Against the Gods Part 1

Ikki POV - Underworld, Elysion - 1987

After passing through the Hyperdimension, I woke up in a paradise-like meadow, everywhere I look is full of beautiful flowers, but I quickly notice that I'm alone, "It seems that even if we came together, I'm still separated by Jayr-san... Well, there is no time to wait and regroup with him, it is better to move alone...", and so I start to move toward one of those temples in the distance hoping to find what I'm searching for, but while I was running toward them, I hear the sound of fighting in the distance, and so I change direction and hurry toward the origin of the sound.

I arrive just in time to see, the figures of Seiya, Shun, Hyoga, and Shiryu laying on the ground, while a tall man with long silver hair, donning a truly imposing armor and presence, I quickly recognize him as Thanatos, the God of Death that both Jayr-san and Pandora warned me about, he looks down at my defeated brothers and says "So are these all the Saints who wormed their way into the Elysion?", seeing them defeated like that, and remembering all the things I saw in the Underworld, plus what Pandora told me a few minutes ago, I fell an almost overwhelming rage consume me, and so I ignite the full might of my Cosmo, raising the temperature around us to fire hot levels.

The God notices my presence and turns his head to look at me and asks "Ah, I see there's still one left... And you are...?", I look at him trying to reign in the fury in my heart, and reply "Phoenix Ikki!! I'm here to exact vengeance on behalf of all the dead souls in hell!!", hearing that, Thanatos looks amused, and he mocks "Quite a tall order, boy...", I take my fighting stance, raise my left fist and say "You bet! This fist burns with the grudges of all the lives you've toyed with! It's time you taste it, Thanatos!!".

And with that yell, I attack him with a lightspeed fist strike, but he easily dodges it, and at the same time, he grabs my arm and says with a mocking smile on his face "You are here because Pandora asked you to avenge her, eh? You fool!!", and following that shout, he throws me high in the air, and makes me painfully crash on the ground "Argh!!".

As I lay facing the ground, gathering my Cosmo for my next attack, I hear Thanatos moving closer as he says "I am the God who presides over death, the dead have no grounds to harbor grudges against me", as I feel that he is close enough, I slowly get up and say "Sorry, but I'm kind of an atheist, and I definitely refuse to believe in evil Gods like you!".

I make my Cosmo explode and taking him by surprise, I unleash my strongest attack "Taste the phoenix's wings!! Ho Yoku Ten Sho(Flaming Wings of the Phoenix)!!", I create a vortex of fire in which, me and Thanatos are immersed and then project a condensed Phoenix of fire from my hands that flies through the Vortex until impacting with the God, knocking his headpiece off and sending him flying as he screams in pain.

But to my surprise, he flips in mid-air and easily lands on his feet "What? But I put all my strength into that Ho Yoku Ten Sho!", Thanatos looks at me frowning and says "Heh... I'll give you credit for being a tad better than the other four, but you shouldn't have knocked my headpiece off... You are the first person to seriously irk me!".

And the God in front of me fully unleashes the full might of his immense Cosmo, making me truly feel the difference between us as he yells "Now suffers the wrath of a God!! Terrible Providence!!", then Thanatos extends his arms before him and releases a huge deflagration of Cosmo in the form of a huge purple sphere, that quickly hits me with a titanic impact "Arrgh!!", and soon I feel my whole body being ripped apart from the inside, and even see it happening for a few moments as a powerful explosion of energy emerges from within my body, blowing me into a thousand pieces.

Thanatos POV - Underworld, Elysion - 1987

I look at the whole Phoenix's body on the ground and say "Ordinarily, your body would be torn apart and the pieces scattered across the galaxy, as in that vision you just saw... But Lord Hades does not tolerate that degree of bloodshed here in Elysion... So I'll simply decapitate you and hurl your head into one of the seething cauldrons of the Underworld...".

