Cancer Deathmask is one of the twelve Gold Saints, originally guarding the Cancer Temple in the Sanctuary. Of Italian descent from Sicily, he pledges allegiance to Gemini Saga following Saga's usurpation of the papal throne, despite being among the few aware of Saga's treachery against Athena. His philosophy asserts that justice belongs to the powerful, viewing collateral harm to innocents as inevitable sacrifices for greater goals. This belief manifests in his macabre collection of victims' souls—both combatants and non-combatants—displaying their tormented faces as trophies within his temple and preventing their passage to the afterlife. During the Sanctuary arc, Deathmask confronts Libra Dohko and later battles Dragon Shiryu at the Five Old Peaks of Rozan and within the Cancer Temple. He employs his signature technique, the Praesepe Underworld Wave (Sekishiki Meikai Ha), to sever souls from bodies and banish them to Yomotsu Hirasaka, the underworld gateway. His cruelty escalates when he telekinetically assaults Shiryu's friend, Shunrei, from afar during their duel in the underworld dimension. This act, combined with his soul desecration, causes his Gold Cloth to abandon him mid-combat, rejecting his lack of integrity. Shiryu ultimately defeats him, casting him into Yomotsu's abyss. In the Hades Chapter, Deathmask resurfaces alongside Pisces Aphrodite and former Pope Shion, ostensibly swearing loyalty to Hades to assassinate Athena. Confronting Aries Mu at the Sanctuary, he displays reduced combat effectiveness, prompting speculation about his strength. This portrayal, however, is revealed as strategic deception; he and his fellow Gold Saints feign allegiance to infiltrate Hades' forces, aiming to awaken Athena's divine armor. Their true mission involves reaching Hades' castle to gather intelligence and later dismantle the Wailing Wall obstructing Athena's path. Deathmask's telekinetic and dimensional abilities aid this covert role. Though executed in the underworld by Wyvern Rhadamanthys, his spirit participates in the collective sacrifice of the Gold Saints at the Wailing Wall, redeeming his legacy through ultimate service to Athena. The spin-off *Soul of Gold* depicts Deathmask resurrected in Asgard, initially masking his melancholy with a carefree, hedonistic lifestyle. He avoids combat until forming a bond with Helena, an Asgardian villager. Her death, alongside Aphrodite's, reignites his purpose. Reclaiming his Cancer Cloth—now transformed into a divine God Cloth—he joins the battle against the God Warriors, abandoning his prior nihilism to protect life unconditionally, marking his ideological shift from might-makes-right to guardianship. *Episode G* and *Gigantomachia* provide supplementary insights: He trains Mei, an orphan aspiring to the Berenice Corona Bronze Cloth, in Sicily. During the Titans' assault on the Sanctuary, he defeats the Giant Blue Flame and later recruits Titan survivors into the Black Saints under Saga's orders, demonstrating his pragmatic allegiance to power. Deathmask's abilities encompass mastery of the Seventh Sense (enabling light-speed movement), potent telekinesis for long-distance attacks and teleportation, and the Praesepe Underworld Wave for soul banishment. A variation, Praesepe Underworld Shackles, traps opponents using tormented souls. His capacity to traverse dimensions allows physical entry into Yomotsu Hirasaka. His character evolves from an antagonistic figure to a redeemed Saint, with later appearances emphasizing loyalty to Athena despite earlier transgressions.