WARNING: Violence, death, blood, mild gore, prisoner torture.

The Silver Elite

From the utmost peak of neighboring buildings, a decent view of the Kido Mansion and its vicinity was available. Taking the role of a scout to the Bronze Saints who remained therein, Shaina watched from the edge of a skyscraper, the full moon bright enough as to contrast with the dimmer stars around it. So far up, the strong wind was split in twain by the rooftop's edges, howling in its way.

She noticed shadows orbit the mansion off the corner of her eyes. "Finally, time for another round," she whispered to herself, and although she was about to jump towards it, the flash of a Cosmos behind came as an interruption. "Hm?"

When she saw, the one illuminated by the night was yet another Silver Saint, his Cloth reflecting the shine above and revealing the shape of a long cape behind. "Ophiuchus Shaina," the man said, his voice deep, "you still live."

The familiar sound and image soon came to her. The stained, silvery metal had been forged and marked with the depiction of many hunts, and the cuirass flowed from a corner of the hip up to the opposite end of a shoulder, nonetheless circling around the neck to protect it. The pads were enlarged yet curved down to properly protect the shoulders, which fit the man's incredibly muscular body well, and while the left gauntlet was rounded, the equally detailed right gauntlet was bulkier in the hand, carrying pointy studs where it would otherwise have knuckles.

Had he been wearing the helmet under his arms, his full head would've been enclosed by it, and most of his somewhat long dark hair wouldn't have been exposed to the wind as it was. The chiseled features of the chin, the straightness of the nose, the brown of the eyes, and paleness of the skin made it clearer who that was. "You… Orion!" Shaina recalled.

"Crux said you had all been killed. Where are the others?"

"He was partially correct. The others are all dead."

Orion frowned and put the helmet on. "Then it's time to get revenge on them," he said.

"You mean…?"

"Don't act like a fool. Haven't you noticed Crux and Scutum entering the mansion?"

The amazon turned to the mansion, saying: "They should not bother. The girl is no longer there, and she is our greatest challenge."

"That we already know," Orion told her, and she looked back at him, surprise covered by the mask. "We sent Perseus to her location, and he should be planning a way to take her down."

After a few seconds, Shaina looked back at the mansion and chuckled, stepping closer to the edge. "Good. Then why are we wasting our time here?" she asked.

Orion smirked and walked to the edge as well. "I wish more Saints were that direct." The two dropped off that height and, with calculated bursts of the Cosmos, broke their fall along the way before skipping to the ongoing battle.

The situation in the mansion wasn't yet dire. With only two elite warriors to fight, the Bronze Saints were able to hold their own and remedy past mistakes, in particular Seiya's, who clashed alone with Crux Georg in the living room, the location of their last fight.

After a series of lightning-fast punches that Crux expertly dodged, it was a kick that eventually connected, one that he blocked with extreme effort. The force in it wasn't enough to hurt, but enough to push him back and give the two time to stand off, walking in a perimeter between each other.

The open double door to the gardens was blocked by Georg, but with the chaos that had ensued in the house before, many openings remained for an escape. Those would be of no use to Pegasus, who already didn't wish to allow Crux's leave last time, and certainly had no intent of running away himself now.

"Shaina gave you a chance to live, but you still came back, eh?" Seiya teased him.

Pestered, Crux shouted and ran in without a response. In that state of rage, his hard punches caused even more damage, and upon feeling the impact of the first, Pegasus decided to evade the next as best as he could. When taking a second strike became inevitable, he used both gauntlets and took that mighty fist, sparks flying around him as he slid back.

Orion stormed through the broken window at that time. "Jaeger!" Crux called him.

The other Saint walked closer, eyes glued to Seiya. "It seems you're already busy with a heretic," he commented, "but you won't believe it. The other Cosmos we felt was actually from… hm?" When he turned to the side, no one was there. He raised an eyebrow and looked the other way. "She was just here…"

Like last time, the lights went out, although this time not for good. They oscillated from faintness to darkness; the few other electronics still connected in the room flashed, and when the invaders took note, Seiya had vanished from his previous spot.

