Saint Seiya: Heretic Athena?

In the spirit world, there is no distinction between yin and yang, day or night. In the eternal garden.

The Lapis Lazuli-Eyed Princess carried an oil lamp that radiated a soft halo, strolling through the garden that belonged to her. Ever since coming to this Far Eastern island a thousand years ago and becoming the ancestor of the Hime-Miko here, she had resided in this place, watching this country grow, which had gradually soothed her past sorrows.

But for some reason, her heart was suddenly pounding. For a Hime-Miko, for a Divine Ancestor, a premonition that comes on a whim was something to be taken seriously.

Was it about Shenshi, Susanoo, and Tenkai Sōjō? Or was it related to that mysterious deity?

For some reason, the Lapis Lazuli-Eyed Princess suddenly thought of the Saint she had observed from afar through her spirit vision during the day. Could this uneasiness in her heart be related to him? Soon, she dismissed her own conjecture. Because three years of observation had allowed her to be absolutely certain that he was a Saint who took it upon himself to protect the Earth and humanity.

In other words... just then, a fierce wind suddenly blew through the garden. The lit candles inside the house were all extinguished, and the deep, secluded garden was instantly plunged into darkness. A black shadow circled on a branch, its bright eyes shining with a sharp light in the night.

The Lapis Lazuli-Eyed Princess raised a ball of moonlight from her palm, illuminating the darkness before her. She saw a collared scops owl flapping its wings and flying into the sky.

"Oh, it was just an owl," the Lapis Lazuli-Eyed Princess said, patting her chest.

Owls and crows were common birds in the spirit world. They were spiritual beasts closely connected to the night. Occasionally, they would cross the space between the spirit world and the mortal world, appearing anywhere they possibly could in the spirit world.

The moonlight was like a curtain, gently falling upon the youth through the thin mist.

The sleeping Saint, as if sensing something, opened his eyes. His nostrils were filled with the pleasant scents of violet and thyme. He tried to lift his head but was held from behind by a pair of gentle arms.

"Athena, when did you arrive?" Seiya tried to get up, but she gently wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.

He felt a little shy, but he obediently rested his head in the white-robed girl's embrace. The girl gently stroked the stubborn ends of Seiya's hair, smoothing them down with her hand.

This was not Bunkyo ward. It was a garden on a high mountain.

From here, looking east, one could see the brightly lit metropolis of Tokyo in the distance. The dense lights formed a grid-like network. The golden lines stretched from Suginami towards the city streets of Mitaka and Hachiōji. In the distance were the Okutama Mountains. And even deeper, a steep peak that pierced through the sea of clouds—that was Mount Fuji.

"Because you needed this humble one, so I appeared before you." Athena looked into the youth's eyes in her embrace. "A divine aura related to me permeates this city. She has hidden herself well, but she still cannot deceive my wisdom."

"I knew Athena was the greatest."

Athena revealed a smile like the night wind. "Her power ranks among the lowest of the twelve Olympian gods, but if given sufficient time and preparation, she can erupt with a terrifying power that would make even the gods turn their heads. But in essence, she is still an inferior sort who plots behind the scenes and shoots arrows from the dark. Just like the ruler behind this country."

Seiya hesitated slightly. "Are you referring to Susanoo, or the Official History Compilation Committee?"

Athena did not answer his question directly, but instead gazed gently into Seiya's eyes. Probably everyone who met Seiya for the first time would notice his eyes. His dark pupils were deeper than an ordinary person's, so black there were no impurities. To gaze into his eyes was like gazing into a night without stars or a moon.

Athena's palm gently caressed Seiya's forehead. "Because my Pegasus is a kind child. This is what worries me most about you. You are indestructible divine steel, a god-slaying beast that roars at the world. But you have not dabbled much in the darkness of this world."

A so-called God-slaying Rakshasa—when he is angry, the world should tremble. When he laughs heartily, all of creation should celebrate with him. More unrestrained than any hero, more noble than any god. But it's alright. Until you become a Saint that makes even the gods submit, this humble one will be with you.

As for those worthless dregs, let them become the stepping stones on Pegasus's path forward.

Athena raised her slender right hand, and a collared scops owl from the night sky landed on her forearm. The majesty of the goddess of war was something Seiya could not see. In his eyes, Athena was a woman who could become his mother. She softly hummed an ancient melody, and Seiya, in her embrace, closed his eyes once more.

When he opened them again, the night had passed and day had broken.

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Chiyoda Ward, Nagatachō. The Prime Minister's Official Residence.

A banquet was being held in the political center of this country, within the official residence of the Prime Minister of Japan. Perhaps this was the Onmyo Agency's attempt to prove to that Saint that they were now the true masters of this country. As an attendant, the miko Ena Seishuin had also come to this banquet hall. Here, she saw her grandmother, Ran Seishuin, and even the figure of the leader of the Kufatsuka family, Kufatsuka Mikihiko.

Looking at the man who raised his glass and nodded at her, Ena Seishuin's eyes narrowed.

Even the Kufatsuka family has been controlled by that goddess? If not for Seiya, she couldn't see how the Official History Compilation Committee could possibly win.

"But you are mistaken. It is not that the Kufatsuka family was controlled by our Lord, but that we could only believe in our Lord," her grandmother, Ran Seishuin, said softly beside her.

For the truly honored guest, the Saint Seiya, they had a different procedure.

From the greeting before the door was opened, to the tour of the office center and the government affairs processing center, from the politicians of the political world to the great figures of the hidden world, every single person, according to their status, paid their respects to this young God-slaying Rakshasa in succession. The Onmyo Agency seemed to be using every trick up its sleeve to prove to the Saint that they were more suitable to rule this country than the Official History Compilation Committee.

"You're showing me all this just so I'll accept their prostrations?" Seiya asked, looking with great interest at the miko beside him, who was dressed in a white kosode top and a crimson pleated skirt.

Her name was Mariya Yuri. A miko of the Shichio Shrine, a high-ranking Hime-Miko of Musashino... only a Hime-Miko of this level was qualified to guide a God-slaying Rakshasa. At least, that's what Ena Seishuin had said.

Mariya Yuri was also a good friend of Ena Seishuin. It was precisely because of this that she had agreed to let the other temporarily accompany the King.

"Because we are different from the corrupt Official History Compilation Committee. We truly want to change this country. We want you to replace the senile Old Gentleman and become the king of this country." The young high-ranking Hime-Miko of Musashino smiled. It was a bewitching smile completely different from the demeanor of a Yamato Nadeshiko, like that of a poisonous flower of the south.

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