Light Speed Battle! Kouga vs Ginga

(光速戦争! 光牙対銀夏)

Back in The Garden of Catasterismi, Pegasus Kouga danced among an illusion-projected universe filled with bright stars and a distant sun. Even though he was fully rejuvenated, he was not entirely composed. He had to stay focused as he did not expect for his foe to be so resilient.

Boron Ginga was able to materialize and fling out "stars" in any direction. When they hit, Kouga felt the pressure, being battered into a float, moving when he did not want it. Until eventually, something arose in him and he was able to swerve out of some of their trajectory. Launching Ryu Sei ken, the punches reared off direction from touching the Boron Stole. They looked like silver bullets, and Kouga inched closer, and closer.

Ginga's ears heard a sound of something breaking – a part of the Stole's shoulder chipped off. A piece of the cuirass cracked. Ginga uttered a word and went in close, stalling Kouga in place. Two swings led to two punches left and right to Kouga's face. Pegasus was thrown around like a speed bag; in the third one, Kouga countered.

They both ate a punch.

"The Omega cannot determine your fighting skills; your instincts are still first and foremost, along with your faith in the Cosmos", both Seiya and Fudou had said. According to their point of view, the God Saturn was not defeated, but only repelled. He gave a reprieve, but admitted that he has lost strength during the battle with Kouga.

Ginga did not understand; while the Universe was infinite, nature was infinite, he felt some gaining from Kouga, and he just didn't know why.

"Cosmic Synthesis!" It only increased his vexation. Charged particles flicked in the air and gathered into one point. In front of his hands, it rapidly grew—bigger, bigger than him and Kouga, until Ginga couldn't be seen from Kouga's point of view. It grew the size of two men, three men, and further. Until it was, by a visual surface, a radius of about nine meters. It was far from the top of the ceiling, which had a hole in it from Eden, but it showed that Ginga was pretty serious. It was probably four or five times taller than Kouga. Therefore, it would definitely swallow him apart.

"Take this Kouga!" He launched the ball; it was just like when they began their battle. As it closed in to its target, Kouga, feeling its pulsating energy and its heavy breeze as it soared towards him, had every intention to catch it just like before.

"No move can work on a Saint twice!" Assuring himself, Pegasus Kouga lifted his hands and caught the synthesized star. He slowly slid on his heels, but the Synthesis sphere kept pushing right back, licking at his hands from its scorching halo. It was tangible?

It can be accurately implied that Cosmic Synthesis was the stars , which Ginga kept summoning, forming together. Absorbing to a point where they vary in size and become thick. In common cases, Ginga's attacks explode on impact, but with Synthesis, he could decide whether to explode them or just crush his targets under the weight of a burning "star".

After a moment, the pressure started to die down. Ginga's senses picked up a a strange jump in energy, and the sphere began to contract. Kouga's hands shook, and focused on pushing until they came together in a clasp. The wind died down and the sphere dissipated.

"You really are strong Pegasus Kouga," said Ginga. "I just don't understand why."

When Kouga emerged from the attack, the baffled Ginga turned his head to the other end of his Garden. Perhaps he found a moment of calm and escape with his friend, but in truth, he sensed something.

"The stars read everyone's fate and some has faded – Megeara took out your friends, guaranteed."

"What?"

"My elder 'sister' is the protector of Androktasiai," Ginga explained calmly, turning back to face Pegasus. "It is sometimes called the Garden of Pain and Suffering, or destruction, leading to death. A bizarre one. Many people find her repulsive, but she gets the job done when it comes to enemies. In fact, it was her and Arion who have greatly contributed to the assaults on Saints during the Winter equinox."

Kouga held in his protest. It was not a fluke; his senses lost the Cosmos of his friends. A shudder went through his arm, and then through a balled fist. His thoughts reversed to the beginning to when this all started, back when Shaina was killed, hearing about the revival of the Gold Saints, the struggle they all had crossing Cyclades, losing more through it all, just for Demeter's vengeance. It welled up inside.

His Cosmos haloed his entire body white from a tongue of flame.

"Ginga!" Pegasus flew in a straight line. The Boron Terrae caught his punch, then the other, and then both shredded each other in locked stares, eyes filled with anger. Neither one could overcome the other.

"Are you angry with me, Kouga?!"

"What is it?! What is it all for? Who is this Julia!? You may be a guardian, but no matter what we had, I have to go through you as well!"

"Then do it! Only one of us can determine the victor."

