"Sun God, Vibius imprisoned me for nineteen years. I felt nothing but hatred for him—no attachment, much less love."
Euxis explained as his fingers tightened, squeezing Vibius until he could no longer breathe and his struggles weakened considerably.
"I understand!"
Russell nodded with a smile. "You thought the Sanctuary was dangerous, that I, the Sun God, was no good person, and wanted to get Vibius out as quickly as possible. That was why you put on such a convincing performance."
"Sun God, you misunderstand—"
"No need to explain. Compared to your pale and feeble excuses, I would rather see Vibius's corpse."
Russell wore an amused expression. "Don't tell me killing Vibius here would dirty the floor of the Sun God Temple. Go ahead. I'll have Poseidon clean the place up."
"..."
Euxis fell silent. He released the already unconscious Vibius and looked at Russell without saying a word.
"The Gemini Cloth comes with a curse. If two brothers wish to become its Saint Seiya, only one can survive. I think very highly of you."
Russell continued spouting villainous lines. "Since your deep brotherly bond prevents you from doing it yourself, I'll take care of Vibius for you. That way, you won't keep wavering and miss your chance to become my loyal lapdog."
As soon as he finished speaking, the floor of the Temple of the Sun God turned pitch-black. More than a dozen Black Hands burst forth, wrapping around Vibius's limbs and torso as they dragged him into bottomless darkness.
Whoosh!
A golden beam tore through the air, severing every black arm. Euxis flashed to Vibius's side and pulled his sinking body out of the darkness.
"Excellent talent!"
Russell sighed in admiration. "With your gifts, if your obsession with your little brother had not gotten in the way and you