Reflection of an Absolute Power

by Jyggilag

This is another story that came about from my explorations of the CYOA genre. But rather than being a geek power fantasy, the entire thing failed before it even began and instead allowed Hades, God of the Underworld to gain a new vessel for his soul after the death of his body, and access to an entire multiverse of unsuspecting worlds. Plus a harem of beautiful women and Servants.

8. Prologue: Part 8

Author's Note: So, here I am back again with the next part of this story. Just so you know, no... I haven't been MIA all this months, I've just been posting new stories on Qurestionable Questing under the name of Lord_Indoril_Nerevar.

It's just that the QQ site is more to my liking since it allows me to add hyperlinks, images and videos to the chapters I upload and I kinda like that set up more than what I have to deal here in fanfiction.

But in any case, here you have at last th enext chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing; copyrights to the different series and/or franchises that appear in this fic belong to their respective owners.

THIS CHAPTER IS UPLOADED TO FANFICTION ON THE 26/12/2022

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Prologue

IN THE COMPANY OF THE DEAD

Part 8

!

Saori Kido, the latest reincarnation of the goddess Athena, marched down the middle of the marble paved road of the strange silent white city where she and the remaining bronze saints had just arrived, fully decked in her resplendent golden Kamui. She was cradling the unmoving body of her bronze saint, Pegasus Seiya in her arms, while Cygnus Hyoga, Dragon Shiryu, Phoenix Ikki and Andromeda Shun guarded her from all corners as they continued with their procession.

As they passed in front of an arboretum, Saori couldn't help but glance at the rows of flowers in display welcoming everyone at the garden's entrance. Stopping for a moment in her steps, the rest of the saints were quick to take notice of her distraction.

"Is something, the matter Saori?" Andromeda Shun said from behind the incarnated goddess.

"Just a moment, everyone… I need to gather a few things…" She apologized as she turned towards the arboretum, making sure to place Seiya's body to rest as gently as she was able atop a nearby bench before heading towards the garden's flower bushels. A solemn expression on her face as she walked forth with her eyes closed.

She began to collect a sizeable batch of flowers between her hands before starting to tie the bouquets into links which she then proceeded to fasten into chains. When she was done, she turned around with the results of her crafting to make her way back towards the Pegasus' saint.

"Look Seiya! I made this bracelet of flowers for you… I know this might not look like much, but this will protect you." Athena began to say as she kneeled beside her fallen saint and proceeded to tie her hand-crafted bracelet of flowers around his right wrist. "So, hurry, and please come back to us…" She pleaded as unshed tears started to pool in her eyes.

"Saori…" Cygnus Hyoga stated, not unkindly as he took notice of his Lady's tears.

The incarnated Goddess said nothing as she wiped the tears from her eyes and simply stood back to her feet before heading back towards the gardens. "Keep an eye on Seiya for me, would you, Hyoga? I still need to gather more flowers in order to craft bracelets for the rest of you. I feel we are going to need every little advantage we can get for our second coming confrontation with Hades."

Ikki Phoenix seemed a little skeptical of his goddess' words as he crossed himself in arms. "Are you sure about that, Saori? I don't think we are going to be having much trouble facing Hades a second time after you managed to leave him with a little parting gift from your part during our last confrontation in the form of that mortal wound you inflicted him on his chest…"

"Hades is still the God of the underworld and one of the Olympians, the most powerful gods in all of creation. As long as his spirit endures, he will never stop being a threat for all of humanity…" It was all that Saori said without turning before walking again towards the gardens.

The quartet of saints simply watched as her lady retreated into the confines of the Arboretum, after a moment, Andromeda Shun turned to address his fellow saints. "You think Seiya will be alright? He got stabbed through the heart by Hades' sword after all?" He asked with obvious concern.

"Seiya will not die that easily, Shun. You know this to be true…" Shun's older brother, Ikki, replied from where he was standing. "In any case, that's the reason we are all here in the first place. To force Hades into undoing whatever is that he did to Seiya…" He declared before uncrossing his arms and turning around to look for a vantage point from which to better guard the entire street.

"I still cannot help but have a bad feeling about this entire situation…" Shun said with a shake of his emerald mane of hair. "I can't shake the thought we are being constantly watched somehow…" He stated with worry as he furtively glanced all over their immediate surroundings.

"We are in Hades' territory after all Shun." Shiryu interjected, turning towards his fellow saint. "It is just like back when we had to brave the traps of his underworld. I wouldn't be surprised if he were to already be aware of our arrival in this place…"

"Shiryu, it's right!" Hyoga stated, butting in the conversation with his own opinion. "We must be ready for whatever surprises Hades might have in store for us. But regardless of whatever forces Hades might have lined against us, you should not lose faith Shun, I am certain we will still be able to defeat him just as we did back in the Elysium Fields…" He declared with absolute conviction.

"I hope you are right guys…" Shun replied as he kept glancing all around, his guard on high alert as he held Athena's scepter in his hands.

It was just as the Andromeda's Saint had suspected, because Hades indeed was watching their every move thanks to BB's surveillance systems. The King of the underworld made no apparent reaction as he watched the Andromeda's Saint unease through the holographic screen that the living AI had summoned forth, he simply turned away from the viewing window and addressed Pandora. "Pandora, take steps to make this room presentable, and take this trash away…" He ordered, gesturing towards the still unconscious Amore. "I want everything spotless to welcome Athena and her remaining Saints… If I am to confront my enemies in the heart of my new domains, I will not do so by showing an ungainly appearance. Etiquette needs to be upheld regardless of interferences; you see…"

"At once Milord Hades…" Pandora replied with a bow, refraining from making any sort of comments regarding Hades' identical appearance as that of the Andromeda Saint, before retreating and moving towards Aleria. "Aleria, drag this sorry excuse of a goddess away from our Lord's presence." She commanded of the bodacious blonde woman. "Cornelia, get over here and give her a hand…" She called towards the English princess before turning around to go and take stock on what else needed to be done.

Cornelia felt flatfooted for a moment at the black-dressed young woman's commands, understandable considering the ministrations she had been subjected at her hands. Pandora paused in her stride and called at Cornelia a second time. "It's something the matter, Cornelia? Was I not clear in my words? Or are you eager to try my patience again the same way your sister did?" She stated, leaving the implied threat hanging in the air.

"N-no, I am coming…" The fuchsia-haired princess said, giving a spare glance to her sister to stay put before hurrying to carry out Pandora's orders.

Presia Testarossa approached and kneeled at the feet of the throne dais to address Pandora. "If you wish Lady Pandora, I can use my magical spells to fix the damage incurred upon the throne room." She politely requested.

Pandora turned and glanced at the kneeling woman, giving her a considering look for a moment before coming to a decision. "Very well, Presia. You have my leave to do so…" She replied before making her way back towards her Lord's side.

Castor approached his uncle. "Would you require for us to take defensive positions around the throne room, Divine uncle?" He asked, eager to battle and kill some lowly humans.

"Though I applaud your promptness to come to my aid nephew, I'm afraid there's very little either you or your sister can do in this situation…" Replied the lord of the dead much to Castor's shock and consternation. "Even though I have already awakened your Cosmo, you both are still too young and so far away from mastering them in any discernable way as to make you effective for the upcoming confrontation. You both are practically in your infancy regarding the strength of your Cosmo and thus have no hope in facing Athena and her saints, who are just coming out from our last holy war that saw the destruction of my entire armies. I will be simply wasting your lives if I allowed you to intervene. No… I will deal with this matter personally…" Hades commanded as he made his mind.

"But Divine uncle! Aren't you supposed to be injured after your last confrontation with Athena!?" Pollux exclaimed aloud in concern for her relative.

"Indeed, that is correct dear Pollux. But nevertheless, just because I am injured, does not mean I am helpless…" Hades stated while sitting on his throne.

"But..." Pollux wanted to retort, but she was interrupted by the Lord of the dead before she had the chance of airing her grievances.

"I've said all I needed to say niece of mine, you all will remain out of this upcoming battle, this is my command…" And with that said, Hades became silent as he waited for Athena and her saints to arrive in his inner sanctum.

The twins simply glanced at each other in concern, both sharing a bad feeling regarding the current situation.

As Amore was finally being dragged away by the combined efforts of Aleria and Cornelia, the white-haired girl began to stir, letting out an unexpected moan of pleasure.

"Ooooh, Yes Lord Hades! Please hit me more! Harder!" Both Cordelia and Arelia immediately froze in surprise at the unexpected lewd reaction like a couple of deer caught in front of some headlights before dropping the toga-clad girl in unison as if they had been touching something disgusting, their faces burning with blazing blushes.

A scowl of revulsion appeared in Pandora's face at that. "What is this indecency Eros!? Just what kind of vulgar fantasies are running inside that empty head of yours!? Such presumptuousness towards the Divine personage of Milord Hades…" She declared while demanding answers from the albino girl.

