One who has not truly felt Cosmo, whether human or god, cannot understand a Cloth. But at this moment, the world was illuminated by his light, and the aura belonging to Seiya permeated the space between the sea and the sky, like a great wave of energy connecting the two.
A Cloth that housed the power of a god. It reminded Doni of the golden armor of Karna, the rival of the protagonist Arjuna in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. It was a divine suit of armor in the name of a Cloth, possessing extraordinary power.
Doni finally, in a way he could understand, began to grasp a part of the essence of the Saint before him.
"How wonderful! This is getting my blood pumping!" Doni tightened his grip on the sword in his hand. Flames of light, like countless snakes, darted around him. His Majesty the King of Swords, who had undoubtedly already been fighting with all his might, was now, under pressure, drawing out even greater power to face the Saint, Seiya—
In other words, this was a state that surpassed his limits. The physique of a Godslayer was constantly pushing him to advance, to defeat his opponent and obtain victory!
"Come, Saint!" Doni roared, and leaped upwards.
But a giant platinum-colored arc of light cut off Doni's line of sight. In that moment, it was as if a peerless divine sword had burst forth from his body, delivering a wild, unrestrained slash at the sky!
Doni was completely unable to defend in time and was struck on the wrist by that platinum arc of light, deflecting the special attack of his demonic sword! All of this happened within a millisecond.
Instinctively, Doni dragged his damaged wrist back. The audience had yet to understand what had happened, but he, who possessed the mind's eye, knew full well. That platinum slash had been delivered by the Saint Seiya's leg. In a single instant, that platinum Cloth had undergone a subtle change in form. The armor on his leg had extended a sharp, keen edge, and the kick delivered with it was like a brilliant divine sword!
"No, that's not right." Doni instantly understood. An ordinary attack could never have countered his Silver Arm. A concept similar in power to the Silver Arm had clashed with and canceled out its severing power. That was...
Before Doni's thoughts could truly connect the clues, the Saint had already made his move.
"To think you could still be distracted in the middle of a battle. How arrogant!"
A reckless charge, or rather... a boar rush. It wasn't a fist. The Saint crashed into the King of Swords' embrace, but this force was devastation itself.
As for why he didn't shout the name, it was naturally because the name was a bit too embarrassing to bring out.
Under the Divine Protection of Steel, Doni's body was stronger than Seiya's attacks, his defense was harder, and his weapon was better. But in this kind of close-quarters combat, he had no way to use these advantages. The Saint was practically glued to him, pouring ferocious attacks into his body. He threw him, along with his ever-unbreakable demonic sword, sending him flying once more into the distant ocean.
"I am the victor, the one most bestowed with splendor, the one who crushes the enmity of all foes! Here, the King of Swords who usurped the power of the wine god Dionysus is evil! So be it! I shall crush his sharpness and resolve his discord! Come now! Whether man or demon—I shall strike down any enemy who stands in my way!"
—For the first time, Seiya loudly chanted an incantation of his own.
Finally, a familiar domain. Although most of the magicians in the distance could not perceive the true form of the Authority, the commanders, who were top-tier Paladins or Magi, could glimpse a thing or two.
"The first effect is the destruction of objects, and the second is the sealing of an opponent's abilities?" The highest-ranking knight, Paolo, stroked his chin, uncertain.
"Just as the King of Swords used his ultimate mind's eye to grant his Severing Silver Arm the concept of armor destruction, Seiya has also, in response to the nearly completed Bacchanal of the wine god, unleashed a special means of destruction?" the old crone of the She-Wolves wondered aloud.
No matter how they guessed, the result was that the King of Swords' final trump card had been completely nullified. And at that very moment, a brilliant light came from the east.
The Seventh Godslayer, known as a Saint, had transformed himself into light, into a sword. He spread his wings like Icarus chasing the sun, soaring straight into the clouds. His figure overlapped with the sun overhead, and then, at extreme speed, he plunged from the sky into the sea, piercing into the ocean's depths.
—A golden sun, visible to the naked eye, rose from the sea.
Erica knew she would never forget the scene before her for the rest of her life, and she believed the other magicians felt the same. The rising sun stirred up giant waves that reached the heavens, and the halo of its black-hole corona spread along the waves.
"O Lord," Erica whispered, softly reciting the Duino Elegies, "hear the breath, this ceaseless message that forges itself from silence. Now it roars at you from those recently departed. Whether you walk into a church in Rome or Naples, their destiny..."
The battle was over, but the magicians were still waiting for the return of the two.
The Saint, having ended the battle, still had strength to spare. He fished Doni, who had voluntarily deactivated his Divine Protection of Steel, out from the bottom of the sea. Almost no magician had predicted that the outcome of this battle would be a victory for this young god-slaying beast.
Paolo suddenly remembered the words his niece had spoken. Perhaps this young king truly was victory itself.
As for the Gorgon's Stone, it was naturally handed over to him by Salome.
————————————
————————————
It's still a little lacking, Seiya thought, feeling the abundant power within his body.
The King of Swords, Doni, was indeed an extremely suitable sparring partner. But that was all he was—a sparring partner.
Neither side had any killing intent, so naturally, they couldn't truly elevate their fundamental Cosmo. But thankfully, one of the Authorities he had newly acquired had the effect of forcing a harvest after victory.
But as for the specific data of the Cloth, he would look at that later when things were quiet.
At this moment, Seiya had rejected the invitations of the other magicians. After a final visit to the King of Swords whom he had injured, he was escorted to the door by the King's Steward, Andrea. The Bentley waiting for him was parked at the entrance.
"You need not worry about the King's injuries. With Doni's constitution, he will naturally recover after a period of rest." Andrea opened the car door for Seiya. "Perhaps we are the ones who should be apologizing, for the trouble the King's recklessness has caused you."
"I quite like Doni's straightforward personality. We get along well," Seiya said.
"The King said the same thing," Andrea said with a smile. "I am very happy that you and Doni could become friends. Because of his personality, he is not very popular with most of the other kings."
"I feel it's quite the opposite. Perhaps the other Godslayers don't dislike him either." After all, who could hate a fool?
Andrea bowed slightly. "You will forever be an honored guest of all the magical societies of Southern Europe. From now on, you will be in Miss Erica's care."
Seiya nodded his head, and Andrea stood at the door with his hands folded over his stomach, watching him leave.