The morning light of Sanctuary filtered through the stained glass, gently falling upon the pristine white bed.
Saori Kido slowly opened her eyes; a hint of confusion flickered in her violet pupils, immediately replaced by the icy memories of Atlantis's deep sea.
Poseidon's oppressive aura, the despair of being trapped in the Life Pillar, and the extreme cold that nearly froze her soul.
She instinctively curled her fingers, and only when her fingertips touched the soft sheets did she vaguely return to her senses.
"Is this Sanctuary? How did I get back to Sanctuary...?"
In fragmented memories, before she fainted, she seemed to have a faint thought of seeking help, and the object of her plea was actually that Aquarius Saint who always carried an bone-chilling coldness.
"I seem to... have asked Li Yu for help?"
"Miss Saori, you're finally awake!"
Seiya's excited voice pulled her back to reality from the lingering chill.
Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun, and Ikki gathered around her, their faces filled with relieved concern.
"Hyoga!"
Saori Kido's voice was weak and hoarse, her gaze immediately fixed on Li Yu's disciple.
The bandages wrapped around Hyoga's body seemed to silently speak of the brutal aftermath of the battle.
"Poseidon... Li Yu... what happened in the end?"
Hyoga took a deep breath, his blue eyes filled with admiration for his master, and he reported clearly and concisely.
"Master fought Poseidon. He... he wounded Poseidon! Ultimately, Master and Poseidon reached an agreement: the Saints and Marines would ally to jointly oppose the soon-to-resurrect Hades!"
"Alliance?"
Upon hearing this, Saori Kido's purple eyes widened instantly, and she sat up from the bed, her fingertips unconsciously digging into the velvet sheets beneath her.
Shock pierced her heart like an ice pick.
Sea Emperor Poseidon, the millennium-long arch-enemy, the culprit who tried to submerge the earth!
An alliance?
These messages completely overturned all her understanding of Poseidon since the Age of Myths!
Saori Kido almost thought she was still severely injured and experiencing auditory hallucinations.
Complex emotions followed, intertwining on her beautiful face.
She looked at Saga, who stood respectfully by her side.
Shura, Aphrodite, and Camus, whose faces were pale after receiving treatment, their solemn expressions confirmed that Hyoga's words were true.
A trace of indescribable loss quietly spread. As the guardian goddess of the earth, even if a reconciliation with Poseidon were to be reached, it should have been led by her, the Goddess, and not Li Yu.
Deeper memories surfaced from the depths of her soul.
Saori Kido recalled the scene she sensed while frozen in ice.
Li Yu, clad in the Aquarius Cloth, surrounded by Chaos Lightning, his magnificent figure like a deity when he clashed with Poseidon's golden trident.
The power that man unleashed far exceeded the limits of a Gold Saint, even surpassing all divine understanding of humanity.
Li Yu not only defeated Sea Dragon General Kanon, wounded Sea Emperor Poseidon, but also forced the arrogant Sea Emperor to the negotiating table, forging an unprecedented alliance with Sanctuary.
This power, this cunning, this control over the situation, this decision-making ability completely outside her control... Saori lowered her eyelids, her long lashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyes, and a trace of imperceptible worry crossed her heart.
Li Yu's strength showed her another possibility for defeating Hades.
But this very power made her feel an unprecedented sense of loss of control.
Li Yu, this rare Aquarius Saint with a Gemini companion star, seemed to have long ceased to be her Athena's warrior, but an existence capable of single-handedly turning the tide of battle.
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart, striving to maintain her goddess's dignity, and softly said to Hyoga.
"Your master... he did very well. This is indeed... the only viable path for now."
Her gaze drifted to the majestic mountains of Sanctuary outside the window, as if piercing through time and space, looking towards the unknown, thorny path of the future.
The alliance between the Saints and Sea Emperor Poseidon also meant that her fated battle with Hades would face a future with a completely unpredictable outcome... Pandora stood at the entrance of Hades's temple in Elysium, her dark purple eyes, which should have been filled with confident control, were now filled with unconcealed panic.
When she learned through a Marine spy that Li Yu and Poseidon had formed the Saint-Sea Alliance.
Unbelievable shock swept over her.
How long had she meticulously planned this chess game!
Whether it was using the resurrection of Ophiuchus Odysseus to disrupt Sanctuary.
Or secretly guiding Kanon to awaken Poseidon, letting the Marines and Saints both suffer heavy losses.
Or setting up an ambush halfway to delay the reinforcement of the Libra Cloth.
Any one of these schemes succeeding would greatly weaken Athena's power.
This way, when the Specters revived, they could easily devour this land.
In her script, Athena should have exhausted her power and fallen into divine demise during the deep-sea battle, and Sanctuary should have descended into complete chaos due to the loss of its Goddess.
But Li Yu's appearance completely shattered all of this!
He not only severely wounded the Sea Emperor as a mortal but also used unimaginable means and power to crush all her predetermined scripts!
He not only saw through Kanon's identity and foiled her instigation but also turned the tables, pulling the arch-enemy Sea Emperor into his camp!
Li Yu's immense insight, courage, and power filled her with fear from the depths of her soul.
"Lord Hades, Pandora requests an audience!"
The gate of the Underworld Palace slowly opened, and black death qi roared out from within the palace, coiling around Pandora's ankles, making her shiver involuntarily.
"What happened, Pandora? It is not yet time for me to awaken!"
A gentle voice reached Pandora's ears.
Pandora composed herself and walked into the Underworld Palace. In the deepest part of the palace stood a colossal statue radiating endless coldness—it was the divine body of the sleeping Hades.
"Lord Hades!"
Pandora's voice was filled with unprecedented urgency. She knelt before Hades's statue; the cold touch of the marble could not calm the tumultuous waves in her heart.
"Li Yu... he formed an alliance with Poseidon! He wounded Poseidon, forcing the Sea Emperor to sign an alliance! The Saints and Marines... are now one, to oppose your coming!"
In her extreme shock, Pandora's words were somewhat jumbled.
"Please provide clearer guidance. How... how should we respond?"
No sooner had she spoken than a cold, vast consciousness suddenly invaded her mind.
It was Hades directly reading her memories, capturing every detail from the battle of Atlantis to the formation of the Saint-Sea Alliance.
The death qi around the statue suddenly intensified, churning like black waves, and the stone pillars in the hall began to tremble slightly.
After a moment, Hades's voice sounded again, still gentle, but with a hint of imperceptible coldness.
"Go and summon Thanatos and Hypnos. I have other arrangements."
"Yes, Lord Hades!"
Pandora respectfully bowed her head. When she rose, her knees were already numb, but she dared not delay in the slightest.
She hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and asked.
"What about the Specters? Do we need to revive them now?"
The temple instantly fell into dead silence. Only the cold air emanating from the statue grew heavier and heavier, and within that ancient indifference, a hint of displeasure was faintly discernible.
It was displeasure towards her, the guide, for letting the situation spiral out of control to such an extent.
Pandora's shoulders instantly tensed. She lowered her head, not daring to speak further, only clutching her cloak tightly and quickly exiting the temple. The black doors slowly closed behind her, completely shutting out the suffocating cold.