Concerning the power of the Asura

In my book, the weakest gods are at least at the level of the Seventh Sense. Of course, even the weakest Seventh Sense is at the pinnacle of light speed, completely overwhelming the Sixth Sense. There is no way a god with the Seventh Sense would be weaker than a Saint of the Sixth Sense—that kind of absurd setting simply doesn’t exist.

Therefore, Shura’s strike instantly annihilated the Anubis-possessed High Priest (at the Gold level of the Seventh Sense). Don’t ask me why Shura is so formidable that he can fell both Anubis and the tower itself with a single blow. The reason is simple: Capricorn’s sword energy is recognized as the strongest physical attack among the Twelve Temples—a universally acknowledged fact. That’s why Shura is a character who, once he takes action, can finish his opponent in an instant.

Moreover, as I’ve said before, I intend to restore the true combat prowess of the Gold Saints. Please don’t use the Gold Saints’ performance in the original manga to judge their power levels in my book. The strength of my Gold Saints is determined by my own Seventh Sense setting (which I’ll elaborate on later).

I know that, having read the original Twelve Temples arc, many readers have a deeply ingrained impression that the Gold Saints are pathetically weak. But in reality, each of them is exceptionally powerful. It’s only because the main characters have such strong plot armor, and because Kurumada drastically nerfed the Gold Saints’ abilities, that they appear so feeble.

Take, for example, the two most often ridiculed “aquatic duo”—Cancer and Pisces. When Shiryu fought Cancer, he was instantly defeated not once, but twice. The first time, Athena saved him; the second, it was Shunrei’s desperate plea that brought him back. The third time, Cancer essentially brought about his own downfall. In truth, he wasn’t weak at all; it’s just that Kurumada gave Shiryu an “immortality buff” that Deathmask couldn’t counter.

Another example is Shura’s battle with Shiryu. As soon as Shura enters the fray, he splits mountains and cleaves cliffs, thoroughly intimidating the Bronze Five. Later, when he actually attacks, Shiryu is utterly overwhelmed, unable to fight back or even dodge. Shura effortlessly slices through the Dragon Shield and deliberately wounds Shiryu’s legs. Given Shura’s attack power, even other Gold Saints of the same rank wouldn’t dare to take his sword energy head-on. At that point, Shiryu’s Seventh Sense was still unstable, and he wore only Bronze Cloth—how could he possibly withstand the sword energy? Shura must have held back with that strike, or else he could have severed Shiryu’s legs completely, leaving him crippled. Even further, with his stable light-speed, Shura could have easily slit Shiryu’s throat. It’s only because Kurumada imposed restrictions.

Especially in the scene where Shiryu hugs Shura and unleashes “Rozan Koryuha”—Shiryu’s speed was already inferior, and with his injured legs, he theoretically had no chance of grabbing Shura. Yet, Kurumada made it happen anyway. It’s not that the Gold Saints were weak—it’s just that Kurumada’s plot demanded it.

In reality, each of those Gold Saints who died was perfectly capable of finishing off the Bronze Five. In fact, they did so, but the Bronze Five survived for various reasons. The true combat strength of the Gold Saints should be immense (refer to the Gold Saints’ power levels in “The Lost Canvas”). If the Bronze Five could have killed them so easily, the Underworld and Sea Realms would have been settled long ago. Thus, Shura instantly killing the Anubis-possessed High Priest (Seventh Sense) is perfectly reasonable.

Alright, since you’ve only mentioned Cancer and not Pisces, let me provide an analysis of Pisces’ combat power as well.

Pisces is not weak either. His loss to Shun wasn’t due to the protagonist’s plot armor; it’s because Shun was genuinely powerful. Shun’s gentle nature leads many to believe he’s the weakest of the Bronze Five, but that’s not the case—in fact, he’s the strongest among them.

In the original, when Shun graduated, he shattered his teacher’s Chamaeleon Cloth and left his master shocked and terrified. Although the Chamaeleon Saint was officially a Silver Saint, Kurumada endowed him with Gold-level strength. That means, from his debut, Shun was already close to Gold Saint level.

Why is Shun so formidable? Because even as an infant, he could suppress the awakening of Hades’ Cosmo, preventing it from manifesting. Note that Shun’s power is innate—it’s not something Hades granted him, as he could suppress Hades’ awakening on his own. That’s why Pandora chose not to take Shun back, instead housing Hades’ soul within him.

Someone born with the strength to suppress Hades—could he possibly be weak? So, Pisces’ defeat was by no means undeserved. At first, he dominated Shun mainly because of Shun’s gentle nature and reluctance to attack. Once Shun decided to fight back, the outcome was reversed in an instant.