Eros simply rose into a sitting position in the ground before shaking her head sideways. "Not Eros… I am Caren Cupid Hortensia, Amour's vessel during this manifestation. Lord Hades injured Amour so severely with his last attack that he was forced to retreat into the confines of my mind, allowing me to regain control of my body…" Caren explained with apparent indifference.

That actually managed to gain the King of the underworld's attention. "Hmmmph… Now that is a curious development. It is a sad state for the deities' counterpart to our own from another dimension to be so pitiful, Eros isn't supposed to be that weak. But regardless… I suppose I shouldn't extend my dislike towards Eros upon you girl, considering you are nothing more but a lowly vessel. Very well, you are free to go on your way, just make sure not to be a bother unlike Eros…" He said a little absentmindedly with a dismissive wave, as most of his focus was being drawn by his upcoming confrontation with Athena.

"Thank you for your mercy Lord Hades…" Caren replied as she got back to her feet and offering a bow to the ruler of the underworld before making herself scarce.

Hades simply turned his head to address his right-hand woman. "Pandora… Go outside and prepare to welcome our undesired guests. Regardless of circumstances, let it not be said that the King of the underworld is an ungracious host…" He commanded towards the violet haired woman.

Pandora bowed in acquiescence. "It will be done at once Milord Hades…" She declared before turning on her heels and striding forwards the great set of double doors and into the exterior of the tower.

The lord of the dead simply reclined himself on his throne as he prepared to wait for the fated confrontation. "Now Athena… Let us see if our ancient conflict will finally be at an end…" He declared as an afterthought as he gathered his strength for the upcoming showdown.

!
Athena and her saints resumed their march once her business in the arboretum was done, walking through the deserted white streets of the floating city until their path led them towards the great tower rising prominently above everything else, overseeing the entire metropolis from its vantage position.

As they got closer to the main entrance, the saints and their lady were mildly surprised to be greeted by Pandora, who offered them a bow in salute.

"Lady Athena… Milord Hades welcomes you to his new halls. Please, if you could be so kind as to follow me this way. I'll take you to see him…" It was all that the maiden in black dress said as she gestured with an arm towards the double doors behind her.

"Pandora! You are alive! (Scoff) And serving Hades once more for what I can see…" Ikki Phoenix said in initial surprise before a trace of disdain seeped into his voice at seeing someone he had ended considering an ally going back to the side of his enemies.

"Ikki Phoenix…" Pandora said, looking at a loss for words for a moment at the sight of the saint before recomposing herself. "I am… Glad to see you are well after your encounter with Milord Hades on the Elysian Fields. It is good to have the opportunity of meeting you again, regardless of circumstances. And yes… I have been taken back under Milord's service despite everything that happened in our last encounter, and I've decided to accept being reinstated as his right hand. He is in the end my Lord and Master, the same way as Athena is your Goddess that you have sworn fealty to. Please do not begrudge me this decision…" The Violet haired maiden stated with an uncharacteristically demure disposition, before shaking her head and recomposing herself.

"Regardless, this is not the time for pleasantries. Please, come this way, Milord Hades is waiting…" The violet-haired beauty said before turning around and walking towards the entrance's threshold.

The Goddess and her saints said nothing, but they all turned to give surreptitious look aimed towards the Phoenix saint. "Brother… Did something happen between you and Lady Pandora…?" Andromeda Shun asked with a puzzled expression.

"That is none of your business Shun!" Ikki replied a little coarsely before moving after Pandora. "We are wasting time standing pointlessly in here… Let's move and beat Hades a second time, Seiya is not going to heal himself on his own at this rate…" He stated as he left everybody else behind.

The remaining saints just wordlessly shared a look among themselves, while Athena refrained from voicing an opinion and simply limited herself to follow after the most rebellious of her saints as Seiya remained motionless in her arms, prompting the rest to follow suit. Saori slowly began to flare her Cosmo in preparation for the upcoming confrontation and to herald her presence to the King of the Underworld.

Inside the throne room, there was a little commotion among the deities and servants capable of sensing divine energy, as Athena's Cosmo exuded so much divinity that they felt at the verge of being crushed by its sheer weight.

"Wha- What is this overwhelming source of Divinity!? Is this the power of Athena!? Is this the enemy that has defied you throughout the ages beloved uncle!?" Pollux exclaimed in disbelief, as she could do nothing but cower under intensity of the Goddess' Cosmo, a power capable of matching if not surpassing the malevolent power of Death that Hades has been capable of exhibiting so far. For once, even Castor had no words to say at this display.

"Stand aside my niblings! You too, BB and the rest! I will entreat with Athena on my own. She and her saints are enemies that are far above any of you…" Hades commanded with outmost severity as he stared towards in the direction of the entrance's double doors.

BB immediately wheeled around to protest. "But Master Hades…!" She declared with uncharacteristically concern, as even she could not help but worry at the prospect of facing such an overwhelming source of divinity.

"I have spoken BB… You will obey…" It was the immediate response of the Lord of the dead, cutting her servant mid-sentence without deigning himself to glance in her direction.

BB clicked her lips in annoyance but didn't dare herself to disobey.

As the sound of the great marble doors opening filled the room, the first thing to be seen was a demure silent Pandora at the head of the procession, her eyes remaining closed despite everything. Behind her, a blinding source of warm and caring golden light slipped inside the throne room. Slowly but surely, the light pushed away all the darkness inside the throne room as the armored form of the Goddess of war clad in her resplendent Golden cloth as she carried the slumbering form of the Pegasus Saint between her arms while flanked by the rest of her saints, forming an X with her in the middle.

Hades could be seen visibly discomforted by the light, yet still the God of the underworld remained steadfast despite everything. No one dared to speak as the Goddess and her entourage marched purposely towards Hades' throne, the only sound that could be heard inside the room were those of their armored boots stepping upon the marbled floor.

Pandora was, unsurprisingly, the first to reach the Lord of the Dead and kneeled in front of him. "Milord Hades, I have returned and brought with me the Goddess Athena and her saints as instructed." She reported without rising to her feet.

The King of the underworld simply nodded. "Well done, Pandora… You might take your post back at my side as I entertain our guest…" It was all that Hades said before turning towards Athena, who was focusing her entire attention on him with a most serious expression that offered no discernible insight regarding her inner thoughts, other than shock that is.

Athena and her saints were visible surprised by the appearance of Hades' latest vessel, a perfect opposite and distorted image of the Andromeda's Saint. But despite this, the goddess and her saints remained stalwart in the presence of the king of the underworld.

Undeterred, Athena marched forward and stood defiantly in front of Hades as he glared down at her from the top of his throne's steps. For a moment, neither of the two Olympians said anything as they simply stood there, staring intently at each other, an uncomfortable tension palpable in the air.

It was Hades who finally broke the stalemate by speaking. "So, niece… I see our paths are destined to clash again so soon after our last encounter. What reason brings you here today? What motive could it be has spurred you to track me down even to this distant and foreign dimension? Do you intend to put an end to the battle we started on our last confrontation and deliver upon me the finishing stroke? To bring our latest war to a close by slaying my mortal vessel and sealing my immortal soul away until the time arrives for our next showdown? Or is it something else, some other desire that brings you upon my doorstep…?" Hades asked with a seemingly uncaring air as he gestured.

Athena narrowed her eyes at the lord of the dead. "I will always be ready to challenge you and stand in your way, Hades, as long as you continue being a menace to all life on the Earth. I will never rest until humanity is free from your malevolent threat. I do not know how you did to gain a new body, one that is a perfect copy of Andromeda Shun. But make no mistake that I will not hesitate to strike you down a second time if you dare to act against the people of the Earth again!" The Goddess exclaimed resolutely, remaining unyielding for a moment before easing up in the hostility.

"With that said, however, I am willing to give you some measure of amnesty for as long as you hold no intention to imperil the world of man. If you can agree to these terms, then I will have no reason to resort into employing violence against you. So, no, it is for another reason is that I am driven to seek you out this day…" The Golden-clad lilac-haired young woman declared with determination.

"Speak for yourself Saori! I say we should cut him down where he stands before we give him an opportunity to stab us in the back and give him a taste of the suffering, he inflicted on Seiya!" Ikki Phoenix said hostilely as he glared at the king of the underworld.

"Ikki/Brother!" Both Saori and Shun declared in an effort to rein in the hotblooded saint. For all the distaste he held towards Hades, Ikki Phoenix was quick to relent to the wishes of both his younger dibbling and Goddess, backing off as he crossed his arms and scoffed derisively to a side.

"You should keep a better leash over your Saints, Athena…" Hades simply commented, totally unaffected by the little outburst. "Letting them act thoughtlessly without consequence will simply result in a breeding ground for insubordination within your forces…" He stated with just the faintest traces of mockery in his voice.

Athena's eyes hardened as she brought her attention once more upon the lord of the dead. "I do not need any advice on how to lead my own Saints from the likes of you Hades…!" She spat back rather contentious.

