"Let the final test begin… You must take it yourself," Hades said, her voice quiet yet tinged with the gravity of the decision.
Saruto froze, staring at her in astonishment. "Myself? How can I do that?"
Hades smiled mysteriously, then slowly explained, "You and Void must release all the dark energy at once… But that will only work if you clear your minds of everything—every memory, every pain, every fear—and then focus on a single, shared goal."
Saruto closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to follow her instructions. His energy gradually rose, and Void rose with it, in unison. At the same time, the two began to clear their minds of everything they had experienced: pain, death, defeat, suffering, every moment of bleeding and struggle.
Little by little, they felt as if an invisible force was pulling them toward an unknown void, a boundless emptiness. But in the heart of that emptiness, they sensed an imposing presence, a silent threat, something watching them. Suddenly, Saruto opened his eyes. At the same moment, their energy levels shifted.
A violent wave of dark energy recoiled toward Saruto like a crushing blow, and he fell violently to his knees, a gush of blood from his mouth. Hades eyes widened. Unconsciously, her body moved toward him. She stood over him, a worry she couldn't explain, and whispered to herself, "Why did I move without meaning to? Is it... Saruto's fault?"
Saruto struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from his mouth, and said to Void with unwavering resolve, "Let's try again."
Void hesitated for a moment, then, seeing the determination in his eyes, he smiled faintly. "As you wish..."
Their energy surged again, but the recoil was repeated. Saruto fell once more, even more violently than before. Hades rushed toward him, her voice filled with concern. "Let's stop now… we can try again tomorrow."
But Saruto rose again, despite the agonizing pain gnawing at his body. "Don't worry, Hades… I can do it."
She tried to object, but seeing his determination, she fell silent. Saruto stood firm, exhaled deeply, and closed his eyes once more. His energy surged once more, mingling with Void's, but this time, their focus was different.
They were no longer thinking about pain, death, or failure; they were focused on a single goal: "Defeating Umbra… rescuing their friends… and returning to their world after finishing it all."
Noticing that Saruto energy was still erratic, Hades stepped forward and gently placed her hands on him, helping to stabilize his energy flow.
Little by little, the energy settled. Saruto body began to rise off the ground. Hades stepped back as glowing purple threads began to entwine around him. The threads wrapped around him tighter and tighter until they completely enveloped him. He transformed into a vibrant purple cocoon. "Well done, Saruto," Hades said with a satisfied smile. "From now on, the rest is up to you."
Inside the cocoon, Saruto opened his eyes. He found Void beside him. Together, they rose from the strange ground and looked around in amazement. "Where are we?" they asked in unison.
They were in a vast, endless world: a dark, starless sky and land stretching to the horizon. Suddenly, they heard a deep voice echoing in all directions: "Welcome... Saruto... and Void."
They turned quickly. A being approached them, its body black and purple, as if darkness itself had taken human form. Its face was featureless—no eyes, no mouth, no expression. "Who are you?" Saruto asked cautiously.
The being replied in an ancient, echoing voice, "I am the source of the dark energy within you both…"
Then it smiled an invisible smile and said, "So, are you ready to begin… the test?"