Hello! How are you? I'm still alive and good to see you again. OWO

I'm really apologized for waiting so long and I haven't writing GCPS (God's Clown and Prince of Sky) yet. X-) There was a reason why I haven't started write a new chapter. I kind of interested with making a TAMNI and Saint Seiya. Don't get me wrong, I'm still determined to write a chapter for DGM and FF Versus XIII or FF XV. But thing got a little out of control when I found a crossover fic about TAMNI and Saint Seiya. It's not written in English but it's quite fascinating (Too bad it has been erased). Then I have these wild imaginations if Touma ever entered the world of Saints and Gods only to make things become extremely complicated, fighting inside Holy War for example. Can you imagine what kind of chaos will ensue if he stumbled to this war and fights those Specters and perhaps even Hades as he shouted 'Fukou da!'? That will be so awesome not to mention fantastic. The rest is history, I become excited and eager to see it happen. Thus I wanted to write and make it into series. Honestly, I don't want my concentration divided even more, not when I have two stories to write and GCPS hasn't been written for over a year. D:

I don't want to disappoint my readers so I thought, 'Okay. If I can't write it into series maybe I should make this as a challenge or one shot'. So I made this. You can considered this story as one shot but if someone interested to continue this, I more than happy and welcome his/her to do it. Just message me and give me your e-mail so I can give you the data of this story. I want to read it and more than ready to become a follower. XD Once I finish this story, I planned to write for GCPS. Kind of warning you, this story had a lot of bad grammars since I'm too lazy to find a beta reader. :-v

Last word, I hope you will like this story. Any reviews, especially the building ones, are welcoming in here. Happy reading and although it is late, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2015 for those who celebrate them!

This set few months after Magic God Arc in TAMNI and after Poseidon Arc in Saint Seiya.

Summary: It isn't Touma's fault after he involved himself to Holy War when he supposed to have vacation in Greece. His luck never side with him anyway. He was coincidentally in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong people, wrong situation, and wrong position. Or was it? Is everything like it seems? Touma knows too well that everything is more than what we are seeing. What role he must and supposed to play in this ancient war? How much important he is in this war? What is hidden beyond that unlimited horizon and sky? What is waiting for him far in there? It's time find out and walking forward through the path we choose without hesitation, no matter how many and how difficult the obstacles are.

Disclaimer: I clearly don't and never own Toaru Majutsu no Index and Saint Seiya.

You found the outset of a story.

You met the beginning of a story.

You read the starting point of a story.

You witnessed the opening of a story.

You have a chance to write this story.

This might be a one shot.

However,

You are given the liberty to use your fantasy to continue this story.

You are given the liberty to use your imagination to twist this story.

You are given the liberty to use your dream to end this story.

Thus I'm asking you,

.

.

.

Do you dare enough to accept this challenge?

oxoxoxoxo

A one shot/challenge between Saint Seiya and Toaru Majutsu no Index crossover.

.

.

.

A prologue of unlimited possibilities…

A prologue of unlimited paths…

Reaching beyond the limitless horizon…

Reaching beyond the limitless sky…

Reaching beyond the logic…

This is a story about unlimited potentials, stored and locked away inside a mere human.

Waiting to unleash…

In the face of the world.

.

.

.

BEYOND UNLIMITED HORIZON AND SKY / THUS WE'RE BRAVELY WALKING FORWARD

.

.

STAGE 00 : YOU ARE (NOT) GOING TO GIVE UP = UNBOUNDED FATE

oxoxoxoxo

Do you know the concept of 5W?

What are you thinking when you see this concept?

Are you thinking about Who, What, Where, When, and Why questions?

If you indeed thought about or referred to this certain 5 W concept, I regretfully have to tell you the 5 W we are talking now isn't the 5W we recognized. It was a simplified version from something else. It's certainly a concept which you never heard before. But then again, this unusual concept just a bunch of theoretical theories not to mention absurd sounded at the same time. However, when they're seemed to be nothing more than theoretical theories, it doesn't mean they can't happen in real life.

The alphabet of W on 5W is the simplified word from wrong.

What kind of wrong exactly which can be simplified and made into such concept?

Well, the first thing first, the concept of 5W consisted from five wrong types.

Wrong person.

Wrong place.

Wrong time.

Wrong situation.

And at last but not the least, wrong position.

If a person fulfilled all of these wrongs, he or she will definitely get stuck in a very, very nasty bad luck. Normally, a person can only fulfilled at least two or three wrongs in above. If not wrong place and wrong time, you can also add another wrong within this theory's elements, such as wrong person. If you added the third wrong then you will have the worst day you'd experienced in your life. You must have experienced this at least once, haven't you? When you thought that this day would became a normal, usual day or when you felt that this day would became the greatest day ever, you're in the wrong time and place. And then bad luck decided to befallen upon you mercilessly, that's when your lucky degrading with impressive acceleration and going down to the bottom. At the end of the day, you will curse your luck and concluded it was the worst day you ever had. Having two wrongs in the same day had been bad enough for everyone. So imagine this, what will happen if you had all those wrongs occur at the same time in one day?

The result will be one or another.

Absolute chaos.

Or even a world-wide catastrophe. The Third World War is a good example from this.

Sounded absurd and doesn't make any sense, right?

But you see, this concept is formed not without a very good reason. There's a vital cause for this concept to be existed in the first place. In order to create all these conditions, a person must possessing abnormal bad luck or misfortune. The lower bad luck a person can possessed, the lower chance for that person to have these five wrong types. So if you only had two or three from five wrong types mentioned earlier, then be thanked to God. It means you're or at least a relatively normal human because most of the people in the world only experienced two wrong types, three at most. From these, we can safely conclude that with having high or low amounts of misfortune, it can give us a hint how many wrongs we can have in the same time or in one day. So the people with the higher amounts of bad luck will also have a bigger possibility for having five wrong types. It also a huge possibility if he or she will get himself or herself a very bad, not to mention nasty situation. This is the reason why such concept was being created in the first place. In conclusion, the person with the most abnormal bad luck will have the worst possible situation in his or her hands.

Unsurprisingly, this very reason is connecting to a certain boy.

Unsurprisingly, this certain boy is happened to possessing a right hand that can negate every supernatural thing you can imagine, such as various kinds of magic and esper powers.

Unsurprisingly, this same right hand is often negate its owner's own luck thus leading him into more misfortunes and ultimately, troubles. Met a certain nun hanged on his balcony had changed his entire life; it was a starting point of his unexpected yet troublesome journey of life. Her name is Index Librorum Prohibitorum and known as the holder of 103.000 grimoires. At the process, he lost his whole memory in order to save her. His memory broken to thousands tiny pieces, left him almost nothing from the past to be remembered.

Unsurprisingly, he managed to survive despite the memory loss. He met various foes and friends in his continuing adventure.

Unsurprisingly, this certain boy with the negating right hand is always and always found himself in deep, continuous, complicated, and never ending troubles. Despite the boy's strong will to never cause any, not even the slightest commotions, he still got himself deep into troubles, again.

Unsurprisingly, he's always managed to get out from all of those with safe and sound with some impossible yet ridiculous feats he did.

He did these feats along with the help and support from his friends, and ex-enemies turned friends.

Unsurprisingly, he never tasted this sweet fruit of victory for long because with the abnormal misfortune he had, he always soon entering a new trouble with more obstacles and dangers awaiting him in front there.

Unsurprisingly, he wanted to take a break from all those misfortunes and when vacation came he took it without hesitation and going oversea. You see, he was following his father's advice and recommendation, hoping that at least he will has a normal vacation and get away from trouble for once.

Unsurprisingly, this time will be no different from before. His hope will not be fulfilled.

Unsurprisingly, he will get into a critical situation for once again and this time, it's the worst trouble he will ever had for the rest of his life.

Unsurprisingly, he will curse over his misfortune and do his best to resolve it and protecting the innocents like a good hero would do.

Surprisingly (considering his horrible misfortune he had, this might happen to him sooner or later. So maybe, it wasn't surprising at all)…

The trouble he was about to face this time not involved his usual magic and esper power's holders. They had nothing to do with this to begin with. In fact, it involved famous old mythologies from a faraway continent, almost halfway across the world from Japan. Old mythologies which came from a country we know nowadays with the name of Greece. The myths which told about famed Greek heroes such as Heracles, Perseus, Theseus, and Achilles and also legendary beasts such as Pegasus, Cetus, Hydra, and Siren. And most of all, the ancient myths which mainly told about the mighty gods lived above the sacred mountain, Olympus.

This time, he will not face a magician or a high level esper.

His opponent will be different.

His opponent wasn't a human to begin with; for his enemy in this fight is a god. A famous Greek God famed in human world with the name of Hades, the Underworld's God.

This is how he forced to acknowledge under a circumstance that the Greek myths are as real as the magic and magicians.

This is how his adventure in Athena's sacred domain, Sanctuary will begin.

This is how he met the brave warriors and peace keepers of Athena called as Saints by a sheer of bad luck.

But then again, he was Kamijou Touma. He held the title of 'Illusion Killer' not for nothing or without reason. He had faced a god before this, a magic god in a form of girl above that. He had faced a battle where he witnessed his reality and world destroyed by her before his eyes. He had faced her torture from one to another world. Over and over and over and over and all over again. He almost lost the will to fight and drowned in despair. Yet he stood up once more and regained his spirit. He finally achieved a deep understatement for the lonely magic god and repaired his reality. He even went as far as went against the world to protect the girl's smile and save her. It was an impossible battle for 1 against 6 billion people, perhaps even more. It was because he had a promise to fulfill, he accepted this battle. Together, they ran from the world governors. Together they ran from those who hunted them down.

He fought them in order to protect her.

He battled them in order to make them see his resolve.

He had to oppose his friends in order to keep his promise to the girl.

He did save her and the world in the end.

This one will not be too different.

He will face it despite all the odds.

This is how, despite his non stopping curses for his own misfortune, he did the best efforts he could effort to help and aid them against the Specters' invasion both in Sanctuary and earth.

This is how he will use his right hand against the hell and evil warriors of Hades, the Specters.

This is how he got himself involved in a secret war ragging for centuries called Holy War.

And most of all…

This is how he will change not only the flow of the war itself…

But he will also change the war itself along with its participants.

Forever.

「Greece.」

「Athens International Airport.」

「13:35 PM.」

It was rather a sunny yet warm day in Greece. Not surprising since this country had entered spring, thus the climate in this country grew warmer and it was a perfect weather to go out. In fact, in one of these days, they became unusually twice times busier than usual. The same thing occurred in Athens International Airport. Claimed as the thirtieth busiest airport in Europe, this airport was more crowded and certainly busier than usual. Standing among thousands of passengers walking into inside and outside the airport, was a certain misfortune boy, Kamijou Touma.

He was just putting his suitcase beside him and took a quick look around him.

"Okay…" He murmured as he continued to watch all the people with not so hidden fascination. "Here we are at last…Ugh, my back is hurt. Glad I didn't have to sit longer." Touma was stretching his back, hissing as the pop sounds came from his bone back.

Maybe sitting on an economy class seat for nearly 13 hours flight from Tokyo to Athens wasn't a good idea for him. After done with the stretch, Touma was looking his surrounds. He just got onto the arrival room. Hundreds of passengers walked around him, mostly to go out. He glanced at the signposts few meters away from where he stood. The signposts got written in both English and Greek. Behind him, a couple of passengers, both were female, were chatting in a language he didn't understand. However Touma had a hunch that both women spoke in Greek and they had Mediterranean appearance. It was a reminder that Touma indeed in Greece and not in Japan anymore.

"So this is Athens? Honestly, I never thought I will go here." Touma completely awed, never in his dream he could go to this country. "I guess I have to thanks Dad for this and buy some presents."

It started from July of this year. It was July 19th when he woke up in the morning and found a rather peculiar nun with huge bag hanged on his balcony railings. Turned out her name was Index Librorum Prohibitorum and currently storing around 103.000 grimoires. She also told him about magicians and few other things. At first he didn't believe it just any other person but then things going down after that fateful meeting. Later a magician named Stiyl confronted him in his house and the battle ended with Touma's victory and he fled with Index to Tsukuyomi's house, taken refuge in there for few days. The problem didn't end since Stiyl and another magician, Kanzaki Kaori came and revealed the truth behind their arrival and their reason to hunt Index but not before beaten Touma. The moment he woke up 3 days later, he made a resolve in order to protect Index. Things grew worse when he accidentally awaken John's Pen mode of Index, which made her went berserk and Touma had to destroyed Tree Diagram thus resulted of his lost memories. After that incident, Index finally stayed with him in his dorm.

The rest was history. The spiky haired boy not only must faced magicians and espers but he also must faced supernatural beings such as Archangel Gabriel and Magic God Othinus, in which it resulted both him and the said magic god were man hunted and had the world against them. In the end, Touma successfully saved the said god of magic although the blond haired girl now 15 cm tall and almost had no magical power whatsoever. Brought the former magic god with him, Touma then returned to Academy City. Peace has come back to his hectic life much to Touma great relief even he knew it wouldn't last long but for now he will enjoy these peaceful moments along with Index and his friends. Then before he realized it, it was already March and school break was before his eyes, a spring break for exactly. It was just 10 days holiday at most, a short time for a holiday but that was fine for him if it means he get a nice, relaxing break, excluding Index. Imagined how relieved Touma was when most of his problems in both outside and inside the school had solved, including his absent and his studies. Somehow he managed to keep his grade even raised it a bit despite his rather pathetic absent. That way, he didn't have to follow the short semester this year. Way better than his last semester where he had to spend his summer break with studied at school. He had no intention to let his problems followed him again. The certain misfortune boy had wanted and intended to finish the rest of them when his father called him.

Touma had just gone to home and prepared a dinner for him, Index, and Othinus when his phone rang. Turned out it was a phone call from Touya, his father. Touya had called from overseas since at that time he was in the middle of business travel. Touya asked his condition, school, so on like any other father will do concerning their child. Touma answered his inquiries, left some things behind as the illusion killer boy didn't want to worry him. Some moments later, his father then asked him if he was in the middle of school break and if he must stay in school for study again. Touma's eyebrows furrowed at the question, wondering why he asked out of sudden. Much to his surprise, Touya told his son that he booked a ticket for him to Athens. Touya also explained to him that he had planned this since a year ago. For once, the man tried to took another way to cheer and wish Touma a luck other than kept buying him various talismans. He wanted Touma to take an overseas vacation and learning foreign cultures, just this time. Athens seems like a good place for school break and it does have good, fascinating cultures. Originally he wanted to buy the ticket for summer but he had to wait longer due to Touma's remedial studies and various obvious reasons including Third World War and Magic God Othinus fiasco. Flinched in discomfort, Touma thanked his father for all of his efforts but now he concerned for Index.