"He's gone!" Georg said and turned the back to Orion, in order to cover more ground.

"No, he must be around here somewhere," Jaeger whispered while scanning the front and lifting an arm forth, "so eyes on the shadows."

Indeed, it was in the shadows that their enemies lied, like dark figures skipping at each onset of the fixtures failing, hidden or barely detectable. This had been well rehearsed last time, and so it was only natural for them to take advantage of the same tool then.

A corner of the room emitted the muted noise of static; Crux realized it and focused on the garden's door, whence came a largely obscured purple glow. "It's her!" he warned, and finally the counterattack came.

"THUNDER CLAW!"

"PEGASUS METEOR FIST!"

First deafening thunder broke the air between Orion and Crux, and then Seiya's energy lit the room with flashes, launching his body with Crux to the gardens. The latter rolled on the tiles and got up before lunging back at Pegasus, but he was pushed back again with a weaker punch, thus they continued exchanging quick and powerful blows that echoed through the back.

Shaina's attack, however, was of no use. Jaeger had apparently premeditated it, and her wrist was held in his left hand; he hadn't even turned to see. "What a shame, Ophiuchus," he spoke disapprovingly, head shaking left and right. "From admiration to disappointment."

They stood still for a second until both decided to growl, a race for whose hand reached the other first. Orion was the victor once more, and his palm struck Shaina square in the stomach, sending her through a side of the glass door and crushing much of the metal that separated the gaps, as nothing stopped the woman's speed before she spiraled in the air and rolled on the ground.

She got up with the momentum, a hand to the point of the strike, and therefore charged back to meet Jaeger once he entered the gardens after her. He pulled and threw the long cape to the foremost, which she sliced through with aid of the claws, but when his image came back in view, he had already overcome that speed with another fast advance.

Seeing how critical it was to avoid it, Ophiuchus dodged by a hair, spun behind him, then landed with good grip on the floor interspersed by grass. Both flew closer and traded more blows, but as fluid and fast as her claws were, Orion was a well-rounded expert, dodging with close calls per his needs. His Cosmos was only ever spent on swings bearing a greater chance of hitting the target.

Shaina gyrated with a kick, missed, and bounced forward with another one in an attempt to overwhelm him. That was worthless, as Jaeger skipped and returned with a fist to her face, hard enough that she twisted in the air. While she yet flailed, he projected himself forward and elbowed her such that she was thrown to the wall. Their powers had grown exponentially to keep up with the dangers they posed to each other, something felt by the mansion, which gained new cracks from that alone.

The female Saint was careful to hold her mask on as she landed on her boots with a groan. Her next steps were slightly dizzied, whereas Orion's were assured, his moonlit outline crowned by a white halo. "You stand no chance against me," he said.

"A bit early to sing your victory," said Shaina, stopping and recomposing her senses.

"Not you, not Eagle, not Crux, not Perseus… none of you ever came close to my abilities." There was seriousness in his voice, as if he expected her to make the fight easier by admitting defeat. "I have only reason to fear the Gold Saints and the gods themselves!"

"Quite a bad attempt, Orion. I am not the same clueless amazon of yesteryear." With the right hand raised, she finished: "This was all just a warm-up."

Orion chuckled and lifted a closed fist towards her, the rest of his body straight and imposing. They cried and went for each other another time, now with Shaina giving her all to stay alive.

On another end of the gardens, Seiya and Georg pressed on with their efforts. Their battle was fast-paced, relentless, and loud at all times, either by virtue of their missed attacks hitting beds of flowers and ceramics, or by striking the foe's gauntlets. Facing his greatest enemy at that point, Pegasus had learned to put all effort into dodging, to attack only at an opening's offering.

In search of a flaw, he eventually found one in Crux's best strength. He evaded a swiping fist by crouching, jumped with a punch to the stomach, and then uppercut his chin with the other hand. Having noticed that Georg's Cosmos burned at its highest, he knew that, as he watched him flip back, that fearsome technique from before was incoming. "GEISTIG BLITZ!"

