BEYOND UNLIMITED HORIZON AND SKY:THUS WE'RE BRAVELY WALKING FORWARD

by Yolea Irk's

It isn't Touma's fault when he involved in Holy War when he supposedly vacation in Greece.He was coincidentally in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong people, wrong situation, and wrong position. Or was it? Touma knows too well that everything is more than what we are seeing. What is hidden beyond that unlimited horizon and sky? It's time find out and walking forward. Continued!

2. YOU WILL (NOT) GET AWAY -THE CHASE BEGIN

Hello. This is Yolea Irk'ssia. It's good to see you again! And guess what, this is the new chapter from Beyond Unlimited Horizon and Sky!

This set few months after Magic God Arc in TAMNI and after Poseidon Arc in Saint Seiya. Shokuhou Misaki arc that happens after Othinus arc is not mentioned in this story because it hasn't finished yet at the moment. Also chosen this story's time line around April because if I got this story setting in December, it will be odd since in Saint Seiya Hades Arc, I had an assumption that the Holy War may happened around spring to summer. I had seen the opening and from what I got when Seiya bid a goodbye to Miho and the kids, it's not fall or winter in Japan yet. In which why I took April as Saint Seiya's time setting for Holy War. Truthfully, I wasn't expected this fic to be popular within few weeks. Really, I wasn't expected it since Touma is quite popular guy. You see, I had been in concern at the moment that most will not like him. Believe me or not, I noticed Touma almost too similar with Seiya. I can't explain it but the most noticeable similarity from both of them is their strong will to save someone who needs their help. That and about they're being the trouble magnet which make them even more interesting. XD They might be not smart or dashing or handsome but they're certainly holding infinite possibilities and potentials with them.

I concerned because both in Fanfiction and DeviantArt, most of art or fanfic about Seiya is written in humor or sometimes even bashing him. Once a member from DeviantArt posted an art about cried Seiya with lots of bad words about him. It made me sad, really, it's not fair. If they hated Seiya already I'm pretty sure they will not like Touma either. I mean, just look at him, he's seemingly not as handsome or attractive as Gold Saints and he's not as strong as the Saints. Heck, compared with Seiya, Touma isn't stronger than him in term of strength! Seeing this, maybe most would think he will be useless, not to mention he's got himself into troubles far more often than Seiya. But he can face a lot of absurd fights such as in World War III, Fiamma, and Othinus Arc. Especially with Othinus, I doubt seeing the world you know destroyed by God of Magic and tortured or being killed from one to other worlds will not affected one's mind. Touma himself almost wanted to suicide in one of those worlds. I'd say it was an unending hell. I mean, from Alpha and Beta to Omega World? I may not read TAMNI but I can imagine that's he must be passed around 20 worlds or something along with the line. This is just my opinion but I'm not sure if the Gold Saints can handle the same as Touma.

Also, I intended to focus Seiya's character in this fic. He's maybe not so awesome in manga or anime but hey, this is why fanfic existing for, right? I want to make his background more complex and I have an idea to make Seiya more complicated than he seems. Surprisingly, 'Saint Tenma: Holy Arc' from Fantasy-Magician bore the similar idea. At that time, I was just became a member and found this story merely by coincidence. I was dreamed about of Seiya with not so simple background and have deep connection with Hades. You know what freaked yet thrilled me out? That 'Saint Tenma' of Fantasy-Magician actually made it became reality. It has some differences in here and there but the concept was still similar. It was a superb story although it hasn't been updated for quite a long time. Because of my respect to him/ her, I intended to use Pegasus' real name from 'Saint Tenma' verse. I think the name is very cool. In my own version, Pegasus actually has a name too but because it sounded too Latin, I decided to use it as alias. For now, it's remained as a secret. Sorry guys! :P

And surprise! I decided to add one more character from Toaru! This character is a friend from Misaka from Toaru Kagaku Railgun. You see, I want a female protagonist from Toaru. I know I'm being too greedy but the temptation's too great for me! ‾Д‾;;;; I have few candidates and yet I take this one because she shared a lot of similarities between Touma and she held many potentials. At first I thought of Misaka but I can't take her since she was a Level 5 thus she needs permission from higher ups if I'm not wrong, plus she only aware about Touma is getting a vacation in Greece. Of course she didn't aware that Touma got himself to another big issue again. Othinus and Index are for obvious reason. Having Touma in Holy War already twisted the war itself so can you imagine what will happen if an ex-Magic God and a holder of 103.000 grimoires involved themselves? Hades' attention will not in Athena anymore but at these two and it will destroy the plot. Besides the war will also take place in Underworld, they can't get there unless they die first and that is the last thing we need in this fic. Except for Touma, with Imagine Breaker of his, anything is possible including enter the Underworld without being dying. What I need in this fic is someone from Toaru with no superpower but is holding unlimited possibilities just like Touma. So here she is.

The girl never meet Touma actually and so is he to her but for the sake of this fic, I made them know each other as something akin to close friend or even siblings. I got the inspiration from fanfic 'Never the Twain Shall Meet' from Kyle Castorena. It's a good fanfic and I very suggest you to read it. It tells about how Touma met her during the Special Workshop for Upper Level users. He got there accidentally because he thought it was just a common remedial lessons and that was how he met this girl. And Touma, well, like always, he eventually always dragged people into his supernatural problems despite being unintentional and this girl is no exception at all. Because there is no exact date when Special Workshop began after Level Upper Arc ended (24th July), I decided to take a liberty to place it few days after Index Arc ended (28th July). XD

In this fanfic, they also met in the same workshop and getting known to each other. Instead of being a couple like the one in Kyle's fanfic, their relationship is growing into a friendship due to their always have bad luck following them. That and they're always wanted to help those to need their help. This girl eventually got involved deeper into Touma's supernatural adventures and acknowledged his Imagine Breaker and his battles eventually. Don't you notice how Saint Seiya's characters dominated with boys and men? So far Saori is the only main female character and she's always in the helpless situation where her Saints must save her if not most. I wonder if Saori and the Saints meet this misfortune girl. LOL Please forgive me if this girl will appear to be OOC, I only learn her characters from Kyle's fanfic and took hunches from it. So far, it's the fic that written regarding this girl quite well and I liked it. They are others as well but I haven't read them yet. Perhaps in another time I'll do it.

I've tried to written some fight scenes and yet I found them quite difficult. I must give a compliment for those writers who managed to get some good fighting scenes in their fanfics. Truthfully fighting scenes aren't my specialty. I'm trying my best in these but please forgive if some of these fight scenes might not good to your opinion. Also, please review me if there's something I missed from making this fic. And I think I gonna asking a lot of questions regarding Saint Seiya and TAMNI for some of you so while I'm not smart enough, I'm eager to learn from you guys.

Summary: It isn't Touma's fault after he involved himself to Holy War when he supposed to have vacation in Greece. His luck never side with him anyway. He was coincidentally in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong people, wrong situation, and wrong position. Or was it? Is everything like it seems? Touma knows too well that everything is more than what we are seeing. What role he must and supposed to play in this ancient war? How much important he is in this war? What is hidden beyond that unlimited horizon and sky? What is waiting for him far in there? It's time find out and walking forward through the path we choose without hesitation, no matter how many and how difficult the obstacles are.

Disclaimer: I clearly don't and never own Toaru Majutsu no Index and Saint Seiya. As a note, the name of A****** for Pegasus' real name belongs to Fantasy-Magician.

---

On Previous Chapter :

"So confident." The hooded man snorted quietly but the amusement didn't go for long. "Just because you had destroyed small portion from Gemini's Surplices and defeated the most dangerous attack from Aquarius Saint, doesn't mean you can defeat the three of them."

"Doesn't mean I can be defeated easily either." Touma countered.

"Careful, Touma. I remind you the victory isn't measure yet. This is just the beginning." The cloaked man warned in soft yet ominous tone.

"I don't care." Touma readied his right hand and taking a stance.

"I don't know why you did this. I have no idea why you so insisting to kill him. But there's one thing I'm very much certain for sure."

"If there is reason why you doing stupid things like this…if there is a very twisted reason for this…"

.

.

.

"THEN I'LL STOP IT! I'LL DESTROY THAT SCREWED UP ILLUSION OF YOURS!"

---

.

.

.

BEYOND UNLIMITED HORIZON AND SKY / THUS WE'RE BRAVELY WALKING FORWARD

.

.

---

STAGE 01 : YOU WILL (NOT) GET AWAY THE CHASING BEGIN

---

「Sanctuary.」

「Aries Temple.」

「17:54 PM.」

Cosmos.

The crucial life source created from the Big Bang billion years ago by God's allowance.

The life source to all living beings, the source built everything in this universe.

A concept inspirated both religious philosophies from east and west.

A concept affected sciences from east and west respectably and the very foundation of the modern sciences in nowadays.

The very source which allowed all beings and things in this universe existing.

Including humankind as well.

It was suspected that Cosmos strongly related to the movement of atoms, from this fact alone, one could make a conclusion with a sufficiently powerful Cosmos, it was possible to alter the nature of any object, included destroyed and stopped the atoms. Cosmos came from Big Bang, giving birth to the universe in the process. Everything in this world possessed Cosmos inside them and human race wasn't an exception. All human beings have Cosmos deep inside them and yet from billions of them, only a few are aware of it. It was even fewer were capable to burn and increase it until the said Cosmos exploded, created a small Big Bang as a result. When a human was able to burn the Cosmos he or she possessed, the human gained abilities like breaking rocks with bare hands, moving faster with the sound's speed, throwing 100 blows in a blink of eye, and other various abilities often considered as superhuman abilities. However, it also came with consequence. The more the Cosmos increased, the more extraordinary the power became and the harder it was for a human to control.

Saints were a group of warriors trained with the purpose of awakening their own Cosmos and thus able to do incredible feats.

Without the ability to use Cosmos, a warrior wouldn't have a chance against the weakest Saint, no matter how strong they were.

It supposed to be like what it has been mentioned previously.

This fact had become basic and important-not-to-mention-a-must-know kind of knowledge for all Saints.

If you have no control over Cosmos, no way you can defeat a Saint, even if he was the weakest.

And yet…

It seems Shion had been wrong all of this time.

"Kol'tso!"

An icy wind came from the resurrected Aquarius Saint, shooting toward its target.

And yet…

"Haaats!"

A single right hand that can destroy and negate everything supernatural phenomenon was thrusting onward.

A loud echoing sound of broken glass soon could be heard.

And yet…

PRAAANK!

The broken glass sound also reached the still shrouded man's ears.

And yet…

Here standing on the land of the hidden Sanctuary, the revived Pope faced with an anomaly. It was an extremely mysterious, intriguing anomaly to be precisely. You see, Shion got sent by the so called underworld's god named Hades. Since the age of myth, Hades was already became Athena's archenemy. In most of Holy War, it was Hades who always became Athena's opponent. The goddess of war was always fought him in the end. In current Holy War though, something had happened. The god resurrected him and his comrades with a condition that he must take Athena's head in 12 hours before their time is up. Hades brought them who died during Twelve Temple's infiltration from the dead, including Shion who died for more than 13 years ago in Saga's hand. 12 hours, it was the time they had in this world before they gone as the dead again. So the light violet eyed man had tricked the god and obeyed the said god, taken the other revived Saints onward to Sanctuary. Pretending they were about to take the goddess' life while in truth they actually use their short time to reach Athena and get her the Kamui, the Divine Cloth only the Olympians possess.

The Cloth now took the form of the statue above the 12 Temple and Main Temple. It can only awaken by Athena's blood and this was the very reason they must infiltrated the 12 Temple. They intended to help her by getting Athena her Kamui in order to face Hades. They can't do that straightforwardly when Hades might keep an eye on them. Thus they play another old trick, if you wanted to fool your enemy fool your friend first. If they wanted to fool Hades and his lackeys, Shion and the others must fight the rest of the Gold Saints, even kill them if they being force. It was actually a simple yet perfect plan. Yet the ever called perfect plan ruined instantly the second an anomaly entered this war.

An anomaly in the form of teenage boy.

An anomaly called as Kamijou Touma.

His appearance wasn't too distinctive.

Medium height, black and short spiky hair, black eyes, slightly tan skin, slim, athletic building but not too muscled, facial features signified the boy's origin of those from East Asia.

Just like Dohko then, the Libra Saint also came from that area as well, a Chinese for the exact word.

His modern clothes affirmed that the boy was a normal, modern citizen.

This anomaly entrée had been dramatic yet anticlimactic. He jumped from the cliff and saved the current Aries Saint only to fell flat to the ground. The moment he witnessed the said anomaly somehow perished Saga's light beam had tickled his intrigue however at that time, Shion had assumed the boy might had Cosmos and might controlled it just a little bit. It took him a while when Shion finally realized the boy's oddness. The pale green haired man wasn't sensing any Cosmos energy came from the boy. He witnessed how the said anomaly tried to defy them and protecting Shion's pupil behind the anomaly. Shion felt a slight pang as he saw how the anomaly willing to defend his pupil even they don't recognized each other. Shion had to admit that the anomaly had a good heart. He wouldn't want this boy embroiled too deep, he wasn't even supposed to involved into their war at all. And then when he allowed Saga to get the boy away from this secret land and perhaps modify his memory at the same time…

The boy then had done the impossible thing.

The boy was done an act that even beyond Shion's expectation.

Not only he managed to got away from Saga's Cosmos based attack but he also managed to land two hits on the lime green eyed Gemini Saint. The spiky haired boy even managed to block Camus' most deadly attack, Aurora Execution. Realization then hit the true Pope by the time the boy completely blocked the deadly blizzard.

It struck him like a truck.

The boy was anything but normal.

He might not have Cosmos.

At the quick glance, the teenage boy would be dismissed as a normal boy.

His strength wasn't that great either.

How the light violet eyed man had been wrong. Well, he had this uneasiness suspicion when the boy made his entrance. However he didn't really bother with the odd feeling, Shion shrugged it as a false alarm. Shion wished he should've not too ignored it. He must face his own simple ignorance action's consequence. Now they have the worst possible opponent in their hand and to make it worse the said boy possessed an ability to negate every Cosmos fueled attack. Just like now when the teenage boy almost effortlessly destroyed Kol'tso.

Kamijou Touma proved himself to be a quite capable fighter despite the lack of Cosmos. His normal appearance had definitely fooled them all. Now that the boy was fighting with Camus and Shura while Saga handled Mu, Shion finally could take a better look on the boy. While the spiky haired boy's fighting style was similar to those of usual delinquents, interestingly Touma possessed a high agility and speed only experienced fighters would have. While his strength couldn't be compared even with Bronze Saints, the black eyed teenage boy has a good endurance to certain degree. Shion also took a note how the Japanese teenager boy used his quick thinking in order to overcome his opponents. The spiky haired boy would try to find any weakness he could expose while he dodged any attacks launched by Camus and Shura before he launched his own counterattacks. It seemed the boy had fighting experiences with similar opponents like them. While it did annoy him almost to no end for gaining a very challenging opponent, Shion too, intrigued and didn't deny himself for feeling excited by this new development.

Oh, and that right hand of his.

See, it was the thing that intrigued Shion most.

The right hand capable to negate every single attack possessed Cosmos.

It had awakened the curiosity within the former Aries Saint. The curiosity grew bigger every time his light violet eyes caught that right hand destroyed every Cosmos fueled attack. The gears in his brain worked critically. How did he never hear about this peculiar ability before? There would be rumors about the very odd ability and Sanctuary would've caught the wind of it. And he did say about had facing enemies like them before. This brought Shion to a series of other, no less important questions. Where the black haired boy has been all of this time? What sort of enemies he had fought in the past? Seeing how the boy looked unfamiliar with Athena and Saints' concept, he must have fought other warriors capable of inhuman or superhuman abilities. Shion did a quick analyze mentally, his brain worked fast. He was only aware of few warriors from outside Greek, other than Saints, Specters, and Sea Generals. He did remember one particular religious organization which possessed fighters with extraordinary skills. Where they the proclaimed magicians and Saints from Necessarius? The light violet eyed man had aware and heard about the secret organization quite often when he was still a Pope. They never corresponding one another due to the obvious reason.

Sanctuary was a sacred land with Athena as their patron goddess while Necessarius was based on church, meaning they considered ancient gods, including Olympians as heretic gods. Not to mention Sanctuary doesn't take sorcerers too kindly. They had caused enough troubles for them long time ago, until today Shion still had no idea why some of the magicians have this tendency to abuse their magical power to the world, destroying all around them, upset the nature's balance, and hurting lots of normal citizens who not involved and innocent in the name of God, unintentionally or intentionally. Of course he aware not all of them were bad but so often they do things more than necessary and more than few times it backfire. So it was the best for them to not get in each own way's, to take care their own problems. There were few times when they acquired a little help or information from the other side but no more than that. Shion wondered if these magicians were the ones Touma was talking about. His strange power was looked like it will get their attention. If it could destroy any attacks empowered by Cosmos, the boy surely could destroy any magical attacks.

Shion's musings broke abruptly when he heard another sound came from the battle.

Shion get his attention back to two against one fight of Touma versus Camus and Shura.

The true Pope noticed how the turquoise haired warrior's eyes flashed briefly.

Camus' figure blurred out of sudden and dissipated to nothing.

Shion saw how the boy widened his eyes instantly as if he realized something.

Behind the boy, the ice user Saint appeared from thin air.

Shion raised an eyebrow in mirth at this.

Clever.

The violet-blue eyed young man used his superior speed to sneak behind the spiky haired boy.

"Your back is open!" Camus exclaimed.

Ice shards and cold air began to gathering within his palm.

Touma was halfway spinning his body and Camus aware the boy would be too late.

The boy will not escape from his Diamond Dust.

He had got him!

However before the violet-blue eyed young man could utilize his attack, a shout was already beaten him.

"Crystal Wall―!"

Golden Cosmos was burning brightly from Camus' left side and he cursed mentally when a psycho empowered barrier appeared between the black haired boy and him. The aquamarine haired warrior couldn't take back his attack as he already launched it. His Diamond Dust hit the wall, combination of cold blizzard air and snow crystals slammed against the wall futilely, struggling to break the nearly unbreakable barrier for a few seconds before the blizzard dissipated to nothingness. He should've attacked the boy a little faster.

"Kuh!" The resurrected ice Saint sent a glare onto certain Aries Saint's direction.

Mu responded by sending him his own glare before his senses alarmed him.

The serene Saint dodged just in time as another beam light hit his previous spot.

"Kh!" Mu grunted, landed on the land roughly.

Mu glanced sharply at Saga.

Standing on the opposite way, the revived Gemini saint had this unpleasant look on his face.

His lips twisted into a deep frown.

No doubt he didn't happy when his opponent had his attention to somewhere else.

Mu watched Saga's lime green eyes narrowed slightly.

"Where are you looking at?" The palatinate blue haired warrior asked with a dark tone. "Your opponent is me."

"Saga." Mu eyed the older Saint carefully.

"I don't want to remind you over and over again that our fight isn't finish yet." Cosmos was building again around the revived Gemini warrior.

Mu didn't need to glance at where Camus stood because he could sense the said cold warrior raised rapidly.

He also could feel the glare which Camus was sending to his direction.

"This is far from done." The turquoise haired young man added sharply. "Don't ever think I will let what you've done slip away."

Mu lifted his head a bit.

"Indeed." He replied as his own Cosmos flared up.

Shion then turned back at the enigmatic young boy. He trusted Saga and Camus to handle Mu. As much as he wanted to watch their fight, he wanted to find more the spiky haired boy's capability. So he shifted his gaze at Touma and Shura. Even though the Certain High School's student only has one opponent after Camus had his attention at Mu, it doesn't mean the fight was going easier. In fact, if anything, the exchange blows between the Imagine Breaker's holder and the Excalibur's holder grew more intensive and deadlier than before. Shura with his accurate and unhesitant incursions, against Touma with his raw yet remarkable, fast counterattacks. Punches, kicks, dodging, and sneak attacks exchanged in that fight.

"Don't running away!" Shura shouted as he threw an axe kick aimed for Touma.

"I'm not!" Touma dodged the kick by shifting his body away to the left side.

Didn't want to lose his opponent, Shura twisted himself and thrust another kick, this time maimed for the head.

Saw the kick oncoming, Touma desperately ducking his upper body lower.

The kick flew just as paper-thin distance from where his head supposed to be.

The charcoal eyed high school used the momentum to counterattack.

Still in ducked position, he quickly took a running position.

A heartbeat later, the black haired boy took a sprint toward the resurrected Capricorn Saint.

"Take this!"

The boy threw a punch with his right hand, aiming for Shura's jaw. Before the punch could reach its target, Touma saw a dark blur came from the corner of his eyes. He noticed how Shura distanced himself from him and that was when Touma realized the spiky haired warrior had intended for. Shura took his distraction to launch a spin kick toward his forearm, intending to break his arm and thus make him more vulnerable. If he becomes more vulnerable toward attacks, the easier for Shura to disabled him more quickly. Disabled him more quickly means the stoical revived Saint can focus his attention on disposing Mu. Meaning if he doesn't dodge or hold the kick, the lavender haired warrior will be in danger.

As the thought crossed, Touma acted almost instinctively.

He threw onward his left arm when Shura threw another kick to him.

This time the kick was connecting with Touma's waiting yet ready, opening palm.

With that a loud hitting sound soon came from the impact.

BAM!

Both the kick and the hand that was holding it collided so hard.

The strength behind that kick resonated thorough the illusion killer boy's arm.

Touma had to grit his teeth and resisting the pain.

The Certain High School's student was biting the shout already stuck in his throat.

The kick managed to shaken his arm despite the fact Touma held the kick right on time.

The kick was strong to the point even his bone hurt so much.

Touma tried his hardest to stay firm, over and over again he told himself to hold on.

This was nothing compared with when he fought Fiamma and Gabriel.

This was nothing compared when he against Othinus, survived despite had been killed once, understanding her, and helped her.

This was nothing, he can survive this. He can and he will.

Shura's dark green, almost greenish black eyes narrowed.

While he wasn't anticipated the boy quite accustomed with battles and that right hand of his can negate any attack that using Cosmos, Shura's eagerness and anticipation for an unusual, worthy opponent, have to be pressed even though for a little bit. He had thought the boy will become a quite tough opponent from what he seen when Saga fought him. However looks like he had to swallow a small amount of that eagerness for peculiar opponent. Then again, the short spiky revived Saint should've guessed it. From the fight alone, he could assume the boy's strength was nowhere near Saint. The teenager boy's strength almost had no different with those of delinquents' strength. Still, the boy had put a decent fight with him and he had to admit despite the delinquent's style he used, the teenager boy was good. However while the boy put an admiring attempts to fight him, the revived Capricorn warrior quite confident that he can handle the boy by himself. He made sure he didn't end up like his fellow revived Saints when they fought the teenage boy. A Saint got beaten by a normal looking boy ―despite the said boy had peculiar ability― was certainly not funny.

"Is this what you all got?" Shura asked, slight mockingly.

Then something unexpected happened.

The blazing fire of determination flashed within those black eyes.

Shura felt his leg got knocked away and he felt a hand was gripping on his right horn's helm.

Dark blur came to him and the next second the resurrected Capricorn Saint aware, something was slamming straight to his face.

SLAM!

CRACK!

Immense pain suddenly bloomed on his face and his nose.

A cracking sound of broken bones was accompanying the throbbing pain.

"―!"

He felt the hand that holding his helmet's horn let go and retreating back.

Despite still suffered from the brutal impact, Shura instinctively brought his hand to his nose. The short and dark green haired warrior inhaled a smell of iron and wet liquid came from his nose. The said liquid was flowing and dripping through his fingers. Stunned, Shura brought his hand and saw the blood stained on his fingers and armored palm. The dark green haired man stared at the hand for a few longer before he took a gaze toward the spiky haired boy, now stood in a good distance from him. Touma's left arm hadn't stopped trembling from the kick Shura gave previously. The short spiky haired boy grunted silently but he didn't wavered a bit. He clenched his right hand and returning the dark green haired warrior's gaze with a defying gaze.

"I give back that question to you!" The boy retorted, his tone was holding a sheer of defiant.

Shura had his pair of greenish black eyes glinted dangerously.