Index and Othinus can't keep staying in his apartment while he was away and Touya only has one ticket. Bringing the two of them with him only cast a disaster. Index was a walking library of forbidden grimoires while Othinus had been a magic god. Some would target them while others would try to destroy them. Having them tag along was a big no-no. The next day, Touma contacted Kanzaki and told her if she can keep both Index and Othinus 10 days at the least. Kanzaki didn't have any problem with it and immediately agreed the terms if Touma bring her a present. While she quite disappointed, Othinus did realize the consequence he might face if he dares to bring both girls without accompany by someone from the Church. Church will never send someone to them unless they had great threat to world or mission. Besides he must bring his homework with him and one of them required a study about observation of overseas culture. It will require a week at most to get it done. So she asked Touma to buy her some souvenirs from Greece or she will jab him on the eyes. Index wasn't happy at first, she hated being left behind and wanted no more than to go together with him.

It took a whole day and lots, lots of foods to calm her down, with Touma cried in behind for the great loss for most of his money; his father had just gave him those money as allowance that month. After Touma successfully convinced the light iris haired nun will be safer with Kanzaki in Necessarius than following him to an unknown country, she finally agreed although very reluctant. Not before she made him promised to bring some foods. Touma wished his father will give him enough money to buy Greek's foods. Touya had took care the rest of his flight so the teenage boy only loaded his clothes, his passport, and homework into his bag. In next morning, he took Index –who brought Sphinx with her- and Othinus to the airport. He left them in Kanzaki's care after a brief conversation and brief goodbye for his flight.

'I hope Index is doing fine in Kanzaki's care while I'm not in Japan.' Touma reached for his pocket and he was pulling a piece of paper.

"Let's see…He said someone will fetch me in here but with all of these people, maybe finding him will be more difficult than I thought." The spiky haired boy had his hand scratching his head while his other hand held the piece of the paper.

Written in the paper was the name of the person who will come to get him and where he will meet him. In other words, he will become his temporary guardian while staying in here. His father said the man will take care of him while he stays for a week in Greece. Touma just hoped the man was nice and kind though he wondered absentmindedly what kind of person who has an odd surname like Koutsoukis. It sounded like the Japanese surname Koutsuki but spelled in Greek. Was this person actually a Japanese descendant who has lived quite long in Greece or something similar along with the line? Touma pondered analytically, his black charcoal eyes still fixed on the surname.

"Excuse me." A deep and slightly hesitated voice greeted him from the left, snapping Touma from his thought. Touma jumped a bit and inclined his head to look at the young man around early to middle twenties was standing not far from him.

He was an attractive, handsome young man with short yet stylish dull blond hair, light tan skin, and green, almost turquoise colored eyes. He stood taller from Touma around 7 cm and wore simple white t-shirt, a dark blazer with matching dark colored jeans, and black shoes. No kidding, Touma couldn't help but thought that the turquoise eyed young man looked like a model he sometimes saw in TV. A bunch of women and girls around them had their eyes on him and few of them blushes and giggles in adoration as they admired the young man from afar. The young man allowed himself to smile.

"Are you Kamijou Touma, Mister Kamijou Touya's son?"

Touma blinked several times. "That's me. And you are?"

"Thank God I can find you at last." The young man sighed in relief. "My name is Dion Koutsoukis but you can just call me Dio, nice too meet you. I'm your father's acquaintance." He thrust his hand toward Touma for handshake. Touma took the hand and shook it a bit awkwardly since he wasn't really customized with this western greeting.

"Ah, nice too meet you to, but…did you just said Dad's acquaintance?"

Dio nodded affirmatively. "I meet him a lot in Athens, he often came here to do some business with the company where I work at. He also helped me when I came to Japan few times since my Japanese isn't good enough." He explained a bit, pulling back his hand.

"I see…" Touma replied thoughtfully. "But you talked quite fluent and your surname sounded like Japanese. I thought you are a Japanese with foreign pronunciation's surname."

"Well, my coworkers in Japan also said the same thing. Guess I can pass as a Japanese." Dio smiled sheepishly. "I've heard many things about you both from your father and from the news. I must admit, you're very brave."

Touma looked very much uncomfortable. "Uh…you're welcome?" He offered lamely.

With the man hunt of him and Othinus went spread all around the world back there, it seemed almost everybody with connection to magic and espers recognized him. It made him quite uneasy to be honest. The Imagine Breaker's holder doesn't like become the source of attention. Even after few months, the short black haired teen still gaining few stares and whispers, sometimes what could passed as glares came from those passing bystanders' direction whenever he walk or go outside the dorm. It made him both annoyed and exasperated at the same time, yet he couldn't do anything to stop them. He had no other choice but to ignore them, hoping the stares and whispers will disappear as the time goes on.

Dio then noticed the boy's luggage. "By the way, are those your only luggage?"

Come to think of it, Touma only brought a medium sized backpack and a small suitcase. The black short haired teen didn't bring any other bag or suitcase with him. Unexpectedly to Dio, Touma's expression grew darker within a second.

"I'm only stayed for a week more or less. I don't want to carry too much things from home. Besides if I brought a suitcase bigger than this, I might hit someone with it." His shoulders slumped in defeat. "But then again, I've been followed with misfortune as long as I can remember."

In which question marks appeared above Dio's head. "Misfortune?" What does he mean?

As if he could read Dio's thought, Touma decided to elaborated further, still with despair tone of his. "I once accidentally hit a yakuza with my suitcase. I think he got a concussion because he fell to the ground and then went unconscious. After that I had been chased by his furious friends."

"Errr…" Dio sweat dropped.

"And not only I got chased by them, I also stepped on dog's tail and it also chased me. It bitten and ripped my pants leg! I have to taken a shortcut and hide in the alleyway until they gone! And on the way on home, I found out my wallet gone and I have to search around the city! I found the wallet but then I got chased by Biri-biri girl and she nearly barbequed me with her Railgun―! When I came home at night, I got bitten with Index for not making her food―!" Touma finally couldn't take it anymore and broke down in despaired wail and face palming with both of his hands.

A strong gloomy aura had surrounded him thus affected not only Dio but those who stood near the Japanese boy.

"Even before I get here, I tripped on the stairs and fell with head first. The hot coffee I held then fell on my head and my shirt, it was so hot that I must stood up and ran like a crazy, search for any restroom but I knocked a fat lady and accidentally dirtied her dress. She hit me with her bag before I could apologize! I hit a group of people behind me and made them all fell! I have to get away before they get angry at me and decide to chase me. This shirt is actually the spare I have, I can't get the dirty off from my previous shirt." Touma sighed miserably. "Such misfortune…!" The teenager exclaimed pitifully thus earned him odd glances from passengers around them.

"You…don't have to worry okay, that's why I'm here. Your father told me to watch you and show you around. You have nothing to worry about. At least you will have some fun in Greece." The turquoise eyed man waved his hands frantically, there was apprehensive in his eyes as they got stares from other passing passengers. "Besides, you can see magnificent places and things around Athens. I promise this will be the most memorable memory after you return to Japan."

Touma looked unsure for a moment.

"Yeah…hopefully." He replied with doubtful tone.

He didn't want his hope got too high but it never hurt to be optimistic a bit when he was in here for vacation, right?

"Good! That's the spirit!" Dio slapped the teen's shoulder quite hard.

Touma yelped in surprise but the beaming man doesn't seem to notice it or he merely chose to ignore it.

"Now let me carry your suitcase. I can see you've been preoccupied with that bag of yours. Come on, mother and my other siblings had prepared a welcome party and a room for you." Dio took Touma's suitcase and guiding him through the airport hallway.

"Wait. A welcome party? What for?" Touma asked incredulously.

Dio laughed heartily at the question. "For you of course! We rarely have guest and having you in our home will be refreshing!" The man replied as if it was the most obvious thing in this world. His mirth grew even more when he saw the teenager before him then widened his dark colored eyes and gaped.

"But you don't have to―!"

"You're guest and it's my honor to welcome you." Dio simply cut the spiky haired boy. Before they continued to walk further, the handsome man turned again and this time, he was fully facing Touma. "Oh, and Touma? Welcome to Athens."

Touma couldn't help but to scratching his head, a smile adorned his feature.

"Man…you're very persistent and leaving me no argument, aren't you?" Touma gave the older man a slight yet respectful bow. "Please take care of me, Koutsoukis-san."

"Just Dio is fine and no problem. We must hurry since driving to Athens is quite far." Dio answered, guiding his guest with Touma on the tow. Touma blinked confusedly.

"How far exactly to Athens from this airport and how long the drive will―"

NGEEEK!

Touma was frozen in his place. His wide eyes stared in the front yet unseeing for his focus now completely on one of his feet. Almost immediately, dreadfulness surged in his mind. Gulping and sensing oncoming danger, he braced himself to glance on his right foot. Almost immediately, he went from nervous to deadly pale.

"…Shit."

Of course Dio heard the curse threw by his protégé.

He blinked owlishly to made sure he wasn't misheard it.

"Touma? What's…" The older man turned his head just in time to found a growling bulldog and paled Touma, slowly backing away from the intimidating dog.

"Oh God." Dio muttered, slowly yet surely, he went paler within seconds.

How could he didn't notice the bulldog or how did the dog even got in there, he will never find out.

"BOW! BOOOW!"

The huge and menacing dog barked angrily.

Soon after it was running after Touma who had took off faster than the furious dog.

"FUKOUUU DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Thus, the turquoise eyed man had to sprint after them and save Touma from the bulldog before the dog can screw his charge, possibly call for security in order to find its owner.

「Few hours later.」

「Highway.」

「17:15 PM.」

"I'm so sorry…" Touma apologized weakly, nursing the scratches on his arm.

There were few visible scratches existing on his face as well. Thankfully, none of them were serious.

They were inside Dio's car and currently driving back toward Athens through the highway. After two hours of chasing between Touma, the bulldog, and Dio, Dio along with two securities finally caught the dog thus saved Touma from the dog's viciousness. After checked his charge then assumed the boy was fine aside from the scratches and few bites, he took the boy out from the airport immediately. Left the two securities that had helped them with the dog, not before gave them a thank you. They had promised to Touma and Dio that they will search return the dog to its owner. The sunset had fallen not too long ago, not to mention the full moon was slowly arising from the east. It would become a beautiful sight but right now Touma didn't really care for moon's sightseeing since he hadn't a good mood and Dio can feel it.

"No need to mention it…" Dio waved his hand in dismissal, one hand still on the steering wheel. "But I have to say your fortune is suck." Dio gave a wry smile, scratches also visible on his face although there weren't many.

He meant it for a joke but it looks like his charge had caught it in different meaning because the boy was giving even more despair aura.

"Like I never know it already…" The black haired boy grew gloomier drastically as he was face palming with both of his hands.

Sensed the air around them had shifted became too uncomfortable, the older man wisely changed their subject. "Say, do you want to go to visit a place before we go home?"

Dio relieved when he saw the gloom aura surrounded his charge then gone in instant. Touma lifted his head and blinked confusedly.

"Huh?"

"Night had just fell and judged from our current position we're not far from my father's home."

Touma tilted his head questioningly. Dio's father? The gears inside his head were turning up. Now if he remembered correctly, didn't he mention only his mother and his siblings in air port this afternoon? This is the first the dull blond haired man mentioned his father. And Touma found it a bit…strange. Since it will sound rude and offensive, the certain Imagine Breaker owner decided to keep quiet and avoided some questions inside his brain.

"…In the middle of mountain like this?" Touma asked politely.

"He's living outside of Paiania, the city we just passed a while ago. His home shouldn't far if we drive another 15 minutes." Dio motioned with his head.

"Is he using car to go to the town in case he needs something?"

"No, he's using bicycle and he loved it although it will make his journey longer than by used a car."

"How long it takes when you used bicycle?"

"Around an hour."

This information only served more confuses and questions with Touma. With mountainous region like he saw, it seems like a difficult area to travel. In which it lead Touma to another question.

"He must be strong to travel only with a bicycle. By the way, how old is he?"

"Hum...He will be 65 years old this year." Dio nonchalantly replied. Thus Touma snapped his head at him with wide eyes.

"He's 65 years old?! He can easily pass as a grandparent. Why would he live outside the city when it's far easier for him to stay inside the city?" Touma gaped disbelievingly.

In Japan, it wasn't unusual to see elders doing difficult activity such as climbing Mount Fuji. It also not uncommon for elders in his country to live far from the big city and living in secluded and tranquil place like village or in mountain but he heard it wasn't really common in western countries.

"And come to think of it, why he's not staying with you and your family? It will be easier for him rather than staying far from the city and he can see his family everyday." Touma further asked.

Dio chuckled nervously at the questions. "He's a mountain guide and maybe it's also because the old story in my father's family."

"What story?" With piqued interest, Touma asked.

"I don't really know the details and I don't know if it's holding a truth either," Dio hummed thoughtfully. "But the story said that long ago, the ancestors from my father side's family had been served under Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. Once in few hundred years, she descends to earth and reincarnated as a human. She's a goddess who would fight for mankind and peace, warred the other gods along with her warriors for centuries. My ancestors once served as her servants and soldiers in her Sanctuary. However for some reason they went from Sanctuary and guarding it from outer world or so they told."

"Athena? You mean that goddess of war, Athena?" Touma tilted his head, trying to affirm his assumption. He only learnt about the said goddess in class when they learned about Athens origin. It was a brief mention but enough for the students to know some basics knowledge concerning the goddess.

"The one and only." Dio nodded affirmatively.

Touma was furrowing his eyebrows. "And Sanctuary?"

"The sacred place of where Athena would reside on Earth."

"…That's sounds rather…unbelievable." Touma commented unsurely. "And what's with the name? Why it's in English? I thought for a sacred place existed from long time ago it would use, I don't know, ancient Greek?"

The dull blond haired man shrugged. "Who knows? Some stories are meant to stay hidden between reality and fairytale."

"Isn't he getting or at least feeling, I don't know, lonely? He's alone in the mountain."

"He's a guide for mountain area. It's his duty so it can't be help. He's still coming back to our home in holiday, though."

Touma went silent and wore this thoughtful look on his face while Dio focused back his attention on the road. They weren't talking anymore in the way. Despite being silence, Touma kept thinking about the tale he considered as intriguing. The resident of the Academy City wasn't sure whether he must believe the old tale or not. It sounded ridiculous and almost making no sense whatsoever. Magic too supposed to be a tale and yet it existed in this world. He had experienced by his own during his adventures in Academy City. He wouldn't believe it if only he didn't witness it with his eyes. This tale was the same. There was a big fat possibility Dio's tale had some truth within. Unfortunately, even Touma had no idea what kind of truth the tale held. Perhaps he will never know forever. His trail of thoughts suddenly got interrupted when he heard faint yet odd sounds from the car's engine. At first Touma believed it was only his imagination so tried to ignore it at first. However as time passed, the odd sounds grew louder and it began to make Touma feeling uneasy. He decided to tell Dio, hoping the older man know something.