Seiya did what he had in store to burst through the sound barrier, as did Georg's punch foregoing a tunnel of light that brightened the gardens. It exploded through ceramic and threw dried leaves and flowers in its wake, then dissipated as quickly as it was born.

Baffled, Georg watched that Bronze Saint leap unscathed, then come down with energy just as absurd, outlined by sparks of flames in a shock layer about his body. With that, they both were sent skidding along the tiles, somewhat entwined yet insisting on struggling, the hits arriving so speedily that only the impacts could be heard.

Soon thereafter Seiya kicked the enemy from the side to open distance, and the man rolled due to the tiles' friction, found ground with a foot, and used the other to stride right back. Pegasus, however, knew to avoid his force, and so side-stepped carefully from the swing to plant a much faster fist to the chest. The following punch came naturally, sweeping from above and taking Crux by surprise.

At that point he fell into further disbelief, reiterating past feelings. Steps away, he looked on in awe. Such was the stock, the kind of lowly warrior who could rise above the level of his master, the Bronze Saint with potential to triumph over Silver. "Damn it!" he said, opening further distance to preempt any new offenses. "The Pope calls you rats, but he has no idea what we're up against!"

"Did you do what Shaina told you?" Seiya asked between breaths.

"I would not be allowed in Lady Athena's chamber, in that she was right, but she was wrong to believe the Pope had no more trust in me."

"He only needs you to trust him! He's using you!"

"See it once my way, Pegasus! Am I supposed to suddenly assume the hierarchy I swore to serve is a lie? Can't you understand this is my safest choice?"

They both assumed fighting stances in tension, because the answer was clear. "I guess I can," Seiya said, "but that only shows there's no way out if not fighting."

"Unfortunately, it's true." With that Seiya tightened fingers and pointed knuckles at him, Cosmos burning high; Georg also lifted his energies, but still had more to say: "Pegasus, before we end it, I wish to learn how you achieved such power. Never in my life did I expect to encounter a Bronze Saint this frightening."

"I was trained by Saints who taught me to improve as long as I could, and am surrounded by friends whose abilities push me to be better. Not just that, fighting people like you, I have to be stronger every day! I need to be good enough to defeat you, and to be by Athena's side when she reclaims Sanctuary!"

Those words worsened Georg's fears. In his face was a frown not of anger, but of dread, eyes wide and horrified. He raised a hand with the force necessary to overcome all instincts compelling him to stop. "Forgive me, my Lady… I may be raising my fist against a fellow guardian of justice," he prayed.

"Let's finish this!"

They screamed and slid forward, both swinging at each other with similar speeds. The strikes were wild enough that they did not bother to dodge anymore; they simply took the force head on, hoping to kill before being killed. Whenever hits beat against the other's body, they were pushed back a few steps after sparks, but returned without fail.

Observing that Crux's thunderous strikes were sure to defeat him over the course of time, Seiya broke the chain and pushed the enemy away with a double palm strike to the core, stepped forth into the air, swung in a circle, and kicked him to the face. He saw the Saint tumble back and knew no better opportunity would present itself, so he skipped forward a second instance and forced the elbow to his throat, knee to the stomach, pinning him down.

In the next seconds, Georg saw the state of that young man a last moment, blood dripping from the side of the eyebrow, deep bruises on the cheek; nonetheless, he himself felt blood pool in his teeth, while a good lot of his body felt numb, if not for some occasional piercing pain. He knew to greet death then, and did so with the little spare given. "Forgive me, my Lady," he whispered in a last instant.

"PEGASUS METEOR FIST!" The brutal force of every energy blast pointed at a target that close was enough to take the man out. A splatter of scarlet liquid spread above Crux's head, and Seiya was promptly washed with irrational regret. Another life had just ended before him, that of an honest and honorable warrior who, for all intents and purposes, was on their side.

