The Gold Cloths crafted by Ethan restore the abilities from the original work as much as possible, but there are still many differences in the specific details.

For example, the Libra Cloth he was wearing. In the original work, the status of Libra is very special because Athena, the goddess whom the Saint Seiya pledge allegiance to, is a goddess who hates violence. Therefore, her Saint Seiya are not allowed to use weapons, chains seeming to be an exception, and all fight with their fists and feet.

Among the Gold Saint Seiya, who hold the highest status, there are two Cloths that are relatively special.

One is the Sagittarius Gold Cloth, which is equipped with a bow and arrow. It is said that Sagittarius's bow and arrow have the ability to kill true gods, although this point is debatable.

The other is the Libra Cloth.

Compared to Sagittarius retaining its bow and arrow due to the constellation's legend, the situation with Libra is even more special.

Because Athena dislikes her warriors using weapons, the Saint Seiya do not have weapons. But this does not mean that Saint Seiya cannot use weapons, or that they will never need them.

Especially for the Gold Saint Seiya, the highest-tier combatants, when they need weapons, they are certainly facing powerful enemies, most likely during a Holy War against Hades's army. This requires powerful weapons suitable for the Gold Saint Seiya to use. Ordinary weapons would probably not be as powerful as the fists and feet of the Gold Saints, and all these specially made weapons are in the hands of Libra.

At the same time, as the Libra Saint who safeguards the twelve golden weapons, he is also the only one, besides Athena herself, who has the authority to approve the use of weapons by Saint Seiya. This shows the special status of Libra.

Of course, for Ethan, the Gold Cloths he crafted himself do not have so many restrictions. This Libra Cloth does not seem to have anything special about it except for being equipped with the twelve golden weapons.

Ethan certainly would not be satisfied with such a design, so he made some modifications when crafting the Libra Cloth. Considering that Libra is equipped with twelve golden weapons, this Cloth is clearly suited for close combat.

Speaking of close combat, one cannot ignore physical fitness, so Ethan specifically added an ability to the Libra Cloth. It can better unleash the body's potential, allowing the wearer to erupt with more powerful close combat abilities.

This was not difficult to do. The Gold Cloths themselves have the ability to enhance various attributes, but the Libra Cloth is more extremely focused on pursuing the various physical attributes required for close combat. At the same time, it can convert all energy into the energy the body needs, ensuring that the physical condition remains at its peak. This was also the reason Ethan's appearance returned to youth after putting on this Cloth.

Scáthach watched Ethan's appearance change from old to young at close range. As the Queen of the Land of Shadows, who has lived for an unknown number of years and seen countless magical things, this kind of event was not enough to shock her. So, at the same time her surprise attack was parried by Ethan, she launched a new assault.

Again, the red magic spear, taken out from who knows where, stabbed toward Ethan's vital points from a strange angle.

Compared to the previous attack that directly aimed at fragile internal organs, Scáthach's attack this time fully demonstrated her rich combat experience. This time, it was aimed at the connection points between the armor pieces, and from this angle, once it pierced the body, it would happen to penetrate the kidneys.

The Gold Cloth appears to be fully covering armor, but it is not a single solid structure. There are gaps or relatively weak areas at the joints between each component. Experienced warriors do not even need to study the specific structure of the armor. They only need to understand human anatomy to determine which areas are easier to penetrate.

However, Scáthach's attack still did not achieve the desired effect. Just as the magic spear approached Ethan's body, a golden longsword had already guarded the spear's path in advance. With a light tap, it deflected the red spear to the side, then, taking advantage of the fact that a long spear is not suited for close quarters, launched a counterattack and forced Scáthach to distance herself again.

In a flash, Ethan's appearance gradually stabilized and stopped changing. His body seemed to have returned to its peak state again. At the same time, he held a golden longsword in his right hand, paired with the shield on his left arm, forming a standard sword and shield combination.

The long knife in Scáthach's hand disappeared again, leaving only a red magic spear. Many Heroic Spirits possess multiple weapons or items. A convenient aspect is that these weapons can turn into nothingness at any time and be summoned or condensed when needed, as if everyone has a personal space for storing weapons and other equipment.

But Scáthach's situation is slightly different. Strictly speaking, she is still a living person, or rather, a being who evolved from a human into a demigod, even infinitely close to a god, through her own training and years of combat. The weapons she uses cannot turn into nothingness like those of Heroic Spirits. All her weapons are real. They are just stored away using magical means in normal times.