"…Uh, Dio? Is this just me or did I just hear some strange noises coming from the machine?"

A heavy, unnerving silence fell between them.

"What?" Dio asked with clueless tone a while after. Touma was giving him an incredulous stare. He couldn't be joking right? He seated on the driver's seat, surely he should've heard something.

"There're these odd noises coming from the engine! Please don't tell me you're not heard them."

"…What?" The older man deadpanned abruptly. Touma noticed the healthy light tan on his face slowly drained onto the shade of sick pale. "Oh no, it can't be…"

Suddenly a dreadful feeling overwhelmed the black haired student. Touma didn't like the turquoise eyed man's way of behavior. He was going to question the man if something's wrong but the loud sounds followed by something exploded from the car's engine had beaten him first.

CRACK! DOOOOM!

…

…

Touma was slowly turning his head back to the front and under the full moon's light he could saw a thick, black smoke rose from the car's cab. His left eyebrow twitched violently as his black colored eyes never left the sign of the smoke.

"Oh, no…" The older man's head hit the steering wheel and groaned. "The engine's broke earlier than I expected…"

"What, what?! What happen, what was broken, and what the heck with that black smoke…!?" Touma burst out.

He darted repeatedly from Dio to the black smoke came from the machine.

"I haven't finished fix this car due to financial problem. I've the money, I've even planned to fix it tomorrow." The young man opened his safety belt and then opened the door, intending to go outside. "And now it's broken."

"Wait a minute. We're in the middle of somewhere, how we are going to find a help?! I don't see any serve station around here and it's dark already!" Touma blanched, he also opened both the safety belt and the door.

The owner of Imagine Breaker also got out from inside the car and shut the door, when he noticed something else. Quiet. It was too quiet to his discomfort. It took him another second to realize that their car was actually the only car in this highway. His heart clenched uneasily. How did there was no passing car in here? He remembered he still saw some cars when they passed the city of Paiania. It was…made him a bit edgy.

"Besides what's wrong with this road anyway? I don't see any car aside from us." He asked confusedly as he was following the older man.

Dio shrugged with those wrinkles on his forehead.

It seemed Touma wasn't the only one who noticed this oddity.

"I don't know. To be honest, I'm also surprised there was almost no car in this area. It's quite crowded in usual days. Normally I would wait until other cars passed and ask them for some assistance but it seems I can't do it today." Dio shut back the door and walked around car. "My father's home is around here so I'll go there and ask his aid instead."

The turquoise eyed man stopped right in front of the luggage's door. Touma then just noticed a mountain bicycle strapped on the said door. Dio started to pull the straps which held the bicycle.

"I didn't notice there was a bicycle strapped behind this car…" Touma muttered.

Dio was still working with the straps which held the bicycle as fast as he can. "You wouldn't. This car was parked facing us, remember?"

Touma had just noticed the man continued to pull the bicycle's straps. "What are you going to do with that bicycle anyway?"

"Go to Dad's house with this." Dio finally pulled the bicycle from the straps. "Can you waiting inside the car while I'm away?"

"…I have to stay in here? And on top of that, you will go by yourself―!?" Touma shouted.

"Someone had to watch the car while I'm gone and you need rest. You'd flied for nonstop and I know it was tiring." Dio was checking the bicycle. "The bicycle is working. I can get my father for help."

"Ugh…, why must this is happening to me even when in the middle of vacation?" Touma was face palming in despair. Shaking his head, the Imagine Breaker's holder then inquired the other man. "Are you really sure you still want to go? I don't know how much different Japan from Greece but I don't think going alone in the dark roadway is a good idea."

"I've gone there quite often, occasionally in the middle of night so I can manage. I'm more worried about you since your vacation filled with misadventures."

"I wouldn't call those as misadventures and here I thought I can relax a little from all troubles I had in Japan. So much happened in one day and most of them aren't great. Such misfortune…" The spiky haired teen hung his head and had his shoulders slumped.

Touma paused. "You have a point; maybe I should stay here and waiting you two…" He added weakly.

Dio chuckled softly. "See what I mean? You need rest more than me because you'd flied for hours so stay inside the car."

"What about you? You've driven for nearly 3 hours and now you're going to ride bicycle across mountain. Aren't you tired at least a bit?" Touma questioned back.

"I've used to this. There're foods and water on the back seat, you can eat them while I go. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Just, be careful. I don't want anything bad happen, not today. Damn, having stranded in this place without anyone living near is bad enough. I don't need another misfortune come to…us." Touma was taking a look around their surrounds. It was quite dark except from the light of the lamps' highway.

Dio rode on his bicycle and gave him a nod. "You too, Touma. Be careful."

The turquoise eyed young man then rode and cycled away, watching by Touma on the back. Touma had his eyes on Dio's furthering figure until he couldn't see him anymore in the distant. The spiky haired student sighed and went back to inside the car, closing back the door. His dark colored eyes then fell to a lunchbox wrapped in cloth in the back seat. Stretched his arm, he took the lunchbox onto his waiting laps.

"Such misfortune for wanting a nice holiday…" Touma leaned back on his seat, scratching his head listlessly. He opened the wrapping and the lid. Tucked neatly inside, were pieces of delicious looking baklava. His stomach growled as soon as he saw the food. Touma blushed slightly as he remembered that he didn't eat since this afternoon. "I guess I have to fill my stomach first. Hopefully they're as good as they look."

"Itadakimasu…" Touma clapped his hand.

He took one piece of baklava from the lunchbox and biting it. The illusion killer boy was chewing it carefully.

Few moments later his eyes lit up and he hummed in appreciation.

"Hey! Not bad. It's even more delicious from what I'd thought."

He then took another bite from his baklava and chewing it, decided to like the Greek sweet. Half an hour later, the spiky haired teen had his stomach full. Touma didn't dare to eat all of the baklava because, one, it would be rude if he ate all the foods. He should've at least leaved half of them for Dio and his father. Two, he couldn't eat them all; there will be too much for him to eat alone. The teen could only eat three from fifteen baklava's pieces. As Touma was munching the last piece, he stole a glance toward a certain direction where Dio had been gone.

Touma sighed heavily. "I hope Dio is okay outside there."

The Imagine Breaker's holder closed back the lunch box and lay back on his seat.

He breathed out a tired sigh and closing his eyelids. Many things had happened today, added with the non-stop flied from Japan had him quite fatigue. He took a glance at the mountain area around west. It was the nearest mountainous range from highway where he was now. It looked magnificent and breathtaking under the moonlight's shine but it will be more awesome if he can see it when sunrise comes. Touma then remembered at the fact that despite being a Japanese, he never ever climbed the Mount Fuji. He found it ironic because even his little cousin had climbed the said sacred mountain once. The black haired teen made a mental note to invite Dio and his family to Japan and if they're lucky, climb Mount Fuji. Touma then averted his eyes from the car's window, ready to close his eyes...

When an odd sound echoed from afar, not loud but it was more than enough to have Touma's attention.

Booom…

"―!" Touma jolted from his seat. He blinked rapidly as he was turning around his head to left and right.

The black haired boy went opened the door and getting out from car. Just on time he shut back the door, he heard another loud sound echoed from the same direction in which much to Touma's discomfort, it sounded like explosion or something similar.

"…Is that…an explosion?" Touma then fixed his black colored eyes on the nearest mountain range from where he was waiting.

It took a while before realization struck him that it was the mountainous are he just gazed earlier. He also aware the suspicious sounds came from the same mountainous area. Suddenly Touma overwhelmed with anxiousness. There was something about the sounds which made him on the edge. It could be an avalanche for all he knows since this area was within mountainous range. However for an avalanche, the sounds themselves even too peculiar. It didn't sound natural for the owner of certain Imagine Breaker. He wasn't a geologist or ranger, he knew it very well, but even to him the sounds came from that place were too explosive for avalanche's standard. Touma hesitated to say at the least. Dio had told him to stay inside the car and wait for him. The young man will be worry if he wasn't in there. On the other hand, he can't ignore the odd sounds coming from behind the mountain. His sixth sense tingled with alarm and told him something was happening.

Staying still for few moments, he then moved to his bag and opened it.

He pulled a flashlight from inside it.

He threw his gaze toward the mountain.

"Maybe I should check it for a moment."

「Roughly 10 minutes later. Inside the mountain range.」

Touma was struggling to climb some steep slopes.

Sweats started to pouring from his forehead as he trying to place his steps carefully.

The flashlight he had brought with didn't help much to illuminate his road at all. It broke just few minutes ago for unexplained reason.

He had no choice but to throw it. Now the full moon was the only source of light which illuminated the path before his eyesight.

It wasn't helping at all.

He had tripped several times because the lack of light aside from the moonlight.

He had hit his face flat several times as well.

Yet he stubbornly continued to run.

He stubbornly continued to climb forward to his destination.

Guided only with his honed sixth sense.

It maybe sounded stupid...

But he had this strange feeling that he was being needed in...there.

It was as if invisible hands pulling and guiding him toward that place.

He knew he must trust his feeling for this thus he kept walking onward, forward to his destination. Swallowed any hesitation and bracing himself for whatever he will and must face in there.

'Sometimes, I wonder if I made a right decision or a wrong one instead...' Touma grimaced mentally at this point as he was nursing his throbbed forehead.

For now, Touma didn't how crucial his decision is.

However in the future, the black haired student will forever grateful for following his instinct.

Because if he didn't follow it…

He wouldn't meet them for sure.

He wouldn't be able to assist, let alone helping them.

He wouldn't be able averted the catastrophe which would extinguish humankind forever.

Most of all, he wouldn't having such deep friendship with them.

He doesn't know that on that fateful day, he will affect them very much as they will affect him equally.

Fate is as strange as like that.

「Roughly 1873 meters away from Touma's current position. Between the mountain range.」

「Sanctuary.」

「Aries Temple.」

「17:40 PM.」

Sanctuary, Athena's sacred ground.

It said when she descended to human's world and reincarnated as a human, she will always dwendling within Sanctuary's wall.

All Athena's incarnation always born in Sanctuary with exception the previous goddess' incarnation, Sasha, who had been born in Italy. This sacred ground blessed by Athena herself therefore it has barrier to protect and hiding the said ground from outside world and uninvited intruders. Sanctuary also Saints' main base and main training ground for trainees. They came from all around the world and must through difficult and harsh, sometimes almost inhumane training for years. Sometimes they who survived must fight a tournament before they can don certain armors called Cloths. Just like Sanctuary, these armors were also blessed by Athena. The Cloths represented every constellations in the sky, there were 88 Cloths existed. Only Saints and trainees could enter this place. Unless you're a Saint, you can't find this place, perhaps you will never find it forever.

This place consisted of Rodorio Village, a massive training ground, coliseum, Star Hills, ancient clock with zodiac signs, the Twelve Houses of Zodiac, the Main Temple, and Athena's Statue.

The Twelve Temples represented twelve zodiacs, were the most recognizable buildings in Sanctuary.

They built above the hill area, higher than any buildings in Sanctuary. It made them quite easy to spot except for Star Hill that built in another higher hill and Athena's Statue which built in the top peak of hill. Each one of them connected by long stairs, solely with purpose to tired the intruders before they could reach Main Temple where Athena's incarnation took resident. Each temple also guarded by twelve strongest Saints known as Gold Saints. They infamous as the highest rank Saints started from Bronze, Silver, and finally Gold Saints. Aries Temple was the first zodiac temple, represented its first place in the zodiac's circle. If ones stood before it, they would be amazed and enchanted by its majestic. Night had fall and the stars in the sky were quite bright this night.

It would be a perfect night for walk or stargazing.

But tonight…

Something unusual occurred.

Something happened in Aries Temple.

"Mu...do you still not understand? Rebelling against those two is mean that you're rebelling against me as well."

A man who was wearing black, tattered cloak, stood few feet away across the front temple. A pair of light violet colored eyes silently watching the event. Not far from where he observed, stood two men with same ominous and intimidating purplish black armors. Yet those armors had some differences. Both of them were in the early to middle twenties. One had spiky blue hair, same colored eyes, and rather roguish face. This man was Cancer Deathmask, a revived Saint turned Specter. Another had long wavy, silky and ice blue colored hair. Contradictive with the rogue looking man, had he not wore his armor he could be mistaken as woman due to his fair face. He had a pair of light blue eyes and a mole beneath his left eye. This man infamous as Pisces Aphrodite, also a revived Saint turned Specter. They had offensive aura radiating from them as they glared sharply on their opponent.

Another few feet away, facing them defiantly was their opponent. He was a young man in his early twenties, made him few years younger than his opponents. Unlike their armors, he wore golden colored armor. He had white and thin mantle tucked behind his armor. Unlike its twisted counterparts, this one looked pretentious and regal even though it was intimidating. The cape only strengthened its impression, making it more elegant. His lavender hair was long and straight. He had his hair tied in the middle. His eyes colored of dark spring green and rather having a pair of eyebrows, he had two dark dots like eyebrows instead. It signaled that he was a Lemurian from Jamir and its residents quite famous for being Cloths' blacksmiths. In fact he was the best among them. Serene and calm was the first impression that could be made from him. However his handsome face looked hard, sternness filled his usual soft eyes. He had his arms spread widely as the wind blew both his hair and white cloak.

"I've said that before. If doing this is a revolt against you, I will pay for it with my life. But Death Mask and Aphrodite...I can never forgive the both of you and I will send you back to the Underworld with my own hands!" The golden armored man, Mu, replied.

He was burning his Cosmos.

It leaked from him with the same color like his armor.

"...Hoo..." The man with black veil watched the Aries Saint with interest. "For the first time, Mu, who always had graceful smile like the sheep that run through the heavens...is going to bare his fangs."

Mu raised his Cosmos even further. The golden aura surrounded Aries Saint was glowing even brighter. It was almost blinding, as if the mini sun decided to rose back and shine in the dark of night.

"Former saints of Athena, revived by pledging allegiance to Hades and coming to kill Athena...!" His steel voice echoed thorough the air and the temple. "I will never let those with tainted souls pass! Those who were Athena's Saints, I, Mu, will take you down by myself!"

Deathmask was burning in fury. His forefinger pulsed with Cosmos. "Che, as if we will let you! Take this! Sekishiki Meikaiha!"

