Chapter 190: Pegasus and Poseidon (Patreon)

He learned the Aurora Execution of the Aquarius House in a single use, and just as he had modified the Stardust Revolution in the Aries House, he reformed it into a fighting technique perfectly suited for himself. This was the result of his "Enlightened One" trait from the Victorious Fighting Buddha Authority, granting him a prodigious talent comparable to that of the little lion, Regulus.

Seiya stepped forward slowly. Neither the dragon-like pride of Siegfried nor the hungry wolf overflowing with the people's hatred could sway his resolve in the slightest.

his thoughts.

Siegfried tried to raise his arm, but his limbs were completely frozen as if fixed in place. Even the flow of his thoughts solidified at this moment.

"Saint Seiya...!" Siegfried uttered his name one last time.

No matter what hatred he harbored, it couldn't make Seiya even glance his way. Yet, at the same time, this seemingly terrifying ice technique could not shake the palace before them in the least.

To be precise, it was the domain enveloped by Hilda's Cosmo.

Neither the absolute zero that froze time itself nor Seiya's fighting aura could move the woman before him. It was as if an invisible defense enveloped her entire body.

Ripples like black ocean waves spread out from the Polaris Palace, and the God Warriors whose thoughts had been on the verge of stopping finally regained their vitality. Hilda, whose God-level Cosmo was a tier above Seiya's, used the wind and snow as a medium to break Seiya's absolute assault.

Two completely different auras collided in the air. The mutually canceling force in the middle distorted the atmosphere, turning the gloomy gray sky briefly clear.

This was no longer a stage where ordinary Saints and God Warriors could intervene. The moment Hilda made her move against the Saints, the war escalated to a higher level.

Only when the queen, holding a black trident, revealed herself from within the Polaris Palace did Seiya slowly speak.

"This was meant to be a battle between warriors. Why did you have to interfere?" Seiya sighed.

Seiya spoke these words from the heart. In his view, the challenge from the God Warriors of Northern Europe was the lightest trial in any Holy War. For the current group of Saints who needed to grow, it was a good thing. To be tempered in battle, on the brink of life and death, was crucial for a Saint's power to increase.

"That is not a question you are in a position to ask." Wielding the black trident, Hilda looked down from above at Saint Seiya approaching from below.

She should have been confronting Saori Kido's Cosmo through the melting of the glaciers. And yet, the Hilda before him had a rosy complexion and an even more imposing aura than before as she faced him.

Could Hilda's Cosmo truly surpass Saori Kido's?

That was impossible. Even if Saori Kido's Cosmo had only recently awakened, it was still that of a first-class God's Cosmo.

And while Hilda was the representative of the Norse gods, the embodiment of their will, the original, benevolent Hilda might not be ruled out from having a God-level Cosmo, but at best, she would be on the level of a lesser god. How could she possibly launch an attack on him while simultaneously confronting Saori Kido?

Vaguely, Seiya saw a figure behind Hilda, also holding a trident.

Another top-tier god besides Athena and Hades: Poseidon, the Sea Emperor.

But Hilda was completely unaware, believing this was proof that she far surpassed Saori Kido and was destined to become the ruler of the earth. The curse of the gods flowed from the ring finger of her left hand and enveloped her, wildly amplifying her aura.

"Seiya, I knew you would come to me." Hilda revealed a smile amidst the wind and rain.

"Or perhaps... have you come to defy my will once again?" Her smile vanished, leaving only a coldness like ten-thousand-year-old ice. "Let me use my great Authority to force your soul to kneel before me!"

The great Authority of the gods pressed down on this space, like the wrath of the gods swaying between heaven and earth, creating a curtain of light like an aurora. Hilda's Cosmo enveloped the Polaris Palace. At her level, there was no need to study any fighting techniques; she only needed to press her own anger down upon her opponent's head to force them into death. In this world, there was truly no existence that could defy her will.

The ear-piercing sound of creaking bones rose and fell. The Saints struggled to support themselves on their knees and arms, as if bowing to a god descending from the heavens. Even as their neck bones made sickening cracking sounds, they still held their heads high.

