Chapter 119: The Retreat of All Parties

Outside the Sanctuary, the three judges of the Underworld remained locked in a stalemate with Shura and his companions. However, as their powers had not yet fully recovered, they had no intention of fighting the three Gold Saints to the death, choosing instead to merely entangle them and prevent their departure.

Seeing the two pillars of light in North America dissipate, the three judges withdrew from the battle with perfect synchronization. Since the conflict in North America had concluded, there was no longer any need for them to press the engagement. Although they had not witnessed the process, they could surmise that the Sanctuary’s expeditionary force must have paid a heavy price. The violent fluctuations of energy that erupted the moment the pillars vanished were so intense that even the barrier of the divine realm could not conceal them, and even they, all the way across the Atlantic, had felt the shockwaves. The ferocity of the battle was evident. They were quite satisfied with this outcome.

"You won't get away that easily!" Aiolia, unwilling to let them go, prepared to pursue. During his clash with Aiacos, he had been entirely on the defensive; had it not been for Shura and Milo intervening from time to time, he would likely have been lying on the ground by now.

Just then, Shura reached out and blocked his path. "Stop chasing them!"

"Why are you stopping me?" Aiolia demanded, his voice filled with indignation.

"Because we cannot win," Shura replied, his expression stoic as he watched the three judges. The strength of the Underworld's trio was on par with their own, and there was no guarantee of victory if they pressed the fight. With the Holy War yet to officially begin, there was no need for a desperate, fatal confrontation.

Nearby, Milo added his counsel: "The Sanctuary now only has the three of us as Gold Saints. If even we were to leave, would the Twelve Temples not be left completely unguarded?"

Hearing this, the fiery blood in Aiolia’s veins cooled instantly. He had been too impulsive.

"That is all for today. We shall meet again!" Radamanthys signaled his troops to regroup and said to Shura and his companions with a mocking smile.

"Next time, I will certainly take your head," Shura replied coldly.

"That remains to be seen." Radamanthys chuckled. Together with Minos and Aiacos, he retreated while maintaining a defensive stance, and soon, they and their Specters vanished from the sight of Shura and the others.

On the west coast of the Pacific, Krishna, Baian, and Io were in a sorry state, their scales shattered. Facing Dohko and Mu, even their combined efforts had yielded no advantage. Had it not been for the fact that Dohko and Mu were wary of Krishna’s golden lance, and that Dohko, being advanced in years, lacked the stamina for a prolonged battle, some of them might have already fallen at the hands of the white-browed, white-bearded old man.

"The battle in North America is over; it is time for us to return," Baian whispered, using his telepathy to communicate with the others as he saw the pillars of light fade.

"Agreed," Io immediately signaled his consent.

"Then let us launch a joint strike to force them back, and then seize the opportunity to leave," Krishna suggested earnestly, gripping his golden lance tightly and wiping a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Understood." The other two agreed at once.

"God Breath!" Baian unleashed a powerful hurricane at Dohko and Mu.

"Grizzly Slap!" Io manifested the power of his Cosmo into the form of a grizzly bear, rushing toward the two.

Finally, Krishna channeled his Cosmo into his lance and swung it down with all his might, releasing a golden blade of energy.

Dohko and Mu did not dare to be negligent.

"Starlight Extinction!" Mu threw his fists forward rapidly, his Cosmo transforming into a dense barrage of golden beams that surged to meet the attacks. In an instant, the dense beams completely engulfed Baian’s hurricane, and even Io’s grizzly bear dimmed significantly after being struck by the golden light.

"Rozan Rising Dragon Force!" Dohko followed suit, his Cosmo manifesting as a blue dragon that lunged at the bear and the golden blade.

*Roar—*

The dimmed grizzly bear was easily torn apart by the blue dragon, but the sharp lance-strike could not be halted. Its extreme sharpness pierced through the body of the dragon and shot straight toward the two Saints. Fortunately, the range of the lance’s energy was limited, and Dohko and Mu dodged it with ease.

However, Baian and his companions were not so fortunate. Dohko’s technique was dense and solid; although Krishna relied on the sharpness of his lance to pierce the dragon, it was far from enough to disperse it. After the lance-strike passed through, the blue dragon continued its momentum, crashing into the three of them.

"Ah—"

With a chorus of screams, the three were sent flying by the impact of the blue dragon, splashing into the ocean one after another and sinking into the depths.

Mu waited by the shore for nearly a minute, expecting them to launch a counterattack to prevent him from reinforcing North America, but they did not reappear.

"It seems they have departed," Dohko said, looking at the calm surface of the sea, breathing heavily. Having aged, he could not keep up with the younger generation; after only a brief skirmish with the three Marina Generals, he was already exhausted.

"These detestable fellows are truly a nuisance," Mu said, his brows furrowed, as he helped the old man to a nearby boulder to rest. If not for their interference, he would have reached the North American battlefield long ago. But now, with the three gone and the pillars of light in North America extinguished, there was no longer any urgent need to rush.

"I wonder how the situation in North America is? The moment that crimson pillar of light vanished, I felt the presence of Aldebaran’s Cosmo!" Dohko said, filled with anxiety. The collision that occurred when the crimson pillar vanished had been terrifying—even he felt a shiver of fear. He could not imagine what the three Gold Saints in North America had encountered.

"May they be safe," Mu sighed, his heart equally heavy. Although he did not always see eye-to-eye with Deathmask and the others, they were all fighting to protect the peace of the earth, and he truly hoped they were safe.

On the east coast of the Atlantic, witnessing the pillars of light fade, Kanon looked at Shaka, who was sitting in meditation on the shore, and said, "The time is right. We shall meet again!"

"Are you fleeing without a fight?" Aphrodite shouted upon seeing this. As a traitor of Kanon’s caliber, he did not want to let him go so easily.

"Fleeing?" Kanon looked back, eyeing him with amusement, and said with contempt, "You think you are capable of making me flee? How arrogant."

With that, he gestured to Sorrento of the Siren and retreated toward the sea.

"You..." Incensed by this disdain, Aphrodite could not swallow his pride. His Cosmo condensed in his hand, manifesting as a white rose.

Beside him, Shaka let out a soft sigh. "Let it be. You are no match for him; do not waste your energy."

"But, are you not here?" Aphrodite asked, looking at the Virgo Saint in confusion. He knew full well that it was only out of fear of Shaka that Kanon had not made a move.

"I do not have absolute certainty that I can hold him," Shaka replied calmly. The gap between them was not significant; if one side was determined to leave, the other could do little to stop them.

Suddenly, Kanon looked back, smiling at him. "Since you cannot abandon that faith of yours, perhaps you should defect from the Sanctuary and serve Lord Poseidon with me. It would save you the trouble of having to act according to the whims of those few back at the Sanctuary!"