"I'll pierce your heart! Bloody Rose!" Aphrodite shouted no less furious than Deathmask, throwing his lethal crimson roses in huge numbers.

Both attacks never reach their target as Mu had let out his attack first.

He crossed both his arms in front of him and throwing them.

Twin blinding lights suddenly erupted within his palms.

"GO BACK TO UNDERWORLD! STARLIGHT EXTINCTION―!"

「758 meters from Sanctuary.」

「943 meters from Aries Temple.」

"Hosh…"

"Hosh…"

"Hosh…"

Touma gasped between his breaths, half crouching with both hands on the knees.

"On the second thought…" The killer illusion boy was trying to catch his breath as sweats started to wet his shirt.

He had anticipated the run between Dio's car and the explosion's source would be quite far. He had run even more far than this. The distance from the highway to the source was around 2-3 kilometers perhaps even closer while he often ran inside the Academy City from side to another side of the city. And Academy City's size was 1/3 of Tokyo, so this should be a piece of cake. However Touma hadn't anticipated the mountain's steep slopes, even when he was athletic enough due to being pursued by certain Railgun, yakuza, and angry girls everyday around the city. Moreover he had far from everywhere. Touma was all alone. If he injury himself, he will not get any help from anyone. The black spiky haired student had to be extremely careful while climbing this area. Of course he couldn't call to anyone since there was no signal in this area. He had checked his cell phone just a few minutes ago. It enough to made Touma slumped his head and shoulders in defeat. He had no choice but to move forward as his sixth sense kept stirring, as if to remind him to go to his destination. He had been in more than a halfway from his destination. It would be too troublesome and dangerous if he going back in the pitch dark without flash light.

Misfortune indeed.

"Maybe I shouldn't go check it at all. Why I'm thought that checking it only would take a while? Why did I come here again?" Touma asked loudly to no one.

After a brief and utter silence, he rolled his eyes and mentally cursed his previous decision to climb up.

"Riiight...I thought there must be someone got trapped beneath the avalanche. What kind of people wanting to living in the middle of mountain without any human contact?" Touma grumbled, folding his arms and heaved a sigh.

BLAAAARR!

Touma almost jumped on his place.

"What the―?!" Touma was taking a few steps and looked up toward the direction where the explosion's sound came from.

It came from the other side of this cliff, not too far from where he currently stood in fact.

His previously exhausted stance vaporized and he immediately went to fully alarm.

"Just now…What on earth has happened?!"

「At the same time.」

「Sanctuary.」

「Aries Temple.」

Once the extremely bright light reduced and darkness blanketed the temple, there was no sight of Deathmask and Aphrodite. They had gone to nothing, defeated by Mu.

Leaving with only the black hooded man and the golden armored Lemurian alone.

"Death Mask and Aphrodite have disappeared completely from this world and retreated to the Underworld. Yes, true for only the two of you..."

Mu's Cosmos reduced a lot yet it still lingering in there. The Lemurian warrior was more than ready to raise it any second and unleash it to his enemy.

"Mu, you're the foolish one. Killing those two doesn't and will not stop this battle." The hooded figure told him. Warning was within his tone.

"Even if you say that, I cannot leave until I eradicated Hades and his 108 Specters."

"I am not talking about the 108 Specters." The hooded man replied almost nonchalantly.

The Gold Saint's eyes then widened in horror. Uneasiness began to disturb his thought as suspicion rose. But it couldn't be. It couldn't be, could it? The lavender haired man asked mentally to no one. He really wished his suspicion was wrong but Mu knew from the deep of his heart that his suspicion has a big possibility. As if he could read the Gold Saint's frantic thought, the cloaked figure spoke again.

"Death Mask and Aphrodite…aren't the only ones who came to this place in order to kill Athena." The man continued with that calmness.

"What―!?" Mu felt dreaded, he couldn't believe there were indeed more of them.

With those dark spring green eyes of his, The Aries Saint was scanning thoroughly for any signs of other intruders he might not notice yet.

He couldn't sense the tiniest bit of foreign Cosmos, confirmed another suspicion of his. His possible new opponents were experts in cloaked Cosmos, which means they even more dangerous than Deathmask and Aphrodite. They hide their Cosmos quite well and by now they must be watching him from somewhere, waiting the right moment to appear and strike him.

"There are others who near His Highness..." The cloaked man paused. "No, I have met them in fact, with these Cosmos..." He then corrected loftily.

Mu gasped silently.

"Could it be…?!" He muttered his breath.

The dark cloaked figure smiled faintly when the wind blew. The wind was gathered above a pillar and swirling around like a small tornado. It went dissipated, showing a black cloaked figure.

Appeared from behind another pillar, was another dark cloaked figure with snowflakes trailed behind him.

From another side, small black particles suddenly gathered and formed the last figure cloaked in tattered black.

Even though they forms were completely hidden by the cloaks, Mu recognized these people through sensing their Cosmos.

Mu took few step back, he threw a shocked gaze to one black clad man to another.

"Impossible…You…Even the three of you too…!?" Mu's voice was shaking in disbelief.

「The Great Statue of Athena.」

「17:47 PM.」

A strong wind gushed on the hill's top.

It was a place where a huge statue of famed war goddess stood regally.

The statue carved from whitish grey stone. Its wise face stared forward while both her hands held a shield and a small angel with no head and arms. Standing before the statue was a young girl around thirteen years old. She was beautiful and has a long lilac colored hair. Her slender figure wrapped in sleeveless and white flowing dress. In outside world, this girl known as Kido Saori, Kido Mitsumasa's adopted granddaughter and the sole heir from Graude Foundation. In Sanctuary, the sea green eyed girl was Athena's current incarnation who said only reincarnated every 200 years more or less. Although it suppressed, with the massive yet calm and protective Cosmos radiated quietly from her, only strengthened the evidence that she indeed Athena. However, her fair face was currently filled with concern. Her sea green eyes fixed on certain direction below the hill. She squeezed her hands unconsciously.

"Mu…" The lilac haired girl whispered the Aries Saint's name.

The Holy War just began now. She had ordered her Saints, especially the Gold Saints to not allow and forbid certain five Bronze Saints from entered Sanctuary. Her thought wondering to her stubborn and loyal Pegasus Saint. Saori couldn't help but feeling sad a bit. The Goddess' incarnation tried to suppress her sadness and shove it to the deepest part of her heart. This was the best way for her and her precious Bronze Saints, she couldn't let them involved with this war. Saori wouldn't let them fight, not in this war and not in this time. It might and would cost their life if the sea green eyed girl let them fight, and Saori didn't wish for such fate fall on them. They still a group of teenagers around her age and few years older. They still have a long and happy future if they can make it. Just because they were Saints, it didn't mean they have to take a risk to die in Holy War. They have other choices but no, knowing them, they would fight together with her without hesitation.

The lilac haired girl didn't wish for that.

She wanted them safe and sound and far away from this terrible war, nothing more.

Saori closed her eyes and steeled herself.

The girl had made her decision. She wouldn't become the one who being protected by Seiya and his comrades. As Athena's incarnation, it will be Saori who protect them this time. This was her war and her fight. She will be the one who end this war. With her hands, she will make sure her Saints deserved what was the best for them.

The sea green eyed girl will make sure of it.

It was such remarkable determination coming from the lilac haired girl.

She clearly thought deeply about those she greatly cares.

The girl created a barrier around Sanctuary by herself.

Saori even went as far as gave a direct order to forbid Seiya and his friends to come here.

It seemed her plan was perfect, no the smallest gap existed.

Too bad.

This time, things will not go according to her plan far too early. A new element will ruin it all. One that she will never anticipated.

Saori then sensed something.

At first, she almost missed it. The white dressed girl's Seventh Sense picked up something however.

Something wrong in fact.

It was the barrier she preserved.

Saori gasped softly and had her eyes on one side of her barrier.

One second, everything seemed normal and then she felt it.

There was a disturbance on her barrier.

Then as fast as its came, it went gone.

Saori blinked a few times in perplex. What has happened now? Was it a Specter who just infiltrated the barrier? Decided to find out more, she burned her Cosmos higher. The lilac haired girl tried to check the barrier with wariness but much to her astonishment, she found nothing. The barrier was still intact and functioning well as ever. It only served more confusion on her than ever.

The lilac haired goddess frowned deeply. Her sea green colored eyes focused still at the very same direction where the disturbance came from.

She walked forward, trying to see the border area.

"What is that…?" Saori mused wonderingly.

Odd.

There was no way a disturbance on the barrier would be gone that…fast. Despite the brief moment, she really sure she also sensed a presence through her Cosmos. Whatever it was, it felt really odd to her to be honest. Its presence felt so faint of course and despite that the lilac haired goddess felt a unique resonance came from it. But what or who caused it? The disturbance happened too fast, she didn't able to identified whatever or whoever made it on her barrier. Should she doing a scan on that area once more? Saori stood thoughtfully in there for a while. Coming with a decision and resolve, the white dressed girl used her Seventh Sense for once more.

The lilac haired goddess had her Cosmos burn.

Saori was focusing her sensing Cosmos on that area again.

She also expanded her searching area around Sanctuary.

The white dressed girl was scanning through every corner.

Once she found the oddity wasn't near her barrier anymore she now focused her sense on Sanctuary instead.

It didn't take a long time before the current incarnation of Athena found it. It was faint to the point anyone who had yet mastered their Seventh Sense would has missed it. Saori on the other hand, different because she was Athena's incarnation not to mention her Seventh Sense already mastered.

It took her another few seconds to identify the mysterious presence which might cause such disturbance.

Much to her shock, she found that it felt like a normal human presence. While normal human possessed Cosmos, they didn't have the capability to burn it due to the lack of training. Despite the fact, they still have Cosmos within them and it was in there even though it fainter than Saints. But in this one, it even felt off than any normal human's Cosmos. Sure its Cosmos faint as like a normal human should but there was also…something in there. Something which made she couldn't sense this presence earlier. What even more disturbed to her that this presence kept moving deeper and deeper to Sanctuary.

A realization came down to the current Athena's reincarnation when she put this together.

Her beautiful and usual serene face became paler a few shades.

Someone had passed her barrier.

A normal human, probably an innocent yet curious citizen.

And he moved fast toward the Aries Temple.

「At the same time.」

「Aries Temple.」

The first hooded form descended from the pillar as a crack suddenly appeared on the stone floor. He had his cloak shredded from inside. It got cut into pieces as if a sword did slash through it. The cloak's remains scattered by the wind, revealing a tall, spiky and dark green haired man in his early to middle twenties. He opened his eyes which happened to have the same color with his hair. The man was giving the Aries Saint a rather stoic glance. The short haired man was wearing a similar dark armor like the ones which Deathmask and Aphrodite wore. He carried himself straightly like those honorific samurai from old times. It wasn't surprising since this man was the holder of Excalibur, the holy sword and said as the most loyal Saint of Athena.

"Capricorn Shura." Mu revealed the name of the revived Saint who just came in shock.

A tiny of ice flew passed the lavender haired warrior. Mu turned around just in time to saw the ice touched the floor behind him and made it frozen. Mu had his gaze back toward the new second figure. The next cloaked figure stood not far from the revived Capricorn Saint then had his own cloak frozen with ice. The ice then broken, revealing another young man in his early twenties. Unlike his first companion, he grew his turquoise colored hair long and passing his waist. He too, opened his violet-blue colored eyes and staring apathetically to him. This young man also wearing the similar black armor yet different from Shura, he carried undeniable wintery aura.

"Aquarius Camus." Mu became more and more incredulous at the time the revived Aquarius Saint showed himself.

The last person who still covered by the cloak was taking few more steps before he halted. He too, just like his companions, flared up his Cosmos. A galaxy appeared around him with the cloaked form himself as the center. The black colored cloak destroyed onto tiny particles due to the galaxy's immense power. Once the cloak removed, the figure hidden beneath the cloak then revealed. It was a man in his late twenties, also wearing purplish black armor with different design. He was the tallest and so far, he seemed to be the oldest from all of his companions. He has a rather spiky yet long hair with palatinate blue color. It was reaching almost to his knees. He too, opened his eyes, revealing his lime green colored eyes to the world. Despite the quiet and the calm appearance, a powerful wave of aura was radiating from his direction.

"And…Gemini Saga!" Mu's body was starting to shaken. "You too surrendered your souls to Hades and came to kill Athena as well…!?"

"That's right. Now get out from my way, Mu!" Shura exclaimed threateningly.

"Shura…" Mu whispered the Capricorn saint's name.

"If you don't…" Shura stepped forward, one hand readied on his side which soon covered with ominous Cosmos. "I'll kill you."

The dark green haired warrior disappeared from view, only to reappear before Mu.

"Excalibur!" Shura brought down his hand.

SLASH!

The sound of slash echoed when Shura hit widen eyed Mu with Excalibur.

It would cut the Gold saint in two pieces if only he landed the technique successfully. Much to the revived Capricorn's Saint dismayed, Mu's form blurred out of sudden and disappeared to nothing. The real Aries Saint appeared in a good distance from Shura. When he set his feet on the ground safely, few strands of Mu's hair being cut and fell from his long hair. His dark spring green eyes watched the black haired warrior warily.

"Do you think that you could evade it with teleport?" The revived Capricorn Saint readied his Excalibur, giving the Gold Ram Saint a smirk. "I won't just hit your hair next time."

Camus then raised his arm, holding back the Capricorn Saint.

"Shura, don't let Mu bleed to death. I'll do it." Camus spoke quietly.

"Camus!" Mu warily fixed his dark green spring colored eyes on the revived Aquarius Saint.

The turquoise haired warrior raised his hand.

There was freezing air came from his palm. Ice dust started to appear, they began to swirling within his opened palm. They continued to swirling until finally it formed a sphere. An undeniable beautiful sphere made by ice yet hiding a destruction power that cannot be underestimated.

"This freeze―" Camus then thrust his hand, the ice sphere within his palm exploded into ice storm. "Diamond Dust!"

Faster than his eyes could follow Mu felt the freezing, tiny ice shards hit his torso despite the Gold Cloth he wore. Its force flew him toward one of the temple's columns. Mu slammed hard against the stone column, creating a medium cracks on the column before he fell to the ground in kneeling position. Granted, the lavender haired man didn't lose his conscious yet. However his head felt dizzy and for a moment his eyesight blurred from the impact. Aside from all of those, technically the Aries Saint was fine enough. The Lemurian Saint had been through worse things in the past. He was a Gold Saint for nothing.

The First Guardian then stood slightly shakily. "I can't allow those who have surrendered to Hades pass!"

"...Mu, are you going to fight with that injury?" Shura spoke after a brief silence.

"Nobody can break the will of a Gold Saint!" Mu replied heatedly.

