Chapter Summaries

After Ares lost two strongholds to Athena’s retaliation, Saori led the Saints to attack his remaining temple in Sparta. Ares ordered his army to fight after Saori challenged him, while Aphrodite’s Beauty Fighters blocked the Sanctuary’s advance.

• Athena’s forces destroyed Ares’s temples in Thebes and Thrace, leaving Sparta as his last stronghold.
• Ares celebrated Athena’s declaration of war while embracing Aphrodite in the Sparta Temple.
• Saori arrived outside Sparta with Meruem, several Gold Saints, and her Saint Seiya legion.
• Shaka asked Saori to let him and the Silver Saints handle the Berserkers, and she agreed.
• Saori challenged Ares, who ordered his army to attack the Sanctuary’s forces.
• Saori recognized that Aphrodite’s Beauty Fighters were blocking the Saints’ path.

Ares and Aphrodite arrived as the Gold Saints fought Ares’ Berserkers, and Saori confronted Ares in the sky. Meruem stopped Aphrodite from interfering, leaving Saori and Ares to continue their battle.

• Ares arrived with Aphrodite while the Gold Saints fought the Brigade Leaders and Xiaoqiang and the others battled the Berserkers’ officers.
• Saori donned Athena’s divine robe and attacked Ares, who armed himself with his divine robe, shield, and spear.
• Saori’s strength overwhelmed Ares, leaving his hands numb and driving him onto the defensive.
• Aphrodite drew Eros’ Bow to help Ares, but Meruem grabbed her by the neck and threatened her.
• Meruem noted that Aphrodite had eloped with Ares and would face Hephaestus if she returned to the heavens.

Abel returned to the Sanctuary and restored the forbidden Sun God Palace, then ordered his Corona Saints to seize the Sanctuary while Athena was away. Shion revealed Abel’s history to the Gold Saints, who wondered how he had escaped the gods’ seal.

• Abel entered the ruins of the former Sun God Temple and used his divine power to restore the Sun God Palace.
• Kanon sensed the palace’s immense Cosmo, summoned former Pope Shion, and ordered the Sanctuary’s alarm sounded.
• Three Corona Saints appeared before Abel, and the cloaked Cain defeated Jiao with a mysterious attack before reminding Abel to honor their agreement.
• Abel recognized Cain, showed fear when Cain mentioned their mysterious lord, and ordered the Corona Saints to eliminate Athena’s Saints and take the Sanctuary.
• Shion explained that Abel had once tried to become king of the gods, was sealed by them with Athena’s help, and had fallen from his role as Sun God.
• The Gold Saints questioned how Abel had broken the gods’ seal.

Loki’s World Tree transformed Norse territory while Deathmask grew close to Helena and sensed trouble. In Greece, Abel pressured the Sanctuary’s Gold Saints to submit, but they refused as he sent his Corona Saints to attack and headed for the Goddess Hall.

• Loki’s World Tree bloomed across Norse territory, melting the snow and growing crops as Andreas won the people’s support.
• Deathmask bought flowers from Helena while Kimian and Argeti watched and teased him.
• Deathmask told Kimian and Argeti that Norse territory’s strange changes gave him a bad feeling.
• Abel overwhelmed the Sanctuary with his Cosmo and demanded that the Gold Saints submit to him.
• Kanon, Saga, Shaka, and the other Gold Saints refused Abel’s offer, so he ordered his Corona Saints to kill them and went to the Goddess Hall.

The Gold Saints fought Abel’s Corona Saints in the Sanctuary, with Aiolia, Camus, Asura, and Aldebaran countering their attacks. Aldebaran sent Adrasteia flying with Great Horn as the battle continued.

• Jiao attacked Aiolia, but Aiolia’s Lightning Light Speed Fist knocked him down before Jiao rose again.
• Berenice trapped Aiolia with god’s hair while Jiao prepared to strike, but Camus and Asura freed Aiolia and defeated their attacks.
• Adrasteia launched Burning Corona at the Gold Saints, but Aldebaran blocked it with Iai Defense.
• Aldebaran struck back with Great Horn and sent Adrasteia flying.