Maybe the revived Capricorn warrior had to take back his earlier statement.

He should've taken the boy more serious since early.

He should've seen that coming from the teenager boy who had destroyed Saga's shoulder guard and Camus' Aurora Execution.

He felt like an idiot now.

He wasn't intended to make another mistake. Yet in the end he did it.

Scowled silently, Shura increased his Cosmos.

Purple colored Cosmos soon blanketed his form.

He may made mistake but the fight wasn't over yet.

He will not let his guard off this time.

Time to return the favor.

"Excalibur!" Shura swung his left arm abruptly, attacking Touma with an Excalibur.

Touma cursed under his breath when the powerful wind blade like came to him.

"Goddammit!"

The Certain High School's student threw himself away from the wind blade.

However he couldn't draw a relief breath yet.

His honed sixth sensed warned him.

Another attack was about to coming to him.

"Not so fast!" Shura was bringing down his arm, using another Excalibur.

SLASH!

BLAAAAR!

A sound of slash soon reached the teenage boy's ears and the huge solid rock wall beside him suddenly exploded.

Charcoal colored eyes widened at the dangerous sight.

"Gah!" The illusion killer boy was hastily shielding himself with his arms.

The attack soon was taking effect.

The natural wall shattered to small pieces of pebbles and dust.

A gale wind created from the attack then hit Touma ruthlessly.

He struggled to keep still but the wind defeat him.

In the end he got thrown few meters away toward the dirt, slammed the ground rather harsh with his side first.

He rolled until a good distance away before he completely stop. Touma was wincing painfully, a small groan escaped from his mouth. Pressing one hand on his side, the illusion killer boy quickly pulled himself from the ground and coughed a few times violently. His side was still aching from the hit he took previously. It will leave him a bruise by the next day without doubt. Thankfully, other than that he didn't suffer any injuries. Still, Touma must stay alert. He preferably didn't want to get hit too often since he had not the slightest idea how long this fight will continue. Touma needed to be in his best condition if he wanted to fight these warriors. The Academy City's resident must admit that these Saints were strong.

"Gekh, *Cough! Cough!* I can't believe this, he's strong!" Touma shook his head, taking a glace at the destroyed rock wall.

Now it possessed a deep gash only incredibly sturdy and strong, sharp object can do. A deep gash only the powerful sword's technique that can take years to mastered and no small amount of power can make it. What made Touma even nervous was the fact the gash's size was impressively huge. It reminded Touma of certain Saint with codename Salvare000. She too, carried a katana with her and with her nearly flawless skill, can do the same thing if she wanted too. She had a power that said even can hurt God. She had showed her strength to him few times before. Kanzaki Kaori was not an enemy you would like to mess with. At the same time, she was a valuable friend and ally he could count to. He wondered if these Athena's Saints and Necessarius' Saints were actually connected. They did possess the ridiculously strength and abilities meant to face supernatural things. This spiky haired man's strength and battle prowess could rival the said pony tailed girl easily.

A thought crossed in his mind.

A shiver went down his spine after.

'If I didn't know any better, I might suspected him befriends with Kanzaki!'

His opponent's technique and name didn't help either!

(AN:/ Although it's said that Shura came from Spain, his name was taken from Ashura. And as far as I know, Ashura is only used in Japanese folks or myths. It made me Assumed if Shura indeed born in Spain, one of his parents was might be Japanese. It will be odd if a child was given name Shura if both parents were Spanish.) Judging from the man's age and Kaori's age which only different in few years, Touma was even starting to suspect the mentioned swordswoman and dark armored man in front of him might has a deeper relationship. Maybe they were long lost siblings, like older brother-little sister relation or step brother and sister or cousins or distant cousins.

Heck, who knows?!

The similarity was frighteningly too much close to him.

Stood few meters away from Touma, Shura raised an eyebrow in slight interest.

His greenish black colored eyes kept focused on Touma.

"…Not bad. I must say you're quite good for a boy without Cosmos." The dark green spiky haired warrior was raising his right hand. "And yet how for long will you lasted?"

The spiky haired boy had his right eyebrow twitched a few times.

As if he will go down because of some sword like technique.

He had faced the worse things than this one and he will not let this gotten him.

"Hah! You wanna find out?" Touma lifted his hand and motioning the black haired man to attack him. "Then come and get me."

"Hah," Shura snorted lightly. "Too confident will kill you."

"Trust me…I had faced something far worse than you."

"Something worse than…this?" Shura crossed his arms before him.

Soon both of them coated with thick Cosmos.

"Double Excalibur!" He swung both arms and creating twin Excalibur at the same moment.

Touma resisted the very urge to groan when he saw that.

Great. As if one wasn't enough, there were two of them now?!

Seriously, this whole Excalibur thing began to put him in stress.

Did the warrior didn't have any other techniques?

…

…

Good grief, he got distracted, again. He must avoid it at any cost still.

Not a good time to complain and loose focus either.

The young teenager then took haste as he has to dodge the double energy slashes.

Touma snapped his body to run to left across the field.

Touma made it in time as the twin powerful wind blade hit the empty space.

Of course Shura will not let his opponent getting away.

Shura dashed after the running boy and jumped, twisting his body so he could perform a roundhouse kick.

"Hah―!" The Capricorn warrior shouted as he came down to Touma.

Touma stopped on his track and shifted his position so he can face his opponent.

What happened next however had caught Shura in shock.

Instead of dodged the kick, the boy had letting himself got hit by Shura's kick.

His leg connected with Touma's left shoulder. It made the boy yelled in hurt.

Not the slightest had the short spiky haired boy moved from his spot.

It made Shura loss of words.

Why he didn't dodge it? He had a chance to move away from the kick so why he didn't do it?

Even though Shura didn't use his full strength at the teenager boy, the kick still would hurt him.

Has he gone nuts?

In the middle of his shock, Shura suddenly caught Touma wore a wide, victoriously grin despite the grimace.

"Gotcha." He muttered.

Before Shura's mind could register it, Touma had wrapped his left hand on his ankle. He gripped it with an iron clad grip, holding Shura stayed still on his place. Just as the illusion killer boy had the kick locked Touma then threw his right punch as he let out a war cry.

Aiming it for the face.

"Keh!"

Seeing the punch was coming and he couldn't escape from the iron grip, Shura gritted his teeth and try to dodge away…

He was a split second too late.

WHAM!

CRACK!

PRAAANK!

The punch was hitting his right helmet in full force.

The moment the punch hit Shura's helmet, it destroyed the Surplice's part within seconds.

The moment the punch hit the said revived Capricorn Saint, an almost unbearable pain rammed against his skull.

Shura bit out a scream already in the tip of his tongue.

He never thought a seemingly normal teenage boy's punch would be this solid!

The force threw Shura backwards for the black haired boy had released him just now.

Grunted in pain, Shura lost his balance.

His form flew and crashing the nearby pillar.

The dark green haired warrior fell to earth with a loud thud.

Standing across him, Touma held his punch. He was pretty much fine aside from slight exhaust but damn, this guy was strong! He could tell even this guy was still holding back despite releasing those Excaliburs! There was a possibility that these guys were stronger than Necessarius' Saints. When he in the middle of the muse, a harsh smash sound reached his ears. Eyes widened in alarm, Touma snapped his head in time to saw Mu teleported himself from Saga's direct punch. He was in the middle of air, soaring freely like a bird. His white cape fluttered behind him. From the corner of his eyes, Saga glanced sharply toward soaring Aries Saint.

"You're getting sloppy." Saga remarked.

The taller warrior then was moving faster than the lightning itself.

One moment he was still on the ground.

A blink of eye later, the man was already come across him, ready to give fatal blow maimed for Mu.

With his own heartbeats drummed loudly within his ears, Mu twisted his own body in 360o.

"Hah―!"

DOOOOM!

Letting a battle cry, Mu threw his leg which soon collided with Saga's own kick.

Successfully performed a sideswipe kick, Mu pulled again his kick and took some distance from Saga.

Both of them fell to the earth together, landed on different sides.

Mu wasn't given a chance to catch a breath when he felt a wintery presence came toward him.

Bracing himself, Mu moved away from where he just landed.

A punch came to where his head should be a heartbeat ago.

Deciding to give a counterattack, Mu bent down and threw his leg again.

The attacker's violet-blue eyes caught the sight of ground kick came for him.

The ice element warrior forced to jump backward.

Mu stood up from the ground, his dark spring green eyes clashed with Camus' violet-blue ones.

The lavender haired Lemurian eyed the turquoise haired warrior.

"Camus."

"Not so fast, Mu." Camus reminded expressionlessly.

The revived Aquarius form suddenly blurred.

With his battle sense screamed a him, Mu dodged another kick from Camus.

Seeing an opening from Camus, Mu darted forward.

The violet-blue eyed young man's chest soon found himself got a powerful elbow strike on the chest.

Cringed from the blazing pain on his chest, Camus kept his compose.

The revived Aquarius Saint grabbed Mu by his lavender locks.

The turquoise haired Saint turned Specter slammed his knee onto Mu's stomach.

DUAGH!

"Kh!"

Mu grunted from pain as the hand that pulled his hair released him.

He took that chance to leap away from the turquoise haired man.

"Mu―!"

Shouted concernedly, Touma was about to give an aid for the overwhelmed Aries Saint when someone else had beaten him first.

"Where are you going?"

A dark blur came from the corner of Touma's eyes.

A shiver came down to his spine without warning, his charcoal colored eyes widened in a second.

But the warning was too late.

Everything was happened in a blur.

One second Touma was about to turn around.

Next second he felt a great force stroke him.

Dug right onto his unguarded stomach.

BUAAAGH!

During the strike, Touma caught the glimpse of dark armored arm.

He also caught the glimpse of that entirely familiar dark green colored spiky head when something else got him.

The immense pain flared within his body within a millisecond.

It was incredibly hurt.

It felt as if he was being hit by a truck.

It felt like every bone in his ribs was about to shatter into pieces.

All the air within his lungs forced out from his mouth.

Touma let lout a scream of pain.

"Gagh―!"

The punch had thrown him at least 2 meters behind him.

It made him flew backward in the air although for a brief moment.

In the end, Touma landed harshly just a little further behind on the Aries warrior's right side.

His body hit the ground with a dull bam.

On the other side, Shura landed back on his feet smoothly. A trail of blood was running across his forehead. His dark green eyes trained toward where his opponent fell. His helmet had shattered into various sizes of pieces. The short bangs previously held by the helmet now fell above Shura's forehead. He flinched slightly when the throb on his head intensified but he kept his stoic façade intact. The dark green haired warrior wasn't a Gold Saint without incredible strength and equally strong heart to backing his status.

At the sound of the thud, Mu snapped his head at Touma's fallen form.

He let out a silent gasp at the fallen boy's sight.

"Touma!" He cried out, calling the black spiky haired boy.

Groaned softly, Touma held his throbbing stomach with his right hand.

His breaths were erratic along with the nasty queasiness feeling.

It's not that he hadn't got worse from this but damn, it was freakin' hurt!

Speaking about the devil, when did that guy recovered so damn fast?

He saw him hit the pillar until it left a remarkable crack behind him!

But then again, this man was a goddess' warrior. The illusion killer boy should've expected it.

Steadying his breaths, the certain high school's student rolled on his stomach. With his other hand sustaining him onto the ground, he pushed himself forcefully onto his feet. His breath hitched due to intensified ache to and yet he chose to ignore it. The illusion killer boy clenched his left hand onto a fast, squishing it to avert his sense from the pain. It worked quite well as he felt the pain slowly subdued. Seeing Touma raised from the ground, Mu's tension lessened for at least the spiky haired teenager boy still has some energy to stand up again.

His worry didn't end up there unfortunately.

Saga raised his Cosmos again, this time he shot a rather powerful Cosmos beam at Mu.

Mu just barely got away if not for his psychokinetic power.

BOOM!

Mu teleported himself onto the mid-air as the beam hit the ground instead.

Unfortunately, Camus was not about to letting the Lemurian warrior go and escape.

With the strength he has, the turquoise haired warrior leapt onto the air as well.

In no time, Camus already closed off his distance with Mu.

"Too slow―!" Camus shouted.

He punched Mu on the stomach as a purple spark came from the contact.

With Cosmos added to the punch, the hit caused dozens times more hurtful than a normal punch.

Mu's dark spring green eyes widened from the pain.

He was a Gold Saint though so he quickly controlled himself, ignoring the badly aching pain in his stomach.

The Golden Ram Saint landed safely, sliding backward due the punch's impact.

However before he can give a counterattack, Saga dashed with agility rivaling light speed.

"And now do you still plan to dodge this?" The revived Gemini Saint inquired.

With that, the blue palatinate haired warrior punched Mu.

BAM!

This time, the punch was maimed at Mu's face.

The force had caused the Aries Saint being airlifted.

Few heartbeats later, Mu fell with the stone floor underneath him cracked and shattered beneath his form.

Saga approached the fallen Mu.

"Do you understand, Mu? Your duty is almost meaningless to us."

Struggling, Mu attempted to raises up from the floor.

"I don't understand...why?"

Saga narrowed his lime green eyes.

After the question left his mouth, Mu tried to digest Saga's intention.

A thought then came to his mind.

Could it be?

He only relied on his intuition. He could be wrong but…

With baffle expression painted on his face, Mu focused his sixth sense at the lime green eyed man.

'What if…'

Mu's dark spring green eyes widened a moment later.

What he saw had him astonished completely.

Blood.

The revived Gemini saint was crying.

However the tears fell from his eyes were not tears, they were blood instead.

Mu became aware of Shura and Camus' presence behind the resurrected Gemini warrior.

The Aries Saint more astonished when they too also were crying blood.

It was an eerie yet sorrowful sight.

Watching them cried like this, a pang of wistful slipped in his heart.

Disbelief was also lingering in his mind.

'Saga...is crying...? Saga…Is Saga's heart crying?' Mu raised up a bit, scanning the revived Saints more thoroughly. 'No. Not only Saga. Camus and Shura too. Their souls are lamenting and shedding tears of blood. I can feel it.'

Mu stood up again, gritting his teeth as he was facing them one more time.

Taking few steps forward, Saga stopped near Mu.

"Mu…"

Mu startled slightly.

'Is that so? Is it really like this?'

His thought must get cut unfortunately.

Saga raised his right arm, his hand glowed with Cosmos.

"Prepare yourself!"

Mu hurriedly prepared himself for the oncoming attack.

Yet it was never happened.

From beneath the hood, the tattered cloaked man's eyes suddenly shone in bright red.

Mu gasped silently.

'My, my body!'

Mu fell onto the ground again. He unable to move his limbs at his will. It was like he has been weighted with very heavy chains. Electricity like purple sparks came to life around him. A surprised yelp then got Mu's attention. From the corner of his eyes, he didn't miss how the misfortune boy was on his knees. Both of his hands were now supporting him. Seeing the boy had the same difficulties to move his own limbs, the long haired Aries Saint soon found what caused them being paralyzed and who was the culprit. Completely having no idea why it was difficult to move his body, Touma threw questioning gaze at the dark spring green eyed Saint.

"What's happened!?" Touma asked in panic.

Mu responded the question by throwing a glare toward a certain direction.

"Saga…" The only black cloaked man stepped forward.

"Enough. I'm controlling their movements, stand down." He said.

Shura straightened at the sign of the cloaked figure.

"Shion-sama." He addressed respectfully.

The resurrected true Pope lifted his head a bit, staring straightly at his comrades.

Specifically at Shura.

He looked frowned at the sign of the blood trail from Shura's injury.

"Are your head's fine?"

Shura nod once. "It's only a slight cut injury. I'll be fine."

The hooded man had his narrowed below his veil.

"Be thankful I have acted just in time." He said in a matter of fact. "Should I continue to let you, you wouldn't be able to finish them properly."

Camus narrowed his violet-blue eyes. "Are they will be…?"

"They will not able even to remove their fingers even if they try the hardest. Not when I used my psychokinetic at full extent. You should focus on your job. Getting Athena's head is our main priority." The hooded figure replied unhesitatingly.

Mu could've sworn his heartbeat stopped if only for a brief second.

'No.' He thought unconsciously.

He couldn't let them go to Athena's place.

He couldn't!

"Our time has been wasted more than enough. Go get her life before―"

PRANK―!

A sound of unmistakably glass got broken cut the dark cloaked man abruptly.

His light violet colored eyes widened in alarm.

The true Pope didn't miss the similar reactions from the rest of the revived Saints.

"!?"

Following his comrades' equal wide gazes, the shrouded man snapped his hooded head.

What he saw was very disbelieving, it was an absurd occur.

But he did witness it.

The black spiky haired boy he had struck down with his psychokinetic…

The boy who had been unable to move until few moments ago…

Had his right hand on his own chest.

Awareness soon came to the violet eyed man once he figured out what the boy just done. It was easy enough when he had just heard the shattering glass like sound. It was easy enough when that light violet eyes of his witnessed it by them self. Meanwhile, Touma gazed warily at the only black cloaked figure. He removed his right hand away from his chest but didn't remove it completely. Instead he kept it on front of his, ready to negate whatever the back shrouded guy will throw. Touma had to admit this guy was good, exceptionally good. He had him paralyzed and left him almost like a sack of potatoes. It took his not a little effort to focus all of his strength to move his right hand and destroy whatever made him paralyzed. It was really difficult to him, moving his hand was in comparison in lifting a ton worth weight barbell. He did it in the end, brought the right hand right onto the centre of his body, negating the power which held him from moving his body.

Defiantly, the Certain High School's student stared onto the true Pope.

"…Did you just say something about paralyzed?" The owner of Imagine Breaker questioned rhetorically between his heavy breaths.

A sweat was rolling down from Touma's temple.

He was not recovering yet, not completely.

Nevertheless…

He forced himself to rise up again, to stand up against them once more.

His determination filled gaze was never faltered a bit.

Beneath that dark cloak, those light violet eyes narrowed slightly.

A tensed pause was covering the barren battle consisted only from boulders and ancient ruins of pillars. No one moved, no one ever dare to make a sound. The sounds of the breaths filled with anticipation and wariness were the only evident noises. There was only deafening silence, a heavy tension, and a match glare between the hooded man and the charcoal eyed boy. It feels like eternity, the tension was beginning to suffocate when suddenly the unexpected occurred next. The owner of those light violet eyes broke into chuckles of mirthfulness thus startled all the occupants, including his own pupil. They were rather quiet chuckles but still chuckles nonetheless. The chuckles itself astonished the Saints. Mu was the most astonished among them. So long as the Aries Saint remembered, the true Pope rarely chuckles unless there were events he found funny and interesting. After a few moments, the mirthful chuckles eventually died.

A smile soon adorned the face hidden beneath the dark cloak.

It wasn't just any smile however.

It looked like a harmless smile while in reality…

It was an eager predatory smile one will wear when there was a worthy pray.

In this case, a worthy opponent in a promising worthy battle.

"…Isn't this interesting?" The black cloaked man took a step forward, away from his stilled friends. His serene yet sharp gaze never left the enigmatic boy's figure. "It seems I must handle you first, Boy." He finished as his own Cosmos started to rise.

The light violet eyed figure was more than eager. This was a refreshing event for him. True, the chivalrous boy had totally screwed at least half of his plan. The true Pope indeed was not particularly happy with the sudden Touma's appearance. Yet at the same time, this unexpected development provided by the teenager boy, had sparked an emotion. A certain emotion the light violet eyed man thought he never experienced again after so long.

Excitement.

Yes, this development had excited the black cloaked figure. The boy's stubbornness and unpredictable acts had triggered the hooded man's desire to fight him. He wanted to see it. He wanted to witness it with his own eyes. To try and observe how far this living puzzle will defy him in order to make real his own ideal. To gauge the boy's ability and find out how far this irregular boy can put a good fight against a Saint, against him. An absurd act that ones will consider if they had knew the strength of a Saint. Yet the boy before him did this without fear. He must have realized the risks and still the boy took it if it would mean he can safe the Aries Saint. The smile the light violet eyed man wore on his face went stretched a bit further from anticipation giddiness.

While Touma certainly can pass as a normal delinquent looking boy, he was anything but ordinary. The moment the cloaked man saw how the black spiky haired boy broke his psychokinetic bind and stood up again to confront him, the 261 years old man finally saw it. Blazed within those charcoal black eyes, was a steely, yet genuine and simple will to protect whoever apparent around him. A will to help them with all he got. A pure desire to defending Mu and stop him from causing more harm to that pupil of his. To stop him and the other resurrected Saints for good. The eyes had seen many battles and fights in his life, just like himself and other Saints he knew. The thrill grew more at this thought, along with that giddiness.

Ah.

How long has it been since he met an opponent with unknown power?

How long has it been since he encountered a challenging opponent?

It feels too long for both his perception and his long live as a Lemurian.

Well…

It was time to find out.

Both Camus and Shura snapped their heads at the lone cloaked figure with wide eyes.

"Shion-sama…?" Saga didn't even bother to hide his own bewilderment.

"Touma...!" Mu shouted alarmingly, struggling to free from the psychokinetic bind his master bestowed upon him.

'This was bad. This has got turning onto very bad.' The First Temple's guardian thought frantically.

Was his former Master had been serious?

Was he really wanted to fight the charcoal eyed boy?

If his Master indeed will take the boy seriously…

He must stop it before it's too late!

The young boy can be gone for good, the lavender haired warrior must move, now!

"No, don't come here!" Touma stopped the Aries Saint from moving further. "He's only aiming for me. Don't move from there!"

"Go." The true Pope gave an order at the remaining resurrected Saints. "I will give Mu and the boy the final blow. You must go get Athena's head quickly."

The hooded figure shifted his head at the sky.

Alone meteor then came across the night sky.

"Whatever happens, we only have 12 hours. If we fail, you know what will happen." The veiled man told them.

The other resurrected Saints paid attentively before they kneeled before the veiled man.

"Yes." The three of them replied obediently.

They had raise from the ground and started to running forward.

The cloaked man meanwhile was walking toward Touma.

"W-Wait…!" Mu shouted, still in the middle of his struggle.

The paralyzed Aries Saint could only watching uselessly as the revived Saints run passed him. Saga was the only one who to spare a brief glance while running. The blue palatinate haired warrior turned his head away, following his fellow resurrected Saints. They too, also passed the certain high school's student. Despite being standing motionlessly, Touma sent them an unwavering and undeterred gaze. He wanted to stop them of course but he had his hands already full. The misfortune boy can't face 4 opponents because it was same as going suicide. There was this idea to release Mu from the paralyze however there was a catch. He can't do it while the rest of the revived Saints kept sticking in here. Every one of them possessed amazing strength and speed so who knows what will happen to him if he attempt to free Mu first. His fight with Shura has proven it. The dark green spiky haired warrior had recovered so fast and moved approached him less than a second. It would be meaning the man possessed a great speed similar to a lightning. He could catch Touma and landed a hit on him in a very short time thus Touma couldn't take risk. If they attack him when he attempt to release Mu, Touma was as same as dead.

If Touma wanted to defeat these resurrected Saints, he must let them first. Touma must wait until the three of them gone. That way, he can make the cloaked man's guard lowered and his chance to release Mu will be bigger. He would be lie if he wasn't irked by this. Unfortunately, the Imagine Breaker's holder only has this choice for now. As much as he wanted to stop them, he was only one person. He alone couldn't handle these warriors. With the lavender haired young man, the chance was bigger. As they said, two persons were better than just one.

Shura, Saga, and Camus soon sprint passed the certain high school's student. When they passed by his left side however, Touma's eyes and theirs met briefly. Those charcoal black eyes hardened as if wanted to tell them for he will not let them off easily. That he will come to get them eventually and for sure. Touma then caught something flashed within Saga, Camus, and Shura's eyes. He didn't get the chance to comprehend further unfortunately. They entered the Aries Temple, their footsteps echoed within the structure. They grew fainter and fainter until they gone completely both from the eye sight and hear sight. As for Touma, he must focused back toward the leader of the resurrected Saints turned Specters.

On Aries Temple, now there were only three figures remained.

One was Mu, the other was Touma, and the last was the dark veiled man.

Not moving the slightest, the hooded man turned at the paralyzed Mu.

His light violet eyes fixed apathetically at the wide eyed Aries Saint.

