"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
Moen charged forward with his fist, his figure surging like a winged Pegasus!
In that instant, he seemed to clearly see the star map in the sky—Pegasus and Equuleus (the Little Horse). Equuleus revealed a bright horse's head, while Pegasus flickered faintly.
The power of the stars was drawn down, wrapping tightly around Moen's body, forming a visible layer of glowing blue light.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Moen roared, pure and boundless magic flooding through his body, clinging to his flesh, filling him with an almost unbearable fullness, as though he had endless power demanding release.
"Boom!"
Under the surge of violent magic, his fists blasted out, shadows overlapping like ten thousand galloping horses.
With the combined power of both constellations, this move—Pegasus Meteor Fist—finally resembled the true technique. Compared to when he fought Natsu, its strength had multiplied countless times!
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Gildarts didn't dodge or retreat. He raised his arms to shield himself, releasing his magic, and forcibly endured Moen's full-powered strike.
Though still standing firmly, his body was pushed back step by step, his legs plowing two deep trenches into the ground.
"Huff… huff…"
Moen gasped for breath. Looking at his fists, he could hardly believe that the blow just now had come from him.
Yet at this very moment, no matter how he tried, he could no longer find that same feeling. That faint connection had already vanished.
But Moen had an intuition—this was the right path! This was what it should feel like!
In that instant, he felt he had finally brushed against the "Cosmos."
Of course, it was only an illusion. That punch might have carried a trace of a Saint's destructive aura, but it hadn't touched the essence.
The reason Saints could rend the earth and shatter stars was that they burned their inner Cosmos, destroying matter on the atomic level—not relying on mere brute force. The difference was like that between Seiya and Cassios.
This strange experience made Moen realize something—his synchronization with the Cloth was still far too low.
For now, he had only unlocked some of its basic functions. The Cloth still hid other abilities awaiting release, and the condition to unlock them was exactly this: establishing connections with the constellations above, just like he had earlier.
"Ha! You brat! What the hell kind of magic is that?!"
The man who had been blasted back—Gildarts—strode forward again, his face full of shock and curiosity as he questioned Moen.
The arms that had taken Moen's strike were now hidden beneath his wide cloak, looking as though they weren't badly injured.
"Celestial Spirit Magic."
Moen reflexively blurted out.
"Bullshit! You call that Celestial Spirit Magic?!"
Gildarts bared his teeth, lifting his leg as if to kick Moen.
Moen grinned, dodging away. This time, he didn't sense that same murderous intent.
"You think I don't know what Celestial Spirit Magic is, kid?"
Gildarts laughed. What Moen had used was clearly not Celestial Spirit Magic. That was a summoning magic of the Holder type, and even the "Twelve Zodiac Spirits" couldn't release such power. His arms still faintly ached from blocking it.
But before throwing his fist, Moen had indeed drawn a star map and he truly seemed to have connected with the stars in the heavens.
Having delved into the way of magic for many years, Gildarts's perception of magic waves was razor sharp. He had clearly sensed the anomaly in Moen's body just now. That pure, untainted power had come from beyond the heavens. This boy… could actually draw on the magic of the stars themselves!
Magic existed within the human body, but also within all things in the world. Naturally, even the distant celestial bodies beyond the sky contained magic!
This kid… he really is a prodigy.
Gildarts secretly clicked his tongue. Moen had only just turned twelve years old! Thinking back, Gildarts himself had never possessed such strength at twelve.
But Moen had no time to care about Gildarts's astonishment.
Because he had just discovered a surprise—during the battle, he had unknowingly triggered a quest.
Clearly, while he had been fully focused on fighting, the [Saint Seiya System] had thoughtfully switched into background mode. The quest hadn't popped up mid-fight but had instead settled only once the battle ended.
[Quest Name: "The Strongest Man!"]
Quest Objective:
Gildarts! Fairy Tail's Ultimate Destruction King! The undefeated legend! The ceiling of an S-Class Mage! An unprecedentedly powerful foe!
Defeat him! Gain his recognition!
Quest Progress: Completed.
Quest Reward: One Royal Demon Palace Rose.
Claim Reward?
The moment Moen saw the reward, his eyes widened in shock.
The Royal Demon Palace Rose—the signature technique of Pisces Gold Saint Aphrodite! A crimson rose imbued with deadly poison.
Once infused with Cosmos, the Royal Demon Palace Rose could be used for physical attacks, with power great enough to pierce through a Cloth itself.
Although Moen had yet to truly comprehend the Cosmos, he could still substitute with magic, infusing it to wield the rose.
As a poisonous weapon, its toxin was extremely lethal. With even the slightest prick of its thorns or a breath of its pollen, enemies would lose all five senses, their bodily functions rapidly deteriorating, and they would slip away into death without even the pain of struggle.
In addition, the petals of the rose could even serve to cloak its presence, giving it a hidden edge.
The Royal Demon Palace Rose had many uses and outstanding effects. The only issue—there was just one of them.
Still, the quest itself had not been particularly difficult. Strictly speaking, it hadn't even required defeating Gildarts—only pushing him back and earning his acknowledgment. With that in mind, the reward being limited in number was understandable.
Moen claimed the reward. The Royal Demon Palace Rose was instantly stored into the System's inventory space. The benefit of that was obvious: the rose would never wither as long as it remained there.
Another weapon added to my arsenal. If I use it at the right moment, this rose could make killing simple. Even a powerful opponent might fall for it without realizing.
"Moen, what are you spacing out for? You still want to learn Crush or not?"
Gildarts waved his hand in front of Moen's eyes, speaking with his usual gruffness. His arms, hidden beneath his cloak earlier, had already begun to recover to normal.
"Of course I want to!"
Moen responded without hesitation. This was of utmost importance to him!
Gildarts's ultimate destruction magic—Crush. In Moen's eyes, it was the key, the very doorway that might help him understand and ignite his Cosmos.
The principle of Crush was simple yet terrifying—using magic to instantly shatter the atomic bonds of anything it touched, breaking them down into fragments.
One could say that before this magic, all things in the world were fragile and powerless!
This level of atomic-scale manipulation was exactly what Moen longed for.
But Crush itself was extremely difficult to learn, and Moen couldn't actually wield magic outside of what the System provided. Strictly speaking, he wasn't truly learning it—he was seeking enlightenment, comprehension. He wanted to use this magic as a bridge to understanding the Cosmos.
Gildarts fell silent. Stroking the stubble on his chin, an idea suddenly struck him.
"How about I just let you feel the effect of this magic directly on yourself?"
"???"
Moen froze, his face filled with disbelief. He began to seriously wonder if that punch he'd landed earlier… had been too heavy. Was Uncle Gildarts holding a grudge now?
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