"Is that so? Very well then… In that case, enlighten me, what is that brings your undesired presence into my halls?" Hades replied with an equally intense stare. "Don't tell me it has something to do with the dead Pegasus Saint between your arms…" He stated with some derision as he gestured towards Seiya's limp form being carried in the embrace of the Goddess…

Athena visibly glared, clearly not liking Hades' tone, and once more a tense atmosphere fell upon the room. The Andromeda's saint looked visibly restless as he clutched tightly Athena's scepter.

Eventually, the goddess spoke again. "I want you to bring Seiya back to me and cure him from the curse you have afflicted him with!" She commanded from Hades.

The Lord of the dead was unmoved by her demanding tone, however. "Seiya…? Must I assume that to be the name which your precious saint holds in the current era? That bothersome pest that has stood against my desires and defied my divine will since the age of myth, that has dared to raise his fist against my sacred personage and injure my divine body? The one that has been continuously reincarnating throughout the ages to pose a constant thorn on my side and a regular hurdle to my plans…? Is that the Saint you are talking about…?" He inquired rhetorically in a tone that clearly said he was far from amused. Athena and her saints offered no response as they simply stared at him defiantly.

But regardless of any animosity that the king of the underworld held, he was quick to regain control over his emotions. "Now… Why should I do something like that? What do I gain by dispelling my curse from your Saint, and allow a know hindrance to my desires to return back into your ranks?" He asked imperiously.

The response from Athena was immediate, as her Cosmo surged in a sudden detonation of light, that blinded everyone in the room and pushed Hades back in pain as he plopped cumbersomely upon his throne. The Light of Athena's Cosmo being particularly painful against the black spirit of the Lord of the dead due to the diminished state he was forced into while inside a human vessel.

"I would be very careful if I were you Hades… You are not in any position to be dismissive of my demands. Without your army of specters, your realms, and even the loss of your Divine body. You are the most vulnerable you have ever been in ages!" Athena declared in a rather no-nonsense tone.

A hiss could be heard coming from the side, Hades quickly took a peek to see BB on edge wanting to jump on his defense. But knowing it would have been a futile effort due to the sheer divinity of Athena's Cosmo, the lord of the dead simply gestured for her to remain on stand-by, much to the violet-haired girl's chagrin.

Despite the fact he was under an unbearable pain, and black blood once more was escaping from the orifices of his face, Hades couldn't help but chuckle darkly despite his current predicament. "Is that so? Then let us dispense of all pretenses, dear niece! And show me exactly the real lengths you are willing to go in order to get your precious Seiya back to you! Go on… Do your worst!" The ruler of the dead defiantly declared without a single ounce of worry, a mocking blood-stained sinister smile on his face.

"Do not try my patience, Hades!" Athena exclaimed, none too pleased by that response. "Do you fail to see the dangerous predicament you are currently in? I can make your existence quite unpleasant if I so desire…!" The Golden-clad goddess declared with steely conviction as she glared.

Hades simply kept chuckling at her statement. "Yes… I do not doubt that… But you see, niece, the thing is… I hate you… I despise your entire existence for having willingly decided to betray and forsake the gods in exchange for the lowly humans… To forswear your divine heritage and allow your true immortal-self to be diminished out of your own volition just so you could live alongside the rest of mankind as a mere mortal!? Pure madness and heresy… There is no way in all of Zeus' heaven and my nine circles of hell that I would accept into helping you out of my own free will. So, you might as well strike me down were I stand. For I will never lift even a single finger if it would mean giving you any type of benefit." He declared with an incensed tone.

"HADES! I am serious! I am not in the mood for games! Break the curse you placed upon Seiya or I swear…!" But the pretty Lilac-haired goddess did not have the chance to finish her threats as Hades retaliated with a surge of his own Cosmo.

"ENOUGH!" He exclaimed, bringing Athena to silence and causing her Saints to immediately become on guard and ready to attack him as he got back on his feet. "I will not be pushed around and made demands of in my own hall as if I were one of the lowly humans you like to cavort with! If my refusal to help you bothers you that much, Athena, then cut me down right on this instant and stop wasting both of our times! So, go ahead. Do it! Destroy my vessel and bring an end to our conflict, claim victory at last by sealing my spirit away. I will return after all, I always do… Two hundred and forty-three years until the next war, until the seal upon my specters can be broken. But your dear Seiya… He will remain dead all the same… In this life, and the next. For there is no coming back for Pegasus. He cannot reincarnate anymore…" Hades stated with a malevolent chuckle as he stood challenging in front of Athena, daring her to attack him.

The goddess scowled but refrained from hostile actions. An awkward silence ensued as Athena kept from rising to Hades' goading, unable to do nothing but glare impotently. Her lack of words being quite telling in this regard.

Hades smile simply became wider in response. "Fu, fu, fu, fu…. You got nothing… Absolutely nothing that might compel me into caving to your demands. Nothing more but empty threats and the fear of torture?" He declared derisively.

Athena ignored his jeering and focused more on some of his previous words. "What do you mean when you said that Seiya cannot reincarnate anymore, Hades…?" She inquired.

Another smile bloomed on the face of the king of the underworld. "Do you have any idea of what my curse has done to your precious saint, Athena?" Hades inquired with malice as the malevolence in his tone of voice became palpable. Saori suddenly began to feel as if a bad premonition was about to fall upon her. "Allow me to enlighten you…" Hades stated with a sweeping gesture as he continued chuckling.

"Fu, fu, fu… I'm afraid there is not a thing that can be done anymore, Athena, for you see; it is already too late. Your precious Saint is no longer part of this world…" The King of the underworld stated with malicious glee. The answer, unsurprisingly, shocking Athena and her saints to the core.

"What!? Seiya is dead already!?" Cygnus Hyoga exclaimed with no small amount of surprise.

"It cannot be!" Dragon Shiryu declared with just as much shock.

Hades swayed his head in a negative. "No… You could say he has suffered a fate worse than death. He has disappeared completely! A misfortune that has been brought forth by my own hands…"

"The hell do you mean by that Hades!?" Ikki Phoenix demanded threateningly as he walked to the front of the procession and tried to get on Hades' face. Only to suddenly be stopped by Athena as she lowered Seiya's feet to the ground so that she could put an arm in front of the Phoenix Saint.

"Ikki!" It was all that Athena had to say to rein her rebellious saint.

Hades was pretty unfazed by the sudden outburst and kept speaking as if nothing had happened. "What I mean, is that he who has been pierced by the sword that I, Hades, Emperor of the underworld, possess… Shall never be granted the peace of death. Poor Pegasus, both his mind and soul are now located within an impossible place… He now finds himself wandering outside the Cycle of Reincarnation. He is in a World of Emptiness! And because this World of Emptiness is located within a void, time does not exist, and thus there he will remain banished from the Cycle of Reincarnation forevermore. And just like that, he will never be able to return to your side. This is the true annihilation that only I am able to bring!

Regardless of the Era, the Pegasus was always considered a key figure… The 'Hero', the savior of the world, he who possess the trust and love of not only the Gods, but also of the entire planet! As long as Pegasus remained alive, the humans were always able to save the Earth. There was always the chance for a Miracle to suddenly be accomplished… He was the last 'Hope' that remained from the bottom of Pandora's Box. But it has now been lost forever. The Pegasus of this world shall never return again. Hope… Has now been completely extinguished from this world." The ruler of the dead declared with all the emotional spectrum of a rock, causing his words to be even more chilling at the casualness in which he uttered them.

"And this was my doing… I have killed your hope, Athena… I have removed him from the wheel of Samsara and sent him to a world of Emptiness where time does not exist, there he shall be trapped for all eternity, unable to ever reincarnate again. I did that…" The King of the underworld confessed with what couldn't be mistaken for any other feeling but satisfaction.

Ikki Phoenix had enough. "I knew it! We should have just struck you down the moment we laid eyes on you rather than trying for diplomacy!" He declared, stepping past Athena as his Cosmo surged in a fiery blaze. Like staring into the core of a star as the entire throne room became illuminated by his flaming light.

"Ikki Phoenix that is enough! /Brother wait up!" Were the calls that tried to ineffectively stop the hot-blooded saint.

Hades was pretty unfazed nonetheless, despite the apparent danger. "Phoenix saint, you dare to raise your fist against a god…? Don't you care a thing for the body of your brother under my control?" The Lord of the dead commented with some mischief as he stared down at the armored saint.

Ikki simply motioned towards Shun without taking his attention away from Hades. "My brother is standing right here besides me! I don't know how you did to copy the body of my brother, Hades, but your cheap trick fails miserably to save you from my wrath when I have the real thing right here alongside me!"

"Ikki Phoenix, stop, don't do it! Don't hurt Milord Hades!" Pandora exclaimed as she put herself between her liege and the irate saint, opening her arms wide to use her own body as a human shield.

