Chapter 253: Night of Universal Hallucinations 『 Part Two 』
「 "I do not acknowledge it." Stelle shook her head decisively.
"I understand… Stelle, forgive my presumption, but you possess little cognition of The Beauty, and thus cannot grant your approval… I respect differing philosophies, but as it stands…"
Before Argenti had even finished speaking, a lance had appeared in his hand, though no one saw when he drew it.
"Since you do not know of The Beauty's existence, I have no choice but to make it manifest through the way of the knight—"
"I implore you to engage in a duel of chivalry with me. If I am fortunate enough to emerge victorious, please acknowledge that the Beauty Goddess Idrila is peerless in the world!" 」
「 .....」
〜Saint Seiya Shioriverse, The Lost Canvas timeline〜
The doors to the Pope's Chamber opened slowly.
Asmita's greaves clicked against the snowflake marble, ringing out like striking crystal. Twelve gazes converged from all corners of the circular hall, the Gold Cloths flowing with a honey-like sheen in the light of the stained-glass windows.
"Apologies, I am late."
Aldebaran stood with his arms crossed, glancing sideways.
"Asmita, have you finally deigned to interrupt your meditation and leave the Temple of Virgo?"
"Mm. Are you not all equally curious about this knight from the galaxy?"
Asmita did not open his eyes, yet he had long since perceived everything.
"Aldebaran, you must not equate him with a Silver Saint simply because he is clad in silver-white armor."
"That wasn't my intention… Asmita, we all know the power of these individuals does not stem from Cosmo, but from their Paths and the tempering of their own bodies."
Dohko mused for a moment before looking up with a smile.
"But what I find very interesting is that, in a sense, Argenti is very much like us… It is only the deity he follows that differs. Yet Argenti has never even seen the Star God of Beauty with his own eyes. How on earth does he convince himself to remain so devout?"
When Argenti had been speaking endlessly to Stelle about The Beauty and inviting her to believe in Idrila, Dohko had inexplicably thought of the scene when he first arrived in that small Italian town, persuading Tenma to believe in Athena and become a Saint.
…It was actually quite similar.
It was just that this Knight of Beauty's way of thinking was truly unique. If the other party didn't understand The Beauty, and he happened to know a thing or two about combat, was he intending to use force to coerce Stelle into changing her faith?
Come to think of it, this knight was also quite handsome, not losing out to Albafica. Whether it was his gentlemanly, elegant style or his straightforward and frank conduct, Dohko had a rather good impression of him. It was just that peculiar train of thought… he really couldn't understand it.
Just as Dohko was pondering, a blinding flash suddenly erupted from the sky screen.
Accompanying it was Argenti's low, warm voice.
—
「 "Defend the beauty in the universe, dedicated to her—"
Argenti's lance carved out a brilliant arc of light. Wherever the spear tip passed, countless thorny roses and briar vines appeared out of thin air. Accompanying the dance of Argenti's spear, they shattered in an instant, transforming into a sky full of fluttering petals, drifting down gracefully. 」
「 .....」
"Oh?"
Aldebaran chuckled softly, shifting his gaze to Albafica, who was focused on the battle.
"This knight lad is also making good use of roses in combat."
"But these roses do not carry deadly poison like my Royal Demon Roses; they seem more like a materialized manifestation of the concept of Beauty."
Albafica smiled as if lamenting slightly.
"This Sir Knight, even in battle… does not forget to convey the true meaning of 'Beauty' to Stelle."
—
「 Argenti expressed his guilt, stating that he was not good with words. To allow Stelle to understand The Beauty more thoroughly, he had no choice but to express it through "action."
Although the fight came somewhat suddenly, fortunately, Argenti's aggression was not high. While he was frequently "defending the beauty in the universe," he hadn't actually hurt Stelle after defending for half the day. Instead, the floor of the Express was practically paved with a layer of roses.
"My apologies, I must interrupt your… enthusiasm." Welt suddenly stepped in to stop the exchange. The current situation was more urgent than imagined; this was no time for dueling.
Argenti also apologized to those present for his abruptness. His original intention in visiting was to solve the immediate crisis together with the Express Crew.
He had originally been piloting "One and Only" through the galaxy when he accidentally rescued an IPC employee midway. He had intended to deliver him safely to his destination, but encountered this coincidence halfway there.
The IPC employee was named Velite, and during the journey, he had been completely won over, swearing to follow the Goddess Idrila.
"So what do we do now?" Stelle looked at Argenti, whose face still bore a gentle smile, appearing quite confident.
"Enjoy the present," Argenti said unhurriedly.
"?" Stelle was confused for a moment. "Huh? And then?"
Argenti's face remained unruffled, and he even raised his right hand elegantly. "Continue to enjoy the present." 」
「 .....」
〜Jujutsu Kaisen World, Past Timeline 〜
"Although the situation before them is urgent, Argenti's relaxed demeanor makes up for that part quite well."
On the rooftop, Kusakabe Atsuya lit a cigarette, a look of envy on his face.
"I really wish we could be as relaxed as this knight when we face Sukuna."
Shoko was silent for a moment.
"You want to be relaxed? Isn't that simple? Buy a plane ticket to England right now, settle your family, and when Gojo Satoru and Sukuna go at it, you can drink ice-cold beer while watching the livestream."
"…Forget it. I'm not the kind of teacher who can watch his students risk their lives on the front lines with a clear conscience."
Kusakabe exhaled a long plume of smoke.
The sound of a phone camera shutter—click, click—came from beside his ear.
Kusakabe turned his head and saw Shoko vigorously taking photos of Argenti on the sky screen.
"What are you doing?"
"Making a phone wallpaper."
After taking about twenty or thirty shots, Shoko satisfyingly put her phone back into her pocket.
"Although this Knight of Beauty lad talks a bit abnormally, that face is absolutely top-tier… I'm starting to wonder, is it just him who's this handsome, or are all the Knights of Beauty this good-looking?"
"Weren't we just discussing Sukuna? You changed the subject fast enough."
"There's nothing to discuss…"
Shoko leaned against the rooftop railing, narrowing her eyes slightly as her slender fingers flicked the ash from her cigarette.
"When Gojo really starts fighting Sukuna, could you possibly go up and help? …Mr. Strongest Grade 1 Sorcerer?"
—
「 "It seems you really did come to make friends…" Stelle rubbed her forehead, starting to doubt why she had harbored any serious expectations of him.
"You misunderstand. I must first wholeheartedly enjoy the red night of the universe before I can discover an inharmonious pitch. These two things are correlated. Once I discover the cause, I shall destroy it." Argenti explained.
Welt suggested not delaying too long and asked Stelle to go check on the IPC employee first. That employee wore a look of utter misfortune, declaring right off the bat that he couldn't help them, anxiously trying to distance himself.
Stelle asked curiously, "I heard you have submitted to the Star God of Beauty?"
"Argenti said that, right?" The employee's face was written full of helplessness. "That guy… the truth is this: before he saved me, he said to me: 'Please swear first, acknowledge that 'The Beauty Goddess Idrila is peerless in the world.'" 」
「 .....」