Returning to the Gemini Palace with Saga, Li Yu waved his hand to set up a domain, isolating it from detection.
Saga lay on the cold ground, his chest heaving violently, each breath accompanied by a ragged, broken sound.
His face was ashen, and his sea-blue hair was matted with blood against his neck; taking the ultimate techniques of three Gold Saints with his bare flesh, without his Cloth, had ultimately pushed his body beyond its limits.
Aiolia's punch had shattered his ribs, Milo's poison needles had poisoned his entire body, and Shura's Holy Sword had nearly cleaved him in two.
"You... are certainly ruthless to yourself."
Li Yu looked at Saga's dying state and couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration.
If it weren't for him, the Transmigrator, disrupting the timeline, the man who combined both divinity and demonic nature should have been sitting on the Pope's throne at this very moment.
To save someone completely, Li Yu's fingertips twitched, and he retrieved a crystal bottle from his private space; the crimson liquid in the bottle glowed faintly. This was a Life Potion he had exchanged from the Reincarnation Space for only 100 credit points. He had verified it on Whitebeard; even if half his face was gone, it could save him.
He hadn't intervened earlier mainly because as long as Saga had a single breath left, he could snatch Saga back from Hades.
"It's not time for the Holy War in the Underworld yet, so it's not your turn to go to the Underworld, Saga!"
Li Yu poured the crimson liquid into Saga's mouth.
As the cold liquid streamed down Saga's throat, his eyelashes trembled violently.
A visible flush spread from his neck to his cheeks, and his previously unfocused pupils gradually sharpened.
Li Yu simply took out two more bottles and poured them all in. After all, this stuff only cost 100 credit points, so it was better to do it thoroughly.
As the last drop of liquid fell, the gruesome wound on Saga's chest healed at a visible rate, the everted flesh receding like a tide, leaving only pale pink new skin; even old scars vanished without a trace.
Saga opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Li Yu's expressionless, handsome face.
He sat up, surveying the familiar yet strange surroundings. The Gemini bas-relief on the wall gave him a feeling of being in another world.
"Where is this? How long has it been since I was injured?"
According to Saga's estimation, with such severe injuries, even with a Saint's self-healing ability far exceeding that of ordinary people, it would take at least one to two months to fully recover. Without proper treatment, three or four months would be normal.
"This is the Gemini Palace. Since you were injured... probably about five minutes?"
Five minutes?
How could that be?
Saga looked at his body in disbelief; his previously shattered physique showed no trace of injury, and even the old hidden injuries from his strenuous training had completely healed.
"How did you do that?"
Li Yu chuckled, not dwelling on the question with Saga.
"Next, proceed according to my plan. You should rest for a few days and not show your face. When the time is right, you should know what to do."
Saga clenched his fists.
"Don't worry, to return to the Sanctuary, I owe you a favor. I will definitely do what I promised you."
Li Yu walked towards the exit of the Gemini Palace. He didn't look back, his voice drifting into Saga's ears from afar.
"It's not just for me, it's also for yourself!"
...As soon as Li Yu returned to the Aquarius Palace, Aphrodite of Pisces had been waiting for him for a long time.
Aphrodite's eyes were complex, gazing deeply at Li Yu, as if seeing him for the first time.
"Li Yu, the Pope has summoned you..."
Li Yu nodded and followed him towards the Pope's Palace.
Along the way, on the white jade steps, there was a bronze lamp every three steps, its flame flickering in the wind, casting long and short shadows of the two.
On the way, Aphrodite couldn't help but frequently glance at Li Yu's profile.
"Li Yu, what exactly are your thoughts on this Saga matter? Why do I feel like I understand you less and less?"
In his heart, Li Yu had always been a steady and reliable elder brother, but bringing Saga back to the Sanctuary this time was simply incredibly insane.
Li Yu's gaze was distant.
"Xiao Di, perhaps it's because the world I see is far broader than the one you see..."
Upon reaching the entrance of the Pope's Main Hall, Aphrodite, understanding the situation, stood guard outside. Shion's deep, aged voice echoed within the hall.
"Li Yu, you're here?"