Athena and the Saints gained the upper hand against Ares and the Berserkers as their forces weakened with Ares’s decline. Shun learned that Chris had destroyed Andromeda Island, then killed him with Nebula Storm.

• Athena steadily wore down Ares while Meruem kept Aphrodite sealed and unable to help him.
• Milo, Aiolos, and Aphrodite pressed the Flame Legion’s surviving commander, while the other Saints suppressed their Berserker opponents.
• Shun restrained Chris with his Nebula Chain and urged the Berserkers to surrender.
• Chris told Shun that he had destroyed Andromeda Island and killed its Saints, including Shun’s companions and master.
• Shun blocked Chris’s killing blow and destroyed him with Nebula Storm.
• Ares laughed and remarked that he had not expected one of Athena’s Saints to be Shun.

After Athena and Meruem defeated Ares and sealed him and Aphrodite, Meruem stayed with a subdued Saori in Sparta. As Saori slept against him, Meruem considered his feelings for her, his love for Pitou, and the future conflict he might face with the gods, then chose to cherish their present closeness.

• Athena and Meruem defeated Ares and sealed him in a chamber pot, then casually sealed Aphrodite as well.
• The Saint Seiya cleaned up after the battle while Meruem stayed beside Saori, who was low in spirits.
• Meruem and Saori watched the moon together atop the God of War Temple, and Saori fell asleep against his shoulder.
• Meruem held Saori and wondered whether she would accept his love for her, given that he loved Pitou and might one day oppose the heavenly gods.
• Meruem put aside his worries, kissed Saori's hair, and wished their quiet moment could last forever.

Meruem and Saori left the God of War Temple after looting it, but Shaka reported that the former Sun God Abel had invaded Sanctuary. Abel defeated the Corona Saints and faced the Gold Saints and two Popes, while Meruem and Saori rushed back to help.

• Meruem told Saori it was time to return to Sanctuary, and promised they could watch the stars together there.
• Shaka reported that Abel had appeared in the Pope Palace and was attacking Sanctuary despite Saori’s barrier.
• Saori realized Abel had found Sanctuary through the ruins of the Former Sun God Palace, and Meruem reassured her before ordering the God of War subjugation squad to hurry back.
• Saga and Shaka killed Abel’s three Corona Saints, but Shion’s Altar Cloth failed to seal Abel.
• Abel offered to spare the seven Gold Saints and two Popes if they pledged loyalty to him, then threatened to kill them if they refused.

Saga, Kanon, and Shaka fought Abel while Shion and the others prepared to seal him with the Altar Cloth. Abel revealed he could read their thoughts and reflect their attacks, but Shion found a chance to use Athena’s Paper Talismans against him.

• Saga, Kanon, and Shaka attacked Abel together, but he blocked their combined assault and offered them places among the Corona Saints.
• Kanon asked when Shion’s group would arrive, while Shaka suggested using Athena Exclamation and Abel revealed he could read their thoughts and reflect even a god’s attacks.
• Abel exposed Shion’s plan to seal him with the Altar Cloth, but Shion insisted they had to try.
• Mu and Aiolia attacked Abel with the other Gold Saints, and Abel reflected their techniques with God’s Wall.
• Shion teleported beyond God’s Wall, grabbed the Altar Cloth, and scattered Athena’s Paper Talismans over Abel, making him cry out in alarm.

Shion used the Altar Cloth’s sealing technique and sacrificed his life to try to stop Abel, but Abel survived unharmed. As the Gold Saints faced their apparent defeat, Meruem arrived and challenged Abel.

• Shion used Athena’s talismans to pin Abel in place, then attacked him with Sekishiki Meikai Ha through the Altar Cloth.
• Shion pushed beyond his limits and burned his life force to unleash another Sekishiki Meikai Ha, while Mu and the other Gold Saints watched helplessly.
• Abel emerged unharmed, and the exhausted Shion apologized for failing Athena before dying after entrusting the rest to Shaka and the others.
• Abel declared that he would destroy everyone, but the Gold Saints ignored him and silently mourned Shion.
• Meruem appeared at the hall’s entrance and angrily warned Abel not to move.

