I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 703 Mars is too dangerous, I want to go home!
"Wh-what?"

"There are as many as 48?"

The white flagstone road stretches into the distance across the grassland;
A gentle breeze rustled through the olive trees lining the road, bringing a delightful fragrance—such a beautiful scene was shattered by Fiona's wide-open 'O' mouth.

They were on their way to Athens, led by the shepherd boy 'Aglaus'.

Magicians can read memories, but they can only read fragments of memories; no one can truly think for themselves. So the veterans asked Fiona to inquire about the boy, and what they got was such explosive information!
There were as many as 48 of them, like the boy in the orange armor from before, which was terrifying.

"Yeah~~"

Aglaus's innocent rhetoric:

"Does Fiona's city-state not have someone like Lord Soma?"

There are actually 48 legends.

Fiona hesitated, unsure whether she had reached legendary status through 'armor' or not, it was still legendary! 48. Suddenly, it gave off a very 'cheap' feeling.

"However, although there are 48 spots for Bronze Saints, it is not a full quota: some constellations have not yet been inherited by anyone."

As he spoke, the handsome young man clapped his hands.

"Sister Fiona, do you want to participate in the trial?"

"Maybe I can inherit the Saint Cloth and become a Saint Seiya!"

? !
"Ahem, little brother Agleius,"

Upon hearing the shepherd boy's words, several experienced individuals stepped forward, coughed, and forcefully interrupted.

"My strength is considerable, I would like to..."

"I possess considerable martial prowess, may I?"

"I can tear apart lions and tigers, I wish."

Then, an eerie silence fell over the road. The veterans looked at each other with unfriendly expressions.

If you can obtain this 'legendary magic armor', you can become a true legendary warrior!
This level of item is in the space; the points required to exchange it.

That would be enough to deter them.

"No, that won't work,"

The shepherd boy waved his hand dismissively.
"There are conditions for becoming a Saint Seiya."

?

"What conditions?"

Why can't we?

Faced with the anxious questions from several experienced individuals, the young man glanced at them, revealing obvious disdain.

"You guys are so ugly."

???

Ah, what kind of reason is that!
Are you Athenians all obsessed with looks?!
The veterans were furious. In their eyes, appearance was the least important thing: after all, as long as you have enough strength, who would dare to say a bad word about you?
Besides, they've seen all sorts of monsters and demons in the mission space; anyone whose facial features aren't misaligned is considered to have excellent looks.

This is blatant appearance discrimination! We must protest!

With my appearance, am I not fit to be a Saint Seiya?
"Shit! I—"

Some experienced individuals couldn't control their explosive tempers.

He was about to step forward and let the boy "take another good look" at his face.

brush,

An arm was placed in front of him, stopping his impulsive action.

"Lord Agleius,"

The middle-aged man, codenamed 'The Magician', stepped forward and bowed slightly.

“You just used the term ‘Bronze Cloth’: may I speculate that there are even higher-level ‘Cloths’ above that?”

Upon hearing the magician's words, all the veterans were taken aback.

"you"

The shepherd boy's disdainful gaze swept over the magician, then transformed into an innocent and sunny smile.

"This big brother is amazing, he was able to guess that."

Holding Fiona's hand, the boy led the way while casually describing things:
"That's right. In addition to the 48 Bronze Saints, there are also 24 Silver Saints who are even stronger."

Are there even stronger magical armors?
The seasoned warriors were taken aback. Bronze Saints were already at the 'peak of master level,' and once equipped with armor, they would become legends; so wouldn't all Silver Saints be legends? And once equipped with armor, they would probably be at the peak of legend.
"There's something even stronger than that."

As if afraid that the crowd wouldn't be shocked enough, the handsome young man extended a finger.

"That is the Gold Saint of the 'God's Guard'."

"It is said that the twelve Gold Saints represent the twelve constellations of the zodiac; they are Athena's guards, and the strongest among them even have power close to that of a god."

"I suddenly realized that my hometown is actually not bad."

In English, one of the more experienced individuals raised a hand to press his furrowed brow and couldn't help but complain.

"The existence of twelve 'demigods' or 'weak gods'—why does Sparta still exist?"

"Perhaps it's quite normal for various 'divine offspring,' 'demigods,' and even 'gods' to personally intervene in Sparta?"

Now that things had come to this, the young black man Alexander relaxed, and even had the leisure to joke:

"Take it easy, at least we're stronger than this shepherd boy, aren't we?"

Strength and weakness are always revealed through comparison.

As long as there are people weaker than yourself, it's not too bad.

“Alex,”

The magician suddenly spoke.
He forcefully interrupted the conversation.

?

The young black man was taken aback. His gaze swept over the magician's expressionless face, then over the handsome shepherd boy, first with confusion, then with realization, and finally with horror.