Saga stepped closer, closing the distance between him and the First Guardian.

"Yes. Mu will not move…The best thing I can do for you is to kill you with one blow."

"…Saga…" Mu became incredulous. "You, you really sold your souls?!"

"It's not that…We just saw an offer we couldn't refuse."

"You…" The Aries Saint felt his mouth and throat dry out of sudden. "Are you tried to say…that betraying Athena makes sense for a Gold Saint?"

"…Yes."

"…I can't believe it…" Mu was feeling nothing but bitter and boiling anger, thus resulted the increase of his Cosmos. "I have misjudged you! Saga―!"

Golden Cosmos was wrapping and coated his entire right arm. His Cosmos intensified in such short time. The Aries Saint then threw a light beam toward the older Saint. Saga who didn't lose the slightest of his composure, only raised his hand as the beam hit his hand instead. However soon after the palatinate haired warrior stopped Mu's beam, it went died soon after. As he lowered his hand, Saga narrowed his lime green eyes. From the way he gave his gaze on Mu, he didn't look impressed even just a bit. The revived Gemini Saint decided that he must end this now. Their time to come back alive only limited in this living world. Time was running out and they must arrive to the top no matter what happen before the sun rise from east. Saga spoke to Mu in flat tone.

"Mu…is that all you've got? It seems like I have overestimated you."

Mu was taken aback with the Gemini's exclaim.

"What!?"

A heartbeat later, the palatinate haired warrior had his own Cosmos burning.

"Feel within your body," Within the Gemini Saint's clench, a purple energy sphere formed and still growing bigger to fit his palm. "Your own immense weakness!"

Danger overwhelmed Mu's sense and he knew he must avoid certain Gemini Saga's attack at any cost. The older man considered as one of the strongest Saint for few obvious reasons. The Saint of Aries was focusing on his telekinetic ability, intended to teleport away before Saga could hit him. However something unexpected had stopped the lavender haired warrior from doing a teleport.

One second Mu hasn't felt anything wrong with his body.

A second later, he could feel it.

It happened too fast.

He didn't expect or prepare for it at all.

KRRK!

"―!"

Mu gritted his teeth from the sudden surge of overwhelming pain.

The pain was mercilessly burning through his left torso.

It could mean one thing to the lavender haired Saint. The assumption has been more than enough to hit him.

'Impossible! Fractures…!?' Mu thought frantically.

Where and when did he get those injuries!? He didn't have those before…

His mind immediately halted, dark spring green eyes widened instantly. Had he got them from Camus' Diamond Dust and he didn't realize them even at the slightest!?

Another wave of pain attacked the Lemurian Saint, this time stronger than the before. It was painful that it drove Mu forcefully fell to the ground. One of his hands supported him. It was clenching to a fist while another held the injured part. Mu shut his eyes tightly and clenched his jaws. His breaths quickened as he trying his best to endure the fractures' pain. He felt Saga's Cosmos intensified and when he lifted his head, Mu saw the palatinate haired man was throwing a powerful light beam toward him. He had no time to dodge, he had no time to move away, no when this pain keep assault him. He couldn't get away from the lime green eyed warrior's strike.

Is this really the end for him?

Is this will really become his death?

He…

He refused to die.

He didn't want die.

He can't die yet, he mustn't die yet.

He must protect Athena at any cost, she needed him right now. He must go away from the beam, he must dodge it. He must…

Alive.

'I wanted to stay alive.'

Protect Athena.

He must protect Athena.

He couldn't do it if he died.

So he refused.

He refused to die.

'I wanted to stay alive even it's just a little longer.'

He refused to die.

Not now.

Not when the Goddess needed him.

The thought was emerging into his mind as he saw the beam came to him.

But just a moment before the beam could reach him...

Just a moment before the beam could end his life…

"STOP RIGHT THEREEEE…―!!!"

"?!"

A shout came from Mu's right side.

It sounded as if the owner was falling down from a high place.

Mu jumped slightly in his place, he had no chance to see who just shouted as he caught a dark blur appeared suddenly around one meter before him. It took a moment before Mu realized instantly the blur was in fact a person, a falling person to be precisely. It happened in seconds and yet it feels like everything went slow motion for him. The Gold Saint of Aries witnessed as this person, who still in the middle of falling, was throwing his or her right hand. It was as if he or she wanted to catch the oncoming Cosmos based beam that Saga threw earlier.

PRANK…!

Before the lavender haired Lemurian could understand or comprehend this apparently crazy people had done, his ears picked an odd sound.

The sound of broken glass rang very loudly in his ears.

The next moment Mu knew, the parlous light beam pulverized onto thousands tiny fragments of purplish energy.

Airlifted by the wind, they got blown away.

Gone forever from those who witnessed it.

"!"

"!"

"!"

"What―!?" The revived Gemini Saint blurted in aghast.

Mu gaped slightly as his eyes followed and witnessed the beam's fragments disappearing along with the blowing wind.

He almost couldn't believe his own eyes.

Did this person just destroy Saga's light beam? A feat considered not easy since the palatinate haired man was one of the strongest Gold Saints? He couldn't think any further as something else happened in front of him. Whoever this person was, he or she wanted to perform roll to decrease the harm from the fall.

However with the first glance, the act itself doomed to fail since beginning.

This person fell first on his or her side head instead.

THUD!

SLAAAM!

"OOOW―!"

Mu flinched both at the sound of the harsh impact and the pained yell as that person fell in front of him. The thud itself made a thin dust layer rose from the stone stairs.

That must be a painful and nasty fall from how loud the thud was.

The fact this person had jumped from the cliff at least 3 meters from his temple impressed Mu a bit.

And not everyone has the nerve to jump from 4 meters height cliff.

He hoped this person who had just saved him didn't suffer from any kind of injuries a normal person might had.

Apparently his silent pray got answered by God.

"Cough! Cough! Ouch! That hurt!" Mu's savior violently coughed a few times, rubbing the side head. "Who thought free jumping from cliff would be this painful?" The certain person stood up a bit shakily and he was shaking his head, probably trying to ease the pain.

Mu blinked a few times.

Once the dust finally cleared from the view, Mu finally can take a closer look of his savior under the moon's light. He had an average height and his figure was athletic but wasn't overly muscled. From both the way and the accent his savior talked, it was pretty obvious that he was a Japanese like Seiya and his friends, he had heard their accent many times to the point he will quickly recognized a Japanese should he met one. He had spiky black hair and he wore orange T-shirt with navy colored jacket tied on his waist, dark blue pants, and white-orange colored shoes. But what made the Aries Saint was frozen on his place was the fact that his savior was actually…

"Oh right! Sir, are you okay in there?" The spiky haired figure then turned around and asked him in concerned tone, his charcoal colored eyes were searching any injuries he could spot.

Aries Mu found himself staring blankly at the youthful face before him.

He just got saved by a boy.

His savior was a boy.

A teenage boy slightly older by one or two years than Seiya.

A teenage boy none the less.

"…What?" Mu muttered in shock.

His savior was a teenage boy? Moreover he had been saved by an outsider and a civilian?

It then led him to another disturbing question. Were did he come from and how in the world this boy managed to get here?

Meanwhile, Touma mentally relieved that he managed to sprint all the way to here and arrived just in time to rescue the young man with long, odd light purple shade of hair.

Though, he was pretty much confused since the man was wearing golden armor with those odd horns from all things. He also didn't miss the ancient Greek styled building behind this armored young man. It gave him some kind of sacred vibe, so it must be a temple. This building did have some similarities with Parthenon and Parthenon was well known as a temple dedicated for Athena. Was this building indeed a temple and this guy was its guardian or keeper? He did wear a full body armor which looked like it was coming out straightly from ancient mythology. The young man didn't give any respond to him yet. He seemed as if he stupefied for some reason since he stared him with unreadable and complicated look.

It worried the illusion killer boy even more. Numerous questions flashed within his mind. Was it because used his Imagine Breaker? He never used it except against magicians and espers. He doubted the gold armored young man was being one, not with that regal armor more fit to use barehanded fights. Or was it because this unknown warrior never saw a modern clothes citizens like him? All about him and this place looked old, not to mentioned screamed ancient. Was this place isolated from the rest of the modern civilization and never exposed to advanced technology? It certainly explained why he looked at him with that odd look. He must have never seen or rarely met a person with your usual modern clothes. Touma had to stop his trail of thought at this rate. Whatever it was, it could wait later. He must focus on first thing first. The black haired student more concerned for the lavender haired warrior. Since he didn't know the man's name calling him 'sir' seemed proper to Touma.

"Sir, are you okay?" Touma asked in anticipation.

"…"

That pair of dark spring green eyes stared widely the black haired teenager who appeared out of sudden before him.

Mu was too speechless at the moment. Various emotions were raging in his mind. He didn't get hallucinate, did he? He kept asking the same question mentally over and over again. No matter how many times The Aries Saint looked at him, the spiky haired teen appeared like a normal teenager you will often meet in street. He has that average look that you would easily forget in seconds after you passed him on the road. Mu didn't sense or detect any trace of Cosmos from the boy. The boy even could easily pass as an ordinary human. So how could the boy bypass through Athena's barrier despite possessing no Cosmos whatsoever? And how could the boy stopped Saga's attack? All he just did previously only threw his right hand and dissolved Saga's light beam.

The dark shrouded man spoke as he analyzing the odd which appeared unexpectedly.

"Boy, who are you and what are you doing in here?" He began loftily. "A normal human like you shouldn't be able to enter this place, let alone passed the barrier."

This got Touma's full attention, snapping Mu back to reality from his bewilderment as the spiky haired boy snapped his head toward the cloaked man's direction.

Touma had his forehead wrinkled in deadpan as his brain was processing both question and information.

"Barrier?" He repeated carefully.

The uneasy feeling started to increased and clenched tightly his stomach.

Wait.

Come to think of it, of them were wearing ancient yet intricate armors. With exception the young man with dark green eyed, the rest –they were the three of them- wore those intimidated looking, purplish black armors. One last figure hidden in black colored cloak though. While the golden one looked majestic, those ones looking more menacing instead. There was this temple also, the fact that it still in good condition and standing proudly in somewhere far away from any urban area already smelled suspicious to him. Even the Parthenon which built more than 2000 years ago was in a bad shape due to explosion in 1687 and pollution's expose for years since it stood right in the middle of Athens' heart. It had to be closed for temporary for repair. However for some reason, this one looked as if time completely stopped solely for it.

Even odder, this temple built in an area where transportation access was difficult. He even doubted he would ever find it if he didn't hear the suspicious loud echoes from behind the mountain. With the walk and climb alone, to reach such place had its own difficulties. Without proper gear and a lot of experiences, walk through the mountain area would be impossible. By the way, forget it if a certain Kamijou Touma did this absurd achievement. Dragged through Europe with Denmark as destination, moreover in harsh and cold winter by walk alone while being hunted by the world forces, had brought the mean of 'impossible' to another level. The mountain walk had been a difficult way indeed. However the act itself sounded far easier than walked across countries. It was still odd none the less. Why would you built something away from the civilization unless you had something to hide from the world?

There was this barrier also. If there was one, Touma should've sensed it when he took full sprint to this place but he sensed none. But then again he was the holder of Imagine Breaker. It always destroyed everything supernatural and his luck wasn't exceptional. If this barrier was supernatural, he might negate the said barrier unconsciously when he ran through it. Was the barrier made so no one would interfere from outside?

Kamijou Touma then realized another horrifying fact.

He maybe shouldn't have come here from the very start.

And yet, he was already standing in this odd place. It lead and made him ran straight to a new fight and problem. Plus, he can't just leave the long haired man with golden armor. It could be one thing to him.

His vacation ruined.

Ruined.

Shattered in pieces. Turned to dust.

Whatever the synonym was, it had same conclusion in the end.

All because of his infamous misfortune.

His bad luck, again.

His misfortune, again.

His bad luck, again.

His misfortune, again.

The cloaked figure decided to ask once more as the rest were eyeing the boy vigilantly.

"Boy, I ask you once more, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"…"

Touma wasn't answering the cloaked man. His face was a total blank as if he trapped inside ice block. Moreover while he stared straight to the man, emptiness was the only emotion ever evident from his stare. Of course it didn't go unnoticed by the black hooded man.

"…Boy?"

Still with that blank face, Touma stared the dark cloaked man with a small frown on his lips. He kept staring like that for few seconds to the point the man under the hood wondered if the boy was alright. Thankfully, it didn't continue and go for long. The stillness broke away when his right hand ruffled his hair. He put his other hand on his waist. A sigh filled with suffer as he shook his head weakly. One time, he acted unnervingly normal and accepted for a boy who found himself in the middle of secret war.

Then suddenly…

It happened.

"FUKOUUU DAAAAAAA―! 。ﾟ º Д º ﾟ 。"

"∑ =_=;;!"

"∑O_O;;!"

"∑O_O;!"

"∑ =_=;!"

"∑O_O;!"

The guy wearing dark cloak had expected a reply but obviously, he wasn't expected this kind of reply.

A despairing, almost wailing shout suddenly came from the spiky haired boy with both hands clutching either of his side head. He looked on the verge of bursting to tears. His loud not to mention echoing shout effectively startled all the occupants without exception. The hooded figure that seemed rarely shows his emotions also had taken aback by the boy's pitiful wail. Funny thing was they all wore various expressions of surprise, an expression both Saint and revived Saints rarely shown in the middle of fight. But then this wasn't a normal situation, it even became far more odd since the boy came interfered their battle. To say they were caught off guard by a teenage boy was an understatement of this century. Not many things can cause shock on a Gold Saint either the ones who being revived or one who still alive. What makes it even worse for those poor Saint and revived Saints, the despair wail doesn't end there.

"Why this is happening to me―!? First I got tripped on the stairs the moment I exited the airport's shop after landed and fell with hot coffee on top of my head and a dirty shirt. When I tried to find a restroom I knocked this fat lady, made her dress dirty, got hit by her brutally, I ended up hit several persons behind me before they fell too! It wasn't even passed few hours when a mad bulldog chased and bitten me numerous times just because I stepped on his tail!"

Cold sweat drops started to form on each the warrior's heads as they watching the screamed boy.

"My guardian's car broken so sudden in the middle of nowhere, there was no house, no machine shop, no gas station; heck there was no passing car, not a single one to help us! I was left alone while he asked for help! As if it wasn't already bad enough, I heard some odd noises came and came to check only to have my flashlight broken when I climbed here, my cell phone had no signal, I can't call for help and there was no one but me. I didn't have other options than to keep walking. I couldn't walk without being slipped and fell flat too many times on my face, and now after I reached here I have stuck in another crazy battle…?! What the heck, I just want a brief break for God's sake! Why such misfortune must fell on me…!?"

