*boom*boom*boom* - the sound of those heavy footsteps continued to echo through the room. Ogai, unable to move, looked into Yoichi's eyes. The scratched corners of his mouth curved in an evil smile as if something was about to change the game and turn the tide of that fight.

"You have the power of the dragon? Good! I'm not afraid of you! When you become a Void Summoner, I will bring you before the Emperor and he will shower me with gifts for bringing him such a precious gift! Hahah!" shouting these words, the Kamakiri sorcerer spread his arms wide and lifted his gaze to the ceiling, waiting for something.

​​

Due to the dragon flames coursing through his upper limbs, Yoichi's perception of other presences was significantly reduced. Even the coldness emanating from Ogai seemed to have disappeared, but something huge was heading towards him, behind him.

Suddenly, as the young tamer's gaze swiveled like the light of a lighthouse searching for ships on the horizon, a resounding breath moved his hair, causing it to flutter sideways. The loud footsteps of the mammoth monster stopped.

Behind him, the giant four-armed sleeping demon stood majestically, ready to show everyone its power. Its four eyes were as white as the Void Summoner's, and its entire body exuded wickedness.

Powerful humanoid legs ended in wide, rounded hooves: this demon was the perfect fusion between a giant human and a wild rhinoceros. From the horned animal, it had inherited the thick, armored skin and the sharp, curved horn.

"Yoichi! Move out of the way!" Shioko shouted compulsively, managing to stop shaking and trying to wake up her companion who had become entranced before all that grandeur.

The four arms of the true boss of the Blackvault Mines simultaneously raised upwards, preparing to strike the target. Without hesitation, the young warrior drew his claws from Ogai's chest and jumped sideways, hurriedly moving out of the giant's attack range.

*BOOM* - the rhino demon hurled his fists against the floor, opening a breach in the rock and creating a meteorite-like crater. A large cloud of dust rose into the air, covering the view for a few seconds.

With his arms still flaming, Yoichi clenched his fists and assumed his usual streetfighter stance. Not having the usual martial arts background and leveraging only on the brute force derived from Scorching Breath, the young tamer used every time memories unconsciously soaked into his mind, probably associated with some street brawl from his previous life.

Yoichi's confidence to win suffered a noticeable slump when the giant demon reemerged from the fog. Standing more than six meters tall, its musculature was decidedly different from any other demon he had encountered up to that point.

Large veins ran down its arms, chest, and legs, pumping what looked like strange purple blood underneath its grayish rhinoceros skin.

After Yoichi pulled his claws out of Ogai's body, the Kamakiri warlock fell to the ground, devoid of strength. In addition to the deep cuts, his body had come into contact with the dragon flame, and in a few minutes, his heart would stop beating.

Suddenly, something happened that stunned both Yoichi and Shioko, who was still standing on the opposite side of the room. Enatsu seemed to have lost consciousness and his face wouldn't stop growing pale.

The giant boss grabbed his master with one of his three-fingered hands, lifting him off the ground like a puppet. The broken bones in Ogai's arm and rib cage creaked loudly, causing further pain to the Nightblades warrior's victim.

What the fuck is it doing? Is it trying to save him? It's as I suspected... that giant demon obeys Ogai's commands. The strength it exudes is frightening, its fighting level is higher than all the other demons I've fought so far, even higher than the Hebigure's. Yoichi pondered hastily, remembering the snake demon that attacked Blackborough.

"What do you think? Do you like my creature?!" Ogai spoke in a sadistic voice. The sorcerer pointed to the giant demon that held him up. "I have named it Kuromushi. It is my greatest masterpiece... I had to sacrifice several demons to give it all this strength, but now it is invincible," he explained as if introducing his warhorse.

"What?!" - After that statement, Yoichi couldn't hold back his astonishment. Sacrifice many demons? Was the dark sorcerer referring to the Komoerus? That would have justified the disappearance of the bat demons.

"If we defeat that monster, we can finally get out of the dungeon, Yoichi! I need to give you a hand and..." Shioko's words were interrupted by a quick gesture from the young tamer. He moved a fiery hand in her direction, silencing her.

"Stay with Enatsu, Shioko. This demon is imbued with the same dark energy as Ogai. Your attacks would cause him no damage," Yoichi stated. His angry eyes were aimed at the rhino's four pupil-less eyes.

"Hahah... cough! Cough! Excellent! You're a quick learner, brat!" Ogai coughed up blood, spraying it on one of the Kuromushi's arms. The four-eyed demon looked intently at its summoner. "I have no more use for this body, my little child. My bones are brittle and my organs are slowly wearing out under the power of that blond-haired boy. Now it's your turn," he added, turning to his abominable creature.

Kenji began to growl again, sharing its sixth sense with its tamer. Yoichi prepared himself for the attack: even if he didn't know what was going to happen, the 'fuel' that allowed him to generate draconic fire in his chest was not infinite and he knew it.

Moving with the slowness typical of any pachyderm, the Kuromushi clutched its master between two hands. The big fingers broke almost all the bones of his body, causing a disgusting noise and making rivers of blood drip on the floor.

Under the incredulous eyes of all those present, the rhino demon brought Ogai's body close to its big mouth: the Void Summoner's head entered its jaws, made up of big square teeth, sharp as saws.