My Demon Pet System

That monster had devoured people and other demons, gorging on their raw meats and melting their bones with the gastric juices in its stomach. The stench of the digestion of its victims enveloped Yoichi, who stiffened his arm muscles even more.

Unable to close his eyes and knowing that the snake's toothed tongue would soon attack him again, Yoichi reconsidered what he had been through during those days.

In the sacred Dojo of Goldhaven, the gatekeeper had revealed to him the greatest truth of his life. According to that old war veteran, his abilities could be crucial to Tentochu's fortunes.

Kenji was not a Nekage, nor an unknown species of fire-type demon. It was a baby dragon, ready to evolve and become a giant winged beast. Lumya's last dragon was in his hands, tied to his soul.

His chance of redemption, as the blood writings said, was just that. And Kenji was the only key.

Closing his eyes for a single moment and assuming the risk of being attacked, Yoichi returned to the desert of the Tear's Vision.

Thanks to Therion's tear, he had faced the adult Kenji, a dragon so huge and strong that he ruled over the sky and the earth. Its purifying flame was an immense power, too great to be imagined.

Suddenly, he realized that the sensations felt then, in the sand of that desert, were incredibly similar to those exploding in his chest every time he uttered the real name of his Oracle.

The burning to which his body was subjected each time, was the symptom of something: the fire he was looking for had always been there, inside him.

Opening his eyes as if he suddenly knew what to do, Yoichi focused on his heartbeat. Every pulse resounded in his rib cage, burning in his chest.

The fear, tension and the whirlwind of conflicting emotions that his body was imprisoning, were released in the form of an energy stream, synchronous with the heartbeats.

A burning stronger than the other times reached the top-centre part of his chest as if it were an invisible body under his pectoral muscles. Sensing to know how to control it properly, Yoichi let himself fall into his deepest instincts, activating the second power of his dragon Oracle.

The scales that quickly enveloped the top of his arms began to emit a strange grey smoke. Under each reptile scale, red sparks burned ardently, generating flames.

Within seconds, both of Yoichi's arms became glowing under his incredulous gaze: the scorching flames coming from the skin under the scales greatly increased Kenji's enhancement.

A thin strip of fire appeared on the back of the little dragon, reaching to the tip of its tail.

Shining under the night sky like a meteorite in contact with the atmosphere, Yoichi's arms burned the snake demon's palate. The Hebigure began to writhe, suffering loudly from burning.

Its tongue was stuck inside its mouth as if it had its own willpower. Shioko and Enatsu were shocked, unable to tell if that was a hallucination or a real event.

"Aaargh!" Yoichi roared, straining his arm muscles and pushing the snake's jaws upwards. The demon's mouth could not resist that thrust and continued to be opened out of control.

Abruptly, confident in the impressive power of his arms, Yoichi spread them. The young tamer's chest muscles followed the movement, allowing the arms to open wide: the hands, still tight on their grip, violently tore off the snake's fangs.

In an explosion of fire and blood, the two sharp venomous teeth of the dark reptile were torn away, breaking in half. The Hebigure dashed back, reacting to unbearable pain and losing rivers of blood from its mouth.

Finding himself with two huge fangs in his fiery hands, Yoichi ran forward and jumped towards the enemy. With extreme precision and anger, he impaled both of the snake's fangs into its eyes, blinding it and piercing its skull.

"GREEAARGH!" – the reptile's harrowing scream echoed along the coastal stretch, and flames enveloped the two teeth stuck in its head. Wrapping the fangs in a whirlwind-like circular motion, the fire entered the eyes of the Hebigure.

Yoichi released all the accumulated energy, clasping the two sharp objects forcefully. In his hands, the hard bone material of the jaws began to melt, as did every part of the snake in contact with the dragon fire.

The young tamer jumped away from the enemy while it wiggled in the red flames. With its teeth broken and deprived of its eyes, the dark snake was devoured by little Kenji's dragon fire: the baby dragon remained still behind its master.

Along with the crackling of the snake's tissues and flesh, the dark gaseous substance also suffered the blind rage of dragon fire. Under the moonlight, the gas looked willing to escape the flames by soaring upwards without succeeding.

Yoichi's flaming arms continued to burn without hurting him. Still incredulous at what he had just done, he looked at his hands, feeling the warmth of the magical flame inside his soul.

When the last piece of the snake was consumed, all that remained was dust, carried away by the wind.

"What... what have I just seen?" Enatsu stuttered, breaking the silence. The young merchant's silent words reached Yoichi, who returned to reality.

Under his command, both of Kenji's abilities were disabled. His arms returned to their normal size, and the black scales disappeared. Near the deltoids, the short sleeves of the leather jacket had been completely burned.

The top of his light armour had become a sleeveless one. However, his arms were unharmed.

The strong burning in the centre of his chest subsided, and after a few deep breaths, Yoichi was able to regain control of the air in his lungs. With one hand, he clenched his chest, trying to perceive the beating of his heart.

Letting himself go to his most hidden instincts, the young Nightblades warrior had spawned dragon fire from his heart, the most powerful weapon a tamer could aspire to.