The Phoenix saint just shook his head on a negative at the violet-haired maiden's pleas. "Step aside Pandora! Don't try to interfere. I will not be deterred from my path, even if it's you who stands in my way… If you have decided to side with Hades again, then you too are just another enemy that I have to defeat." He declared with determination, refraining from being distracted from his course of action, as he kept marching towards Hades. A look of shock falling upon, Pandora's features at the rebuttal, quickly giving way into distress.

But despite the quick deterioration of the negotiations, a spring of resolve began to swell within Pandora, her expression slowly morphing and starting to fill with steel of her own. "Then I am sorry Ikki Phoenix, for I cannot abandon Milord Hades… Not after renewing my vows of loyalty to him and being allowed back to his side despite my betrayal back in the underworld. If you resort to violence within these sacred halls, then I too will have to respond the same in kind…" She warned as she tried to give a strong front but pleaded with her gaze for the Phoenix saint to relent.

Ikki just stared at the Violette with complete conviction. "So, be it…"

A look of sadness fell upon Pandora for a moment, but then she simply resigned herself to what was about to happen and forced herself to move on. "Then I am sorry…"
She trailed off for a second but in the end she dared herself to say the words that needed to be said in order to discharge the burden inside her chest. "For what is worth, know that I will always admire you for the virtue and gentleness that you showed back in the underworld when you refused to kill your own brother in order to stop the revival of Milord. And I will always cherish and be grateful for the kindness you showed me by trying to offer me succor on my last moments, before I succumbed at the foot of the Hyperdimension's entrance. I thank you for having fulfilled my last wishes and carrying out my vengance; so it seems that in the end my necklace proved of use to you, Ikki…" She stated with honesty as her eyes began to water a little in regret.

Even Ikki was not so heartless as to be unaffected by those words. "That was…!" The Phoenix saint began to say but cut himself mid-sentence. "Yes… Your necklace was the only thing that allowed me to cross the Hyperdimension unscathed and join the others in Elysium…" He stated, raising his left arm to show Pandora's former necklace wrapped around his wrist.

"I am glad…" It was all that the Maiden in black said in reply.

"Would you like for me to give it back…" Ikki inquired offering his limb towards the Violette.

Pandora swayed her head in a negative and took a step forward to take hold of Ikki's wrist with both hands. "No… It was my gift to you remember, I told you never to take it off, so that it might always protect you…" She stated, keeping her grasp on the Phoenix saint for a moment as if in reminiscence before letting go of Ikki and retreating back towards Hades' side.

"I am sorry it had come to this Ikki..." Pandora declared as she slowly walked backwards without taking her eyes of the Phoenix saint until she was standing right alongside the king of the underworld.

"Milord Hades…" She spoke, addressing the ruler of the dead with a side glance. "I would like to ask for your forgiveness…"

"Oh…? And why would you ask for that my dear Pandora? Have you done something without my knowledge that would warrant my displeasure?" Hades asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as he turned his gaze towards his right-hand commander.

"Because I haven't been fully truthful with your majesty. I've been keeping things secret from Milord." Pandora stated without any apparent outward reaction.

Hades felt the need to chuckle. "Now that is a shocking revelation…? And just what sort of things have you been keeping in secret from me, my dear Pandora…?" He inquired with real interest.

Pandora simply allowed her actions to speak for her in lieu of an answer as she reached with a hand into the confines of her black dress and pulled out a long necklace made of pale lilac beads. Immediately drawing expressions of complete shock from Athena and every single one of her saints.

It was in that moment that Ikki knew that he might just have fucked up. "That is…"

Pandora simply nodded. "Yes, Ikki… This is the beaded necklace belonging to the Virgo Saint that was used to seal all of Milord Hades' one hundred and nine Specters…"
She declared with a distinct lack of emotion. "You left it in my care, remember? I do not know why... Perhaps as an offering, a last parting gift to my corpse? Regardless, it is now in my hands, and as consequence, in Milord Hades' hands..."

It was in that moment that Hades could no longer contain himself and began to chuckle, quickly turning into a dark malevolent laugh that began to echo ominously throughout all the throne room.

"Fu… Fu… Fu, Ha, Ha, Ha, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

Hades then addressed Athena after indulging in his goading a little. "Now this is the sort of efficiency as to why I keep you as my right-hand, my dear Pandora… You always give me the most pleasant of surprises…" He stated with a last chuckle. "You see Athena! I am not so helpless after all thanks to my loyal subordinates! Now, all I have to do is deal with your pesky seal and my loyal specters will be returned to my side once more…" The ruler of the dead declared as he reached with a hand with the intent of taking hold of the beaded necklace on Pandora's grasp.

"Shun, quickly! Do not let Hades take hold of that necklace!" Athena commanded in alarm at the Andromeda Saint, who didn't waste any second in carrying out that order.

"Go, Chains of Andromeda and strike at the enemy!" The Green-haired saint declared as he raised his right arm, causing the long chain attached to his armor to come alive and start swirling elliptically all around him with the force of a small tornado, releasing great gales of wind that spread throughout the throne room before lashing straight into Hades' direction and knocking the beaded necklace from his hand; inflicting a cut on his palm in the process that forced the King of the underworld to cradle his injured limb.

Yet despite this apparent setback, the smile on Hades' face did not diminished. "It is too late Athena… Like usual, you fail to capitalize on any opening being presented in front of you! Just look for yourself to see the truth of my words…" He declared, gesturing towards the discarded necklace at the foot of his throne's dais that was quickly snatched up by the chains of Andromeda and brought promptly into the Goddess' waiting hands.

Athena did so, glancing at the necklace now in her grasp, only to almost rear back in consternation as she saw more than half of the beads had lost their black coloration, revealing the fact that their captives had been set loose. "The beads…" She whispered with dawning realization.

Hades simply nodded in response. "Correct, now thanks to the absurd sentimentality of the Phoenix Saint, my most loyal and powerful warriors are free once more. My judges from hell: Minos, Aiacos, Radamanthys…"

And just as soon as he finished uttering those names, the light inside the throne room started to dim as newly born shadows began to spread throughout the throne room. Andromeda Shun's chains began to rattle and move on their own as they pointed towards the encroaching shadows as from within their immutable darkness, menacing silhouettes began to take shape before launched themselves towards Athena and her saints.

"GUYS, THERE'S ENEMIES INCOMING!" Shun exclaimed out loud relaying the warning that his chains were conveying to him.

GREATEST CAUTION!

A cry suddenly called out and an expansive wave of cosmic power spread all around the immediate surroundings before impacting right on the spot where the Goddess was standing. Her saints were quick in the uptake and promptly closed ranks as they took hold of Athena before leaping backwards in order to avoid the unexpected aggression in a single leap.

The cosmic wave detonating in a great conflagration of pure cosmic energy, devastating the base of Hades' throne dais and filling the throne room with smoke and debris that for a moment broke the eye contact between the two Olympians. Baby Hotaru, unsurprisingly, began to cry at the sudden onset of violence, prompting Demeter to try and comfort her. Pandora having returned the baby girl to the Goddess' care before going to fulfill the commands of her lord.

"Shh, Shh, easy there, it's alright…" Demeter whispered warmly at the crying infant.

As the smoke cleared, three winged figures clad in dark armor stood protectively right in front of Hades; the once fallen judges of hell walked the world of the living once more.

"Milord Hades… Allow us to take care of these unwanted interlopers…" Radamanthys said as he stared at the Saints with great hostility.

"My judges of hell… It warms my heart to have you all by my side once more." Hades said with just the barest hint of contentment seeping in his tone.

"And we are joyful to be back under your service, Lord Hades…" Minos replied politely. "Now please, leave dealing with Athena and her saints to us…" He stated as he focused his entire attention upon the four young warriors guarding their goddess.

Ikki couldn't help but scoff at that. "Feh… Bold words coming from a bunch of losers we have already defeated once before…" He declared with the obvious intent to offend.

"Ikki Phoenix…" Garuda Aiacos stated as he caught sight of the rebellious saint. "It is fortunate we meet once more as enemies; I will make sure to repay you for having killed me in our last confrontation…" He declared with no small amount of resentment in his voice.

Ikki just stared back with a complete lack of care back at the judge of hell. "Aiacos, didn't you had enough of eating dust on our last meeting? Must I put you back into the ground once more?"

"Cute… But if you must know Phoenix… You and your friends are not the ones with the upper hand in here. After all, it wasn't just us three who Lord Hades managed to release from Athena's seal…" Minos declared with a sinister grin.

"Yes, we know…" Cygnus Hyoga interrupted, staring at Minos through his remaining uninjured eye. "The stench of your fellow specters' corrupted Cosmo can easily be felt all around this place…" The blonde saint stated as his gaze began to follow the direction that the Andromeda's chains were pointing towards at the ceiling, were darkness was beginning to fall once more upon the throne room.

And it was not simply a figure of speech as indeed long, hostile looking shadows stretched down from the ceiling, slipping from the walls and marble pillars until reaching the tiled floor, sliding through the ground like some kind of oily substance before agglutinating behind the three judges of hell and coalescing into several armored forms. All the while the sound of evil laughs echoed throughout the entire vaulted ceiling of the throne room.