"Ahem, of course, I meant no disrespect to His Excellency Agleius."

"What are you saying? I don't understand!"

The shepherd boy innocently countered that it was normal for him not to understand since the conversations between the senior members had been in English.

but--

"Hey big brother with dark skin, why are you sweating?"

"It's nothing, I just have a weak constitution."

Alexander, sweating profusely, forced himself to answer.

I was careless. This is the territory of the Olympian pantheon. If you encounter a handsome being, there's a good chance there's something wrong with him!
Thinking of this, the King of Rap, realizing what was happening, broke out in a cold sweat.

His face was pale.

"Let's go, once we cross the mountain ahead, we'll see Athens."

Just then, a series of 'giant rocks' began to climb over the mountain path and move towards them.

"That is."

With the discerning eyes of many seasoned professionals, it is naturally possible to see:
Those boulders didn't move out of thin air; they were carried forward by people, and beneath them were young boys and girls!

Compared to the house-sized rocks, these boys and girls appeared so small; especially the leader, who was carrying a boulder the size of a small mountain, whose figure was completely invisible, which was astonishing. "Oh, those are the temple's trainees."

The handsome young man Agleius led the crowd to the side of the road and then explained to them:
“We Athens are not Sparta, we don’t leave newborns in a sandstorm overnight; but to become a Saint, the body also needs to be tempered: these are just basic exercises.”

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

Amidst a series of booming sounds, the young boy and girl carrying the giant stone brushed past the group of veterans, leaving them with grim expressions.

Of course they could carry such heavy rocks.

But they are veterans of the 'Nightmare Space'!
And these are just 'trainees'?
"I think everyone should save up some points and buy another 'teleportation portal' to return to their hometown."

Someone, pale-faced, suggested, "What kind of crappy Mars is this? Legends are everywhere, masters are as bad as dogs, only demigods can tremble?"
"Too expensive,"

"Since we're already here, why don't we go sightseeing in Athens first?"

"I don't have any extra points. Who suggested immigrating to Mars!"

The experienced individuals started arguing, but ultimately decided to go to Athens first to assess the situation.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Right now,

On the slowly expanding blue-white planet.

The attention of various countries remains focused on the 'Extraordinary Student Exchange Conference' held in the island nation.

As more information was revealed, many nations gradually came to understand that this demiplane was quite 'special,' containing numerous legacies of Western civilization: paladins, druids, barbarians, Amazons, and more. Moreover, it contained treasures like 'runewords,' making them incredibly coveted!

Unfortunately, only that 'principal' from the island nation can allow people to enter and exit the demiplane.

No matter how much they envy, are jealous, or hate them, they have no way to get their hands on it.

No, it's said that Abe no Seimei of Heian-kyo can also do that:

However, that great Onmyoji also stayed at home every day and never saw anyone, so there was no way to curry favor with him.

"So boring~~"

Because the battle took place in a 'demigod plane', KYG, the 'news king', couldn't broadcast it live; he didn't even have the right to 'rebroadcast' it, and he slumped in his chair.

"If you don't like it, you don't have to watch it."

Roman, who had come with his companion to watch the battle in the conference room of the High School of Spellcasting, retorted to the other party.

Because of 'News King', Roman's 'doujinshi' sold like hotcakes on the dark web, including those with 'Flame Lord' Katrina, 'Flame Lord' Dubra, and even 'Flame Lord' Akash!
It was all because Roman betrayed his 'secret' that he was able to escape from the Eternal Flame Mansion, and so on.
Seeing the powerful and privileged suffer setbacks is something the general public finds "enjoyable," so the explosive sales are understandable.

Even Jiu Kong Yao Ai, ever since it was confirmed that she was 'dead'; because of her last few cries on the battlefield, countless people have written millions of words about her past and present lives with Abe no Seimei, and the stories are so vivid and detailed that they have also become bestsellers worldwide.

Anyway, that great Yin-Yang Master doesn't care. As for Jiu Kong Yao Ai, she's all vanished into thin air. How could she possibly crawl out and refute him?

Of course, Roman's "Gutter Literature" was fueled by "News King," and the young lady's thousand-year history of being humiliated was about bullying "dead people." Other powerful figures wouldn't dare to fabricate such a story: if they really angered the other party, it wouldn't be as simple as being banned online, but rather disappearing from the face of the earth.

"Tsk, at least let me do a live stream."

With global news right before their eyes, yet unable to broadcast it live, KYG was restless and extremely uncomfortable.

"Want live news? Go to Mars, there's endless big news there."

Roman continued to be sarcastic; he was happy when the other person felt uncomfortable.

"Um, I don't have any plans for the time being."