"Mu. You disobeyed me many times. I hope you're ready." He told the paralyzed Aries Saint. "Yet I can't forget my affection towards you. The least I can is killing you painlessly with my own hands…after I finished with him first."

Ignored the incredulous look his pupil gave to him, the hooded man now focusing himself on his current opponent.

"Now then..."

The killing intent was growing thick, literally emitting from the man.

Purple colored Cosmos radiated from the revived Pope.

The shrouded man tilted his head slightly.

Despite the relax stance, his killer intent was anything but not deadly.

"Shall we continue and finish our battle once and for all?" He inquired.

The younger Lemurian paled drastically. He felt extremely concerned for the boy's life. He kept struggling with his paralyzed body. Mu must admit it wasn't an easy effort to begin with. The psychokinetic was that strong to the point his whole body feels like a brick of unmovable rock. It nearly made him frustrate. All the Lemurians were gifted on psychokinetic and his Master was among the best for the last a few hundred years. While his own psychokinetic was admirable, it was nowhere near his Master.

If there was an opponent who can beat him in psychokinetic, it was his respective Master who taught him for years.

Mu felt like he wanted to hit himself for his own carelessness. If only he had been more careful, he wouldn't have been caught paralyzed. Now the teenager boy who had saved his life must face his Master. Death threat was hanging from above the boy's head. Mu must stop it and in order to do that, he must break free from this paralyze.

One way was to possessed equal psychokinetic power. Another was to let the caster himself to cancel the paralyze. Mu cringed at this thought. Both options sounded very unlikely. The first option was more making sense and useful. However, there was a problem. With his current psychokinetic power, looks like his attempt to break free will be futile.

On the other hand, charcoal colored eyes hardened at the question.

Touma bent his knees, right hand was ready on his side.

"I should be the one who said that line!" Touma clenched his right hand. "Let's!"

Seeing the two combatants get ready, Mu struggled even more violently. He even went as far as using his own psychokinetic to destroy the psychokinetic bind. Much to his frustration, the bind wasn't affected even a bit. As he was beginning to desperate, Mu sent a prayer to the gods of his race and Athena. The dark spring green eyed Saint wished for them to save the boy who had saved him. He prayed for a help to come for him and the boy.

His desperation was increasing as both his Master and Touma had come face to face.

None of them move the slightest.

Each one of them was waiting for their enemy's first movement.

As time grew thicker, the tension even got more suffocating for them.

It continued to grow until it can't be hold anymore.

However…

Just right before the tension broke loose and the fight could truly begin…

The ancient sundial tower stood proudly in Sanctuary's heart abruptly had blue fire lit up on each zodiac sign on the clock.

The 12 signs of them now had these blue fires, as if it was signaled a countdown.

All the spectators were shocked, now eyes fixed on the lit up sundial.

The true Pope wasn't an exception.

"What!?" His Cosmos dissipated abruptly. "Who lit those fires!?" The true Pope demanded to no one.

"It was me."

A rather rasped yet steady voice did answer the dark cloaked man's outburst. A heartbeat later, a lone figure came, walking away from the dark of night. The cane hitting ground's sounds accompanied the figure's footsteps. The figure finally came to view, revealing himself in front the hooded man, Mu, and Touma. He was a short old man. Since he had tipped the straw hat, now Touma could see the old man's face. He looked very old judged from the numerous wrinkles visible on his face, the long white beard, eyebrows, and moustache adorned his face. Touma assumed he was a Chinese from the worn out light green tosca and dark green colored Chinese man clothes, complete with black Chinese shoes, a staff, and an Asian conical hat. At least he was a Chinese descendant from what Touma had suspected since the old man had a pair of green colored eyes similar with the color of the lush, pure still forest.

What kind of Chinese having such green eyes?

Moreover with his elf like big ears and purple skin, the spiky haired teenage boy almost thought the old man was some kind of hermit from a fairytale. Touma had to stop his trail of thought. Actually, Touma corrected himself, the old man strongly reminded him of Yoda from Star Wars. The only different was this one had purple skin instead of green and had snow colored beard. Touma went paused briefly before he realized one more thing. The old man carried an undeniable wizened aura around him. He carried himself confidently like an old soldier who had seen various battles and things in this world.

Beside him, Mu gasped quietly at the newcomer. Realization came to his dark spring green eyes.

"Ro…Roshi…" He called the newcomer's name in surprise.

Touma raised his eyebrows.'Old…Master?'

Mu got an inquiry gaze from the Academy City's resident.

"Who?"

Still fixed a distraught stare on Dohko's newly arrived form, Mu gave a short reply.

"He's another Saint like me. He's one of two survivors from the previous war."

Inside his mind, Mu was very confused. He did very relief that his prayer went answered in a form of a fellow Gold Saint came to help him. A strong one above it. On the other hand, the First Temple's guardian now had a huge question dwindling in his brain. The usually serene looking Saint wasn't expected the old Saint would come to Sanctuary. So far he knew, the old looking warrior supposed to stay in Rozan for a secret mission. What in the name of Athena Roshi was doing in here? Meanwhile Touma opened his mouth a bit. His pair of black eyes widened, almost couldn't believe on what he just heard. He then looked back at the recently arrived Dohko.

"A war veteran?" He wondered out loudly.

Even though he now looked more like your old yet kind, normal neighbor? Now that Mu mentioned it, Touma did notice an aura you only get from soldiers and their alike. It was then the spiky haired teenage boy finally aware it was actually indeed an aura of someone who had gone through countless battles. Touma only can acknowledge this solely because he too, had faced dangerous fights ever since his fateful meeting with Index. At this moment Touma finally understood completely. No wonder the short old man was emanating a wise and stern aura. It was not a wonder he also radiated with battle experiences and formidable strength behind that old body. The old man was actually a Gold Saint like Mu.

The old Chinese had his forest green eyes fell onto the mysterious cloaked man.

He looked pondering for something but decided to keep it for later.

For now, Dohko wanted to greet him, the man beneath that tattered cloak who was his friend.

"It's been a long time, my friend." The old Chinese greeted his old friend.

A smile curved behind the long, silver colored moustache.

The black veiled man didn't bother to hide his shock.

This was unbelievable and yet here the Libra Saint was, standing few meters before him.

He never figured out that his best friend even will come to Sanctuary.

Let alone getting involves as well.

"D―Dohko!"

---

「Highway.」

「17:35 PM.」

「Around half an hour earlier.」

"Dad, come on. This way!" A young man with turquoise eyes shouted at the car trailing behind him.

A head then pooped out from the window. It was a tall man around his middle sixties with short brown hair with few strikes of white that signaled his true age, and similar turquoise colored eyes just like the young man. Despite the age he looked younger by 20 years due to his athletic built and rather youthful face. He wore a dark shirt, dark jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of mountain boots. He was a handsome man for his age despite the wrinkles visible on his forehead and eyes. The handsomeness even will more radiant if only he didn't bore a pissed off expression.

"Slow down, Dio! I must get out from my car and get my tools!"

"Oh, come on, Dad! I have gone too long already. I can't make my acquaintance's son waiting any longer." Dio half begged from his bicycle.

The man rolled his eyes but complied. "Fine, fine! Let me park this goddamn car before, will you?"

Dio stopped his bicycle and climbed down as the man took his time to park his car at the road side. Once he managed to park the car, the man was about to take the tools box from passenger seat when a hand had beat him first, lifting the said box.

"Here. Let me get the box if you would like to." A young girl's voice offered kindly from the passenger seat.

The Koutsoukis patriarch looked up at the other passenger and soon smile bloomed from his wrinkled face.

"Ah. Thank you." The Koutsoukis patriarch thanked, accepting the offered box. "We apologize for this…inconvenience, Saten."

Sat in the passenger seat was a smiling young girl around 14 years old. She had long black hair stylized like a himesama or princess from the feudal era with pony and a single white flower tucked on the left side of her hair. Her eyes were a pair of big, bluish dark colored orbs. The girl was quite tall for a girl in her 14 years old, 160 cm. The girl wore a stripped black and white long sleeved shirt, a sleeveless hoodie jacket with sky blue color, light brown medium skirt, black legging, and a pair of snickers shoes. The girl name was Saten Ruiko, a resident of Academy City like Touma, a student of Sakuragawa School, the former user of Level Upper, and the fellow Level 0 with 'Aero Hand' as her ability.

Ruiko was in the middle of vacation. Just like any other schools in Academy City, her school also taking a spring break around 10 days. Before the break began, Ruiko had originally wanted to spend the spring break by hanging with Uiharu, Shirai, and Mikoto, especially with Uiharu. However a call from her home changed it. Her father called her and asking for a help. He had wanted to meet his friend in Greece to deliver something when suddenly an urgent business preventing him from doing so. The father had been in panic because there was no way he could canceled the ticket and the deliver itself to was no less important. It was an ancient Greek manuscript the friend had asked him to bring it back to Greece after being regarded missing for a long time. It belonged to his family before it went gone due to war years ago. Few months ago, her father found it coincidentally in antique shop and bought it out of curiosity. He asked for his friend to translate the old manuscript since it written in old Greek and his friend was quite an expert.

Imagine his surprise when the mentioned friend recognized it as his family belonging after he saw the special mark on the manuscript, the rest was history. In the moment of that stressful time, he then remembered his daughter who supposed to be in spring break in the near future. With a hope he then rang the said daughter. Lucky to him, the midnight haired girl was about to having a school break, so he asked the daughter if she can replace him go to Greece and deliver the important package as well as taking vacation.

Ruiko had been ecstatic the moment her father asked her. At the same time, she had been torn for leaving her friends in Academy City. The girl didn't want to leave them because they were close friends to her and dear to her. It was a place where she can count on if she was in trouble when she was being far from her family, made them unable to protect her while she was staying in Academy City. On the other hand, Ruiko also aware that her father was in need for her help. Her mother couldn't go for she must taking care the house and her brother was already had a schedule in spring break involved studying together. Not to mention the said brother was pretty young and there was no way they will let him went to outside city aside from school tour, let alone went oversea (AN:/ It was never mentioned if her brother was actually an older brother or rather a younger one. In one blogspot however, it mentioned that her brother was a younger brother. ), left her as the only option for her father. Ruiko loved her friends but at this moment she had to prioritize her family first, in this case, her father. Ruiko took a few deep and steady breaths, making her crucial decision.

A day after, her friends weren't hiding their disappointment when Ruiko told them that she must go to Greece and deliver package. When she told them further however, her friends soon understood why she must take a trip to Greece. They understood she really need to done this task downing by her father and she will not let her father upset. Uiharu wished her good luck and wish to stay safe while in oversea. Shirai also wished her to take care she also asked for few Greece made in souvenirs. Mikoto also wished for her safety and wish her for a nice vacation while she delivers the friend of her father's package. Ruiko touched by her friends' care and sincere support, resulted her hugged each of her friends. She thanked them as well as promised them she will bring some souvenirs when she gets back. After some preparations and took care few documents, Ruiko left Japan for Greece. After bid her friends a one last time goodbye, she went from Academy City to Narita Airport. Her father had waiting in there. He greet her like a father would do, asking her wellbeing too. After a talk, he then gave the package to the white flower girl, asked her to take care while she is in his friend's care. She left Tokyo with destination Athens.

It was a long journey but all tiredness soon paid off once she arrived. The Sakuragawa's student was completely captivated. Mr. Koutsoukis had waited for her in there. He greeted her warmly, welcomed her to Greece. Ruiko, remembering her main purpose in here, then gave the package to the Koutsoukis patriarch. He had been so happy when received it, thanked her again and again, said that it was an important item of his family lost during war and just found recently by her father. The black haired girl happy she could help the man none the less. She liked the Koutsoukis patriarch instantly and called him Uncle in a short time. The man doesn't look minded at all, even happy when she called him that. That late evening, they went to his home outside a small city near Athens and was preparing for dinner when a young man turned out to be Mr. Koutsoukis' son came hastily. He was in need for help, his car was broken out of sudden. He had already outside the town not to mention he had no one to ask for help. The nearest help he could get was his father.

Hearing it, Ruiko decided to help this poor man and assist Mr. Koutsoukis.

Even more so when Dio told them that someone was with him and he wouldn't leave him alone for a long moment.

Not when he was a foreigner and knew almost nothing about Greece.

Once Dio finished his explanation, Ruiko instantly aware of what she must do.

Just because she was having a vacation, doesn't mean Ruiko could just stay in Mr. Koutsoukis' house, sitting idly when they certainly need more hands, could she?

If that person was in here, he too will not hesitate to lend a hand.

So she insisted to come with them and here she was.

"It's okay. I'm very glad I can become a help for Uncle and Dio-san. Everyone obviously deserves a hand when they're clearly in difficult moment." Ruiko replied happily. "And please call me Ruiko. You're my dad's friend so it's very much alright if you want to call me by my name."

"That was so kind of you." Mr. Koutsoukis praised the girl. "I'm sure your father will be proud of you."

Ruiko's cheeks now gained dust pink color. She waved both her hands frantically as she was smiling in nervous.

"Oh, it's really nothing! You praised me too much, I'm doing what I think is right." The long black haired girl said. "If I may ask, where are this car and your acquaintance's son?"

Dio shifted his head, offering her a smile.

"Just a little bit further, Ruiko." He answered.

Ruiko then nodded absentmindedly when another question pooped inside her head.

The young girl couldn't help but to tilted her head questioningly.

"Dio, this may sounds rude but how did your car end up being broken at the first place?"

"It's my fault actually." Dio looked ashamed for some reason. He continued when Ruiko gave him a blank clueless stare. "I didn't have enough money at the time to fix the car so I decided to fix the little fella in another time. I thought my repairing skill is good enough for a temporary fix. Turns out the car got broken earlier than I expected."

Ruiko bite her lower lips.

Ouch.

"That's…quite unfortunate." Ruiko commented hesitantly, not quite sure about her own reaction. "And you have to leave him while you gone to Uncle?"

"I still feel guilty to leave him alone but I had no choice. Someone must watch the car." Dio had his hand rubbed his head with guilty gesture.

"Wait a minute. That one again? What the heck had happened to that menace this time?! I swear I have f***ing repaired it few months ago!"

Mr. Koutsoukis' violently inquiry voice snapped both the turquoise eyed young man and bluish dark eyed girl from their conversation.

Not far from them, a Range Rover classic with green moss color was in eyesight. A thin, almost invisible black smoke rose from behind the cap. The long black haired girl scanned the car analytically and thoroughly. It looked worn out from age but overall it still looked in good condition, aside from the broken machine they about to fix. It seemed like an old type car to the black haired girl. She wondered slightly if this car was originally was Mr. Koutsoukis' before he handed it to his son. Moreover from what the Koutsoukis patriarch had shouted earlier, he had seen this car few times before.

"Dad. It's your own car. You don't have to swear." Dio sweat dropped.

Mr. Koutsoukis grumbled half heartedly.

"Was. It was my car and I have right to curse that troublesome thing."

"That car is yours…?" Ruiko blinked owlishly, couldn't believe her luck at guessing.

"It used to. I already owned it since Dio hasn't born yet. Few years ago I was going to trash it when he," Mr. Koutsoukis pointed at Dio. "Begged me to give it to him because he liked it."

Dio only respond was chuckled nervously at both man and young girl.

Seeing his uneasiness, Ruiko quickly changed the conversation's subject before the young man become even more uneasy than already.

"By the way, Dio-san, you haven't mention yet who this acquaintance's son you brought with you." The white flower girl asked, hoping they can switch away.

Thankfully it worked.

"Just Dio is fine." Dio replied, shaking his head. "He's Japanese boy, he's around your age. My acquaintance wanted me to keep his child as long as he's in vacation in Athens. He's a nice kid, too bad troubles always find him."

The Level 0 girl was frowning a bit. Somehow…it sounded familiar to her.

Suddenly, a memory of certain boy flashed in her head.

A certain misfortune boy who very close to her.

A teenage boy she considered as best friend and older brother figure.

It sounded like what that boy always through in daily life.

"He kind of reminds me with my own acquaintance. He's also often getting himself into deep troubles."

Speaking about him, Ruiko wondered what he was doing right now. When she in the middle of preparations, she had tried to call him twice. He didn't answer the first call and she left a mailbox for him. Latter that night, she tried to call for the second time, this time the mentioned boy answered. Turned out the certain misfortune boy was currently preoccupied with some matters. He was about to go oversea in near future which startled Ruiko since it was a bit too sudden. She had asked why he was out of sudden go to another country. He had answered that his father decided to send him to outside Japan for a week more or less for a vacation and a preferable peaceful break from his big misadventures. He also said he must go because he had a homework involving another country's culture. Ruiko then remembered about her own home works, couldn't help but to cringed. She also had similar home work about culture but hers was about certain regions in Japan and didn't have to go to the mentioned regions. Ruiko understood his feeling if only a bit about wanting have a rather quiet vacation so he can enjoy it. Plus he can focus completely to his homework without worrying any troubles will come for him. Still, the Level 0 girl voiced her disappointment for not being able to see him for a while, in which the boy dismissed it by told her that he will call her frequently and bring her a souvenir.

The idea brought a smile onto Ruiko's lips, happy for his care to her as best friend and considered sibling. He then asked Ruiko's well being and she answered that she too, must go to oversea as well but different from the certain boy, aside from go to vacation she must deliver a precious package to his father's friend. He too, like Ruiko, was finding it quite regrettable. The middle school girl understood his feeling well enough. They were close like siblings thus they felt concern toward each other as well. They took a decision to send news so they will not too worry, be it with phone or e-mail. Their conversation then changed to other things like school, friends, and family. They talked for good 10 minutes before the certain boy remembered that he must continue his preparation and made some dinner for his other room mates. He abide her a good and her to him before they hung up their phone. That was 3 days ago.

"Oh, really?" Dio surprised at this. "What a coincidence. It seems my acquaintance's son has a one heck bad luck following him."

"It must be sucks." Mr. Koutsoukis commented.

Ruiko then suddenly remembered about something. "You haven't yet told us his name. So what is his name…?" She asked.

Ruiko noticed they already behind the broken car.

Dio nodded slightly.

"His name is―" The young man was about to reply her when he suddenly stopped dead on his track. His turquoise eyes stared incredulously at inside car. A heartbeat later he shouted in panic tone. "TOUMA―?!"

Ruiko stopped on her steps, bluish dark colored eyes were staring at the young man.

Mr. Koutsoukis too, did the same thing.

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

Both of them said at the same moment although for different reason.

Did Dio just say…Touma's name?

As in Touma, her close friend in Academy City?

She doesn't mishear it, right?

Meanwhile, Dio had forgotten his bicycle as he ran toward the car.

He even went paler when there was no one inside the car.

"Touma!?" The young Koutsoukis panic even became evident. He turned his head around, looking for the boy. "Touma, where are you?!"

"Touma?" Mr. Koutsoukis parroted his son quizzically.

"My acquaintance's son! He isn't inside the car! I can't find him in!"

At that second, Ruiko felt as if his heart dropped to her stomach.

A bad feeling started crawling onto her mind.

She felt a dreadful sensation came to her. The long black haired girl learned not to ignore her apparently sixth sense. Her sixth sense had proven to right in similar situation like this. A sense she developed ever since she met him thus brought her into his and her own misadventures a lot. She had a sinking feeling that she wasn't about to like what will follow next. Bracing herself, the middle school student approached the panicked Dio.

"Dio-san, you just mentioned Touma. You mean as in…Kamijou Touma?" The bluish dark eyed girl asked.

Ruiko was trying to act as calm as she could although her heartbeat began to beat erratically from anxious and concern.

Dio snapped his head to her with surprise look. "How did you know his name?"

"He's the acquaintance I've been talked about."

"…I beg your pardon?" Dio asked disbelievingly.

"He's also my acquaintance. He's my friend to be exactly. We are in the same workshop in Academy City." Ruiko stole a quick glance at the empty car.

Her bluish dark colored eyes then caught a rather familiar bag on the passenger seat. A black and blue colored bag she instantly recognized as Touma's. She had seen it once when Touma came to their special workshop on the other day. He brought this bag because his usual one was being torn by an accident. He will have to carry it around until he got the new one. Ruiko had her mouth gaped a bit in astonishment, her now wide gaze still fixing onto the innocently laying bag. Ruiko herself wouldn't want to believe it if not because of the bag. Touma…he really came to this country, to this place. But now new question was bothering the long haired girl. What was he doing in here?

"You're kidding me…" Mr. Koutsoukis looked incredulous.

"How he was in here?" Ruiko scanned her surroundings.

Was he in here because one of those 'urgent business' he always said?

But then she shook her head.

It was not possible.

He came here and supposed to take a vacation.

He supposed to take a break from his absurd adventures right now.

Was he getting into a complication unintentionally?

"He's in vacation, Ruiko. Besides, his father is my acquaintance." Dio tried to answer helpfully.

The long black haired girl was biting her lower lips.

It finally did explain why the illusion killer boy was in here.

The confirmation didn't ease her though.

If he was indeed gone, where did he go to?

"Where does he go actually?"This time it was Mr. Koutsoukis who asked, having the same question with the Level 0 girl.

"Dad, it's a wrong question." Dio shook his head concernedly. "When and where did he go to…? How long he had been gone?"

As soon as the question left his lips, an odd sound echoed from afar.

A sound that suspiciously sounded like an explosion.

Blaaaarr…

"…!?"

"!?"

"?!"

Three heads abruptly turned at the same direction.

It came from behind a series of mountain range between outskirt of Athens.

It also parted the capital with Paiania along with other smaller cities.

"It's coming from that way…" Dio had his furrowed his eyebrows.

"That way…" As if he realized something, Mr. Koutsoukis had his dim turquoise eyes widened. "Could it be?"

The bluish dark eyed girl's rather sharp ears caught his murmured words.

Ruiko was frowning upon hearing the peculiar words.

It disturbed her to be honest.

Almost at instantly, her sixth sense grew more alarming at this rate.

It told her repeatedly for something was going amiss with this.

And Ruiko knew very well to trust her own instinct.

It developed slowly yet surely during her staying in Academy City, especially during her involvement with Touma.

"Uncle," She began in careful tone. "What did you mean by 'could it be'?"

The Koutsoukis patriarch had taken aback. Startled turquoise eyes meet questioning bluish dark eyes. The older man surprised how sharp her ears were despite him being murmured. And yet he wasn't answered her question. He looked uncomfortable for some reason Ruiko didn't know…yet. It confirmed her previous assumption that the older man knew something about the peculiar explosion came from behind the mountain just few minutes ago. She obviously had no idea what the older Koutsoukis had been trying to hide from her but it certainly something big. Half a year together with Touma had sharpened her intuition to certain degree.

"Ruiko, what are you talking? I'm not saying anything."

"Uncle…" Ruiko continued, cutting him, her eyes narrowed. "I heard it. There was no way I'm mistaken it. You know something about this."

"It's…" Mr. Koutsoukis looked uncertain for a while long before he inhaled a deep breath. He hated to admit it but this girl can be quite sharp it she wanted to, just like her father told him. "It's…it's very complicated, Ruiko. I'm not even sure if you will believe it. Trust me, it's really complicated."

His reply only made the white flower girl even more baffled and disturbed than previously.

She was about to ask further when another faint, booming explosion came again.

Ruiko lifted her head toward that way.

"It's that explosion again!" Dio showed worry as he stared at far behind the mountain. "Was that a terrorist attack?"

'There's an explosion behind that mountain…and Touma disappeared leaving his bag behind…'Her heartbeat almost stopped when she managed to put the pieces together. 'No! Please don't tell me…!'

Suddenly his unexplainable disappearance went far more make sense than ever.

Suddenly the bluish dark eyed girl had an idea where the illusion killer boy located.

Suddenly Ruiko found out the boy she being close with was having his own bad luck wrecked him...

Ruiko felt a great concern for the Imagine Breaker's holder.

Ruiko realized at instant that Touma once again stuck in his supernatural problem

Ruiko realized at instant that Touma was probably fighting with someone.

Ruiko realized at instant the mentioned boy clashed with extraordinary enemies…

Again.

'Touma, please don't tell me you have went to that place…!?' The bluish dark eyed girl thought in aghast.

It was really a bad time to begin with.