"..."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

A very uncomfortable not to mention peculiar silence was lingering among the warriors. Without exception, all of them sweated profusely. The cold sweats rolled down from their temple. They stole a glance to each other, unsure of what to do. They had their tongue tied and no words could come from their mouths, they were too speechless. If they were in normal situation, they might giving him sympathy glances at the very least. But they in the middle of Holy War, therefore they must infiltrated the Sanctuary and go through the Twelve Temples. Suddenly they had a teenage boy who somehow has got inside Sanctuary and interrupted their battle with Mu. Thing went far odder when the same spiky haired boy went hysterical and crying over his bad luck, he even listed them one by one. To the revived Saints it was an extremely…awkward situation if uncomfortable wasn't the exact word to describe it. They could ignore him if they wanted too. However ignored the poor boy would seem too…heartless for them after they heard all those misfortunes he had been through.

Of course Touma had been oblivious to the world, he kept rambled about his never ending bad luck and how he continuously being dragged into troubles. Meanwhile, Mu only watched the boy with mixed feelings between incredulous, a bit of sympathy, and mostly hesitated. He got torn between reminded him of the enemies, who still standing in front of them but did nothing yet as they somehow had their full attention on watching him or letting him cry out his frustration first.

Fortunately-or maybe not?-, the leader of the revived Saints regained his calm back although he hasn't recovered yet from his own astonishment.

He coughed loudly a few times thus broke away the awkwardness blanketed around them.

With the boy still blurt out his bad luck as exception.

The dark cloaked man resisted the urge to sigh. He had no choice but to call the boy.

"…Hey."

Still ignored him as ever.

"You. Bad Luck Boy." He called after a brief thought.

That worked.

Touma stopped his outburst, spluttered in the mid way.

He stared incredulously at the hooded man.

"Bad luck boy―?!"

The dark cloaked man raised his dot eyebrow thoughtfully.

Well, it was a rather interesting reaction.

"How long you're going to ramble like that?"

There was a blank in there.

Almost a moment later, guilty and shame overwhelmed the Imagine Breaker's holder.

He forgot the fact they stood before him and still stood.

He suddenly felt extremely embarrassed for the pitiful scene he might have made.

"Errr, sorry? I mean, ah, I going to stop now. Sorry, I've been through a long and rough day for me." Touma rubbed his neck, offered lamely.

…

…

The cloaked man sighed a long suffering sigh, finally gave up when he forced accept that handling this boy proven far more difficult than he had thought even anticipated. At least the charcoal eyed boy didn't scramble when he saw them. That was good in some way.

He had something to ask anyway.

"Never mind. I must ask you something important." At the questioning glance, he continued. "What are you doing in here?"

"Oh." Touma blinked rapidly, suddenly reminded his main purpose to walk here. "Uh…I heard some odd explosions from behind the mountain. I thought there might be an avalanche with someone trapped and might need help so I went here."

...

…

Krik!

Krikk!

Krik! Krik!

Krik!

Another odd silence fell between them.

This time it was far quieter because the cricket's sounds echoed clearly from few places.

Everyone was giving him various stares ranged from blank to completely stupefied.

The illusion killer boy then turned around jittery, his charcoal eyes met every single stare gave by the revived Saints and Gold Ram warrior. A moment later Touma glared defensively with faint blush.

"What!? Why you're looking at me with those gazes!?" He yelled.

"…Are you for real?" Saga asked before he could stop himself. "You can't be serious, right? You can't be this bold to climb through mountain in night and by yourself…"

"Hey!"

Touma protested.

"Somehow, it sounds like a very odd, irrational reason." Shura added drily.

"What!?"

Touma was incredulous.

"More like a very stupid reason to come here in my opinion." Camus commented flatly.

"What―?!"

Touma looked far more incredulous.

"You could end up die fall from the cliff before you can find out." The hooded man pointed.

"Ugh!" Touma flinched.

"Are you an idiot…?" They asked almost in unison.

JLEBH!

The black haired student felt as if he was being stabbed by a jagged knife on his heart.

Touma very much mortified.

Although he might not bright, Touma was not an idiot without brain.

Their question almost made it like he was one.

Well, almost. Maybe they didn't mean it at all.

Still hurt him none the less.

"Gah! You don't have to say it aloud in front of me―!"

Behind the holder of Imagine Breaker, Mu was sweating bullets as he witnessed the conversation.

He then tried to understand the situation he was being trapped inside. I said tried because the poor Gold Saint couldn't use his thought properly, too many absurd and unexplainable events for him to get processed at the same time. His trail of thought was frantic at the moment. Attempted to calm himself, he reviewing all recently happened occurrences with slowly and carefully.

They were in war…weren't they?

They were in the middle of fight, weren't they?

They were.

They were indeed in the middle of war.

…

…

So why they were having what would be closest to a normal conversation as if nothing along with critical situation ever happened?

Why this whole situation became so…weird?

Then again, everything went downright complicated the moment this boy entered his fight.

Meanwhile, Touma still made his protest known by the revived Saints wore those Surplices.

"I'm not the smartest student but I'm not an idiot either! You make it sounds I'm the one."

"…Came across the mountain with walk and climb on your own, with only a light?" Shura half questioned the boy.

There were few twitches on Touma's right eye.

"What's with that doubting tone!?"

"Mountain becomes more dangerous during night, any other person will think twice. Without a light, it will only become a suicide." Saga paused. "Normally."

"I didn't anticipate the light will die out fast!"

"And the reason why you didn't turn back?"

"I might be not a ranger but there could be a real avalanche and victims…!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Saga casted a rather unreadable glance to him, so were Shura and Camus.

"Great. Was it sounded too stupid to you?" Touma sighed in long suffering manner.

"Even it isn't the case I still will not let you kill him! For all I know, this might be some kind of insane secret war between gods and you're their warriors or something along with the line."

He just threw a wild assume of course.

It was only a suspicion suddenly came out from his mind.

He never thought they will believe this one either.

But it seems Fate will never leave him without toy him first.

Just like before, Fate decided to try its twisted joke on him.

It wanted to witness what kind of interesting show the boy will give to it.

Thus it let the game begin.

The spiky haired boy's misfortune hit him for once more.

There was a reaction came from them.

Even worse to Touma, it wasn't a good reaction.

The light violet eyes hidden beneath the hood then flashed slightly. His expression changed although his face was half covered by the dark cloak. Touma didn't miss how the other dark armored warriors' blank expression changed to tense so quickly. His heart began to sink at their responds as he could feel his body tensed. He heard a quiet gasp was coming from behind him as soon as he finished his outburst. The black haired student's heart sank further and drastically at the golden warrior's respond.

Uh-oh.

He didn't like those reactions a bit. Was it because something he said earlier?

The hooded man tilted his head ever slightly. His eyes never left the black spiky haired boy.

"…Oh?"

Touma tensed a bit more. Correction: He didn't like their reactions and that tone filled a bit too much with curiosity to his discomfort.

"Where did you know such information from?"

Touma frozen in his place once the man's question sank in.

His black colored eyes then narrowed and eyed them with alarm. "Wait a minute. So it's has been true? Old story about Athena and her knights battled evil gods or something along with the line?"

While he inquired the hooded man, Touma took a few notes as his brain processed these things.

Suddenly, Dio's explanation replayed in his mind.

For a moment he felt extremely shock to the point he couldn't say anything. Everything that seemed peculiar became more make sense to him now. Ancient looking armors, a temple which strangely keep intact despise its age, and barrier that keep strangers away. And their powers, Good God, how on earth he didn't noticed them! They didn't look or even feel like magicians of Vatican, let alone espers. He would've recognized or sensed them at least if they were. Besides, what kind of magicians wore suit of flashing armors and fought in such hidden and difficult accessed place like this!? He even must climb the mountain range to get here and it wasn't without consequence. They were obviously like those fighters who favored fist and kick or bare hands over weapon and spell.

What was Dio told him concerning battle of gods in fact very much real.

It wasn't a myth, a fairy tale, or an old story passed through family.

Another realization came across Touma.

"You," Touma glanced at Mu with wide eyes. "You're her warrior, right? This is Sanctuary and those guys over there; whoever they are, they're coming from the enemy's side."

The respond Mu could give for the boy's question was with thunderstruck face. How did this boy know about Saints and Sanctuary? It was supposed guarded as secret from the world and very few people outside Sanctuary aware of this fact. Had someone of them had told him? There has to be someone with connection to Sanctuary but who?

The hooded man took a step closer. "This is quite unexpected."

Crap.

So his suspicion had been right.

They were gods' warriors and they fought in opposite sides.

As if it wasn't bad enough, they were in the middle of war.

Double crap.

This can't be good.

'This can't be good.' Touma thought repeatedly.

His charcoal eyes darted from one black armored man to another, taking a quick count and analyze them briefly.

He had four individuals as his possible opponents in his hands. The black haired boy could handle a one on one fight, perhaps two against one battle but not a fight with three against one. So far the cloaked figure who still hasn't reveal his form only watched the fight from the corner. He certainly doomed should the cloaked man decided to join the battle. In normal situation, he'd rather run away as far as he would managed before he gets screw up. On the other side, he couldn't just leave the golden armored man alone. While the man may possessing the capability to face those three all by himself, Touma had suspected the man had internal injury from the lavender haired man's stiff movement, if he had a right guess, a broken bones or fractures at the least. He had known too well the signs as he too, also had them sometimes during and after his fights from the magicians and espers. The young man with golden armor wouldn't be able to move his body for temporary. Not when he had disadvantages in numbers and manpower. With possible internal injury and advantage on opponents' numbers, moved the lavender haired man carelessly from the battlefield would be out of question. The Academy City's resident cursed his luck inwardly once more.

Why everything must become so damn complicated and troublesome in his life?

He wanted nothing but a good break for once!

"For a normal boy, you possess quite intelligence." The cloaked man replied after a brief silence. "But I'm afraid this is none of your concern."

Touma felt alarmed.

"What are you going to do with him…?" He asked although he had a guess in his mind.

A faint snort came from the cloaked man.

"A little too curious for your own good, I see."

"You…" Mu began, winced slightly when he felt sharp pain stung through his body once more.

Yet he managed to keep his calm façade completely intact.

The Gold Saint of Aries had no idea how the boy could passed the barrier which supposed to keep the outsider from entering Sanctuary and came here, even figured out their war in such sort time, but he couldn't let the boy facing Saga and the others. He wouldn't let a normal boy involved within this horrible war.

He must warn the boy, fast.

Or he will have an innocent human died in his watch.

The thing he will never want to happen.

"I don't know who you are and I don't know how you managed to block that attack but you have to go from here now."

"No." Was the instant reply Mu got from Touma.

"…What?"

"I said nope."

Though taken aback by the quick reply, Mu still tried to reason with the black haired boy.

"You had nothing to do with this; I cannot let a normal boy like you die futility because of this fight. I can't let you fight them with such careless."

"Thanks for worrying me, but you better worrying yourself."

This time Mu detected even more stubbornness from the Japanese boy.

Mu began to think that the boy was either very brave or very stupid.

He suspected it was the latter.

"You've seen their strength. If you're still staying here, you can die in instant."

Touma's spiky head swung slightly.

"Even more reasons for to stay here and no, I'm not leaving you."

A deep frown was evident on the Aries Saint's serene, handsome face.

Mu never been felt so lost like now, he didn't sure whether wanting to be grateful or scolding toward the young stranger. While he wouldn't deny that he was touched with the boy's willingness to help him, the spiky haired boy obviously didn't see what kind of danger he'd face. Technically, it was a suicide for a normal human like him to fight the Gold Saints like Saga, Camus, and Shura. The difference level and gape strength's between the Gold Saints and the boy was too far. It was like an ant against an elephant, a worthless, futile battle. Seriously, if not for the emergency situation, Mu would've thought this boy's stubbornness might rival a certain Pegasus Saint.

"Young man, I'm serious." Mu stressed the 'young man' part a bit sternly, hoping the boy will listen to him. "You can die in their hands before you can do anything. You have to run before―"

Then the teenage boy with black eyes did something outside everyone's, especially Mu's mind.

He yelled at him.

Loud.

"I'VE TOLD YOU I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU…!" Touma shouted.

His voice was surprisingly firm.

It carried resolve within for a teenage boy who looked normal.

It startled the lavender haired warrior at the process.

Touma shifted so he can both face toward the golden armored man, giving him a bit piece of his thought and keep an eye with his current opponents.

"How can I leave you and running away when you're fighting them all by yourself? You're the one who could've died for good! I can't let that happen…!" He scolded angrily, didn't care if this man was stronger and older than him.

Mu stared widely at him.

"And don't ever think to kick me out, even stranger like me can see the obvious thing that you need some help! Heck, even if you will not asking it, it's not gonna stop me." Touma finished with finality.

For the first time ever since he became a Gold Saint, Mu couldn't find any words to say toward his interlocutor. His wide, dark spring green colored eyes were contacted with Touma's dark, charcoal colored eyes.

"You…" To say that Mu completely flustered was a great understanding.

The Aries Saint had never been felt this confuse before.

He can handle few youngsters like Kiki and Seiya but this boy before him was…different.

The hooded man's voice broke that brief, utter silence, reminding Mu that he was still in the middle of battle.

"How brave of you…I wonder if you still can hold that courage of yours once they started to get serious."

Touma threw a determined glare.

"Wanna try it?" He challenged. His right hand was clenching into a fist.

The hooded figure had his lips curved into a thin smile.

"Hooo…? You will fight in exchange for him?" The cloaked man asked with interest.

A little too much interest even.

Mu, still kneeling behind him, became extremely alarmed and his body much more tensed than ever. He really didn't like where this conversation will go. A civilian interfere the battle already smelled big trouble to him. Involving a civilian into the Holy War was thousands times worse than merely interfere a fight. Holy War wasn't just a war, it was the gods' war. Holy War involved only gods and their warriors, they never let any civilian entered such brutal war. Therefore involving a civilian, moreover a normal teenager inside their war was definitely a big no-no.

Now it already happened.

"No. Please don't do it. You can't, what you will do is suicide." The Aries Saint warned.

"I know my own risk, okay? I will not let them through me without fight back. Not so easy." Touma replied with hard tone.

Mu was very much chagrined by the bold clarity.

Defending a stranger you just met was one thing.

Fighting in place for a stranger with foes far stronger than him was another thing.

It already smelled like suicide and chaos will follow for certain.

"You have no idea what you're fighting at." He told him incredulously.

Below the black hood, those light violet eyes were giving Mu a slight look before went back to Touma.

"Despite the fact somehow you dispelled Saga's attack…you still a mere human, Boy. You've seen how much difference our strength compared to you…"

The hooded figure took a step closer as if to emphases his message.

