Chapter 101: Goddess of Venus (Part II)

"Duty calls, I dare not forget!"

Aldebaran wore a grave expression as he assumed an offensive stance.

"I will do my best to hold her off; you two must seize the opportunity to destroy that pyramid!"

After sending a mental message to Yin Shiqi and Mayura, Aldebaran transformed into a streak of golden light and charged toward the deity atop the pyramid.

The speed of light is the ultimate limit permitted by the laws of the universe. Even a god, possessing a cosmos far greater than his own, cannot exceed this ultimate threshold. Therefore, in terms of speed, a warrior who has awakened the Seventh Sense stands on the same level as a deity; there is no risk of being instantly killed like Bronze or Silver Saints, who would otherwise find themselves powerless against such a disparity. This is the origin of the legend that those at the peak of the Silver rank can rival the power of Gold Saints. Once the speed gap is leveled, the outcome must be decided by techniques and sheer power.

"Great Horn!"

Before reaching the summit, Aldebaran swung his fists from a distance, channeling his cosmos into a cannon of light aimed directly at the enemy atop the pyramid.

"Such a trick is completely useless against me!" Quetzalcoatl smiled, opening her left hand to meet the incoming golden blast.

"Is she planning to catch Lord Aldebaran’s ultimate technique with her bare hands?" Mayura gasped in shock.

Boom!

The blast struck Quetzalcoatl with pinpoint accuracy, though she had no intention of dodging in the first place. She stood motionless at the peak, blocking the impact with only one hand, and laughed aloud: "Not enough, not enough! This power is far from sufficient!"

"Let me taste the long-lost joy of battle!"

Witnessing this, Mayura broke into a cold sweat. This deity was absurdly powerful! She could not imagine the courage it took for Aldebaran to dare throw a punch at such a being.

The blast came and went as quickly as it had arrived. Using the cover of his attack, Aldebaran ascended the pyramid again, but this time, rather than going straight to the top, he landed on a secondary stone tier two meters below the summit.

"Are you planning to kneel and submit to me?" Quetzalcoatl teased, looking down at him.

Aldebaran did not answer. He simply pressed his right hand against the stone tier beneath him, burning his cosmos to its absolute limit once more.

"Titan's Nova!"

With a thunderous roar, he heaved his right hand upward from the stone. In an instant, the earth shook, and the apex of the pyramid seemed to explode; the entire top layer was ripped away by his force!

"Now is the time! Destroy the pyramid!"

Quickly relaying the message to Yin Shiqi and Mayura, Aldebaran lunged into the sky toward the deity who had been launched into the air along with the pyramid's peak. As long as she guarded the pyramid, they had no chance.

Receiving the signal, Yin Shiqi and Mayura immediately erupted with top speed, rushing toward the now-unguarded pyramid.

"So, that was your plan—to knock me off the pyramid so they could carry out the destruction," Quetzalcoatl realized, finally grasping the Taurus Saint's intent.

"Secret Art: Peacock Dance!"

Mayura, arriving first, burned her cosmos to the peak and unleashed her strongest technique. Her cosmos manifested as a blue-green peacock, diving toward the towering structure.

Yin Shiqi, a step behind, also burned his cosmos to its limit and launched his assault.

"Excalibur: Slash!"

He raised his hand, his arm transforming into a colossal ten-meter blade that struck down mercilessly at the pyramid.

Boom!

Though their attacks landed seconds apart, the combined impact was immense. A piercing explosion echoed as the peacock and the giant blade dissipated into the air. On the face of the pyramid, Mayura’s attack left a hole nearly a hundred meters wide, though it lacked the depth of the damage Aldebaran had caused earlier. Yin Shiqi’s blade carved a ten-meter-long trench; while deeper than Mayura’s strike, it was merely a shallow scratch against the three-hundred-meter-tall pyramid. In short, destroying the pyramid with just the two of them would take significant effort.

High above, Quetzalcoatl prepared to stop the two from further damaging the structure, but a golden figure intercepted her.

"Don't even think about it!"

"Great Horn!"

Aldebaran’s arms, previously held tight, snapped open. A beam of golden light formed once more, firing point-blank at Quetzalcoatl. He knew his power was insufficient to kill a god, but as long as he could keep her pinned down and distracted, that was enough.

Boom!

Quetzalcoatl casually raised a hand to block the blast. Though such an attack caused her no harm, for a god, being struck by a mere mortal was an affront.

Blocking the light, she chuckled, "You underestimate me too much! Those two are not even worth my personal attention!"

As she spoke, a terrifying aura erupted from her. Quetzalcoatl channeled her telekinesis into shackles, casting them upon Yin Shiqi and Mayura from afar.

On the ground, Yin Shiqi—who had been gathering his cosmos to strike a second time—suddenly felt a horrifying telekinetic pressure descend upon him. It felt like a mountain, suffocating him. He struggled desperately to keep his back straight, but under the weight of that power, he was forced to hunch over.

Thud!

His defiance lasted less than a second. His legs buckled, and he was slammed to the ground by the crushing force, unable to move even a finger.

Thud!

Nearby, Mayura collapsed as well.

"We cannot... give up... Lord Aldebaran... has entrusted us with hope... we must stand... we must destroy this pyramid..." Mayura 'looked' toward Yin Shiqi, encouraging him with every ounce of her strength.

"I... understand... Senior Mayura..." Yin Shiqi endured the immense pressure, burning his cosmos in resistance, trying frantically to break free.

Yet, dreams are beautiful, but reality is cruel. Even a Gold Saint like Aldebaran found it exhausting to break free from Quetzalcoatl’s telekinetic bind, let alone two Silver Saints who had not even reached the peak of the Sixth Sense. Especially Yin Shiqi, who had yet to fully grasp the Sixth Sense; he could barely speak under such pressure, let alone find the strength to break the hold.

Ultimately, after several failed attempts, they lay on the ground in despair, staring at the pyramid just inches away, yet completely helpless. After observing the battle between Aldebaran and the goddess, Yin Shiqi sank his consciousness into his own cosmos, taking control of the sword energy hidden deep within.

"Is it really time to use it already?"