With her black hair, black eyes, and a black, off-the-shoulder gown, coupled with that spear gleaming coldly like a trident, Ye Wen found the entire presentation—the look, the dress—intensely familiar.

Though a suspicion began to form, he dismissed it as unlikely; after all, Lord Hades hadn't watched that anime. The only other explanation had to be… coincidence?

"Pandora?"

"Oh?" Pandora sounded genuinely surprised. The spear in her hand wavered slightly, and her gaze toward Ye Wen shifted from the faint scorn of moments before. She finally gave the little grunt from the Sanctuary a proper look. "You actually know me?" Ye Wen, however, was even more astonished. "It really is Pandora?" His internal questions multiplied. He had, after all, discussed with Hades the arrangement of an agent to command the Specter Army on his behalf. Reincarnation didn't mean immediate awakening; the reincarnated body needed to grow like a normal human until it reached a certain stage before being able to accept Hades's power and become his earthly avatar. But nowhere in the plan was there mention of installing a female agent named Pandora! Though curious, Ye Wen desperately wanted to inquire further, but the woman before him clearly held no affection for him and certainly didn't believe a mere Sanctuary grunt was worthy of a face-to-face conversation with the acting commander of the Specter Army.

Her purpose here was only to scout the Sanctuary's situation; running into someone from the Sanctuary outside the village had been a complete accident.

"Though it was an accident, I don't mind announcing my presence to the Sanctuary early!" It seemed this woman was prepared to eliminate Ye Wen right then and there. Just as she was about to act, a perfectly built young man stepped up beside her. The man looked to be in his early twenties, with messy, brown-chestnut hair that, at a quick glance, resembled nothing so much as a bird's nest.

This man stepped in front of Pandora and knelt respectfully on one knee. "My Lady, allow me to handle this grunt, lest your noble hands be soiled!" Seeing her subordinate eagerly volunteer, Pandora conceded. She waved a hand, signaling the man to rise, and dismissed the matter casually. "Since you insist, Radamanthys… and while you’re at it, raze this little village. Let these foolish people understand that the so-called Sanctuary cannot protect them."

Ye Wen’s face twitched furiously as he muttered inwardly about Hades actually implementing the Three Judges he had mentioned. He hadn't told Hades about Pandora, but he had described the Specters he remembered to Hades, including their names and a rough description of their Cloths. He never expected the Lord of the Underworld to put it into immediate use.

While twitching, he managed to ask, "Minos and Aiacos haven't come with you?" Since Radamanthys had appeared among the Three Judges, he assumed the other two positions must also have been filled.

Ye Wen had only meant to test the waters and gauge the readiness of the Specter Army, but his words caused the two figures opposite him to gasp in surprise. As for the gathering crowd of onlookers, they were completely lost, pointing and chattering amongst themselves, utterly oblivious to the huge crisis bearing down on them.

"You know Minos and Aiacos, and judging by your tone, you understand what it means to put those names alongside Radamanthys!" The contempt in Pandora’s eyes finally vanished entirely. She became fully alert, watching the robust man opposite her. "You… you are not an ordinary grunt! Are you a Saint?"

Pandora, as the acting commander of the Specter Army, was naturally aware that the Sanctuary possessed Saints capable of resisting the Specters.

What she didn't know was that even the Saints currently lacked deep knowledge of the Specter Army; the only ones truly aware of the intricacies were Ye Wen… and his few disciples.

"If that is the case…" Pandora reacted swiftly. Her attention immediately snapped to the little girl clinging to Ye Wen's neck, watching them with wide curiosity. "That girl, is she Athena’s reincarnation?" The moment those words left her mouth, not only did Radamanthys beside her jump, visibly startled, but the ignorant villagers watching also recoiled in shock.

After listening for a while, they had grasped that this woman was an enemy of the Sanctuary. Though much of what was said was incomprehensible, they understood this last sentence clearly.

"That little girl… is the Goddess reborn?" "How could such a small child be? She looks just like any ordinary kid!" "Is this the esteemed Lady Goddess? What a surprise! I never thought I’d see Her Highness the Goddess with my own eyes!"

Various discussions erupted around them, growing in intensity. Even many unaware people, upon hearing news of the Goddess’s presence, started converging on the area. This situation caused Ye Wen’s brow to furrow.

He desperately wanted to shoo everyone away, but the Sanctuary hadn't yet established the kind of reputation where people would instantly obey an order. A few shouts from him likely wouldn't disperse the crowd immediately.

