Before the Southern Ocean's sacred pillar, the Sea Phantom Beast Gesha sneered at his opponents.
"Tsk tsk tsk, looks like your god isn't as great as the legends say. Sending you three to die? What a joke."
"Don't look down on us!" [Crater Constellation] Phibilar's rage erupted, and he was about to charge forward, but [Lyra Constellation] Orphe and [Cepheus Constellation] Rubionni quickly held him back.
"Calm down, Phibilar. Remember Melin's teachings."
"To be consumed by rage is the first step to failure."
With their reminder, [Crater Constellation] Phibilar seemed as though doused in cold water and quickly regained his composure. Yet the flames of fury still burned fiercely in his eyes.
"To defeat you, the three of us are more than enough," said [Lyra Constellation] Orphe, stepping forward to respond to Sea Phantom Beast Gesha.
"Tsk, you're just Silver Saints, right? Laughable. I've already killed three Silver Saints. What difference does three more make?" Gesha continued to taunt them.
This wasn't just his vile nature — his preferred tactic was to destabilize his enemies before the battle even began. Once their composure cracked, they'd fall right into his rhythm, and then he could do whatever he wanted with them.
"You really think… we don't know that?" [Cepheus Constellation] Rubionni replied coldly.
...
...
"Know what?" Gesha frowned in confusion.
"Heh, you'll find out soon enough," Rubionni smirked.
As his words fell, the three formed a triangle formation, covering each other's blind spots. [Lyra Constellation] Orphe immediately began plucking his lyre.
The gentle music carried no destructive power, but a wave of warmth enveloped the group. Rubionni and Phibilar instantly felt lighter, their cosmos surging even stronger.
"Spring Blooming Sonata of Cooperation."
The short melody ended, and Orphe seamlessly transitioned into a new piece.
Gone was the warmth of spring—replaced with the metallic clangor of battle. Rubionni and Phibilar felt their strength rise again.
"Ballad of Iron and Blood."
With the music complete, Rubionni's chains lashed out, the heavy hammer-tipped ends striking the spot where Gesha once stood, shattering the ground.
"Celestial Chains!"
This was the sacred weapon of the Cepheus Saint—like the Nebula Chains of the Andromeda Saint or the Melodic Lyre of the Lyra Saint. Though sealed for ages, it was fully awakened only after Melin's return.
"Ice Spear White Lotus!"
As Gesha landed, [Crater Constellation] Phibilar struck. Cold energy condensed beneath him, and a magnificent lotus of ice bloomed. Petals scattered and transformed into icy spears that rained down on Gesha.
"Tch, annoying. Ripple Defense!"
A technique copied from the Sea Horse General Baal An. Though not as powerful, it bought him a crucial second.
That one second let him escape most of the attack range—but not all of it.
His right leg was still exposed when the music resumed.
"Lament of Blossoms, Movement III."
A sorrowful tune, like a young woman waiting in vain on the shore for her beloved.
To ordinary people, it would be a masterpiece. But to Gesha, it was worse than nails on a chalkboard.
Under its influence, his body felt heavier, his speed dropped by 20%, and that small slowdown was all it took for the ice spear to pierce his right leg.
"AH~!"
Writhing in pain, Gesha leapt back in disbelief. How could his scale armor—stronger than a Gold Cloth—be pierced by a mere Silver Saint?
"Heh, confused?" Rubionni sneered. "Celestial Chains – Bind!"
Two chains shot out from underground and wrapped Gesha up tightly.
"Impossib—" Gesha's expression had been twisted in horror since the fight began.
He couldn't believe the effects of Orphe's music, Rubionni's subtle traps, and Phibilar's precision. These weren't the capabilities of Silver Saints.
He wanted to understand why—but they gave him no chance.
"Celestial Chains – Judgement!"
"Ice Spear White Lotus!"
"AH~!"
With high-voltage shocks coursing through his body and dozens of ice spears raining down, Gesha's screams were brief. Blood flowed down the steps and pooled into a crimson mirror.
"Is it done?" Rubionni asked, still on full alert. It had gone too smoothly.
Despite their initial all-out effort and Orphe's support, a Sea General shouldn't fall this easily.
"No! Stay alert! There's another cosmos nearby!" warned Orphe.
As he said that, Gesha's bloody form vanished.
All three immediately expanded their cosmos to search every inch of the area.
It was Phibilar who sensed it first.
"That cosmos—no! Orphe, behind you!"
"Wha—?" Orphe flinched and instinctively moved closer to his allies.
But—
"Too late! Salamander Shock!"
Gesha suddenly appeared behind him, and a phantom salamander discharged electricity right into Orphe's body.
