"Grrroaarrgh!" as the lower part of his leg detached from the rest of his body, Ogai let out an excruciating cry. His humanoid voice dispersed amidst a demonic pachyderm scream, and his four arms spread outward, desperately trying to keep his balance.

Yoichi's draconic flames burned his opponent's wound, consuming the flesh bit by bit. The most resistant and challenging obstacle to overcome, Ogai's tough skin, had been destroyed: Kenji's power finally had the chance to consume the enemy's body from the inside, preventing the black mud from regenerating new wounds.

​​

The giant boss of the Blackvault mines toppled over like a colossal stone statue in the middle of a town square. When the knee of his intact leg gave way under the weight of his massive, muscular body, he collapsed to the ground, slamming violently into the layer of black mud.

Yoichi did not look away from his opponent for a moment. The black mud on his forehead continued to move within the wound caused by the arrow, but the regeneration of the damaged tissues was not completed due to the severe pain caused by the dragon flame.

I succeeded! My attack has broken through his impenetrable armor! Come on, Kenji! We have to keep on attacking a little longer! Yoichi thought to himself, smiling briefly and changing his pained and angry expression for a moment.

In his soul, the young warrior knew that the longer it took to defeat Ogai, the lower Enatsu's chances of survival.

*splat*splash* - The rhino demon's back was the first part to hit the ground. After the back and legs, the four big hands splashed the black mud in every direction, giving in to the force of gravity and failing to prevent the fall.

When Shioko realized that their enemy was finally in trouble, she loaded another light arrow on her bow, ready to help Yoichi if needed.

The piece of Ogai's severed leg remained in its previous position, falling to the ground like an inanimate object: as soon as the wounded leg made contact with the Blackblood, it instantly tried to heal the Kamakiri warlock, but something incredible happened under Yoichi's eyes, a few meters far from him.

As soon as the distance between the Blackblood mud and the leg wound reached a few inches, a sudden flame shot out from the rhino demon's bleeding flesh, making the rest of his body writhe in pain.

As if the dragon flame manifested its will to counter that dark power, it repelled the Blackblood, enveloping some of the dark substance and shredding it in seconds.

For the first time since the adventurers encountered the strange black sludge, the Blackblood also emitted an agonizing cry, interspersed with the flame's roar. In a show of light and ancient magical sounds, the darkness of Gonshiro's blood and the light of Kenji's flame clashed for supremacy.

Good versus evil, Yang and Yin. The unparalleled power of the primordial flame had the upper hand over the dark power of the Immortal Emperor of Kamakiri, literally devouring the Blackblood.

When the last fragment of the dark arm that had tried to reach the still-open wound was consumed by the dragon flame, Yoichi felt a soothing sensation spred though his chest. The burning that caused the intense pain on his arms diminished noticeably as if his power had somehow 'fed' on Ogai's.

As the Blackblood was driven away from the severed leg, the fire entered the wound again, expanding inside the rhino demon's body. Like a seismic wave moving underground, a wave of flames meandered beneath the boss's impenetrable pachyderm skin, disintegrating everything that stood in its way.

"Enough! Aaargh! I can't move! I can't move!" Ogai screamed in a panic. His baritone voice and demoniac timbre had weakened the credibility of that plea. Was the mighty sorcerer of Kamakiri really immobilized by the dragon flame, or was it just a trap to lure Yoichi to himself?

The young tamer walked toward him, stopping about two meters from his large, split hooves, similar to those of a mighty elephant. Two tongues of fire waved around Yoichi's forearms, giving him an aura of strength and pride.

Shioko, who watched the battle from the beginning to end, stopped stretching the bowstring. The arrow of light disappeared into thin air, and the red-haired girl's arms lowered. Her companion looked different.

That boy with the flaming arms and golden hair could not have been a simple farmer from the outskirts of Goldhaven. His mere presence filled the silence of the cave, and the warmth of his power was so intense it felt like that of a god.

"It's too late," Yoichi spoke, reaching a state of stillness and trying to think straight. The mud enveloping the warlock's body had thinned, and an opening of red soild had took shape around him.

That vision calmed Yoichi, who was sure that Ogai's dark power would not be able to heal his wounds. "The flames will devour your body from within. However, before you die, you still have time to do the right thing," Yoichi added, attracting his enemy's gaze.

Lying on the ground and struggling to make even the slightest movement, Ogai placed his four hands on the bottom of the cave and raised his back slightly, contracting his abdomen muscles. His four white eyes pointed in the direction of the one who had been able to knock out his most incredible creation.

His hybrid demon had devoured dozens and dozens of Komoerus, his human body, and who knows how many other living beings to increase its power. Despite this, its incredible physical strength and magical power had been unable to counter the ancient dragon flames.

"My friend Enatsu. How can I heal him?! Tell me a way to destroy all the sludge you have created. Let me save the people you've put in danger!" Yoichi asked, trying to be sincere and hoping that even a petty being like Ogai could do the right thing in his death throes.