Saint Seiya Fan Fiction ❯ Kage no Seinto (Saints of the Shadow) ❯ Julius' Apprentice ( Chapter 3 )

-I appreciate your help, really. Unfortunately, you can't be here. This is no place for a silver-ranked saint now. You must guard the gate until the Pope gives further orders.
-But--
-Just do it, please...
Orestes walked away, in direction to the gates.
-Silver-ranked saint... You were one just some months ago...
Haruna looks at Orestes going, kind of sad. She knows he is really strong, but he is not strong enough to fight along them. Then she realized she had forgotten about Selena, the intruder that attacked her. She looked back, but her body was not there anymore. There were no signs of her cosmo either.
-How odd… She seems to have disappeared.

Meanwhile, the rest of the intruders had arrived to the House of Shadow Taurus. Bianca was expecting them in front of the House. 
-I will not let you pass through. It is my duty to protect this House with my body and beyond.
They all laughed. Then a figure walked towards her.
-Beyond... What do you know about beyond? Beyond is divinity. I am beyond.
-You are not beyond -Bianca said-, you're just scum.
-How rude -the figure said, laughing.
The figure was now just a few meters away from her.
-You will now pay for your insolence, Shadow Taurus.
Bianca got a little nervous, but she did not move.
-I, Vlad of Sagittarius Demoniac, will make sure of that!
He ran towards her, and tried to hit her with his fists, but he failed.
-You dare calling this an insolence…When you intrude in the Shadow Sanctuary?!
-Yes -Vlad responded, amused.
-It is you who is going to pay! Cyclone Mist!
Bianca extended her hands and launched the attack, but it did not hit him, because he used the wings of his cloth to fly.
-You can't reach me, for I am way too high for you! From here, I can decide what'll become of you.
Bianca was angry. She lifted her arms again.
-Prepare for your destiny, Shadow Taurus! Enchanted Arrow!
-Interruption! -Bianca exclaimed.
Bianca created an invisible attack that was supposed to block his attack, but it was not strong enough. The arrow reached her torso, and she fell to the ground.

-That was pretty easy -Vlad said-. Alexander must be really desperate…
The other figures laughed.
-Look at this saints… They're a joke compared to the ones we fought ages ago... Now, those were--
But Bianca, with all her strength, stood up before Vlad could finish talking.
-Don't try to stand up -Vlad said-, you will lose consciousness in a moment.
She didn't manage to evade the arrow, so she thought she needed to do something to stop him.
-At least… At least him… Cosmo…
She stood up, and put herself in the attack position.
-You dare to fight me again? You humans… One would think they become smarter with time, but no...
-At least...
Her cosmo was burning. Even Vlad knew this; he was beginning to become slightly worried.
-Cyclone Mist!
The attack was launched to Vlad, who was floating in the air. It hit him in the chest, but no apparent damage was done to him.
-I had never seen an attack so accurate -he thought-, she was actually fighting with everything she had got.
Bianca, once finished the attack, fell to the ground. Vlad went back to the floor with the rest of the figures. He looked at Bianca, who was lying in the floor. He pulled out his arrow from her torso.
-Sadly, it didn't hit her in the heart -Vlad said in a cold tone-. Oh well. Let's go to the next House.

The figures set off to the House of Shadow Gemini. In the way, Vlad started to think about what Bianca said. Perhaps she was right about them, perhaps they were actually not better than humans, just different. Maybe humans were not as evil as he might have thought. No, that couldn't be right; humans have abused the world, destroying, conquering, killing. They must be destroyed. But, if this is totally true, why does these saints fight for it?
-There is something...
-She must have manipulated your mind, Vlad.
-Yes, she must have.
His chest started to burn. The rest of the figures noticed this.
-Is there something wrong?
-No, nothing... Go on, I'll catch up later.
-Okay.
The rest left him, and he sat in the stairs. The cloth in his chest began to fall off. His chest had been burnt. He lied there, and the other figures noticed his cosmo' strength decreasing.
-What a pity, but let's be quick, we have no time to lose.
-I don't know…
-Vlad's strong.
-The House of Shadow Gemini is near, let's go!
The rest of the intruders left the body, and head off to the House of Shadow Gemini.