"It seems... my long-cherished wish is finally about to come true."

Scáthach has lived for a very long time, so long that she no longer wishes to live, but she has no interest in ending her own life. She hopes to die at the hands of a stronger enemy, like most warriors. It is just that most of the time, she is the one who kills her opponents.

She has been searching for powerful opponents and even personally trained outstanding warriors, such as Cú Chulainn, then waited for them to challenge or even kill her.

Apart from this, Scáthach is not usually belligerent. Often, she is too lazy to fight, and she even avoids combat when there is no reason.

This is why Scáthach did not appear when Ethan arrived in this world, but only showed up after the Land of Shadows was destroyed under Ethan's rule distortion.

The destruction of the Land of Shadows gave her a reason to act, and Ethan was powerful enough to make her entertain the thought of fighting to the death with him.

Ethan also knew that Scáthach had an absolute taboo that must not be mentioned. Once mentioned, she would cast aside all principles and instantly unleash her strongest combat power.

Considering that he was not a masochist and had no habit of seeking abuse, he did not intend to provoke Scáthach into unleashing her strongest combat power.

Ethan, who had recovered some of his strength thanks to the Libra Cloth, was now thinking, maybe I should just leave.

The reason he could stand here unharmed and consider whether to leave, without being disturbed by Scáthach, was that he had not forgotten his true identity.

He was a mage. Even while wearing the Libra Cloth and usually liking to swing a sword to cut people, he would not hesitate when he could cast spells.

After forcing Scáthach back, five hundred fireballs appeared around Ethan. When fifty fireballs were ineffective, his solution was always this simple and direct.

Dense fireballs surrounded him. With such a dense formation, even Scáthach could not pass through unharmed. In fact, when these fireballs began to attack, she could only passively dodge and parry, with no spare energy to continue attacking.

Watching his master being fiercely ganged up on by fireballs, Cú Chulainn, who was watching from the side, did not know whether he should laugh at the struggling Scáthach or complain about Ethan. This quantity was simply cheating, was it not?

Scáthach once again displayed her rich combat experience and skilled techniques. Realizing there was no way to dodge, she began using throwing darts and the thrown magic spear, Scáthach, who is skilled in crafting magic spears, had who knows how many stored, to detonate the fireballs in mid-air in advance, creating space to dodge. Otherwise, with the dense fireballs raining down, no matter how agile her movement technique was, she would not be able to avoid them.

In this way, she successfully endured the attacks of three hundred fireballs, then was sent flying backward by a sudden charge and slash from Ethan.

Rumble.

Scáthach managed to block Ethan's sword with her magic spear in time, but the powerful force still sent her flying. Her entire body turned into a human cannonball and crashed into the house, completely demolishing Shirou's home.

"My physical condition is worse than expected."

Ethan had originally wanted to throw all five hundred fireballs at once, but he found that his mental power was also severely affected. Although his body had recovered somewhat after putting on the Libra Cloth, the drain on his mental power and mana had not been alleviated. In fact, because he had made this Cloth excessively focused on close combat, it had conversely affected his control over spells, which was why he had to send the fireballs in batches, giving Scáthach a chance to dodge.

With a flick of his left hand, the shield on his forearm detached from the vambrace. Ethan grabbed the handle inside the shield and swung it, sending the golden shield flying directly toward the figure rushing out of the ruined house.

Besides being used for defense, the golden shield could also be used as a flail, chain, or other weapon. There was a handle with a chain on the inside. After Ethan threw it, the shield directly entangled Scáthach in mid-air. Before she could break free, he gave a fierce tug, pulling her, whom he had just sent flying, toward him.

His right hand, which had already put away the golden longsword, clenched into a fist. Greenish-blue energy had already condensed on his knuckles, and he punched toward Scáthach's faintly visible abdomen.

Dragon roars rose and fell, and greenish-blue energy dragons surged out from Ethan's fist. Scáthach, who should have been in front of him, was carried high into the air by one giant dragon after another, continuously colliding with the remaining hundred-plus fireballs.

The continuous explosions and the power contained within each green giant dragon sent Scáthach to an altitude barely visible to the naked eye. Not until all the power slowly dissipated and the terrifying force that erupted was completely spent did the black dot, which had ascended to an unknown height, grow larger again and crash heavily onto the open ground behind Ethan, landing face first.

(To be continued.)