Pretty soon, dozens of black armored figures were standing behind the judges of Hell. "Well, Well… It seems you bronze saints are just as alert as always…" Harpy Valentine stated mockingly as he glared at Athena's protectors. "Not that it matters since we will be ensuring none of you come out of here alive, consider it our little payback for having previously defeated us back in the underworld…" He threatened.

"Indeed, so make sure to have say your last prayers and made peace with your Goddess…" Acheron Charon declared through his horrid, fanged teeth.

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Ikki Phoenix replied looking down at all the specters arrayed in front of him and his fellow saints as if he were staring at a particular disgusting dirt stain. "You all losers returned to life just so that I could personally put you back on the grave a second time!" He boasted with that annoying mocking self-assured and demeaning disposition that the Phoenix Saint displays to ridicule those who are weaker than him.

Cyclops Giganto growled in response. "Bold words coming for someone who is completely surrounded and with no means to escape Phoenix! Let's see if you can continue being so arrogant after we turn you into a broken bloody mess in the ground…" He threatened, walking towards Ikki to try into intimidating the Phoenix Saint by bringing along the fellow specters under his command to back him up: Dullahan Cube, Bat Wimber, Gorgon Ox and Elf Mills.

Ikki just scoffed in reply, none the least worried by the gaggle of specters standing in front of him. "It does not matter how many of you decide to stand in my way… Insects will always remain insects. So, go ahead, come at me with all your numbers: In pairs, in groups or even one by one if you are a man enough for it, it's all the same to me…" He stated as his Cosmo began to simmer just beneath the surface of his skin, preparing to lash out at a moment's notice.

"You pompous overbearing little shit!" Cyclops Gyganto exclaimed, having his entire patience spent before lunging towards Ikki with the desire to inflict him great violence." He declared as his fellow specters began to support him with their own attacks.

Only for all of them to suddenly find themselves faltering on their own offensives, as they suddenly felt themselves being drawn towards Phoenix as if they were being sucked by a void. A vortex of fire began to burn and spin around Ikki's feet, slowly rising higher as it circled the Phoenix saint until his entire form was surrounded by a whirlwind of flames.

"PHOENIX BURNING WINGS!"

Ikki declared as the whirlwind surrounding him transformed into a bird made of flames that immediately flew towards and struck the five Specters attacking him, launching the entire quintet into the air as their Surplices were shattered by the sheer force of the Phoenix Saint's attack.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The Specters could do nothing but scream as their smoking battered forms dropped into the ground and lay still, expressions of agony carved in their faces. Their corpses simply laid there were they had fallen for a few seconds before dissipating in motes of light as their souls were sealed inside Shaka's beaded necklace once more. Athena holding the necklace aloft to show how five of its pearly beads started to darken from pinkish white to a pitch-black color.

"Well, would you look at that!? It seems the necklace is starting to fill up quite nicely again! At this rate all of you will be back into your seals before lunch… I am not surprised at all at this outcome, I was not lying when I said I am more than able of kicking all of your collective asses by my lonesome! So, let's keep going shall we…? Who wants to be next on the line…?" Ikki declared with a derisive mocking smirk as he stared at the entire horde of specters like a predator about to pounce upon helpless prey.

None of the warriors in Hades' army were smiling anymore.

"Ugly Eruption!"

A vaporous beam of light suddenly surges from within the ranks of Specters with the intent of striking a self-assured Ikki. But the cheap shot fails miserably as the Phoenix saint simply blocks it easily with a barrier of pure Cosmo, an unimpressed deadpan on his face. "Was that supposed to do anything…?" He said in a bore.

Golem Rock turned around and looked down to stare at a rather ugly demonic looking fanged caterpillar. "Papillon, what are you doing!?" He exclaimed with a rather frantic expression.

"I wanted to see if I could catch Phoenix with a surprise attack to erase that odious smile from his face… But it seems I'm going to need to evolve into my final form if I wish to have any chance of taking him down…" The bug then turned towards the Golem Specter. "Rock, I'm going to need you and your squad mates to run interference for me until I am able to evolve into my final stage. Keep Phoenix away from me for as long as you can…" The ugly creature said, his eyes never straying from Ikki.

"Well… Would you look at that! I knew you Specters were all ugly from the beginning, but this one certainly takes the cake… You clearly must be getting desperate if you're scrapping the bottom of the barrel this early after I've only beaten just five of your numbers…" The Phoenix Saint declared with a dismissive look.

"Make fun of us all you might want, Phoenix! We will see who will be laughing in the end once we finally lay your unmoving corpse at our feet!" The demonic caterpillar declared in challenge.

Ikki openly laughed in the face of Papillon's threats. "I seriously doubt that…" He then raised a hand and began to make 'come at me' gestures. "But do try and get yourselves killed for all I care… C'mon, show me what you're all made off if you can, I don't have all day…" He challenged with an arrogant smirk.

"Uck! Rock, Ivan, Stand! Go get him!" The evil-looking caterpillar commanded, making the named specters to glance at each other for a moment before shrugging and moving to follow that order.

"We will crush you!" Troll Ivan declared as he rushed towards the Phoenix saint.

Ikki just smirked at the brutish towering giants racing in his direction, not a single ounce of worry in his features. Only to suddenly find himself puzzled at finding himself restrained by a silk-like thread.

"!?"

"SILKY THREAD!"

Papillon exclaimed as he completely covered the torso of the Phoenix Saint to keep him from fighting at his best before retreating behind the dubious safety of his fellow Specters. "Now, while he cannot move! End him!" He commanded with urgency as he fled.

"Yes, Miu!" Golem Rock replied before launching his attack at Ikki. "Rolling Bomber Stone!" He declared as he struck the ground beneath his feet to break it apart, only for him to lift a giant boulder in the air via telekinesis that he then proceeded to throw at Phoenix.

Ikki just stared at the flying rocks threatening to squash him like a bug, only to let out a sigh of annoyance. "Fu… Figures you would try to cheat…" It was all he could say before the boulders smashed on top of him, breaking into a thousand pieces as he was plunged into the ground.

The phoenix saint couldn't even begin to stand up before a massive foot stomped upon him, courtesy of Deadly Beetle Stand. "Take that Phoenix! Not so cocky now…!" He declared with a sneer, only to suddenly find himself rooted in place as he was unable to retract his foot from among the debris. "W-What!?"

A sound of crumbling rock could be heard as Ikki simply rose from among the wreckage without a single scratch on him while holding Stand's entire weight in its place by the foot alone with just one hand. "As I've said, you are all nothing more, but insects compared to us… None of you have the strength to even swipe the dust off my cloth…" He stated matter-of-factly before he began to lift his arm and pulling Death Beetle along with it seemingly without any effort. The giant specter suddenly finding himself complete suspended in the air above's Ikki's head with only the singular limb of the Phoenix saint as support in a clear show of superhuman strength. Obviously, the brutish Specter was not keen over his new predicament.

"L-Let! Let me down!" He exclaimed in a panic.

"Lay you down? Well, if you insist…" Ikki replied in a lazy attempt at humor before, with a single move, throwing the giant Specter into the air. Stand screaming at the unexpected rough handling before finding his yells being cut short as Ikki intercepts him in midair with a flaming fist, breaking through his Sapuri and punching a hole on his right lung that pierced all the way to his back and immediately began to spew a deluge of blood as soon as the Phoenix Saint retracted his crimson covered fist.

Stand just ponderously toppled to the ground and didn't rose back up, a death rictus carved on his face for all the world to see for a few seconds before his corpse disappeared into motes of light and was sealed back inside the beaded necklace.

"Another one that bites the dust… What a surprise…" Ikki stated in a deadpanned not the least impressed. "Want to try again…?" He said with derision, mocking the attempts of the specters at hurting him.

Troll Ivan and Golem Rock were disquieted after witnessing the defeat of their comrade, turning to glance back at Papillon in search of guidance.

Were the caterpillar Specter should be, there was now a silk cocoon hanging from a web. "Keep attacking him, you fools! Just delay him for a few more minutes until I reach my final evolution, and then I will personally make sure to end his life…" The sinister voice of Papillon declared, echoing from the confines of the cocoon.

Ikki simply scoffed. "Yeah… I don't think so…" He declared before he began to march forwards in the direction of Papillon's cocoon, which caused the two specters standing in the way to become pretty alarmed as result.

"H-hold it right there, Phoenix! Don't you dare coming any closer!" Ivan Troll declared as he visibly flinched back at the sight of the Phoenix Saint striding in his direction.

"Or what? Are you two armored gorillas going to shiver in your boots until you faint if I get any nearer? Truly that will certainly dissuade me from kicking all of your asses out of pity alone…" Phoenix stated with boundless contempt.

"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSULTS, PHOENIX!" Golem Rock declared as he called upon his telekinetic power to launch another attack Ikki. "Rolling Bomber Stone!"