The laws of physics were forcibly changed. Every Saint felt a will that transcended physical rules pressing down on their very bones. No one could stand, except for the God Warriors and Seiya. The same absolute zero coldness as before assaulted them, only now the tables had turned.

Hilda looked down. Facing the Saints who were still trying to stand up under her oppressive might, she showed no trace of pity. Her eyes were only for Seiya, the gray of her pupils flowing with the color of the deep sea.

"Come! Will you be my God Warrior, or will you follow Athena and die here in battle!" Hilda shouted, slowly delivering her proclamation.

Seiya let out a long breath, forming a chakra mudra with his hands. A power of almost the same caliber unfolded, creating a pure land of his own.

Their previous suspicions were now completely confirmed. The Saints looked at the golden light covering their bodies, and at Seiya confronting Hilda in the sky. He was an existence on the level of a god.

"Sister! Sister! Sister!" From behind the pure land, a voice called out from within the blizzard.

Hilda's face, overflowing with malice, showed a rare sign of thawing. Below, the God Warrior Hagen grew even more agitated. "Freya! Is that you, Freya! Are you over there? Were you captured by those evil Saints? I'll save you now!"

And the delicate figure revealed in the snowstorm was indeed Hilda's sister, Freya.

But after a brief moment of shock, an even more ferocious killing intent appeared on Hilda's face. "You dare try to control my sister to force me to compromise? Athena!"

Freya clasped her hands to her chest and shouted to her sister above, "Wake up, Sister!"

Though she was a fragile mortal, her voice, under the protection of Seiya's power, was clearly transmitted to Hilda's ears.

"Do you really want to rule the world? Do you remember what you told me when we were little? That the power given to us by the great gods was meant to protect the weak! But what you're doing now is destroying the most beautiful vision we once shared!"

"Oh, my naive sister. My vision has never changed. The strong must protect the weak, and to do that, they must first rule this world, to shield them from the harm of others!" Hilda gripped the black trident, her sharp gaze sweeping towards the distance. "This filthy world, corrupted by Athena, is better off torn down and rebuilt into a new world of innocence and kindness!"

Rampant black divine power erupted from the trident in Hilda's hand, launching a fierce assault on Seiya's pure land.

"Looks like talking is useless. Time to move on to what I do best." Seiya spread his hands, tracing the trajectory of the stars across his chest.

The God Robe Verethragna instantly equipped itself. Leaping out of the pure land, the explosive power of his Eighth Sense pushed his fighting strength to its absolute limit. He became a golden meteor, arriving before Hilda like a raging dragon ascending from the earth to the heavens, letting out a deafening roar.

The Saints followed Seiya, advancing towards the Polaris Palace. Their opponents were the God Warriors ahead.

Hilda held the ominous black trident horizontally in the air, and Seiya's Rozan Rising Dragon Punch struck squarely before her.

Fighting at such close range, the scattered fragments of light illuminated both their faces. Hilda's ice-like visage radiated a bone-chilling cold, while Seiya shone like a radiant god.

In normal human society, the Graad Foundation, the largest conglomerate in all of Asia, was an unshakable corporate giant in East Asia. It was rumored to be a behemoth that even nations couldn't control.

However, on a global scale, there were powers that could rival, or even surpass it. That was the family of the Greek shipping magnate, Solo—the current richest family in the world.

Today, the Andron estate on the Attica peninsula in Greece was bustling with people, for this was the succession ceremony for the head of the Solo family.

Rumor had it the new head was a young man of only sixteen. Julian Solo was just such a legendary figure. From the moment of his birth, his extraordinary destiny was set. There were rumors that he was destined to become the king of the world.

At this moment, the young family head stood on the estate's terrace, gazing north. For just an instant, his originally pure black eyes took on a color akin to the sky and the sea.

"So it's still not enough? Interesting. I'd like to see just how far you can push things. If you can drag the world directly into the sea, then I might have something to look forward to."

As a handmaiden approached from behind, Julian's eyes returned to their jet-black color.

But on the battlefield in Northern Europe, the power levels were constantly escalating.