"I'm going to stop her. You hear me!" Before another word was said, Kouga was sent backwards by a hook against his face. One slide on his heel and he launched right back; Ginga already reached him and caught Kouga's best hand to prevent another punch. His other hand glowed brightly and a flare erupted in-between them. Another Synthesis! The expanded sphere grabbed Kouga and guided him high above ground. Ginga pursued, and watched his Synthesis break into sparkles from Koga's swinging arm. Boron saw his target and his foot dug into Kouga's ribs. I'm faster! I'm faster, faster, faster! He kept repeating in his mind, to keep faith in his fighting skills and to give Koga no quarter for any reason. He ignored the fact that he covered little to no ground in his battle, saw no weakness in his enemy, and kept up with his strikes. Eventually, as the fight drew out, that vulnerability would slip back into his head—he kept fighting, but nothing seemed to defeat Pegasus.

Kouga kept coming back, deflecting or evading the attacks, kept standing. Pegasus struck high below the neck, in the Boron Cuirass; when Ginga repelled, he blinked only once and saw a flurry of fists heading towards him – in the hundreds, multiplying, so fast that they looked like rays of light. Crossing his arms in a high guard, each blow felt like a hammer against his Stole. There were no gaps, a heavy rainstorm pelting all surfaces, the feeling of hard needles striking the body. Ginga's toes tensed to keep standing; the faster the punches, the more they flew, the more they pummeled, in a matter of time, Ginga eventually felt his defense break. His arms opened and his entire body careened high. Her mind juggled from what happened. He saw black once he hit the floor. When he opened his eyes and turned, he saw Kouga, who stood with his back to him.

How would either determine how to overcome the other? What determined it? Their battle was probably the equivalent to the War of Thousand Days – two dueling Gold Saints whose movements and attacks were at the speed of light. It was perhaps deemed like this not only by their parallel strength, but it could be a solution for Athena to not have her companions overcome one another. It was a possibility that Ginga and Kouga couldn't defeat one another because they were friends. It was impressive enough that Ginga was on par with a generational God Killer, who has achieved the Seventh Sense and perhaps more. Ginga did not see it in such a matter, and only grew angrier that his foe was too stubborn to go down. After the clash with Eden, his anger towards Athena, and his disdain for divine prominence, only grew.

What was the answer? What was the strength behind Pegasus?

"Ginga." When Kouga called out, he had relaxed his guard. "My fists are only meant to make evil fall. For some reason, I can't defeat you. Maybe because you aren't malicious."

"Shut up!" At Ginga's shout, Kouga turned around – and a fist slammed right into his chin. His feet left the ground and a force shot him right into the air.

"Cosmic Chuukanken!" The technique from before that was used on Eden. When Pegasus returned moments later, dropping back down through the roof in a tail of smoke, Ginga began to rant.

"Then what's the point of fighting?! We both have something to believe in. There is no reason to be so equal. If you were holding back Kouga, it'll be the biggest mistake you ever make."

Ginga's voice echoed through the hallow walls of the Garden. Like Eden before, Kouga was shot right through the roof, soared high into the sky and into the Mesosphere, falling back down. He landed after receiving blows of intense cold, electric currents, and rubbing heat, in addition to low oxygen, Kouga did not move. It was to Ginga's expectations.

"I am not malicious? Perhaps that's a compliment, but skill and strength will determine who will win. This is a war between Goddesses. Give me a b— !"

Ginga suddenly buckled, hearing another crack. He looked down and he saw gaps in his Stole. He felt a tickle in his bones; his arms and legs convulsed; his sight turned white for a few seconds, and hissing in a breath, he noticed Pegasus Kouga walking towards him. Now he and Pegasus were eye to eye.

"Why are you still standing, Kouga…" Ginga asked. Kouga refused to respond; his furrowed face suggested that he was hurt and wearing down. It was unlike Ginga however, who was broken in places. One thing that wasn't noticed before was that Eden compromised a break in the Boron Stole. His attacks worked, aiding Kouga's fight. They cut through; Boron was made out a semi conductive metal after all. Was it really Ginga that was losing gas?

"A star can only contain so much condensed pressure until it expands and obliterates itself. It's when its heart begins to dwindle will the star get overthrown by the energies of the other. This is not over yet."

"You look like you're about to fall over." At Kouga's words, Ginga immediately flexed.

"You don't have the say!" At his roaring shout, the air surrounding him and Kouga lit up. Hundreds of stars of various sizes appear once more. Everything was aggravating him, including the fact that his Chuukanken failed.

