After grabbing Ichiro's Demon Tooth, he closed his handmade backpack and approached Kato again. Enatsu stammered something incomprehensible, attracting Takamori's gaze.

"What's the matter, Enatsu?" the guild chief asked. ​​

"Yoichi plans to fight with an Inoshuma by his side, but he doesn't even what its ability is! I mean... he just tamed it yesterday, I'm not sure he can give his best", the merchant mumbled, speaking in confidence with his Sensei.

"In his present condition, Yoichi is conscious of being the underdog. I'm sure he'll figure something out," Takamori replied. In his chest, the remorse of not taking his place pulsated insistently.

Upon reaching the center of the arena, Yoichi pronounced the real name of his Oracle, recalling it inside his body. "Ildriss!" he yelled. In a whirlwind of reddish air, Kenji dematerialized from the tatami. Like a red-tipped spear, the air condensed into current pierced Yoichi's heart, making him kneeling in pain.

However, despite the intensity of the burning, that horrible feeling lasted less than expected. His new and young body was getting used to the Oracle's recall phase , a particularly dramatic event during the first attempts.

The warriors of the crowd burst into a great peal of laughter, mocking Yoichi. Along with them, Yozo did the same, unable to believe that Kato could lose the fight against someone like him.

Without further ado, Yoichi, before even getting up, stuck the yellowish Demon Tooth between two slabs of the floor stones, summoning his Inoshuma.

"Azron!" – Wrapped in a less turbulent and destructive air current than that unleashed by Kenji, Ichiro raised on its hind legs, prancing and neighing mightily.

"Hiii!" the horse demon boomed, landing with all four hooves on the tatami and looking around. Under the warm sun of that morning, the scars on his neck and back were even more visible than the previous day.

"What? Are you serious? Do you really want to face me with a horse?" Kato chuckled, gaining courage. Looking back and taking advantage of the yellings of his comrades, the blue-haired warrior continued to belittle his opponent.

"Hey, Takamori-kun!" Yozo predictably called. "Perhaps you haven't explained to your toddler that the Inoshumas are incapable of fighting. Hahaha!" he continued to laugh.

From the Nightblades guild chief came no answer.

"Hiii... hiii!" Ichiro continued to whinny, waving its tail and moving its neck to the right and left. With one hand, Yoichi stroked his steed's muscular thigh.

"Hey, hello buddy... I know, I got into a lot of trouble. I need your help," the young tamer explained, approaching the ear of the Inoshuma. "Do you see all these people around us? Well, they think you can't fight, Ichiro."

Ichirò neighed surprised. Shaking its thick red hair, it blew a jet of hot steam from its nostrils. Yoichi smiled, happy to find that his steed was ready to prove they were wrong.

With a jump, the young tamer climbed on the horseback, clinging to its mane. Continuing to heavily breathe like a locomotive before departure, Ichiro hit the ground with the tip of its hooves, loading the charge.

The bone material, in contact with the cold tatami stone, produced little reddish sparks. "Go, Ichiro!" Yoichi shouted, charging ahead with his massive pet.

With an economy of motion, the Inoshuma began to run frantically against its target. Its long fangs and big boar nose frightened the warriors behind Kato, all of which took a step back.

Kato himself, who until a moment earlier believed that the horse would not venture a single step forward, was forced to move from its trajectory. Taking a sudden lateral leap, the blue-haired warrior was unbalanced by the weight of his armor and rolled towards his side.

*klopp*klopp*klopp* - the noise of Ichiro's heavy hooves echoed through the walls of the arena. Rather clumsily, Kato managed to dodge the charge, followed by his omnipresent Kuwatako.

"Hii!" Ichiro neighed, drifting on the stone floor and suddenly changing direction. Thanks to the strong muscles of its legs, it did not hesitate even a moment before starting charging again.

Kato got up in a hurry: because of its speed, Ichiro was already a few meters away from him. Seeing no alternative, he was forced to activate the power of his demon pet, pointing his free arm in Yoichi's direction.

The Kuwatako raised all its four tentacles to the sky, letting an intense purple aura envelop its body. Under the incredulous eyes of Enatsu, who had already seen it fight, Kato proved that his demon's power did not fear confrontation with demons heavier than it.

Moments before Ichiro's fangs touched Kato's armor, the horse's hooves lost their grip on the ground. Shaking sharply, the horse was wrapped in the same purple aura as the octopus demon and its body was lifted into the air, more than two meters high.

"Wooo!" the Emperor's Heralds exclaimed in unison, bewitched by the telekinetic powers activated by their guildmate. Yozo's face was still lit up by his devil-may-care smile.

"What the fuck?! How did he do that? Ichiro looks so heavy, how the fuck did he do that?!" Enatsu yelled, unable to hold back the amazement. Rinji and Takamori remained frozen, not focusing on the horse, but on the rider.

Yoichi, who had managed to predict the counterattack moments before being lifted into the air with the horse, put both his feet on the back of the Inoshuma.

Aware that his body was not enhanced by Kenji, the young tamer flung himself towards his opponent, intent on controlling his demon to restrain Ichiro's fury.

When Kato saw Yoichi's body fall on him like a boulder, he did not have time to counter his freefall. Before he could pull out the nunchaku stuck under his arm, the young promise of the Emperor's Heralds was hit by a direct punch right in the face.

Releasing all the strength of his body, Yoichi's knuckles hit the cheekbone on Kato's face and the young tamer fell on him, cushioning the fall.