Chapter 108: The Three Titans

"There... there are three evil gods... their wills have descended... we... are no match... send reinforcements immediately..." Aldebaran replied in broken, intermittent breaths.

Hearing this, the Pope acted decisively and commanded: "Shura, Milo, Aiolia! In the name of the Pope, I order you to rush to North America for reinforcements immediately!"

"Understood!"
"Understood!"
"Understood!"

The voices of the Gold Saints of Capricorn, Scorpio, and Leo still echoed, but they had already transformed into streaks of golden light, rushing out of the Sanctuary.

Just as they cleared the Sanctuary and prepared to cross the ocean toward the North American continent, countless cold and sinister Cosmo auras suddenly erupted, intercepting them. It was a group of warriors clad in black surplices. The three leaders, in particular, possessed powerful Cosmo that had already reached the realm of the Seventh Sense.

"Specters?" Scorpio Milo’s expression darkened.

As the arch-enemies of the Sanctuary, the Holy Wars that had spanned thousands of years allowed him to recognize those jet-black garments at a glance: they were Surplices. This was a group of Specters. To be blocked at the very gates of his home by a group of Specters left Milo feeling anything but pleased.

"Yo, long time no see, you Gold Saints!" Wyvern Rhadamanthys greeted the trio with a mocking smirk.

It had been over two hundred years since he last met the Gold Saints. Although they were mortal enemies, the centuries-long Holy War had brought them into conflict countless times, making them "old acquaintances." He had even missed them a little over these two centuries. It was a pity, however, that these Gold Saints were not like the Specters; they could not reincarnate and return. The successors of the Gold Cloths had changed generation after generation, yet most of the Specters remained the same as they were at the dawn of the Holy War, with only a few exceptions. This was the blessing bestowed upon them by Lord Hades; they could cycle through rebirth alongside their lord, never needing to worry about the life, aging, sickness, and death that plagued the Saints. For them, death was merely a new beginning.

"Hmph!"

Ignoring Rhadamanthys’s greeting, Shura offered no response and coldly raised his hand, forming it into a blade. Instantly, his Cosmo transformed into a golden sword beam that slashed toward Rhadamanthys.

*Whoosh!*

Knowing the lethality of the Capricorn’s attack, Rhadamanthys dared not block it head-on, side-stepping to avoid the blow. It was the unfortunate Specters behind him who could not dodge in time and were cleaved in two by Shura’s blade.

"You Capricorns are always so rigid; you have absolutely no sense of humor!" Rhadamanthys shook his head helplessly as he looked at his fallen subordinates.

At the same moment, Leo Aiolia charged forward, gathering his Cosmo into his fists and unleashing hundreds of millions of punches in an instant.

"Lightning Plasma!"

In a flash, the countless punches converged into a single point, forming a ball of lightning that shot toward Rhadamanthys.

"Are you underestimating the two of us too much, little lion?"

Garuda Aiacos instantly stepped in front of Rhadamanthys, folding his massive black wings forward to effortlessly block the lightning sphere. "Compared to the lion from two hundred years ago, you are far too lacking!" he mocked openly as he unfolded his wings. The previous Leo, Regulus, and the one before him, Ilias, were no weaklings. Had either of them been the one attacking, he would never have dared to be so arrogant as to block with his wings.

"Indeed, you are far too weak!"

Griffin Minos seized the opportunity, channeling his Cosmo into invisible threads that quietly attached themselves to Aiolia. "Let your blood be the signal that writes the start of this Holy War!"

"Cosmic Marionation!"

He curled the corners of his mouth and tightened his fingers, pulling the threads attached to Aiolia.

"My... my arms..." Aiolia gasped in shock as he suddenly lost control of his limbs. Only then did he realize that nearly imperceptible threads were attached to his body, carrying the hidden Cosmo of Griffin Minos. The enemy was using those threads to manipulate his arms.

Just as Minos prepared to snap Aiolia’s arms with the Cosmic Marionation, several streaks of red light shot out from the side, striking each of the puppet threads perfectly.

"Scarlet Needle!"

Milo had gathered his Cosmo at his fingertip, unleashing a pinpoint, needle-like attack.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Milo’s attack was incredibly precise, severing every one of Minos’s puppet threads in an instant.

"Oh my, what a pity!" Seeing his intent thwarted, Minos shook his head, though his smirk suggested he wasn't truly disappointed. He knew well that with three Gold Saints present and looking out for one another, success would not come easily.

"Thank you, Milo!" Aiolia, having escaped a catastrophe, thanked the Scorpio Saint sincerely.

"Think nothing of it. We are all warriors of the Goddess!" Milo waved his hand and scanned the three figures, his expression turning grave. "Wyvern Rhadamanthys, Garuda Aiacos, Griffin Minos—why have you appeared here? Are you intending to start the Holy War early?"

Based on the records of the Sanctuary, he recognized these three at once: the most powerful among the 108 Demon Stars of the Underworld, known as the Three Judges of the Underworld.

"No need to be so serious, Scorpio!" Aiacos smirked insincerely. "We were just passing by the Sanctuary and thought we’d drop in to see some old friends and have a little chat."

"That’s right, we just wanted to talk!" Minos added.

"Absurd!" Aiolia roared in anger. "We have no time to waste with you! Get out of our way!"

"Lightning Bolt!"

He gathered his Cosmo and unleashed another hundred million punches. This time, however, he did not converge them into a single point. Instead, he scattered them into a massive golden web of electricity, shrouding the group of Specters in his attack.

"You two go! I’ll hold them off—they are trying to stop us from reaching North America!" Aiolia secretly transmitted to the others while unleashing his barrage.

Realizing the Specters' plan, Shura and Milo did not hesitate and prepared to charge through the encirclement toward North America. They were not worried about Aiolia, for they had already used telepathy to inform the Pope of the situation, and they trusted that reinforcements would arrive shortly.

Unfortunately, they had underestimated the three Judges of the Underworld and overestimated Aiolia. A concentrated attack had failed to faze Aiacos; this scattered strike was nothing more than a tickle to the three Judges. They didn't even bother to look.