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"You'll learn his identity soon enough—" Mu decided not to reveal Saga's presence.
They were acquainted—a simple meeting would be enough to clear up any confusion. He didn't need to interfere—as for how Seiya would react to learning Saga was his mentor… well, he would leave that to fate.
"Hmm…" Seiya murmured, looking at him curiously.
They soon reached Gemini.
As they walked through the temple, Seiya's eyes scanned the surroundings. He had been here before, during their initial assault on Sanctuary, but the temple had been empty then.
Seiya was curious about the new Gemini Gold Saint...
They had met the other new Gold Saints — Libra, Sagittarius, and Pisces — on their way to the Pope's chambers.
While the female Saints wore masks—as per Sanctuary tradition, they had still exchanged greetings. And the Sagittarius and Pisces Saints had seemed particularly interested in them, asking about their experiences during the battle of the Twelve Temples.
This only made the new Gemini Saint's absence even more conspicuous.
"We're here." Mu's voice interrupted Seiya's thoughts.
He looked and saw a shadowy figure standing at the temple's center, their back turned, their form obscured by the dim light. They were clearly concealing their presence.
"I've brought him. He's your responsibility now—" Mu said to the figure.
"—I understand. Leave him to me," a voice, calm and steady, replied from the shadows.
Seiya felt a sense of familiarity. Do I know him?
The voice did sound familiar... but who could it be? Besides the Gold Saints, he didn't know any other Seventh Sense warriors.
His curiosity grew.
After relaying Mika's instructions to the figure, Mu nodded at Seiya and left.
The figure stepped out of the shadows.
"SAGA?!" Seiya exclaimed, recognizing the familiar face and voice. He instinctively adopted a fighting stance.
This was, after all, the infamous traitor, a dangerous enemy.
"It's been a while, Seiya," Saga said with a smile, unfazed by his hostility.
As a "SINNER," he was accustomed to such reactions. He didn't resent it; it was deserved. Besides, he had always held a certain fondness for Seiya.
Even during his time as the false Pope, he had seen Seiya's potential, personally bestowing the Pegasus Cloth upon him.
The Pegasus Saints, throughout history, had always been exceptional—and Seiya had lived up to that legacy, his strength and determination evident during their battle in the Twelve Temples.
He had led his companions through Sanctuary's defenses, reaching the Pope's chambers, his potential undeniable.
This had further piqued Saga's interest.
Therefore, when Mika had suggested entrusting Seiya's training to him, he had readily agreed. After all, he had been quite idle recently.
Having neutralized Poseidon's influence in Asgard—and with Mika postponing their confrontation with the God of the Seas, he had little to do.
As an Eighth Sense Gold Saint, he was rarely called upon unless it involved a God-level threat. He had welcomed the distraction.
"Relax, Seiya. We're not enemies anymore. Think about Mu's reaction. He knew who I was, yet he still brought you here. That should tell you something."
Seiya considered his words...
Mu, his master's mentor and a wise and perceptive Saint, wouldn't have brought him here if Saga was still a threat. He relaxed slightly, lowering his guard.
"But… what are you doing here? I thought you were dead?"
"That's a long story—" Saga chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll explain later. But first, I should warn you: I intend to train you thoroughly. Prepare yourself for some—rigorous lessons."
——
While Saga was explaining his situation to Seiya, Mika was in his laboratory, upgrading the Bronze Saints' Cloths.
Knowing that they would eventually evolve into Divine Cloths, imbued with Athena's blood, he didn't use the same methods as in the original story but employed his own techniques, enhancing them to the level of—pseudo-Gold Cloths—granting them similar protective and supportive properties.
He had already gathered the necessary materials and completed the designs.
The upgrade process was swift and effortless.
However, while enhanced, they weren't true Gold Cloths, their appearance still retaining their original bronze color, though their designs were more refined.
This wasn't because he couldn't replicate the Gold Cloths' power—but because it wasn't necessary. He knew they would eventually be transformed into Divine Cloths, a far more powerful form.
For now, all he needed was for them to be able to channel Seiya and the others' Seventh Sense Cosmo. Athena would handle the rest.
Wasting precious resources on a temporary upgrade seemed excessive.