But then I change my mind, it is too slow to simply kill them one by one, and I've already taken a lot of time to deal with these Bronze Saints, too much time, that I could have spent enjoying the last few moments with Nymphs before the Greatest Eclipse truly starts solidifying Lord Hades' victory, meanwhile during this few moments, I was deciding on how to deal with them, the defeated worms once again stand up and face me, so I quickly decide to kill all of them at the same time, and inform them of my decision "I'll be kind and kill the five of you in one blow!! Die!! Terrible Providence!!".

Raising my hand I unleash another magnificent sphere charged with Cosmo, which damages everything around me except myself and enjoy the sight of their Cloths breaking into pieces as they all scream in pain as their body are ripped apart from within, but all of the sudden, I'm forced to stop by a foreign strong Cosmo that shields them from my attack saving their lives.

Feeling the strength behind this Cosmo I can't help but yell in surprise "Huh? What is this enormous Cosmo!? It's impossible! It can't be! Only a God has such power... But who? Wait... only a God has such a strong power that rivals that of Hades and Athenas... Poseidon!! The God of the Seas!! But it is impossible! Poseidon was sealed in Athena's urn and forced into a deep slumber! How can this be? How?".

Sorrento POV - Greece, Cape Suonion - 1987

After the war with Athena, I decided to keep watching over Julian Solo, the former host of Lord Poseidon, I used my identity as a music student to befriend him and protect him from those who wants to harm him while we help those that were harmed by Sea Dragon's plot, meanwhile, the others Marina Generals, some decided to return to their previous lives and do the same, while some are unsure on what to do now.

Today we were briefly visiting the Poseidon Temple, when all of the sudden, Julian's body stiffened, and his presence all of a sudden changed, and he starts looking at the sea, and worried for him I ask "Julian! What's going on? You're acting oddly like you are...", and as I was speaking, I suddenly realize what is going on, "... Not yourself, you... You look like you did in Atlantis, at the underwater temple, so noble and unapproachable...", and at the same time I think, 'Has the Sea God's soul inhabited Julian's body again?'.

With his back still turned, Julian only says "Sorrento!", and I immediately recognize him as my God, Lord Poseidon, so I get on my knee to greet him and say "Sir!", then I whisper "There's no mistake, Julian is Lord Poseidon once more, but why?", but it is obvious that Lord Poseidon heard me, as the next moment he explains "My dear Sorrento, I leant Athena's Saint a little aid just now".

This sentence surprises me so much that I can't help but ask "Athena's Saints? But why? Isn't she your enemy?", Lord Poseidon looks at the sky, more precisely at the solar eclipse currently happening, and says "Heh... Do you really think this eclipse is a natural phenomenon, obeying the laws of physics and astronomy?", ignoring my confusion he continues "Well, you're probably not the only one, I suppose most of the people of Earth think so too, they are sure that soon the sun's face will emerge again".

He slightly shakes his head and says "But this is no ordinary eclipse, once the moon covers the sun, the light will never again shine upon this earth", and in shock from this revelation I ask "What? Y.. You're not saying...", and understanding what I mean, he replies "That's right, this is the work of Hades, he wants to transform the Earth into a world of darkness and seize control... And right now, Athena and her Saints are in the Underworld desperately fighting to stop this from happening... Unfortunately, I'm still sealed in Athena's urn the most I can do to help is buy a few moments for them".

Then, again, all of a sudden his attitude and presence change again, and he asks "Is something wrong, Sorrento?", I look at him stunned by the sudden change for a few seconds, and he says "Let us continue shall we? Disadvantaged children around the world still await the sound of your flute...", and as I get up and follow him, I think, 'I see, Lord Poseidon awoke just for an instant to keep Hades from triumphing in the Underworld... When you fought against us, I saw what kind of men you all are, so for the sake of this world... I pray that you are victorious Athena's Saints!!'.

Jayr POV - Underworld, Elysion - 1987

I find myself in the middle of nowhere, in an extensive and peaceful meadow full of flowers, I look around searching for Ikki and he isn't near me, and as I try to use my senses to feel his or anyone else Cosmo, the only thing I can feel is the omnipresent presence of Hades' Cosmo that hides the presence of everything else here, 'Yup... Classic home ground advantage, they know where we are, we don't have any idea of where they are... This is probably because this is the core of Hades' realm... Everything here is made by him and is imbued in his Cosmo since the Age of Myths...'.

