"Anyone would feel that way in your place, Yoichi" – Shioko's voice was soft and soothing. Showing unprecedented sweetness, the red-haired girl came a little closer to him, whispering him words of comfort. "I don't know anything about your past, and I don't care. What I do know is that Ryutaro and Sada-sensei's will must be respected. You will learn to control the power of your Oracle, and together with us, you will become unstoppable!" she firmly affirmed.

I never thought that this would ever happen. Shioko and Enatsu reacted with lucidity, proving to be genuinely trusted friends. When they discovered Kenji's true identity, they could immediately try to bend my current weak will for their purposes, using the dragon's power to carry out all kinds of misdeeds, Yoichi thought. ? ?

Instead, they were fair until the last moment and tried to put themselves in my shoes. I must show strength, masking my fear of not succeeding. My new life has decided to test me, and my duty is to find out why. Who was I before I became Yoichi? Who decided that the warrior who would inherit the strongest power in the world should be me?

"Hey, Kenji!" Enatsu's voice whispered. The merchant crouched before the little dragon, bringing a hand to its face. Kenji approached its forehead, letting itself be petted like a dog puppy.

"You don't even know what you're capable of, do you?" Yoichi's best friend chuckled, looking at the little demon through new eyes. "Deep in my soul, I always knew you were too strong to be a Nekage. The Nekages are unable to fight rare demons such as Kato's Kuwatako or Rinji's Kumiwa. Eeeh" the tamer merchant sighed, rising to his feet.

"Screek!" Kenji rejoiced, behaving normally and joyfully responding to the newly received cuddles. Sharing its tamer's feelings, Kenji sensed the bond of friendship with Enatsu.

Meanwhile, Shioko kept looking at Yoichi from head to toe. There were so many thoughts in her head that she could not speak.

"I know what you're thinking, Shioko" Yoichi caught his archer comrade's attention. "When Kenji's skill killed the Hebigure who attacked Blackborough, I couldn't help but think the same thing. We've all seen how your light attacks have hit its vital spots, yet, none of us has come to that conclusion."

The red-haired girl's eyebrows raised slightly. "Eh? What are you talking about? Why do I always feel like you're hiding something from me?" Enatsu boomed, scratching his nape.

"Your attack unleashed incredible strength, that's true. But there is no demon capable of surviving my light spears. Also, the last blow you struck at the Dokumotsu was predictable and imprecise. Do you think what I think too?" the archer inquired.

"Yuhuu?! Stop acting like I'm not there!" the merchant yelled. His arms waved like the branches of a tree shaken by the wind.

"The dragon flame is the only thing capable of countering Gonshiro's power... and it is also the only attack capable of killing demons possessed by dark mud..." Yoichi murmured. historical

"Do you want to... you want to tell me that... oh, shit."

"The plague that has afflicted the village of Blackborough and empowered all the hostile demons in this area must be somehow linked to the power of the Emperor of Kamakiri," Yoichi spoke. His statement was so heavy that it caused a gap in the speech, which manifested itself as a moment of profound silence.

Soon after, the same harrowing cry that had caused the Komoerus to retreat make the mine tremble. A screech-like lament rumbled in the mine rooms, using them as resonating chambers.

Instinctively, the three tamers put on their guard, positioning themselves next to each other in the direction of the room's entrance. Kenji and Rokuro stood in front of their tamers, growling in the same way. Nobu fluttered above their heads, illuminating the rocky door leading into the dungeon's main hall.

"Hyobe's necklace wasn't even here. Apparently, there's only one place left to check," Enatsu trembled, trying to be brave. When the torturous cry of the beast hiding in the boss's room was abruptly interrupted, the three tamers began to breathe regularly again.

An evil entity lurked in that place, and an aura of fear and pain spread through the air like a poisonous scent.

"Are you ready?" Yoichi looked at his companions, waiting for the green light.

Shioko nodded her head, and Enatsu said nothing. Step by step, the three warriors left the room. The cocoons of poor victims killed by the Dokumotsus disappeared into the shadow, and Nobu's cone of light pointed towards the exit.

The red soil of that room was replaced by the rock soaked in black mud. Being much more sensitive to that detail, the three Nightblades warriors traced with their eyesight the veins of that sticky substance that thinned out on the walls and ceiling.

They converged towards the largest gate of the Blackvault Mines, thickening at that gigantic hole in the rock. More than five feet high, it seemed to contain pure darkness.

The sound of the earth under their boots mingling with mud and debris returned to be the only sound perceived by their attentive ears. When they arrived at the side of the boss room's giant door, the three adventurers stopped.

At that point in the cave, the temperature was significantly lower than the rest of the mine: a thin and constant stream of icy air hissed among the dust particles floating in the shadow.

Nobu's light, comparable to that of a powerful torch, cut through the darkness, allowing the gaze to reach beyond the threshold of the final room. The high vaults of the Komoerus' central hall continued beyond the breach, suddenly lowering after about ten meters.

The rocks of the walls were invisible under the thick layer of mud that enveloped every corner of that cold and smelly place: the vast space of the entrance decreased more and more, and the walls bent towards the centre, tightening into an increasingly narrow tunnel, where the light of Nobu could not yet arrive.