But the Phoenix saint literally beat him to the punch as his fist passed right across Rock's vision.

"PHOENIX PHANTOM FIST!"

Ikki simply landed behind the giant specter leaving an after-mirage trail marking his passage due to the sheer speed he had displayed. Rock's gaze became absent for a moment, as if he was having trouble realizing what had happened, only for him to suddenly start screaming. A deafening soul-wrenching wail that no human throat should be capable of doing as an expression of complete terror became etched in his face, only for the screaming to come to an abrupt stop all of the sudden, and Golem Rock to go all slack on his feet, a complete vacant stare on his face. Yet the expression of terror remained still nonetheless…

Everybody watching became utterly disquieted at the scene, unable to comprehend what the hell just happened to cause such extreme reaction.

"W-What!? What happened!? What did you do to Rock, Phoenix? Answer me!" Troll Ivan demanded, glancing at the unresponsive standing form of Golem with weariness.

"I simply gave him a small taste of my Phoenix Phantom Fist, which directly attacks the brain of its victims and causes them intense hallucinations from which they cannot escape, in essence allowing them to experience the worst tortures of hell on their very flesh before snuffing out their lives…" Ikki responds with a sinister grin, completely unnerving his listeners.

Without notice, Rock's armor literally crumbled into dust as blood slowly began to leak from all of his face's orifices before his now dead body simply dropped to the ground without any fanfare. Leaving just Ivan as the last line of defense between Ikki and Papillon as Golem Rock's soul was sealed inside the beaded necklace again.

"Holy cow! Just what is it that giant brute saw to cause him such a reaction!?" The voice of Ryuko Matoi could be heard asking over the dim of battle. Suffice to say her inquiry would remain unanswered as there were more pressing matters taking precedence at the moment.

"And then, there was only one left…" Ikki declared as he gave a pointed stare towards Ivan, who suddenly found himself unable to move due to fear.

"N-NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" The giant specter exclaimed as he tried to retreat as far away as he could from Phoenix, causing the Athena saint to laugh at such pathetic sight.

"Is this what the feared Specters of Hades have been reduced to? Just scared cowards that flee at the sight of the first strong opponent that faces them head on? You lot are pathetic, but do not worry… I will be putting you out of your misery fast enough…" Ikki declared as he began to march towards the helpless Ivan.

"Don't you dare Phoenix…" Radamanthys loudly proclaimed, having enough of seeing the reputation of the specters being smeared through the mud. He was about to intervene alongside the rest of his fellow judges from the underworld when all of a sudden, the chains of Andromeda slammed in front of his path and barred his way by cordoning off all possible access in front of him.

"Fly chains!"

"What!?" Radamanthys declared at seeing he was being kept out of the fight against his will, immediately glancing towards the source of this new development.

"I will not allow anyone to interfere with my brother's fight! You will have to go through me first if you wish to stop him!" Andromeda Shun resolutely declared as he clutched at his chains with a single arm to keep them under control, daring the judges of the underworld to try anything with his gaze alone.

"Tsk! You dare!" Minos exclaimed in outrage at seeing their will (and that of their lord Hades) being so blatantly defied. But before any retaliation could take place, Papillon Myu suddenly called in triumph.

"It is done! I have at last reached my strongest form!" The voice coming from the Cocoon said as the silk pupa began to crack and shatter, allowing a brief glimpse of giant butterfly wing before a purple poisonous Miasma started to leak from the cracked pod that immediately forced Ikki to cover his airways with a forearm. Whatever new form that Papillon Myu might have acquired was concealed behind a thick screen of noxious fumes.

As the cloud of poison began to disperse, at last, Papillon's ultimate form was revealed to all. Ikki just stared, and then began to laugh. "That's it! That's your terrible final form! A goddamned giant butterfly!" He mocked, before shaking his head and focusing back on the task at hand. "I'm just going to defeat the both of you now and be done with it…!"

But as he tried to take a single step, Phoenix suddenly found himself unable to move. "W-What!?"

"It is you who is about to experience the taste of defeat Phoenix! For you have been breathing my poisonous fumes that paralyses anybody who takes even a single whiff of them… Now, suffer the consequences for daring to challenge Papillon Myu!" He declared before lifting the helpless Phoenix Saint in the air with his power of psychokinesis and launching him to impact upon one of the pillars lining the room. Punching straight through it with ease and causing Andromeda Shun to exclaim in worry for Ikki as the phoenix saint smashed into the ground.

"Brother!"
"HOW'S THAT PHOENIX! NOT SO COCKY NOW! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Papillon Myu mocked, but his jeers abruptly died in his throat at seeing Ikki simply standing back to his feet without any apparent injury.

"I've told you all already, your cheap tricks will be of no use against me… You all are just too weak for them to do anything…" Ikki simply stated as he brushed off the dust and detritus from his armor. "Now… I believe I should repay you for that little stunt…" He stated with palpable malice in his tone.

"H-How can you move after breathing my poison!? You should be paralyzed and helpless after having inhaled it!" Myu exclaimed on the verge of panic at witnessing such unwelcome development.

Phoenix just huffed in irritation as reply, before a wicked smile appeared on his face as his fiery Cosmo began to burn all around him.
Enveloping him fully in a blazing aura of flames. "I just burned away your pathetic poison with my own flaming Cosmo. Like I said, your Cosmos are too weak to challenge mine, least of all being of any effectiveness against me…"

"Impossible! How could your Cosmo have become so powerful in such a short amount of time as to make all of our attacks ineffective!?" Myu declared in response, unable to comprehend such a thing. "We are the Specters of Milord Hades, the most powerful servants under his command!"

Ikki scoffed in derision. "Well, clearly your most powerful is simply not good enough. It is just as Pandora said to me once before our assault on Elysium…" The rebellious saint stated before glancing towards the surprised Maiden in black.

"W-What!? What are you talking about Ikki!?" Pandora declared, turning around from where she was standing beside the sitting figure of Hades as she attended to the needs of her lord.

"Don't you remember our last conversation Pandora? You told me I had to be careful when facing the twin gods Hypnos and Thanatos. That no matter how strong we saints believe ourselves to be, our power was nothing compared to them since each one far outstripped the combined might of all Specters under Hades employ on their lonesome…" The Phoenix Saint pauses briefly, struggling with having to admit an unpleasant truth in the face of his current enemies.

"And you were right in your assessment Pandora. The twin Gods were as powerful as you said they were if not more. All of our efforts were useless against them… No matter what we tried it was all for naught, our greatest techniques and final last resorts, all of it was thrown aside as little more than dust in the wind. They were without doubt the most terrible enemies we have ever fought, all but invincible in our eyes… And yet, despite that and against all odds, we managed to triumph over them. We did what none other mortal before us did and managed to slay a god with our own hands… A last act of desperation that allowed us to reach previously undiscovered levels of strength that we never knew we had… Against that… Against those who managed to defeat the gods whose power surpasses that of the combined might of your Specters. What good would any of your attacks do against us…?" Ikki declared turning back to glance at Myu with a pointed stare. The Papillon Specter could do nothing but grit his teeth in impotence.

"I've had enough of you all wasting my time… I will now be killing every single one of you and be done with your interference, thank you very much." Phoenix coldly stated as his burning Cosmo began to flare again, the flaming silhouette of a bird taking shape under everybody's gaze.

PHOENIX BURNING WINGS!

With a loud screech the bird of Fire struck in the exact position where Papillon Myu had just been standing, sweeping everything lying in the path of its raging wings. Which included Troll Ivan, who was burned to ashes with a scream of terror, but also other Specters standing several feet away from the confrontation found themselves being slain in the wake of the fiery Phoenix. Specters like: Genbu Gregor, Mandrake Fyodor, Sylph Edward, Acheron Charon & Frog Zelos.

When the flaming bird passed only smoldering ashes remained, yet still Ikki found himself unwilling to lower his guard. " Strange… I did not sense his Cosmo die…" He declared as he began to glance around his surroundings in search of any clue of his opponent. Only for another beam of gas to try to strike him from behind, which Ikki was quickly able to block with a hand wrapped in his burning Cosmo.

"UGLY ERUPTION!"

"Nice try! But not good enough!" He said before retaliating against Papillon Myu with his phantasmal fist, only for the Specter to teleport away in a hurry and evade the attack of the Phoenix Saint by a hair's breadth.

"I would say the same about you, Phoenix!" Myu exclaimed in response as he reappeared several feet away from Ikki, but it was pretty evident he was greatly agitated by the clear superior might of the Athena's Saint that he barely managed to evade.

Said Phoenix saint curled his lip as he just stared back in annoyance. "You can teleport…?" He asked with clear disgust in his voice.

"That's right! No matter how many times you try to attack me, I can simply teleport away safely without much issue! You'll not be able to get rid of me that easily, Phoenix! Hey! Where are you going!? Look at me when I'm talking to you!" The specter of Papillon began to gloat, only to suddenly react in shock at the utter disrespect shown by the Phoenix saint as he turned around and began to walk away, completely dismissing Myu as a threat.