Meruem arrived at the Sanctuary after Abel attacked and saved Shion from dying with a Senzu Bean. Abel challenged Meruem, who dismissed the god’s superiority, and unleashed a crushing pressure that left Meruem unaffected.

• Meruem reached the Goddess Hall and found Shion near death after defending the Sanctuary from Abel.
• Shion explained that he had protected the Sanctuary as Athena’s Saint, inspiring Saga and Kanon with his sense of duty.
• Meruem gave Shion a Senzu Bean, restoring his stamina though not the life force he had lost.
• Abel threatened Meruem and tried to read his mind, but could not penetrate it.
• Abel released his divine pressure across the Twelve Palaces, tormenting the Gold Saints while Meruem remained untouched.

Meruem rejected Abel’s offer of power and fought back after Abel attacked the Gold Saints. He sent Abel’s Corona flying into the sky, leaving the furious former Sun God facing him in the Goddess Hall.

• Abel offered Meruem anything he desired in exchange for his submission, but Meruem demanded Abel’s godhood and struck him with an Energy Blast.
• Enraged by his injury, Abel unleashed his Cosmo, and Meruem told the Gold Saints to take Shion away while he dealt with Abel.
• Abel attacked the departing Gold Saints, but Meruem blocked the strike and provoked him by calling him the Former Sun God.
• Abel created a miniature sun and fired Corona at Meruem, scorching away Meruem’s white robe but revealing his Chimera Cloth beneath.
• Meruem punched Corona back past Abel and through the wall, then taunted Abel about his aim.

Meruem trapped Abel in the Goddess Hall and revealed that he had lured the former Sun God there to take his godhead for research. After shattering Abel’s God’s Wall, Meruem approached him to claim it.

• Abel donned his divine armor and tried to intimidate Meruem, but grew afraid as Meruem remained unimpressed.
• Abel attempted to retreat, but ran into a barrier Meruem had secretly set up around the Goddess Hall.
• Meruem explained that Abel’s removal from the divine registry made him a safer target for godhead research, then revealed he was Athena’s guardian and the King of the Chimera Ant clan.
• Abel summoned God’s Wall to stop Meruem, but Meruem shattered it with a touch.
• Meruem approached the fallen Abel and declared that he would take Abel’s godhead.

The God of Time watched Meruem’s defeat of Abel and wondered how the altered future would unfold. More than a month later, Meruem dismissed Abel’s godhead as a burden and considered how the Ninth Sense reflected a deeper understanding of the Dao.

• The Bearded Uncle sensed that Meruem had defeated Abel and examined the branching futures that Meruem’s actions had changed.
• The Bearded Uncle addressed his cruel brother and Cain, speculating about how they would respond to the new figure influencing the future.
• After more than a month of studying Abel’s godhead, Meruem decided it offered him little and tossed it into the Four-Dimensional Mansion for possible use by a Chimera Ant.
• Meruem concluded that the Ninth Sense was not a god-only power but an understanding of the Dao, and he continued advancing along that path.

Meruem failed to learn how gods reached the Ninth Sense, while the Gold Saints discussed troubling reports from Asgard. He then focused on Shun, planning to use Hades’s soul to reclaim Saints imprisoned in the Underworld.

• Meruem gave up trying to learn how the gods had attained the Ninth Sense after they and Saori said they had been born with it.
• Deathmask reported that Andreas had taken control in Asgard, imprisoned Hilda, replaced the God Warriors, and was likely draining life through the World Tree.
• The Gold Saints debated sending forces to confront Andreas, and Mu urged them to inform Saori and Meruem.
• Meruem studied Shun because Hades was inside him and considered using Hades’s soul to retrieve Saints trapped in the Extreme Ice Hell.
• Meruem weighed how to rescue and resurrect the imprisoned Saints without provoking the Underworld.

Meruem sent five Gold Saints to Northern Europe to confront Loki and began planning to free the souls imprisoned in Extreme Ice Hell, which could also resolve the danger of Hades possessing Shun. He urged Saori to choose humanity over the gods, and she affirmed that she would stand with humanity and remain by Meruem’s side.