"What you said before about maliciousness – are you saying that you were being soft on me? No, you're strong aren't you? Because you should've been obliterated! As a Bronze Saint, you should've been done! But something, something is getting in the way. You survived Pan, you survived my attacks without a Cloth, and here you are with a renewed Cloth," Ginga's face was distorted with anger.

"Julia…Demeter will not calm herself until Julia returns. Good or evil, it doesn't matter. What we fight for matters. Our own sides matter. We just happen to clash on opposites. Whether we're friend or not, we must see through our goals. The only conclusion waiting for us is who bears the strongest purpose."

The Cosmic Collision stalled in the air at the ready. They only needed to burrow through Pegasus and blow him to pieces, soul and all. All Ginga needed to do was burn stronger and will his victory to happen. The two fighters glowed with furious Cosmos, projecting the vivid universe. Ginga saw the Pegasus constellation behind his opponent; Kouga saw the eyes of various balls of ice, dust and gas, charged by particles, glittering and staring down at him as a target. He flexed his arm to prepare a punch; in his mind, he believed in only a few things – his tie to the Goddess and to keep elevating his Cosmos, even if to the strength of the Big Bang. After that, what would happen?

Both Collision and Ryu Sei Ken flew towards their opponents.

Who was the strongest heart inside a star? Was it a battle between strength or justice? Since Eden's defeat, there was barely a hint of Kouga and Ginga slowing down. Ginga refused to believe that a God Killer held back against him.

Neither one of them understood but they kept seeing images. Perhaps it was a sign of their impending deaths. Both Boron and Pegasus saw their youths, training with their masters; Kouga with the masked Shaina, and Ginga being cheered on by two females, while watched by the steely Arion. Then, they saw something more eerie.

Demeter – Her composed face glowing as she knelt to accept a crown of flowers onto her head; embracing someone, stroking the curls of their hair, and then wailing in a field of flowers.

Athena – smiling, approached by a golden knife to her throat, tied in chains, looking up to a giant halberd; rallying around her many Saints, shining brightly.

Both Goddesses – sending two fighters against each other. One wore shining white armor, sprouting bird like wings; the other being steely gray and fast as a comet. The flow of these strange images - were they some of kind of memories?

They both fell. Both Pegasus Kouga and Boron Ginga were on the ground. Ginga remembered being in a room; wearing his town clothes, he sat next to a window, and a bed with a platinum blond haired girl nestled in blankets.

"It's not a normal sickness," the girl said. "I can feel it when the Winter months are approaching. Then, when it does, I fall into a deep sleep."

"This happens every Winter," said a morose Ginga.

"We call a Winter syndrome, but is it too severe?"

"Yeah, this is too much to be called a slow down." When the girl did close her eyes, the day transitioned into a morbid peace. It was taken for granted but not like a usual form of sleep – most would expect that once the sun rose, she would yawn awake, but that did not happen. The days grew colder by then. It was just another year of the "Winter Syndrome".

"Ginga, thank you for being by my daughter's side." A well-dressed woman stroked his hair like a mother. It was just her and Ginga in another room.

"Oh, no need to thank me. She is a strong girl and understands. She never blames anyone for this."

As soon as she sat down, the woman's face showed despondency. "I cannot stop it."

"Are you going to the Green forum? If you're not—"

"Ginga, its fine. Arion will be with me and I will muster all I can to get through the day."

"But I have to come anyway, so I can hear about ridding ourselves of yucky gas and pollution."

To which the woman laughed, "Ginga, you have it turned around. You need the gas, but there's too much gas, causing heat to become trapped within the earth."

It was a typical Winter it seemed. But for some reason, unlike every forth month of the year, Julia did not wake up. On that day, Arion told Ginga a strange story after his training. They were sitting upon the hills looking over the Aegean Sea.

"Did you know that the Goddess Demeter tried to kill Athena?" Arion was well known for his stoic projection, but he seemed content on conversing. To hear even him give stories, Ginga's eyes glittered. He scooted close to the violet-haired guardian, eager to hear.

"A 'half mother' I think. While their interactions were few, so I hear, Athena loved Demeter's daughter Persephone like a sister. When Persephone was taken away, Athena was there when it happened and tried to find her. I guess she and Demeter entered a bitter clash."

"Wow."

"But someone protected her. Someone with silver wings."

"What happened in the end?"

"There was no determined winner. However, the promised themselves to journey to the Underworld and confront the rapist himself. When mother and daughter united, anger towards the Gods ceased. I think you know the rest of the story."

