When Leo Aiolia discovered Saori's letter to Seiya, he only saw the words "Eighth Sense". Immediately, he panicked and bolted to House of Aries to find Mu.
"Trouble," he said. "We have to stop Seiya."
"Where is he?" Mu asked.
"Heading to the Underworld," Aiolia said. "Athena told him about the Eighth Sense."
"Seiya may have achieved the Seventh Sense, but Eighth Sense is another story."
"I can't find other Bronze Saints either," Aiolia added. "They must have left together."
Without another word, Mu and Aiolia headed out to Taenarus, the entrance to the Underworld. Unbeknownst to them, Aquarius Camus and Roshi were ahead of them. The two Gold Saints couldn't found their disciples in Sanctuary and their first assumption was that they went with Seiya.
None of them agreed with the Bronze Saints' choices. Aiolia was especially concerned that this could initiate another war.
And they caught them just in time.
"Not so fast!" Aiolia yelled as the Bronze Saints stood before the gigantic hole.
Shiryu, Shun, and Hyoga looked on the ground. Both Shiryu and Hyoga knew their masters would be disappointed in them. Seiya, however, could've cared less.
"You can't stop me, Aiolia," Seiya said. "This is my choice."
"Your choice will bring nothing but trouble," Aiolia said to him. "You could initiate another war. Is this what Athena would want?"
"This is between me and Saori-san," Seiya replied.
"Seiya, you don't have a chance," Roshi came forward. "Once you are there, you will be tossed into Tartarus subject to eternal punishment."
"Then I accept," Sieya insisted. "Being here without her is an eternal punishment too."
"It will pass," Roshi said as a promise.
"How would you know?" Seiya questioned. "For two hundred years, have you ever loved anyone?"
Mu, Camus, and Aiolia were taken aback of his words. Roshi only chuckled. "And how much do you love her? If you are willing to risk it all just for her - let's see how far you are willing to go."
He lifted up his hand and suddenly a strong force threw the Bronze Saints into the air. They landed heavily on the ground, with the Gold Saints standing between them and the entrance to the Underworld.
Seiya climbed back on his feet.
"Seiya, if you want to go to the Underworld, then defeat me first."
Roshi, Libra Dohko, was the oldest Gold Saint. All other Gold Saints respected and even feared him. It was hard to believe at first glance, for Roshi was a small old man. Only half of Seiya's height, it was as if once punch can break his bones and the wind would blow rest of him away. Shiryu was trained under Roshi, but he never saw Roshi fought in battles. He was about to urge Seiya to back off, but before he could say anything, Roshi already launched his first blow.
His power and cosmo were not weak for sure.
Seiya was beaten down, but as usual, he climbed back on his feet.
"You will not win this fight, Seiya," Roshi said. "You are not a Gold Saint."
"You don't know me at all," Seiya said. "We have defeated quite a few when we ran through the Twelve Houses to save Saori-san."
Roshi launched another blow.
"Life is a beautiful thing," Roshi lectured. "Because we only live once. Athena and Metis sacrificed themselves so we can live in this precious life. It is not a privilege many Saints can have. After our war against Poseidon, Shion and I were the only survivors. Athena chose to go to the Underworld so that Saga will be the last death."
"But life always come to an end," Seiya said. "That's why we have to live our life to the fullest, however short it is."
"You have lost the desire to live," Roshi pointed out. "How tragic. I will bring you back to your old self."
"Roshi-" Shiryu wanted to intervene.
"Wait!" Shun ran in between them. "Stop! We don't have to do this." He then turned to Seiya. "Roshi is not the enemy. He and Saori-san want the same thing, don't they? They want you to live on. Even if you throw yourself into the Underworld, will you be reunited with her?"
"We have endured so much," Hyoga added. "Must you throw away what you have achieved, Seiya?"
"What I have achieved..." Seiya said slowly. He looked at everyone and stood his ground. "What I have achieved...is because of her. Being a Saint is not a duty dedicated to a goddess. I have been a Saint because of her. I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for my burning desire to love and protect her. To me, she was never a goddess but a girl named Saori Kido. Without her, life is meaningless." He then turned to Roshi, "I will not back down, ever. I am willing to die for the only chance to be with her."
"You are stubborn," Roshi said, and began to launch his attack. "Roshan Hundred Dragon."
"Seiya!" Shiryu, Shun, and Hyoga feared for their friend.
"You can never dodge the Hundred Dragons," Roshi said.
Yet, the Hundred Dragons were blocked.
It was the Sagittarius Gold Cloth.
Within seconds, Seiya was clad in Sagittarius Gold Cloth, just like he was when he fought Gemini Saga.
"You think donning the Gold Cloth can make you a Gold Saint," Roshi chuckled. "You have a long way to go."
"And you? Can you still don your Gold Cloth?" Seiya asked. "Two hundred years, your body has grown old as your head."
"Really?" Roshi smirked. "What do you know about youth?" He spoke as his cosmo grew stronger, filled with life and vigor. Before Seiya's very eyes, Roshi transformed from a tiny old man to a tall, young man not older than twenty.
"Roshi?" Shiryu was in disbelief.
"Seiya, Goddess Metis has blessed me with God's gift, Misopetha Menos," Roshi, Libra Dohko, said with pride. "Since that time, my heart has not beaten more than 100,000 times a year."
For mortals, hearts beat 100,000 times a day, which meant physically Libra Dohko only aged 200 days.
"You should've told that goddess when she left you," Seiya said, referring the tale Dohko told him earlier about a goddess married a saint but ditched him after he grew too old.
"Don't make me repeat again, that Saint wasn't me," Dohko insisted, and donned his Libra Gold Cloth. Though miles away, the Cloth always knew when to find its master.
"Let's get this over with," Seiya challenged him. Both launched their attack, and their power and cosmo were almost equal.
"Seiya, you made a mistake," Dohko warned. "Your body is not ready for Gold Cloth. You will waste your energy and you will have no power left even if you defeat me."
"Whatever it takes," Seiya said.
"You will never win this!"
Indeed, Dohko's power was becoming stronger than Seiya's, at least it seemed at first. However, soon, Dohko's attack were ineffective against Seiya. Dohko's eyes widened as he saw Sagittarius Gold Cloth transformed into Divine Cloth.
"What?" The other Saints were speechless.
"Divine Cloth," Mu said. "It can only happen if the Saint touched the blood of deity."
They had seen Divine Cloth worn by Saori. In Gemini Saga's case, his Gold Cloth bore divine power but not as visible because Zeus only made the cloth divine with his blood. When Saori was shot by Silver Saint Ptolemy, her hand, stained with her own blood, grabbed Seiya's. It was the power from her blood that enabled him to burn his cosmo to the extreme, achieved seventh sense, and donned Divine Cloth. But it wasn't only her blood, it was also his love for her.
"Atomic Thunderbolt!"
"Roshan Hundred Dragon!"
Their attacks were so powerful the entire cave was blown apart.
"Shun, Shiryu, and Hyoga, goodbye," Seiya muttered as he flew down into the gigantic hole.
Saori-san!
Saori rose from bed after she heard his voice crying out for her.
Was it a dream?
Seiya...you shouldn't have done this...