It took Urgerross a few moments longer than necessary to realize that what it had just heard was no joke. When that happened, its scaled forehead wrinkled, and its large yellow eyes nearly disappeared beneath that angry expression.

"What?! Are you perhaps going to make fun of me, my King?! How dare this stupid human say such a thing in my presence?!" the white dragon roared, complaining loudly to Therion, who remained impassive.

It's just a figment of your imagination, Yoichi... it's just a figment of your imagination. The young warrior kept repeating in his mind, moving his hands and legs as if he was warming up his muscles before a workout.

"I'm not making fun of you, Urgerross. You know I would never joke like in this way," Therion remarked. "Yoichi is not a mere human being. I told you, he has inherited a fragment of my power, and if he can defeat you, he will do the same from you."

"What story is this? You foolish human! I do not know what sorcery you have cast upon my king, but I assure you that I will tear you to shreds and devour every little piece of your body!" Urgerross continued snarling.

Yoichi clenched his teeth and his fists, standing firm in the same position. In front of him, the yellow and white dragon spread its wings wide and stood up on its lower legs, showing its majesty to its challenger.

"I am Urgerross, the lord of thunder, the terror of the heavens and bane of mortal beings! None but the supreme Therion could ever defeat me! Your insolence has exceeded all limits, human. Prepare to taste my wrath!" - Folding its wings behind its back, Urgerross let itself fall forward, slamming its heavy paws into the floor and causing the floating arena to vibrate.

The electric sparks emanating from its body were transmitted to the ground and traveled between the tiles, reaching Yoichi and Therion in a few seconds.

"Ouch!" Yoichi whispered as soon as a spark hit his ankle. Undaunted, Yoichi looked at the struck spot out of the corner of his eye, finding that the faint attack had burned the leather of his boot, creating a small glowing hole.

Oh, shit. This is going to get tough, he thought.

Before the fight got underway and Urgerross pounced on Yoichi like a ravenous beast, Therion made a few more clarifications. "I will not interfere with your combat in any way. I hope both of you will be able to do your best, and I recommend Urgerross not to hold back its strength," he spoke.

The Dragon King's gaze crossed with that of its golden-winged warrior. "Yoichi is not just a simple human being, my friend. For the challenge to be valid, you must release all your power, Urgerross," Therion added.

Immediately after those words, as if he had sanctioned the rules of the duel and implicitly initiated it, Therion took off, flying away from the arena. Yoichi followed his mentor with his gaze, and its absence alone made him feel a vast void to his left.

Without Therion, Urgerross looked even bigger, and its arcane aura filled the air more and more. After a flight that lasted a few seconds, the giant black dragon disappeared into the mist that surrounded the peak of the mountain closest to the shrine.

Yoichi loosened his grip on his fists, and with a slow breath, he focused on his enemy. Remembering what he had learned in the cave in the swamp, the calmness of his soul allowed his magical power to grow.

"Ildriss," he said, speaking his Oracle's name in a low voice and letting the draconic fire warm his muscles chilled by the altitude.

*whoosh* - the air around him condensed into high-energy charged particles, and the red reflections of Kenji's sparks began to crackle in the wind. The young tamer's chest emitted its usual glow, and under the white dragon's intrigued gaze, his faithful demon pet took shape.

"What do you hope to do with that little feline? Grrr... my patience is running out!" Urgerross growled, preparing to attack. Those angry words masked the sound of the electric current that flowed through its body.

Suddenly, the sky, which was as clear as a fresh water river until the moment before, turned dark and gray. The white clouds were carried by a storm wind and, loaded with rain and hail, converged into a single vertex pointing to the exact center of the arena.

The roar of the tempest echoed along with the mythical beast that had spawned it, charging the eye of the storm above the heads of the fighters with the electrical energy the thunder needed to make its reckless trajectories.

*crash*boom* - guided by the power of the mighty Urgerross, lightning bolts repeatedly struck the top of the columns of the Sanctuary of Infinity, then dispersed their energy into the floor.

Poor Yoichi, who looked far less threatening than his winged rival, stood motionless next to Kenji, studying the white dragon's attack strategy.

When yet another lightning bolt was fired toward the floating island, it struck Urgerross' scaled body, loading its limbs with electrical energy. Thin sparks accumulated at its long golden horns, which acted as excellent conductors and managed to hold the incredible amount of energy drawn directly from the sky.

"This is it, Kenji! The moment of truth has arrived!" Yoichi stammered, squinting his eyes at the heavy rain that was about to fall on the arena.

"Screek!" the little dragon demon growled, showing no fear towards its ancestor and reflecting the desire for revenge that burned fervently in Yoichi's heart.

One scale after another, the young tamer's arms were covered in Kenji's enhancement. Under the raindrops, the eternal draconic flame of Therion's heir began to glow in the darkness of the clear sky, flowing in the form of thin glowing veins between the reptilian scales.

Urgerross's neck bent upwards, once again simulating the movements of a venomous snake ready to strike its helpless prey. Simultaneously, the electrical energy stored on its horns began to flow downward, gushing to the sides of its face and back and travelling deviously toward its long white neck.

When its first attack was ready, its yellow eyes glowed like the sun, and its jaws dropped open, pushed by a sphere of energy.