Chapter 98 - 49: The Goddess’s Agreement, Countdown, Twelve Hours! (Part 2)

Chapter 98: Chapter 49: The Goddess’s Agreement, Countdown, Twelve Hours! (Part 2)

The golden arrow was embedded so deeply that it had completely pierced Saori Kido’s heart. They didn’t even dare to pull it out; the backward-facing barbs of the arrow would instantly claim Saori’s life.

A female voice simultaneously echoed in the minds of the five youths.

"Go to the Sanctuary, fight your way through the Twelve Zodiac Temples, and retrieve the Golden Shield from the hands of the Statue of Athena at the summit. That is the only way to save Saori Kido!"

It wasn’t until they arrived at the Sanctuary that they realized just how arduous storming the Twelve Temples would be.

The Cosmos on the sacred mountain generated a palpable, majestic pressure. The very space itself seemed to subtly warp and distort under the weight of these surrounding Cosmos.

Shiryu looked at Hyoga.

"Hyoga, could your teacher, lend us a hand? If he helps, things might be much easier."

Hyoga let out a bitter smile and shook his head.

"If Teacher wanted to intervene, those Silver Saints wouldn’t have appeared in the first place..."

"Our greatest challenge moving forward... might actually be him!"

"It doesn’t matter who it is. We’ll just beat them all down!" Ikki said nonchalantly. His teacher, Guilty, had also practiced an education fueled by absolute hatred. To ignite Ikki’s Cosmo and force him to inherit the Phoenix Cloth, Guilty had even killed his own daughter.

"No, it’s not the same! Teacher Alex, he..."

Hyoga’s expression was grave as he clenched his fists tightly. He truly didn’t know how to describe his teacher to his friends. That man was forever an enigma; Hyoga could never see through him or predict his next move.

Seiya took a deep breath and clenched his fists.

"No matter who it is, they won’t stop us from saving Miss Saori! Hyoga, Shiryu, Shun—let’s go!"

Just as the five indomitable Bronze Saints were about to move out, a cold, aloof man wearing rough linen clothes and sporting long hair appeared before them.

Even with the sharp eyesight of the five Bronze Saints, they hadn’t even noticed when or how this man had appeared.

"Who are you? Get out of the way, we’re in a hurry!"

Seiya shouted angrily, rearing back and preparing to unleash a Pegasus Meteor Fist.

"Stop!"

Hyoga rushed forward a few steps, blocking Seiya’s path. He dropped to one knee, lowered his head, and called out respectfully:

"Teacher!"

The rest of the group was collectively stunned. Hyoga’s teacher?

Wasn’t that Alex, the strongest Gold Saint of the current era?

The mountain wind suddenly ceased. It was as if the oppressive aura of the Twelve Temples had entirely converged at the foot of the mountain at this very moment.

Alex’s gaze swept over the five of them, finally landing on the golden arrow resting on the stretcher. A trace of profound, indecipherable meaning flashed in his eyes.

He spoke slowly.

"It will be inconvenient for you to fight your way up while carrying Saori Kido. Leave her here at the foot of the mountain; I will watch over her."

Seiya was still somewhat reluctant. "No, we have to bring her..."

However, Hyoga glared at him and quickly interrupted.

The underlying meaning behind his teacher’s words was crystal clear: he would not intervene or attack them as they stormed the temples.

"Understood, Teacher. We will leave Miss Saori in your care!"

Alex nodded slightly.

"I will not attack you during your ascent, but neither will I help you. Everything will depend entirely on yourselves!"

"Do you see the Zodiac clock fire at the summit? Every hour, a flame will extinguish, and the golden arrow will sink one fraction deeper. Once all the flames have gone out, the golden arrow will completely pierce through Saori’s body, and she will permanently die!"

"Therefore, you have twelve hours!"

_____

T/N:

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