"I am not going to be wasting time chasing after some insect of little consequence. Shun… Please take care of this bothersome fly for me, okay…?" Ikki Phoenix stated offhandedly as he signaled for his brother to relieve him and take his spot on the fight, catching many off-guard with such dick move, his own brother included.

"Eh? But big brother, I am carrying Saori's specter with me as a safekeep? I am unable to use both of my hands to fight at the moment…" Shun replied with incredulity, barely able to believe the latest turn of events.

"How auspicious… Considering just how weak these Specters are proving to me, you need nothing more but a single hand to deal with this nuisance…" Ikki simply answered back, disparagingly, pissing Papillon Myu greatly in the process.

"Y-YOU! HOW DARE YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME! I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS PHOENIX! I'LL MAKE SURE TO KILL YOUR BROTHER FIRST IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES AND SHOW YOU THE TRUE MEANING OF DESPAIR BEFORE I SNUFF OUT YOUR LIFE!" Papillon Myu exclaimed, livid to the point of madness due to the disrespect being shown by the Phoenix saint before proceeding to launch a telekinetic attack towards Andromeda Shun.

Only to be split in half by one of his chains, scattering the giant pieces of masonry aside and allowing Shun to weather the assault pretty much unscathed

"NOT AGAIN! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Exclaimed a rather dejected Papillon at seeing Shun nonchalantly jank his arm back to retract his chain.

The saint of Andromeda just sighed at seeing how it now fell to him dealing with this entire fiasco. "Please! Just surrender, I really do not want to hurt you… We just want Hades to bring back our friend without any trouble…" Shun pleaded, which unsurprisingly fell on deaf ears as Myu also considered it quite insulting for someone as unthreatening-looking like the green-haired youth to say he will hurt him if he doesn't stop fighting.

"SHUT UP! I have enough disrespect form your brother! I do not need your condescension either on top of that!" Papillon Myu exclaimed at the end of his rope.

Shun shook his head at that. "I really do not like to hurt people… But alright, if you have no desire to surrender then you leave me with little choice…" The green-haired saint stated, raising his guard up with a single and setting Myu on edge in anticipation of an attack.
"Fly, Chains of Andromeda!" Shun declared raising his free arm high as he let his chains loose, lashing loudly like a whip.

Papillon Myu immediately teleported away into safety at seeing the chain with an arrowhead flying in his direction, laughing and gloating the same way he did when he evaded Phoenix's attack. "Ha, Ha, Ha! You cannot lay a single finger on me as long as I can teleport—UCK!" His bragging was cut short as the chain he had just evaded suddenly struck him from behind, smashing him into the floor and shattering his headpiece. Suffice to say, Myu had been caught completely off-guard by this new turn of events.

"W-WHAT!" He exclaimed with undisguised shock as he turned his injured bleeding head from a gash on his temple to see the length of Andromeda's chain that had struck him, sticking out from a small dimensional rift.

Andromeda Shun calmly flicked his free arm to retract his chains the long rope of interlocked links moving like some serpentine creature, as if having a will of its own. "My chains will hit whoever I attack without fail, there is no way to evade them, they will chase whoever I target wherever they might try to flee regardless of any distance or across dimensions if necessary… This is the reason why I asked you to surrender…" He simply stated as he finished calling back the links of steel.

Myu glowered in impotent rage. "This why your brother saddled you into becoming my next opponent! Because he knew your chains would counter my teleporting abilities! DAMN YOU, PHOENIX!" He exclaimed in affronted realization.

Ikki began to laugh at the apparent misery of the Papillon Specter. "But of course! I knew my little brother was more than capable of dealing with small fries like you…" He shamelessly confessed.

Myu glared again, his patience long past his breaking point as he pushed himself back to his feet despite the head injury he sustained. "That's it! If evading is out of the question, then I have no other choice but to go all out!" He declared before teleporting behind the saint of Andromeda in the fraction of a second, an arm raised high to try and cleave Shun in half with his bare hand. Only for the second length of chain that had remained dormant at the feet of the Andromeda Saint to suddenly bury its iron ball tip into the abdomen of the Papillon Specter, jettisoning him away in a single move and causing to smash against one of the marble pillars at the back of the throne room with such force as to crack its entire face. Papillon Myu bounced violently from the pillar with a grunt and fell to the ground in a heap among broken pieces of masonry and shattered fragments of his Sapuri, only the dry thud of his meeting with the floor was the only sound heard in the quiet throne room.

"U…Ugh…" The pathetic moan of pain from Papillon broke through the silence. "H-How…!?" He mumbled, obviously wanting to know what was it that left him in such pitiful state.

"That was my other chain that acts as my shield…" Shun declared as the chain connected to the arm, he was using to carry Athena's scepter began to stir at his feet, glancing down to the floor, it was easy to see how the chain was loosely coiling around its user in a long spiral. "Whereas one of my chain is used to attack and chase after any enemy, the other is used for defense and attacks anyone that enters inside its range with hostile intentions. And absolute attack and an absolute defense, that is the power of my chains, leaving me with no weaknesses to exploit…" He finished speaking as the chains began to slither in circles around him, creating a small funnel of clinking steel with Shun in the middle.

"Nnngh! N-not… Not fair…" Papillon Myu replied with great impotence as he clutched his broken ribs. "There's no such thing as the perfect defense! You Athena's Saints are such cheaters!" He exclaimed in outrage and realizing there was no chance for victory against his enemies.
Shun simply looked at the fallen Specter with great sadness. "I am sorry… I do not know what to tell you to ease your pain… So, please surrender… I would not want to kill you by accident…" He pleaded towards his opponent once more.

"SHUT UP! Stop staring at me with pity. I am one of the Specters under service of milord Hades! We have neither need nor want for mercy from our enemies…" Papillon Myu exclaimed out of pride through bloodied lips as he slowly managed to push himself back to his feet, a look of complete loathing on his face directed at the youngest of Athena's Saints. "I rather die than be subjected to such humiliation!"

"Please! If you attack me, my chains will automatically respond, I am unable to control their actions when reacting to a threat!" Shun implored once more, knowing his chains could very well end Papillon's life if he were to try and fight against him again.

"I don't care!" Papillon declared before teleporting right in front of Shun with the intention of attacking him. (Wait! No!) and was immediately sent flying again by the chain with the iron ball end. However, not before he took hold of both of the saint's chains as he slammed into the ground several yards away from Shun, the chains unable to retract due to the fact Myu was gripping the clinks tightly with all the strength he could still muster.

"Agh!" The injured specter exclaimed as he spit a wad of blood, staining his entire chin with dribbling crimson. Only for him to scream again as the chains began to lash out in attempt to escape from Papillon's hold, bodily lifting the specter from the ground before smashing him into the floor time and again.

"Let go! You're going to die if you keep grabbing my chains!" The green-haired saint stated in an imploring tone.

"I told you I do not care, Andromeda! It is an honor to die in the name of milord Hades if it means my sacrifice will ultimately help in bringing about the destruction of his enemies!" Myu replied with an almost fanatic fervor as he chuckled through bloodied teeth. "For you must remember, it is not a single specter that you are fighting against, isn't that right… Phlegyas…?" He stated, calling the name of one of his fellow specters.

"Indeed, it its Myu…" The specter, Lycaon Phlegyas revealed as he suddenly appeared right above Shun, preparing for a sneak attack. "Thanks to you, I've had enough time to analyze Andromeda's abilities and formulate a way to counter them! And with your chains indisposed, there's nothing standing in my way that can stop me!" He declared triumphantly as he dived upon the seemingly helpless form of Shun, who simply stared back with a look of resignation while Phlegyas' fists began to concentrate his cosmo.

HOWLING INFERNO!

"That won't work…" He muttered before adopting a resolute look on his face. "I really do not wish to hurt anyone… However, that doesn't mean I will not fight back if the situation calls for it…" He declared before he began to raise his Cosmo, a golden flame enveloping his profile as a cosmic wind began to sweep throughout the entire throne room, pushing the diving form of Lycaon back into the air who couldn't do anything but yell in surprise as the tables were suddenly turned on him and he now found himself being the one helpless and incapable of defending himself.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Phlegyas exclaimed in fear as he was smashed into the ceiling by the sheer pressure of Andromeda's Cosmo.

"NEBULA STORM!" Shun declared as a multicolored hurricane of cosmic winds and dust clouds began to spin wildly around him rising all the way up until it slammed into the defenseless Lycaon, shattering his Sapuri into a thousand pieces in an instant and ending the life of the unlucky specter, abruptly cutting off his screams before his unmoving body dropped into the ground with a loud thud.

