Before the Yoroichi could move its head, Yoichi punched again. Forced to stand still due to the mud, he shifted all his body weight upwards, moving his shoulder forward and letting his arm stretch quickly.

*boom* - For the third time, the sound of his fist echoed through the trees, scaring off insects and small mammals still alive and hidden among their branches. ​​

"Shioko, now!" he screamed, grasping with his big hands the mud-dirty mouth of the boar and opening it forcefully. Under the incredulous gaze of Shioko, who was still loading the arrow, Yoichi harnessed used his strength to lift the upper jaw and push the lower arch of the wild demon's mouth downwards.

Yellowish, broken teeth were soaked in blackish saliva, soiled with earth and blood. A disgusting stench came from the depths of his intestines, going up through the esophagus and coming out of its mouth.

Recalling that Hebigure's jaws had played a key role in its defeat, the young Nightblades tamer pointed the boar's mouth towards Shioko.

The front legs of the dark beast had lost grip with the ground, while the hind legs were sinking deeper and deeper into the sludge. The archer held her breath, aiming the target and shooting the light spear.

*swishh*slash* - Shioko's huge arrow entered the boar demon's throat, once again pierced its internal organs and exited the back. As in the previous shot, that attack was marked by the lack of friction with the target.

"Grooargh! Wheee!" the Yoroichi desperately grunted, wriggling its neck and forcing Yoichi to give up his grip. Shioko's arrow caused the enemy so much damage that prevented it from moving.

The dark gas promptly came out of the wounds, entering its jaws as if they were the mouth of a vacuum cleaner. That substance was ready to heal every wound, but this time it would take longer than usual, and the attentive Nightblades warriors wouldn't let it.

Taking advantage of the boar's panic, Yoichi hit it with a left hook, causing its neck to turn. The pig's head impacted the mud, and the remaining pieces of its armour squeaked loudly.

"I got it! I'm ready!" Enatsu boomed suddenly. In his eyes, an unexpected determination. When his gaze crossed with that of his friend, the young merchant realized that his chance to prove his worth had finally come.

With a quick motion, he put his hand on the ground, dipping it entirely into the stinking, sticky sludge. Holding back disgust, the Silvertide's reckless merchant activated the power of his Moruba.

Suddenly, behind the boar, an entire clod of soil sank, carrying the back of its body. "Whee!" the wild demon continued to grunt, unable yet to move due to the massive injuries suffered.

Another patch of soil followed the first, this time to the right. Piece by piece, the ground around the Yoroichi opened, creating a natural sinkhole several meters deep.

The boar, unable to exploit its physical strength to escape from that trap, used the front hooves to cling to the surface. However, its weight, combined with that of its ferrous armour, dragged its body downwards.

Taking a short run of a few steps, Yoichi lashed out at the beast's chin, forcing it to raise its neck and detach the front hooves from the muddy ground.

Emitting a lugubrious sound of guts and broken bones, the giant Yoroichi sank underground, damaged by the sheer weight of its dark energy-filled body.

At that precise moment, Nobu's light illuminated the chasm: a small being covered in mud plunged from side to side of the ground, throwing kilos and kilos of damp soil on the boar demon.

With incredible speed, digging as efficiently as a modern excavator, Enatsu's Moruba buried the boar alive. "Grooo... aar..." its grunt became intermittent until it vanished, while its neck twisted upside down.

After about a minute, the four clods of soil carefully removed from the mole demon returned back to their place, restoring the normal topographic surface. It was quickly filled with black mud, which flowed sideways until it occupied all available space.

As if he had just taken a swim in a swimming pool, the Moruba jumped out of the ground, landing on its tiny hind legs. Under the incredulous eyes of Yoichi and Shioko, the mole demon shrugged off the mud, made less sticky by its thick, waterproof pelt.

"Yes! Hahah! Rokuro, you did it! We did it! Hahaha!" Enatsu chuckled, running towards his Moruba and picking it up. His pet's long mole nails shook in happiness, and its tiny black eyes, almost imperceptible because of their small size, gawped happily at its tamer.

"What... how did you do it?" Yoichi exclaimed open-mouthed. The scales on his arms slowly disappeared, and a smile appeared on his face.

"I... I knew Rokuro's help would come in handy on a battle field like this. The Morubas are very skilled diggers and manage to remove huge amounts of soil in no time", the merchant acknowledged, petting his demon. "I hadn't used its skill in a long time, so I was a little rusty" he admitted, while the mole demon's thick whiskers tickled his cheek.

"Brother, you were phenomenal! Hahaha! You buried that giant with one move, why didn't you do it before?" Yoichi rejoiced, walking towards him and hitting him with a friendly punch on the shoulder.

Enatsu looked at Shioko, while Nobu's wings continued to flap, keeping its body in mid-air. "Great job, Enatsu!" the archer spoke, maintaining a severe expression drawn on her face.

"Thank you..."

"However..." she interrupted, "I doubt that that demon will be stuck underground for long. I'm sure we couldn't kill it. I can still feel its presence," Shioko added. Moving her red hair sideways, she tied her bow behind her back.

"Shioko is right. The boar demon is still alive. The Blackvault Mines are waiting for us. Also, I think there's another problem," Yoichi remarked, looking up and approaching Kenji.

"What is it?" Shioko asked.

With one hand, the young tamer pointed to a precise spot above their heads. The fronds of the trees destroyed by the Yoroichi had been damaged, creating a kind of hole in the foliage and revealing a slice of the night sky.