He was out from the reach of Academy City. He can't get any help in secluded place like this. Ruiko also couldn't call for a help to Academy City when the spiky haired boy was currently fighting someone dangerous behind the mountain. She wouldn't make it, it will be too late by then. Moreover an Esper above level 2 can't go outside Academy City, they need a special permission. It could take a lot of time and effort, certainly not fit in this situation. Aside Uiharu, asking Shirai and Misaka will be out of question. And Uiharu was a Judgment's member. She has been busy enough with her duty, it wasn't helping at all. Ruiko has no intention to bring her best friend to something she not even knew yet. Don't get started with Styil, she had no absolute idea on how to contact the red haired fire mage. The white flower girl clueless with whom else she should getting help at.

There was no one able to help him.

No one.

…

…

Except for the Level 0 girl herself.

Except for her who coincidentally in the same country and same place.

The though struck her like a ton of brick.

As if to telling her of what she must do.

Ruiko swallowed, steeling herself for the inevitable.

Hoping the decision she took was the right thing.

Her father was going to kill her if he ever find out about this, which Ruiko hoped not.

Touma will not approve of this rash act for certain.

And yet…

Ruiko couldn't just let Touma struggled on his own.

Not when he deserves some extra help.

"Dio-san," The middle school student asked in low voice. "How far that mountain is?"

Dio gave her a startled gaze.

"I would say… around 2 km at least." He replied a bit unsure before he stopped himself. "You're not planning to go there, are you?" He asked with suspicion.

Ruiko stared back at the younger Koutsoukis.

"Touma…he's in there."

She saw the turquoise eyed young man gaped like a goldfish.

"What?!" He exclaimed later.

"I don't know how, but I had this feeling that he's might be in there. He must be walked there!"

"Wait, if he's behind that mountain…" Dio then gasped. "Oh My God. We have to go there! How can he walked so far by himself!?" Dio then noticed the girl had run to his father's car. His confusion only grew when she was back with two not so usual tools.

A baseball bat made from metal.

And a pouch of S.O Tech Compact First Aid Kit.

It was also known as individual first aid kit.

Ruiko grabbed the bat with her right hand while she adjusted the pouch she tied on her left thigh.

Dio couldn't help but gawked incredulously at the sight of the bat.

"Ruiko…?! What are you doing with the bat!?" Dio asked once he snapped out.

Never mind with the first aid kit, how the heck the teen girl got the metal baseball bat?!

Ruiko wasn't answered the distraught Dio.

The Level 0 girl's grip on her mundane weapon tightened.

Her hand felt the cold metal within her grip.

It was a good thing she decided to bring her favorite baseball bat in case she needed it.

"I must go." Ruiko stated out of sudden.

"Huh!?"

Dio blinked dumbly as Mr. Koutsoukis had his mouth gaped.

"I may only know him in workshop and for less than half a year…" Ruiko shook her head slightly. "But I have this feeling…that he's in danger and may need a hand! I must find him! He could be in a deep trouble for all we know."

"Let me come with you! It's too dangerous for a young girl like you to climb the mountain in dark!" Dio was about to enter his car and grab the flashlight he had prepared.

But he never made it, he never take the flashlight.

A shout had beaten him first.

A shout he had been familiar with.

"You can't!"

Mr. Koutsoukis suddenly shouted, halting both the young man and the middle school girl.

It made Dio spun his head at his father in bewilderment.

It made Ruiko snapped her head at her father's friend.

"Eh?"

"I said you can't!"

Ruiko was surprised but holding her stubbornness.

"Why can't I?"

"The mountain―, it's too dangerous, you two can't go there alone!"

"If it's really dangerous for me to go alone with Dio-san, then why can't Uncle go with me and Dio-san to find Touma? You can help us too."

The Koutsoukis patriarch's gaze hardened.

"No! I will not allow my own son go walk into the mountain at night, even more so with you! You're only an ordinary human, Ruiko! You'll only get yourself killed!"

"…Uncle," Ruiko was gazing intently. "What it has to do with me being an ordinary human? I'm pretty sure my father told you about me being an Esper."

"I said no! I can't let you go there!" He resisted.

"Dad, you're acting weird." Dio spoke up, taking a step in front of Ruiko. "Touma is under my care, he's my responsibility! If he indeed being behind the mountain over there, then we have to find him! I have promised his father!" He reasoned defensively.

"So I am with Ruiko and her father, Dio!" Mr. Koutsoukis shot back, half glaring at his son. "As much as I want to help you search this boy, I can't let you go recklessly."

"But Dad…!"

The Koutsoukis patriarch shook his head solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Dio. But if this son of your acquaintance had gone to that place…there is no way he will go back alive."

Dio found himself frozen on his place.

"…What?"

"How can you say that? This is my friend we're talking about!" The white flower girl protested.

"I'm sorry…" Mr. Koutsoukis exhaled a long sigh, putting a hand on his forehead. "But I can't let you go to behind that mountain no matter what happen. You two can die." He ended with stern tone.

Ruiko was about to retort back when something clicked in her mind. Her eyes widened slightly before she lowered her head. Her bangs covered, shielding her eyes from both Koutsoukis. A thought echoed repeatedly inside her head. Ah, so that was why. The Sakuragawa's student thought quietly. His unwillingness to let them go reminded her of certain blond haired boy she get acquaintance in Academy City. His tone was almost this similar when he contacted her through cell phone. Both the Level 0 girl and Touma just won a prize to Italy for two peoples of some sort. She had been eager in her way home when Tsuchimikado called her and told her to not go for it was a set up for Touma. She needed to let it go or her life will only become a load for him along with thousands, perhaps millions of innocents' life in Italy. Ruiko had let it go of course but she was disappointed she couldn't spend more time with Touma. She wanted to help him but it will be in vain if she had her own life at the stake on Touma's shoulders.

For that once she accepted the reality with heavy heart. The long black haired girl called him to informed her incapability to come with him (she must lie in this one) and wished for a happy vacation for him. She decided to trust the black spiky haired boy to come back. He was her sibling like figure that was why. They were that close to each other. There was also a time when she gotten herself into a huge problem just when Touma had just back from Italy. The long black haired girl lifted her head, staring the Koutsoukis patriarch with firmness that even took back the older Koutsoukis. Mr. Koutsoukis was stunned at the gaze of the teenager girl. Why the girl he thought as a normal looking girl suddenly does turned to…someone else? That gaze…it was a gaze a normal girl wouldn't cast despite being an Esper…or is it? It was a gaze of a fighter so it should not be possible. It wasn't just like what his friend had described to him. Where did she get it? Was her staying in Academy City had changed the girl? His confusion thought went cut when the long black haired girl's voice snapped him back into reality.

"…You're hiding something."

Her tone wasn't an accusing tone he had expected.

In truth, it was filled with calmness and resolve.

Two emotions he would never expected to come from a middle school girl like her.

It was even worse than the accusation.

"…?!"

"Ruiko!?"

Dio shouted in shock from beside her.

And yet Ruiko kept going.

She must confront the older Koutsoukis because it was concerning the boy she considered as her best friend.

She couldn't ignore him and she couldn't ignore this.

She must help him and the Koutsoukis patriarch before her knew something about this.

"You're hiding something from me, from us! That's why you don't want us to go there. Something occurred in that mountain and you can't allow us to search Touma. What it is exactly!?"

"I'm…" The old man trailed off.

Got no satisfying answer from the man, Ruiko had decided enough.

The long black haired girl took a step forward.

"Uncle! Unless you have a valid reason why you will not allow us to after Touma, there's no way a mountain guide like you will let a boy wandering alone in the mountain. To think that you took conclusion about he will not getting back alive…You're hiding something! Please tell me!"

"Dad?" The younger Koutsoukis stared at his father disbelievingly. "Is what she said is true?"

"Ruiko…" The dull turquoise eyed man about to raise his hand but it fell back to his side. He took a few deep breaths, searching for any excuse he can find to avail. "Ruiko, I'm so sorry but I can't tell you, it's classified."

"Classified?" The Level 0 girl's voice strained from disappointment despite it has been hidden quite well. "Why…?"

"I can't reveal things which are meant to remain as one from the world's secrets unless I force to."

"Dad?" Now this got Dio's attention. "What are you talking about?"

"Things which meant hidden as the world's secret…You knew about this since the beginning?" Ruiko added further with quiet tone.

The black haired girl didn't miss the forlorn look on Mr. Koutsoukis' face.

"It's really complicated but yes, I know…"

Ruiko frowned at the older Koutsoukis.

"Why did you do that?"

It felt all familiar to her. It felt like Academy City with their tricks and pulling strings all over again. This one was almost the same. Some people with powers were pulling strings to cover up something much bigger. Something meant to be a secret. A secret no ordinary civilians should acknowledge with. Ruiko was more than prepared for the worst.

And yet…

What she heard next was outside what she had anticipated for.

"This is not something normal humans like us should involve with." The old man finally replied.

Ruiko had her eyes at the size of grape but Mr. Koutsoukis hasn't finish yet.

"The moment you stuck inside it, you died at instant."

"―?!"

"―?!"

Now that stunned both the younger Koutsoukis and the middle school girl.

Both of them at the loss of words, unable to say anything.

Mr. Koutsoukis looked at them with sad look.

He knew he may have been too hard with them but this is too dangerous already. He understood their feeling but they can't go inside goddess' private domain. Not when a war was currently ragging and took place. A war only those with gifts were able to enter and fight for the humankind. Dio and Ruiko were only mere humans. Who knows what will happen to them once they got themselves to what he could dubbed as one of the most brutal wars the world ever have. They can die at the blink of eye like lowly insects and the older Koutsoukis dreaded for the possibility.

That was why he forbade them from going.

Loosing the friend and the child one had trusting to his hand was a nightmare.

…But he couldn't bear the thought of loosing his own son and his friend's daughter.

He'd rather loose the boy, not his son and the girl.

One casualty from civilian was more than enough.

He didn't want more innocents died because getting caught at the cross line.

Ruiko was the perfect example for this.

"I can't loose the two of you. The risk will be too great, too deadly for you to meddle with."

The black long haired girl stayed still in her place.

She almost not believed the old man's words but she heard it clearly. Concern latched fear and protectiveness were in his rather harsh words. Mr. Koutsoukis wasn't lying for the few last parts. He really anxious for her and Dio, afraid for both young man and girl's safety. He sounded like her father…when she did or when she about to do a reckless act with not so easy risks. This was just a father who worried for his child and the one he promised to take care. Just a man wanted no more than his son and the girl he took under his wing, being alive. Ruiko had her bluish dark eyes softened at the youthful looking man.

"Is that why you forbade us from search Touma? Because whatever happening behind the mountain right now…" Ruiko inhaled a long breath, pausing a bit. "Is something which not even normal humans like you can handle?"

"…Yes." The answer came rather quietly.

Although she still wasn't happy, the white flower girl does understand his feeling. Her friends had the similar expression when she recklessly went to where a dangerous and supernatural occurred. It happened when she was in her way home from getting a new winter school uniform. A group of abnormally unconscious Anti Skills with their vehicle crashed was the reason. It seemed like a normal accident when in reality it was some kind of magic interference by using the intruder of city's displayed photo through electronic tools. Ruiko had been near by and ran toward certain direction until she met the culprit herself and got hurt in the process. The next thing she opened her eyes, she was already in hospital with injuries and her mother already by her side. Her father would've come too but he had an urgent business so her mother came for him. Her mother was sickly worried for her, but the long black haired girl managed to assured her that she was fine. Her friends and Touma visited after her mother went away. They also equally worried for her and asked her many questions. Uiharu even told her to not act careless again. It was pretty useless since Ruiko was a magnet for bad lucks so she ended up being involved deeper into Academy City's affair with Touma. Oh, and several others with Misaka, Shirai, and Uiharu as well. In fact, she displayed the first time of her Esper ability when she helped Misaka confront Therestina with her Capacity Down.

Her father and mother weren't too happy either when they got caught up with this.

Thank God he only knew about relatively 'easy' issues that Ruiko had caused.

He didn't need to know about the 'heavy' issues with Ruiko's involvement.

This was the main reason she started to bring the military first aid kit with her.

The middle school girl didn't want to make everyone worry because she got hurt thus she bought one with Shirai's recommendation. She had Uiharu's and Misaka's help to taught her about the first aid kit. Turning out Ruiko was quite good with this kind of thing. If the long black haired girl or someone else injured, she can fix the problem. At least she can take cares this one on her own.

"Is that so?" The Level 0 girl asked after a brief quietness. "Uncle, I really appreciate your concern but…you know that I am an Esper, right? I have experienced things outside human logics and nature. This is not the first time I got involved. I am aware of the risks if I'm ever going to be involved into something unnatural."

The meeting with Touma had become a crucial point for her, aside from befriend with Misaka, Shirai, and Uiharu. Nothing in her life will ever same again after. Slowly yet surely she began to involve into the more dangerous part of Academy City and its battle between science and supernatural. She had been caught in risking situation more than a few times. Just like when Shokuhou Misaki manipulated her and her friends' memories somehow (See 'Never the Twain Shall Meet' from Kyle Castorena, chapter 9-10). Just like when Vento of the Front attacked Academy City and she ran to her (See NTTSM chapter 12). This one wouldn't be too different.

The only thing which differed was she aware of the dangers lurks ahead of her.

The Level 0 girl prepared herself for this.

It doesn't matter whether or not she had a superpower. Ruiko was, by all means, just a middle school girl with almost no specialty, except for few mundane things (sewing). Her Esper's level showed a Level 0. Normally it would be impossible for her to defend herself with such level. She did anyway. She successfully helped Misaka against Therestina because she was a Level 0. She even destroyed the sound system that controlled the Capacity Down. It made Esper incapable of using their ability. It would affect everyone who Level was above 1, except Ruiko. Thus when other Espers were unavailable, Ruiko on the other can give a true, important aid for her friends.

This is what Ruiko exactly told to the older Koutsoukis.

"If I can give him a hand no matter how small they are…I am willing to take and prepare for the risks. That's why I can't just stand in here. I must meet him."

"Ruiko?!" The old Koutsoukis shouted in aghast.

This must be a joke right?

Were his ears begun to deceive him already?

But they didn't, they still worked well.

The old man wanted to face palm.

God, please help him. This gotta be a nightmare.

Even after he told her about the danger, she still wants to go there?!

Was she lost her mind already…?!

Or was she that stubborn from the beginning!?

Maybe his friend didn't know his own daughter as deep as he thought.

That was a bad news for the older Koutsoukis.

The white flower girl wasn't done yet.

"Uncle, this is my only request. If only you can grant it, I'll be more than very grateful." Ruiko stated calmly.

"…!"

"Please tell me what's going on behind that mountain. This is very important to me. If I have some acknowledge about what I will face in there, I will make sure that I can bring Touma back and we're going home together, alive. I beg of you."

The dull turquoise eyed man began to hesitate.

At one side, he objected the teenager girl to after her friend.

It was too dangerous and too risk for her. This act was can be called as suicide.

On the other hand however…

"Ruiko…" Mr. Koutsoukis was torn.

Seeing her wanting so much to help her important friend, he began to wavering.

"Please. His is a close friend to me. There's must be something I can do for him. I can't loose him now, I need him- his friends need him. We need him." Ruiko pressed in the end. "If I have no idea of what I will going to face, I can't help my friend. If that happens, I will regret it for the rest of my life. I need to know everything necessary you might know. Anything…anything is fine! Please, Uncle!"

The girl pleaded, no she was begging to him.

Sirius Koutsoukis stunned.

This girl before him…

Not only she wanted to save this young man but she chose her friend above her own safety?

To the point she ignored that the deadly, ancient war has occurring?

Because there were those who awaiting the boy to go him again, not just her?

Because he was precious for the long black haired girl?

Because he was holding a special place within this girl's heart?

A flash of memory came inside his brain. A memory about how he accidentally trapped beneath an avalanche when he in the middle of evacuated hikers. He had asked the other mountain guides who came with him to take the hikers and go. Yet Hiroaki (AN:/ His name is never mentioned in Toaru so I made one for him) stayed behind and dig the dirt in order to rescue him. It was a suicidal act moreover the rain was still washing over the region so the Japanese would only risk himself more. However he wasn't care, he didn't care a bit. Hour after hour he dug the earth away stubbornly, believing that he could save him. In the end, he did. By the dawn when the rain stopped and by the time the other guides came back for them, Hiroaki took Sirius out from inside the avalanche and brought him back. Amazingly, the Greek man only have broken leg despite how huge the avalanche. He healed in few months, taking his role again to ensure hikers' safety. He had once asked why the Japanese man wouldn't leave him. His answer was astonishing and simple. Because Sirius was his friend and his family was need him.

From that day, they friendship grew stronger and they almost like brothers.

Sirius held high his respect for the Japanese man.

If it wasn't because of the Japanese, he wouldn't be standing and breathing fresh air in here.

The Japanese man's stubbornness had saved him.

And years later, Hiroaki's daughter did the same thing for her friend.

Like father, like daughter.

"…Dear Athena," The dull turquoise eyed man sighed deeply. "To think you'll become this similar with your father…"

"Uncle...?" Ruiko tilted her head.

Her mind then registered a thing she almost missed. The bluish dark eyed girl raised an eyebrow puzzlingly. 'This similar with your father'? What does he mean by that…? Does this mean her father was just like her long time ago, when he was younger? Ruiko didn't have a time to finish her musings when the older Koutsoukis spoke further, gained her attention. What he said next almost made Ruiko's heart jump from sheer of disbelief. At the same time, it also made her ecstatic nonetheless.

"I understand. Due to you must go there as fast as possible, I will give few important things which may help you."

Ruiko could feel the smile come up but refrain from doing so.

She couldn't relief yet.

Now that he had decided to tell her, she must keep her focus.

This was the time for the Level 0 girl to get serious.

Hopefully, she can get to Touma's places in time. But for now…

.

.

"Please keep your attention because this is crucial for your and your friend's survival…"

---

「Aries Temple.」

「18: 01 PM.」

Dohko stared his old friend thoughtfully.

"It's been 243 years, hasn't it? But I didn't think I'd see you again in this world. Why don't you show your face, my friend?" Dohko questioned genuinely.

"The Pope that had been killed by Saga!" Dohko continued.

The cloaked man had his hand onto his tattered black cloak and threw it away from his figure.

"You, the ancient Gold Saint…"

With the cloak being removed, they can see who the person was beneath the cloak.

It was surprising reality to them though.

Hidden beneath the dark hood, was a young man with familiar dot eyebrows. An evidence of him was being a Lemurian like Mu and Kiki. He looked younger than Mu in fact. Perhaps the young man was in his late teen. He was a tall handsome young man, wearing a small yet proud smile. His hair grew long passed his waist with color of lemon green and untamed. The wind was blowing his hair, made it danced slightly. The young man's light violet eyes now fully visible to the world, showing the ancient looking and the battle experiences he had. The young man was standing proudly with dark purple armor. Much to Mu's disturbing feeling, the armor possessed striking resemblance with Mu's own armor. There were several different details in here and there but other than that, the armor bore the resemblance with Aries Cloth.

The man's true name was…

"Aries Shion!"

Mu was very baffled when he saw how young his Master appearance was.

"My Master, Aries Shion…But this body…" The lavender haired warrior blurted out the inquiry.

"Wait," Touma hated to interrupt this.

However something just clicked together in his brain.

It was something of what Dohko had said previously.

Touma blinked furiously at Mu. "He's actually dead? And Aries? Don't tell me he's your…"

Those pair of dark spring green eyes darkened slightly and holding a bitter pain.

One thing was clear to Touma once he saw that emotion.

They must be sharing a bond.

A deep and strong bond above that.

"Aries Shion, my mentor. He was my predecessor before I donned this Gold Cloth. He was also the Pope in this land but he was murdered more than 13 years ago."

Touma eyed him sympathetically. So he was right.

They do share a strong relationship, all but blood.

The lavender haired Saint then glanced at the revived Pope. "But the Shion I knew wasn't like this, he wasn't looking this…young." Mu ended a bit unsurely.

Touma couldn't help but furrowed his eyebrows.

"You mean…he's supposed to be old?" He asked slowly.

He got a nod from Mu.

The wrinkles on Touma's forehead grew increasingly.

Was the lemon green haired man had different appearance before?

His confusion soon answered, though not in the way the certain misfortune boy wanted to hear.

"Oh."

Dohko's forest green eyes widened slightly from wonder.

"You are 261 years old like me, but you look as young as if you hadn't changed from 243 years ago when the last Holy War occurred."

At this half wondering exclaim, the gears within Touma's head stopped spinning.

The poor boy almost choked in his own spit.

It made Mu glanced at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"261 years old―!?" The Imagine Breaker's current holder gawked incredulously. "What kind of human being can live that long?!"

Mu sweat dropped at the boy's outburst.

While the normal looking boy didn't have to shout loud, Mu understood his bewilderment.

Normally, human can only reached 100 years in overall. Sometimes they could reach a bit above 110 years old but no more other than that. Lemurian race on the other hand, was different. Unlike the rest of the human, they had longer life span. No one know why for precisely. Most of them assumed it had something with the number of the Lemurians that quite small. Despite being called as a race, the Lemurians' number only ranged around 1,000 to 2,000 peoples. Not helping since lots of Lemurians served under Athena always died from killing in action and they had underrated birth. It was already like a common secret between Saints, outside and inside Sanctuary. However for the teenage boy who was originally come from normal civilization, this would be a shock for him.

"Touma. We, the Lemurian race, have longer lifespan than normal humans. While reaching above 200 years old is not common, our race can reach above 150 years old. Shion is Lemurian, so I am." Mu explained briefly.

"Uh, that's…amazing?" Touma rubbed his neck, unavailable to find any precise word.

"You are welcome." Mu replied in acknowledgement, knowing the boy found it hard to believe.

Shion gave a proud smile at his old time friend.

"Surprised, Dohko? This is Master Hades' power."

"What?" Dohko was taken aback.

If previously Touma gawked in incredulous, now blank was the only expression painted on his face.

He almost stopped breathing when he heard a particular name.

A name supposedly came from Greek mythology, just like Athena.

It was totally ridiculous. He wasn't misheard it, was he?

No way can this twisted sick joke ever happen.

"Hades... as in Hades, the famed Greek God of Netherworld?" Touma desperately hopping that his suspicion was wrong. He desired the foreboding fact was only a mistake.

Unfortunately fate has said an entirely different matter. Misfortune wanted to screw him further and will not leaving until he practically doomed. Mu blinked at Touma's rather odd reaction. The dark spring green eyed Saint wondered what the boy had been thinking. Yet he did answer the poor boy's question for the sake of lessening the confusion.

"The very same one."

One short reply from Mu was more than enough to shattered Touma's hope.

His shoulders slumped in defeat.

The illusion killer boy couldn't believe his luck at all.

First a Norse God and now the famed Greek Underworld God?

'Another god to fight? As if Othinus wasn't enough, now I have another god as my possible opponent?' Touma felt like he wanted to cry, mourning his bad luck once more like he always did.

The vacation he had imagined would be nice now went further and further away from him.

And the homework.

Oh God, the homework he supposed to do in this spring break…

'Fukou da. There will be a hell for me...' Touma cried mentally.

Despite the spring break lasted around 10 days…

It seemed he will have to get through a hellish moment if he wanted to finish his homework, once this was over.

The lemon green haired Pope walked away from unknowingly despairing Touma.

Now he was coming toward the old Chinese man.

"Because I swore allegiance to Hades, I received a new life." Shion spread his arms, showing it to Dohko. "And I have this 18 years old body, the age when the human body is at it's best strength and beauty. In comparison, what are you, Dohko? You've grown old."

Unaffected by the revived Pope's words however, Dohko finally spoke up again.

"Illusions."

A frown marred across Shion's feature.

"What!?"

"These lives and youth. They are all illusions." Dohko revealed.

The Chinese man then motioned the sun dial tower.

"Why do you think I set the fires on the Sanctuary's clock? Your lives are illusions that won't last longer than these 12 fires. And that, Shion, you must be aware of more than anyone!"

Shion stayed silent.

He didn't say anything as he fixed the Libra Saint a cold stare instead.

Dohko only returned the glare with calm yet sharp gaze.

On the other side, Mu narrowed his eyes while Touma had his forehead wrinkled from confusion.

