Lu Jin jolted awake.
Hiss—
After the hiss of pressure escaping, the Saturn Terminator helmet was yanked to the ground.
The complex, unpleasant sensation of his soul returning to his body had not lessened.
Nor did he feel as though he were breathing fresh air again.
Lu Jin raised a hand to rub his face and found that there was another layer beneath the helmet. He could not pull it off, no matter what he tried. But when he strongly willed it to come off, the object attached to his head quietly receded.
"Whew—"
As air thick with the smell of gunpowder filled his lungs, Lu Jin relaxed a little. The discomfort on a spiritual level eased slightly.
He looked around.
The Audience Hall was empty. Only a dozen or so Gold Mark veterans of the Fierce Angels stood outside the door.
Krogar and Lyleth also slowly came to. One knelt on the floor, vomiting; the other stared ahead, her eyes deep and expressionless.
Lu Jin lowered his head again.
He found that the close-fitting armor he had worn inside the Heart Eater Domain had now become the lining of the Saturn Terminator.
And the thing that had just covered his head was the helmet of that close-fitting armor.
Lu Jin picked up the Terminator helmet and put it on. Then came a sensation like skin growing, and the thin helmet spread out from within the Saturn Terminator lining once more.
"How—how did we get back?" Lyleth asked Lu Jin after catching her breath.
Lyleth rarely spoke. Her voice was completely at odds with her cold appearance, comfortable to listen to and breathtakingly beautiful.
Lu Jin did not even look at Lyleth. He asked Krogar, "Do you feel like something's missing from your soul?"
"I did before. Not anymore." Krogar