Chapter 62 - 31: Saga’s Atonement, Return to the Sanctuary! (Part 2)

Chapter 62: Chapter 31: Saga’s Atonement, Return to the Sanctuary! (Part 2)

When the first Scarlet Needle pierced him, Saga’s body convulsed violently. By the time the seventh needle struck, his skin had already taken on a sickly, purplish-black hue.

When the fourteenth strike—Antares—pierced his final star point, Saga let out an uncontrollable cry of agony. Every muscle in his body spasmed violently, as if countless venomous insects were gnawing away at the insides of his veins.

His fingernails dug deeply into the stone pavement, leaving behind five bloody grooves. Yet, he still offered no resistance, merely keeping his head bowed as the poisoned blood flowed freely from his wounds.

Saga’s face was deathly pale. He raised his head, forcing a weak, defiant smile.

"Is this all the strength you have? It seems you all haven’t progressed an inch over the years!"

"A traitor deserves a traitor’s end!"

Capricorn Shura’s Excalibur had already gathered a dazzling radiance. He advanced step by step toward the collapsed Saga, the edge of his holy sword casting the shadow of death under the sunlight.

"When you attempted to assassinate the Pope all those years ago, did you ever think this day would come?"

Saga slowly raised his head. His sea-blue hair was plastered to his face with grime and blood, but a faint smile still tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Do it... Even if I die, I have no regrets!"

A trace of conflicted emotion flashed through Shura’s eyes, but ultimately, the holy sword descended!

A golden beam of light tore through the sky!

"Excalibur!"

The golden sword aura cascaded down like a waterfall, slashing directly into Saga’s shoulder.

Slash!

Excalibur cleaved through flesh and bone, and blood sprayed wildly into the air.

Saga’s shoulder blade was forcefully split open. The gruesome, jagged wound extended downward, tearing so deeply it nearly exposed his internal organs.

Saga let out a muffled groan as his body collapsed to one side. Half of his body had already lost all sensation. Blood soaked the earth beneath him; only the faint, shallow rise and fall of his chest proved that the spark of life had not yet been completely extinguished.

Saga weakly lifted his head, a ghastly smile forming on his pale, bloodless lips.

"Who’s next...? Come at me..."

Aldebaran stared at Saga lying in the pool of blood. His massive fists remained tightly clenched, but he did not launch another attack.

Mu gazed at the continuously expanding puddle of crimson with a complicated expression and let out a heavy sigh.

None of them had expected Saga to actually go through with it—to stand there without his Cloth, offering zero resistance, and take the full-power Ultimate Techniques of three Gold Saints head-on.

The plaza fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the sound of Saga’s heavy, ragged breathing.

He lay sprawled on the ground, his sea-blue hair completely saturated with blood. His body trembled violently from the agonizing pain and massive blood loss, yet he never once uttered a single plea for mercy.

The sunlight illuminated the bone-deep gash on his back, the split, ruined flesh presenting a gruesome and horrifying sight.

Alex stood in the shadows, his pupils contracting slightly.

He could feel Saga’s Cosmo weakening at a terrifying rate—like a flickering candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any second.

’This guy... is he truly using his life to atone?’

’Don’t die. At least for now, you absolutely cannot die!’

Shion’s voice suddenly echoed from the steps of the Pope’s Palace, laced with a heavy trace of exhaustion.

"Enough."

The Gold Saints turned their heads in unison. They watched as Shion slowly descended the steps, his white robes billowing in the wind.

He stopped beside Saga, looking down from above at the former traitor. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"To endure Gold Saints strikes without the protection of your Cloth... your desire to atone is evident."

Saga struggled to lift his head, bloody foam bubbling past his lips.

"I... only ask... to return to the Sanctuary..."

"As to whether you may return to the Sanctuary and govern the Gemini Temple..." Shion paused, his gaze sweeping across the gathered Gold Saints. "Do any of you still harbor objections?"

Aiolia clenched his jaw, ultimately remaining silent.

Milo turned his head away, avoiding the glaring sight of the blood-soaked stones.

Shura retracted his Excalibur, tacitly accepting the outcome.

The gazes of the Gold Saints in the plaza darkened slightly. Everyone was keenly aware that after enduring this ordeal, even if Saga survived, his vitality had been severely crippled. There was absolutely no possibility of him launching a rebellion anytime soon.

Amidst the heavy silence, Alex stepped forward and crouched down to inspect Saga’s catastrophic injuries.

His ice-blue Cosmo coalesced in his palm as he gently placed it over Saga’s wounds, flash-freezing the gushing blood to stabilize him.

Using a voice that only the two of them could hear, Alex murmured,

"Why go this far? Didn’t I tell you that if we joined forces, no one would be able to oppose us...?"

Saga forced a weak smile, his sea-blue eyes glinting through the grime and blood.

"Only by doing this... can we earn Her trust..."

Alex didn’t reply; he simply lifted the battered Saga into his arms.

His dark eyes swept across the entire plaza as his voice rang out loud and clear:

"Welcome the return of Saga... to the Gemini Temple!"

_____

T/N:

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