Why is he attacking me without using his demon power? What is that kind of lobster capable of? Yoichi thought, holding back his strength for the moment when Kato had activated his demon's power.

Undeterred by his missed attack, the blue-haired warrior sprinted back towards Yoichi, delivering a series of blows with his nunchaku.

Yoichi noticed that while Kenji's enhancement power was active during the headbutt, his forehead had not taken any damage, even though he had struck Kato's right on his head.

It was as if Kenji's primary skill enhanced his entire body, making him more resistant. Then again, his little dragon had leveled up more than once after the Blackvault Mines.

"Aargh!" - one blow after another, Kato attempted to hit Yoichi, who dodged the first two blows and parried the third. He used his enhanced hands to block his opponent's nunchaku, whose wooden and iron cylinders seemed as light as feathers.

The skin on Yoichi's arms was so hard that even a sword blade probably wouldn't have been able to scratch it if it hadn't been appropriately sharpened.

When the nunchaku impacted his wrist, Kato found himself thrown forward, and Yoichi attempted a different counterattack: he twisted his arm and coiled the chain that held the two parts of the weapon together around his wrist yanking it forward.

With a crude but effective movement, Yoichi snatched the nunchaku from Kato's hands, who let go of it to avoid being dragged to the ground along with his weapon. In the blue-haired warrior's eyes, his amazement was blatant.

Kato had never imagined that his opponent was endowed with such physical strength. However, he had not yet activated the true power of his demon.

Unarmed and shaken by the Nightblades warrior's potential, Kato stepped back, walking sideways and studying his opponent's every move. Yoichi threw the nunchaku over the edge of the tatami into the peach trees.

After getting rid of its attacker, Kenji reached its tamer, stopping behind him. The little dragon seemed to be serious, and its gaze was focused on both of the enemies.

The crowd grew silent, marveling at the surrendering behavior of the Heralds member, who until recently was bragging in front of everyone. Suddenly, something happened behind Kato's back, in the exact spot where the Yokusuta was waiting for its orders.

A layer of water generated from nowhere permeated the pores of the rocky floor, slipping under the feet of the enemy and increasing its mass more and more. Within moments of activating the lobster demon's power, Kato's feet came off the ground, and his body was propelled forward, gradually increasing its speed.

Thanks to his demon's power, Kato was riding a tidal wave! As if that were not enough, he lowered his right arm, plunging it into the water. The distance between him and Yoichi was getting shorter and shorter.

What the hell is he doing?! What's that attack?! Yoichi reflected, backing away together with Kenji. At this rate, we'll be swept away by that wave! How the hell am I supposed to dodge it?

"Now it's getting serious, kiddo! You can say goodbye to your guild and your stupid friends! Aaarrgh!" - Kato pulled his arm out from inside the wave as if he were a surfer. A watery, blue-coloured aura appeared around it, charging his next blow with Yokusuta's energy.

The wave traveled between the stone bricks of the tatami, driving away much of the audience, who feared being overwhelmed by that devastating area attack. When the wave was close enough to Yoichi to prevent him from escaping, the blue-haired warrior leapt skyward, raising one arm and attempting a cross-attack.

The watery aura changed shape, taking on the appearance of a huge, sharp claw. The wave attacked Yoichi from the front, and Kato attacked him from above, leaving him no chance.

"Screek!" Kenji cried, as if trying to communicate something to its tamer. In a few seconds, Yoichi would have to figure out how to dodge that devastating blow: the energy stored by the wave as it traveled was so high that it could lift anything. If it had hit him full force, it would have catapulted him against the walls of the arena.

In that way, the damage would have been severe, and, in the worst-case scenario, he would have died instantly.

What should have been an average day of preparation and training had just turned into a deadly nightmare. Kato had devised a plan made to end Yoichi's life once and for all. The Heralds warrior had indeed intended to kill him, confident that his act would be of no consequence, acting in the Emperor's best interest.

"Yoichi!" - Takamori's faint screams flew over the crest of the wave. "Stop thinking, boy! You must fight back!" the Nightblades guild master shouted again, giving his student the green light.

In that instant, Kenji jumped onto its tamer's back, clinging tightly to him. In less than two seconds, Yoichi would have to find a way to save himself and his Oracle by dodging two consecutive attacks.

Even if he shifted his scales from his arms to his legs and jumped so high as to go over the crest of the wave, Kato would be waiting for him in mid-air and hit him with his huge water claw.

Showing exceptional self-control, Yoichi altered the distribution of Kenji's power over his body. Unlike usual, he was able to eliminate the scales on his biceps only and move them to his calves, leaving his hands and forearms at their full power.

Even Shioko, the only one who could understand the difficulty of that gesture, remained open-mouthed, seeing her partner prepare to jump with both arms still enhanced.

Inch by inch, the scales on Kenji's back rose, and a flame ran beneath them, traveling to the tip of its tail and glowing in the sunlight.

The little dragon's red eyes shined like two rubies, and its draconic fire flowed inside Yoichi's body, who absorbed that heat and unleashed his inner power.