Emerald and ebony washes away the noble star
(エメラルドとエボニーで、貴星が流される)
In his right arm, Capricorn Safar wielded the mythical blade, the Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegār. Having a complicated name, it was called the Emerald Scimitar or just Zomorrod (or zumurrud), as the latter Persian term was fitting to the green gemstone. Simsir meant "blade" alone; to show a form of genteel understanding among his coequals in Sanctuary, he allowed many names, even Shir Khan's diminutive "Zomo".
The demon of Rujm el-Hiri, stripped of his armor and leaving a bare-chest man in his trousers, seemed to have realized the threat. The pressure and fury of the monolithic site seemed gone, leaving room for a new situation. Safar found his sword him at a strange angle; his elbow hovered over his auricle. A standing enemy wasn't destroyed, Crow Johann had thought, and threw up his hand to launch an attack.
"Wind Trigger!" At Crow's call, the base of a tornado spiraled towards the demon-man's head. That demon's other hand moved, glowing; the tornado swiftly turned direction and flew towards Johann. The powerful winds lapped at the face of Crow, frozen in shock, but suddenly, it split apart. A gold flash appeared; Safar stood in between Johann and the man.
"This entire time," Capricorn said, "you've been trying to seize my arm." It was true—when this entire fiasco started, there have been a few cases where his body was snatched by some unknown force. Not fear, but an irregular pressure. Rather than paralysis, which was initially thought, his own muscles and bones would response to another furious mind.
"Zomorrodnegār cannot be controlled by the likes of you," the Gold said.
The "demon" of Rujm el-Hiri lowered his arms and let out a haughty laugh. He stated that 'his sanity was restored'; indeed, he looked more refreshed and humane compared to before. He probably lost some hair, his veins were gone, but without his ebony husk, he looked unlike a man suitable for battle. His eyes were vital gold. "This Zomorrodnegār. I assume it has some form to remove impurities. Impressive."
"You were like an insensible monster, but that went away." Capricorn Safar wondered if what he discarded was the brunt of the plague, but he was not completely out of the water yet. His arm did not tremble like before instead, a faint sensation prickling the end of his fingers.
"Your sword is useless." The man assumed, a voice dripping with a fine composure, hinting that there was still a threat. "I am not evil, for my God is not evil."
Crow Jamien suddenly stomped in confidently. "You work for the goddess who caused all of this, brute?"
The demon man arced his head, howling out a laugh. "Goddess? What nonsense are you talking about?!" His voice carried pride for the holy; he lifted his arms and looked to the sky, seemingly revering where he stood. With all that congested evil removed, he was an entirely new man. His whole heart was elated to speak openly about what gave him the right to breathe.
"I only follow the one and only God of the lower w—" At that moment, the "demon" froze in speculation. He lowered his arms and looked down.
"No, that isn't true isn't it?" He said, his voice morose, as if a weight fell heavily upon him. "That is no longer true. I disobeyed my Lord. Therefore, it is the reason why I became such a monster." There was a pause; a calm was allowed among the three, and all left Athena's Saints to listen with curiosity. However, to the new generation of Saints, everything said made little sense.
"Even though I dared step into the dimension leading towards—" Another pause. That remorse then became fury, balling his hands into fists.
"Those bastards…they were allowed to past me and Juideccca and into the Realm of Gods?! Was I truly fated to be forsaken?" The demon then dropped to his knees. "Oh, My Lord Hades! If I sacrifice these Saints to the Abyss, will you forgiveth me, my iniquities, and take me back into your command again?"
Safar narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" Capricorn's curiosity was piqued heavily; out of the monolith came out an agent of Hades? Even though the God of the Underworld was removed, Safar knew that Athena contemplated thwarting his possible revival, which Demeter plotted, but he didn't think that any soldiers could return in a physical form. Seeing such an angry soul pour out of the monolith, did they disrupt the mortal plane and adopt, or even capture, mortal bodies?
A soft smile appeared; then, a foggy violet aura, like sweltering water vapor amidst a humid air, caressed the white-haired demon-man slowly. "I remember now. I am the Heavenly Star of Nobility." He left it there and raised his arms; Crow Johann and Capricorn Safar started floating, a large halo of energy consuming them. When the demon flicked a couple fingers, the Saints' bodies suddenly became malleable and threw back into arcs.
Did such a standard looking man have such power? Safar groaned loudly as his felt his body folding in different places; he realized the amazing Cosmos streaming through him. Johann's limbs tight into a squeeze; did his eyes want to pop out? Even his crows were arrest in the air, their tiny bodies bending. What was this force? Did the monster have an entire area under his command?
"Yes, a Noble Judge of Hell. I am Griffin Minos," said the demon. "Gold Saint! Why did your sword not work? I will tell you—we of the Underworld are not evil. Hades is not evil. No, he is the one of the purest souls in all the Pantheon. The power that we accumulate cannot betray if we bend a knee to our most beloved. That is not evil. That is why your sword is nothing. Prepare to die, Athena's Saints!"
