Chapter 49: SS 49: Fierce Battle
"Boom!"
Three figures collided fiercely at the foot of the Sanctuary, golden and dark purple light weaving a web of destruction.
Aldebaran threw a punch, aiming to restrain Eacos with raw power.
Getgard seized the moment, darting forward.
But Eacos caught his fist with one hand, the other clamping onto Getgard's throat.
"Too slow."
Eacos grinned wickedly, his fingers tightening.
Getgard's pupils shrank, the neckpiece of his Golden Cloth creaking under the strain.
Starlight Extinction!
At the critical moment, Getgard ignited his cosmos, countless stars bursting from his palm.
Eacos was forced to release him and retreat.
Aldebaran seized the opportunity, clasping his hands, unleashing Great Horn again.
Bang!
Eacos took the full hit, fine cracks appearing in his Surplice.
He crashed into the ground, leaving a ten-meter-wide crater.
"Damn it!"
Eacos erupted in rage.
His wings vibrated, the Garuda, king of the skies, unleashing unimaginable speed.
Aldebaran and Getgard only saw a blur before excruciating pain hit their abdomen and face.
They were sent flying.
"That's all you've got?"
Eacos shook his wrist.
"This generation's Golden Saints aren't as strong as we thought."
Getgard wiped blood from his forehead, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Aldebaran.
They exchanged a look, pushing their cosmos to the limit.
Golden light surged skyward, forming projections of Aries and Taurus in the night sky.
"Constellation Resonance?!"
"Cosmos Stacking?"
Eacos' expression finally turned serious.
"Take this!"
"Zodiac Beam!"
Two golden pillars spiraled together, shattering the ground in their path.
Eacos spread his black wings, soaring upward, but the beams curved to pursue him.
He crossed his arms to block, his Surplice peeling under the impact.
"Interesting!"
"But far from enough!"
He stabilized himself midair, blood seeping from his lips.
"Indra's Heavenly Strike!"
Countless feathers materialized in the sky.
They turned into blazing flames, clashing with the Zodiac Beam.
The sky warped instantly, the two forces canceling each other out.
With a flap of his wings, Eacos vanished again.
"High-speed movement!"
Getgard hurriedly raised a Crystal Wall, but Eacos broke through, his knee slamming into Getgard's abdomen.
"Pfft!"
Getgard spat blood, his body folding, his expression contorted in pain.
"Getgard!"
Aldebaran's eyes blazed with fury, his muscles bulging.
"Titan's Nova!"
The ground was upheaved, crashing toward Eacos like a meteor, sending him flying hundreds of meters.
But before Aldebaran could catch his breath, a cold voice came from behind: "Too naive."
Eacos had somehow appeared behind him, his right hand glowing with terrifying purple energy.
"Cosmic Illusion!"
A destructive spatial wave engulfed Aldebaran, his Golden Cloth screeching as it cracked.
"Aaahhh!!!"
Aldebaran's body visibly twisted under Eacos' spatial manipulation.
"Don't ignore me!"
Getgard, enduring the pain, clasped his hands.
"Stardust Revolution!"
Countless starlight blades surged from all directions toward Eacos.
This attack finally landed, shattering large sections of Eacos' Surplice and leaving dozens of wounds.
Cosmic Illusion collapsed.
Aldebaran's body was flung free.
His Golden Cloth was broken, blood coating his body.
His limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, clearly unable to fight further.
"You've… thoroughly pissed me off!"
Eacos, drenched in blood, spread his tattered black wings fully.
His right eye was already blind, but his Cosmo burned fiercer than ever, reaching an unimaginable peak.
"Garuda Flap!"
The heavens and earth shifted abruptly, countless black feathers slicing through like razor-sharp blades.
Gadgard's hastily erected Crystal Wall shattered instantly.
With no other choice, Gadgard threw himself in front of Aldebaran, his Gold Cloth gashed with dozens of wounds in a heartbeat.
"Puh!"
Gadgard spat blood, collapsing to one knee on the ground.
Aiacos, dragging his broken body forward, approached, the Garuda's fire in his hand simmering with menace. "Farewell, Gold Saints."
At that critical moment, a golden light descended from the sky.
"Clang!"
A golden halberd landed before Aiacos.
"Who?"
Aiacos glared upward, fury in his eyes.
Outside the Aries Temple, Kaiser slowly lowered his hand, the one that had thrown the weapon, his gaze glinting with icy resolve.
"Two against one, and you're beaten this badly."
"You're a disgrace."
"Gadgard, Aldebaran."
"You should reflect on what the teacher actually taught you."
Kaiser's form flickered, and he stood before them in an instant.
"I thought I wouldn't need to step in."
"I didn't expect the Three Judges of the Underworld to be this strong."
"One overpowering two Gold Saints."
Kaiser yanked the halberd from the ground.
Aiacos bared a savage grin. "Finally, a worthy opponent."
"We'll meet again."
"Aiacos."
"Athena's sacred coffin hasn't fully opened."
"Your immortality remains unsealed."
Kaiser withdrew the halberd.
"Pity I couldn't kill these two failures."
Aiacos glanced at Gadgard and Aldebaran behind Kaiser, his voice tinged with disappointment.
But he knew his chance was gone.
Kaiser was strong... stronger than him, perhaps, a top-tier warrior he could sense was no less formidable.
"I hope next time we clash."
"we're both at our peak."
"I will kill you."
Aiacos' eyes burned with brutality.
And rage.
"Anytime."
The words fell.
Both moved simultaneously.
Their speed was so blinding that Gadgard, half-kneeling, could barely follow.
In mere seconds, Aiacos' body was hurled backward.
The golden halberd followed.
"Ah!"
The halberd, brimming with surging Cosmo, struck.
"Boom!"
Aiacos stared at the weapon piercing his body, his gaze dimming.
Aiacos, one of the Three Judges of the Underworld, was pinned to the earth by Kaiser.
His soul returned to the Underworld.
"We won…"
Gadgard, unable to hold on, slumped to the ground.
"Get Aldebaran to treatment first."
"I'm fine."
Gadgard looked at the unconscious Aldebaran, bitterness in his mouth.
He had always held himself in high esteem.
A Gold Saint, unmatched in strength.
Yet he'd been defeated time and again.
He was starting to doubt himself.
***
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