Being a Saint since the age of myth

"Yes!"

Heavenly Beast Star Pharaoh offered no further argument and gritted his teeth as he accepted the order.

"No, I don't want to die!"

"Please forgive us, my lord!"

Some Specters were terrified and fell to their knees facing the garden.

Unfortunately, the man holding the harp said nothing and merely watched them coldly.

"Useless fools! You are Specters, yet you fear death!" Seeing his subordinates begging so disgracefully only enraged Pharaoh further.

"Die!"

He suddenly plucked the strings, sending another terrifying sound wave mixed with the power of his Cosmo spreading outward.

Clang!

The Specters and underworld wardens could not resist at all. Their internal organs were shattered outright, and they fell in swathes.

In moments, corpses covered the ground outside the garden.

Once those disgraceful subordinates had been dealt with, it was finally Pharaoh's own turn.

"My loyalty to Lord Hades has never changed! Please forgive my offense, my lord!"

He glanced into the depths of the garden, then gathered the power of his Cosmo at his fingertips and abruptly drove them through his chest. Without a change in expression, he tore out his heart, held it above his head in both hands, and knelt devoutly on the ground as he breathed his last.

Watching this, Wuxin grew even more terrified inside the garden.

Who exactly is that deity?

He truly could not imagine who could make a Specter-and an outstanding one at that, a commander of Hell-face death with such devotion and composure.

Even the Twin Gods serving Hades did not possess such authority and prestige!

Yet he searched through every memory he had of this world and still found not the slightest clue about this being.

It was as though the master of this garden had appeared out of thin air.

No, not out of thin air! The original story was limited! Wuxin suddenly understood everything.

The original story could not fully describe the entire world. The Sea Realm was one example.

In the story he knew, the Sea Realm had not participated in this Holy War, so it rarely appeared, but that did not mean it did not exist.

The limitations of the story had meant the Sea Realm received only a passing mention.

Following this line of reasoning, this garden in the rain and the terrifying being within it should also have existed all along.

The original Tenma and the others simply had not encountered them, so they had not appeared in the story.

But now Wuxin had come here and happened upon them, witnessing things that had never appeared in the original story.

Chapter 64: The mysterious garden

Only after dealing with Pharaoh and the others outside did the man holding the harp turn back and regard Wuxin and Tenma with the hint of a smile.

Although he sensed no killing intent, Wuxin cautiously pulled Tenma behind him.

"My apologies. We had no intention of disturbing the master of this place! We'll leave at once!" he told the man gravely.

"You come and go as you please? What do you think this place is?" The man snorted coldly, releasing a powerful aura comparable to that of a Gold Saint.

Another one with the Seventh Sense? Wuxin and Tenma were stunned.

They had only just seen the last of Heavenly Beast Star Pharaoh, yet this man before them was no less formidable.

The problem was that Wuxin did not remember another Specter this powerful in the Underworld.

There were 108 Malefic Stars in the Underworld, but despite their numbers, few had attained the Seventh Sense. He could not possibly have had no recollection of this one.

Just then, the man's robe fluttered as his Cosmo spread, revealing a pale green suit of armor beneath.

That was not a Surplice!

"You're not a Specter?" Wuxin asked in astonishment.

"Not a Specter?"

Tenma took a careful look at the man and likewise saw the pale green armor, completely different from a Surplice.

"Who told you that every warrior in the Underworld was a Specter?"

The man shook his head, reined in his aura, and continued, "Come with me. My master said that outsiders rarely enter this place and would therefore like to meet you!"

With that, he took the lead and started toward the depths of the garden.

"Don't think you can escape under my nose. You're no match for me!"

"Even if you were lucky enough to escape this place, I could mobilize the power of the entire Underworld to capture you!" He turned back and gave them another solemn warning.

"Senior, what should we do now?" Tenma was somewhat panicked.

Someone who could casually mobilize the power of the entire Underworld was truly frightening.

They had barely escaped the tiger's den only to enter the wolf's lair.

No, not a wolf's lair-a dragon's nest!

This man and the great figure behind him were even more terrifying than Heavenly Beast Star Pharaoh had been.