Why am I seeing all of this? Remembering this? Am I dying?

Boron Ginga opened his eyes, they were struck by the light of the sun. It was spilling out from the holes he made in the roof when he launched Kouga and Eden with his Chuukanken. He was unable to move; lying next to him was an immobile Pegasus Kouga.

He reached out for the ray of sun with his hand. "I want to stand. I want to help Mother. The bitterness in her chest, I want it to stop. I want her to smile. I can't be defeated here." His voice was feeble.

But I lost, didn't I? Ginga suddenly dropped his arm at the thought. Am I not fighting for a noble cause? So why did I lose?

Boron Ginga, Orion Eden and Pegasus Kouga lay motionless in the Garden of Stars, the sunlight touching their faces silently. Ginga closed his eyes, and what warmed his heart was remembering Demeter's kindness. Doing so hindered the notion that he had failed. In fact, Kouga's words, when he criticized Demeter for using battle, reminded him of another memory. It was years ago when he was younger, perhaps a year after he chosen to don the Boron Stole. Demeter always spoke about how round Ginga's eyes were, flowing with curiosity and zest.

"Ginga, my good son."

"Lady Deme…I mean, Mother, I never asked this before but I am just wondering. Why am I selected as a Terrae? Is there a need to fight?"

"In this mortal world, there is always conflict. There is always evil, crime, war, the threat of peace of being broken. Yes, as Naxos's guardian, you must protect it. And if you must, protect others."

"What is 'evil'?"

"Hmm?"

"Is the guy who tried to steal from the donation jar 'evil'? Or mugging girls? Kidnapping? The grandmother who tries to trick two siblings into her house and cook them?"

"You seem to have the right idea, Ginga. Just know this – people may not agree with you, but always believe what you think is right. Your strength will come from that."

"O..okay!"

"As long as you don't think that cooking children is 'right'."

"Of course not! That's just creepy!"

"Also, remember that many appreciate our services. There is always something we can do. As you can see, as a member of the Green movement, I am trying to serve in the industry of technology and politics. One day, I want to join the United Nations."

During one of the annual festivals on Naxos, the Four Terrae gathered and knelt before their Goddess to issue a verbal bond. He would never express it, but in his head, when especially compared to the older Arion and Megaera, Ginga would bear this insecurity that he was not mighty enough to protect everyone. He was a bookworm after all.

To his surprise, Demeter noticed this; perhaps it was due to her being a goddess after all. She had told him, "Ginga, one thing. Your Stole and Cosmos respond to your heart. If your heart wavers, shudders from despair, hatred, evil, it will drastically affect you." Ginga wasn't sure how to respond and only listened. She continued.

"I am going to send you meet the Meliads for a test to defeat an evil spirit. You will understand your Stole well. Besides, the Boron Terrae was known to be steadfast and to stay on the same direction, never giving up even if knocked away from its trajectory."

Demeter showed her guardians praise as lofty as Heaven and never less. Again, in his mind, Ginga had to ask himself, "Did I lose?"

"Why did I lose?!"

"Am I whining? Did I lose control over myself?I probably did. I couldn't defeat…a friend."

Much time would pass. More time undisturbed by the Saints was what Demeter needed to fulfill her task. Ginga did not remove the enemy from his home, but was offering the Mother goddess "time" an indication of victory? It was difficult to decide.

"Ginga, my good son. Please be well." Murmuring, Demeter held Arion's hand tightly as fear settled in. After sensing Pan's defeat, she worried for the others, but Arion kept her confidence as they descended down the stairs. The Goddess's inner worry amplified when she was completely surrounded by darkness. After the stairs, the two strode on an invisible road, and it seemed to lead nowhere, but did they know where they were going with confidence? The Ophiuchus Cloth floated closely behind due to Arion's powers.

At one point, they stopped. They were blocked by two silhouetted figures.

"If it isn't the Noble Mother and her Guardian of Heroic Hope."

"We are Myth, History, Secrets and Pathways."

"I heard of you," said Arion. "The Crossroads."

To which Demeter followed, "Yes. Ladon and Janus. I've come to seek a deal with you."

"We see that you contain the Ophiuchus. Surely you do not cross—"

"I sense that you are not ignorant?"

"We can see that the Noble Mother is still a horror." One of the silhouettes said after taking the shot from Demeter's fierce glare.

"My possible fate and the world's fate do not concern you. With this Ophiuchus, I wish to enter the prison and meet with him. Only he can change this."