Chapter 140 - 70: Obtaining the Ophiuchus Cloth, Hyoga’s Trial! (Part 2)

Chapter 140: Chapter 70: Obtaining the Ophiuchus Cloth, Hyoga’s Trial! (Part 2)

Having finally seen the light of day again after so long, Asclepius had thought that with the combined power of himself and his Gold Cloth, he could finally exact his revenge and fulfill his long-held desires.

He never expected to be defeated by a mortal like Alex—so much so that to ensure his future escape from the Underworld, he was forced to temporarily abandon his own Cloth.

"Now, must even my Cloth depart from me?"

Asclepius clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white and his nails dug deep into his palms.

Several times, he felt the urge to turn around and shatter the ice walls to reclaim his armor, but ultimately, reason triumphed over impulse. Even if he snatched it back now, he was about to be forcibly recalled by the power of the Underworld. The Cloth would only end up buried in eternal sleep alongside him. It was better to leave it with Alex, ensuring this divine artifact wouldn’t vanish entirely.

Though he didn’t know how Alex was doing it, it was clear that the man had a way to completely sever the connection between the Cloth and its master.

"Alex... I hope you do not fail it."

Inside the ice walls, the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth had already had its bond with Asclepius erased by the Origin Crystal. Alex stowed it into his inventory. Looking at the two Gold Cloths standing side-by-side in his storage, he felt a profound sense of achievement.

’If I manage to collect all thirteen Gold Cloths, will I get a "Gold Cloth Master" title or something?’

As time slowly ticked by, Asclepius’s agitated heart began to settle. Beneath his feet, black hellfire ignited at some unknown moment, the flames of the abyss gradually consuming his body.

He knew his time was up. The summons from the Prison of Tartarus was growing increasingly intense; he was about to return to that pitch-black, sunless hell to endure endless torment and pain.

Asclepius let out a silent sigh and turned back to look at the Ophiuchus Temple.

At some point, the ice walls had melted away. Alex was slowly standing up, and the Ophiuchus Gold Cloth was nowhere to be seen.

"Remember your promise!"

Asclepius stared fixedly at Alex, his voice deep and solemn. Alex was his final glimmer of hope.

Alex’s gaze flickered slightly as he gave a firm nod. "Rest assured. If everything goes smoothly, the day of your liberation will not be far off."

As his words fell, Asclepius’s figure erupted into fierce flames, eventually turning into black ash that dissipated completely in the wind.

Simultaneously, the entire Ophiuchus Temple began to tremble violently. Massive fissures tore through the ground, the dome collapsed, and the palace slowly sank back into the depths of the earth. It left behind only a flat, empty clearing, as if the Ophiuchus Temple had never existed in the first place.

Alex stood in the clearing, gazing deeply toward the foot of the sacred mountain. There, Saori Kido, guarded by Mu, slept peacefully within her ice coffin.

Asclepius’s ordeal made Alex realize that the Sanctuary was far more complex than he had imagined. He had scoured through countless ancient texts within the Sanctuary, yet he had never seen so much as a single word regarding the "Prison of Tartarus." Likely, the only person privy to such insider information was Athena herself.

Alex looked up at the Zodiac clock at the summit. Only three flames remained, their flickering light suggesting they could go out at any moment.

Currently, the five Bronze Saints still had three temples to break through—including Pope Saga, it should be four...

Time was running out. Even so, Alex had no intention of interfering.

He had neutralized the Ophiuchus Temple. If the five Bronze Saints truly couldn’t break through the Twelve Zodiac Temples within the allotted time, then that was simply Saori Kido’s fate.

By comparison, he was more interested in seeing what kind of choice Hyoga would make when they met in the Aquarius Temple.

Alex’s figure gradually faded, vanishing toward the summit of the sacred mountain.

_____

T/N:

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