable abilities. She hadn't wanted to interfere with his training but had been prepared to rescue him if necessary.
After all, she was no longer the newly awakened Saori Kido, struggling to control her powers, but Athena, her divine form restored, her Cosmo immense.
As a Major Goddess, within her own domain, Sanctuary, she could prevent any true death, unless she willed it. Fortunately, Mika had managed to escape on his own, though Mu, Shura, and Camus required her intervention.
Under her healing touch, their wounds began to close.
"I expected as much," Mika said, leaning against a nearby pillar. After all, he had informed her of his plans, of the potential dangers of Athena Exclamation.
What if he couldn't withstand it?
A Gold Saint's defense, limited by their Cloth, was finite.
Even the God Cloth might not be enough.
But, Having learned a valuable lesson from his gaming days—always inform your support before attempting something risky—he had made sure Saori was aware of the potential dangers.
It could save his life.
"I was counting on your protection, Athena," Mika said with a smile.
"I'm glad you trust me." She continued healing the three injured Gold Saints.
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