"Let me get this straight," Touma spoke after a brief, uncomfortable pause. "He has died since beginning and then he granted to come alive again but he has to kill Athena in 12 hours or he will be sorry?"

The dark spring green eyed Saint turned to him and quirked one of his eyebrows.

"You took this surprisingly well." Mu noted.

"No, I'm not!" Touma immediately roared literally. "Seeing someone died is one thing but dead people getting revived and taking an innocent's live?" His voice went higher at the end of the sentence.

It was terrible. It was a very terrible act.

Ordered some persons to kill innocent was one of despicable things he hated passionately.

But to bring them from the dead when they supposed to rest in eternal and had them do dirty things such as murdering?

If there was one thing he could name from few things he would never forgive…

If there was one thing he could name from few things he would never tolerate…

It was resurrected the dead to the living world.

It was one of the cruelest things one ever done. To force the dead back from their respective rest was unforgivable, no matter what the reasons. Seeing someone who dear to you gone from your life indeed painful. Seeing someone whom you loved very much suddenly taken away from you indeed hurting you. It doesn't mean you can raise them from the dead though. Even you loved them, you have no right to revive them because if you did…you will only dishonorable them. You will only make them suffer more than they deserved in various ways. Death existed so human can treasure their only life that was short, so they will fighting with all they got and had. So once when their life ended and they took a moment to look back onto their back, they will see the best way and life they had make by their own hands, tears, blood, and pain.

Human cannot bring the dead back because they were not gods and they don't have a power to do so.

It was understandable.

However when the one who done such low thing was in fact the death god himself, it even more unforgivable. A death god is supposed to understand this simple thing and respected those who dead and give them the rest place they deserve for what they had done in living world. Instead, he had these people revived and had them done terrible things they might not wanted.

It was wrong to Touma.

He hated the said very twisted idea instantly.

He really hated it.

He voiced it to them.

Literally and unconsciously.

"That's a freakin' heartless action…! Deceased people shouldn't have suffered anymore. They are supposed to have peace after they died, not being revived to living world to feel countless pain again and kill someone who even done nothing wrong to them!"

Of course Touma voiced it spontaneously.

He never really expected any respond or reply from the Saints.

But they did anyway.

Almost immediately, the spiky haired teenage boy got a reaction from the others.

"…⁰ _ ⁰ "

"…O □ O "

"…⁰ д ⁰ "

Three pairs of light violet eyes, forest green eyes, and dark spring green eyes soon were locking their gazes at one single boy with various emotions.

Shion glanced at him with the faintest surprise behind that calm mask of his.

Dohko had blinked a few times with his big, green eyes.

Mu was staring him in astonishment, utterly speechless.

The situation went downright awkward with the stares Touma got.

"…What!? ∑ O Д O ; ϡ"

The certain high school's student yelled agitatedly.

He put his left arm in front of him defensively and took a step back at the process.

Touma shifted his head hastily between Mu, Dohko, and Shion.

What did he do to the point they stare him like that!?

"I'm only voicing my thought! Stop looking at me as if I was some kind of freak alien! It's started to scare me out, okay!"

"That's…so thoughtful of you…" Mu replied hesitantly for the lack of better word.

Shion tilted his head ever slightly.

He eyed the boy who now even became more complicated as Shion was examining him.

He thought living for more than 200 years old had made you seen everything in this world.

He had seen various odd things as he did his duty as a Pope.

He had thought nothing else can surprise him after living for so long.

Apparently he had been deadly wrong.

Saga's betrayal and Hades' double edge proposal were two from few things that could still caught him off guard.

Shion could went along with these matters, even settled them in the end.

At last but not least however…

The youthful boy stood few meters from him.

Shion had to admit the boy for being the biggest, complicated puzzle he ever meet and trying to solve.

It was ironic though.

This common looking boy in fact was the most puzzling mystery Shion had encountered in his 261 years old worth of living.

Every act the boy was commit managed to taken aback the lemon green haired man.

This one was not an exception either.

Shion carefully eyed the charcoal eyed boy. "…You have sympathy for an enemy who capable to kill you without batting an eye?"

Touma was responding him by gazed straight at Shion's pair of light violet eyes.

Most will call him moron for this…

However this was what he believed with all of his conscience.

This was what he believed with his heart.

It will not change no matter what happen.

It doesn't matter who resurrected who. Even if it was Hades himself who brought them back to life, it didn't justify his act as a god or Olympian. If anything, it even considered a very selfish and arrogant act to be committed. He maybe never saw any act to revive the dead but he aware very much the revival of the dead will only bring disaster and more pain than ones already have enduring. It was never a successful act to begin with. There was this story about when Isa or Jesus revived a grieving man's wife from the dead who has been died for 2 years or so. The man wanted to meet his wife again so much until Jesus granted it by revived her only to have her denied him as being her husband and died in disobey her husband. More ironic as the truth revealed that the wife actually died the first time as a wife who love and always obeyed him when she was still alive. Then there was story about Eurydice and infamous Orpheus.

The ending was painfully obvious.

And now he had these warriors resurrected back by egoistical god and does detestable things by his bindings?

It was certainly painful to lose someone we deemed precious.

…But to Touma, it was even more painful if you tried to bring them back only to make them suffer before they die again.

Wasn't it an obvious thing?

"I hated the idea of humans being revived like they are merely a tool you can get fix and get broken after easily. You are my opponent and it's goddamn correct, I will not deny it. Yet while you're an enemy, doesn't mean I don't care with the way how you alive again. No offense but I will not let you kill anyone so long as I'm here." Touma then pointed at himself briefly. "Don't forget I promised you that I will destroy that messed up illusion of yours. You got a problem with that?"

Then silence fell.

There was a brief moment of stunned silence…

A hearty laughter soon broke it.

The laughter unsurprisingly came from Dohko.

Three pairs of eyes from two Lemurians and a Japanese boy fell onto his figure.

The laughter was filled with deep amusement.

"Ho, ho, ho, ho!" The old man laughed, shaking his head slightly. "What an interesting lad! You have one brave and determinate boy in your hand, Shion!"

In which Touma blushed badly from the sincere praise.

"Err…" The teenage boy could only scratch his cheek timidly with his index finger.

"I believe this is the first time we meet. Please forgive this old man, but may I ask you who you are?"

Touma nodded, trying to act polite.

"Kamijou Touma, you can just call me Touma for short."

The smile plastered on Dohko's face then widened further.

"A good name you have in there." The old Chinese responded.

"…Thanks?" Touma awkwardly replied back.

Dohko took a moment to scan the young boy before him, scrutinizing the boy thoroughly.

He then found several interesting facts from the boy.

"I don't sense any Cosmos from you, my boy. At the first glance, you can pass easily as a normal boy, the one who face would easily forgotten by others. However…" His mirthful forest green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I can see why Shion went as far as took you seriously as his opponent. Despite your appearance, your skills on the other hand said otherwise. You had gone through lots of difficult battles, am I right?"

Touma stood still on his place. Surprise was written all over his face.

For a brief moment, the illusion killer boy couldn't find his voice.

"How did you…?"

The previous Holy War's survivor laughed nonchalantly. "I can figure it out merely because of my long live and experience, Touma."

"Oh…" Touma was bitten his lower lips awkwardly.

Dohko chuckled at this.

"Wish I could talk longer with you but I'm afraid we don't have time for a chat." The old Chinese then stared toward the paralyzed Aries Saint. "Mu."

"Y-Yes." The lavender haired Lemurian answered a bit hurriedly.

"You will go after Saga and the others at once with that boy. And with Aiolia and the others' help, you will make sure they won't take another step towards Athena!"

Dohko then pointed his staff at the sundial with the set up blue fires.

"Until the last of these 12 flames burn out, you must continue to protect Athena at any cost!"

The Golden Ram warrior had his dark spring green eyes widened drastically.

12 hours.

It was all the time he must protect Athena before the revived Saints turned Specters complete their goal. It was the time he and his comrades have before their enemies can get Athena's head. A still fresh memory the battle of 5 certain Bronze saints against 12 Gold Saints flashed in his mind. Mu grimaced unconsciously at the memory. He briefly wondered if this what Seiya and the other Bronze Saints felt when they only had half a day to save Athena from getting pierce by golden arrow, straight to her heart.

Before Mu could finish his muse, a jolt like golden electricity was running through his body without any warning.

The lavender haired Saint couldn't help but to gasp in surprise.

"!"

The paralyzing on his body disappeared completely.

He wobbled slightly due to the sudden release from Dohko.

He managed to recover quite fast, however.

Dohko' voice brought Mu's attention.

"You should be able to move now." He told him.

The First Temple's guardian rose from the ground. He lifted his hands and staring amazedly.

True to the old Libra Saint, he was able to move his body.

It seems there was no problem at all.

Now the dark spring green eyed Saint certain that he could move wholly again.

"Indeed." Mu replied.

Turning his attention at Shion, Dohko told more toward the released Mu.

"I'll take care of this Temple. Go, Mu! Take the boy with you. You will need his help certainly."

Mu still has few questions for the old Libra but he shoved back for now.

It wasn't the right time to ask the Chinese Saint.

He had another matter to do and it was far more important.

Thus, the lavender haired warrior gave a nod to Dohko.

"Yes, then…" The Lemurian Saint responded solidly.

He wasted no time to pull himself from the ground.

He had to put one of his hands on his knee though since in a brief moment his balance almost failed him.

The Golden Ram Saint had been struggled with Shion's psychokinetic so it was not surprising if his strength hasn't fully returned yet. Steadying his ragged breaths, Mu shifted his head at Touma's direction. Mu intended to ask the teenage boy. He felt bad asking the boy to come with him however Dohko did have a point. The lavender haired Saint will need much help as he needed them. He will especially need help from the charcoal eyed teenager boy. They must race against the time so they will have to move fast. They only have 12 hours after all and it was a short time to defend Athena at any cost before Saga and the others reach her first.

"Touma, can you come with me?"

Mu got a firm nod from the illusion killer boy.

Touma then approached the golden armored warrior.

"I told you I will help you, right?" Touma responded once he stood before Mu.

Touma was extending his left hand to him.

Not that he didn't want to offer the said dark spring eyes Saint with the right hand.

Touma just didn't want to take a risk with.

Not with the right hand that destroyed anything supernatural.

"Sorry. I hope you're fine with this since I can't use my other hand."

Not with the golden armor Mu wore to protect almost his whole body parts.

Including his hands and arms.

Seeing how a part of the palatinate blue haired man's armor shattered simply because his punch touched it…

Touma gulped nervously.

If the man's dark armor and Mu's gold armor did have similar supernatural power…

…

…

Using his right hand to help Mu standing maybe was not a good idea.

As long as Mu wore the armor, Touma might as well as trying to be careful. He didn't want to accidentally destroyed Mu's armor with his Imagine Breaker. Thankfully, Mu seemed to notice this when he saw his stretching out left hand. Because he had seen how that right hand of his always destroyed any Cosmos empowered attacks and shattered a part of Saga's armor, the lavender haired Saint pretty much having an idea what that right hand will do if it touched his armor. Mu nodded back to him understandingly before he took the offered hand and straightened himself properly. He turned his body around, motioning the teenage boy to follow him as well.

"Come! This way! We have to climb the stairs if we want to go after them!"

"Right!" Touma was about to run after the golden armored warrior but he stopped abruptly before he went too far as he remembered something.

He slapped his own head for being forgetful about this.

Of course Mu noticed Touma's sudden stop.

He too, also must stop on his track as well.

"Touma?" Mu was looking at him in slight surprise and wondering.

"Just a moment." Touma replied with hurry.

Mu raised an eyebrow but other than that he stayed still.

Touma looked away from the golden armored man.

The Japanese boy had his black colored eyes fixed on the old man facing the previous Aries Saint.

Turning his head at Dohko's direction, Touma then called the old Chinese.

"Roshi…!?"

The old man shifted his head slightly.

His forest green eyes took a glance at the boy.

"Hm?" Dohko hummed questioningly.

"Thank you for your help!" The Academy City's resident thanked, gratefulness was within his voice. "Wish you good luck for the battle!"

Mu blinked at him, feeling even more surprise.

He wasn't expected the black haired boy stopped to thank Roshi in that way.

It was a good thing though.

Mu was pleased because there were younger generations like Touma who still remember to thanked those who had put effort to help him.

It was a habit that turned out disappearing slowly in modern civilization outside there.

For a few seconds, Dohko had this blank expression plastered on his wrinkled face.

It didn't last long as the blank look soon broke.

It didn't take too long before The Chinese Saint chuckled amusedly.

His forest green colored eyes now twinkled in mirth.

He wasn't wrong about the boy is being an interesting guy.

"Ho, ho, ho. You're welcome." The old man replied kindly. "And I wish you for a good luck too, Young Man."

Touma nodded his head.

This time a sincere smile adorned his lips before he was running once more.

The misfortune boy soon turned to the lavender haired Saint who had waited.

Caught Dohko's gaze, Mu nodded to him in respect and sending him his own small grateful smile.

With that, both the Aries Saint and the illusion killer boy were taking off.

They were running passed through the revived Pope.

"Wait, Mu!"

Dohko lifted his wooden staff at Shion's reaction.

It immediately stopped Shion from after his pupil.

"Don't move!" Dohko shouted at his friend.

Shion stayed on his place and took a glance at Dohko.

"Shion, now I'm your opponent after a 243 pause. Let's enjoy this slowly."

The light violet eyed Pope shifted his position so he can face his friend.

Shion let a mocking smile slipped onto his lips.

"Do you realize that if we fight against each other, we'll fall once more into the 'One Thousand Years War'?" The light violet eyed Lemurian asked. The smile then gone quickly.

"Dohko, you possibly…"

The forest green eyed old man raised an eyebrow.

"Wish for that?" Dohko continued with a hint of challenge.

The two survivors from the Last Holy War were eyeing their opponent.

Wind blew a bit harder this time.

A battle was about to begin.

---

Meanwhile…

Between Aries and Taurus Temple…

"Mu, where are we going!?" The question flew from Touma's lips as they were climbing the stone stairs.

Charcoal colored eyes stole a glance below the stairs. Touma was biting his lips when he saw how they gotten higher and higher from the ground. They were a quite long stairs and much to his nervous, it still climbing above! They were practically climbing a some sort of cliff, of course he got this urgent to stay away from the stairs edge. He could see the scene below from here. He wasn't scared with the height, he just not too fond at it. He wondered how people and inhabitants in this land managed to built buildings and temple at the cliff and high, rocky places. It would certainly take lots of efforts to make these impressive temples and other magnificent buildings. Everything in this place made almost completely from stone and rarely from woods while the old buildings in Japan quite contrary since they used woods, bamboo, and straw for basic materials.

The certain golden armored warrior was running in front him.

His long, lavender colored hair trailed behind him.

"Taurus Temple." Mu answered. "It's the temple where a fellow Gold Saint also protecting it. There are 12 Temples or Palaces at total, each one reside with Gold Saint. In the end of the 12 Temples is Main Temple where Pope and Athena reside, adding with the Great Statue of Athena."

"Aries…Taurus…" Touma muttered thoughtfully. "It's taken from 12 zodiacs?"

"Correct." Mu replied and decided to add a further explanation. "Athena's Saints are warriors who took an oath to protect Athena and the peace on Earth. Saints is numbered 88 warriors. We are wearing Cloth which were blessing by Athena. The Cloths are taking form from 88 sacred constellations in the sky. Saints who wear Gold Cloth is called Gold Saint, Saints who wear Silver Cloth is named Silver Saints, and those who wear Bronze Cloth are being called Bronze Saints."

"Is that why you're being called Gold Saint? Because of your Gold Cloth?"

"Yes. Roshi is a fellow Gold Saint, he's Libra Saint." Mu drifted his gaze to the misfortune boy's running figure. "I see you acknowledged about Saints a little. If I may ask, from whom you found out the story about Holy War?"

"From my dad's acquaintance. His name is Dion Koutsoukis." Touma gave a quick reply.

Dark spring green eyes then lit up in recognition.

Mu knew that surname quite well.

"I may not recognize Dion Koutsoukis, but I know Sirius Koutsoukis. He's working around here to guide people through mountain. He's one of our men, I've meet him a few times."

Touma was astonished.

Sirius…Koutsoukis?

But it would be mean…

"…Are you saying this Sirius Koutsoukis is Dio's father and he's working for you all of this time?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are. I never expected he would tell a crucial secret to his son. Though, it's understandable since Sirius bound to secrecy and he never married to begin with. He once told me he didn't get permission to marry the woman he loved. Her parents were against it, especially the father. It was only few years earlier, after the old man passed away Sirius finally can meet his son and the lady."

"This is must be the most horrible day I ever have. A myth turned reality, a secret war of gods completed with ancient warriors and super powers." The spiky haired teenage boy listed despairingly. "I've see many crazy things in my life but this is definitely one of the weirdest things I've encountered."

"If you ask my own opinion," Mu spoke after a brief ponder. "You're already became the weirdest thing I've ever encountered."

Touma had his mouth gaped utterly stunned. "How so?" He couldn't help but to ask.

"We, the Saints, using energy called Cosmos to create a miracle. Cosmos is atomic energy presents within every living beings and things in this universe. Cosmos is crucial to us because by awakening Cosmos, those who chosen can become Saints. Using Cosmos means we can use Saints' technique for good and at the same time defend humankind from evil gods seek for conquering the earth." Mu explained in length.

Touma couldn't help but pointing to himself. "What's this has something to do with me?"

Mu eyed him for a while.

His dark spring green eyes were scrutinizing the teenage boy who followed right behind him.

He was gazing as if he had meet a puzzle he can't finish by his own.

A puzzle that called as Kamijou Touma.

"Every thing in this universe has Cosmos, Touma. That's including normal humans. Despite the fact they're not awaken their Cosmos, normal humans still have small to little amounts of Cosmos. You are the same and yet…" Mu left his sentence hanging in the air.

Silence followed both of them as they continued to climb the stairs.

The charcoal eyed teenage boy furrowed his eyebrows quizzically.

"What is it?"

The lavender haired warrior wore an unreadable expression. He seemed to be troubled for some reason. Touma wondered what had made the Gold Saint this disturbed.

"Your right hand." Mu finally responded, his eyes fell on Touma's right hand.

"Ah." Now Touma had an idea why the long haired Aries Saint felt disturbed.

"It's very peculiar. I'm almost can't sense anything from it and yet when you destroyed Saga's light beam and Camus' Aurora Execution, there's something radiated from your right hand. It's not Cosmos from what I observed."

His mind was blank at the mention of the names he never heard.

Touma gave the lavender haired young man a questioning gaze.

"Who are Camus and Saga?"

Mu suddenly felt stupid for mentioned Saga and Camus when the boy had just met them as his opponents. Not helping since the boy didn't have their names either. They indeed called each other with their respectful names but how many will bothered to acknowledge them when they were in the middle of deadly war and currently fighting for their survival? He resisted the urge to face palm himself.

"The foes you've encountered earlier. The blue haired man is Saga, while the green haired man is Camus, and the short haired one is Shura."

Mu saw how Touma's face lit up in recognition.

"Ah! That's why their names are sounded familiar. They called each other's name when I fought this Saga." Thank to Dear Athena, Mu mentally send his grateful. It seems this boy was more observant than he had expected. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as Mu or the rest of the revived Saints had thought. "Wait. You knew them?" The peculiar boy now shocked.

And now comes the hard part.

Mu narrowed his dark spring green eyes.

A wave of pain stung right at his heart.

Mu tried to ignore it.

He suppressed the pain into the deeper part of his heart.

He couldn't get distracted by such emotion. Not now.

Not when his goddess was in danger.

"They're fellow Gold Saints like me but they died during the civil war happened few months ago in Sanctuary. They revived again because of Hades and turning against Athena. And yet..."

"And yet what?" Touma prompted carefully.

"Before we were being paralyzed by Master…I saw their true mind's state with my sixth sense or my heart to be precisely."

Touma had a sinking feeling about this. "…What you saw?"

"They cried in blood tears. As if they suffered." Mu paused frowningly. "On the second thought, your words may have been right. It was more like they coerced than obeyed willingly…"

Touma gaped wide.

His eyes were blank.

"…Darn."

He had sensed the bizarreness when he encountered, furthermore fought them to some point.

But this…

This was very unacceptable.

"Back to our conversation…Whatever it was, this is the first time I saw such thing existed. What kind of power your right hand is possessing actually?" Mu looked intrigued.

At this Touma deliberated silently to share all the information he had with the Lemurian Saint. They were strangers after all so it would be an understanding if Touma a bit reluctant to gave the considered delicate information with the lavender haired young man. Put that aside, the Imagine Breaker's holder owed an explanation toward Mu. The warrior deserved some lightened after witness what Touma's right hand could does. Besides the young warrior seemed trustworthy and can keep few secrets. After pondered for a little longer, Touma finally decided to tell the Golden Ram warrior as they were running.

"It's…" Touma scratched his head and sighed. "I'm not even sure myself."

Mu couldn't help but stunned.

"What do you mean?" He abruptly asked once he can found his voice again.

"I've to admit my right hand is…odd." Touma tried to answer the best he could. "I don't have any knowledge about this right hand. However I do know that apparently my right hand's power called as Imagine Breaker."

It didn't ring any bell to the lavender haired Saint.

This was the first time he ever heard it.

It did proof his suspicion that the boy's power not a Cosmos to begin with.

It was something else entirely, one that Mu wasn't aware yet.

"Imagine Breaker…" Mu parroted thoughtfully, tasted the words in his mouth.

"It's not an Esper or magic ability so its true origin is unknown and questioned by many fractions, including the Church and the Academy City. While any modern weapon can inflict injury on my right hand, it can negate anything supernatural. It doesn't matter how strong they are. The moment they touched my hand, they will get destroy or nullify, be it Espers power, magic, God's miracle or even…" Touma abruptly trailed off.

"Even what?" Mu prompted when the spiky haired boy still quiet after a while.

"…"

"…Touma?"

"Even…" Touma sulked in a second. "My own luck…"

It did make Mu almost stopped in his track before he forced himself to run again.

'Okay..' Mu marked mentally.

He had been right.

This was definitely not a Cosmos.

What kind of Cosmos can obliterate people's luck?

"…That's…an extremely odd power. It's explained a lot why you could block Camus' attack, destroyed Saga's own attack, and destroyed part of Saga's Surplice though." Mu responded carefully. Another crucial question then popped into Mu's mind. "This Imagine Breaker, it only exists in your right hand and it can negate anything supernatural?"

"You noticed it?" Touma looked surprise.

"You always use your right hand to encounter any Cosmos fuelled attacks. I assumed that only your right hand capable for this." Mu pointed out.

"Err…" Touma ruffled his hair. "You're right. It's only staying in my right hand. As I have said before, it can destroy even my own luck. Not helping since it also can turn other people's bad luck to mine. It's always pulling bad lucks from everywhere." The gloom surrounded the boy became denser and grew desperate few times.

"Such misfortune…" Touma ended despairingly.

Mu was started to sweating profusely.

"Uhm…" The lavender haired Saint tried to find any words. Anything to lesser down the despair radiated from the boy. After avail and finding none, he finally gave up and changed their topic. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

The spiky haired teenager boy unexpectedly changed expression. Gone all those despair, only to be replaced by an entirely different emotion. The certain high school's student wore an uncertain emotion. It was as if he was being agitated by some serious matters. It seemed as if he was being conflicted by…something.

Concerned, Mu had intended to ask the boy when Touma had spoke up first.

"…I think…" Touma began, now his expression became more complicated that Mu noticed. "I think Imagine Breaker is not merely a power…It's more like a 'house' for something else. Meaning that Imagine Breaker in my right hand is not only a power that can negate supernatural but in fact it's a vessel that housing something with…a greater power."

The Golden Ram warrior now stopped abruptly on his track. He had to. He half turned and had his dark spring green eyes stared incredulously, shifting between the black spiky haired boy and his right hand. Touma who also had stopped running, only flashed him a nervous chuckle before it went died quickly. The boy was grimacing uncomfortably under the lavender haired Lemurian's scrutiny. For a moment Mu was speechless, unable to say anything. For a moment, his mind was completely blank and devoid from any thoughts. For a moment, a thought of his ears deceived him had crossed in his mind. Yet the thought quickly being dismissed since his ears were still good enough, even more than a normal human due to his training as a Saint. At last the stunned Aries saint could only mouthed one question first to be appeared inside his brain.