Minos closed one hand, and the air was covered black. The first thing he heard was the hoarse scream of Crow Johann and the screeches of birds bursting into pieces. It was their ink black feathers that painted the sky. Johann dropped to the ground and was motionless.
"Your turn, Gold Saint!"
Safar felt useless against the unseen grip Minos had on him. His body twitched, his arms and legs angled in different ways, until everything was put to a complete halt. Minos took in a breath; that compression of lungs was the only time he moved. His fingers stopped; he could not move his head or his eyes. Minos's ears worked, and he heard footsteps approaching from his left side. Soon, a shadow appeared before him, and entering the air between the Saints and Minos was a half moon slash. An array of threads suddenly materialized into view, and snapped into pieces from he wave. Safar fell onto his hands and knees, catching his senses. Minos regained his movement, and was completely aghast.
"You seem to want to ask who am I?" The shadow that had arrived was a black-haired man in a heavy cloak. His identity seemed regal, dressed before God, but his gold eyes were tranquil.
"Another Saint coming to save your comrades? The number does not matter."
"Incorrect. I am the Holy Sword of Creation," the man said; on cue, a green-studded blade appeared from behind the man's cloak, held in hand and raised. "The First Class Pallasite, Titan."
Pallasite? Safar raised his head, just now realizing that someone else has arrived. He heard about the Pallasbeda War from last year, but he had been away training during that time. He had heard from peers that the enemy warriors, the strongest among the young sister goddess, were called Pallasites. Griffin Minos admitted that he knew nothing of the agents of Pallas, but Titan was easily deemed an enemy since he saved the Saints.
"My orders are to annihilate Athena's enemies," affirmed Titan, "and any evil that portend to come to the mortal surface. With my sword, I can seal off a gate such as this."
A glower holding his face—and without a Surplice—Minos could only gib at the Pallasite to do his worst. What does a Judge have to fear?
"Wait!" Before a move was made, Capricorn Safar stepped in and stared straight at Minos.
"You said that my sword is useless, but it seems to be that your technique isn't that effective."
"What do you mean? I would like to call your bluff," Minos said, raising his hands. His fingers flex, enveloped in a violet fog once again. "Only power can prove anything."
"Griffin Minos, if you are an agent of Hades, then there are two things—either the mission of Athena's Saints has failed, or you are not aware of what happened." Minos's eyebrows furrowed at the Gold Saint's words. Even at that moment when his body twisted and tore into pieces, his consciousness fading among the hyper dimension, Minos believed that the Bronze Saints faced their final judgment in the Gods realm, The Elysium. The Damnation they would face was ecstatic by imagination.
"According to my goddess Athena," Safar said, "Hades was defeated. As a result, the Underworld vanished."
Minos froze in place as he could not conceal his shock.
"So now," Safar continued, "there is a plot to revive him and the Underworld by the goddess Demeter. There are actions taken to thwart her plans. Apparently, according to my companions," Capricorn paused for a moment. His statement caused him to angle his brow; his mind suddenly reversed back to the Pope's Chamber. Witnessing the betrayal of one of those so-called companions, the one who explained the situation about the evil souls, was still fresh in his mind.
While Minos was immobile from confusion—along with anger welding inside for the Saint that dared insult the prowess of his master—Safar managed his next words. "The whole situation has caused evil spirits to leak out into the world and that's why we're here. Griffin Minos, you manifested as a raging, corrupted spirit. I have yet to defeat you, but all I need is one more strike."
The anger exploded.
"Silence!" After hearing enough arrogant banter, Minos thrusted out his fingers and cosmic strings danced into the air, threading towards Titan and Safar. The Capricorn Saint raised his right arm, and a green shine blockaded Minos's attack.
"My body and spirit are now familiar with your ability, which is a form of tangible control. You've been using it since you came out of the monolith." What Safar realized was that there were not telekinetic psychic powers at work, but an external force that could "touch" the enemy. As his sword arm cut down the swath of evil force from Minos, Zomorro also received, and reacted against, the attacks.
"Humph! A defense? Foolish Gold Saint, you can't defeat me by standing there. I've said it before—your sword is still useless."
"Not necessarily," said Safar. "Indeed, it is the best against those full of evil. Evil intent. I can rid of the most brutal of spirits in one blow. However, Zomorrod is said to be an eye to fate. Minos, my arm will decide if you should fall or not."
Safar took one step forward; Minos waved an arm and tendrils of energy drove up from the ground. Even with his master gone, a shirtless man expressed such cosmic power.
Griffin Minos's head curved back; his chest had split open after Safar closed the gap between them and swung his arm again. His chop hand slid across Minos. It was a reminiscence of the fissure his Surplice took. Did that same wound reach into his flesh without noticing it? Minos thought he had defended against it.