Looking down at the one he downed, his hands trembled at those restless eyes, whose eyelids he pulled back down, that the corpse seemed to have found peace after being used as nothing but a tool to the corrupt. The Bronze Saint clenched a fist and stood, sighing. "To think that this terrible war is just starting… I can't… I don't know for how long I'll stand to watch good people die," he said.

He was startled by the sight of Shaina flying right in front of him while lost in thought. He watched her correct in the air and brake the momentum with boots planted on the tiles, the attrition enough to tilt some of the blocks off the dirt and grass. Despite all that, she fell with a knee down.

There was no time for her to stand and reach for Orion, as he came quite faster, flipping her with the back to the ground after a slam. The mask flew off, and while exposed, she groaned and let the hair cover her face. With due respect to the laws, Jaeger dared not stare at a female Saint's nude face; besides, having seen his dead colleague, he preferred to walk to the corpse and mourn. "Crux, not you too…" he lamented.

Seiya hurried to the fallen Shaina, paying respects to the man's mourning. He took the mask on the way and handed it over to her, so she sat up with a hand to the face before sliding it back on. "Are you too hurt?" he asked.

"You took a great warrior down, but now we must deal with that man, and he is no joke either," she said, getting up with another painful groan. Her limbs failed her wishes some more, but outnumbering the enemy with two strong fighters made her hopeful for a victory.

When they looked back, they saw that Jaeger crouched side-by-side with Georg, a hand rested atop him, words being whispered that they could not make out. They waited for him to be over, and getting up, the sideways gaze he offered them raged with fury, in particular towards the young man.

"Pegasus! You were raised by a Silver Saint, fight like a Silver Saint, and ended the life of a Silver Saint," he yelled out, turned to point a knife hand at them, then assumed a calm fighting stance. His words, however, carried deep hatred: "Allow me to treat you as an enemy of such caliber. No mercy!"

While their fight went on, another one was in progress around Athena's vacation house. The quietude of the forest had been defiled by violence, a loud chase barely visible under the moonlight, cut by leaves and tall trunks. Argol was thrown against a tree, the shield in his left arm raised. He thus saw further danger in the distance, stepping away; Shiryu appeared next, his approach and punch slower than the Silver Saint's escape, but the strength capable of shaking that tree in place.

Hyoga went after the enemy and blasted snowy winds, but Perseus was careful to jump far from the affected area, then parried a series of strikes. Following with a harsh tackle of the shield, he was able to push Cygnus entirely, but Dragon appeared shouting from behind to double kick the blocking arm.

Stunned, Argol rolled back to make up for his broken defense. As soon as he found balance, he strode in and tackled Shiryu this time, sliding him back to Hyoga's distance. He took steps back, apparently seeking a more advantageous position.

"You're in a rough spot, Perseus. We won't allow you an escape, so you should surrender if you value your life," Hyoga told him.

Argol laughed aloud. "Escape, surrender! I'll do neither. My life is only valuable as long as it is useful to Lady Athena's goals," he said. Shiryu frowned to his ally, who continued staring coldly at the opponent. Deep down he wished to convince that man of the truth, but his friend had no hopes of dissuading anyone at that point, let alone one intent on killing them under the Pope's orders. "Enough with the games. Here begins the quelling of your heresy!"

His Cosmos peaked in that moment, and a red glow drew ever closer to his left hand. Eventually the outline of the round shield glowed the same hue, and the snakes slowly filled with energy, creeping towards the Medusa's face. Reminded of something, Hyoga hid the view with his own shield. "Shiryu, quick, cover the view of his shield! Do not look at it!" he warned.

His friend did as he was told. "What's the matter?" the other questioned.

"That is the head of the Medusa. When his Cosmos fuels it, the eyes should turn anyone who looks at it to stone," he explained.

"So this man is that dangerous…"

While Shiryu frowned, the enemy grinned, assured that at least some pain would come to the so-called traitors. "It takes a Perseus Saint years to master the usage of this shield, yet once perfected, it is the most fearsome tool in our goddess' inventory. Behold my true power!" exclaimed Argol.