"How…?"

How was it possible?

A right hand served as a conductor for an odd power to negate supernatural abilities, he could accept that.

However a right hand also served as a vessel for something else, other than the mentioned peculiar ability?

This was starting too much for the dark spring green eyed warrior.

He thought he had learnt everything about the unknown sides of the world. Myths, forgotten cultures, and magic were among them. Yet apparently there were existed unknown things he doesn't know yet. This whole Imagine Breaker thing obviously became the most complicated thing he ever acknowledged and learned. Too many mysteries were surrounding the said extremely odd ability. Too many unknown factors blanketed around this peculiar power. It served more intrigue and puzzles for the Lemurian Saint.

Just, what kind of thing sealed inside that right hand of the young boy?

Was Imagine Breaker and the 'thing' actually the same origin or entirely different?

What did it do inside the boy's right hand?

"I don't have any information aside from those…" Touma shook his head, also as clueless as he was. "If there is someone who most wanting to know more about my right hand, it was me who want to understand better this power. Honestly, I have no idea from where I should start looking. I wish I can find out more."

"I see…" Mu responded in a thoughtful frown.

"I'm sorry I can't give you a fine explanation. I'm not a book person, so…"

"It's fine." Mu responded. "You have elaborated it well enough, Thank you Touma. I appreciated it."

Touma still hesitated but he thanked the Lemurian warrior for not pushing the matter further. The thought about the Chinese old man he just met suddenly flashed through his eyes.

The Imagine Breaker's holder was feeling concerned.

"That old man, Roshi…Is he going to be fine?"

"He's a Gold Saint despite his age. I do not doubt his true strength." The serene looking Saint now frowned. "However, there's something I've been concerned about."

Touma blinked a few times. "And that is…?" He prompted.

"…"

Mu stayed silent.

Instead he looked at the sundial tower before his sight went to beneath the stairs, toward the Aries Temple.

He absently noticed the illusion killer boy followed his example.

The lavender haired Lemurian thought however focused at the certain Libra Saint.

"12 hours…" Mu's frown deepened, feeling somehow uneasy about this. "Roshi does mention about keeping Athena safe for 12 hours. What I'm being concerned is what will happen after this 12 hours end."

"You mean something bad will happen…?" Touma inquired.

"Probably." Mu replied, not too sure by himself. "What I don't get is what kind of bad thing will befall once all the fires on the clock tower are gone. Either something bad is going to happen to Athena or…"

"Or something very nasty will happen to Saga and the others." As if he could read Mu's inner mind, Touma continued the Lemurian Saint's assumption.

Mu alsmot stopped breathing.

The image of the Chinese old man suddenly flashed in his mind.

Behind him was the sundial tower, all flames died out.

Roshi lifted his face, revealed his forest green eyes.

'Illusions. 'His exclamation about Shion's appearance replayed.

Mu's dark spring green eyes widened instantly.

"…"

"…"

Slowly, wide charcoal eyes now were gazing straight at dark spring green eyes.

"Are you…thinking what I'm thinking?"

In which Mu shook his head because he refused to trust it that easily.

"No. It can't be, Touma. It can't be…" The serene Saint shook his head in denial. "It can't be that Master, Saga and the others..."

They stood in long silence.

Their mouths completely locked in this.

Touma stole a brief glance at the Aries Temple for once more.

On the other hand, Mu had an unreadable expression.

Finally, Mu shook his head, dismissing the disturbing thought.

"No...this is not the time for such things..." Mu reminded himself. "Aldebaran is guarding Taurus Temple…He'll do whatever he can to protect it."

Touma perked up at the unfamiliar name. "He's the person we will go to meet in the next temple, isn't he?"

Mu took a brief glance onto the upper stairs, toward where Taurus Temple should be located.

"Hopefully we can arrive just in time and Aldebaran can stall them long enough, if not stop them from ascending the stairs. The faster we can get there, the sooner we can stop them ascending to the top." He said.

Touma followed where the dark spring green eyed warrior looked at. "You have a point."

Mu stared for a little longer before he broke away.

"Let's us continue. We can't waste more time by standing here."

"Right." Touma replied.

Soon he ran after the Lemurian warrior who had running ahead him.

With the end of the conversation, none of them talked anymore.

They resumed their climbing up to the next temple.

Unknown that a nasty surprise was about to hit them in Taurus Temple.

---

「Highway.」

「17:45 PM.」

"So basically," Ruiko tried to summarize all the quite lengthy explanation. Her thin, black eyebrows furrowed together. "You're one of Athena's followers who remain staying in modern world. You've swore to never telling about this Sanctuary to another people and you guard the mountain entrance to this sacred ground while you're taking a job as mountain guide. You're intended to tell this to your son who had planned to come this week when this happened."

Mr. Koutsoukis nodded.

"Yes…"

Dio gaped in dumbfound.

"Not to mention now the so called Holy War or war between Greek Gods is taking place…"

"This is my entire fault." The dull turquoise eyed man responded guiltily. "I should've come with you when you asked me to accompany you and your acquaintance's son. I should've told you sooner…" He addressed this to Dio.

"Dad…" The young man sighed, trying to get this onto his head. "This is not your fault. It's also my fault too, remember?" A wry smile formed in Dio's lips.

"Dio-san is right. What passed is passed already. We have to think about the present." The white flower girl assured. "Touma must be noticed something off from behind the mountain. If he ever went to Sanctuary…"

"What will you do, Ruiko?" The young man couldn't help but to ask the girl.

An unwavering gaze soon was meeting his bewildered turquoise eyes.

The gaze alone has made him take off his guard.

It was a gaze that shouldn't possible to have by a middle school girl.

Still and all…

The long black haired girl was staring at him without irresolution.

"Like I said," Ruiko replied decisively after an anticipation silence. It made both Koutsoukis far more baffled after. How was this girl managed to pull a resolute act like that, they will never know. "I will go to his place. Let's see if he needs my help."

"You are still going to this Sanctuary!?" Dio asked with blanch expression.

"I must…" She replied unhesitatingly.

"Because my friend is in there, I can't let him fighting alone." A certain memory about their first meeting flashed within her eyes, making her smiled fondly.

The long black haired girl remembered when she saw him wrote down most of the first Special Workshop's lecture to his paper.

He wrote as if there was no tomorrow (See 'Never The Twain Shall Meet' by Kyle Castorena, Chapter 1). He even did endurance run without any complaint at that day while most participants were gave up. It was just after the workshop finally over the girl then learned the spiky haired boy actually know nothing about Upper Level. He had thought this as remedial lesson. It didn't take long for Ruiko when her laughter broke away. She was laughed at the boy's misfortune and clueless while the teenager boy was nervous at her laughter.

The Level 0 girl got his name when she bumped to him for the umpteenth times that day.

The boy had been looking for him to return her good luck charm that fell at the previous crash.

Ruiko thanked him for returned it back since it was her mother's gift.

The boy welcomed her and introduced himself as Kamijou Touma.

Ruiko then gave him her own name thus the two of them acquaintance at the end of that day.

Her gaze softened at the memory.

"Touma…he is the first friend who understand my feeling for being a Level 0. In Academy City…a Level 0 is an Esper who didn't exactly powerless at all and yet despise knowing my ability, I ca be considered as almost useless. He understands it, the feeling of being nearly powerless." Ruiko was shaking her head and closed her eyes.

"In our first meeting, he once said that he's far from miserable and he's dealing with it. Too often he draws someone else's misfortune to him and it made him exasperate a lots. But look at him, he takes it as if it is usual to him and it is. In the end he successes to put things in order, continue with the world as what it means to be. He also said that without his bad luck, he wouldn't be him anymore and he liked himself as the way it is. He realized me that it's okay to become yourself and to be grateful for what you have become even without any Esper ability."

After she found the boy was literally clueless about Level Upper and anything related to it, Ruiko decided to explain the best she could to him. She told him everything from when she found out about the Level Upper to the point she entered this Special Workshop. When the white flower girl finished her story, she had asked him if he could understand the reason why the Level Upper's users did it. She also asked him if he ever wanted his own ability to grow stronger. Much to her surprise, he answered no. He then told her that if anything, he wanted it gone. Touma then told her further that his ability was 'Imagine Breaker' which form was an absurd 'bad luck', took that day as a perfect example. In sort this ability was the bad luck itself.

The older boy made her taken aback after. He said it was not something like that will ever happen. It did catch her off guard. Ruiko quickly asked him for if he can get rid of this Imagine Breaker, wouldn't he jump at the given opportunity? Too added further her surprise, he told her that he will not do it, absolutely not. He gave her the reason why he will not do it. No matter how terrible bad luck might in the outside, he definitely was far from being miserable. He has been living side by side with bad luck as far as he can remember and he was dealing with it. Umpteenth times he always took someone else's misfortune onto himself and strangely, he could lift up their suffering at the same time. Of course there were times when he went stress from these fiascos but he can resolve it in the end. He could continue with the world as it was meant to be. He told her that without his misfortune, he wouldn't become him and he liked himself as he was.

Ruiko was awed at him.

His opinion that day had left some impression to her.

An opinion she kept in her mind until this day.

"I…" Ruiko had to take a deep breath to calm herself from various emotions she felt right now. "I also wanted to become like him. I want to become myself. After wondering about myself for a long time now I find a kin, a person similar to me. He is the very same friend who gave me a reason to find a purpose."

After she and Touma befriended, she was changing. It was a slow change but her friends noticed it. Her best friend, Uiharu even mentioned it. They, together with Shirai, tried to find the culprit who had kidnapped Uiharu and Misaka's mother, Kouzaku Mitori. The long black haired helped them scanning the whole city through the security cameras in Judgment 177th Branch Office, the office where Shirai and Uiharu were working. Then an urge event happen which the Windowless Building struck by a massive thunder. Shirai had to teleport to that building, left both Uiharu and Ruiko by their own. This was the moment when the flower bandana girl opened a conversation with the white flower girl (See 'Never the Twain Shall Meet, Chapter 11).

Uiharu told her that she has become a different person. At first, Ruiko had been clueless. With a smile, Uiharu told her further, about how before she met Touma, the Level 0 girl was in search for something to define herself. Be it urban legends, esper abilities, anything. But after she met and formed a friendship with him, the long black haired girl became more focus and always thinking forward. The current Ruiko became more dedicated not to mention a strong girl who will not give up before she tried numerous times until she succeeds. She even became lovelier than before. Ruiko blushed badly at the mentions. She only aware after the Level 1 girl told her straightforwardly.

Spending a lot times with the charcoal eyed teenager boy seemed has affecting her.

The white flower girl wasn't going to deny it.

It was the fact after all.

Ruiko had her closed eyelids lifted up, revealing a determined bluish dark eyes.

Staring right onto the pair of stunned Koutsoukis.

"I want to help others with my own efforts, doesn't matter if I can't use my ability for now. That's why even though I don't have any special ability, I will help him with all I can get. If I can help Touma even just a little bit...then I will do it. I will help him and it's my final decision."

Because if they position got reversed, he too, will do the same thing.

It doesn't matter to him whether he was just a boy with no special power except for that right hand.

If someone desperately needs his help across the mountain, he will come for them.

If she needs him then he will absolutely come for her.

That was made Touma as Touma.

This was also the same.

This is what made Ruiko as Ruiko.

No more and no less.

"Ruiko…" Dio looked in sympathy.

The old mountain guide stayed still with indescribable emotion.

Not even his own son can tell what was going through in his mind.

There was a pregnant pause between them.

Nobody was speaking for those few moments which felt like centuries.

Then unexpectedly, Sirius Kotsoukis let out a deep, long sigh.

A rueful smile formed in his face as he had his hand combed through his hair. Now that he got a closer look at the middle school girl, he finally understood one thing. This girl before him wasn't an ordinary girl. Despite how young her age was, the white flower girl had seen many things through those black bluish eyes of her. It wasn't a gaze of a clueless, innocent girl. It was a gaze of a young woman who aware of the risk she was about to take for her own action. Yet she was still continuing to move forward without any hesitation. The girl will do anything her best to help everybody who need her. It was a gaze more fitting in a Saint rather than a girl. Sirius couldn't help but chuckled at the thought. It earned equal puzzled stares from both Dio and Ruiko.

How an irony.

An old man was beaten in argumentation by a teenager girl.

Strangely, he wasn't offended at all.

If anything, it only served him mild amusement and understanding.

"I can't forbid you to go there, can I?" The old mountain guide finally spoke. His tone was quiet now.

The bluish dark eyed girl smiled apologetically in return.

The older Koutsoukis could see it now.

The girl also has someone she wanted to protect.

The girl wanted to protect her friend male.

An important person, he realized.

He should've seen it from start.

There was no way he can hindered her from getting to her friend.

It was because she was so much care for this boy.

Almost like a sister concerned for her older brother.

Truly, Sirius thought ironically. Like father, like daughter.

"I'm sorry but he needs my help obviously." She replied meekly. "I will go now. Please take care, Dio-san, Uncle."

With that, Ruiko turned around and began to walking away.

Soon, Dio snapped away from his blank stare.

"Wait!" Dio stopped the girl hurriedly before the girl can go away.

The long black haired girl did stop and her bluish dark eyes met his turquoise ones.

"I aware you wanted to help your friend but do you know how to go there?" He threw the question that bothering his mind.

Surely she wouldn't go there by her own without any map or flashlight, right?

…

…

…

An uneasy silence fell between them.

Both Koutsoukis were staring incredulously at the Level 0 girl.

The girl herself was staring blankly at them.

Not for long though.

"…Err… T ˬ T;;;" Cold sweat drops were rolling from her temple.

Replacing her previous apologetic smile, a nervous smile now plastered on her face.

However her hands squished the bat's handle tightly.

Her eyes now casted down, not dare to look at both Koutsoukis.

Few uncomfortable seconds passed.

Mr. Koutsoukis then sighed in long suffering manner.

"…I thought so. ‾□‾; " The old man sighed. "I will come with you. Dio, you stay here. It's too dangerous for you too come too."

"I understand. Besides I need to stay here and keep the vehicles. ‾ ∇ ‾ ; " Dio waved his hand dismissively.

"Good thing I already called my friend before I came here. He's a car expert. He should be in here in a few minutes." The old Koutsoukis then took a flashlight from his small bag in his belt. He then was facing the bluish dark eyed girl.

The girl was gaping at him in disbelief.

"You come with me?"

"Of course I am." The patriarch of Koutsoukis huffed. "Ruiko, I mean no offense. While I praised your braveness, you are still a young girl and my friend's beloved daughter. I can't let you go alone, not when the Holy War is taking place. You will need a protection. I can become your guard or a chaperone at least. Right now, Sanctuary is in high alert due to the sacred war and will not let any intruder came in. Since I'm one of its agents, I can enter with permission. Let me take you toward Sanctuary at the very least." The man smiled at her.

"Oh…"

The long black haired girl could feel her own lips turned upward.

"Besides, Hiroaki, your father, will kill me if anything bad happen to you. I'll take you to your friend." Those dull turquoise eyes sharpened slightly. "However, do promise that you will stay out from any suspicious men and from the fight itself. You may support them and give them a first aid kit but no more than that. Don't try to throw yourself into the danger. Got it?" He cautioned the girl.

The Level 0 girl had wanted to protest but she held them back. She pushed them toward the deepest part of her mind. No, Ruiko wouldn't do it. The man was very kind to let her to her male friend's place, even went as far as take her with him as well. He must have feeling obliged for her father. Her father had once told her a story how the Greek man trapped in avalanche and her father not wanting to leave him behind, chose to save him instead. With her father's absence and she was alone in this foreign country, it was Sirius who holding the responsibility to keep the girl out from danger. The middle aged man surely concerned for the bluish dark eyed girl. Him being objected her will to go beyond the mountain was a solid proof. It was not fair if she protested him when he finally agreed to take her to Touma's place. Besides, going to mountain in middle dark can be pretty dangerous with just alone. So Mr. Koutsoukis coming with her actually relieved her a lot.

Ruiko nodded steadily. "Okay."

Mr. Koutsoukis nodded satisfyingly.

"Good."

The younger Koutsoukis watched them frowningly. He felt like he was missing something in this. He thought for longer before he remembered what he had missing at. Or rather, what he had forgotten previously. Turquoise eyes widened instantly as soon as he remembered the important thing. A certain thing supposed to be carried by those who need divine protection. Hastily, he stopped his father from walking away with the middle school girl.

"Dad, wait! Before you go…"

Mr. Koutsoukis raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I just remember. The charm you once given to me…" Dio then gestured at the watching Ruiko. "May I?" He asked.

The older man was about to ask him when realization came to him.

He stared the hopeful young man before him thoughtfully.

Then a small smile formed in Mr. Koutsoukis' lips.

He gave a single nod at his son.

"Of course you can give it to her. She will certainly need it."

Dio's eyes brightened quickly, a smile also formed in his lips.

"Thanks." He thanked his father before motioned Ruiko's hand. "Ruiko, please give me your hand."

Ruiko blinked confusedly at the turquoise eyed young man. Nevertheless she obeyed his request and extending her arm to him. The Level 0 girl was watching how Dio rummaged his blazer' pocket, search for something. When the young man found what he has been looking for, he pulled it and placing it gently in Ruiko's waiting palm. As Dio moved his hand away, the long black haired girl saw an old piece of paper with a write. It shaped like omikuji (Japanese talisman) used for exorcism and sacred seal in Japan. It looked ancient with pale yellowish color and ragged in all four edges. There was a written she couldn't comprehend nor understand, it written in Greek.

Ruiko tilted her head, her eyebrows knitted together.

"This is…" She trailed off, searching for an answer from Dio.

"Athena's talisman. Dad gave me in my younger days."

Ruiko completely stunned.

Dio laughed mirthfully at the speechless girl.

"Few centuries ago, the goddess herself was given this talisman to our ancestor as a gratitude for serving her. It was made for sacred seal and protection. It passed through generations including myself until I gave it to Dio. It had protecting me ever since I have it. Take it, it's yours now."

"But…I can't accept this! This is precious to you, isn't it?" The long black haired girl refused.

There was no way she can accept such precious thing from him!

It must be important to him and his family.

She couldn't take it with her, she never wanted to.

However the younger Koutsoukis clearly thought otherwise.

The young man pushed back Ruiko's offering hand gently.

He shook his head to her when she looked questioningly at him.

"You need it more than me. You're going to face danger to save your friend who is in my custody. You wanted to help him, right?"

"I…" Ruiko hesitated slightly before she nodded her head. "Yes."

"I too, want to help him. However I can't go with because I'm only mere human. You on the other hand are different because you're an Esper. Even though you claimed you have no ability yet, you are indeed one. You have a bigger chance to survive this thus bigger chance to save Touma from whatever he's fighting now. That's why I want to help you as much as I can. This is the help I can only offer for you." Dio closed her hand with his and giving her hand a reassuring squish. His turquoise eyes met Ruiko's bluish dark colored ones.

"May God be with you, Ruiko." Dio said with pure sincere.

The Sakuragawa's student blinked her eyes a few times.

She touched by his passion to give as much help as he can get for the girl he just meet.

"Dio-san…" Her eyes began to moisturize from pooling tears.

The kind young man patted her shoulder encouragingly.

"Go. Time is ticking. You can't have Touma screwed himself, he needs your help." Dio told her. "He needs you."

"…Dio-san," Ruiko furiously wiped the tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She offered a grateful smile with a few sobs. "Thank you!"

The turquoise eyed young man brightened. "You're welcome, Ruiko."

Sirius call had gained both their attentions.

Signaled Ruiko to go.

"Ruiko, we have to go. I know the shortest way to that mountain." The man said after gathered a few things they might need when they arrive in Sanctuary.

Ruiko answered the man with a short reply.

The Sakuragawa's student then turned back to Dio.

Dio gave a reassuring nod to her.

"Be careful. Come back safely."

Ruiko nodded back. She was clenching both her bat and the talisman. "We will."

The middle school girl then tucked the talisman inside her hoodie's pocket.

With a last bid for Dio, Sirius and Ruiko were off toward Athena's holy ground.

Onward to where Holy War taken place…

Onward to where a certain misfortune boy of Ruiko's friend was…

Onward to where her own fights will await.

---

「Japan.」

「Tokyo.」

「Kido's Mansion.」

「Few hours before the Holy War.」

「21:50PM.」

It was a tranquil night in Tokyo, Japan's famed capital. Served as the largest city in Japan, Tokyo became one of the most populated modern cities in the world. This eastern capital was also the basis of Graude Foundation, previously owned by Kido Mitsumasa. After the said man passed away, the foundation got inherited it to his only granddaughter, Kido Saori who secret identity was Athena's reincarnation. Somewhere inside the infamous capital, there was a luxurious and storied, huge mansion with spacious, beautiful gardens circling around. The mansion was protected by artistic yet torn fences and security cameras. This was the home of Mitsumasa and Saori, Kido Mansion. Inside the white mansion, in one of dozens rooms, a young boy was sleeping in the chair near the opened windows.

His name was Andromeda Shun, the Bronze Saint and one of the most reliable Saints by Athena alongside Seiya, Shiryu, Hyouga, and Ikki.

He was a fair, almost beautiful young teenager boy with green leaf colored hair and eyes screaming innocence and kindness.

He wore green shirt with white pants and brown shoes.

Around his neck, a silver necklace in a shape of five pointed star adorned.

He held a photo frame onto his chest.

Sleeping contently on the chair, the green haired boy dreamed of the past.

Shun was still a baby, lying inside the white colored baby crib. His big, innocent eyes were staring above. Colorful bedding accessory consisted of sunflowers and white bird was spinning lazily above him. Above his baby form, a bigger figure towered. It was a child with wild blue hair and grayish blue eyes. He had tan skin and wore a rugged blue shirt and light blue pants. His tanned face looked rough for a boy around his age. However a warm and protective smile adorned his face. He extended one of his hands to Shun white the other gripping the crib's edge. Shun recognized the little child. He knew that boy's figure very well as he had his picture with him when the two of them was very small. The little boy was Ikki. He was Shun's older brother and the Phoenix Saint, titled as the strongest Bronze Saint. His baby form was smiling in happiness. His tiny hand tried to reach for his towering brother.

A content smile curved on his lips.

"Brother…" Shun called his brother's name in whisper.

The smile didn't stay for long though.

One moment, Ikki's child form was in there.

Then next moment later an unknown child replaced Ikki.

She was a beautiful girl with long obsidian hair and iris colored eyes. Her skin was pale, almost white as if she rarely went out and staying under the sun. The little girl wore a pure white dress and a black beaded necklace. She was standing in there with streached hand, her tiny lips curved a mysterious and harmless looking smile. And yet her aura and her eyes were radiating a treateningly dark aura.

Green leaf colored eyes snapped abruptly.

Shun let out a gasp and shot from the seat backrest.

"Brother…!" The Andromeda Saint called his brother's name frantically.

He panted from the eerily dream. Sweats came from his temple. Once he calmed down, Shun lifted up the photo frame.

It was his picture when he was a baby with younger Ikki cradled his baby form protectively.

No matter how namy time passed, he was still a big brother who cares for his only brother.

Shun's green leaf eyes saddened.

"Brother..."

He then rose from the chair and walked toward the window, staring onto the city, the labour, and the sea shone by pale moonlight.

The green haired boy put his hand on the window.

'Brother...since the destruction of Poseidon's Temple, where have you gone?' Shun then lifted his head, his gaze was faraway.

Wind carresed his green leaf hair gently.

'He's certainly safe and sound, but...'The Andromeda Saint sighed.'Come to think of it, how's Seiya? He said he was going to Greek to ask Marin about his long-lost sister, Seika...I wonder if they have found her...'

Shun closed his eyes.

'I, too, wish everyday that Seiya will find her.'

The androginous boy stared onto the starry night. A gentle smile now adorned his face.

"Seiya..."

And then...

Without a warning, flashes came across his mind.

Athena. Mu and several black tattered cloaked men. The lit up of sundial tower's flames. And the appearance of Roshi.