This was a battlefield of gods. The clashing of their immense powers created a cataclysmic scene. To even look at it would sting the eyes to the point of tears; every one of their blows carried the brilliance of the stars. Even though Hilda had no fighting techniques, the ever-increasing power of her Cosmo still exerted terrifying pressure.

And below, dragon and tiger roared at each other. Siegfried swung his imposing Odin Sword, just as Aldebaran of Taurus's Great Horn descended from the heavens.

The recovered Syd the Black Tiger targeted Phoenix Ikki up ahead, he smiled cruelly and revealed his fangs, "An Athena's Bronze Saint is also worth killing!"

Ikki's expression was cold, but the wings behind him unfurled, unleashing a ferocious Phoenix Wings Rise.

Whether Saint or God Warrior, all were fighters tempered through countless battles. The God Warriors had to defend the Polaris Palace for Hilda, and the Saints had to break through. There was no room for compromise between them, they could only aim for each other's vital points and fight to the death.

High in the sky, amidst the swaying green aurora, Hilda roared, "And you still say you're not a God Warrior! That armor you wear is proof!"

"Even if I were a God Warrior, it would have nothing to do with you," Seiya sneered, wings suddenly spreading behind him. "Judgment is permitted!"

Phoenix Ikki suddenly looked up at the sky, not even caring that he was struck by Syd the Black Tiger. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. In the sky above, a giant phoenix flapped its wings, and the massive fireball spinning between them was like a new sun.

But it was still meaningless, because Hilda's constantly strengthening Cosmo was protecting her life. Just as she approached Seiya with her trident, the Golden Sword pierced straight through her chest.

"I am the ever-victorious and undefeated! Let the wicked fear me! I hereby declare that nothing shall exist which cannot be severed—!"

All of his techniques from the very beginning had been a feint, all to empower the Golden Sword with a special attack that could break through divine defenses. However, Hilda completely ignored her own injuries, grabbing Seiya's arms with a crazed expression. Her rampant Cosmo, wrapped in the power of the gods, completely enveloped both Seiya and herself.

"Even in defeat, I will not let Athena have it easy! You are my God Warrior, and you will be mine even in death!"

A vortex of flame and wind erupted.

Like the Pegasus Rolling Crush, the two intertwined figures plummeted from the sky, smashing through the Polaris Palace, passing the altar, and shooting past the Odin Statue that was heavily guarded by the God Warriors, falling into a boundless abyss.

They collided continuously, falling to the very bottom of that abyss, yet Seiya still did not release the Golden Sword in his hand.

It wasn't that Seiya insisted on killing Hilda, nor that he didn't want to let go. A special force compelled him to remain connected to her in this way, allowing a profound divine power to flow into his body.

"This is... the power of Poseidon, the Sea Emperor?!" Seiya realized.

The one who had secretly manipulated the waves to sweep Hilda away several days ago and placed the Nibelungen Ring on her was Poseidon, and the one who had continuously empowered her to fight against Athena was also Poseidon.

As Seiya's Golden Sword pierced her, it severed her destiny. Hilda's face alternated between malice and pain as two different consciousnesses fought within the queen's body. At the same time, a portion of Poseidon's power flowed into his own body through the connection.

There was no discomfort. The conversion was surprisingly easy, becoming a divinity he could control.

It was the Divine Pegasus. He had deconstructed the myth of Pegasus countless times, but in the most widespread version, Pegasus was the son of Poseidon.

Although born through a humiliating act, Poseidon's power was something Seiya could easily master. But it was only one percent; the vast majority returned to the distant Poseidon.

I can't let this evil power return to Poseidon! How can I keep it here?

At that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed Seiya's sleeve. "Kill me, Seiya! I must die for my sins... Quickly, I don't want to be taken by the darkness..."

"No, save me! I can stop the glaciers from melting!" Another hand suddenly grabbed Seiya's wrist—it was the cry of the evil Hilda.

Hilda kept switching between the two different personalities, her face malicious one moment, twisted the next, then pained, then regretful... But as Seiya grasped both her hands, he said, "Your sins are still yours to atone for. Your life is mine now, but... as for the method of saving you, I don't know if you can accept it..."

"Anything!" Both personalities spoke the words in unison.