A few minutes earlier, Saruto had appeared inside the Dark Kingdom palace, having used his teleportation skill. A heavy silence greeted him as his feet touched the palace grounds.
He advanced slowly, his eyes scanning the corridors. The bodies of the guards lay scattered everywhere: mangled corpses, shattered armor, and pools of blood.
Saruto stopped. His chest tightened. These were his guards. His soldiers. He bowed slightly and closed his eyes. He let out his dark aura quietly, enveloping their bodies like a serene black shroud. His voice was faint but steady. "Thank you… for your loyalty," he said. "I swear you will receive a funeral worthy of your sacrifice, once this is all over."
Then he rose. He moved. He moved between the palace wings, opening doors, searching, but his father was nowhere to be seen. He stopped abruptly. "Only one more place," he told himself.
He vanished. He reappeared before a massive door, the door to the Time Chamber. He pushed it open. Inside, he saw the scene that shattered his heart. His father, the king of the Dark Kingdom, lay on his knees. His body was riddled with wounds, blood flowing from every blunt object.
Before him stood the number one prisoner, Niraval. He gathered immense power in his hand and said coldly, "So… this is the end for you."
He launched his attack. But it was met with a sword. Niraval froze. Saruto stood before his father, having blocked the blow with one of his swords. The room shook from the impact. "Who are you?!" Niraval exclaimed in astonishment. "How could a child like you block my attack?!"
Saruto didn't turn to look at him. Instead, his voice thick with suppressed rage, he demanded, "What did you intend to do to my father?"
He unleashed his aura—a dark, deep, heavy aura. A chill ran through Niraval body. Then he smiled. "So you are the son of this weak king."
Saruto finally turned to face him, his eyes blazing with fury. He said,
"Who are you? I sense a familiar darkness emanating from you… What do you want from my father?"
Niraval laughed a dark laugh. "I am Neraval… one of the sons of the Fourth Founder, Adrian."
Saruto eyes widened. "That's impossible!" he exclaimed in shock. "Adrian only had one daughter… Rose!"
Niraval expression changed abruptly. His energy exploded. "Don't you dare mention that girl name in front of me!" he roared. "She the reason for everything I've been through!"
In an instant, he moved in front of Saruto. A dark blade formed on his arm and shot a fatal blow toward his head. Saruto blocked the attack. "I don't care about your past with Rose!" he snapped. "But I will never forgive you for what you did to my father!"
"Didn't I tell you not to mention her name?!" Niraval growled.
And they charged. The Time Chamber transformed into a battlefield. Strikes flew, lightning speed, every attack met with another. Saruto stepped back, swiveling his chained swords and unleashing them like a deadly whirlwind toward Niraval.
Attacks came in waves, angles shifted, but Niraval parried them all. "This kid… he's not easy," he thought. "But he's still below my level."
He unleashed his full power. He activated Shield – Level Two, and Dark Awakening – Level Three.
He charged forward. He nearly pierced Saruto, but Saruto reversed his sword formation and rejoined them in an instant, blocking the attack. Niraval adapted immediately.
He spun around and delivered a devastating kick that sent Saruto flying, shattering the floor of the Time Chamber.
Niraval shot out, extending his bladed arm, intending to deliver the final blow. Suddenly, a dark dragon's energy erupted from Saruto body. Niraval froze. "What was that?! I feel like if I get any closer… I'll die!" he thought to himself in disbelief.
Slowly, Saruto rose, brushing the dust off his body. "Sorry… my friend wants to fight you," he said with an eerie calm.
Inside his consciousness, Void appeared. "Saruto… let me fight him," he said.
"All right… you have my word," replied Saruto.
He surrendered control. Saruto eyes transformed into those of a dragon. Void spoke in a deep voice, "You fool, Niraval… come here. But before that… why were you fighting Saruto father? And what is your connection to Adrian?"
Niraval laughed. "So you got a dragon too… that reminds me of that man…" he said sarcastically and spitefully.
He paused for a moment. Then he said, "I'll tell you my story, so you can understand."
Niraval began to tell his story: "In the era of the Fourth Founder, Adrian… after the murder of his wife Diana and daughter… he changed. He no longer cared for anyone. He married many women to fill the void… but it was all in vain. Even we… his sons… meant nothing to him. He never treated anyone the way he treated Rose. My brothers lost hope… but I… I didn't. I trained. I fought. I won wars. But he never looked at me. He never even said, 'Well done.'"
Then his voice fell silent. He said, "My mother fell ill… a sickness caused by the accumulation of dark energy in her heart."
Saruto froze. He remembered his mother. Niraval continued, "She died. And he didn't attend her funeral. I went to him, furious… and asked him why?! Why didn't you care?! He coldly replied… 'I didn't ask her to marry me.'"
Silence. Then Niraval said in a broken tone: "I went out that day in the rain… I fell in the mud and I was crying… and I said… Mother… how could you marry a man like him? From today… I don't want to belong to this family, I will cut my ties with it."