Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Don't touch it!"

However, just as Luvia's fingers were about to reap this beautiful spoils, her ivory wrist was suddenly pulled back.

"Snapped!"

Immediately afterwards, one of her long, slender fingers shot out with lightning speed, pinching the golden-blue butterfly that was about to take flight, and twisting it mercilessly with her fingertips.

"boom!"

Under that overwhelming pressure, the struggling little thing burst open with a bang, and the scattered phosphorus powder shimmered like stardust, bringing a fragile and elegant beauty.

Samael's dark eyes flickered eerily, and his voice grew colder.

"Nether Butterfly!"

hiss--

Upon hearing this, Luvia's expression changed slightly, her outstretched fingers froze in mid-air, and she couldn't help but gasp.

Spirits of hell, things of death!

If we were to encounter such a situation, the consequences would be unimaginable...

Is it already fraught with danger as soon as we get ashore?

"It seems that not only at sea, but now the whole of Athens is in trouble."

Samael frowned and snorted coldly, his gleaming eyes gazing intently at the mountain peaks shrouded in wisps of gray mist on one side of the Acropolis in Athens, before making a decisive decision.

"Come on! Follow me to Mount Ares!"

Without saying a word, the ancient snake grabbed Luvia, who was still somewhat shaken, and decisively cut through the crowd, running wildly toward that familiar place.

Mars, a rocky hill about 113 meters high, is located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens. It is a famous sacred mountain in ancient Greek mythology and history, and is also considered the origin and prototype of the modern Western court.

At the same time, it is also the core administrative body for the many divine families of Athens to make decisions and hold referendums.

Of course, in the past, it also had a more orthodox name – “Sanctuary”.

"There's nothing there at all, just a rocky mountain..."

Luvia, who had been dragged all the way up the mountain, looked around at the empty surroundings and the rugged rocks that stretched out before her, and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

"That's because you haven't found the real door."

Samael spoke calmly, looked around, took three steps back to the left and four steps back, bent down and dug up a grayish-blue rock to reveal an ancient magic array buried underneath.

The stars twinkled, reflecting the constellations in the sky.

The base appears to be based on the Greek astrolabe.

What was the password again? Let me think...

The ancient serpent frowned and pondered for a moment, then reached into the astrolabe, skillfully catching a wandering star and turning it to a certain position.

hum!

Suddenly, the star chart lit up, and a surging golden light shot straight into the sky, bringing a strong etheric tremor. The War God Mountain beneath their feet trembled continuously, and marble staircases stretched upwards, leading to the archway-shaped light curtain.

It's been thousands of years, and the way we enter hasn't changed at all. They don't even bother to update the security system.

The ancient snake muttered to itself, then grabbed the still bewildered Luvia, stepped forward, and thoughtfully reminded her.

"Get ready, we're about to enter the Sanctuary."

As the echo reverberated, Samael strode forward, pulling Luvia into the surging golden light.

Soon, Luvia learned what Samael meant by "preparation".

The moment the two stepped into the portal, their feet suddenly gave way to nothingness, the wind howled in their ears, and a strong sense of weightlessness washed over them.

This is...high in the sky!

"Ah~!"

The sudden turn of events caught Luvia off guard, causing her to stumble and plummet rapidly.

"Snapped!"

Fortunately, an arm reached out and pulled Luvia up, her beautiful golden wings fluttering open.

"I told you to be careful. The Holy Domain's terrible design back then tricked a lot of people who visited for the first time."

Samael rolled his eyes and complained, then flapped his golden wings and flew over the hollow abyss in front of the golden light gate. He lightly stepped onto a small floating island that connected to the stairs not far away, and then safely put down the tricked Luvia.

Still shaken, Miss Hyena looked around, her pupils dilating rapidly, her face filled with shock, and she muttered to herself.

This is... the Sanctuary?!

Looking out, the boundless sky is filled with twinkling stars, their brilliance like jewels adorning the heavens, seemingly within reach.

