Tetsuhiro couldn't help grumbling, "If you'd listened sooner, none of this would've happened. You just had to take a beating first."
As the black flame entered his body, Tetsuhiro distinctly felt pure, searing energy flood through him.
"Not bad..." He casually dispelled the golden light and the Six Paths Power lingering in Exodia's wounds, then closed his eyes and began assimilating the energy where he stood.
The two enormous dragons instinctively guarded his flanks, their eyes fixed on Exodia, white lasers and red flames poised to fire from their mouths at any moment!
A long time passed...
When Tetsuhiro opened his eyes again, he had absorbed almost all the dark energy. With a casual wave, he sent black flame shooting out, sensing the purifying and incinerating power within it.
He knew his strength had increased, but not by much.
"Thanks for guarding me. You're free to live here as you please."
Roar!
The two dragons roared happily, their tails wagging back and forth. All they needed were lolling tongues.
Still, they didn't fly away, continuing to keep a wary eye on Exodia.
Exodia had recovered by then. Though he looked considerably more drained and had lost a great deal of energy, he had at least survived and could slowly recover.
"Behave, and you'll be rewarded. Someday, I might even release your seal."
"I chose to be sealed!" Exodia held his head high, his face full of pride. "Even now, I've only used half the strength I possessed at my peak!"
"I know." Tetsuhiro scoffed. "The Real World can't withstand your full power. Even if you did everything you could to restrain yourself, the energy leaking out would destabilize the world."
Then his tone shifted. "But other worlds are different. When the time comes, you won't have to stay confined to