"Do you still want to risk your live to save a foreigner man? A man who was you just met for the first time and capable for doing the similar thing?"

Touma narrowed his eyes.

The answer was already obvious for him.

"I don't need a reason to save someone. If there's someone standing in front of me and he needs my help, I will help him. Just as simple as that." His gaze unexpectedly held blazing fire. "I will not let you kill him as long as I'm here."

"You're saying that you're willing to die for him?" The cloaked man prompted.

The boy's right eyebrow twitched.

"Sorry. I don't intend to die and I will not die, I prefer keeping both of us safe and sound in the end."

Mu was…lost his words.

He astonished to say none the less as the black haired boy's words sank in.

Does this boy really mean it?

Does this teenage boy who had nothing to do with this war was more than willing to help him and taking the risk?

Despite he was being in the odds?

Despite the possibility that he may lost his life?

"Boy…" The hooded man's light violet eyes now were watching Touma in analytical manner. "May I know the name of yours?"

It intrigued him. He was one from two survivors from the previous Holy War. He was the former Pope who had lived for 243 years. During those years, he had met various people. He had met many warriors and fighters, Saints included, with burning fire of life and desire for peace and helping each other. This young man however, can be counted as the oddest yet intriguing person from all those heroes he met in the past. This young man definitely a normal boy in his sixteen. A boy in normal life supposed to worry about friends, studies, girlfriend, and any other mundane things. Yet the charcoal eyed boy before him had such fire within his eyes which the cloaked man found so disturbing, coming from the mere teenage boy. He had such strong determination of heroes with the simplest reason, if not absurd reason. He was more than ready to fight against the odds in order to save the man he still shielded behind him, despite the fact they just seeing each other for the first time. Not even the slightest hesitation existed in this boy when other normal boy would cowered in fear or running away.

Judged from the other Saints' frowning reaction, they too, noticed the same thing.

The spiky haired boy didn't give his name immediately. He kept watching them thoroughly and in careful manner, as if he was trying to analyze everything they had. This even made the cloaked man more intrigued. Rather than acted like a normal teenager, now he acted more like a fighter who about to fight his opponent.

The silence soon shattered when the resident of Academy City replied the only hooded figure in that place.

"Kamijou Touma." The teenage boy, Touma, finally answered.

The man with the dark veil looked thoughtful for some reason as he let the name sank in into his mind.

"Kamijou Touma…you have a good name." The hooded man spoke quietly. If only he wasn't an opponent, Touma could've sworn he heard admirable somewhere beneath that man's voice. "I have to apologize...But I'm afraid we can't let you standing in our way despite the fact that you're a mundane boy."

Saga glanced toward the still cloaked figure who was their leader.

"Should I…?" He asked with slight unsure tone.

The cloaked man gave him a slight nod.

"You may."

Saga were kept looking at his leader for a little longer before he nodded solemnly, accepting his leader's unspoken order.

"Understood." The lime green eyed man was facing his current opponent. "I apologized, but we can't let you standing in our way."

"…I know. It doesn't mean I'll back down from the fight, though."

Saga was gazing on the teenage boy a little longer.

"Very well." The Gemini warrior said.

He let out his Cosmos higher and his killing intent began to pour out from him. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the Aries Saint had his dark spring green eyes painted with fear of what he was going to do with the boy. Despite the mask he wore, pain and sadness in fact filled Saga's heart. While he indeed revived by Hades and ordered to take Athena's life, he was still a Saint in his heart. He was a Saint no matter what happen. An idea that he and his comrades take swore Hades as a compensation of being revived was at best laughable. As if he would let him control him and his comrades. They were not his slaves or they wouldn't become his puppets. Never. They were Saints, Athena's warriors with duty to protect the earth, the peace, its peoples, and the goddess herself. They will not bow to said god of underworld, they will never. If they wanted to take him down, they must fake their act. They must fool the Specters and made their treachery appeared real.

If Mu could trick them through faked Seiya's death by using teleport, he too can do the same thing.

Whoever this boy stood defiantly before him, Saga wouldn't let him interfere further than already. Saga didn't wish to get him involved inside a war not mean for a normal teenager like him. His courage was admirable yet it doesn't mean he can risk his life for this cursed war. Should he was a trainee, the palatinate haired man was sure he would've make a fine Saint. But he wasn't and that was why Saga wouldn't allow him involved too deep. The teenager still has a long future. He had many things to do for a normal boy. Saga didn't want that bright and full of happiness future to be cut abruptly by Holy War. He wouldn't let the boy become unnecessary victim inside this war. He wouldn't let it happen or he together with his revived comrades will be damned. Saga must get him out before it's too late. So he will carry out his task, let Mu distaste him and kill him should this façade end. Until the time is come, he will continue his role to deceive both living Gold Saints and Specters in Athena's sake. He will not let this boy ended up die and he will not let Hades kill Athena either.

Energy made from pure Cosmos was gathering in his palm. Determined to end this quickly and kept the boy out from this war, he raised his hand on his target. The lime green eyed warrior had his Cosmos burn violently. A heartbeat later, the Cosmos sphere within his palm abruptly exploded and turning into a powerful beam. Moved like a thunder, it shot straightly toward the charcoal eyed boy. Watching from behind the illusion killer, Mu gasped in horrify as the beam came for the boy. He couldn't believe his own eyes. The revived Gemini warrior didn't have any hesitation a bit to throw a Cosmos element beam to a normal teenager! It was an attack that no normal human can survive once got hit. He really wanted to eliminate the boy and Mu will be damned if this boy died within his territory!

"No―!" Mu shouted with horror.

Mu was about to rose, ready to protect him and intercept the attack.

He accidentally saw the boy's expression in the middle of his struggle to arise as the boy had his head lifted to right side a bit.

Mu almost taken aback by what he saw none the less to the point he stopped moving.

There was no fear.

There was no yield.

He didn't recoil.

He didn't shrink away.

There was only alertness calm and steadiness.

Touma's charcoal colored eyes narrowed.

He stayed still even when the light beam which could pulverize him coming to him.

He focused his hard gaze solely on the beam.

Much to everyone's surprise, Touma abruptly took a half square off and suddenly ran.

Climbing down the stairs, the spiky haired student dashed toward the light beam.

When only half meter from the beam, Touma decided to execute his plan. The Imagine Breaker's holder abruptly bent down his upper body while he kept running. As a result the ominous light beam passed only few centimeters away from where his head supposed to be. The light beam which supposed to hit to boy, continued to fly forward passing above Mu's head. It entered the Aries Temple quite deep and hit the cellar instead. Mu grimaced slightly at the small explosion caused by the beam as he felt wind and debris blew from behind him. At least it didn't hit the lavender haired man directly and never hit the boy whom he concern of.

Successfully dodged the beam, he moved to the right side with the speed that managed to catch off guard the Aries Saint and the Gemini Saint turned Specter. Using both his momentum and element of surprise, Touma shot out his left arm. He turned around the lime green eyed warrior and caught his wrist which still stretching out. Touma was snatching and gripped it tightly. The black spiky haired boy stopped abruptly beside the palatinate haired man and created some distance from his opponent in the process. He planted his feet to the ground. The spiky haired student then pulled the man's arm forward by using all of his might. Due to the gravity caused by the sudden yank and the force one didn't expect to found in your mundane teenage boy, Saga found himself also got pulled forward.

One second of distraction.

One second of vulnerability.

One second was all Touma need.

One second for him to use it as his ultimate chance to launch his own attack.

At the moment Saga had his body stumbled and losing his footing within a very brief moment, his lime green eyes caught the boy's figure already beside him.

He found himself was being glared with those fiery determination eyes.

It was then Saga realized what this boy had been planning all along. He had intended to give a distraction in the beginning. The teenage boy might be weaker than him but he had speed and element of surprise with him. He used his brain in order to find a weakness in an opponent who stronger than him. The boy didn't attack so rashly, he was waiting for a chance to get his blind spot all of this time. The charcoal eyed teenager waited him for the first attack. Once Saga did unleash the attack, he used that momentum to approach him and dodged his beam attack in the mid way.

With he suddenly ran toward the beam and evaded it, he created a brief distraction by caught off guard his opponent. During the distraction, the black haired teenager approached the said warrior and made him lost briefly his balance through pulled him onward. At the same moment, he also used the repulsive force from pulled him to close the distance, diving him straight toward his opponent. When the distance had gone, it automatically made no room for Saga to defend himself or attack thus the boy could launch his counter attack without getting hurt. Touma might be not as strong as the black clad warriors with power enough to destroy mountain. Touma might be not as fast as the revived Saints with light speed. Touma was a hero for a reason despite those facts.

If his full name was written in different kanji, Kamijou Touma would be meaning 'He who purified God and him who exorcised Devil'.

Name could reflect everything about the name's owner.

Name reflected the name's owner true nature especially.

Touma might have mundane appearance and not special in the surface.

And people said appearance can fool you.

Never judge the book by its cover.

Gemini Saga was about to learn it in hard way.

For he was going to find out that this boy in fact will become the worst enemy he'd ever face.

"I'm sorry!" Touma cried out as he drew his punch.

"But my punch is going to be hurt a little―!"

Touma brought down his fist toward his opponent.

He hit him with all his might.

WHAM!

"GUH!" Saga grunted as a surge of great pain stung his left cheek.

The palatinate haired Saint's head snapped to the opposite direction due to the huge amounts of strength came from the boy's punch. His balance a bit off from the impact as well. The punch itself even managed to make him threw backward by a step. But Saga was a Gold Saint and he trained in Sanctuary not for nothing. So it wasn't surprising at all when the man quickly recovering from Touma's punch and planted his left foot although a bit shakily.

"SAGA―!" Camus' violet-blue colored eyes widened in shock as he witnessed the Gemini Saint got hit.

Still not finished the blow yet, Touma took another step and threw another punch, giving another attack to Saga.

"UOOOH―!"

Seeing another one was coming to him, Saga who had regained his balance, refused to let his guard down for the second time. For a Gold Saint on his caliber, it should and would be a piece of cake to take care a normal boy like him. He too, should be able to counter the mere punch and immobilize the boy, preferable unconscious and had his memory modified as well. However in the last few seconds, his long trained Sainthood instinct suddenly blaring and alarmed, no, screamed violently at him to get away from that oncoming punch. Almost at the same time, a great wave of fear ran through his body.

The Gemini Saint's eyes went wide before he twisted his body to left, attempting to get away from the punch.

"Cih!" He darted backwards, hoping the boy's punch will not hit him.

How wrong he was.

Before he could process further, the palatinate blue haired man felt another impact no less weak on his right shoulder guard.

The sounds of cracking and broken glass soon reached his ears along with another shattering sound came from very near him.

CRACK!

CRACK!CRAAKK!

PRAAAANK!

"―!?"

With wide eyes, Saga landed few meters away from the illusion killer boy. His heart was still beating rapidly from the fear lingering in both his Saint's reflex and trained senses. It drummed loudly in his ears. His mind was in jeopardy as he completely had no idea what had just happened earlier. Trying to calm himself, the lime green eyed man's mind went focused on the entire fight with the charcoal eyed boy. The memory replayed within his memory and along with that, questions began to pop up in his mind.

What was that feeling previously?

Why he just sensed it now?

And why his mind kept telling him that they were about to facing something extremely dangerous and outside their control?

"Saga, are you fine!?" Shura now stood beside the older Saint.

Saga was about to answer the Capricorn Saint that he will be fine when a realization came down to him. He didn't feel the weight of his shoulder guard anymore. He also could feel the night wind brushed his shoulder and upper arm. Shock overwhelmed him as his head snapped at his right side, he stared right at where his shoulder guard where supposed to be intact.

The Saint with palatinate blue hair half was expecting to see the intact, purplish black shoulder guard from the Gemini Surplice.

But when he landed his gaze on his right shoulder, he almost stopped breathing and his lime colored eyes widened even further.

The shoulder guard which supposed to be in there, had gone.

Feeling even more shocked than before Saga casted his gaze back to where he stood just a moment ago.

He found tiny pieces of his shoulder guard shattered and scattered on the ground.

"Impossible…" Saga devastated, his lime green eyes bored on various pieces of his destroyed shoulder guard's. The Gemini Saint then darted back to the black haired teen. This Surplice wasn't supposed to break down easily by mere punch and yet this boy somehow can do the impossible thing. "He shattered my Surplice with his fist―!?"

Shura too, got stunned when he followed Saga's previous gaze on the missing part from the Gemini Surplice before he snapped his head at Touma. This time he was scrutinizing the newcomer warily. The Surplices given from Hades himself was almost as strong as their Gold Cloths and this boy capable to destroy it with a punch? Something wasn't right with this black haired boy.

"Who are you?!" The Capricorn Saint asked, almost demanded.

The illusion killer was cracking his knuckles in response.

"I'm just an ordinary boy with extraordinary power." He simply answered.

Shura gave him a hard stare, obviously doubting the boy.

Touma then decided to added further, returning the Capricorn Saint's glare.

"By the way, you're not the first enemies I have fought with ridiculous abilities and powers!"

Mu had to blink his dark spring green eyes a few times. He made sure that he didn't knock out yet, suffering any type of concussions, and that he was still awake. If he wasn't in the middle of Holy War, he would've call this an absurd dream and told himself repeatedly to wake up. But no, he was very much awake and he didn't suffer from any concussion. What he witnessed until this very moment was certainly real.

His mind then registered some of Touma's words. Almost immediately, the lavender haired Saint made a thoughtful frown as a new piece of puzzle was forming in his mind.

'Wait. 'Not the first enemy'? Does this mean he had faced other opponents like them before this?'

"Are you done yet?" Touma raised his right hand, prepared himself to negate everything they will throw to him.

Camus narrowed his eyes in dagger out of sudden.

Gone his previous shock, now evident on his handsome face was the infamous emotionless mask of Aquarius Saint.

His violet-blue colored eyes were extremely cold. So cold to the point Touma felt like as if he was staring not onto human eyes but to a pair of emotionless eyes from ice sculpture in human form. He stepped forward, facing the boy as his Cosmos began to burn. It increased with such horrifying speed only Gold Saints could achieve. The turquoise haired man unexpectedly was taking the first phase of his fighting stance. The temperature had already cold enough during night suddenly dropped a lot and still continuing to drop rapidly. No, it wasn't cold anymore; the air became freezing and it poured rapidly from the turquoise haired Saint. Touma along with Mu, went alarmed by the sudden temperature's change and the way Camus was doing right now.

Touma didn't miss the way when the revived Aquarius Saint began to glowing with odd, dangerous purplish aura.

Touma himself took a stance, his right hand stretched out.