Beneath the starlight lies a vast and magnificent world, stretching out from the primordial chaos and immensity. Floating islands, large and small, appear and disappear in the clouds, scattered in an orderly fashion, like a palace of stars reflecting the celestial phenomena on the ground.

And

On the floating islands, some are adorned with vibrant flowers and lush vegetation; others feature babbling streams and rolling hills; some boast expansive plains where fruits and vegetables thrive; some shimmer with sparkling crystals and gleaming jewels; and some are marked by towering pillars and numerous palaces…

The interconnected archipelago resembles a separate paradise of the gods.

Luvia counted them up; there were eighty-eight large islands, each with magnificent palaces built on them, guarding strategic passes, and shimmering with different colors of blue, silver, and gold, seemingly corresponding to the constellations on the Greek astrolabe.

Among them, the twelve most magnificent golden temples occupy the central part of the entire starry sky, resembling a dazzling star ring, guarding the three huge goddess statues.

The goddess on the left wears a laurel crown and armor, holding a shield in one hand to protect the weak and a gun in the other to fight against the powerful. Her soaring fighting spirit is like thunder in the sky and raging waves in the deep sea, showing the original vitality and struggle of life.

The goddess on the right wears an eye patch, her purple hair flowing over her shoulders. She holds a heavy scythe high in her hand, her cold and stern face exuding a chilling aura, the deathly silence of the abyss. Yet beneath this desolation lies a profound compassion for humanity, the peace of the earth.

The goddess in the center, with her face covered by a light veil, holds a scale in one hand and a holy sword in the other, symbolizing judgment and punishment, impartial and selfless, representing the order from the stars and the morality in one's heart.

"The three goddesses of ancient Greece: Athena, goddess of wisdom and war; Medusa, goddess of earth and vengeance; and Themis, goddess of justice and judiciary..."

Samael gazed at the familiar scene before him, his mind racing with thoughts, and pondered an explanation.

"Then among them..."

Luvia pointed to the three floating palaces in the center of the three goddesses in the starry sky, which were linked like flower petals, and asked subconsciously.

"The temple of the three goddesses is our destination, whether we intend to awaken the sword of judgment of Themis or to reclaim the goddess infant of Athena."

Samael answered, then pointed to the twelve golden palaces that guarded the Temple of the Three Goddesses along the way, explaining to Luvia, who was entering the Sanctuary for the first time.

"However, to reach our destination, we need to pass through the twelve constellations, and theoretically, each constellation is guarded by a Gold Saint. In order, they correspond to the constellations Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces..."

"It sounds like breaking through won't be easy."

Having just fought a tough battle and cleared out her inventory, Luvia was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Of course. In the past thousand years, the number of times the Sanctuary has been breached can be counted on one hand. Even excluding Sagittarius and Libra, there are still at least ten more obstacles to overcome. Now that the Age of Gods has been revived, I wonder what kind of quality the Gold Saints in the temple are..."

Samael frowned and muttered to himself for a moment, then his eyes flashed as he composed himself, called Luvia, and strode toward the first stop of their journey.

Aries.

The magnificent golden gate slowly opened, and in the elegant palace, a blond youth wearing golden armor, a gemstone earring in his left ear, and a casual smile on his face raised his hand slightly as his gaze fell on two figures walking towards him from outside the gate, and greeted them with enthusiasm.

"Buzz!"

However, the moment that seemingly kind blond youth approached with enthusiasm, Samael stomped his right foot hard without expression, and the golden light patterns that were instantly activated swept forward like a storm.

"when!"

With a muffled bang, the blond youth with his arms crossed over his chest was dragged several meters on the ground before coming to a stop. A stream of cold, gray light was forced out of the man's body.

Having already suffered a loss on the Dark Butterfly once upon reaching the shore, Luvia was all too familiar with this feeling, and her expression immediately changed drastically, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Nether energy!"

"you……"

The blond youth's expression hardened. He opened his mouth, about to speak, when a pair of serpentine vertical pupils stared at him with a sinister gaze.

"Sisyphus of Cancer, as expected, you have all been infiltrated and corrupted by the underworld!"

"wait for me……"

The blond youth's expression changed drastically, and he spoke instinctively.

