Ryan smiled confidently, wiping the blood from his lips with his thumb. "I knew you'd force this on me, Saruto," he said defiantly.
His energy exploded, shaking the world beneath his feet, his aura surging like a raging tornado. In an instant, his Astrazine activated. On the opposite side, Saruto's Astrazine was ablaze, a dark knight with a dragon-headed helmet, standing firm.
A suffocating pressure filled the air. The two formed their Astrazine swords simultaneously and charged at each other with such speed that neither Lucien nor Kyle could follow their movements.
The swords clashed, blows flying. A strike, a block, a twist, then a counter-strike. Each impact generated shockwaves that cracked the earth and shattered rocks. But as the fight continued, their Astrazine energy was rapidly draining them. Rhyn gritted his teeth and said, his voice laced with anger, "I can't possibly lose to you this time, Saruto!"
At that moment, something inside him was released. The full power of the dragon erupted from his depths, and his Asterazine glow intensified terrifyingly. His strength doubled, and his pressure rose to a level that made the ground crack beneath his feet. Saruto stumbled backward. He felt his body grow heavy, and his limbs began to tremble. The depletion reached its limit, and his focus shattered for a fatal moment.
In that instant, he saw Rhyn's Asterazine sword hurtling toward him. He couldn't move. The sword slammed into him, shattering Saruto's Asterazine and striking him directly. His body crashed to the ground with a crushing force, causing the earth beneath him to crumble.
Dust rose, covering the entire area. Kyle and Lucien tried to sense Saruto's energy. They exchanged shocked glances. His energy was fading. "No… it can't be…" Kyle said, his voice trembling.
They thought the last blow was fatal and decided to intervene without hesitation. But deep down, in Saruto's mind, it wasn't all over.
In his consciousness, he found himself standing in a dark space, with Void in front of him, smiling. "What did you think of that fight, Saruto?" Void said.
"I've never fought like this before… but Ryan keeps evolving, and that… got me going." Saruto gasped.
"Didn't it get you going too?" Saruto's eyes glowed.
Void smiled. "Yes, it got me going, and it makes me want to crush him."
"Then… we have to keep up with his evolution," they said together, in unison.
Their eyes glowed with a deep purple light. In the real world, Lucien and Kyle stopped abruptly. A massive aura of dark energy erupted from Saruto's body, an aura that sent everyone involuntarily recoiling. Saruto rose—or rather, something else rose in his place.
His eyes glowed with a terrifying purple light, and his body transformed.
Scales sprouted across his skin, his hands and feet transformed into something resembling dragon limbs, and his features hardened into monstrous viscera.
The light flooded the room, then dissipated. The new entity stood before them. "What is this?!" Ryan exclaimed in disbelief. "Is Saruto from the Dragon Clan? How did he assume the form of a hybrid?"
"No… this isn't a hybrid transformation," Lucien shook his head quickly.
"It's… something else," Kyle added anxiously.
The entity raised its head, looked at them all, and said in a voice that blended the sounds of both Saruto and Void. "I am not Saruto."
But the pressure emanating from it was enough to make everyone tremble. He finished in a steady, majestic voice: "My name is… Side. I am the fusion born from the union of Saruto and Void."
"Void?" Ryan stammered. "Who's that?"
Kyle turned to Lucien and asked in a low voice, "Do you know who he is?"
"I know… but I can't say anything without Saruto's permission," Lucien replied solemnly.
Side took a step forward, and the world shook. Then, looking directly at Ryan, he said, "Shall we continue the fight now, Ryan? I… am eager to fight you."
Ryan growled, a monstrous smile spreading across his face. "It doesn't matter who you are. As long as you're in Saruto's body… I'll crush you."
The next moment, Side's energy exploded, activating his Astrazine. But this time… it was different. Stronger, harder, deeper—as if Saruto's Astrazine had evolved. Everyone recoiled in astonishment. "Then... don't blame me if I tear off one of your limbs," said Side in a low, menacing voice.