"Lycaon!" Myu exclaimed as he saw his fellow specter die and his corpse begin to fade in motes of light as he was sealed inside the necklace to negate his resurrection, only for him to be lifted into the air again by the strength of the Andromeda's chains. The ropes of steel links lashing wildly in wide arcs, dragging Papillon along, his grip starting to slip due to the intense motions. As if sensing his hold falter, the chains lashed one last time, finally disengaging the specter from them as they threw him towards the ceiling. Only for his seemingly inevitable encounter with the roof to be abruptly stopped by the chains deciding to spear him instead, both links of steel deciding to ram him through before each link began to coil around each end of his body. That is when the chains began to tug in opposite directions…

"W-WAIT!" He screamed in desperation as the tension caused by the chains began to cause the insides of his body to give in, teleportation was of no use as the chains simply refused to let him go no matter what he tried to do.

Shun just looked at the helpless Papillon with a look of boundless pity before averting his sight away. "I told you I am unable to control the automatic responses of my chains… I am sorry…" He stated with deep regret.

That is the last thing Papillon heard before a loud meaty squelch resonated in the throne room and his body was split in half by the waist, an arc of gore spreading briefly through the air as Myu's innards were left hanging loose like a macabre rope of flesh before the two lengths of chain decided to throw aside both torn up ends of the now deceased Papillon as so much trash, the heavy sounds of his armored clad halves joined only by his stretched intestines echoing in the throne room as they bounced from the marble floor.

"OH MY GOD!" Ryuto Matoi exclaimed in shock at the rather graphic display of violence, since not even during her own battles was, she exposed to this level of bloodshed. This was a first time for her, not anyone else of the people present could blame her for that as they too were gob-smacked at the violence.

Shun said nothing as he simply looked on with an expression of great sadness. "I hate been forced to kill, why didn't you just surrender when you had the chance…?" The Andromeda saint rhetorically asked towards Myu two split halves as they began to fade away and sealed inside the necklace. A heavy silence fell upon the room after having to witness such gruesome deaths.

It was only broken when another specter, Basilisk Sylphid, finally snapped out of his shock and reacted with the expected outrage. "Phlegyas! Myu! You will pay for that Andromeda!" He exclaimed taking a threatening step towards the still numb green-haired saint, only for the arrowhead end of his chains to appear pointing right between the eyes of the specter, causing Sylphid to rear back in surprise at the sudden intrusion.

"Please… Do not enter inside the range of my chains with the intent to do battle, otherwise they will automatically attack you… I do not want to resort into killing more people. Just surrender already! Why can't you understand that you are doing nothing but throwing your lives needlessly by fighting us! Do you all wish to die!? Just agree to Saori's request and bring Seiya back to us and we will leave! You all have my word… No one else needs to get killed…" Shun pleaded passionately towards the rest of the Specters at large. To their credit, they did take a moment to consider his words, but ultimately it would do little to dissuade them from their task as Radamanthys would confirm next by taking center stage.

"It is not that we wish to die Andromeda Shun…" The Underworld judge began to say. "It is simply that we have no fear of death. Thanks to the blessings of our Lord Hades, if any among our ranks were to fall, we will simply rise again to fight in his name once more. Indeed, those fellow specters you have slain and whose souls you have trapped within that beaded necklace have not perished, they are merely indisposed and will return to our side once we have dealt with you all and break them out from their prison. The blessings given to us by our lord protects us and will never leave us no matter what as long as we remain loyal, with these facts into consideration, why we should hesitate from doing our duty and fight the enemies of our lord until they are all destroyed? It is meaningless how many of us or how many times we fall at your hands, saints! We will keep rising time and again as long as we maintain faith, that is why you are sealing us inside that necklace! Because you do not have a way to directly counter our resurrections… So, no… Andromeda Shun we will not simply surrender and accept our defeat just because you ask nicely, because doing so will be a betrayal of the oaths of fealty we've sworn to our lord Hades. And just like you will never betray Athena, we will never betray our king…!" He armored warrior declared with complete conviction causing his fellow judges and specters to close ranks around him in solidarity. It was clear that no words would dissuade them from their course.

"I see…" Shun simply stated in reply with obvious dejection, but he couldn't help but respect his enemies for their resolve in the face of adversity, no matter how much he believed for it to be a mistake.

He offered a nod of respect towards the judge of hell. "Very well, Lord Radamanthys, I will respect your decision to fight… If there is no other choice but to fight, then I can do nothing more but answer such conviction with all of my strength…" Andromeda declared as he assumed a combat stance, his chains clinking in response.

Radamanthys and his fellow judges prepared to face the youngest of the saints in singular combat when the irritated voice of Phoenix spoke aloud.

"Well, that is all fine and dandy, but you know what? I am tired of you all wasting my time! We came here for one thing and only one thing in mind and you're doing nothing but making us drag our feet! I've had enough of your games!" Ikki declared with a nasty scowl that told he was past caring about the specters.

"And we are tired of your lack of respect towards the gods, Phoenix!" Minos declared with just an equally hostile tone of voice as he stood beside his fellow judges of hell.

The hotblooded saint cared not for the outrage of his opponents, however. "Good for you, but guess what…?" He said in a mocking tone.

"What!? Phoenix!?" Aiacos replied with unrestrained scorn towards the egotist saint.

"You've left your precious Lord Hades undefended…" Ikki simply stated, causing all of the specters listening to him to fall silent for a moment as they blinked in stupefaction. And true enough, as they took a moment to glance in the direction that the Phoenix saint was motioning at, they could clearly see that due to the loses they had incurred at the hands of the Athena's saints and their own focus upon Andromeda, a straight path now laid open between the Phoenix saint and their Lord Hades.

The Specters paled, Ikki just smirked shamelessly… And then jettisoned towards Hades with a sudden whirlwind of flames, striking right at the base of the throne's steps in a violent conflagration before the judges of the underworld and their underlings could do anything. Pandora and BB reared back against their will away from their lord due to the intense heat exuded by Phoenix's flames that rivaled that of the sun. Ikki simply walked out of the flames as he climbed the steps towards the sitting figure of Hades, who had also been forced to cross his arms in front of him to guard himself from the intense flames.

"Now… Let's put an end to this entire fiasco…" The Phoenix saint declared as he prepared to strike at an unguarded Hades, only for the shadow of the lord of the dead to expand and spread from behind him, covering his entire end of the room in darkness, a darkness so thick as to push back against the light coming from Phoenix's flames.

Ikki found himself vacillating for a moment at this unexpected development as from the darkness of Hade's own shadow a tall hulking figure appeared, a new specter that immediately fell upon the surprised saint with the intention of smashing him with both fists. Phoenix raised his arms and met his attacker offensive by crossing both limbs in front of him and blocking it, only to suddenly have a monstruous inhuman strength behind those fists pressing upon him that forced Ikki to meet him with the great power of his Cosmo.

Phoenix was successful in guarding against the unexpected attack, yet he was pinned in place as the entire ground beneath his feet shattered, turning the entire front of the throne's dais and it's set of steps into so much rubble due to the sheer strength of the attacking Specter. A rough, course, yet surprisingly effeminate voice spoke from the dark armored figure.

"Hello… The name is Violeta of Behemot, the personal bodyguard of Milord Hades… Would you kindly get the hell away from my liege? Can't allow rowdy rabble like you to tarnish his mood you see…?" The newly introduced Violeta said in a peculiar carefree tone of voice that told he really didn't care whether the Phoenix Saint agreed to her request or not.

Ikki just growled after having to block the attack in full of the stupidly strong specter. "Tsk, how many of you annoyances, are going to stand in my way!? Fine! I don't care anymore! I will kill every single one of you that dare stand between me and Hades!

Violeta smirked, clearly telling this was the answer he was wishing for. "OH? Does that mean, no? Fine by me! I've been waiting for the opportunity of kicking Saint's ass!?" The specter declared with a manic grin.

Phoenix refrained from replying as his flames once more began to rise in intensity, pushing the Specter of Behemoth in the air as he began to flinch a little due to the intense heat. He didn't have any time to reply to the aggression as the Specter suddenly found himself hastily guarding himself against a fiery fist being thrown by Ikki as a burning blaze trailed behind the figure of the Phoenix saint.

The punch was strong enough to push Behemot away by sheer kinetic force, his legs carving long furrows that split the marble tiles in the floor until Violeta finally came to a stop as he smashed against one of the walls of the throne room, imbedding his entire figure into it. Behemot grunted after having to block such a potent attack, only for a sudden cracking sound started to be heard as small hairline fissures began to appear in his Sapuri until the entire armor shattered, leaving a dumbfounded Violeta behind who turned out to be a woman all this time as her torso was no longer concealed by the confines of her breastplate, leaving not only her bosom but the myriad of scars dotting her body in display.

An impish smile began to spread on the face of the female specter as a pleased giggled escaped from her throat. "Well, well… I wasn't expecting this… It seems you saints are no pushovers after all… This is going to be interesting…!"

Ikki scoffed in response to the battle-crazed woman's boasts. "Woman! Were you dropped on your head as a child or what!?" He exclaimed with some incredulity. Violeta pouted in response.

"Now, that's rude…"