Shun went alarmed by the flashes.

There were others to come.

Athena's statue dropped few tears. A bundle with a galaxy on wherethe baby face supposed to be. The very same little girl from his dream carried the odd bundle. Her eyes snapped open and revealing a bright, red like blood color's eyes. Shun dropped the frame unconsciously. It fell to the floor and broke the glasses. Shattering them to pieces. Concern and anxious now marred acros Shun's face.

"Again...!" He muttered in disbelief. "This is coming from the faraway Sanctuary...This Cosmos!"

The shocked green leaf haired boy slidded to the floor. His hand touched the frame with shattered glassess.

Shun's voice was slightly shaky.

"What can this kind of Cosmos be?!" His finger curled slightly.

They left faint blood trail behind.

"I must go..to the Sanctuary!" Shun continued.

Despite still in shock, determination now filled his voice.

The Andromeda Saint rose from the floor.

"Saori...Athena is there right now!"

---

「Sanctuary.」

「Taurus Temple.」

「18:12 PM.」

After running through the seemingly endless stairs, both Aries Saint and Imagine Breaker's holder arrived in front of Taurus Temple at last. They entered the temple in easy walk. Touma took a note how this building had different design from Aries Temple. This temple was quite huge and spacey with lots of pillars. He briefly wondered what kind of person Aldebaran was. Beside him, Mu was taking a glance at the entre. He stepped further and searched for the Golden Ox warrior, soon followed by Touma. He couldn't find him in the entre. Assumed that the huge Saint was inside the temple, Mu attempted to get Aldebaran's attention by calling him.

"Aldebaran!" Mu called the Taurus Saint.

SING―!

There was no answer from inside the temple.

Only silence greeted him back.

"No one's answering. Is he gone?" The illusion killer boy was searching around.

No one was around.

"No. In an emergency situation such as like this one, no Gold Saint allowed to leave his Temple." Mu retorted. He too, tried to any sign from his best friend but he found none oddly.

Quiet, he realized.

Too silence much to his dislike and worry.

"...It's too quiet. Something's not right." Mu muttered.

Anxiousness found its way to the Aries Saint's mind.

The Lemurian Saint clearly disturbed by the temple's unusual silence.

Uneasiness grew rapidly despite Mu's effort to calm himself.

His own thoughts were pretty much in whirlwind.

"Strange...I can't feel any Cosmos, or any fight! There was no way a fight between Gold Saints would be this quiet!" Mu spokehis suspicion.

He hurriedly told the teenager boy stood beside him.

"We must get in. For some reason, I can't shake this anxious feeling!"

Before Touma could ask what was going on, the Golden Ram Saint already darted deeper inside.

As his black colored eyes widened slightly from the rash act, Touma soon ran after Mu.

"Wait!" Touma shouted from behind.

They entered the temple hastily and running through the dark corridor. Upon the running, Touma wondered mentally why the corridor was dark and there was not even a torch. Truthfully, it made the temple looked deserted if not because of the temple's good condition and there was a Gold Saint in here. It made the certain high school boy slightly uneasy. However he had to stop his own thoughts when they finally saw a giant form standing across them.

Tall and big. It was the impression everyone will get when they saw him. His name was Aldebaran, taken from the brightest star from Taurus' constellation. Like his constellation, he was a huge, bulky man. His golden colored armor had small spikes and he wore a horned helmet. For some reason one of them was broken. He had white cape behind his armor but it was torn and tattered. It didn't cease how intimidating the man was. He was standing still and he had both hands stretched onwards. It was as if he repelling a storm. Golden aura was surrounding the Golden Ox Saint. The Lemurian Saint soon went brightened.

"Aldebaran!" Mu called the Taurus Saint.

Relief immediately washed over his worry.

He felt happy when his eyesight caught the Golden Ox Saint's form.

Touma, stood a little behind him, openly gaped at Aldebaran's height.

No kidding.

This man's height alone can reach 2 meters.

Touma was quite tall for a normal teenager boy but this man was far bigger and taller than him.

Compared Touma's height with the man's height was like compared an elephant to a badger.

"He's huge!" The charcoal black eyed boy exclaimed.

Mu wasted no time to step closer to the Taurus Saint.

"You were safe..." Mu greeted him with a happy smile.

However…

Before he can continue further...

He finally was taking a closer look on his friend.

Almost immediately, Mu let out a gasp.

Dark spring green eyes were widened.

The realization struck him like a ton of brick.

It opened his eyes to the truth with no small amount of force.

His mouth suddenly felt dry and his eyes were hurt.

"No…"

The Golden Ram warrior whispered.

All of his previous happiness of seeing his friend was gone.

Almost all of his strength was gone in instant.

He refused to believe this. He refused to.

But the reality was very clear and cruel to him…

Because his friend now had…

"A…Aldebaran…" Mu called his friend's name.

His voice was weak but Touma could hear it as clear as the day.

The time Touma heard the devastation, sorrow, and pain within Mu's voice…

That was when Touma knew thing was went down to hill.

That was when the misfortune boy found out thing went from bad to worse.

That was the painful truth Touma learned in hard way.

That was a cold reality he must accepted…

Because…

He was too late to save the huge Saint.

---

「Graveyard.」

「18:06 PM.」

'Shaina.'

Shaina jolted slightly from the telepath.

The green haired Silver Saint was in the Saints' graveyard. She wasn't alone as few other Bronze Saints came along with her. They patrolled around Sanctuary in case an intruder or enemy come showed up in Sanctuary. Until half an hour ago, everything went well. Until they patrolled the graveyard once more, from there things went to south. Some graves destroyed from inside, indicated that the one who destroyed them were none other than the supposed corpse themselves. This raised alarm between the patrolling Saints, included Shaina. Only one God capable for this deed and it signaled one thing. The Holy War has begun and Hades has come back.

At this fact, Shaina knew she must act fast. Athena had given them order to burn all the graves should there was a sight of dead Saints being resurrected. She was about to giving the same orders to the Bronze Saints when she felt a great yet gentle Cosmos brushed hers, trying to make a telepath contact with her. Wondering slightly, the female Silver Saint connected the telepath.

She recognized the owner of that voice.

'…! Athena-sama.' The green haired Amazon couldn't hide her surprise.

The masked Ophiucus wondered if something had happened.

The sea green eyed girl rarely uses her telepath for her Saints. She usually called her Saints straightly and gave them the orders. Was it the enemy?

'Please at ease.' The goddess told her. 'I'm sorry if I'm alarmed you.'

'It's alright but what happened, Milady? Do you need something?'

'I'm apologize to disturb you when I already giving you so much task.' Saori apologized. 'But I need your help to complete one more task if it fine.'

'It's alright, My Goddess. Can you tell what task you want me to do?' The green haired Amazon assured.

A silence soon followed after.

It made Shaina slightly unease.

Was something bad really occurring without her realization?

A brief moment later, the goddess replied to her.

'…Shaina,' The lilac haired goddess' voice filled with genuinely concern. 'I'm afraid there's someone either not a Saint or a Specter came inside Sanctuary.'

The leaf green eyes beneath that mask went to the size of a saucer.

'A civilian!?' Shaina was astonished. 'How?!'

The Ophiucus Saint picked a sigh from her Goddess.

She sounded tired for some reason.

'It seems so and I have no idea how it can be possible.' Saori answered. 'I absolutely have no idea how he can do it but he came to Mu's aid and helped him. He's already with Mu and climbing to the Taurus Temple. It will be impossible and too late if we want to prevent him from getting involved.'

Shaina's thought was running a mile.

A civilian came here and managed to help a Gold Saint?

Moreover, the said civilian went as far as assisted Mu onward to the Taurus Temple?

Just who was this guy?

So many questions went through her head but Shaina chose to focus at what Athena was about to request from her.

'Athena, please forgive me but what you want me to do…?'

Shaina could hear the lilac haired girl inhaled a deep breath.

She was about to giving an order.

'Ophiucus, I giving you an extra order to stall anyone who seems like another civilian, if you must, I permitted you to modify their memory as well as measure. Anything but to involve non Saint into our war. I'm wishing none for the civilians' casualty, no, I will not allow it. Can you do that?' The lilac haired girl asked gently.

'Athena-sama…' Concern was evident in Shaina's voice.

She could tell the sea green eyed goddess was anxious. Saori felt worry for the human who had entered the sacred ground and gotten them self to a war that not theirs. She worried at the possibility for more civilians getting caught by her war with Hades. It made the green haired Amazon began to worry as well. This was not good at all. They couldn't let more non possessed Cosmos humans come to Sanctuary. They can get them self killed if the smallest thing went wrong.

Making a decision after a thought, the Ophiucus Saint gave a slight nod.

'I will see what I can do, My Goddess. I will try my best, you don't have to worry.'

The Ophiucus warrior could hear a smile in the goddess' voice.

'Thank you, Shaina. I'm sorry for troubling you this far.'

A smile was slowly creeping on the green haired Amazon's lips.

Too bad it was hidden by the mask she wore.

It was a sincere smile regardless.

A smile the Ophiucus Saint rarely showed.

Except toward few peoples she trusted. Athena of course was one of them.

'Anything for you, Athena-sama.' Shaina replied politely.

The Goddess' Cosmos brushed softly against hers before the connection between them severed.

Shaina stilled for a while longer.

Yes, she steeled herself.

She then turned on her heels and walked toward her comrades.

Jabu and Nachi were waiting her, handmade torches was on their hands.

Few others also had some with them as well.

They ready to burn their fallen comrades' graves.

Shaina took a deep breath and steeled herself.

She was a Saint. The Amazon. The Warrior of Athena.

She will do everything.

Anything to protect her Goddess, the humankind, and the earth she loved.

Later, the graves burned rather fast with Shaina and the Bronze Saints watching.

Meanwhile, on the Main Temple, Saori slowly rose from her stone couch.

She looked in deep thought and a faraway gaze.

Pondering if what she did was right by shoving Seiya and his friends away from the war.

Pondering where this war will head.

Pondering should painful sacrifices will become an absolute necessary in this war.

.

.

At last but not least…

She was pondering how this civilian who able to entered her barrier will play a role in Holy War.

---

「Taurus Temple.」

「18: 14 PM.」

A heavy silence cloaked the corridor.

Mu was just standing in there.

The Lemurian Saint had his head down slightly.

His dark spring green eyes closed solemnly.

He looked crestfallen as well.

The death of Aldebaran had hit him hard.

"Aldebaran...You stood until the last second to protect the Taurus Temple." The lavender haired Lemurian spoke softly.

Standing not far from the mourning Mu, Touma looked with sad.

Pain had assaulted him at the revealed fact of the Taurus Saint's death.

Touma took a step closer toward the Lemurian.

"Mu…"

He felt really sad for Mu's loss.

He wanted to say something.

Much to his frustration he found none in his mind.

He was too clueless at this moment.

"You, whose strength was the greatest among the Saints...even you couldn't do anything against Saga, Camus, and Shura at the same time..." Mu continued forlornly.

Mu's quiet yet reality bearing inquiry had hit Touma mercilessly. Oh God, Touma soon realized in horrify. If only he came faster and can holding them a little bit longer, the Taurus Saint wouldn't need to die. He would've alive and still breathing most likely. The guilt grew drastically at the thought. Touma didn't know how to react at this. He felt…powerless for some reason. The black spiky haired boy felt powerless because he couldn't make it in time. He couldn't the huge Gold Saint.

"Mu…" The guilt clenched his heart tightly.

Touma's head hung low. "I'm sorry."

Mu snapped from his sorrow, gazing bewilderingly at the boy.

The Lemurian Saint was taken aback when he noticed how the boy's gesture filled with guilty.

The pointy bangs were shadowed Touma's eyes.

His right hand clenched and trembled slightly.

"I'm so sorry." Mu heard the boy apologized.

'If only I get here faster…'

Mu didn't miss the regret in his voice.

"If only I arrive here sooner…"

'If only I get here faster…'

It was left unsaid but Mu can hear it within his voice.

"If only I can hold them longer, then he wouldn't―"

"Don't." Mu cut him before the boy can continue.

Touma raised his head a bit, he seemed doleful.

Mu gaze went softened. The long haired Aries Saint shook his head, forlornly yet understanding. He added further when he saw Touma was about to retort back.

"Don't blame yourself, Touma. This is not your fault. Even if you do come here sooner, maybe the same result will still occur."

When the black spiky haired boy still silent and still had that guilty expression, Mu landed his hand onto Touma's left shoulder.

Giving him gentle, assuring squishes thus lessened some tense on the illusion killer boy.

Mu took a quick inhale before he focused back at the guilty looked boy.

"You have done your best, I meant it. But this is a war, there was no way we can completely avoided death. For a human who not possess Cosmos, what you've been done and made this far was great. No human can survive a Saint's attack but you did. You even did hurt them; this alone has showed us how a normal human can give a fight against Saint. So don't think bad yourself. You may not able to save him…" Mu then gave another comforting squish on Touma's shoulder.

"But you did save me."

Dark spring green eyes met bewildered black ones.

"You saved my life."

The Lemurian pointed out once more.

"And it's more than enough. I'm sure Aldebaran will say the same thing." Mu added softly.

He then let go his hand away from the boy's shoulder.

Despite being lessened, the guilt and regret were kept lingering in Touma's mid. He wanted to shake his head at Mu's words.

'No.' Touma retorted mentally.

'No, Mu.You are wrong. I could've saved him, I could've saved your friend.'

Closed his eyes and forced himself to take a few deep breaths. It difficult for him but he managed to calm himself. The thought repeated again and again inside his head. He could've done something. He could've done something. He could've done something, anything! He could save Othinus from fairy spell, he could save her from getting disappeared and die. So how he couldn't do the same with Aldebaran, the killed in action Taurus Saint? However what Mu had told him was holding an undeniable truth. Even if he did intervened earlier, there was no guarantee he could save the Taurus Saint in time. The time he able to saved Othinus was because he was nearby, aware of what she would do should he not stopping her. A little bit later and he might not be able to save her at all. They have no idea with who else they would fight and what kind of abilities they have under their sleeve. They had no idea how many the enemies were. The only thing they did know was they attacked this place and tried to kill each temple's guardian.

'And one was already killed because I'm late.' Touma thought bitterly.

He never felt this powerless from preventing someone's death.

He never felt so powerless before.

"Still…" Touma wanted to tell Mu his mind when he caught something from the corner of his eyes. He blinked rapidly before he looked at one certain direction. His eyebrows furrowed. It was a small yet bright, golden colored glow. "What's that?"

Mu followed Touma's stare, the First Temple's guardian gasped silently as the glow was coming to his way and circling him. The First Temple's guardian had a hard time to believe his own eyesight. Yet here it was, the last remaining from what was left from his dear friend. Mu stretched out his hand, letting the tiny glow rested on his awaiting, armored palm. As the curious feeling now got the better from him, Touma came at Mu's side. By the time the black spiky haired boy was close enough, he felt surprise when a wave of radiant warmth overwhelmed him. It had caught him off guard but in a good way. The Certain High School's student had witnessed many extraordinary things but this was a new thing to him. He did never think such small glow can gave off such warmth. It was like a candle shone in the dark but it was warmer.

"T-This is…" The lavender haired Saint's gaze never left the glow. He recognized this Cosmos at instant. Tears began to sting his eyes as the sadness was growing again if only just a little. "This is Aldebaran Cosmos's last spark…"

Touma did a blink. He glanced back and forth between Mu and the mentioned glow. The illusion killer boy then was focusing back at the glow on Mu's hand. This was Cosmos? It felt so different from magic and Esper's power. This one acted as if it was…alive. Or, Touma added mentally, it carried some strong emotions within if the glow can radiated a wave of warmth like this.

"It's so warm." Touma admitted quietly. "He must be a kind man if he has this warm Cosmos."

"He was…" Mu responded with quiet tone.

Mu stared back at the Taurus Cloth.

He scanned it thoroughly, searching for anything out of place.

Seeing him like this, Touma couldn't help but to stared at the said Cloth.

It was awhile after Mu then noticed an odd thing.

He wore a thoughtful frown look on his face.

Touma could tell the Lemurian Saint was being bothered by something.

Touma furrowed his brows. Now that he was looking closer, there was something out from the body…

Mu took a glance at Touma.

"The Taurus Cloth bears no trace of battle-marks…not even a scratch." The Lemurian warrior revealed.

Touma had his thought halted abruptly.

…Wait.

What?

"No damage and injury…at all?" Touma asked in disbelief.

Why he didn't realize it sooner? No wonder he thought something was peculiar.

There wasn't any trace of visible fatal injuries.

What kind of attack will leave no trace at its target?

Even magic was still left the slightest trace so far as he knew!

"Nothing. I can't find anything which indicated how he got attacked. How did he die after all? Saga and the rest shouldn't have the power..." Mu trailed off. He then looked back at the tiny glow on his palm. "Aldebaran…how could he have been defeated? He couldn't have been hurt by Saga or the others…"

Touma have little idea on what they can do but so far they didn't match as a kind who will attack with a cunning way.

"So who could have done this?"

The dark spring green eyed Saint about to reply back when his nose picked a scent.

He had his dot eyebrows furrowed suspiciously.

It was quite faint there was a smell he couldn't describe. Any normal people would miss it for certain. Mu was different because he was a Gold Saint. His senses were sharper than ordinary human. It was enable him to detecting the smell despite the faintness. With anticipation, Mu traced the scent source.

It was coming from the Taurus' Cloth's direction.

Mu was frozen in his place.

He finally discovered the culprit.

Saga and the other revived Saints weren't the culprit.

Someone else did it.

At the same time…

Mu had discovered what had killed Aldebaran.

"...No. It couldn't be..." Mu's voice filled with incredulity. "Yet, it is…"

It wasn't he was just thinking, was it?

But if that true…

If it indeed true, then the culprit had used…

"What?" Touma asked the silent Lemurian.

The misfortune boy couldn't help but feeling he was missing something in here.

The warrior then did a deed that sparked Touma's confusion.

Touma took a notice how the Golden Ram Saint slowly back away from his place.

His whole feature went tensed, Touma realized later.

Far tensed than before.

"Touma, step away." Mu spoke in hush and alarmed tone.

The confusion became more evident. "What's going on?"

Mu did a quick scan as he had his hand on Touma's upper arm. The young boy gave him a startled look which Mu responded quickly by shook his head, motioning him to stay quiet. Once he saw they charcoal eyed boy obeyed, the Aries Saint pulled the misfortune boy in fast yet careful manner behind his tall figure. When the warrior did this, the misfortune boy finally sensed something odd. The temple was devoid of any presence, save from Mu and himself. There was should be no one within that temple except them.

BADUMP!

…

BADUMP!

…

BADUMP!

So why his heartbeats were went faster and erratic for no reason?

Why he got this sensation that someone was here?

Why he has this uneasy feeling about someone was watching them?

About the unknown who was watching their movements from somewhere?

Waiting for an opening?

It seemed the serene Aries Saint was sensing his tension. In front of the black spiky haired boy, Mu was using his own body to shield the boy. Suddenly hit by a realization the uninvited 'guest' could be in anywhere, Touma acted instinctively by spun around and having his back against Mu's. Touma guarded the Lemurian's back while he too, kept scanning their surroundings. He used every sense of his to sense anything out of ordinary. So far he got none and the uneasiness grew even more. Not long after, Mu's calm yet wary voice reached the unlucky boy's ears.

"Touma?" The serene looking man called.

"Do you have realized it as well?"

"Of course I am. Do you…?"

Mu gave a curt nod.

"It looks like we're thinking the same thing." Mu confirmed. "Someone is here."

Touma's gaze hardened like steel. "Aside from Saga and his friends?"

"It's very possible. I can't pinpoint his presence directly, meaning he has been hiding by cloaking his Cosmos until now." Mu replied after a brief thought. "Saga and the others are not the only Specters to have come here. They only had to pass by Taurus' side when he couldn't move!"

Touma gasped at the reveal. Did he just say that more enemies coming and assaulted the huge Saint from the shadow? Now new question was bothering him. The question was who aside from Saga and the others could have been in here? Another resurrected Saint? Hades' soldiers? Touma frowned at the last part. It was possible, remembering they were in war with Hades. It wouldn't a surprise if the Underworld God did send few of his warriors to assault Sanctuary and attacked the Saints while they were distraught by the resurrected Saints' presence and diversion. Could this was one of their tactics? Then Touma acknowledged another fact.

"If he was hiding in here since the beginning…" Touma processed this information before a gasp escaped his mouth. "Is that means that he is also the one who attacked Aldebaran and also the true culprit as well!?"

"Yes." Mu nodded. "And of course, the one who immobilized him and who gave him the final blow…"

The Taurus Gold Cloth suddenly shone brightly.

"All of this, is my doing!"

An arrogant voice replied, echoing thorough the corridor.

The Taurus Cloth dissembled and scattered. Stood in Aldebaran's place, was a man one could describe as ugly. He was quite tall, his dark purple, black, and dark grey colored armor adorned with claws and small horns. It looked similar like the ones the revived Saints wore. Much Touma's uneasiness, this one even looked more malevolent and dangerous. The Imagine Breaker's holder didn't want to admit it, but compared to Saga and the rest of the revived Saints, their dark armors were much cooler and less malevolent than this one.

The newcomer wore a smug smile.

"I, Deep Niobe, the Terrestrial Dark Star!" He boasted. "And even the Taurus Cloth's resistance didn't help him at all!"

Mu shifted his position so he could shield Touma entirely.

The Aries Saint knew that title.

A title belonged only to Hades' army, The Specters.

"A Specter. One of Hades' warriors." Mu's dark spring green eyes narrowed at the sight of the Specter.

Touma was in full alert now. "An enemy!?" His charcoal eyes darted onto the new arrival.

The smirk grew widened. The man chuckled victoriously.

Mu clenched his hand that held Aldebaran's Cosmos.

"I see…So it wasn't only Saga and the others…True Specters are already in Sanctuary."

True Specters? Touma echoed mentally.

Just how many these Specters invaded this land? The black spiky haired boy didn't want to face enemies with unknown numbers, the thought alone made him slightly uneasy. It feels like he was facing a shadow with unknown threats and he didn't like it. If only there was a way to find out how many enemies came and how their strength like, it will help him more or less.

"Exactly! The role of Saga and the others is now reduced to nothing more than a guide's!" Niobe gloated nonchalantly. "Besides it was an easy kill of Taurus!"

Something snapped within Touma.

Anger soon flooded his mind.

How could he admit so easily about killing people!

"You―!" Touma gritted his teeth furiously.

Dark spring green eyes darkened.

The Golden Ram Saint stared intensely at his enemy.

"You're the one who killed Aldebaran."

Despite the calmness, his voice held dangerous tone.

A promising tone that he will not let Niobe get away.

---

「?」

「Unknown Location.」

「Unknown time.」

Once upon a time…

There was a young boy with hair and eyes as brown as chocolate.

He was the Wisdom Goddess' most favorite warrior from all Saints.

He was the warrior the Goddess most trusted.

…

…

And he had absolutely no idea on how he was in here.

He had not the slightest clue where he was.

His eyelids were heavy, so were his entire limbs and he felt drowsy.

His body was extremely light and weightless for some reason. He was floating like that of stardust in outer space.

…

…

Was he?

Trying to fight the assaulting drowsiness, the chocolate haired young boy opened his eyelids.

The drowsiness was so bad that he wanted to go back to sleep but he refused.

So he tried to awake from his sleep. It took effort on him and yet he did it in the end.

Void.

Unlimited nothingness.

A space with unknown depth.

An absolute darkness.

He lips formed a frown.

'It's…dark…' He thought oddly.

No wonder he couldn't see anything even though he had his eyelids opened just ever so slightly.

He shifted his chocolate colored eyes to his left and right.

To his bafflement, he was the only one who was in that black nothingness.

'Where… am I?'

He kept floating within that empty space. No, he corrected himself after a further examination.

He was falling. He was actually falling down.

It was so slow that one would've thinking he was floating instead.

He still had a question left unanswered.

'What am I doing in this place?'

Few heartbeats passed.

He got no answer.

At the same time, the sleepiness began to attacking him again .

He sighed tiredly.

Perhaps a little nap will be nice, he thought absentmindedly.

