Saruto slowly emerged from the Founder's world, the light surrounding him gradually fading until it vanished completely. He returned to the Time Chamber where Ethan awaited him. Ethan's expression was tense. As soon as Saruto's eyes opened, Ethan approached him quickly, his voice filled with concern. "Have you found an answer?"
Saruto took a deep breath, then nodded calmly, his voice low. "Yes… I spoke with the Founder. He confirmed that the Fourth Founder didn't give him his dragon. Either he made a deal with one of the kingdom's dragons, or he forced it to merge."
Silence fell for a moment, the echo of his words reverberating through the room. Ethan lowered his head slightly. "Then it's more serious than I imagined," he said. "This was beyond all my expectations… If what the Founder said is true, then he imitated the First Founder in making a pact with a dragon."
Then he moved closer, the anxiety in his voice growing sharper. "But whatever the case, we won't know the answer until you're defeated. Don't be reckless, Saruto. The wounds he inflicted took an unusually long time to heal, which speaks volumes about his strength."
Saruto nodded, his eyes fixed on the ground, then looked up and said quietly, "I know… but I don't see a way to defeat him yet. Everything I've tried against him has been useless. Every blow I've struck has had no effect."
He sat cross-legged on the ground, his arms dangling over his knees. Then he slowly closed his eyes and said to Ethan, "I'll try talking to Void. Perhaps he discovered something while fighting Adrian."
Ethan didn't comment, simply nodding as he watched him sink deeper into his consciousness once more. A purple aura began to gather around Saruto's body, and he drifted into his own consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the vast purple void. The sky was filled with dark swirling clouds. From afar, Void strode toward him, his massive body radiating restless energy, his eyes glowing with a longing as if he had awaited this moment for centuries. Saruto smiled faintly. "Void… do you have a way to fight the Fourth Founder?"
Void laughed, his deep voice trembling in the distance like thunder. "I haven't found a way yet, Saruto… but I haven't felt this excited in ages."
Saruto raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Void approached with heavy steps, each one shaking the emptiness around them. Then he bent down slightly, looking at him with his blazing eyes. "Remember, Saruto… all the battles we've fought, what made them so special?"
Saruto paused, thinking, until an idea flashed through his mind. Then he murmured, "Was it… the desire to win and crush the opponent by any means necessary?"
Void smiled, his fangs gleaming sharply. "Exactly. The will to win, nothing else. We now share a body; everything you feel, I feel… and every beat of your heart is felt by me too. So… when you fight, don't hold back, don't let fear control you. Because you felt your fear, I share that feeling with you. I hate that feeling, Yaruto, and I don't want to feel it again."
Suddenly, Void released his aura, a vortex of purple energy erupting around him, making the sky tremble. Then, in a thunderous voice, he continued, "Adrian, that Fourth Founder, awakened something in me I had forgotten… the true joy of fighting. He has a dragon, like us, but he surpasses us by leaps and bounds. And that's exactly what we need, Saruto, to evolve. Someone who has what we have, but surpasses us… he's our key to ascending. Isn't he?"
At that moment, a similar aura emanated from Saruto's body. He raised his head, smiling with a confidence he hadn't displayed in a long time. "Yes, Void… you're right," he said. "That's exactly what we needed. Someone to push us beyond our limits."
They drew closer, Void's eyes meeting Saruto's, until the space between them swelled with burning energy. "Common consciousness!" Void and Saruto spoke in unison, as if their souls had merged.
A tremendous burst of energy erupted from them, a powerful wave of violet light engulfing their inner worlds, then surging outward into the physical world.
In the Time Chamber, Ethan was startled by an unprecedented explosion of energy. The room shook, and the ground seemed to split open beneath his feet. He raised his arms to shield his face from the raging storm and cried out in amazement, "What was that…!?"
From the heart of the storm, Saruto stood, his hair billowing, his eyes ablaze with a violet-blue light, and streaks of energy coursing through his body. He turned to Ethan, his voice deep and resonant, a blend of his own and Void's: "Now, Ethan… we're going back to the Founding Father's world."
Saruto raised his fist, blazing with immense power, the air around him crackling under the pressure, then added with a determined smile, "And we're going to crush him."