While dust still swirled across the battlefield within Saruto's world, both Lucien and Void were utterly exhausted. They lay on their backs, their breath ragged, their bodies aching. Void glanced at Lucien and offered a faint smile before saying wearily,
"Well done… I didn't think you'd get this far so quickly."
He closed his eyes, surrendering control to Saruto. Saruto opened his eyes slowly, breathing deeply as he felt the full force of Void's grip on his body. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he muttered with mild anger, "Void… you really went too far this time."
Then Saruto turned to Lucien, who lay on the ground smiling despite his exhaustion. "How was the fight?"
Lucien raised his head with difficulty, laughing. "It was fun… and really useful."
Saruto chuckled briefly. "Fun?! You were practically killed."
Lucien's face froze. "What? I don't understand," he said, puzzled.
Saruto stepped closer and replied sternly, "The moment your fists met… if I hadn't tempered Void's power at the last second, making it equal to yours, it would have been the end of you, Lucien."
Lucien's eyes widened in shock, a chill running through his limbs as he realized how close he had been to death. "That idiot!" he cried angrily. "He almost killed me!"
Void's laughter echoed through Saruto's mind, a faint sound reverberating as he said jokingly, "I got carried away with the fight. I didn't mean to kill him on purpose!"
Despite his exhaustion, Saruto couldn't help but smile. Lucien looked up at him and asked curiously, "That skill you and Void used at the end… what was it? I heard it say something about shared consciousness, and I saw you both release the same energy in the Abyss prison."
Saroto breathed deeply and replied, "The skill of shared consciousness. It allows Wolfoid and me to share everything… skills, experience, analysis, even reaction speed. It makes us almost invincible."
Lucian remained silent for a moment, then smiled wearily. "Sounds amazing… I hope to try it someday."
"Why not?" Saroto chuckled.
"Are you kidding, Saroto? How am I supposed to use it?" Lucian laughed back.
They both laughed, gazing up at Saroto's world. Saroto's limbs were trembling with exhaustion, yet he still managed a faint smile. "This will take a long time to master…"
He looked up at Lucian, who looked like he'd just come out of a war, his eyelids half-closed, his body aching. Saroto reached out and, with a short sigh, pulled them both out of his world, back to reality.
The next moment, he closed his eyes and telepathically contacted his servant and mentor, Ethan, after leaving one of his Shadow Soldiers in his shadow. "Ethan, Lucien and I will move to the Time Chamber to take advantage of the Autohealing."
Ethan's voice echoed in his mind:
"The Time Chamber?! Have you forgotten that it's reserved for the Dark Family only?"
Saruto smiled faintly as he replied, "Don't worry… I'll cover his eyes; he won't see anything."
Ethan didn't argue further, simply saying, "Okay, but be careful."
Saruto opened his eyes again and looked at Lucien, who was struggling to stand. He approached him and said quietly, "Lucien… I'm going to cover your eyes for a moment."
Lucien raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why?"
Saruto smiled faintly and replied in a mysterious voice, "It's a secret."
In an instant, a black energy sphere formed around Lucien's head, blocking out everything around him. He could neither see nor hear anything. Then Saruto placed his hand on his shoulder, and a powerful wave of energy erupted from them… their bodies vanished.
When they reappeared, they were in a completely different place. The Time Chamber… a vast, serene space. The air was heavy, yet charged with an awe-inspiring energy. "We're here," Saruto whispered, taking in the surroundings.
The system's illuminated screen appeared before him. He reached out and activated the Auto Healing option, and a soft aura of light enveloped them, quickly transforming into an all-encompassing warmth. The bruises slowly began to disappear, and the wounds healed as if they had never been there. Lucien felt the life force coursing through his veins once more.
After a few minutes, the aura vanished. Saruto reached out again and led them back to the academy. As soon as the black orb disappeared, Lucien blinked in surprise at the sight of his body completely healed. "What…? My body! All the injuries are gone!"
He looked at Saruto in astonishment. "How did you heal me so quickly? And why didn't you use this method before?!"
Saruto smiled again with the same mysterious calm and said,
"That's a secret… and the reason I never used it before is simple: I never got seriously injured while training you and Void."
In an instant, Lucien's expression changed, and a chilling aura of anger surrounded him. "Are you kidding me?!" he said angrily, preparing to attack.
But before he could move, Saruto vanished like a flash of lightning, leaving behind a faint laugh that dissipated into thin air. Lucien stood alone, his fist trembling with rage, before shouting into the void, "I'll make you pay for this, Saruto!"
Saruto's laughter echoed in the distance, as if replying,
"Go ahead and try."