As the 'King of News', KYG naturally knew about the unfortunate fate of the American fleet.

He does have the ability to fly out of the atmosphere now, and it's not impossible for him to fly directly to Mars in his physical form; however, the fact that so many people from the 'Veteran Guild' have disappeared without a trace means that the combat power on Mars must be extremely terrifying. It would be too risky for him, a mere Ghost-level being, to go there.

Besides, even if KYG wanted to go, GuiGui wouldn't allow it.

Greek mythology is notoriously chaotic, and the gods are even more unconventional; Guigui considers herself quite cute, so if she had been rejected in the past, wouldn't she have cried her eyes out?

Even KYG himself is apprehensive; if he's unlucky enough to encounter Zeus, it's not a joke, it's a fact:

Why does the news king retain his history of being a slave?
Tsk,
Or should we just forget about it?

The message coming through the headset caused KYG to vanish from the conference room in a flash.

Others either didn't notice or didn't care: this 'exchange meeting' wasn't something that had only been going on for a day or two, and it was normal for people to come and go; but those who could come here to watch were all 'big shots' from the extraordinary world, and ordinary people had neither the right nor the need to know these secrets.

So they didn't care about KYG's departure. Everyone's attention, including Roman's, was focused on the image projected in the mirror.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dark demiplane,
As the capital of a nation, Tristram is naturally very large.

But now, most of it has become ruins.

"Go, hurricane!"

As the young druid 'Yura' thrust her palm forward, a small tornado immediately flew out from her palm.

This tornado truly 'grows with the wind'! It doubles in size every moment, transforming into a colossal tornado that reaches the sky and connects the earth in the blink of an eye! It roars and engulfs a large number of monsters and even buildings, shredding, tearing, and crushing them.

That wasn't all. As the girl chanted incantations, she slammed her withered wooden staff on the ground.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble~~~
The earth trembled, and cracks spread wildly in all directions at an alarming rate.
A thousand meters ahead, the ground suddenly began to swell and bulge, like... no, it was a huge mountain breaking through the earth!

Earth Release: Opening Earth and Rising Ridge
The next second, crimson light emerged from the mouth of the ring-shaped mountain peak.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!
Amidst deafening roars, lava and flames surged, and countless streams of sparks and heat sprayed outwards from the mountain pass in all directions; just like a real volcanic eruption, crimson lava was scattered everywhere, and huge rocks roared down.

For a while,
Countless monsters were covered in lava, smashed into mincemeat, and torn to pieces amidst their agonizing howls.

The continuous tremors spread and evolved across the battlefield, and the intense fluctuations even gave people the illusion of standing on surging waves!
"So strong—"

"Is this what legend is?"

"Aren't Druids supposed to transform into wolves or bears? It feels like..."

Magician?
Students from various countries had nothing to do, as thousands of monsters were dealt with single-handedly by the 'young druid' Yura; towering hurricanes roared past, lava volcanoes erupted in fury, and even icy storms ravaged the battlefield.

Under such a dense barrage of combined spells, no matter what kind of monster it is, unless it has high resistance to wind, fire, earth, ice, etc., it will have difficulty even surviving.

As for any siege, that's out of the question.

If I had to put it in perspective, it was 'Yura' who single-handedly attacked thousands upon thousands of monsters.

"Druids aren't limited to fighting in animal form,"

Among the bewildered students from various countries stood a male scholar dressed in medieval European attire, draped in a grey robe.

He began to explain to the students:

"Druid magic is divided into three major schools: elemental, polymorph, and summoning."

Transformation is easy to understand; it's the 'traditional Druid' that most people are familiar with, such as transforming into a wolf or a bear. Summoning, on the other hand, involves summoning various animal companions to assist in battle, such as Iron Raven, Spirit Wolf, Ferocious Bear, and Man-eating Vine.

As for the elements, those are the forces that control nature.

"However, I have never seen such a comprehensive range of nature magic from this legendary druid in my life."

The scholar who provided this explanation is none other than the students' target: Deckard Kane!
He was amazed by 'Yura's' comprehensive magical abilities: most druids specialize in a certain element, but in her hands, earth, wind, water, and fire were at her fingertips, as if they were her own limbs.

As for the girl's youthful appearance, that's not surprising: Druids emphasize balanced health and living for hundreds of years is quite normal.

"Well done, Yura."

Upon hearing the praise from the silver-haired, golden-armored knight beside her, the girl responded modestly:
"My spiritual practice is far from sufficient."

Yura has now mastered the fusion of three attributes: ice, molten, and typhoon. Her strength is steadily improving among the demon-level, but she is still some distance away from breaking through to the dragon level.

But no matter what, it's already very strong!
As someone's disciple, she's not standing still.

(End of this chapter)