He couldn't shake the edgy feeling he sensed once he saw that frozen aura leaked from the cool warrior.

'Crap, that's not good at all…' Touma prepared himself as the aura went intensified and solidified at the same time around the turquoise haired Saint.

His edgy feeling was getting worse as the Imagine Breaker's holder saw how the turquoise haired man had both of his hands outstretched in front of his chest. Camus' hands then joined together and he raised them above head. Both the wintery aura and temperature still dropped lower to the point Touma couldn't help but shivered from the cold although the illusion killer boy's position in fact quite far from Camus. Touma mentally lamented the jeans jacket he brought with him wouldn't do any good effort to hold the freezing air coming from his opponent. Besides there was no time to wear it, not when he in the middle of what might be become the battle between life and death with the golden armored man's soul somewhere behind him as the stake. Maybe he should bring extra jacket in next long holiday.

…

…

Wait, he should focus on the attack, not musing over extra jacket!

Touma slapped mentally and had his full focus back on Camus.

When the Aquarius Saint's Cosmos reached the peak and the temperature couldn't go any lower, he swung his joined hands toward his intended target.

"Aurora Execution!"

What happened next was almost shocked Touma.

It was a storm.

No, it wasn't just a storm. It was a hailstorm, a blizzard.

A violent and merciless blizzard was coming toward their way. Even worse, the most horrifying blizzard Touma ever seen was coming toward where the long haired golden warrior was with the speed that could match the speed of the tornado. Charcoal, black colored eyes widened in shock as Touma gasped silently. The illusion killer boy could've sworn this ice based attack can rival Misaka's Railgun who was the third strongest from Espers of Level 5. Screw that, this attack might even far deadlier than Railgun! He must do something, fast! Touma knew the attack can kill both of them if he didn't do something.

There was almost no time to think.

There was only one way to save both the golden armored man and himself.

He did what he must do first.

"Damnit!"Touma muttered a curse.

4 seconds left…

The holder of Imagine Breaker broke away from his position and took a sprint.

His sixth sensed once more kicked in. It was screaming to him to move fast as the blizzard following near behind him.

3…

It urged him to protect the golden armored man who still kneeling few meters behind him for his life was now depending on him.

He dashed like a madman, trying to reach his destination first before the blizzard.

2…

In the end, Touma made it. He arrived just in time by standing around one and half meter in front of Mu, instinctively holding his right hand forward.

1…

By the time his right hand touched the oncoming blizzard, that right hand was successfully negating the Aquarius Saint's attack.

During the negation, the Imagine Breaker's holder felt a massive wave of abnormal freezing cold along with violent, harsh winds. All of them were passing around him and the injured Aries Saint. Touma got pushed by the strength from Aurora Execution but he gritted his teeth in determination and placed his feet firmly onto the ground, shielding the Lemurian Saint behind him. He grabbed his left hand around his right wrist and holding it still, completely supporting his right hand. He had to protect this man at any cost, he mustn't let the deadly blizzard touched him or they will finished.

Mu, while being protected by the apparently not so normal teenager, was watching the whole event and taken a back completely if not shock. In normal situation, he wouldn't let his emotion displayed too often. However, this event held before him was too absurd even for a Gold Saint like him. The Aries Saint then lifted his head to stare at the new element in this battle known as Kamijou Touma. He never heard anything about this before. Correction, the lavender haired Saint never heard, let alone learnt about such ability like this boy was possessing. It made Mu extremely baffled, he never felt this confuse as long as he could remember. There was no way a teenage boy with power that so peculiar like this didn't go unnoticed with Sanctuary. Mu paused his musing abruptly, feeling hesitant out of sudden.

Or was it? The guardian of First Temple thought skeptically.

Although it was brief, the black haired boy had mentioned about the espers and Academy City. From what he learnt from Aiolia -he was the only Gold Saint who had ever gone to Japan-, it was a futuristic city located in Japan. The city dedicated for students and those who wielding special ability called as espers. It said the city's main purpose was to protect these espers from wrong hands. Sanctuary had more than once tried to obtain some information about Academy City but there was very little information concerning this city due to its unusual high level security. Seeing that only students and espers who can become it citizens, Touma must be one of these students and espers.

Touma kept his right hand on front and kept stretching it in order to let it fulfilled its purpose to negate the dangerous ice element technique.

It seemed like forever when he was negating the attack when it only lasted for 42 seconds in reality.

After what felt like an eternity, the cold and harsh wind finally died out.

Once the attack had fully negated, Touma dared to take a look the surrounding around him. Imagine how shocked he was when he found out that except for where he stood to protect the golden armored man, almost the whole area was covering by ice floor. It also adorned with huge ice pillars scattered around them and the temple pillars behind them covered in thick ice. Unconsciously, Touma gulped slowly. If only he was late by a second, they would ended up got frozen if not stabbed by the ice pillars. If it wasn't because of the fact he being used as Railgun's routine target by Misaka, he would be dead for sure.

'That was close!' Touma thought nervously. He made a mental note to buy Misaka a present once he managed to get out from this.

She did help him a lot and in many ways so she deserves it.

The Saint with a pair of dark spring green colored eyes also turned around.

Seeing how devastating the attack was.

Judged from his astonished looking face, he didn't expect it though for different reason.

Mu couldn't believe that the strongest technique from Aquarius Saint, had no effect with Touma.

Once it touched by the right hand, it simply got divided onto two different ways. The divided Aurora Execution then passed both the certain illusion killer boy and the Aries Saint. Mu's frown became deepened at this, the gears in his mind working overdrive. Come to think of it, Touma always used his right hand to counter both Saga and Camus' attack. The same hand also destroyed the shoulder guard part from Saga's Gemini Surplice. It seems only that right hand from all the boy's limbs which can countered the revived Saints turned Specters' attacks. That and Mu felt foreign and unknown power radiated from the right hand. It felt so peculiar since he felt almost nothing yet at the same time he felt some kind of odd energy flowed from that right hand. He didn't aware of it at first since it was so faint. However every time the boy used his right hand, it even pronounced more its peculiar aura. The Aries Saint had no idea what it was, he only certain that it wasn't Cosmos for sure. He would recognize it if it was Cosmos.

Was his right hand possessed a power that even unknown to Saints?

A power which could stand Cosmos and ultimately blocked it?

Suddenly the teenage boy stood before him was holding much more mysteries than he had assumed.

Touma, still standing like a statue, couldn't help but felt a chill going down through his body. His eyes kept roaming across the frozen field. The holder of Imagine Breaker didn't want to think what would happen to him and the golden armored man should he late by a millisecond to negate the ice based attack. Once again his instinct and his quick reflect saved him and the golden armored warrior from the grave danger. In which Touma let out a frustrated, long suffering sigh. He came to this country for a good holiday and now just look at him. He was fighting in another crazy battle when he supposed to have a rest from all those battles back there in Academy City and in Europe countries. Sigh, such misfortune must befall on him…

"You…"

A deep voice, the lavender haired warrior's voice spoke to him thus Touma realized the man he saved not only once but twice was still behind him. He turned halfway his body and his pair of black colored eyes was staring at a pair of widened dark spring green colored eyes. Touma grimaced slightly. Oh boy, looks like he will need to explain few things to him as well as asking the golden armored man a few questions.

"How did you…?" Mu finally asked in sheer of disbelief.

Touma scratched his head awkwardly while glancing to the Saint of Aries. "Errr, I can explain it if you want but I'm afraid it will have to wait. By the way, do you need any help?"

Suddenly remembered he still kneeling on the ground, Mu put his hand on his knee.

Careful and slowly the dark spring green eyed man pushed himself from the ground.

"There's nothing to worry about. Even though I'm injured internally, it's not life threate..." Mu couldn't finish his sentence when the pain stung in his torso almost made him fall.

Sprightly, Touma gripped Mu's forearm with his right hand.

"Whoa! Careful, you might hurt yourself." Touma reminded him.

While Touma was holding him still, Mu lifted his other hand and placing it above his torso. Soon, the same golden aura coated his hand, healing his internal wounds in fast phase.

"I can manage, thank you." Mu replied.

When he met the boy's concerned gaze, he almost snorted in wry amusement.

Touma had his forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"What?" He wondered why the man laughed in that manner.

Mu shook his head.

"No, it's just…" His lips curved slightly, forming a faint yet ironic smile. "Touma, isn't it? I would never imagine to be saved by an outsider boy like you. I should be able to fight by myself and yet…"

"Hey! It's a normal thing to do. You shouldn't blame yourself, everyone has their own limit." Touma voiced his disagreement. "Are you really okay?"

The glow on Mu's hovering hand disappeared after a few moments.

The Gold Saint stood up while Touma let go his arm. Mu was feeling satisfied inwardly when he didn't feel the burning pain anymore in his torso. Those healing lessons he learnt in his younger days finally has been paid off. At least he wouldn't worry about the fractures bothering his fight anymore.

Mu was glancing toward the spiky haired boy, stood beside him.

"I am and I'm still can fight. I have to protect this temple and I can't lose to them." The Lemurian Saint replied. "You had saved me twice and for that, I thanked you. I owed you my life." Mu added further with silent yet his voice spoken a deep gratitude.

Touma scratched his head a bit awkward.

"You're welcome and you better aren't lying to me. I hate watching people get hurt in front of me and telling me that they're fine when they aren't." Touma told him.

This time, Mu's smile turned warmer and kinder.

"Thank you for your concern but I can assure you that I'm stronger than I look, Touma."

Touma stayed silent before he nodded in understanding.

"Okay." Touma suddenly remembered he doesn't know the man's name. "I don't know your name yet. You are…?"

"Aries Mu, Gold Saint of Athena. Please to meet you although I'd rather not have our introduction in urgent situation like this." The golden armored warrior, Mu, introduced himself.

"Gold Saint?" The spiky haired teen mouthed. Is that what this lavender haired warrior being called in this place?

"I'll explain to you later, there's no time." Mu told him.

Meanwhile across the field, the turquoise haired Saint has been stupefied.

His strongest attack had been defeated by the teenage boy.

This alone should be impossible. While, it wasn't as ridiculously strong like Galaxian Explosion, Aurora Execution was still a powerful attack and dangerous in its own way, thus not many other attacks could counter it, let alone evaded it. Yet this teenage boy had done it.

"Ridiculous." Camus stared disbelievingly. "He defeated Aurora Execution?"

"No…" Saga spoke. "He isn't defeated it. He doesn't, but it can't be. It shouldn't be possible…"

Shura did a double take. "What do you mean he doesn't defeat it?"

Saga glanced from the corner of his eyes.

"Because he doesn't, Shura. He solely negated it." He replied.

He let his comrades processed this fact and sank in. Soon after, both Camus and Shura had their eyes widened in realization.

"You didn't mean…"

"He purified your Aurora Execution, Camus." Saga finished it.

Both Shura and Camus gaped silently at the revelation. The revived Saints were clearly taken aback by this peculiar development. Almost all of them but one particular person stood behind them. Only the revived Saint covered in his cloak that not looked aghast like his companions. If anything, he looked like he was watching the interaction between his disciple and the spiky haired boy with those light violet eyes of his. While he must admit that he wasn't too happy with this development, at the same time he also must admit now this has become fascinating as well.

"Interesting…" The cloaked man who had been silent then opened his mouth.

It made both Aries Saint and illusion killer boy snapped onto each own fighting stance, facing their opponents again.

Curiosity was within the hooded man's serene voice. "At first glance, you'd pass and dismiss easily as a mere teenager. But that right hand…It's faint and yet I can sense it, the power which its hold. It seems you've been hiding more surprises than I had anticipated."

"Then I guess I can give you more if you want." The charcoal black eyed boy was daring him to come and try it.

"So confident." The hooded man snorted quietly but the amusement didn't go for long. "Just because you had destroyed small portion from Gemini's Surplices and defeated the most dangerous attack from Aquarius Saint, doesn't mean you can defeat the three of them."

"Doesn't mean I can be defeated easily either." Touma countered.

"Careful, Touma. I remind you the victory isn't measure yet. This is just the beginning." The cloaked man warned in soft yet ominous tone.

"I don't care." Touma readied his right hand and taking a stance.

"I don't know why you did this. I have no idea why you so insisting to kill him. But there's one thing I'm very much certain for sure."

It wasn't Touma's fault after he involved himself to Holy War when he supposed to have vacation in Greece. His luck never side with him anyway. He was coincidentally in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong people, wrong situation, and wrong position. He was coincidentally in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong people, wrong situation, and wrong position.

Or was it?

Is everything like it seems?

"If there is reason why you doing stupid things like this…if there is a very twisted reason for this…"

Touma knew it too well.

He knew everything is more than what we are seeing.

Even though he still has no idea why he stuck in this war, somewhere deep in his heart, he knew it.

He has something he must do in here.

He has a role only he can do it.

He always has important role in every fight he had been through.

He always has a purpose only he can understand.

This one wouldn't too different.

What role he must and supposed to play in this ancient war?

How much important he is in this war?

What is hidden beyond that unlimited horizon and sky?

What is waiting for him far in there?

For a certain Kamijou Touma, the answer was obvious.

"THEN I'LL STOP IT! I'LL DESTROY THAT SCREWED UP ILLUSION OF YOURS!"

It's time to find out the answer and see what is laid hidden beyond there.

Thus we're bravely walking forward.

No matter how many and how difficult the obstacles are, keep moving.

Onward to the unlimited paths of fate.

This was how Kamijou Touma entered the Holy War.

This was how he will change the whole war and its participants.

This was how he will show them his path.

The path where even the most absurd things will happen.

The path of possibility.

Kesabaran adalah bumi.

(Patience is earth.)

Kesadaran adalah matahari.

(Awareness is sun.)

Keberanian menjadi cakrawala.

(Courage becomes horizon.)

Dan perjuangan…adalah pelaksanaan kata-kata.

(And fight…is the implementation of words.)

W.S Rendra (1935-2009).

Okay. So here's the challenge or the one shot. Hope you enjoy it.

The songs I'm listening to while inspired me to write this story:

1. StarRingChild (original, movie, English, and instrumental version) – Aimer.

2. Kimi Ga Iru Kagiri – Stephanie.

3. GO-ON – UVERWorld.

I suggest you to listening Aimer's song while you read this story. It is a freakin' good song and it made some impact to this story too.

(19-01-2015) Hey, guys. I need your opinion. I've decided that this will became a one shot. But as I accepted few reviews, turned out you guys wanted it more than one shot. With the current stories I writing, while it's very tempting I will say that I kind of doubting to continue this story. So I give you 2 choices, it's either:

a. I make this become few or variations shots.

or

b. I continue this one shot and turning to series.

So what will you choose? Please send me your choice in reviews.