I look around and don't see any obvious landmarks like a temple or something similar, so I let out a sigh and say "Ah... Now, I'm forced to use the foolproof method taught by my paternal grandmother...", and prepare for the good luck ritual, I take a handful of salt and throw it behind me, spit three times on the ground in front of me, made the gesture of the horns with my hands using my index and little finger pointing at the ground while saying three times "Tiè, tiè, tiè!", then I take the golden arrow and throw it in the air a watch it fall on the ground, then I move in the direction it points.

And after walking in that direction for a few minutes I see in the distance a large temple, and soon after I hear the sound of fighting coming from afar, and with a smile, I say "Ah... Grandma's good luck ritual never fails... well usually it is used against bad luck and to purge evil forces, but since I'm literally in the Underworld, one of the most unlucky and evil places in the Universe, it can only help...", at the same time, I start to quickly move toward the point of origin of these sounds, and start to run when I hear Seiya and the others screaming in pain.

I arrive just in time to see Seiya and the others fall on the ground with their Cloths broken, as Thanatos yells "Huh? What is this enormous Cosmo!? It's impossible! It can't be! Only a God has such power... But who? Wait... only a God has such power that rivals that of Hades and Athens... Poseidon!! The God of the Seas!! But it is impossible! Poseidon was sealed in Athena's urn and forced into a deep slumber! How can this be? How?", then Thanatos notices my presence, turns around, and exclaims "Another one! Just how many worms were able to invade the Elysion!? Is this also the work of Poseidon? Why would he do all this?".

But then he realizes something and says "Ah! I see... Poseidon doesn't want Hades to take the Earth that he himself desires, so he exerted his will from within Athena's urn to save these worms and buy time for this Gold Saint to come... What a pitful God, to stoop so low to aid his enemy, he must really love the Earth, poor fool", meanwhile, Seiya and the others get up again, and Shun asks in surprise "Poseidon saved us?".

Moving closer to him, I say "Poseidon isn't so pitful... While it is true that Poseidon is sealed inside Athena's urn, he isn't sleeping, or at least he isn't forced to sleep, this time, Athena sealed him in such a way that he can be aware of what is happening around him, as they have reached an agreement... So all he is doing is helping his ally in ensuring her victory", hearing that Thanatos exclaims "Ridiculous! Athena and Poseidon are enemies since the Age of Myths, how can those two reach an agreement!?".

But then He starts laughing and says "Moreover he thought this would ensure your victory... Ha! He may be the brother of the great Zeus and our own Lord Hades, but Poseidon is naive!", and seeing the confusion in Seiya and the others' faces, he explains "This Gold Cloth may have helped you win in the past, but you'll find that's not the case this time... I thought I told you, I'm not just a vassal of Lord Hades, but a God in my own right! And Gold Cloths will not help you against a God!".

Then he gathers his Cosmo between his hand he yells "Behold a God's might!!", but before he could unleash his attack, I move in front of him and attack with a full force Tidal Wave Punch, shooting with a punch the clear blue orb of water-like concentrated Cosmo around my fist straight towards Thanatos, who stops his attack, and with his right hand easily grabs my own attack, and in a mocking tone he says "Really? This is it? Even those Bronze worms hits harder than you!".

But I ignore his insult and while gathering my Cosmo, I simply say "Boom...", and from the orb in Thanatos' hand, thousands of delayed impacts emerge one after another, each one stronger than the previous one, and the force generated becomes so strong that pushes Thanatos back, But he still able to easily withstand this attack and with a sneer on his face he says "That's is more like it... But it is still not enough!".