• Meruem sent Saga, Shaka, Aiolos, Aiolia, and Aphrodite to Northern Europe with divine artifacts and other life-saving equipment to face Loki.
• Meruem planned to negotiate with Hades to release the Saint Seiyas imprisoned in Extreme Ice Hell and address Hades’s possession of Shun.
• Meruem told Saori that the gods no longer considered her one of their own and that he would fight them even if she returned to the Heavenly Realm.
• Saori embraced Meruem and said she could not abandon humanity or him, and Meruem promised to protect her.

Thanatos and Hypnos sensed Hades’s Cosmo awakening in Athena’s Sanctuary and realized he was in danger. In the Pope Palace, Meruem and Saori continued extracting Hades’s dormant soul from Shun, then sensed that their enemies had arrived.

• Thanatos dismissed the Specters’ duties and insulted Pandora, prompting Hypnos to warn him against speaking disrespectfully of the Twelve.
• Thanatos and Hypnos sensed Hades’s Cosmo coming from Athena’s Sanctuary and ordered the Dream God brothers and Anubis to gather.
• Meruem and Saori drew Hades’s dormant soul out of the unconscious Shun and into a small box.
• Meruem and Saori sensed someone approaching and exchanged knowing smiles.

A group of Hades’s forces infiltrated the Sanctuary and began advancing through the Twelve Palaces while most Gold Saints were away. The chapter left them facing Milo in Scorpio Palace, Asura in Capricorn Palace, and the Aquarius Saint, with several Specters volunteering to fight.

• The intruders broke through the Sanctuary’s main gate, evaded detection, and triggered the sacred flame marking an entry into the Twelve Palaces.
• Mu confronted Veronica in Aries Palace and let the other intruders pass while preparing to carry out a hidden plan.
• Morpheus and his companions passed through Taurus Palace after hypnotizing its Gold Saint, leaving him alive but unconscious.
• At Scorpio Palace, Milo challenged the intruders as Fedor volunteered to face him.
• In Capricorn Palace, Xuanwu Greco confronted Asura, while Jackal Phlegyas declared he would fight the Aquarius Saint.

Meruem waited with Saori for the Specters and confronted them when they arrived, defeating several attackers and forcing the Twin Gods to reveal themselves. He demanded the souls of the previous generation of Gold Saints from the Underworld in exchange for Hades’s sealed soul.

• Kanon reported that the Specters had fought Mu and the others, and Meruem told him to take the unconscious Shun away to recover.
• Meruem killed an arrogant Specter who insulted him when the Specters arrived at the temple.
• Meruem blasted away five allies of the Specters and struck Icarus twice despite his ability to vanish and reappear.
• Meruem called out Hypnos and Thanatos, then used the box containing Hades’s soul to provoke them into appearing.
• Hypnos offered rewards for Hades’s soul, but Meruem demanded the souls of the previous generation of Gold Saints from the Extreme Ice Hell, and Hypnos refused.

Meruem forced Hypnos and Thanatos to hand over the souls of the Gold Saints imprisoned in Extreme Ice Hell, while keeping Hades’s seal and delaying his awakening. After the Twin Gods left, Meruem praised the Gold Saints’ deception and urged them to grow stronger before the underworld’s expected attack.

• Meruem refused to give Hypnos and Thanatos Hades’s seal unless they surrendered the imprisoned Gold Saints’ souls, and Saori supported his terms.
• Thanatos threatened Meruem, but the Twin Gods ultimately handed over the souls and vowed to take revenge on the Sanctuary.
• Back in the underworld, the Twin Gods and the Dream God brothers discussed their humiliation and planned to attack once Hades awakened.
• Meruem told the Gold Saints that they had successfully concealed their strength from the Specters, but warned them not to underestimate high-ranking Specters and subordinate gods.
• Meruem revealed that his alteration to Hades’s seal would delay Hades’s full awakening for three years and gave the returned souls to the Gold Saints as mentors.