Chapter 283 - 143: Shocking the Entire Battlefield, the Underworld Trembles! (Part 1)

Chapter 283: Chapter 143: Shocking the Entire Battlefield, the Underworld Trembles! (Part 1)

The moment Hades Castle vanished, the battlefield plunged into a brief, dead silence, leaving only the mournful howl of the wind sweeping across the shattered rocks.

In the next second, like an ignited powder keg, the cheers from the Sanctuary’s forces erupted with a thunderous roar, shaking loose the surrounding rubble.

"We... we won?" Seiya was the first to react. He staggered upright. Although blood still seeped from the cracks in his Bronze Cloth, a light of sheer disbelief erupted in his eyes.

He looked up at Alex, who stood suspended in mid-air, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Did we really do it? Did we just erase Hades’ stronghold from the human realm?"

Shun supported a heavily wounded Shiryu. Both of their Cloths were battered and broken. Staring at the bottomless void on the ground, Shun’s pupils contracted. "Is this... the power of the strongest Gold Saint of the current era? He actually forced the Underworld King himself to retreat back to the Underworld!"

Hyoga clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. The image of Alex hurling the God-Slaying Lance flashed on a loop in his mind as he muttered to himself, "Even Hades Castle was... completely uprooted from the human realm... Master, just where are the limits of your power?"

The Gold Saints were even more overwhelmed with a surging tide of emotion.

Aiolia panted heavily. The shoulder armor of his Leo Cloth was completely shattered, yet he couldn’t mask his sheer excitement. "Truly... breathtaking strength! Forcing Hades himself to intervene and withdraw his army—this achievement alone is worthy of being etched into the annals of the Holy War!"

Camus stood silently to the side, his gaze fixated on the Aquarius Cloth adorning Alex’s body. That very Cloth, which had once resonated with his soul, had now completely severed its connection to him. A bone-deep chill and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness crept down his spine, spreading through his entire body.

Both of them were Aquarius Saints, yet the heights Alex had reached were a pinnacle Camus knew he could never hope to match in his lifetime.

Saga and Shaka supported each other as they stood up. Their Cloths were riddled with cracks, and blood still trickled from the corners of their mouths, yet both simultaneously curled their lips into a smile.

"Hmph. That guy, Alex... he made my fight to the death worthwhile." A complex light flickered in Dark Saga’s eyes—a mix of profound admiration and a trace of barely imperceptible dread.

The vermilion mark on Shaka’s forehead had long since dulled, and his aura was incredibly weak. Nevertheless, his face bore a expression of relief. Even as the reincarnation of Buddha, trapping the Twin Gods with the Treasure of Heaven had nearly drained every last drop of his Cosmo.

"To force Hades to take away his castle and abandon the human realm entirely... such magnificent power is truly akin to gods."

At the summit of the Sacred Mountain, the fingers Saori Kido used to tightly grip the staff of Nike finally relaxed.

As the Goddess of War and Wisdom, through her connection with the divine domain, she had witnessed the entire spectacle—Alex tearing through space, severely wounding the God of Death, and forcing the Underworld King into retreat—as if she had been there in person.

Now, the previous worry in her luminous eyes had been completely replaced by an unparalleled sense of shock. Her voice carried a faint tremble. "He... he actually forced Hades back..."

The power Alex had just displayed had far surpassed her understanding of the limits of Gold Saints—and humanity itself. It even eclipsed the might of the first-generation Gold Saints.

She clearly remembered that the primary reason the first-generation Gold Saints had been so incredibly powerful was that their Cloths were inlaid with Olympus Divine Stones. By drawing upon that divine power, those Saints could evolve their armors into God Cloths at will.

However, after enduring the ancient divine wars against Poseidon, the God of the Sea, and Ares, the God of War, those Divine Stones had long since been depleted.

Alex’s current power allowed her to see far greater possibilities. Not merely defeating Hades, but perhaps even altering the very hierarchy of the Olympian Gods.

Leaning on his walking stick, Dohko stood perfectly straight for the first time, his usually hunched frame straightened. A terrifyingly sharp glint erupted from his cloudy old eyes.

The muscles on his weathered face twitched slightly, eventually dissolving into a long, complex sigh. "I truly am old... That boy, Alex... his power can no longer be summarized with a simple word like ’strong’."

He struck his walking stick heavily against the ground.

....

Translator’s Note:

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— Translator-Sama