I knew that too, this is why I only used this technique to buy enough time, to gather my Cosmo between my hands, and once I put my everything in it, I make my Cosmo explodes with a force comparable to that of the Big Bang, twist my arms and release all that energy using my strongest technique yelling "Hundred Roaring Ice Fangs!!", and generate a powerful and turbulent wave-like vortex of Cosmo with countless ice spears within, all of them with the temperature reaching the absolute zero, that hits Thanatos and blow him away.

Hearing Thanatos' screams, Hyoga asks in a worried "Did that kill him?", but before I could answer, the bloodied Thanatos appears in front of me with pure wrath on his face, at the same time, I can't help but notice that even my strongest technique was only able to produce some shallow wounds on his body and that his Surplice is totally unharmed, I only have the time to think 'Shit!', before Thanatos yells "You worm!! How dare you to wound me!! Terrible Providence!!".

Thanatos extends his arms before him and releases a huge deflagration of Cosmo in the form of a huge purple sphere, that quickly hits me with a titanic impact "Arrgh!!", and soon I feel my whole body being ripped apart from within, at the same time, my Gold Cloth shatters into many pieces, and soon, one after another, my limbs starts exploding, leaving me in a limbless torso, that convulses on the ground from the pain.

I'm in so much pain, that I'm unable to think of anything, I basically felt my body being ripped apart at the atomic level, in fact, the effect of Thanatos' technique is still going on and my body is still being destroyed by it, and so with my last silver of will, I use the Dark Resurrection, and so the destruction and regeneration force of those techniques start to fiercely fight, and the battlefield is my body, bringing me even more unimaginable crippling pain, that leaves me soundlessly screaming on the ground.

At the same time, I'm vaguely able to hear the shocked and pained voices of Seiya and the others who say, starting with Ikki "No way...", followed by Shun "The most powerful of the 88 Cloths...", then Hyoga "It's never been destroyed before...", after him Shiryu adds "A strong Saint like Jayr-san...", and Seiya "The ultimate armor and warrior, destroyed completely... It's over, we've got nothing left now... nothing at all... There is no hope".

It seems that they were also hit by Thanatos' attack only they were saved by their distance from me, or more likely, they were not even the target of the attack and were only hit by the aftermath.

Then I hear again Thanatos' voice as he speaks to them "Do you see now worm? No matter how many of you come at me and no matter what you do, you cannot touch me... Now all the Saints have been defeated, and soon Athena shall perish inside the giant urn, the sun will vanish and the Earth will pass into eternal darkness, the battle that has been raging since the Age of Myths will finally end with the victory of Lord Hades".

At the same time, I feel that my Cosmo is almost spent and that the regeneration force within me is starting to lose the battle, and slowly but surely my body is being destroyed by Thanatos' Cosmo, and the pain amplify even more, so much that I'm about to lose control of the Dark Resurrection, 'Goddammit! I'm losing!! I can't do it! I'm dying... No! No! NO!', but just as panic and despair were about to overwhelm me, I hear someone calling my name 'JAYR!!', hearing that voice, I calm down a little 'That voice... Saori!!'.

I feel her weak Cosmo connecting to my almost spent one as she says, 'What's the matter, Jayr? It's not like you to give up, you never surrendered in the midst of battle...', to that I answer, 'But Saori... This time... I've really used all my strength... There is nothing left... I'm not a protagonist who can pull a win from nothing after all...', but Saori's Cosmo envelopes me as she says "How can you say that, Jayr? You haven't lost everything, you still have life in you!'.

Her words seem to spark something within me unconsciously, and noticing this she continues 'That's right, to humans... No, to all living creatures... It is the brightest, most precious gift granted by the Gods! As long as you have life, even if you lose everything else... Humans can emit infinite strength and bring about Miracles that surpass the Gods... Jayr, haven't you kept the flames of your life burning, ignited your Cosmo, and created Miracles many times over? You must never give up, not as long as you still have life, for if you live you can bring about Miracles... For yourself, for your family, for Seika, for me, for the future! Don't ever give up!!'.

