They began pulling Darius with all their might, while he flapped his wings furiously, beating the air as if he wanted to tear it apart. The two forces were evenly matched. Neither side advanced, neither retreated. "Kyle! Ryan! Grab the chains! Lucien and I will take him down! We will take him down!" Saruto shouted quickly and firmly.
They immediately obeyed. Saruto and Lucien raced toward Darius. Darius noticed them approaching, and his eyes narrowed as he muttered angrily, "Damn it… he's going to do the same thing he did to me last time."
Suddenly, he felt a terrifying dark energy surge through him. A cold, deep voice echoed in his head: "Do I have to do everything myself?"
Darius shuddered. "…I apologize, sir."
The next moment, his power doubled. His dark aura exploded, and with tremendous force, he pulled Kyle and Ryan with him, soaring into the sky. Lucian lost his balance and fell for a moment, but he quickly regained his footing in mid-air and surged after Darius. "He's fast," he gasped. "I might not be able to catch him!"
Kyle and Ryan were still clinging to the chains binding Darius body. But the speed was terrifying. Their hands slipped. They lost their grip. At that moment, Saruto was on Darius back, his swords embedded in his spine, holding on with all his might. He watched his friends fall.
Then his hands began to slip as Darius insane speed drove them away. His grip snapped. Saruto flew through the air, but suddenly someone caught him. It was Lucian. Right behind him was Kyle. Saruto looked down and saw Rhyn had transformed into a red dragon, and they were both riding on his back. Saruto stood over Ryan head and said firmly, "This way we can catch him."
Then he quickly gave his orders: "Kyle! Create storms to impede his movement! Lucien and I will attack to slow him down! Ryan… get close so we can bring him down!"
They began immediately. Kyle formed two enormous tornadoes that sliced through the sky. Darius noticed the attack and dodged them with incredible speed. Energy attacks were launched from Saruto and Lucien, but they had no effect. "It's no use… nothing works on him!" Ryan said angrily.
The gate was only a few miles away. "He'll escape…" Lucien said anxiously.
"No… he won't," Saruto laughed with grim confidence. "I've summoned the one who will stop him."
At the gate stood Ethan. But not in his usual form. He was in the form of the Grim Reaper. A huge black scythe, and a dark energy emanated from it like death itself. "Now, Ethan!" Saruto shouted.
Ethan launched his attack. It was swift. Sharp, like a certain end. Darius noticed the attack and fired black flames to block it, but they were ineffective. Darius was forced to suddenly rise into the sky. "Damn it… even that wasn't enough!" Saruto said irritably.
Ryan followed him, and they continued climbing. "Why is he going up?" Ryan asked anxiously. "What's he planning to do?"
"I don't know…" Saruto replied.
Suddenly, Darius began spinning wildly as he continued to climb. His dark aura exploded. Then, a giant gate opened before them. "What's that?!" Kyle shouted.
"I don't know…" Saruto replied anxiously.
Darius walked through the gate. "He's trying to escape through it!" Lucien said.
"Not while I'm here!" Ryan roared.
He rushed after him. "Don't go in—!" Ethan shouted a warning.
But it was too late. They entered the gate. It closed behind them. Inside, they froze in horror at what they saw. "Where are we…?" Kyle whispered.
"I don't know," Saruto replied.
"It doesn't matter," Ryan said sternly. "The important thing is to catch that fool."
They turned their attention to Darius. Saruto formed two enormous chains and hurled them. They bound Darius feet. But he didn't care. They tried to pull him back, but they couldn't move him. They couldn't stop. Saruto eyes widened. "...We're the ones being pulled. We've been lured in."
"Too late!" Darius laughed loudly.
Suddenly, a terrifying cosmic voice boomed. "Saruto... now you'll enter your second test."
They couldn't bear it. They felt as if their heads would explode. Blood streamed from their eyes. The voice continued, "But... what are those insects doing with you? Darius, didn't I tell you I wanted only Saruto?"
"I apologize, sir... I couldn't separate him from them... so I had to bring them along."
"Then... I'll take care of them myself," Umbra said with deadly coldness.
Suddenly, another voice called out. "Brother… I won't allow it."
Umbra was startled. The next moment, three gates opened. Chains bound Lucien, Kyle, and Ryan emerged, pulling them inside. "Umbra!" cried Saruto. "Let them go!"
"Saruto," Umbra replied. "I have nothing to do with what's happening to your friends. It seems my brother has decided to help them."
Ryan resisted fiercely. "I admire your resistance… but…" the other brother said admiringly.
The chains unleashed a devastating shock. Ryan fainted and was dragged inside the gate. The gates closed. "We got rid of those vermin thanks to you, brother," Umbra said coldly. "And don't you dare interfere in my affairs again."
Saruto felt his consciousness fading. He fell. Moments later, he awoke. He was on a mountaintop. He slowly rose. "Where am I…?"
Then he remembered. His friends. He placed his hand on his forehead, trying to follow their trail, but there was nothing. Not a trace. He remembered the gates that had drawn them away. He climbed to the summit. He looked up. He froze. Before him lay a vast, dark kingdom, many times larger than his own. A terrifying, dark energy emanated from it. The surrounding cities lay in utter ruin.