Yoichi's eyes lifted to those of the rhino demon. Behind its big horn, its four eyes expressed the emptiness of its soul: those pupil-less eyes were stained with the blood of broken capillaries from the strain of all that power.

Whatever the process of summoning that strange demon had been, it seemed like a creature destined for eternal suffering and damnation. While the Void Summoner's spirit would remain under Gonshiro's control, its body would begin to rot and one day turn into a pile of rotting muscle and flesh.

​​

The sorcerer of Kamakiri had renounced his human body with ease, shapeshifting as carelessly as someone changing his shirt before hanging out.

Just as the size of the dark orb suspended on his hand began to become substantial, copious splashes of blood hit Yoichi's face, partially blinding him.

"Aaargh! What... what the fuck?!"

*anf*anf*anf* - the young tamer instantly woke up from his stasis, recovering his senses and moving in fright. Opening the only eye that wasn't covered in his enemy's blood, he admired in amazement the grim scene before his eyes.

Right in Ogai's forehead, the tip of a thick, glowing arrow had pierced his head. Though devoid of pupils, the demon's four eyes pointed in that direction, slowly realizing what had happened as blood drops ran along his muzzle.

The dark sphere on his hand lost cohesion and instantly became liquid mud, dripping onto the floor and interrupting the channelling of his arcane spell. Simultaneously, the two hands holding Yoichi's body also loosened their grip, dropping the young tamer.

Yoichi landed awkwardly on his feet and then on his knees, in disbelief that he had been freed from a surprise attack. When his gaze pointed toward Shioko, he proudly notoiced that the red-haired archer had already loaded another arrow on the bowstring.

Taking advantage of the boss's distraction, intent on proceeding with the so-called 'regeneration' process, Shioko had loaded an arrow until it became a giant light spear. With her unfailing precision, the experienced Nightblades tamer had then struck the back of the giant demon's head, piercing its skull and brains.

"Stop playing, Yoichi! Come on! Stop thinking like an asshole and kill that piece of shit before he slaughters us all!" Shioko shouted desperately, firing the second arrow. The shot hit the target, and the sharp tip of the light arrow pierced the back of one of the demon's knees. Still, the demonic form of Ogai didn't move an inch.

Behind Shioko, Enatsu was leaning against the cave wall next to Rokuro, who was still breathing heavily. Slowly, from beneath Ogai's feet, a substantial amount of black mud began to creep up to his ankles and legs, heading a little at a time toward his forehead.

When the arrow of light disappeared, it left a hole several inches wide in the rhino's head, which was covered with hair so shaggy and short that it resembled a military hairdo.

Shioko... she... she just saved my life! Damn it, Yoichi, what the fuck are you doing?! Are you going to die again? Wake up, motherfucker! Do something! The young tamer inwardly thought, shaking his head vigorously.

Managing to control his breathing for a few seconds thanks to that moment of pause, Yoichi focused on Kenji, asking his dragon for one more power-up. The blond-haired warrior narrowed his eyes for two seconds, and new tongues of fire exploded from his forearms, bringing the power of Scorching Breath back to its maximum energy.

A sharp pain struck Yoichi's upper arms, extending from his deltoid muscles to the backs of his hands. The sensation was similar to that caused by hundreds of hot needles penetrating more and more in his flesh, inflaming his tendons and spreading the pain throughout the rest of his body.

"Aaargh! Fuck this shit! This isn't good... Kenji! This is not good at all!" Yoichi muttered, clenching his teeth and fists. When he looked at Kenji, he noticed that his little dragon was also suffering in silence as the flames on its back broke through the dense darkness of the mine.

The black mud that was sliding down Ogai's body finally reached his head. The rhinoceros demon had staggered in the aftermath of the blow but remained standing, not yielding to the gravitational force.

Slithering like a black, venomous snake, the mud crept into the hole in Ogai's skull, hastily beginning to heal his wound. The damaged parts of his brain were reattached in seconds, and, one small piece at a time, the Blackblood also repaired the skull box, reforming the bone tissue.

Yoichi opened his eyes again and looked at the demon in front of him. That was the last moment to sneak up on Ogai, so as not to make Shioko's attack useless. Attacking an enemy head-on with that kind of physical strength was like commit suicide, even for a warrior capable of wielding the dragon flame.

Bending down on his knees, the young tamer silently sprinted behind the rhino. He kept his mental sanity as he took aim and focused on the exact spot to strike with his sharp claws.

Focusing on the leg that the arrow had just struck, Yoichi unconsciously evaded the sharp pain in his arms, and the tongue of fire followed his every movement, creeping deep beneath his tough reptilian scales.

While Ogai's pupil-less eyes were still aimed at the centre of his own forehead, Yoichi reached his leg and opened his hand, extending his claws as much as he could.

*slash* - After materializing in his mind the exact spot to cut, Yoichi executed a clean and silent attack, sinking his long black claws into the centre of the popliteus muscle, between the lower hamstring and the calf.

Made incandescent by the everlasting dragon flame, the claws increased their cutting power and, surprisingly, severed Ogai's leg. In an explosion of blood, the giant demon's tendons and muscle fibers were ripped apart: when the kneecap was exposed, the leg bone also broke off.