"Since the master of this place has so warmly invited us, let's pay a visit!" Wuxin shrugged, then quickly followed the man ahead.

Escape was impossible. He could only go along with the other party's arrangements.

Fortunately, the man had shown no ill intent for now, so there should be no need to worry about their safety just yet.

Hearing this, Tenma could only follow helplessly.

Along the way, Wuxin asked curiously, "May I ask who exactly you and your master are?"

Few could command the Specters, especially order a commander of Hell to atone by taking his own life. Such a person had to rank above a commander of Hell at the very least, with a position higher than the Three Judges of the Underworld.

The only three Wuxin could think of were Pandora, the god of death, and the god of sleep.

But those three were all in the same boat. They had absolutely no reason to order the Heavenly Beast Star to kill himself and save the two of them.

The man glanced back at them and said proudly, "You are not qualified to inquire about my master's name!"

"Do not ask what you should not ask!"

"Simply being able to come here and gain an audience with my master is already your greatest honor!"

Seeing this, Wuxin and Tenma dared not ask any more questions. They could only follow silently as they headed deeper into the garden.

After walking for an unknown length of time, they saw a pure white temple standing on the lawn in the distance ahead. Countless green vines climbed its walls from the corners, lending the temple a touch of green vitality.

Outside the temple stood a white stone pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, a lady dressed in sheer black fabric sat upright, sipping black tea with great elegance.

On the table, countless palm-sized little people with translucent butterfly wings were busy refilling the lady's tea or peeling fruit.

"Senior, are those the fairies from the legends?" Tenma asked in astonishment.

Those tiny people looked just like the fairies of legend.

"I don't know either!" Wuxin shook his head.

It was his first time seeing such things as well.

The man leading them took the opportunity to explain, "Those are flower sprites, also called flower fairies. They are tiny lives born from flowers, and their favorite food is flower dew and nectar. They are servants dedicated to attending my master!"

Meanwhile, as Wuxin and the others approached, cries rang out from the sea of flowers outside the pavilion.

"My lady, my lady! Outsiders have broken in!"

"Idiot, they didn't break in! Orpheus brought them here!"

Chattering filled the sea of flowers, and quite a few little fairies took to the air and flew toward the pavilion.

Only then did Wuxin and Tenma realize that the little fairies were not confined to the pavilion. Many were hidden in the sea of flowers outside as well.

As large numbers of little fairies took flight, they swept up many petals, sending them dancing through the air like a shower of flower petals.

At the same time, Wuxin and Tenma noticed a name the little fairies had mentioned. It presumably referred to the man leading them.

"Senior, have you heard the name Orpheus before?" Tenma asked in a lowered voice.

The man ahead seemed to have heard Tenma, but he said nothing and continued walking on his own.

Wuxin's expression grew solemn. "I think I've heard that name, but I can't remember the details."

As they spoke, the group had already passed along the path through the sea of flowers and arrived outside the pavilion.

The lady in black gauze had set down her teacup and was studying Wuxin and Tenma curiously.

"My lady, I have successfully brought them here!" Orpheus knelt and paid his respects.

"Yes, well done!" The lady in black gauze nodded lightly.

Wuxin took the opportunity to bow. "It is an honor to meet you, elegant lady and mistress of the garden!"

Tenma was somewhat reluctant, but seeing Wuxin signal him with his eyes, he still lowered his head and paid his respects. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady!"

At this, the lady in black gauze said with the hint of a smile, "What is this? Do Athena's Saints now lack even the courage to introduce themselves?"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean!" Wuxin said, shaking his head.

Unperturbed, the lady in black gauze parted her red lips slightly and said, "Although your disguises are excellent, making you look no different from real Specters, I am half the master of this Underworld."

"Surely you don't think I fail to recognize what my own servants look like?"

Seeing this, Wuxin truly could not continue denying it. He could only send the condensed aura of death into the sky to disperse, undoing his disguise and revealing the silver armor beneath.

"Wuxin, the Crateris Saint serving the goddess Athena, pays his respects, my lady!" he introduced himself solemnly.

"Tenma of the Tenma Constellation, serving the goddess Athena, pays his respects, my lady!" Tenma followed suit and introduced himself.

Chapter 65: A forced boon