The steel in Safar's eyes, even though composed, burned with determination. "All forms of life have evil and plight in them, which takes much will to persevere against it. You are an immoral spirit of sadism. Look what you've done to Crow!"
"But…why?!" Minos felt the soles of his feet leaving the ground, his body swaying backwards.
"Even if you felt like your Cosmos were pure, it's still a sword. My arm that is."
It was that simple? It was still a scimitar—well known, by a single swing, to destroy mortals of an army when they saw a severed limb or head. On both hands, ventral and dorsal were covered by the Gold Cloth, but Safar directly struck by the ends of his naked fingers–and it felt like steel. He was a still a well-disciplined fighter with Cosmos like that of tempered steel, burning furiously to create the right form.
Peace finally fell upon the monolith. While he could stand triumphantly, a breeze grabbing his cape, Safar gave the fallen Johann a quiet glance. He could only think of returning him to Sanctuary to be buried. Once he lifted Crow, would he feel the dignity that he had during his life?
Titan closed his eyes in a muse, tucking his blade behind his cloak. "I don't think I have ever met the Gold Saint of Capricorn before," he said. "It looks like the job is done here. Other Pallasites are put on surveillance to assure that other gates remained sealed. To think that something as powerful as Minos would appear; I hope that won't be repeated."
"Therefore, the reason for my mission."
"I can lead you to other gates if your arm can sense it. What of the Goddess Athena?"
"She has been taken."
"What?!" Titan's eyes flew open at the answer. Capricorn Safar showed humility, his eyes leaning downward. His tone seemed to be pricked with regret.
"Before my eyes at the Pope's Hall. But I don't know where. I wonder if the Underworld or the so-called Limbo or so that is what…he said. A place between life and death, where there is no guidance for souls in the afterlife."
"An in-fight?" Titan's eyes narrowed. He was not unfamiliar with one's own turning against others; his mind led to himself.
"Indeed," said Safar. "The entities of us Saints are different; we may follow the same goddess but we are all not the same. It is only fate, but no matter what, I can't let the world to be destroyed. Cancer Hermes—I will find him and I will destroy him for his betrayal. But for now, I must continue with my mission so that not only that the mortal world will remain safe, but also—"
Fools! A thundering voice rose from the atmosphere, a heavy wind following. The entire area turned dark as the skies of Underworld, as the mouth of Yomatsu Hirasaka's mountain that led to Hell. In the darkness, there was an eerie glow. Titan and Safar looked towards the same direction and saw a spread of wings. The pressure kept their feet affixed to the ground.
Griffin Minos rose onto his feet again, the balsalt surrounding the monolith lifting into motion once again. Only light came from the crimson suffusing Minos's body, crackling like lightning. His glare aiming at his enemies glowed with blood. Neither Titan and Minos could believe they were still alive; a new force took over. The ground grew dark below them. Is the gate reacting again, Safar thought? The tremble that surged through his sword arm strained both flesh and bone. It felt like it wanted to shatter. The danger that showed itself only gave Safar one thought: he'll swipe Rujm el-Hiri as many times as needed.
In one movement, a cold breeze, something passed in between the Pallasite and the Gold Saint, and dashed towards Minos. The darkness below everyone's feet leapt up; it writhed around Minos's hands and arms like boas. His upper body was clutched by another, and as he leaned down his head, his bloody glare was met with a Saint.
"Titan, Safar! Unleash your Cosmos towards us and the gate! Trust me!" That Saint said.
Safar's eyes widened with life. "Johann?!"
"I will admit that your will is impressive," said Minos, "but you are facing a Hell's Judge, and the difference between a Silver Saint and a Judge is the same as a gnat against God."
"Who are you calling a gnat?!" Squeezing his eyes shut and focusing on everything in his muscles, it was Crow Johann's grip that held down Griffin Minos. "Just try to kill me, but know this— I know what it feels like to be at near death. I don't like you undermining me after the sacrifice was made to keep me alive."
"What are you—" Griffin Minos felt a gripping pressure squeezing him down into the earth. It was a power out of his own. He did not notice at first because it was so dark and he was so enraged – small, edged shapes fluttering around him. They stuck onto his body and felt like tons of weight accumulating.
"I wanted to face the ones who killed my companions, but I will remain loyal to my duty by defeating a threat to the world. If it weren't for my companions, I would've been lost. I cannot betray their sacrifice."
Even with his gravely voice, his words were impassioned. Crow smiled warmly. "Just you watch. Besides, it was a crow that taught man how to bury the dead."
There was nothing else said after that. Both Safar and Titan raised their blades, a material one and one imbued in a limb, and both swung in sync. In an instant green flash, Minos saw nothing.
Am I a lost husk?! My Lord Hades. I did everything for you. My transgressions were all for you, and even you still won't forgive me?