At the same time, my senses expand so much that I start to hear the thoughts of everyone on earth, and soon my senses focus on the voices of Shaina, Geist, mom, dad, grandpa, and Seika, all of them calling for me and cheering me on, and in response to their voices, the ember of Cosmo inside me, lights up once again and turns into a blazing inferno, and explodes with such strength that the Dark Resurrection's energy tides over Thanatos deadly Cosmo, and starts quickly regenerating my body to its pristine condition.

With my body intact I get up again, at the same time, my body keeps producing an endless quantity of energy as my Cosmo keeps burning and exploding it is so much that I almost feel my own body burning from it, but the only thought in my head is, 'I can hear them... My family... My sisters... My friends... Saori and Seika... Everyone else is cheering me on... That's right!! There's no way I can give up!! Not as long as I'm alive!!'.

Then I feel Saori's presence closer than ever, and it seems that her Cosmo almost merges mine as she says 'That's right, Jayr! Rekindle the flame of your life! Let it burn higher and hotter than ever before! Elevate your Cosmo to the ultimate degree... Infinitely higher... Infinitely... Infinitely...', and I do as she says, feeling my Cosmo grow stronger without any limits reaching a power I never thought possible, then something within me snaps in place.

Hypnos POV - Underworld, Elysion - 1987

While waiting in my temple for my brother to return, I feel some kind of uneasiness mostly caused by how much time he is taking to deal with only some mortal Saints, so much that I can't help but say while thinking of the reasons I feel this "Hmm... What are these vague misgivings I feel? It concerns me that Thanatos is taking so long against mere Saints... These Saints already achieved one miracle, traveling to Elysion in Cloths revived by Athena's blood, perhaps... that was not the only miracle made possible by Athena's blood".

Then, I suddenly remember something that happened in past, a very long time ago, 'Ah... Aha!! Now I recall!! This happened once before back in the Age of Myths! Cloths revived with a God's Blood...Can become the Almighty God's Armor!!", and with this realization, I move and hurry to return to my brother's side, 'If even one of those Saints can awaken his God Cloth, even a God like Thanatos would be in danger!!'.

Thanatos POV - Underworld, Elysion - 1987

Just when I was about to finish off these 5 Bronze worms, I feel an enormous pressure caused by the limitless expansion of a Cosmo coming from behind me, and turning around I see the defeated Gold worm standing up once again, his body enveloped in a bright flame-like gold colored aura, and in shock, I can't help but exclaim "What!? He is standing! But how!? I thought he died when he received the full force of my Terrible Providence, I felt that his Cosmo and life were about to extinguish!! His body was crumbling apart!! How!?".

"Unh! What is this!?", and the surprise doesn't end there, as all of the sudden, all the pulverized pieces of the Gold Cloth on his body start glittering like tiny flames, that soon become a blazing golden flame that covers his whole body, and totally confused, I yell "Ridiculous!! What's going on here?", and with a pulse of Cosmo the flame is blown away revealing the Saint's figure wearing once again his Cloth, but something is clearly different about it.

First of all, now the Cloth covers almost all of his body, the headpiece has the same shape, but the horn in the center and the wings on the side became bigger, and the chest piece became even more ornate and detailed joined with the waist piece that became bigger covering more of the pelvis area, but maintaining the freedom of movement, the shoulders pieces became sharper and now are layered, while the arms and legs pieces are almost the same, but now there are some additional wing-like ornament on it, and the wings on his back became a lot bigger and even more regal.

(Image Here - Sagittarius God Cloth)

But the appearance isn't the only thing that changed, now the Cloth gives me a very familiar feeling, I look at the Saint and his Cloth in shock and say "Unfathomable... That a mere Cloth reduced to dust, could revive in such a form...", at the same time I hear the other bronze worm exclaim in surprise and ask "Whoa... Jayr-san... What is that?".

Meanwhile, the familiar feeling I get from this Cloth grows stronger and I ignore them and continue "Unh... And the noble air about it... I have never seen nor heard of such a Cloth!" then I realize what is this feeling and exclaim "Divine Radiance emanates from it!! It's as if...", then I hear my brother's voice that confirms my presumptuous thought, "That's right! It's a God Armor!".