“The situation seems unfavourable for me” muttered Innocence Soma, as he stared at Alone.

“In that case, I’ll give it all I’ve got!”

“Soul Infusion!”

“Hades Soma, Awaken!”

A pitch black light can be seen enveloping Innocence Soma as he mustered the 75% power of the half of Hades Soul that was powered up by the Underworld Essence that he absorbed. Both of his eyes now had an imprinted six-sided star, and staring at either one seemed like staring at the abyss itself.

“This is my new form. From now on the innocence and pureness of my soul has been fused with Hades Soul.”

“I am now Hades Soma!”

“Together with the Hakuba Blade, I will consume your part of Hades Soul!”

“Unholy Strash!”

Alone slowly raised his lips to form a grin.

“Just what I was waiting for.”

“Anything less, and this would have been disappointing.”

With a thought, both of Alone’s eyes were imprinted with the six-sided stars too. The previous Golden, White and Blue can no longer be seen.

“Masamune Cursed Strike!”

As the two swords crossed each other’s paths, a tremendous power erupted from the contact point of their respective sword auras. Neither side was pushed back, as the output of power seemed evenly matched. The cursed sword Tyfring, having been unsealed, proved to be a match for the corrupted Claimh Solais, the strongest Holy Sword, now known as the Hakuba Blade.

“Tsk.” [Soma]

“Argh.” [Alone]

“Let’s see you try and block this, Greatest Eclipse!” [Soma]

“Why should I block when I could answer it with my own! Greatest Eclipse!” [Alone]

The two combatants, each possessing half of Hades Soul, released the signature attack of the God of the Underworld, the Greatest Eclipse attack. Two black holes, both the size of a fist, struck each other. Afterwards, the size of both black holes grew into the size of a basketball, and every a dozen breaths the size continued to grow. Both attacks were trying to consume each other, resulting in a stalemate. After the time it takes to finish tea, both attacks were almost as big as half of the room that Alone and Soma where in. After a dozen breaths, both of them were thoroughly consumed by their combined attacks.

After an unknown amount of time, Soma woke up, hazy and feeling lost. He was resting in a field of flowers, the most beautiful flowers that he had seen in his life. Sensing other people around him, he tried to regain his bearing as he focused on the three people sitting cross-legged near him.

“Welcome to Elysium, Vessel of Innocence!”

“I am Alone, the previous host of Hades.” [Alone]

“I am Pegasus Tenma, the previous Pegasus Saint of the previous Holy War.” [Tenma]

“You may call me Athena Sasha, the previous host of Athena.” [Sasha]

With a gentle tap, Sasha’s Index Finger made its way towards the space between Soma’s brows. A gentle, white light was transferred over it. Numerous memories were then transferred over to Soma’s head, which made him understood what was happening.

“This is the only time and place where we can communicate like this, away from the eyes and ears of Cronos.”

“As per the agreement, we are now entrusting the other half of Hades’ Soul to you.”

“Be wary of the Avatar of the God of Time.”

“You and Athena will represent The Gods, Deities, Dragons and Humanity in the upcoming war against the Titans.”

“Gather all of the Elite Warriors of the Younger Generation, train them, and make them stronger.”

“The Titans will soon awaken, and even though Cronos cannot personally do battle, he can send his avatars to do so.”

“The Titans have allied themselves with the Evil Dragon Gods, so you can expect trouble from Evil Dragon Velther.”

Soma nodded as he understood everything. Zeus indeed had foresight when he sent Hades and Athena to do battle in the Land of the Mortals. As Gods and Deities, they do not have strong emotions and desires for power, hence their strength has been stagnant throughout the eons. By influencing both Hades and Athena with the willpower and line of thinking of mortals and humans, they were able to free themselves from this stagnation. This allowed them to grow stronger, together with the vessel of their choosing.

“After consuming the other half of Hades Soul, you can dual-wield the Hakuba Blade and Masamune.”

“This will bring your strength to new heights.”

“When the time is right, release Seiya from the Hades Sword and wield it once again.”

“Having the three swords will allow you to become ten times stronger.”

“You’ll know when the time is right. There will be a reaction once Seiya has attained the 9th Sense after training in the Hades Sword Training Space for the last decade.”

Soma’s confused look was now replaced with a look of determination. He accepted Masamune with a firm will as he looked into the eyes of Sasha.

“I will not let your sacrifices which lasted for more than two centuries to go to waste.”

“Become part of my power, and help me grow stronger!”

Alone, Tenma and Sasha smiled at Soma. Their smiles were full of hope. As their silhouettes started to fade away, Alone didn’t forget to make a solemn reminder to Soma.

“Let my soul become part of your power.”

“Fuse my soul into Tyfring in order to make sure that it retains the form Masamune.”

“Also, this is my paintbrush, the one I used to paint the Lost Canvass.”

“Use it well, Vessel of Innocence!”

Without hesitation, Alone summoned all of his power as he ignited his Aura and Cosmos to its peak. Sasha and Tenma also looked at Soma and said their farewells.

“Tenma and I will ignite our souls to the half a step 9th Sense.”

“Fuse our souls with your Hakuba Blade, and you’ll be able to harness its full potential.”

A bright light engulfed both the Hakuba Blade and Masamune, as the Souls of the three most powerful individuals of the previous generation were infused into both swords. After an unknown amount of time, Soma woke up, seemingly facing the black hole attacks that he and Alone released prior.

Soma let out a faint smile and he gently muttered “Absorb!”

The huge black holes were then quietly absorbed into the hilt and blade of Masamune, which Soma was holding on his left hand.