Darkness continues. How long had he been running since escaping the Hall of Deception? The stone pavement beneath his feet had changed to black rock. The concentration of Thanatos waves was rising—his Gold Cloth was teaching him that through his skin. A sensation like the inside of his bones being slowly crushed. With each breath, cold air penetrated deep into his lungs, gnawing at the flames of his Cosmo. Still, he ran. Saga had vanished. Signum had fallen. Even when he looked back, there was no one. There was nothing else to do. That single point alone kept Seiya's feet moving. ——And then, there was a wall. Massive. A jet-black wall dozens of meters high stood before him, cutting off the passage ahead like a blade. Its surface had no luster. A blackness that seemed to swallow light itself. Just stepping within three meters of it, his body temperature dropped several degrees. His Cosmo——was being shaved away from the outside. Simply being near the wall, it was being worn down of its own accord. His fingertips went numb. (Is this the Wall of Lamentation?) Seiya burned his Gold Cloth's Cosmo at full power. His shoulders trembled. His joints creaked. But he didn't care. He drew back his right arm, stepped forward—— "[excited]Pegasus Meteor Fist!!!" Dododododo!! The continuous impact of his fists struck the wall. Multiple supersonic blows per second hammered into its surface. A shockwave erupted. Stone fragments scattered——no, they didn't scatter. No fragments came loose at all. The wall remained. Unmoved. (What is this?) Seiya stepped back two paces and took his stance again. This time with all his power. With the intention of wringing out every last bit of Saga's Cosmo. "[excited]One more time——!!" Dod, dodododo!! He felt heat draining from his right fist. His Cosmo was burning too intensely. But he couldn't stop. If he stopped, everything would be wasted. Five strikes, ten, fifteen——the wall remained unchanged. Not a single crack. He could tell blood was flowing. The skin on his knuckles was peeling away, red liquid trailing from his finger joints. Still he kept striking. Twenty. Twenty-five. His bones creaked. From deep within his right arm came a sound——gushi——not from his joints, but from the core of his bone itself. The arm Signum had treated was acting up again. When he drove his thirtieth punch into the wall, a red stain spread across its surface. It was Seiya's blood. The wall, even so, remained unchanged. His breathing grew ragged. His knees began to shake. The brilliance of his Gold Cloth——seemed duller than before. His Cosmo reserves were being depleted. Eaten away from both sides—by the Thanatos waves and the exhaustion of his strikes. (How can I——) Footsteps echoed. From behind. Slow, economical steps. Seiya turned around. From the darkness of the Underworld, a golden light seeped forward like a stain. The heavy radiance of the Capricorn Gold Cloth——Capricorn Cross——drawing near. The man wearing it was tall, with not a single wasted movement. Sharp eyes gazed straight at Seiya from within the darkness. His hair was black and cut short, his mouth drawn in a single line. The very air seemed to change as he approached. It was Shura. Shura, the Gold Saint of Capricorn. Guardian of the Capricorn House, one of the Twelve Palaces of the Sanctuary. Seiya had heard that among the Gold Saints, Shura was exceptional in swordsmanship. Now that man was here. He had descended alone from the Sanctuary into the Underworld itself. But——there was not the slightest hint in his expression that he had come to help. Shura looked at Seiya, who had been pounding the wall with blood-covered fists, from top to bottom just once. Then he opened his mouth quietly. "[cold]Did you come to die?" His voice was devoid of emotion. "[angry]No. I came to break the wall." "[cold]The result is the same." Shura stood beside Seiya and looked at the wall. One second, two seconds——as if he had analyzed everything in that span, his gaze returned to Seiya. "[cold]There is no order from Athena. You brought companions and challenged the Underworld King alone. Where is the sanity in that judgment?" "[angry]It's my judgment. I don't need anyone else to decide if I'm sane or not." "[cold]Signum is critically wounded." Seiya's mouth stopped. "[cold]Right arm and ribs, multiple locations. You left her in that condition. Because you brought her along." "……That's——" "[cold]Saga has vanished. The Gold Saint of Gemini has completely disappeared. So he could give you his Cloth." Each word struck with precision. Because there was no emotion behind them, they struck all the harder. He wasn't shouting. He wasn't scolding. He was simply laying out facts. Just that——and yet—— "[cold]All of it happened because you acted on your own without orders. Your will is nothing but self-satisfaction." Seiya had nothing to say. He searched for words to refute him. He searched, but found nothing. Every word Shura spoke was correct. Every single one was right. Signum couldn't move. Saga had vanished. All of it——happened because Seiya decided to come to the Underworld. "[serious]……Hey, how did you even get here?" It was an oddly vacant question. Because he couldn't refute, different words spilled from his mouth instead. Shura's expression changed for just an instant——then returned to his expressionless face. "[cold]Don't underestimate Gold Saints." That was all. Curt. He didn't argue or get angry, just said that. Seiya felt——a laugh that he couldn't suppress trying to bubble up. In a situation like this. He hadn't expected an answer like that. But he couldn't laugh. Because Shura continued. "[cold]Which is why I say this. You cannot win." The air tightened. "Hades is a god. It doesn't change the fact that you're a Bronze Saint wearing a Gold Cloth. You will simply die. Saga and Signum's sacrifice will be completely wasted." "[angry]I won't waste it." "[cold]This isn't about your feelings. It's about combat strength." Words failed him again. In Seiya's mind, Shura's words began to spin endlessly. Saga has vanished——that gentle smile floated before his eyes. The voice telling him to come back alive echoed in the back of his ears. Signum can't move——that face lying in the shadow of rubble. Go, her lips had moved. Blood had seeped through. It looked painful. All of it was his fault. If he had waited for orders. If he had consulted with someone before acting. Maybe——the two of them wouldn't have been hurt. His knees buckled. Slowly, he collapsed before the Wall of Lamentation. His blood-covered fist touched the ground. The cold sensation of rock transmitted through his palm. (Why did I come this far?) No sound came out. He couldn't find the words. Shura was right. All of it was right. Then, Signum's voice passed through his mind. ——I believed in your will and followed you. Words she had squeezed out while her ribs were broken. She had followed, believing in those words. And now that person was alone somewhere in the cold rubble. That fact——cut far deeper into his chest than Shura's logic ever could. Tears came. He tried to stop them, but couldn't. He didn't even want to try. The Gold Cloth, responding to Seiya's despair——its golden light began to dim gradually. His Cosmo's combustion was weakening. Only the red stain on the wall's surface remained as proof that Seiya had been here. Shura watched in silence for a while. Then he turned his back. "[cold]Let's go." He intended to take him back to the Sanctuary. Shura's footsteps receded. He couldn't stand. Almost no Cosmo remained. The Gold Cloth's brilliance was nearly extinguished. Signum's wounds, Saga's disappearance——all of it would be wasted. But——his body wouldn't move. Shura's footsteps grew more distant. That was when it happened. From the depths of the Underworld's darkness. From somewhere far away——a voice reached him. Not an order. Not a shout. Just——come back——that voice alone. It was Kido Saori's voice. In the depths of Seiya's chest, the Cosmo flame that had been dying out——flickered, just barely. Shura's footsteps stopped.