Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Saint Seiya Fan Fiction ❯ The Intense Clash of the Gods ❯ Tale 98 ( Chapter 98 )

"Four temples down, eight to go," Hilda sighed, "And still no sign of-"

"Right there," Milo said, pointing up a few hundred feet, two figures there. In his black Surplice, Minos was there, helping Shion down with the Gold Saint's arm around his neck. The two former trainees of Dohko Kido. The two groups looked at each other for a moment before Radamanthys and the others put on an extra burst of speed. A few moments later, they had reunited, Shion speaking up almost immediately.

"Dohko... dead for real now..." Shion panted, the other Gold Saints suddenly glaring up at Minos before the Aries continued. "He was in-league with some woman... faked his own death."

"A Shinigami Director, Radamanthys," Minos elaborated, "Like Yanoskue."

"Dammit, that's the nail in the coffin if anything was," Tudor grunted.

"Why are you guys here? Were you worried about us?" Minos asked, but the group shook their heads.

"No... we've got trouble higher up," Pandora explained. "We're strapped for time as it is... rest here if you need to-"

"We'll be fine," Shion said.

"Good, then let's get going," Shura announced before the whole group took off again.
_
"We got him," Cecil proudly said as Shaka staggered away. "So much for defending yourselves from our attacks with your 'breath'."

Looking up at the three, however, Shaka regained his expressionless face. "Don't count me out yet. You've done well... it's quite a shock... but it's not as if I can't recover from this."

"How?" Charybdis asked. Such a blow, and such a perfect means of defense suddenly shattered... how could anyone come back after this?

Shaka's arrogant grin returned, going so far as to widen as if the injury had never happened. "Behold." He raised his hand up and pointed at the trio-

Right before he gouged his own eyes out. His hands moved quickly, slipping to the openings in his ears and striking them as well. "Physically destroying my ability to see or hear-" Shaka promptly struck several points on his face and neck. "And then striking pressure points to sever the nervous connections between my mind and my sense of smell, taste, and touch."

"Similar to Aphrodite's roses and Milo's needles," Isaac started to say before Shaka sat down on the ground again. "Of course... with Combat Awareness, he still knows exactly where we are."

"Even more importantly..." Shaka spoke, letting his own ability to innately sense his surroundings, "My power... has increased by five-fold."

"Pointless and baseless claims," Charybdis spat. Shaka simply pointed at her, and Charybdis staggered back, her borrowed Surplice suddenly falling off her body.

"Chary!" Isaac and Cecil shouted right before they rose up into the air as if some giant had picked them up, an iron-clad grip crushing their throats.

"By not focusing energy on my first five senses, my Seventh Sense increases tremendously. Five senses removed, five times in increase in power to the other two." Shaka pointed to the sky and then back down, Sea Dragon, Alcor Zeta fighter, and Kraken shooting him into the air before slamming onto the ground. Shaka then walked up to them, snorting as he looked down at the Papillon Surplice. "Hmph... that explains it." Looking down at Charybdis's prone form, the Virgo Saint shamelessly spoke up. "The Papillon Specter... based off the Terrestrial Demon Star for a reason. Imagine... to bypass the very laws of death and rebirth... to revive from being killed, their body turned to mush... even burst free like a butterfly from a cocoon in a few short days. Yet why would it go to you?"

"Get the hell..." Charybdis growled. Shaka teleported away just as spear and trident struck where he had been a few seconds ago. He saw Cecil and Isaac on their feet again, the two of them screaming out again as they forced their exhausted bodies to charge.

Shaka weaved around the strikes before suddenly being blasted back again by a Reppu Kairyunagi. The Surplice re-attached itself to Charybdis as the female Mariner looked at Shaka before staring back at Bodu and Krylov. "We've got him on the ropes. He's just not convinced of that yet."
_
After what seemed like an eternity, Rei stepped back into Aiolos's palace. With her strength restored, saving Fenrir's life wouldn't be too terribly difficult. Her armor glittered brightly as she rounded a bend. He should be...

She froze. Where Volsung had been propped up against a wall only a few minutes ago... there was a mark of blood, and a trail of red drops leading towards the Pisces Temple. "He... he didn't..." She looked out in surprise. "He didn't really chase after Aiolos... did he? So close to death..." Closing her eyes and tightening her grip on her spear, Rei took off running again. "Fenrir Volsung... don't you dare die!"
_
Isaac screamed in pain as he was sent flying away in pure agony, Shaka's destructive power surpassing anything he'd ever felt. Dammit! he thought as he managed to get up once again. The man closest to the gods? Practically a god in every regard! Suddenly, however, Isaac realized something. Wait... if he's the closest man to the gods, he's the most distant man to humanity...

Deep down, Isaac prayed his idea would work, especially since it didn't look like Chary or Cecil would last much longer.

Shaka beat away Gungnir before slipping around Charybdis's Gram strikes before the Kraken Mariner shouted out. "AGNI!!!" The recipient of the shout, along with Charybdis and Cecil turned as Isaac pointed at him accusingly. "This fight... it's over!"

"Over?" Shaka asked, raising his eyebrow as Isaac cracked his knuckles, spinning Poseidon's trident in his hands-

-Right before chucking it away.

"Cecil... chuck Gungnir. We can't fight like gods, or those they are the patrons of. That's fighting like the gods, and Shaka's got us beat in that department."

