"Great Ares! Grant me infinite power!" Gagaro's roar echoed through the arena. The battle axe, wrapped in crimson God of War flames, cleaved down heavily.
The moment the axe fell, Setsuna's Cosmos was already boiling. Golden-red energy flames coiled around his entire body, forming an intangible barrier.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gagaro roared repeatedly, his axe madly hacking and slashing. But each strike was precisely blocked by Setsuna, even counter-shocking his palms until they went numb.
'This guy… is he really a Bronze Saint? His punch force… how is it fiercer than a Gold Saint's?' Gagaro couldn't comprehend. In his era, such an overpowered Bronze Saint had never appeared.
Of course, his era was too early. If he lived until the next Holy War, there would be five more Bronze Saints as overpowered as Setsuna.
Seizing a gap in Gagaro's attack, Setsuna suddenly threw a punch.
"Hoyoku Tensho!"
Golden-red flames pierced through Gagaro's chest, blasting him away.
"Ugh!" Gagaro grunted, blood trickling from his mouth, but his fighting spirit didn't diminish in the slightest.
"Sekishiki Meikai Ha!"
Setsuna pressed the advantage. Soul energy condensed at his fingertips, exploding towards Gagaro.
Boom!
Purple light passed through Gagaro's body. His soul was instantly severely wounded.
Though unable to blast his soul out of his body directly, this death-force from the Underworld still caused a slight disharmony between his soul and flesh.
"Damn it! My power… is draining?" Gagaro roared, struggling. But each time he mobilized his Cosmos, his soul would be eroded by Sekishiki, preventing him from exerting full strength.
"It seems you're not much stronger than your brother either." Setsuna's tone was mocking.
"Brother, I'll help you!" Emma didn't hold a grudge over being wounded by his brother. But as he charged forward, Gagaro blasted him away again.
"Get lost! I want to retrieve my lost glory with my own hands!" Gagaro's eyes were bloodshot. His muscles swelled. The runes on his Berserker Armor glowed crimson. Clearly, he was burning life force for greater power.
"God of War's Wrath - Heaven Incineration!"
The battle axe blazed with God of War flames. Gagaro poured all his strength into another slash at Setsuna.
"Lost your reason after a few taunts?" Setsuna's gaze was indifferent. His mockery was naturally to set up his next move. "Hoo Genmaken!"
A golden flash passed. Gagaro instantly stood still in place.
Though the Phoenix Illusion Demon Fist couldn't manipulate consciousness like the Demon Imperial Fist, it could forcibly evoke an enemy's deepest fears.
In Gagaro's eyes, his revered Ares-sama was actually prostrating at Hades's feet, wagging his tail and begging for protection.
"No! Ares-sama!" Gagaro's eyes turned bloodshot, roaring furiously. Finally, he slashed his own head off once more.
"Brother!" Emma roared in rage. But before he could charge at Setsuna, a golden flash pierced his mind.
In the illusion he saw, he was repeatedly murdered by his brother.
Emma's fist fell. Though his body wasn't dead, his spiritual world had been erased.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield.
The battle between Aspros and Defteros had reached a fever pitch.
The two figures crisscrossed the arena. Each collision caused space to tremble.
Though their strengths were similar, the elder brother wearing the Gold Cloth ultimately held a slight advantage. Blood already seeped from Defteros's mouth.
"My brother, I give you one last chance." Aspros's voice was cold. "Step aside, or… die!"
Defteros gritted his teeth. Blood already spilled from his mouth, but his gaze remained firm. "I won't give up! Brother, I will definitely make you recover!"
"Then go dream in the Underworld." Aspros sneered, raising his hand to end this battle.
However, just as he prepared to unleash the final blow, a sudden change occurred.
The Gemini Gold Cloth abruptly trembled violently. Then, transforming into a golden light, it detached from Aspros, covering Defteros instead.
Defteros froze, while Aspros's expression completely twisted.
"So it still happened after all?" His voice was low and hoarse, as if suppressing endless fury.
Defteros looked incredulously at the Gemini Cloth on his body, then at Aspros, momentarily at a loss.
"Do you know why I killed those priestesses?" Aspros suddenly laughed, his smile tinged with madness. "Because the oracle foretold this scene. You would wear the Gemini Cloth, and I… would fall into becoming a Specter!"
"Because of that?" Defteros felt as if struck by lightning. "But you never believed in oracles! You even said you'd break the 'Malefic Star' prophecy with me!"
"Yes, I did say that. But it's all your fault!" Aspros's voice grew colder. "You became too powerful. Clearly without a Gold Cloth, yet you still grew to rival me!"
His eyes filled with twisted jealousy. "You, the 'shadow', became this strong. Isn't it precisely to replace me?"
Defteros shook his head in pain. "I never thought of replacing you! I just wanted to fight alongside you!"
"But you've already done it now!" Aspros's gaze was icy. "Since that's the case, I no longer need to hold back."
"Galaxian Explosion!"
"Galaxian Explosion!"
Two destructive forces collided head-on. Space shattered like a mirror.
Yet, even wearing the Gold Cloth, Defteros was still forced back several steps, blood trickling from his mouth.
He stared at Aspros in shock. "Why… why are you so strong, yet still fear me?"
"Because he's afraid." Having thoroughly dealt with the Flame Army, Setsuna walked over step by step. "He fears you are the true 'light', and he is the shadow."
Aspros laughed wildly. "Correct. Someone as dark-hearted as me should be the 'shadow'. Actually, from the very beginning… I stole your life!"
"So—" His Cosmos erupted again, even more violent than before. "I will never let everything return to its original track!"
"Galaxian Explosion!" x2
"Goka Danzai!"
Three forces collided mid-air. A terrifying energy storm swept through the entire undead arena, finally tearing open a massive spatial rift at the center.
Ultimately, Aspros couldn't withstand two opponents at once. Completely defeated by this force, he crashed heavily to the ground.
He struggled to get up, but his body was already eroded by Klesha Fire, powerless to continue fighting.
Defteros looked at his fallen elder brother, his eyes filled with complexity. "Brother…"
Setsuna casually banished the spatial rift to Underworld, then said, "Take him to the Pope's Chamber."