"boom!"

But in the instant the man's lips moved, a figure as swift as lightning, with a sharp edge, rushed in from the center of the temple and threw a punch. Sisyphus, whose defenses were wide open, was instantly embedded in the temple pillar like a cannonball.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Immediately, before the other side could react, the ancient serpent followed like a leech, its heavy punches, like a cascading river, mercilessly striking Sisyphus's head, neck, and abdomen.

"boom!"

With a fierce punch, it slammed into Sisyphus's abdomen, and the entire stone pillar behind him was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Finally, the figure embedded in the stone pillar placed a trembling hand on Samael's shoulder, looking at his old friend with a complicated expression, his lips moving slightly.

"Listen to me, I..."

"Buzz!"

Just as Sisyphus was struggling to speak, a beam of golden light shot into the sky, and almost simultaneously, the eighty-eight constellations trembled violently, teetering on the verge of collapse amidst a roar.

Luvia looked up at the golden pillar of light that stretched from heaven to earth on the central floating island, her expression one of astonishment.

"That's...the direction of the Temple of the Goddess?"

"A great sacrifice! Someone has initiated a great sacrifice! They want to use Athena's young..."

"Use the power of the body to open the gates of the underworld!"

Samael's expression changed drastically when his gaze fell upon the golden pillar of light that was being gradually tainted and transformed by the gray-black death aura. His eyes, fixed on the front, turned sinister, and he slowly raised his fist.

Sisyphus took a deep breath, pulled at his swollen cheeks, and gave a bitter smile.

"boom!"

Immediately afterwards, a dark shadow rapidly expanded before the eyes of the traitorous Saint, transforming into a deathly darkness.

Samael released his grip, watching Sisyphus, who had lost his support, turn into a puddle of mud and fall to the ground, completely unconscious. He then pursed his lips and began to explain.

"They are just being corrupted; if it's not too late, they might still have a chance."

"But why would the Gold Saint of Cancer come to the Aries Temple?"

After the battle ended and the dust settled, Luvia couldn't help but voice her doubts.

"I'm afraid the twelve zodiac houses have already been cleansed once. All the Saints who resisted the corruption of the underworld have been eliminated. The empty Aries house may be an example."

For a moment, Luvia sensed the faint scent of blood in the words and fell silent, a faint pity rising in her heart.

"Hurry up, time is running out. We need to get through the Twelve Palaces before the Great Sacrifice is finished!"

Without another word, the ancient serpent grabbed Luvia and rushed into the Taurus Palace, which guarded the second checkpoint.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Internally, I Strike Hard (5.7k)

Taurus Palace.

Lush green plants twined around the pillars, bringing verdant greenery. A robust figure with scarlet horns on his head, long white hair like a mane cascading down his shoulders, and wearing golden armor sat at a table laden with flowers, fruits, vegetables, and cooked meat, enjoying a hearty meal, when the tightly closed palace gates suddenly burst open.

The sudden noise startled the golden butterflies that were tethered to the surrounding vines, causing them to flutter and take flight.

The white-haired young man with horns on the table subconsciously reached out and touched the small things around him.

"Nether Butterfly!"

However, a fierce shout, as if facing a formidable enemy, suddenly rang out in front of the palace gate.

"boom!"

The next moment, a golden meteor streaked through the air with lightning speed, and a deadly fist, with the force of a thunderbolt, suddenly approached, blasting the figure in the hall away.

"boom!"

Immediately afterward, before the Taurus Palace guard could recover, that pitiful figure followed like a leech, unleashing a torrent of punches that painfully rained down on the minotaur.

In an instant, the white-haired youth with bull horns, who was completely powerless to resist, was thrown around like a ball.

However, due to his innate talent of being tough and resilient like the "Demon by Nature," the minotaur, clad in golden armor, withstood more than a dozen punches without falling.

"Asterius, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I did it all for Her Majesty the Goddess!"

Like swinging a sandbag, Samael, who was trying to physically hypnotize the person opposite him, defended himself with a pained expression, and then turned his head to remind them.