His advance inspired care from the Bronze Saints now. Thankfully, the darkness of the night meant they could see the red aura shine on the leaves in the periphery of their eyes, rendering it possible to assume Perseus' position and orientation. With this they mostly evaded and kept a distance, while he had become the offending party, bouncing from tree trunk to tree trunk.

It became obvious that the obstacles in the forest served to Hyoga and Shiryu as a way to stare at Argol without staring at the Medusa. Since he was acquainted with the lakes nearby, he sought a bank that fell into one, where such obstacles would not be an issue. This was difficult to do while continuously baiting and herding the ones who escaped each and every time, no matter how close the call.

The forest became less dense as they moved, and the ground was steeper. It was impossible to find grip with the boots, as the intensity of their movements crumbled the dirt underneath. Seeing that a drop to one of the lakes approached, Cygnus took it to himself to stop Perseus from leading them, and attempted a surprise attack.

From behind, he heightened Cosmos and lifted an arm to congeal the enemy, although not only did he feel the limbs stiffened by past injuries, he also had to lower the defense in order to attack. This exposed his eyes to the Medusa's, who were pointed at him with a quick flick of Argol's torso.

The stiffening of the limbs that came were not due to the aconite's lingering effects; they were from that legendary curse, which turned him to stone from inside out. His arms were first petrified, then his legs, feet, his torso, and the painful sensation of all matter being converted to marble made him scream. That sound, too, was muffled as soon as the vocal cords received the same woe, and soon he, apart from the Cloth and clothes, had been mostly reduced to a statue.

"HYOGA!" Shiryu flew in with a speed unparalleled for him, slamming Perseus so hard he was sent skidding through the lake water below, then splashing into it. He was able to see a few remaining parts of his friend be taken by the curse, last expression being that of shock. "H-Hyoga." In his mind was the fear that such a state was permanent, but were that the case or not, he knew that body had to be guarded, and his foe had to be defeated at all costs. However, the logistics seemed unfeasible. "It's no use. If I keep my defending arm busy, I can't strike back safely."

The courage was yet in him to try, so he slid down the bank and entered the lake while a distant Perseus emerged and approached. The cloudy water was only deep enough to cover them up to the waist. No matter if he kept the shield up to protect himself, he understood that this was no longer a sustainable strategy.

"The tides have so quickly turned, have they not?" said Argol. "Your ally is gone, and without the coverage of the trees, surrounded by the water's reflection, there's little between you and these dreaded eyes. You have lost." At the water's mention, Shiryu came up with a last resort.

"That won't happen, Perseus."

"Be reasonable! A great fighter, good or evil, must admit when his struggle should come in vain."

"I can fathom yet another way to defeat you," Dragon said, therewith he lowered the arms, which brought an inquisitive expression from the enemy. With eyes closed, he took a handful of his long hair and impressively wrapped it around his face, covering the eyelids and the space around it, to tie in a tight knot to the side of the head.

Argol laughed, as he could not put faith in what he saw. "Do you seriously plan on fighting me blindfolded like that, Dragon?"

"In this situation, my sight is rather a weakness than a strength. I'll have to do without it."

"Hm. Like Cygnus, you truly are a brave man, the cream of the crop among Bronze Saints. It will be saddening to spill your blood." Even as they were, Perseus continued to concentrate Cosmos into the shield, so that if Shiryu took even an accidental glance of the Medusa, the battle would be over. Shiryu, in the other hand, amassed energy with a particular intent, one much more subtle than could be put into words.

Dragon had a vision of flowing water at the bottom of Rozan, and his teenage self had legs deep in that river, muscles and tattooed back exposed to the punishing sunlight. Blindfolded, the only one capable of seeing was Old Master, who watched from the shore with a large basket that nearly surpassed his diminutive height.