Cecil complied, yet Shaka didn't seem to mind as he blasted Cecil and Charybdis away before Isaac lunged at him. "Hieha Kassatsu!" Shaka deftly avoided the move, yet was stuck in the side by Cecil's Ankoku Moko Reppu Shiden Ken, sending the Gold Saint skidding on the ground.

"What..." Shaka said in frustration, "Do you think you can do by abandoning your weapons?"

"Weapons for the gods," Cecil suddenly snapped his fingers, correcting Shaka. "When Fenrir, Isaac, and I took on Ambrosia, we wore armor meant for men. We can't fight like gods; we don't have their abilities. Of course," he charged full-speed at Shaka, "We'll still use their armor!" He kicked at Shaka, who simply teleported away again before getting punched in the back of the head by Charybdis, who had been waiting for an opening.

"World Ghost Butterfly Genocide..." Charybdis muttered as she slammed her hands onto Shaka's back, "ATTACK!"

Suddenly imprints of the insects appeared all over Shaka's armor and body before they exploded, the force smashing Shaka to the ground. He flipped back up, blasting by Charybdis as Isaac and Cecil could only look in shock as Shaka announced his attack.

"MUSO TENSEI!" Charybdis staggered back before collapsing onto the ground, Shaka promptly striking through Isaac immediately afterwards as the Mariner collapsed as well.

Cecil looked down at them, his jaw dropping open in horror, then back up at Shaka's bloody visage. "What... what did you do?"

"Kill them quickly yet softly," Shaka said. "Like clearing their mind like before, except instead of a short moment, I shut them down for good. What's the matter?" he took a step towards Cecil, the green-haired boy stepping back nervously. "Didn't your Combat Awareness inform you of that? MUSO TENSEI!" Shaka punched at him, but suddenly Cecil vanished, the attack simply attacking the Odin Robe. What the-

"SHIH-NE!!!"

Shaka took a painful punch to the back, the blows flowing quickly as Cecil pummeled Shaka ruthlessly, thanking the power of the Binary Strike to save him as he kicked Shaka away with one final blow. Agni slammed into the ground before looking up, seeing Cecil don the Robe again. "Take... take that!"

Shaka spat up blood, his eyes opening wide in horror as he saw Isaac and Charybdis... they were getting up again! Shaka shook his head once, baffled and horrified that one of his most powerful attacks failed. "H... how did you survive?!? HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?!?"

"Aw... Mr. Virgo finally stumped?" Charybdis asked. She looked at Isaac and nodded. "You tried to shut down my nervous system, right? Same thing with the Genromaoken. A simple Body-Bend solved that problem."

"And besides... I've had close calls swimming," Isaac continued. "Like with Hyoga. I've blacked out from Oxygen depravation before. Not too far off from that Muso Tensei trick." Looking at Cecil and Charybdis, the Mariner pumped his arm in triumph. "Look at him... Shaka's finally cracked..."

"GRAM!"

"Hieha Suicho!"

"Ankoku Moko Reppu Shiden Ken!"

Shaka groaned in complete agony, Charybdis's hand impaling his chest as Cecil's blow connected with his face, knocking Shaka away. Finally, Isaac's thundering blow to his stomach sent the Saint into the air as the icy pillar smashed into his back before Shaka finally fell to the ground.

"Alright... we beat him." Cecil cheered-

Right before Shaka teleported again, standing a few feet away from the trio and looking at them. "No... but... you beat my strongest move. This fight would either end in your favor if it dragged on as long as it could... or even worse, we'd all die and then nobody would be free."

"What... what do you mean?"

Shaka calmly sat down, using what he could of his healing powers to repair the damage he had done to his body. In cases like this, eye contact was customary and a respectful action. He wiped the blood away from his eyes and looked at the three of them, smiling. "A difficult battle is coming... one that humanity needs to win. Only the stronger part of those trapped in the Gold Triangle would be able to overcome the obstacles that are coming. A human only lives for such a short period of time... yet in that span, someone may experience sorrow, joy, anger, friendship... even set motions into action that will make the Universe quake. Ephemeral Pentrine, I salute you... for being the testament of that belief I hold so dear!"

Shaka nodded, and his body just blew away, like dust kicked up in a gentle breeze.

-And the next thing Cecil, Isaac, and Charybdis knew, they were standing back in Sanctuary.
_
Aiolos stopped, turning around. He looked back up the stairway of Sanctuary... sensing it.

Those three had returned... they had killed Shaka!

"AIOLOS!!!!"

The Sagittarius Saint's jaw dropped as Rei burst from the Capricorn Temple, pointing at Aiolos who had just stepped into his own temple. SHE'S STILL ALIVE?!? Dammit... must I do everything twice to ensure it happens? Readying his bow, Aiolos prepared for another True Sagitta Shot-

Right before he caught the glint of something golden spinning at him... and slammed into his right eye. Aiolos screamed in agony as he pulled out... the arrowhead of one of his arrows.

And then a figure in blue armor jumped up from alongside the path... glaring with pure hatred and the desire to inflict pain straight at Talos.

"ORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! "

The blow hit Aiolos in the face, knocking him deep into his temple. He looked up, horrified.

"You... three arrows through the heart..."

"I had training," Fenrir Volsung replied. "This time... I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"