A weakling like Schiller—someone who in the original story could get one-shot the moment Yuna first grasped the Seventh Sense—was no match for Nidhogg at all. Schiller even had a trump card, Sekishiki Meikaiha, that he didn't have time to use. In just a few moves, Nidhogg took him down with ease. He lay off to the side like a dead dog; if not for that Gold Cloth that looked like plastic but was actually quite sturdy, he'd probably already be dead.
Worthy of an Omega Gold Saint who ranks in the bottom three in strength—absolute trash.
The training Nidhogg had gone through on Death Queen Island was not something a cowardly parasite like this—someone who clung to life by draining other people's Cosmo—could ever compare to. They had endured hellish training; you could even say they had died once already.
What was surprising was that throughout the entire fight, neither Sonia nor Mycenae showed the slightest intention of stepping in.
It wasn't just Nidhogg who despised what kind of person Schiller was; the two other Gold Saints felt the same. Picking on the weak was no skill at all. Of course, Sonia had another reason for not acting—she was even weaker than Schiller.
Who knew what Medea was thinking, sending the three weakest Gold Saints in the Sanctuary to scout the Greek Sanctuary. And one of them was Mars's daughter—Medea's stepdaughter. What she was plotting was obvious.
At that level, it was no different from sending them to die, especially since these three Gold Saints weren't the type who excelled at concealment. Truly, a woman's heart could be vicious.
If it had been any one of Fudo, Harbinger, or Ionia instead, even if it were Nidhogg plus the Dark Four Heavenly Kings, they wouldn't dare provoke them lightly.
If it were Amor, then even adding Wang Hu and Bardo would still end in a crushing defeat—he was a powerhouse comparable to a god, at minimum an Eighth Sense warrior.
But no—Medea insisted on choosing the weakest three. The strongest of them, Mycenae, couldn't even withstand a single move from Amor. Sonia couldn't even properly control her Cloth.
"You're next, Gold Leo. Let me see what you can do." After easily finishing off Schiller, Nidhogg pointed at Mycenae in provocation.
Mycenae, for his part, cooperated fully and stepped forward, his face filled with fighting spirit.
Sonia stood to the side, at a loss. This was her first time carrying out a mission outside, and she had run into such a powerful enemy so quickly.
"Roar of the King!" Leo had always been the practical, combat-oriented type among the Gold Saints—the poster child for throwing hands the moment words didn't match.
Mycenae's Light-Speed Punch was solid and orthodox. It wasn't exceptionally powerful, but it wasn't weak either. At the very least, it wasn't easy for Nidhogg to handle.
But Light-Speed Punch was something Nidhogg also knew. The Black Iron Phoenix's Light-Speed Punch was no weaker than Gold Leo's. For a time, the two traded blows back and forth, evenly matched.
The battle reached a stalemate. At their near-identical level, it looked like it could turn into a thousand-day war.
Sonia watched with intense focus. "Worthy of being Eden's teacher. I can't catch even the slightest trace of his Light-Speed Punch. But why is this man who appeared out of nowhere also this strong?"
"This world seems like it isn't the same world as before. Why, Father..."
Mycenae and Nidhogg slammed fists together, then each retreated several meters, leaving a deep mark on the ground.
Mycenae had acknowledged the other's strength. "An impressive man—you've been able to fight me for so long. Your strength is truly formidable. Your status in the fake Sanctuary must not be low."
Hearing that, Nidhogg shrugged. "Sorry, but strictly speaking, my rank in the Sanctuary is… probably like a Bronze Saint. Disappointed? There are countless beings in the Sanctuary stronger than me."
Just counting Gold Saints, there were over twenty, not to mention a few elite Silver Saints and Athena's five guardian Bronzes.
Every one of them was stronger than Nidhogg.
Mycenae obviously didn't believe Nidhogg's nonsense. He felt Nidhogg was being shameless—like the Seventh Sense was something you could reach whenever you felt like it. So without another word, he charged at Nidhogg again, showing with action that he was angry.
"Boss, we've finished up on our side. If we don't hurry, be careful you get punished when we get back." At some point, the other Dark Phoenixes had already taken down the three Silver Saints who'd come with Mycenae's group.
Though these remaining Black Iron Phoenixes weren't at Nidhogg's level, they were still around standard Silver level or above. Compared to the watered-down Silvers in Omega, they were on a whole different tier.
Mycenae showed no panic at the Silvers' defeat. For a Seventh Sense Gold Saint, it didn't matter how many Sixth Sense Silvers came. And besides, he wasn't alone here, was he? "Lady Sonia, I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you to act."
"Leave it to me."
"Hey, Leo—your opponent is me. Black Phoenix Wing Rise!"
"Roar of the King!"
"Earlier I sent Nidhogg to gather intel. I didn't expect him back so quickly." Even Meruem hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.
It even left him feeling a bit incredulous.
But after he saw the intelligence Nidhogg submitted, it all made sense. What a coincidence—Mars's side had also sent a reconnaissance team, and they happened to run into the team Meruem had dispatched.
Most importantly, Meruem's recon team had actually won the clash—and had captured a team of more than three people, led by Gold Saints.
But when Meruem saw the list of captives, he understood something. This probably wasn't Mars's move; it was likely arranged by that so-called holy sorceress.
She even threw away Mars's daughter as a pawn. Did she really have that much confidence that Mars wouldn't kill her in rage? How pitiful.
Presumably, those two Gold Saints were for Medea's woman to use as something to plug Mars's mouth.
But to throw away three Gold Cloths in one go—she really went all in.
"Detain that woman for now. Kill the rest."
Meruem issued the order. Sonia might still be useful. As for the others—better to kill them than waste food.
The first clash between the Greek Sanctuary and Mars's New Sanctuary came to an end.
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