The fight in the ring had reached its peak. A barrage of blows, sparks of fire, darkness, and ice, and the clang of weapons echoed through the enclosed arena like thunder, while the spectators watched with bated breath. But high in the stands, Ryan sat with his hand on his chin, his eyes half-closed.
"Kyle... are you bored of waiting like me?" he sighed impatiently.
Kyle didn't look up from the ring, watching the three fighters' movements intently.
"Yeah... a little. But I'm trying to understand their rhythm."
Ryan smiled slyly as he leaned closer.
"So... how about we kill time with something fun?"
Kyle glanced cautiously at Ryan.
"Fun? What kind of idea do you have...?"
"I've got a crazy idea," Ryan said confidently. "You're going to pull it off... aren't you?"
Kyle answered without hesitation,
"Wherever it is…yes, I will."
Their hands clashed hard. In an instant, the two vanished from their places and moved directly to the testing platform.
Sarotto and Lucien spotted them slipping into the center of the ring and froze in the middle of the fight.
"What are you doing? Can't you see we're fighting here?!" Sarotto snapped.
From the stands, Warden Razor's voice boomed, "Get back to your seats! It's not your turn yet!"
But Ryan and Kyle completely ignored everyone, as if the world around them didn't exist.
"We're tired of waiting…" Ryan said, his aura beginning to ripple around him.
"How about we make it four against two?" Kyle added with a calm smile, staring at Sarotto and Lucien.
At that very moment, dark threads began to seep from the testing platform and wrap around them. They both increased their energy to summon a powerful prisoner, just as Saruto and Lucian had done.
The colors of the aura around them intensified, and up in the stands, Razor gasped loudly:
"Fools! They summoned Prisoner Number Fourteen… Hidan!"
A dark vortex formed in the air and quickly solidified into a tall, human form.
Out of it emerged a massive man with broad shoulders, dark blue hair that reached his back, and eyes that shone with a starlight.
"Five thousand years… I haven't moved an inch," he said in a deep voice, after moving his neck as if to rouse himself from a long slumber.
He smiled serenely. "I am Hidan from the Star Kingdom… It is an honor to meet you."
The fight ceased completely, and even Kaven froze in place. Everyone returned to the meeting point where Ryan and Kyle were standing. "What are you two doing?" Saruto said, his anger evident. "Didn't I tell you it was our turn?!"
Ryan shrugged indifferently.
"And what do you want me to do? Just sit here and watch? I'm bored to tears..."
Kyle chimed in, his voice low but confident.
"We were thinking... why not make it four against two? Sounds fun."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "Actually... not a bad idea."
He turned to Kevin and Hidan. "What about you two?"
"It'll make it more exciting," Kevin replied with a wide grin.
"I haven't moved in thousands of years... of course I'm in."
Then they all looked at Saruto, who sighed softly. "Well... if everyone else is in, I'm in."
The four of them lined up against Kevin and Hidan. Different perspectives, varying abilities, and a massive aura rose, causing the air in the arena to collapse in on itself like a wave.
Kyle increased his power until his hammer formed a lightning bolt.
Ryan formed his scaled sword. Hidan formed two daggers covered in a dark, star-like light. Everyone assumed their fighting stances… then moved in an instant.
They split into two groups: Saruto and Lucien toward Kaven, Ryan and Kyle toward Hidan.
A massive wave of energy engulfed the arena… their powers merging into one. Six different forces clashed. Lucien was beginning to tire, his sweat mingling with the ice crystals breaking on his shoulders.
Kaven noticed this and lunged at him, gathering fire in his mouth and unleashing it at Lucien. But Saruto was alert.
With a thunderous sound, he opened a small, dark vortex before him, a miniature black hole, absorbing the fiery attack completely. Then Saruto pushed Lucien away and said,
"Get some rest! I'll take care of him."
"Are you sure?" Lucien said wearily.
"Don't worry," Saruto replied.
Then… Saruto called out inwardly,
"Void… are you ready?"
The inner voice came, deep and slightly mocking,
"I've been waiting for this moment… I'm tired too. Let's use Consciousness."
At that very instant, Saruto's aura subsided for a split second…
Then it erupted again with a completely different force, a colossal dragon aura that tore through the air around him. Everyone turned toward the source of the new dark power.
"That… isn't Saruto," Kaven said cautiously for the first time. "Who are you?"
The entity controlling Saruto's body smiled and said in a double voice,
"I am… the dragon Void. Saruto is resting now within Consciousness."
Then it lunged at Kaven with terrifying speed. He landed a punch straight to his chin, sending him flying.
"I'm not as easygoing as Saruto," he said, grinning sinisterly.
Kaven laughed through the blood that splattered, but Void didn't give him a second chance.
He appeared above him, grabbed his leg, and hurled him to the ground with a force that created a deep crater. Before Kaven could get up, Void formed wings and darted toward him with incredible speed. He landed a punch to the stomach, which made Kaven cry out in pain.
Void approached him, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him up. "Don't lose consciousness yet," he said coldly. "We've only just begun."