——
Having completed the upgrades, he returned the Cloths, and the Bronze Saints, feeling the surge of power from their enhanced armors, were delighted.
"INCREDIBLE!" Seiya exclaimed, testing his Cloth's newfound strength, a surge of excitement coursing through him.
He had been training relentlessly under Saga, eager to surpass him and avenge his earlier humiliation in their brief duel. However, he hadn't realized how much stronger Saga had become. He was now far beyond Seiya's reach.
"Are you happy?" Mika asked with a smile.
"VERY—" they replied in unison.
"Excellent. Then tell me, how is your training progressing?" It had taken him two weeks to upgrade the Cloths, so they had already been studying under the Gold Saints for that long.
"Master Camus's guidance has greatly enhanced my control over ice, and my understanding of Aurora Execution has deepened significantly," Hyoga reported first.
"I've been learning Excalibur from Master Shura. I must say, its destructive power is far greater than Master Dohko's Rozan Shoryuha," Shiryu added.
"Master Shaka's abilities are so diverse. I feel like there's so much to learn; I haven't even had a moment's rest," Shun said.
"The Lion's fangs are truly fearsome. I've learned much from Aiolia," Ikki added.
All eyes turned to Seiya, who hesitated. After all, his mentor's identity was still a…sensitive topic.
"I've improved a lot under my master's guidance," Seiya said with a grin, carefully avoiding mentioning Saga's name.
"It seems you've all made significant progress," Mika said with a smile.
"In that case, it's time for the second, and final, stage of your training. Solitary practice isn't enough to create a true Saint. I'll give you three days to familiarize yourselves with your new Cloths and prepare. Then—the real training begins."
"THE SECOND STAGE?" They were surprised.
They hadn't even finished the first stage yet...
And they didn't even know what the second stage was. How could they prepare?
"The second stage isn't a continuation of the first. They're concurrent. Don't worry about that. As for its nature—let's just say it involves combat. Ask your mentors; if they're willing, they'll tell you." Mika smiled and fell silent, leaving them to wonder.
They exchanged puzzled glances, then returned to their respective temples, their minds buzzing with anticipation and a hint of apprehension, as Mika watched them go, a subtle smile playing on his lips.
"Seiya—enjoy your time with the Gold Saints. It's about to get interesting."
The Gold Saints, having witnessed the Bronze Saints' strength and determination during the battle of the Twelve Temples, were fond of them, admiring their potential, their unwavering loyalty to Athena, and their fighting spirit.
However, having been—defeated by them, most had suffered a blow to their pride.
They were Gold Saints, warriors whose power rivaled that of Gods, yet they had been overcome by mere Bronze Saints.
While they didn't resent them—after all, they had chosen to hold back—they were eager to demonstrate their true strength, to reclaim their position as mentors, a desire they had discussed among themselves.
Therefore, Mika knew that Seiya and the others were in for some intense training.
And with Saori, now fully awakened and her power growing, overseeing these sparring matches in the newly established "Gold Arena"—there was no risk of any true deaths.
As for injuries—those were commonplace for Gold Saints.
Furthermore, since the start of these training sessions, the Gold Saints had all developed basic healing abilities. While Athena could heal them, they couldn't rely on her for every minor injury. It would be embarrassing.
Therefore, with Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun, and Ikki now joining these sparring matches, their fate was predictable.
Mika couldn't help but grin.
And as he had anticipated, they were relentlessly beaten.
Against the current Gold Saints, all at the peak of the Seventh Sense, each one comparable to Saga at his strongest, and several even nearing the Eighth Sense, Seiya and the others, whose Cosmo, though stabilized, hadn't reached that level yet, were simply outmatched—
—While they had improved significantly, their growth had focused on improving their basics, their normal Cosmo levels reaching a stable Seventh Sense—however, their ability to burn their Cosmo and temporarily achieve even higher levels hadn't improved as drastically.
Therefore, they were constantly on the defensive, their bodies battered and bruised.
Mika, watching their struggles, couldn't help but smile.
It was entertaining.
And as they were being—tenderized by the Gold Saints—Mika began planning his next move: To leave this world and explore a new one.
After all, his growth in this world had reached a plateau.
Then, he received unexpected news:
Mu, the Gold Saint of Aries, had achieved the Eighth Sense.
Perhaps he could stay a little longer.
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