"The senses are both means to an end and crutches you rely on, Shiryu," said the old man. "Your vision is no different." Shiryu stood still, concentrating. The pristine water revealed fish who followed the stream, occasionally sewing betwixt his legs. "Take those eyes now as a bane. Suddenly the vices of a seeing man become redundant. You mustn't turn to look, because your ears can hear, your skin can feel, your nose can smell…"

Shiryu uttered a hushed grunt and reached into the stream to catch a fish, a failed attempt. Never minding the frustration, he lifted the hand back up and continued to sense whatever occurred about him.

Old Master shook his head negatively. "No. Sense the water flowing along your body. Listen to the details in the river's dash. You must perceive what you never did before, when you were stricken by sight." The next attempt was louder, faster, and somehow successful. He felt the fish's scales be gripped by his rough hands, then tightened them to hold it up to the sky, feeling it flap in hopes of escaping. "Very good." The apprentice carefully came to shore and put the fish in the basket, where some more flailed about. "Shiryu, there will come a day when all your senses are naught if not obstacles. Indeed, even your mind may present a trap of its own. By then, you must learn to transcend them, hone yourself with and without them."

"Yes, Old Master."

"Now continue. Shunrei should be getting impatient."

Back in the lake, in that precarious state faced with a terrible fighter, Dragon had to assure himself that he would return to his loved ones, and that he would keep Hyoga and Athena safe. "The lake's water is mostly still. I can feel the vibrations without effort," he noticed in thought, "and can hear most of his movements with ease. As long as I only attack when necessary, I can win this. I must win this."

Argol slid in and threw a strike, but Shiryu was able to dodge it, no longer having to turn the face to the fist. Then he rotated and sought to swipe him off his feet under the water, covering the view with a splash, but this was much simpler to jump over. In fact, he returned with a kick to the enemy's head, promptly defended by the Medusa Shield. With an energy-fueled palm strike, Perseus pressed on with the onslaught to no avail. He ended up far behind his opponent, and thought he had an opportunity in hands when he saw Dragon with the back turned.

Unfortunately for him, Shiryu evaded the next strike by little and proceeded with an elbow well shoved to the abdomen. Dragon found himself capable of sensing not just vibrations in the water, but changes in the air too. He grabbed Argol and threw him over a shoulder, so the Silver Saint stumbled to his feet and came back with another palm strike.

This was parried with Shiryu's shield arm, metal held fiercely against metal, through which he could feel every pressure in Perseus' movements and predict the next attack, which was effortlessly avoided. The counter was a violent strike to the face, bruising him and pushing him back into the water.

Coming up, Argol found it unbelievable that a Bronze Saint could hold up that well blindfolded. His temple and eye had been bruised in the affray, and he knew the shield would no longer be of aid while that man had eyes closed. "Fine! It's time to prove I have not only my shield to defeat you," he said. With a roar and another peak of his Cosmos, he pointed both palms straight down to the lake water. "GORGON TRAP!"

Shiryu felt the earth beneath shift in a vortex, and then his boots were pulled to it by what felt like thousands of ropes. "Huh?" He tried to escape, but his feet were so stuck they began burrowing into the lake's bottom, and his legs were covered with similar urgency. From the water's surface, narrow, long snakes grew and spiraled around his body, slithering with the head as a goal.

"Since you won't give the Medusa your eyes by choice, you will do it by force!"

"I can't… move…" At that point he had been nearly encased in snakes, and perhaps by some irony of fate, he was rendered immobile regardless of his efforts against the Medusa. Each tiny struggle he gave came with himself being buried deeper, and his body being squeezed harder. "If I can't escape this…" Fangs were buried deep at his face, through the hair, and this untied the knot partially as much as it nearly pried the eyelids open, blood oozing from the wounds. "AARGH!"

While the eyes of the Medusa shone as bright as before, Argol lifted it so that the first moment that sight was forced out of Shiryu, he would have no choice but to meet his doom. Those plans were thwarted by Dragon's choice to carefully yet swiftly push himself in with the snakes' pull, rising a level of Cosmos so immense that a green aura could be seen through the nebulous depths.

