Chapter 137 : The battle begins, and the troops are divided into three groups!
Before he finished speaking, the Three Giants, leading the Specters army, surged from underground like a black torrent.
Under the protection of the Hades Barrier, they were immortal beings, capable of crushing any obstacle.
At the same time, the Gold Saints, having passed through the shattered Dream Barrier, finally reached the last defense of Hades's Castle, the Hades Barrier.
This barrier, like the Underworld itself, exuded an absolute oppressive force; the air here was frozen, and even light was swallowed.
The massive black castle stood in the darkness like a lurking demon. Strangely, upon reaching this point, the Specters had vanished without a trace.
The Gold Saints looked solemn; they clearly sensed the towering dark power emanating from Hades's Castle, a power far exceeding any enemy they had encountered before.
Aiolia clenched his fists, the Leo Cosmo forming a roaring lion behind him. He said in a deep voice,
"Everyone, be careful! The real battle begins now!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three terrifying auras suddenly descended, blocking the barrier.
Radamanthys, Minos, and Aiacos, the Three Giants of the Underworld, stood with their arms crossed, coldly watching the Gold Saints, their eyes filled with disdain.
Minos slowly spoke, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.
"Audacious fanatics, daring to trespass into my lord's divine domain! It seems you are truly eager to die."
Behind them, the Specters army swarmed out.
Even Shura and Aiolia couldn't help but breathe heavily—six against one hundred and eight!
Fortunately, the arrogant Three Giants didn't consider them a threat.
Aiacos turned and ordered the Specters behind him.
"Leave this to us. Earthly Star, Earthly Subduing Star, you lead the Earthly Fiend Legion to deal with those bronze brats. The remaining Celestial Specterss, head to the Sanctuary and assassinate Athena!"
"Hehehehe! Assassinate Athena?"
"Leave it to us, Lord Aiacos! We will bring you Athena's head!"
The Specters roared excitedly, their bodies twisting into black shadows, instantly vanishing before the Gold Saints' eyes. They soared into the sky, speeding towards the Sanctuary.
To the Three Giants' surprise, the Gold Saints showed no anxiety about Athena being attacked; instead, a mocking smile appeared on each of their lips.
Aiacos couldn't help but frown, asking in confusion.
"Are you not worried? With all the Gold Saints gone, Athena is unguarded. Are you not afraid she'll die at the Specters' hands?"
Aldebaran couldn't help but chuckle, his Taurus Cloth gleaming with golden light.
"It seems you've just woken from your slumber and haven't grasped the situation. The Sanctuary now is not somewhere you can just barge into!"
Shura suddenly drew his Holy Sword, its golden sword energy pressing directly towards Aiacos. He shouted sternly.
"Aldebaran, loose lips sink ships! Our priority is to quickly eliminate them and destroy Hades's Castle!"
The cold gleam of the Holy Sword cut through the darkness, and the battle between the Gold Saints and the Three Giants of the Underworld instantly erupted!
...At the Summit of Holy Mountain, Athena appeared behind Li Yu at some unknown time.
She gazed in the direction of Hades's Castle, her violet eyes filled with worry, her hands unconsciously clutching her skirt.
"Li Yu, Hades's Specters have all revived. Are Seiya and the others... truly alright?"
Li Yu's lips curved slightly, his gaze piercing through space as if he could see the fierce battle at Hades's Castle.
"Please rest assured, Miss Saori, everything is under control."
Athena said no more, clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and golden divine power flowed around her, silently praying for the Saints in the distance.
In the sky, black figures were rapidly approaching. The Specters sent to assassinate Athena at the Sanctuary were about to reach the outskirts of the Holy Mountain... Li Yu murmured to himself.
"Once these trash are dealt with, the Twin Gods should be unable to sit still and will have to intervene personally, right?"
Within the Death Forest barrier, the miasma was as thick as unmixed ink, and the air was filled with the scent of blood.
Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun, and Ikki stood back-to-back, forming a tight defensive circle. The light on their bronze cloths grew dimmer under the continuous erosion of the death energy.
The Specters were long gone, replaced by the ghostly and elusive Earthly Fiend Specters.
Laimi, the Earthly Subduing Star, moved like a giant worm, silently burrowing through the rotting soil, leaving only a faint trail.
The next second, he suddenly burst out from under Shun's feet. Viscous tentacles instantly wrapped around Shun's ankle, and sharp barbs deeply pierced his flesh.
"Nebula Storm!"
Shun gritted his teeth and groaned, his arms suddenly spread wide. The Nebula Chain, like a living silver snake, swept away the surrounding miasma with a fierce gust of wind, striking Laimi's body hard.
Laimi cried out in pain and burrowed back underground, leaving only a fleeting black shadow on the ground, continuing to lurk and seek the next opportunity to ambush.
Zelos, the Earthly Star, a small figure, leaped through the dry branches, moving as swiftly as a ghost. His piercing, eerie laughter echoed through the forest.
Taking advantage of Hyoga's focus on other Specters, he suddenly pounced from diagonally behind, his barbed claws viciously slashing Hyoga's calf.
With a tearing sound, blood instantly gushed out, mixing into the black mud beneath his feet, creating a strange bubbling.
Diamond Dust!
Hyoga endured the intense pain in his calf, his hands gathering the extremely cold Cosmo. Blue ice shards roared out, instantly freezing half of Zelos's body.
But with the Hades Barrier's enhancement, Zelos merely let out a cackling laugh, black energy erupting around him. The ice shattered with a crack, and he disappeared unharmed back into the shadows.
Shiryu's Rozan Rising Dragon Force, carrying a powerful gust of wind, blasted an Earthly Fiend Specter into the air with a single punch. However, due to the barrier's suppression, his punch was a moment too slow.
Another Specter's poisoned blade took the opportunity to slash his shoulder guard. Ink-green venom spread from the wound, and a numbing sensation instantly ran through his entire arm, making his movements increasingly sluggish.
He laboriously raised his Dragon Shield, blocking attacks from all directions. The shield's surface was covered in cracks, and each impact produced a groaning sound, as if it would completely shatter in the next second.
Seiya's Pegasus Meteor Fist rained down like a storm, his punches weaving through the miasma, forcing back several Specters who had surrounded him.
However, his punch power was greatly weakened within the barrier, and it landed on the Specters' Surplices without causing effective damage.
"Damn it! Too much power is being drained!"
Seiya gasped for breath, sweat mixed with blood from his forehead slid down, dripping into the black mud and instantly being swallowed.
He could clearly feel the Cosmo energy within his body rapidly depleting.
Only Ikki's Phoenix flames could barely suppress the miasma.
Phoenix Wings Rise!
Ikki's body ignited with scorching orange-red flames, like a phoenix spreading its wings in fire. Wherever the flames passed, the miasma sizzled, temporarily clearing a safe area.
But the Earthly Fiend Specters were like immortal cockroaches; even when severely burned by the flames, they could quickly recover under the nourishment of the barrier, falling and then getting back up, cooperating with the omnipresent miasma to firmly trap the Bronze Five in this deadly swamp.
In the core area of the Hades Barrier, the air was violently distorted by the collision of several Cosmos, and energy spread like ripples, pulverizing the rocks on the ground.
This was the center of a power storm, where the Gold Saints were engaged in an unprecedented struggle against their opponents, the Three Giants of the Underworld.