When they arrived at the House, they felt some uncomfortable atmosphere. There was definitely something odd in there. Suddenly, a voice that came everywhere started to talk to them.
-Welcome, visitors! Or should I say, Demoniac Spirits?
-At last, someone who knows who we are. I believe Haruna did know who we were, though… We didn't gave her time to say anything, though.
-Well, I won't make it so easy for you.
Some sort of vortex appears in the roof, and a figure fell to the ground, standing up.
-My name is Souki of Shadow Gemini. And now I'll make you pay what you did to my friends!
-What?
-Storm Cosmo! -Souki exclaimed.
The storm hit two of the spirits, sending them in a raging speed flying into the others.
-Yet maybe I should take it easy -he said with a smile.
Kumbha ventured straight for Souki.
-You dare underestimate me?!
Souki leapt into the air, flipped over and kicked the Demoniac, making some distance.
-Did you know -he said-, that there are several dimensions, including this one?
The intruders seemed rather irksome when they heard those words. There was, in fact, something strange about this House. It was his guardian. Kumbha frowned at him.
-What is it? Are you afraid of the other dimensions, or are you simply afraid of me?
Three Demoniac charged at Souki in rage for mocking them. Souki was starting to charge his ken as well.
-Storm Cosmo!

The group suddenly found themselves in some sort of grid; they felt how strange forces pulled them further and further in. A shadow of Souki could be seen floating around them.
-When you pass over that edge -he said-, you may not only come to another place. You may also wind up in another dimension!
The Demoniac looked very worried at each others.
-What does he mean? -One of them said in a desperate tone.
Suddenly, the field disappeared and the three Demoniac Spirits were gone. Kumbha and the rest of the Demoniac looked at Souki, wondering if they had underestimated him.
-Selena would have loved to fight against you. Not bad, Shadow Gemini -Kumbha said-. “But you will not find me an easy prey.
-I supposed that, Virgo Demoniac.
-Pass through the House while I'm dealing with this cocky little brat!
The three Demoniac started moving towards Souki.
-Do you think I would even let you take one further step inside my House?
-Well, you have...
-You are really underestimating me -Souki interrupted him while smirking.
He put his fist in position to strike and opened his mouth ready to say the words.
-Aren't you forgetting something, Shadow Gemini?
-Not at all -Souki said, while turning to face the Demoniac-. Storm Cosmo!

Kumbha got hit and flew straight into the ground in front of him. Souki looked back to see that the other Demoniac had gone pretty far and started to run towards them. But he started to feel very tired, and looked down to see that Kumbha was doing something with his hands, which were glowing in a scarlet color.
-What is he doing? -Souki thought.
Then he remembered hearing something about the Virgo Demoniac spirit. He was an ancient being, which sucked human's vitality. Souki's strength and life was being absorbed by him. He took a hold of the Kumbha's arm and started to twist it, but his lack of strength at the time gave an opening to Kumbha.
-Hah, die now! -He said and sent Souki flying.
Souki landed on his tow legs and started to charge towards Kumbha. Energy spheres started to form in each others hands, as they where now only meters away.
-Tenki Nagareboshi Ken! -Souki exclaimed.
-Satelite Absorption! -Kumbha exclaimed right after him.

A beam of light could be seen from the House of Shadow Gemini as the rest of Demoniac Spirits continued their journey towards the House of Shadow Cancer. They turned back and looked the House.
-Do you think he defeated him?
Nobody replied, and they continued to venture up the stairs.
Souki could feel the impact as he flew straight into the pillars of the Shadow Gemini House.
-My, my… Why do these things always happen to me?
Suddenly one of the pillars took the pressure and Souki slid down to the ground, unconscious. His helmet came loose and landed on the floor next to him. Kumbha was lying on the floor.
-You have won this battle, Shadow Gemini. But we will win the war.
He fell unconscious as well. The Demoniac could sense his cosmo fading away.

This is a work of fiction. Original story by Masami Kurumada. Copyright 1986 Saint Seiya. All rights reserved.