Cancer Sage

Sage is a man of sturdy build, with long, silvery white hair and small, Mu-style eyebrows; in addition, he had wrinkles on his face due to his old age, in short, very similar to his twin brother Hakurei. During his time as Kyōkō, he wore a white cassock that covered his neck, with a medallion on his chest over the cassock. He also wore a black cassock with gold and red edges (with gold diamond designs on the red embroidery) on the sleeves, as well as an ornament around his neck and a stole. In addition, he wore the distinctive helmet of the Kyōkō.

The Patriarch Sage's personality is one of absolute solemnity, intelligence, restraint, and respect for his subordinates, the Saints. He shows an interest in the moral development of those around him, giving them important lessons that ennoble them, such as with Manigoldo, when he made him understand that life wasn't worthless and that true despair shouldn't be taken lightly. He cares deeply for others, so much so that he has survived for over two centuries waiting for the moment to capture the twin gods so they don't repeat the massacre they committed in his youth. Although it seems he wants revenge, his intentions go beyond that, trying to save the lives of the Saints; his sadness is clearly visible when Manigoldo died in the battle against Thanatos. His personality generally differs from that of his brother Hakurei, who is more daring and explosive, which might seem irresponsible for the Altar Saint, but in truth his intentions are to teach the new warriors. His relationship with Hakurei is one of respect and admiration; he even told him that his cosmos was too great to have only reached the rank of Silver Saint.

Sage was the Cancer Saint in the 16th century, serving the Athena of that time; his story hasn't been fully explained. While his brother Hakurei of Altar and the other saints were containing the Specters outside the Sanctuary, Sage appeared and told Hakurei to let the enemy reach the Temple of Athena, beyond the 12 Houses. Hakurei agreed because he trusted Sage, and so the confrontation took place on the Temple's steps. It is presumed that Sage at that time was helping Athena find her armor, with which she was able to defeat the Specters and Hades. However, when everyone believed victory had been achieved, the twin gods Hypnos and Thanatos appeared, killing all the other saints; only they, thanks to their powerful cosmos and the protection of their goddess, survived. Athena then pursued the twins through the Path of the Gods, and nothing more was ever heard of her. Sage took the position of Pope, tasked with rebuilding the Sanctuary for the next Holy War, and stopped seeing his brother for 250 years, as the latter became the armor repairer in Jamir. Even with the distance, they had the opportunity to concentrate their cosmos during that time on the Altar Armor, so that when the time came they could capture the twin gods within it. A few years before the start of the new Holy War, Sage was examining a village that had suffered an attack by Hades' hordes. There he found a child, the sole survivor, living among the ruins of his village surrounded by the souls of the deceased inhabitants, whom he was somehow able to see and understand.

The boy was a petty thief barely surviving amidst such desolation, who admired death, believing life was worthless. Sage explains that his life is not trash, but part of the universe, and invites him to the Sanctuary. The boy is Manigold, who becomes the Patriarch's new apprentice. However, Manigold believes the other apprentices are weaklings because they don't know despair. As a lesson, Sage sends his soul to the entrance of the Underworld so he knows that what awaits after death is not peace, but the realm of Hades, and that is why they confront the god. After a time, Manigold would succeed his master Sage as the Saint of Cancer. In the Sanctuary, there's talk of the meeting of the twelve Golden Saints, discussing who will replace the Kyōkō. Everyone in the sanctuary wants Aspros of Gemini to be the successor, but rumors say Sage thinks differently and prefers Sisyphus of Sagittarius. Aspros is obsessed with the position; he even goes to the forbidden place, Star Hill, and there he tells his brother he will use all the Kyōkō's knowledge: star reading, the sealed demonic fist, Athena's blood. Deuteros takes Athena's blood from him; Aspros calls Deuteros "Shadow" and reminds him that he has lived thanks to him. Then he attacks him with the Genrōmaōken. Aspros will use his brother Deuteros to betray Sage. Shortly after, Deuteros appears in the Master's Room and attacks Sage; the Kyōkō stops him. At that moment, Aspros appears and tells him that his brother is a traitor and must die. The Kyōkō says he doesn't want to see that because he has a brother, and doesn't like seeing brothers kill each other. Aspros, seeing the Kyōkō turn his back, attacks him, but something stops him. The one who stopped him is the man closest to a god: Asmita of Virgo.

Asmita tells Aspros that the Kyōkō had already foreseen his moves and therefore anticipated this action. The Gemini Saint says they believed he was only prepared to fight Sísifo or Manigoldo. Sage says this move had to be well-planned, because Aspros is an elite-class warrior. Aspros mocks them and says they will die. Deuteros asks his brother to stop. Asmita says he will stop him, no matter if he and the Kyōkō have to defeat the Gemini brothers and unleash two thousand-day wars. Aspros mocks Asmita's belief that they will have a thousand-day war, and Asmita tells him that the power of his shadow is enough for the corpses of Virgo and the Kyōkō to be found at dawn. Asmita tries to stop Aspros's evil and attacks him with his Om, but Deuteros stops the Virgo Saint's attack. Asmita worries about it, but Sage tells him he trusts Defteros, that he will take care of Aspros. Asmita will fight against Deuteros and comes to understand the Kyōkō's decision, later showing Deuteros his heart. He shows him the thorns that bind him due to the Imperial Satan, which will only dissolve if he kills someone. Asmita tells Deuteros that, although his mission is to kill him and the Kyōkō, he has always been his brother's puppet and is to blame for his brother's descent into darkness. Because there was never a difference between light and darkness between them, but he resigned to being Aspros's puppet. Deuteros asks Asmita for help; Asmita says he has told him everything, that only Deuteros knows the answer. Asmita disappears. Deuteros appears in front of Aspros, who has a badly wounded Sage by the neck, ready to kill him. His brother asks him to kill the Kyōkō. Deuteros attacks but thinks about his identity, whether to be light or darkness. Deuteros chooses to be a demon and stabs his surprised brother.

