After his head became visible, the rest of his body was revealed: Taisuke’s ghost-demon skill had been forcibly deactivated, and a well-timed elbow strike turned the situation to Yoichi’s advantage.

Taisuke’s feet moved backward awkwardly and he stumbled on a rock sticking out of the grass.

With a thud, the Demon Hunter found himself with his back on the ground, unarmed and surprised.

Taisuke placed a hand on the bandage covering his face. When he raised it again, his palm was covered in blood and a sharp pain blurred his vision.

Without taking aim and using only an imperceptible portion of his physical strength, Yoichi had broken the Demon Hunter’s nose.

Moments later, the ghost demon appeared in the vicinity of its tamer, attracting Kenji’s attention, on all fours just below it.

That sphere that appeared to be wearing black sheets floated in the air like a jellyfish floats underwater.

What kind of demon is that? Is invisibility its only skill? Yoichi asked himself, reaching one half of Taisuke’s bow with but the tip of his foot.

“My nose!” Taisuke growled. His right hand was wide open on the bandage covering his face. “Stop joking now. I’m sick of your stupid games!” he boomed loudly, tearing the bandage off his face. 

The scene that Yoichi and Takuma saw left them speechless. Under the bandage, the enemy’s face was almost entirely disfigured by multiple burns. 

What was originally his mouth had become a mass of scars and burns. Besides, one of the two cheekbones was not in its place. 

Part of his gums was poking out under a hole at the level of one cheek, completely hollowed out all the way into his mouth. 

Pitch-black eyes crowned that terrifying sight, giving the Demon Hunter an emblematic and horrifying appearance. 

Breaking the silence, his ghost demon rose in altitude, flying over the heads of those present and emitting a screech so subtle that it bordered on ultrasonic. 

“Argh!” – Yoichi and Takuma were forced to cover their ears to resist that sound. The enemy demon had just activated another skill. 

Taisuke’s body multiplied and his demon created two mirror copies of his tamer. Suddenly, within seconds three identical Demon Hunters were in front of Yoichi: all three of them possessed the same weapons. 

*swissh* – With a sound similar to a gust of wind, the two clones and the original Taisuke disappeared into thin air. 

“Kenji, go protect Takuma and Karasu. Takuma, allow your demon to help me!” Yoichi spoke. The young tamer from Goldhaven seemed to have been born to be a leader and, issuing orders to his teammates, immediately arranged a defensive maneuver. 

“Of… Of course!” Takuma stammered, approaching Karasu and waiting for Kenji to join them. “One ‘tik’ means forward, two ‘tiks’ means…”

*tk*tk*

The quick explanation of the Grimbrook’s tamer was abruptly interrupted by the sound of Karasu’s wooden legs. 

“It means back!” Yoichi thundered, completing the sentence. He spread one of his giant hands wide and waved his arm back, letting the flames enhance his attack. 

As predicted by Karasu, one of the three Taisuke stood behind Yoichi. Thanks to his good reading, he managed to hit him full force with his hand. 

A violent slap landed on the Demon Hunter, who clumsily tried to parry it with both hands. 

*boom* – The flaming veins increased the power of scorching breath and flames shot out from Yoichi’s knuckles, causing a small explosion. 

The blaze swept over Taisuke, enveloping his entire upper body and causing him massive damage. “AAGH!” – The Demon Hunter’s screams echoed through the air as the draconic flame ripped his body to shreds. 

“One down! Two more to go!” Yoichi exclaimed, spinning around frantically and tapping into Therion’s primordial flame again. 

“Yoichi! Watch out!” Takuma yelled, drawing the Nightblades fighter’s attention. 

*zac* – As soon as Yoichi turned around, an arrow struck his right arm. Its tip embedded itself between the scales, failing to penetrate the tough skin beneath. 

“You can’t escape me, you brat! You can kill me how many times you want, but my Tamurei will always bring me back to life with another clone!” – Taisuke’s voice seemed to come from all directions.

A single enemy was moving and speaking as if he was part of a group of soldiers. Yoichi had the impression that he was surrounded. 

*tk*

*tk*tk*

Forward and then back! Thank you, Karasu! Yoichi reflected, reconnecting the sounds made by the Sutotoko to the position of his multiple enemies. 

When Taisuke’s arms appeared in front of him, the bowstring they held was outstretched. On it, an arrow was loading. 

Yoichi was not intimidated by the nearby archer and relied once more on Karasu’s powers. Without a second thought, he lowered himself onto his knees, positioning himself on all fours like Kenji. 

*tac*swish* – The arrow was shot by Taisuke, but due to Yoichi’s sudden movement, it missed the target. 

*zac* – “Aargh!” 

After grazing the young tamer’s hair, the arrow struck the other Taisuke behind him, piercing his neck and killing him on the spot. 

The first Taisuke hit by the flaming slap and the second hit by the arrow crumbled, turning into black smoke and evaporating into the night sky. 

Takuma, who was watching the fight from afar, couldn’t believe his eyes: no one before Yoichi had ever been able to interpret Karasu’s sounds. 

It had taken him and his Oracle years to perfect a language that only the two of them could understand. Yet, with a simple verbal suggestion, his new teammate had successfully avoided two attacks. 

The two clones have been defeated… the one in front of me is the original! Yoichi thought, looking around and then focusing his attention on the man with the bow. 

“My arrow didn’t scratch your arm at all…what material is it made of? I want to know!” Taisuke grunted, loading another dark wooden arrow from his quiver to his bow. 

“What do you need to know that for? You’ll never be able to escape this hill. In less than a minute I’ll rip your head from your neck,” Yoichi spoke. “I cannot forgive what you have done to Takuma.”