"AH~!"
The shock surged wildly inside him, and Orphe screamed in agony.
"Orphe!" x2
Rubionni caught the flying Orphe with his chains. Phibilar retaliated with another Ice Spear White Lotus, but before it landed, Gesha vanished once again.
"Orphe, are you okay?" Rubionni asked.
"I'm fine... just... a little numb." Orphe replied and began playing a new tune to drive away the paralysis and heal himself.
"Tsk tsk, so you're the core of the trio, huh?" Gesha's voice echoed from all directions. "Your music strengthens, weakens, heals... as long as you live, they have the upper hand."
"Calling yourself a Sea General and using such cowardly tricks—why not fight honorably?!" Phibilar roared.
"Tsk, I'm not one of those idiots. Victory is all that matters."
"Despicable Sea Fighter!" Phibilar maintained his anger, shielding Orphe behind him. Meanwhile, Orphe gently plucked his strings, and Rubionni's chains coiled around their feet in a circular trap.
Phibilar was acting—feigning a loss of control to lure Gesha into lowering his guard. If he did, Orphe and Rubionni would pinpoint his location.
"Got him!" x2
With eyes closed, Orphe and Rubionni simultaneously opened them. Gesha appeared behind Phibilar.
"Salamander Sho—"
"Symphonic Fantasy!"
"Celestial Chains – Strike!"
"AH~!"
This time, there was no illusion. Gesha took a direct hit from both attacks and smashed into the sacred pillar.
"Ugh... cough... You actually found me... damn it!"
"We've seen through your tricks, Gesha. Prepare to die!"
"Tsk, is that so? Then... how about this? Can you still bring yourselves to strike?"
As he spoke, Gesha's form transformed drastically. Golden waves of hair, luscious red lips, porcelain skin, and a flowing white dress hugged a graceful figure.
"Te... Teresa..." All three froze in shock, even their hands ready to strike paused.
Because Gesha had transformed into a woman they all knew—Teresa, Orphe's beloved girlfriend.
They were deeply in love. If not for Orphe's struggle between duty and love, they would already be married.
Rubionni and Phibilar knew her well—they were the ones who helped set them up, along with the now-deceased [Triangulum Constellation] Colonelus.
"Orphe, will you kill me?" Teresa asked tearfully, covering her mouth.
This was Gesha's favorite trick: using telepathy to read his opponent's mind and then shapeshifting into the person they cherished most, striking while they hesitated.
In truth, the one all three valued most was Melin—but Gesha couldn't transform into a god. So he chose the next best: Teresa.
"Gesha!" Orphe was consumed by rage.
"Orphe, do you love me? If you do, drop your lyre and come to me."
"Finale of the Strings!"
Strings from the lyre flew out and bound the false Teresa.
"Orphe! What are you doing?! Don't you love me? Will you really kill me?" "Teresa" cried.
"Shut up, Gesha! Don't tarnish Teresa with your vile heart!" Orphe roared.
"Orphe..."
"You used the same trick to wound Colonelus, Yalguni, and Mosis, didn't you, Gesha?"
"Not only that, you threatened civilians behind them. Otherwise, how could you have defeated the three together?"
"You—"
"Silence! I won't let you speak with her face again!" Orphe snapped and plucked his strings.
Slash!
"AH~!"
The voice was no longer feminine. "Teresa" vanished, and Gesha reappeared—minus his left arm.
"Wasn't she one of your most cherished? How... how could you be so heartless?!"
"Colonelus's lingering cosmos told us all your secrets," Rubionni said, arms folded.
"No... impossible... how..."
"This is who we are. Even in death, Saints protect their brothers."
"Spare me... I surrender... I don't want to be a Sea General anymore..." Gesha was genuinely terrified. He didn't want to die. There was still so much beauty in the world to enjoy.
But Orphe, ablaze with righteous fury, would never show mercy.
"Beg in the Underworld, Gesha!"
He plucked all the strings that bound Gesha.
Slash! Slash!
The sounds of flesh tearing echoed one after another, as Gesha's body was cut into eight pieces, blood gushing through the cracks in his scale armor.
Hah... hah... Orphe knelt on one knee, gasping. The rage had cooled, and the final song had drained him.
"Leave the pillar to us."
"Take a break."
Rubionni and Phibilar nodded.
"Yeah. I'll leave it to you."
"Oh, and—"
"What?"
"When we get back, marry Teresa."
"...Okay."
"Heh, finally got you two together."
"Rubionni and I were about to die from worry!"
"All right! Let's finish the mission first!"
"Of course. Celestial Chains – Destruction!"
"Hundred-Fang Ice Spear Cyclone!"