Perseus assumed this meant he would waste all strength into escaping the Gorgon Trap, so he grinned and planned a different fatal blow instead. With a great jump, he braced with the shield downwards and the other arm lifted. That green shine grew and grew, and so Argol's Cosmos exploded in the same direction, but the surface — which had shortly bubbled with Shiryu's dive — had now become calm, and it served as a perfect mirror to the nightly sky. This also meant the Medusa's eyes reflected straight up, and with a stare so intent on computing the right moment to strike, the Silver Saint fell for his own gimmick.

"W-what? I'm…" he babbled feeling all energy fail him, and no arm or leg moved any longer. For a brief second he realized and screamed, but his face had already turned halfway to stone.

Before the process had gone far enough, as this happened all quite briefly, the lake receded, and from within echoed a call: "ROZAN RISING DRAGON!" Shiryu ascended towards the moon and crashed through Argol's petrifying body, shattering it to smaller pieces. Organic cross-sections could be seen in the shards of stone, although some true flesh still seemed stuck to it; the parts of the Perseus Cloth, which perfectly survived the attack, were also thrown.

Lacking a living source to activate and maintain the shield's power, the head of the Medusa went dark, and so the bodies afflicted by the curse returned to their animated forms, Hyoga being passed out, but Argol completely mangled. The lake was coated vermilion with his blood.

When Dragon landed, he still had eyes closed, and paid attention to the sounds and vibrations to make sure no signs of life endured. It hurt to open his injured eyelids, yet once he did, he saw the extent of what had taken place, and saw that pieces of the Perseus Cloth began to sink. He understood then that another servant of Athena had been brutally killed by the Pope's lies.

Considerably earlier in the mansion, it had been not only Crux who invaded, but also another Silver Saint, Scutum, who intercepted June while she had been separated from the rest in the reception hall. The space was vast and open, if not for ottomans and coffee tables stored in the corners.

With the hanging lights still on, Chameleon preferred her more recent strategy, that of overloading the adversary with a barrage of whips and unexpected acrobatics, abusing the speed she had and he lacked, all with measured use of the Cosmos. Putting great effort, however, the enemy defended each single action thrown his way.

Scutum carried a shield unlike any other, an oblong, octagonal collection of plates, and a contrasting half sphere as its center, the metal there being of a golden hue despite the material. It was crowned with a polished, red gem, imitating the red stain of the rest of the Cloth, which was just as thick and heavy, mostly composed of hard angles, enough to cover nearly the majority of his pale body.

The Saint himself was of average height, having black hair nearly as long as Shiryu's, yet cut uniformly at the tips. Under the ornate circlet he wore he had shorter bundles of hair that often fell on his pale blue eyes and bushy, arched eyebrows.

The man growled and attempted to slam that pesky amazon afar, but she twisted in the air and landed out of reach, whipping the floor to properly measure their distance. He was almost out of breath at that point. "Crux is right… you do fight at our level," he admitted, but Chameleon ignored the words and came forward to throw flick after flick, each defended. "What would… make you… betray Sanctuary?"

June yelled and swept with the whip from the side, something the other Saint easily blocked by lifting the shield above his head. "I'm always on Lady Athena's side!" she told.

"Then what's the point of trying to…" Thanks to Shaina's repeat of their former tactic, the lights became faint and oscillated, dipping much of the hall in darkness and interrupting the next question.

"Oh, Shaina… that's perfect," Chameleon mumbled, and when Scutum searched through pitch-black to meet her outline, she was no longer there, as Seiya had done to Crux and Orion. Crypsis, however, meant he was unlikely to find her without greater focus.

The sound of glass breaking from the living room as Seiya and Shaina attacked made it harder for the Silver Saint to listen to June's steps, and the carpet only muffled their feathery touch more. He flinched in one direction once the whip struck his foot, then it came from the opposite side, hitting the edge of his forehead.