Besides, this was hardly the right moment to worry about such trivial matters. Ye Wen bent down, setting Lina gently on the ground. He stroked the little one’s head, messing up her short brown hair until it resembled a bird’s nest. "Stay right here and don't wander off!" The little one was sensible; perhaps she could sense something from the auras radiating off the figures opposite. Aren't children supposed to have strong intuition? And this was no ordinary child.

"If I told you… she isn't the reincarnation of the Goddess, would you believe me?" Ye Wen stood up again, spreading his hands, stating a simple fact in a perfectly normal tone. Of course, the woman opposite wouldn't believe him. A smile curved Pandora’s lips, heavy with mockery. "Do you think such a clumsy lie can deceive me?" "Actually, I'm telling the truth…"

Ye Wen shrugged. He had long expected that she wouldn't believe him, but it didn't matter. With his level of strength, he could play whatever game he wanted with her, even exchanging banter while bombarding this supposed Judge with ultimate moves; he wasn't afraid.

This Radamanthys seemed impatient. While Ye Wen was rambling, he had already advanced several paces. "My Lady, allow your subordinate to eliminate this verbose Saint and take that girl as well!" "Don't kill the girl yet; I want to bring her back to present to Lord Hades!" Although Pandora was convinced the girl was the Goddess reborn, she reasoned that presenting a living captive to Hades might please her Lord even more.

"As you command!" Radamanthys even took the time to turn and salute Pandora before facing Ye Wen again, head held high with arrogance. But no matter how he posed, he could only look up at Ye Wen. He addressed Ye Wen: "I don't know how you learned the names Minos and Aiacos, but… I doubt you’ll have the chance to meet them. It is your honor to die at the hands of Radamanthys, the Wyvern of Two Feet!" "..."

Ye Wen remained silent, simply standing there lost in thought. Only after Radamanthys finished his grand speech did he speak. "Are you done? Why learn useless trash talk? All that wasted breath is enough time for you to launch ten ultimate attacks!" But as soon as he said it, he realized he had just committed the same offense. "Is trash talk contagious?" Shaking his head, he casually added, "Put on your Cloth."

Radamanthys was taken aback, perhaps not expecting this Saint to be even more arrogant than himself. He, wearing only the attire of a grunt, was being told to wear his Cloth. "There’s no need for that to deal with you!"

"Is that so?" Since his kind offer had been rejected, Ye Wen lost interest in wasting words. The true energy around his body shifted, and he was immediately enveloped in a golden mist. Compared to the "true" Gold Saints of the Sanctuary, Ye Wen's Cosmo outwardly showed no difference, but it possessed a far greater presence. An ordinary person facing it would struggle to remain standing.

The golden flames burned brighter and hotter, almost enveloping the entire small village. Countless villagers who sensed the anomaly immediately dropped to their knees, while those closer had long since prostrated themselves, hands clasped in prayer, some even confessing past sins before this sight.

At this moment, Ye Wen was like a celestial being, blazing with golden radiance. Though his expression remained hidden, almost everyone could feel the terrifying might contained within those golden flames—like an enraged bull staring directly at you; the fainter-hearted instantly soaked their trousers.

Radamanthys was also stunned by the Cosmo Ye Wen emitted. Specters also used the power of Cosmo, but he had almost never felt such a terrifying power emanating from anyone. He even doubted that Lord Hades himself possessed such an aura.

"This… how is this possible?"

He tried to raise his hand but found himself awkwardly unable to move a single finger, as if utterly immobilized. He stared blankly at the towering man opposite him, then blankly at the sight of the man slowly raising both palms before him. Suddenly, the golden flames exploded outward. In a flash of confusion, he thought he saw… a small cat using its front paws shaped like bull horns…

"Damn it, I'm hallucinating! Is this a mental attack?"

Stomping his feet hard, he violently shook his already raised arms. Utilizing the Great Vajra Palm technique, which relied not on muscle but purely on the internal transmission of energy, his palm strike erupted.

The immense palm force, almost forming a solid golden pillar of light, seemed capable of destroying everything in its path. Fortunately, Ye Wen’s strike was carefully angled slightly upward. Thus, after the palm force burst forth, it solidly impacted only targets within about ten meters ahead; those further away were spared as they were already kneeling or the force shot toward the heavens.

With Ye Wen's precise control over the palm force, there was no possibility of leakage that would harm innocents. Therefore, those people who had fainted upon waking found that, besides wet trousers, they had suffered no other injury.

As for those who hadn't fainted and were fortunate enough to witness everything, their reverence for this divine emissary deepened. The ground, which looked as if it had been thoroughly plowed, clearly told them that what they just saw was no illusion.