After Hades' awakening, the first thing he's seen doing is giving Tenma the Pegasus Cloth. He actively participates in defending the Sanctuary when Alone arrives to attack; along with Sasha, they create a barrier and manage to teleport the Statue of Athena with Hades and everyone present onto the Tower of the 108 Masei to seal the soul of the god of the Underworld. They would have succeeded if Pandora hadn't appeared. After learning that Pandora was sending assassins to kill Tenma, he orders Manigoldo to imprison him in the Sanctuary to protect him, but with Hakurei's help, Tenma escapes. The Pope is persuaded by his brother not to pursue him; instead, he sends Manigoldo to protect him. When Manigoldo is facing Thanatos, the god opens a gate to the Path of the Gods that almost absorbs Manigoldo. Suddenly, Sage appears, teleporting there; Thanatos is surprised that another person has reached that dimension. With a gesture of his hands, the seals are strategically placed in various locations, creating a colossal energy that begins to close the dimension that the god of death opened. After remembering the previous Holy War, Thanatos has raised his gigantic cosmos even further and, opening his arms, has generated the Phobia of Tartarus, with which he manages to summon the spirits of the dead to whom he himself took life. Manigoldo and Master Sage dodge them, but there are too many. Sage reminds Manigoldo how to face them; Cancer uses the Soul Burial technique to finish them off.

The Patriarch hasn't lost his cool despite everything, but he tells the god not to underestimate humans, who have just countered his Tartarus Phobia. Thanatos is furious; he has created a tremendous ball of energy above him, the Terrible Providence, which he fires, and Manigold receives, a blow that even shattered the sacred armor. The Pope places himself in front of his disciple with some Athena seals in his hand, which managed to lessen the impact's power. Thanatos wants to use the Terrible Providence again, but Sage has increased his cosmos to activate the true power of the sacred seals. His cosmos explodes, the seals are everywhere, his special technique has been applied: Talisman Cage, blocking much of the god's power and leaving him prisoner. But the god begins to raise his terrible cosmos, and the emitted power has begun to destroy part of the temple; the seals begin to disintegrate little by little. The seals have been of no use because apparently their effect has decayed after two hundred years. Thanatos is terribly angry for having received a blow from Manigold and opens the hyperdimension again. The floor under Manigold breaks, and his leg is destroyed. The master has seen his disciple fall without being able to do anything; clenching his teeth tightly, he can't bear it any longer and prepares to attack the god. His eyes show determination and a desire for revenge that surpasses everything. Shouting the god's name with all his strength, he can no longer contain himself and attacks him. Infernal Waves is activated; with his finger pointing towards the god, he has sent his infernal waves directly at him. Manigold, from the floor, joins him; master and disciple have launched the infernal waves at the same time with all their power, the god's soul has completely left his borrowed body and has no way to return.

The young Cancer Saint sacrifices himself so that the god will no longer have a body to return to. Kyōkō can't believe what happened; it all happened too fast. His eyes fill with tears, and looking towards the site of the tragic explosion, he desperately cries out his disciple's name. Despite not having a body, his divine soul remains, taking its former form; his power hasn't diminished, and he once again feels in control of the situation. His objective: to seize his enemy's body and control him from within. The master couldn't prevent it; a large star has appeared on his forehead. The master screams with all his might from the pain and helplessness. Thanatos's voice is heard, telling the "old man" that being in Kyōkō's body will make it very easy to enter the Sanctuary and take Athena's head. But something strange is happening; Kyōkō has gotten to his feet with difficulty; the final strategy has been put into action, and Thanatos has fallen into the trap. Thanatos has been sealed inside the armor of his brother Hakurei's Altar. His brother and he spent over two hundred years strengthening that armor. Sage captures the god's soul in a small box and sends it to Athena, dying in the effort.

•Seki Shiki Meikai Ha: He concentrates his cosmos at the tip of his right index finger, from which a white aura emanates, then sends a spiral wave of radiation in the form of white rings that expand and entwine the opponent's body to separate the soul from the body and draw it towards the realm of the dead. •Seki Shiki Konsō Ha: attracts and uses nearby lost souls to the palm of the hand and, upon obtaining sufficient energy, uses them as gunpowder to produce a large explosion; upon obtaining sufficient energy, it launches a kind of luminous ray that acts as fuel to generate a terrible explosion. •Seki Shiki Kisōen: Uses the blue and white will-o'-the-wisps of Yomotsu Hirasaka to feed on the soul of its target, incinerating it, as the blue flames give no heat, but burn. •Seki Shiki Nyoi Reirin: Manipulates souls and transforms them into a rain of large energy beams. •Seki Shiki Meikai No Nami: His index finger fills with spiritual energy and launches several souls that explode around the enemy, destroying the area. •Seki Shiki Meihitsugi Ha: He concentrates his cosmos in his right index finger, sending a spirit that rapidly launches itself towards the opponent, who is immobilized by other spirits. Afterwards, he clenches his fist, causing these spirits to inflict great damage, even capable of destroying the opponent's armor.