"Where is she?" he whispered and shut his eyes, paying heed to each thump echoing nearby. The constant attacks were distractions, ways June used to conceal the sounds capable of exposing her position, and he learned that rather quickly. In fact, when the actual giveaway came to mind, he foretold whence she came and perfectly parried a whip. Chameleon jumped in with Cosmos and he raised his own, seeing her through the camouflage. Holding a hand behind the octagonal shield, which was then placed in front of the torso, he shouted: "NULL HORIZON!"

All particles of light in a particular sphere around him became trapped in a point, a phenomenon that generated a fleeting bright flash. Because he calculated it such that this sphere coincided with June's proximity, she was attracted to the region and instantaneously launched back as said horizon dissipated.

Her sliding uncontrollably on the carpet was seen by Scutum as a prime opportunity. Comparatively slow as he was, he charged at her with a jump. Upon him descending, she eluded the assault by spreading her legs and allowing the stomp to dent the foundation through the covering. June therefore revolved her feet and gave a desperate, weak kick to the Silver Saint's face, flipping back up and riffling the whip towards him. She missed, as he had already pulled back to safety.

They suddenly were interrupted by the noise of metal chains dropping not too far from where they stood. Both turned partially sideways, not letting each other's view betray them, despite the lamps' continuous failure. Those they met were Shun and a still tied up Musca Dio.

"Ow! Hey, I'm not a toy, you know? Don't go throwing me around like I'm made of plastic!" the latter complained.

"D-Dio?" Scutum asked in utter shock. He truly believed every member of the squads before them to be dead.

Musca turned to the other, squinting his eyes. "I can barely see anything. Who's that?"

"It's me, Jan!"

"Jan, you gotta get me out of this one! These guys took me hostage, and they have two amazons that have been torturing me and starving me, and I can't use the bathroom without this guy following me around, and…"

Shun readied the other end of the Andromeda Chain and took the initiative to interrupt those endless rants: "Please, Jan, do not force us to fight."

Jan swung an arm in disbelief. "How can you expect me to trust you?" he exclaimed. "You're known as traitors in Sanctuary, and you have murdered my friends and colleagues. I have no sympathy for those who use Sainthood with ill motives!"

As they continued to debate, June approached Shun with a thought rolling in her mind, that being of what Ophiuchus would do in her place. Her friend continued: "We only killed them because they gave us no choice! We never wanted to kill anyone, let alone another Saint! In fact, look…" he stopped to gesture at the prisoner "… Dio is alive. This was my doing, and Lady Athena also agreed to take him as prisoner."

"Do not utter our Lady's name with your maculate lips, apostate!"

Before they pressed on, Dio moaned as soon as he felt a boot press his head harshly against the carpet, its owner's Cosmos burning furiously. It was Chameleon, who followed that with menacing whipping of the floor. Jan stared with shock, whereas Andromeda looked on with fear and worry. "I'm done with this!" she said. "Either you give up now, or this guy is dead."

"June! What do you think you're doing?" Shun asked in a hushed tone.

"You cruel, bloodthirsty harpy!" Jan yelled with a snarl, deepening his hatred for those Bronze Saints. "To dare use my ally's life against me…"

"Ah, see? That's what I'm talking about, Jan! And Shaina's even… AGH!" Dio's rambling felt the seriousness of June's intent, seeing how much harder she pressed, and it was as if his skull came close to cracking. Tears pooled in his eyes from the pain.

Andromeda tried to reason with her: "You're going too far, June!"

It was of no use. "If I'm bloodthirsty like you say, why would I be negotiating, huh? I would've smashed his brains right here, right now!" she said, whipping sharply yet again. "I want to avoid bloodshed as much as anyone, but these are my terms. Take off your Cloth, and the two of you live; insist on fighting, and he will be the first one to die."

Jan grunted and kept on staring in anger. He felt a weight in his shoulders, believing that the girl he just fought had a heart too cold to not do as she claimed. Shun, in the other hand, found her unrecognizable, and worried for everyone's fate; to him, every life in that hall was precious, a feeling his old friend didn't seem to share.