However, on this freshly tilled earth, not everything was gone. Radamanthys, who had managed to don his Cloth and ignite his entire Cosmo to shield Pandora in the final moments, appeared physically untouched but was, in reality, utterly broken.

Some of the golden mist still clung to him. Ye Wen maintained the posture of his attack, silently praising the man opposite him: "A true man!" Regardless of his motive, the moment Radamanthys realized he couldn't withstand the attack, he erupted with the strongest power he had ever commanded. Then… instead of fleeing, he swiftly retreated in front of Pandora, using his body to shield her and prevent her from being destroyed by Ye Wen’s blow.

He himself was beyond saving. Even though Pandora's spear released a strange divine energy that helped absorb part of the impact because of his action, the only result was that the Wyvern of Two Feet was left with a complete corpse.

Pandora stood frozen, staring at the lifeless Radamanthys. His body remained standing stubbornly behind her, shielding her. The Cloth, which had radiated a deep, cold light, was now covered in cracks, resembling a ruined toy rather than the exquisite work of art it once was, stripping it of any appeal.

Turning back, she reappraised the tall man opposite her, asking in a slightly trembling voice the question that plagued her mind: "Who exactly are you? How can you possess such immense power?" "The Gold Saint of Taurus!"

"Impossible!" According to the intelligence Pandora had, while Gold Saints were strong, the strongest among them only reached the level of the Three Judges. Even with varying strengths, the gap couldn't be this colossal.

"I am different!" Ye Wen rolled his eyes—a gesture nobody could see. He froze for an instant, but then a strange smile spread across his face. "It seems someone has come for you, beautiful Miss Pandora!"

Pandora paused, then bit her lip in frustration. Given the sheer difference in power, she felt escape was impossible. Even if reinforcements arrived to save her, what use could they be against this terrifyingly strong man?

But Pandora never expected that the person appearing before her would be him—the man who had entrusted her with the authority of the acting commander of the Specter Army… No, perhaps she should call him a deity.

"Hypnos… Lord Hypnos…"

The man, dressed in a simple, flowing robe that perfectly accentuated his tall, magnificent physique, stood before Pandora. He lightly touched the lifeless form of Radamanthys, who instantly dissolved into dust, coalesced into a ball of purple light, and soared upward until it vanished from sight.

Hope rekindled in Pandora’s despairing eyes. She hadn't anticipated that His Lordship himself would appear. If it were him, no matter how powerful that Gold Saint was, he likely couldn't threaten her anymore. After all, in the eyes of ordinary mortals, gods were omnipotent and invincible.

But what shocked her next was what unfolded. Hypnos stopped his approach about six or seven meters from Ye Wen. He placed a hand on his chest, inclined his head slightly, and bowed to Ye Wen. "A pleasure to meet you for the first time, I am Hypnos!" Ye Wen hadn't expected the God of Sleep to be so courteous. But upon reflection, he understood: the hierarchy among the Olympian gods was quite clear. He had always interacted with figures on the level of Athena, Hades, and Artemis, leading him to overlook this. In terms of true standing, Ye Wen was barely equivalent to the primary Olympians, whereas the God of Sleep… was merely a subordinate of Hades.

As someone virtually equal to Hades, Ye Wen’s involvement—even if driven by misunderstanding—meant Hypnos was compelled to show a degree of respect, even if only superficially.

Furthermore, as Hades’s right-hand man, Hypnos was intimately aware of the secrets of the Holy War, and Ye Wen was the true architect behind it. Therefore…

It was for this reason that Hypnos chose to appear. Ye Wen would not kill Pandora; otherwise, he would have wiped out the Specter Army already, and the Holy War would be meaningless! Ye Wen was currently looking for a suitable excuse to let Pandora go, and Hypnos's appearance perfectly suited his needs.

Ye Wen returned the slight bow; he wasn't ungrateful when shown courtesy. The two men locked eyes for a moment without speaking. Hypnos then turned to Pandora and gestured, "Let's go back."

As if casually, Ye Wen commented, "Apologies, I seem to have taken out one of your newly selected Three Judges." "It's fine… Resurrection doesn't take long anyway!" Hypnos merely glanced back, replying to Ye Wen with a very calm tone.

That single sentence brought a smile to Ye Wen's lips. "Hades really implemented the post-death revival feature for his Specter Army, didn't he! The Holy War… is going to be quite a fight…" Muttering this, Ye Wen turned his gaze westward. "And it seems things are beginning to deviate from the original script!"