As soon as he stepped through the palace door, Li Yu felt a powerful Cosmo surge towards him. This was definitely not Shion's power; the intensity of the Cosmo was a hundred times stronger than usual.
Golden divine light, like seawater, filled the hall; even the air carried a divine pressure.
Li Yu could even vaguely see the olive branch phantom floating in the light, a symbol of Athena.
The golden Cosmo completely submerged Li Yu, and Li Yu's Cosmo, influenced by it, subtly showed a tendency to be assimilated... This was, Li Yu suddenly realized.
The divinity within him, like a hard reef on the seashore, stubbornly guarded his true spirit.
Shion slowly rose from the Pope's throne, his white robe fluttering in the golden light, and his eyes beneath the mask were as deep as an abyss.
"How is Saga?"
Li Yu took half a step back and bowed slightly.
"I just returned from the Gemini Palace. I gave Saga some simple bandaging and treatment. He should not be in mortal danger."
Shion's gaze fell on him, carrying scrutiny.
"How exactly did you consider allowing Saga to return to the Sanctuary?"
Here it comes, Li Yu knew that the one asking this question now should be the Goddess Athena behind Shion!
The Holy War, which recurs every 243 years, was approaching, and even Athena did not want to easily give up the strength of Gemini Saga.
However, Saga's dual personality also made Athena deeply wary.
Li Yu had already prepared his response for this situation.
"Your Holiness, the strength of Hydra far exceeded expectations."
Li Yu spoke slowly, his tone steady.
"It would have been impossible for me alone to slay it. It was Saga's sacrifice that allowed us to eliminate this threat."
He paused, emphasizing his words.
"More importantly, Hydra's resurrection was no accident. Only Typhon, the progenitor of all monsters, could have the ability to recall an ancient monster sealed by Hercules."
Shion, with his hands behind his back, murmured to himself.
"You think it's Typhon? If what you say is true, could he have allied with Hades? But it doesn't make sense; he was sealed in the Dark Sea back then, and there's no way he could have escaped..."
Li Yu's brow furrowed slightly.
"Currently, based solely on this incident, I cannot make an absolute judgment, but I believe that even if there is a one-in-ten-thousand chance of this, we must be prepared. The Holy War is coming, and we must unite all possible forces!"
Hearing this, Shion nodded slightly.
"Your concerns are not unfounded. You handled the Saga matter very well; you are largely responsible for his return to the Sanctuary!"
Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had temporarily passed Athena's test. He lowered his head.
"I wouldn't dare. Protecting the earth and humanity is Li Yu's duty."
"You've worked hard. Go and rest. Oh, and regarding the Sagittarius Cloth, I have dispatched another group of Silver Saints to assist in the investigation. I will arrange this matter from now on; you don't need to pay too much attention to it."
Li Yu sneered inwardly. Was Athena implying that the Bronze Five were leveling up too slowly?
Sending another group of Silver Saints to their deaths? However, once the Holy War begins, apart from a limited few Silver Saints, the others are indeed difficult to rely on.
What did it matter to Li Yu if the Silver Saints were all dead?
The most urgent task was for him to rapidly improve himself, to quickly narrow the gap between himself and the gods, until he broke through the Seventh Sense and advanced to the Eighth Sense.
Humans are born with five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch!
In addition, some people are naturally endowed with a Sixth Sense, which in other worlds is also called being an esper, a superhuman, or a New Human... The specific manifestations of the Sixth Sense include elemental manipulation, precognition, atomic control, flight, psychokinesis, telepathy, illusion, mind control, and intuition.
Almost all super-powered individuals are people with an exceptionally strong Sixth Sense.
Above the Sixth Sense, there is an even higher sense, which is the Seventh Sense. The Seventh Sense is the source of life that transcends all six senses.
Those who awaken the Seventh Sense can transform themselves into Cosmo, burning themselves to instantly unleash infinite power!
All Gold Saints are superhumans who have awakened the Seventh Sense; only by awakening the Seventh Sense are they qualified to wear a Gold Cloth.
And the Eighth Sense is the ultimate power above the Seventh Sense, also known as Alaya-vijñana!