By the time he closed his eyelids again…

His ears picked up a voice.

It was so faint to the point he almost miss it.

But he did hear it.

The next chance he heard it again, the voice was clearer.

It was a woman's voice.

『A******…』

He had to snap wide his eyes.

He turned at his left and right side.

He didn't see anything.

Everything was still in pitch black. And that was the problem.

He swore he did hear a woman's voice although it was faint.

Hesitantly, he asked whoever the owner of the feminine voice.

'...Who?'

At first, silence greeted him back.

Not for long however.

『A******…』

He furrowed his brows frowningly.

He had not been wrong.

There was a woman's voice or feminine voice at least.

The feminine voice came back again and from the sounds of it, she was calling for someone.

Most likely she called him because it was only him who was floating in the dark.

Searching for any human's sign, his mouth formed a question.

'Who's that…? Who are you?'

However no answer came to him, nobody reply.

Instead a blinding light suddenly burst to alive without warning before him.

He had to shut his eyes and shielded his face from the light.

He can feel a great pressure was being pulled him.

It was hurting him to be honest. It feels your body being ripped into tiny pieces.

Few moments after, the light finally subdued.

Once the light was dispersed completely, he can open his eyes.

He found himself kneeling on the bluish grey stone floor. He was in a spacious room which looked like a temple. It felt cold like marble but he wasn't sure since it was quite dark. Something wet drenched his form. He blinked and looked at himself. He indeed drenched from head to toes. He looked at his feet and staring onto the pooling water reached below his waist. The water was cold yet fresh. It was glittered in transparent light bluish color. There was stairs across him and standing above it was a female figure. He can't see her clearly because the room was too dark. He only had two torches on either side on top the stairs to make out her appearance.

The figure had a medium height for a woman. Her soft hair tied in long and loose braid, with color as dark as night. She had light tan skin and slim appearance. Although he couldn't see her whole face, he can tell her face shaped like a heart with full yet soft lips. The woman wore long white gown with silver trimmings. The feminine figure looked like she was in mid to late twenties. The lady had her right wrist wrapped by her other hand. He caught the sight of blood trail on the wrapped wrist. It made him concerned for the woman. Was she got hurt by something? Unexpectedly, she ignored the blood coming from her wrist.

The lady gave him a warm and delightful smile, seemingly so happy to see him.

『My child. My dear, beloved Pegasus…』 She began in soft yet shaky tone. 『Welcome to this world.』

…?

Pegasus?

He tilted his head in utter clueless.

He slowly rose from the cold floor with pooling water.

He stood on his feet and turned around.

His long dark chestnut hair flowed freely, following his head's movements.

He then frowned at this.

Since when his hair grown this long? He never remembered growing it. He could've sworn he felt his long hair touched his back, grew past his waist. His hair was almost reaching his knees. He wasn't wearing his Bronze Cloth anymore. Instead, He can feel the softness of the robe clutching his figure. It did make him slightly puzzled. Where did this robe come from?

And who was the lady before him?

Did the blurred form refer at him? He did own the Pegasus Cloth, after all.

But the lady's words had bothered him.

What did she mean by 'my child'?

Before he could digest further, a different flash came to him.

He was inside of what can be easily called as magnificent, pristine Greek style palace.

He noticed how his previous simple, long robe changed into regal looking Cloth.

Its design was vaguely similar with his Pegasus Cloth. However he realized this Cloth was quite different from the one he usually wore. It had more complicated parts and intricate yet beautiful ornaments. The Cloth was having a color just as pure as the light itself. It was white entirely with golden color in here and there. He took a notice how this Cloth possessed a pair of huge white wings on his back. He can feel their weight on behind him. It wasn't heavy at all, almost like he carrying nothing. He noticed another thing that he was kneeling on cold marble.

Few meters from his place, was a glorious throne carved from white stone.

Seated on the throne, was a man in his late twenties with long, shiny golden hair and eyes as blue as sapphire.

The man wore the purest, untainted color of white robes with a bit of blue and gold.

He was handsome and he has a smirk intact on his lips.

The moment he saw this golden haired man, he knew who he was.

The gold haired man then rose from his throne, staring directly to him.

『From now on, you will stay in here. You, Pegasus, you will become Olympus' pride.』

He blinked repeatedly.

He remembered the myth's quite well. He had learnt all of them long ago.

He did aware how Pegasus flew to Olympus and gave his obeisance to Zeus.

He didn't expect it was like this though.

Another flash came soon after.

He was walking in the great hall when someone came across him.

He was a handsome young man with flaming red hair and crystal blue eyes.

He wore red robes and gold headband with sun symbol engraved on it.

The flaming haired young man raised his brows curiously once he recognized him.

『Huh? You are Pegasus, the 'King of Violet'? You're actually far from what I'd imagined.』

His confusion arose at the inquiry exclamation.

'King of Violet?'

He couldn't ponder more far as another flash came.

He was in dark corridor.

Stood not far from him, there was a man with long black hair, pale skin, and dark robes. He couldn't see his face since he half hidden in the shadow. However despite this, he had a strong feeling that he knew this man. He could how dangerous this man was from his smile. It was a polite smile and yet it sent shivers through his body.

Seeing that smile already made him feel uneasy.

『Isn't it simple?』 The dark robed man step forward. 『I came to see you because I would like to ask you something.』

Another flash.

He was inside a huge temple. There was white veiled old lady standing across him.

She stared him deeply with unusual shade of silver.

『You're Savior of Light, you destined for this. You can't avoid it.』

Questions began to filling his mind.

This was getting odder and odder.

'Destined? Destined for what…?' He asked at the old lady. 'What are you talking about?'

Before he could get his answer, another flash came.

He quickly recognized the place as Sanctuary. He was before the Great Statue of Athena. He then heard some footsteps came from behind him. Turned his body around, he found an extremely familiar maiden with lilac hair and sea green eyes was approaching him. She held a golden staff with a bird design. The warriors with Gold Cloths trailed behind her. She looked so happy when her eyes fell to his figure.

『Pegasus? How are you!? We haven't met for quite long.』 She offered a very warm smile. 『I rarely see you coming down. What are you doing in Sanctuary?』

Another flash.

A middle aged man with simple clothes was staring at him weirdly. Blue sea was glittering behind the man.

『You are in Ios. Otherwise known as 'Violet's Island'.』 He told him.

Another flash.

A teenager boy with black hair gaped widely at him.

He wore white colored villager clothes.

The clothes consisted of shirt, long pants, slippers made from leather, and a belt tied around his waist.

The belt also tied his lower part's shirt and holding it in place.

『…No way. Are you really that 'Pegasus'? You look human to me.』

A girl few years younger, also black hair, was slapped the boy's shoulder and gave him a look.

She also wore villager clothes.

Hers consisted from simple white gown tied with simple and small rope.

She wore a pair of slippers similar with the boy's wore.

『Brother! Don't call him that, it's so rude and he is a person!』 The girl scolded in reprimand.

The flash soon ended.

He couldn't understand. He watched the flashes continuously.

He couldn't help but think…

These scenes filled with…

'Peoples I never see before…'

Another flash.

He was in olive farm of some sort. The previous black haired boy stood before him. He looked at him in frustrate.

『Why did you call me idiot?! It's not entirely my fault I gotten too often into troubles. You aware Bad Luck always followed me, right?』 The boy complained.

The flash ended.

He deeply frowned.

Somehow…all of these scenes…they were as if…

But it was impossible.

The scenes were showing him as if…

'Memories I never possess…'

As if they were his.

But how?

Another flash.

He was in flower field. He noticed most of them were violets in various colors. He noticed the previous long black haired girl was putting a flower crown onto his head. Once she retreated and saw her work, a delightful smile soon bloomed. He noticed how a dandelion flower was decorating her hair.

『See? I've told you, violet crown is very suitable for your hair.』 She praised. 『You looks more handsome with that flower crown, King of Violet.』

The scene ended there.

So many events flashed in front of his eyes.

'That title again…'

He doesn't understand.

He absolutely had no idea what these flashes all about.

He had no idea what do they mean.

'Things I don't entirely understand…'

He shouldn't bother. He supposed to not bother for these memories. They were irrelevant to him.

'And yet…'

A flash.

He was in Sanctuary again.

This time he climbed the stairs.

Come along with him was a man in his mid twenties. He wore an unmistakable Sagittarius Cloth. The man with the brown braid and green eyes was chuckling amusedly.

『That's happiness. You're happy because you experienced good things. It's not a bad thing, I would said it's good thing instead.』

He placed his hand onto his armor, to where his heart was beating.

He closed his eyes.

He didn't know them and yet…

He clenched his hand tightly.

'Why does my chest feel hurt?'

Another flash.

He was before the lilac haired maiden.

No, he was before the Goddess.

He recognized that massive yet gentle Cosmos radiated from her.

He only knew one maiden who possess such unique Cosmos.

She had his hand with hers. Her hand was squishing his gently.

『I see you having a good time. It's good to know. I was worried how you'll handle things in earth but it seems I've been wrong.』The lilac haired Goddess admitted.

Another flash.

Surrounded him were broken pieces of Cloths.

A Lemurian with red hair and blue eyes tilted his head thoughtfully. He wore Aries Gold Cloth and currently standing near one of the broken Cloths. Holding in both hands were tools to repair the said broken Cloths.

The red haired Lemurian set up the tools on the near table.

His blue eyes searching his form thoroughly.

『You've changed. You become warmer, more open, and…kinder than the first time I met you.』

Drip.

One fell at first.

Drip.

Then another.

Drip.

Then another.

Before he knew, some warm liquid drops rolled down on his cheeks.

It took a while for him to realize the warm liquid drops were actually his tears.

He snapped open his eyes in surprise.

'Why the tears are coming?'

Another flash.

He was inside a house and was sitting in a chair. Separated by the wooden table was the black haired teenager boy. He had bandages wrapped around his head. He must have gotten himself injured from some accident.

The long black haired girl meanwhile was eyeing them from the kitchen.

She held this concern look with her.

Oblivious to the girl's stare, the boy waved his hands frantically.

『Hey, it's okay! We're friends and friends stick together! If you need anything, just say it. I'll help you.』

As the flash ended, he brought his hand onto his right cheek.

Fingertips traced the tears' trail carefully and slowly.

'Why I'm crying?'

More tears rolled down across his cheeks.

'Why do I feel so sad for the persons who I even just see now? Why I'm feeling so miss them? Why I'm feeling so much pain for them?'

He questioned to no one.

He didn't receive any answer.

Yet.

For this oddity was far from done.

Then another flash came.

He was standing above a valley. He could see the village beneath him, the small port, and the ships from here. At another side, there was a hill with the flower field he quickly recognized as the violet field from the previous flash. Wide sea spread across the horizon, clashing with the sky. The sun was beginning to set, coloring the sea with colors of golden, orange, and red. Seagulls cried in the air, flying freely above the golden stained ocean. It was a breath taking view. Then he heard the long black haired girl from beside him. Soon after, he felt the boy's presence on another side of his. He took a glance at the girl who smiled happily, her dark colored eyes were wide and innocent.

『Glad you like the sunset. You' should've seen the sunrise too. It's superb above here!』

Another flash.

He was inside one of Sanctuary's garden.

The lilac haired Goddess was with him.

The Goddess touched his shoulder gently.

『It's not selfish for wanting these peaceful days to continue. It's human thing.』

Then the flash ended.

The pain within his chest became more unbearable.

'Why do I feel like I should've with them? That I should've staying with them? That I should've protecting them no matter what happen?'

Another flash.

He was standing in the middle of the familiar violet field. In his right hand's gentle grasp, there was a small sized bundle of pink and white-blue colored violets. He continued to look for any pink and white-blue violets as his feet brought him walked further. He was gathering a bouquet of violets for the long black haired girl. Today was her birthday and he wanted to give her a present. A bouquet of violets seemed like a good present for her. He just finished the bouquet and smiled satisfactorily when a dark, suffocating dreadful presence walked in. it made him and almost dropped the small bouquet. Then a deep, familiar voice greeted his ears.

『Pegasus… 』 The oh-so-familiar voice greeted with dark mirthful. 『So this is where you've been hiding from me.』

Another flash.

The teenager boy looked worried. They were standing outside the village.

『I saw him with you. What exactly does he want from you?』 The boy asked.

Another flash.

The long black haired girl shook her head. He had his hands onto her shoulders as if to assure her and yet it seems he failed. She was in the verge of tears.

『No! I don't want to! Why you not letting us stay with you…!? I want to help you, we want to help you!』 The girl said in the middle of the sobs.

Another flash.

He was in Sanctuary again.

He stood near a pillar. He was staring a far, gazed at a certain direction. A direction where an island filled with violets when spring was existed with the siblings he deemed precious. He then brought the thing he was holding in his hand before his eyes. It was the small dandelion the long black haired girl always wore on her hair. Before he went from the small island, she gave it to him as a good luck charm. He clenched the flower slightly. He wondered if the boy and the girl were alright in their little island. Few moments later, he felt a presence. He straightened from the pillar to see the Goddess standing in front of him. Her Saints were waiting faithfully behind her, just like the first time he came down to Earth. They weren't wearing confuse face though. They had this worry and concern inside their eyes. The Goddess was the same too.

『You loved them, aren't you?』 The Goddess asked quietly. 『You loved those two. You loved those kids, that's why you stay away from them, am I right?』

The flash ended.

And with the flash ended, another unanswered question came.

He had no idea.

He didn't know why the thought can come across his mind.

Yet…

He gritted his teeth.

The hand previously touched the tears now clenching hard.

'Why do I feel like I'm unable to fulfill it?'

Another flash.

A long black haired and tall young man with ice blue eyes approached him.

He moved gracefully and wore the Gemini Cloth with proud.

Yet his expression was anything but comforting.

He looked very tense. Upon he saw his expression, he was instantly aware what news the Gemini had brought.

Their eyes met each other.

『Hades. He comes.』 He said after a long silence. 『He wanted you.』

Stood not far, the Sagittarius Saint flinched slightly. His body tensed.

『I have a really bad feeling about this...』

'Why do I feel like I'm not able to keep my promise?'

Another flash.

He was in the middle of battle field.

The sight was horrifying.

It nearly sent him to puke. Corpses scattered in everywhere. The smell of fire, smoke, and blood lingered in the air. The wind carried shouts and yells from any direction. It also carried the sounds of metal and flesh got hitting. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the Saints were fighting Specters. Few of them injured during the battle yet continue to fight. He was no different from those injured Saints. His breaths were heavy and erratic. His white regal armor cracked and dirtied in few places. His forehead had a cut injury. Despite not life threatening, the blood flows freely from the injury. Yet he still has the capable to standing. He began to feel tired but he shoved it back. He must continue to fight. He can't rest now, he couldn't. Not when his main opponent made his own appearance.

The Underworld God was standing gracefully yet radiated authority. Majestic armor as dark as moonless night fitting his form. It had six wings on its back, making the owner's appearance more intimidate. The winged armor made his pale skin even increasingly paler. This time he could see the God's eyes. His eyes were the shade of emerald. They were beautiful yet gloomy. The God had the equally black colored sword on his hand and the sheath on another hand. The black armored man stared in cold mocking.

『What's this? You worry for those weak humans?』 The Underworld God snorted lightly. 『You've grown too soft, Brother.』

Another flash.

A powerful Specter with draconic looking armor and wings unleashed his attack.

He would've been hit at this distance if only a Gold Saint hadn't stepped in.

The destructive blast immediately destroyed by thousands lightning. The Gold Saint turned his head around. He was a quite tall man in early twenties with blond hair. He donned the Leo Cloth with proud and gallantly. However his amber colored eyes filled with urgent. His shout also carrying the urgency as well.

『Pegasus, go! Let us take cares these Specters! You must find them before Hades do it!』

Another flash.

He had stepped his feet on Ios' soil again.

He arrived just in time.

The black winged God just barely arrived too.

Never the thought crossed in his mind that he will be back in his current condition though.

Or that the siblings he concerned so much will catch him in this state.

The teenager boy kneeled beside his fallen form.

The black haired boy then blanched at his injuries' signs.

『You called me idiot and now look at you! You hurt in everywhere! Are you a fool…!?』

'Why do I feel like I've failed it?'

Then he heard footstep.

He didn't need to raise his head because he knew who was coming.

『Pathetic. This is the fearful Pegasus? This is the pride of Olympus? Hah, no matter.』

Through the half lidded eyes, he saw the hand gripped the black sword was being lifted up.

Despite being disrupted by the dark, thundering clouds, few amounts of sunlight managed to escape and hit the blade.

The sword was gleaming in its dark glory.

The Underworld God's smile grew far darker.

『This is a good opportunity.』

He suffered injuries from the previous battle.

Not that he will care anyway, this was nothing.

He had far more important thing to worry.

Whatever the Underworld God planned, he will not letting him do as he desired.

As long as he was still alive and can fighting, he will not let him.

He was about to face the black winged God when a pair of smaller forms had beaten him first.

The siblings were already standing protectively in front of him. They were standing side by side, united. The teenager boy and the long black haired girl shielded him from the approaching dark armored God. He was shocked beyond the words as they willingly to use themselves as living shield so they can protect him. In his utterly disbelief, he asked them why they ignored his warning. Why they did come despite aware of the danger they will face. Why did they going as far as facing the god when they just humans. The teenager boy then looked at him through his shoulder. The boy had a gaze only the greatest heroes will possess. The teenager boy answered with a tone as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

『Do I need a reason to protect you when you badly injured and in need of help?』

It was just a simple answer.

One would think it was a foolish answer.

Yet it was able to shake him to the core.

He could only stare widely at the boy.

Had he heard it just right?

These human children…they were willing to put their lives in the line for his sake?

For the foreigner they not know very well?

『It's okay.』 The girl stood beside the boy reassured. Though her voice a bit shaky, she had her admirable will and courage with her. 『It will be alright. I will protect you. This time we will…』

Few meters away, the black winged God had his lips curved onto a dark smile.

The God tilted his head in amusement.

『…Ho? So you will defend him even though you are against a God?』

His heart beat loudly inside his ears when he heard it.

Badump.

He found himself frozen completely.

A dreadful feeling soon invaded him.

The emerald eyed God swept his sword.

『Fine. I will grant your wish. Have your eyes opened wide, Pegasus, for I will make you see how the world's working.』

Badump.

Fear began to assaulting his mind.

His hands began to shaking like leaves blew by winds.

'No…'

He was anything but a scared man.

He was more than ready for a fight to the death.

He was more than prepared to thrown to Tartarus.

It wasn't what he feared though.

What he feared right now…

Was what the emerald eyed God was planning.

On what the God was planning with the siblings.

The human siblings he started to care and love like his own family.

The innocent children whose had nothing to do with his fight.

『I will show you that not everything will have a happy ending. I will make you see how meaningless your effort was. I will make you see how futile your struggle was.』

Step by step, the Underworld God kept walking forward with grace.

The black sword was ready within his grasp.

The sudden urge of protectiveness took better control on him.

He greatly alarmed with the unsheathed sword.

'What you will do to them?'He asked, no, demanded. 'What are you trying to do?'

He then forced himself to stand up.

Despite the burning sensation from the injuries, he still did it.

He struggled to stand up against the black God again.

Badump.

'Stop it…'

『I will make you see how futile your fight was…By using them.』

BADUMP!

'Stop it…'

BADUMP!

His heart was beaten faster and faster as the black winged God was nearing.

His fear for the human siblings grew chaotic.

His mind chanted the same prayer over and over again.

He kept begged to Fate. He refused to let him.

He…

'Not them. Not them.'

He doesn't want to lose the children.

Frustrated that his body wasn't really cooperated, he told the teenager boy and the long black haired girl to run away. And yet, they didn't. They refuse to leave him with the crazy God. The young human girl was even more so.

『No, I will not leaving you!』 She retorted.

He gritted his teeth in mix of heavy-heartedly, annoyed, and touched.

He would be lie if he didn't happy the siblings were actually very care to him.

But that won't do.

They were in the middle of war and their very souls in danger as the Underworld God targeted them.

They got targeted because of him.

There was no way he would let the siblings stay any longer.

Hurry.

BADUMP! BADUMP!

He must hurry.

He must get up.

He must not stay immobile.

He must save them.

He must save them!

Move. Move. Move. Move. Move.

Move, Dammit!

'Please…not them. Stop it…'

And yet…

His worst fear became reality.

He didn't miss how the Underworld God was raising his sword above his head.

The sword was gleaming dangerously.

Ready to strike down the children.

Ready to send them to afterlife.

The teenager boy grew increasingly tense at the sign of the raised sword.

『Ah, crap! Here he comes!』

BADUMP! BADUMP!

BADUMP!

His eyes now as widen as the saucer.

He almost stopped breathed when the sword began to falling down.

No.

No.

No.

He couldn't take it anymore.

'Stop it…'

He wanted to shout.

He wanted to move.

He wanted to prevent the sword's fall.

He wanted to make it stop.

He wanted this nightmare to end.

His wish went futile in the end.

What he dreaded the most then came.

The black sword was being swung.

It fell so fast that it almost looked like a dark, blurring shadow.

Everything happened fast.

『A******! RUN. . . . . .!』

The boy's shout rang loudly inside his ears.

The sword now was only few centimeters away from the boy and girl.

Denial.

Refusal.

Anger.

Sadness.

Happiness.

Compassion.

Pain.

Hurt.

Determination.

Attachment.

Affection.

Love.

All emotions within him now mixed into one.

BADUMP!

Suddenly he found his voice again.

As the sword almost reaching the human siblings…

A shout then slipped his mouth.

'STOP IT―!'

---

「Sanctuary.」

「Star Hill.」

「18:32 PM」

A pair of warm chocolate colored eyes snapped open at last.

They filled with tears, rolling down to his cheeks.

A fearful, almost despairing shout came from his throat.

"STOP IIIIIIIIIIIT. . . . . . . . . !"

And with that…

Pegasus Seiya woke up from his nightmare.

---

Seperti langit yang mengandung hujan.

(Just like the sky that carrying rain.)

Bumi yang mempunyai tumbuh-tumbuhan.

(The earth which possessing plants.)

Selalu berusaha mencapai mahkota di dalam hati yang merdeka.

(Always try to reach the crown deep inside the freedom heart.)

Selalu berupaya menemukan jalan dengan cinta.

(Always try to find the path with love.)

Hunuslah pedang semangat itu untuk menebas pedihnya kehidupan!

(Thrust that sword of will to slash the pain of life!)

Kami berusaha melompat tinggi menembus langit!

(We try to jump high across the sky!)

.

.

Semangat yang Menembus Langit; The Will that Bypassed the Sky. Last Part.

Ina Dwiana Kartaatmadja, 2009

---

So the battle begun for real and the fights will only grow heated from this chapter. I'm very sorry if this chapter took a very long time but please remember aside from this fic, I'm writing 2 other stories as well. T_T;;; How is your opinion about Ruiko? Do I make her too OOC or something along with the line? I just hope I made her characterization not too far because, it will be sucks and weird, you know. T д T;;; Also I must skipped few scenes in here and there. You can notice it too, I think. It's not because I'm lazy but even without them, this chapter was already freakin' long enough. This chapter alone was already having more than 40.000 words. Around 15.000 words longer than the first chapter and total 109 sheets. That and if I included this unwritten scenes, I will took longer time too. So for the sake of the readers, I didn't write these scenes. For the songs I listened this time:

1. Brave Shine, Aimer. Fate/Staynight : Unlimited Blade Works OP.

2. Boku no Kotoba Dewanai Bokura no Kotoba, TV and Full ver., UVERWorld. Arslan Senki OP.

3. Burn My Dread, Persona 3 Movie: Spring Birth ver.

4. Light in Starless Sky, Lotus Juice and Yumi Kawamura. Persona 3 Movie: Falling Down.

5. Destiny, SawanoHiroyuki nZk Aimer. Gundam Unicorn.

6. Hollow World, Aimer.

Try to listens 'Brave Shine', 'Destiny' and 'Hollow World' for this time. I really recommended it since I made this chapter by listen this song. Try to search them in Jungle Vibe and Mp3Clan's website. You can play and download them. Gotta admit Aimer has a remarkable voice and fantastic songs as well. 'Re: I AM' and 'Star Ring Child' is few of them for examples.