My Demon Pet System

Chapter 257 - All Is Not Lost

The neck of the white dragon was lying on the ground and its one wing was moving under the action of its nerves. At the opposite point of its back, however, a bony protuberance swayed back and forth, as if the dragon demon's instincts were trying to sense the weight of the torn wing.

The cloud of dust caused by the dragon's fall took a few minutes to dissolve and allow Yoichi to observe his enemy on the ground. 

Slowly, Yoichi's mind tried to take control over his body, breathing slowly and trying to disable Kenji's power. All of the young tamer's senses had increased: his eyes were bloodshot, increasing the effectiveness of his gaze; his nose continued to inhale every scent with accuracy, picking up the blood of his enemy and even the smell of Therion, much further away from the arena.

Even his arms were still covered in scales, forgetting that he had sustained extensive damage. His elbow and wrist were intact even though a few minutes before, Yoichi's body had bounced around inside the arena like a rag doll.

"Stop... stop!" Urgerross coughed, while a river of blood dripped from its half-open jaws, feeding the red puddle in which its body was immersed. That very blood touched the toes of the young tamer's boots, as he looked down on his enemy.

"You... you cannot defeat me... your power... is not..." 

"Is what? I can't defeat you just because I'm human? I'm sorry to tell you this, but you dragons will soon be defeated by the Ancient Demons and we humans will be Lumya's only hope," Yoichi coldly interrupted, telling it in one sentence the whole truth about the present world.

When it heard those words, Urgerross pointed its only pupil at Yoichi, looking at him intently. The white dragon was part of a past worldview and could hardly understand the young tamer's speech. To Urgerross, what Yoichi was saying was an impossible thing.

"The Ancient Demons?" the dragon asked, stopping its words when the sound of Therion's wings echoed through the arena. Without warning, the Dragon King had foreshadowed the end of the duel and left the mountain. 

Therion had promised not to interfere in the fight in the slightest, and only when the cloud of dust dissipated and it saw its disciple's condition he chose to fly towards its heir.

"That's right," Yoichi repeated. "Not even you dragons will be able to protect Lumya from Valgoth's army. It will destroy everything and force Therion to pass on some of its power to someone else," he added. 

While Yoichi was speaking, the scales on his arms began to decrease in size and the veins of fire under them gradually became extinct, giving off the usual grayish smoke. 

The vision had been created by his mind, and as he was able to give in to his most primal instincts, he was able to perform the reverse process, returning to normal.

"My King! Cough!... this human being... what he says can't be true!" Urgerross continued to cough, who had lost so much blood that its sight was clouded. 

Therion looked at its disciple as if he were its son. A bitter tear fell from its ruby-red eyes, sliding down its scaled muzzle and impacting the dust on the white, now gray floor.

"Yoichi speaks the truth, Urgerross. Though you may not know it, in the world from which he comes, you and I have long since died. Our dynasty is extinct and Valgoth has won the war. Its demons outnumbered us and took control of the heavens and the earth, wiping us out as invaders," Therion explained. The Dragon King knew its disciple would believe its words more than Yoichi's. 

"But all is not lost," Yoichi interrupted. "I am here specifically to avenge your lineage, Urgerross. Within my Oracle lies the power of Therion, and with it, I will be able to restore peace to Lumya by killing the possessor of Valgoth's heir once and for all!" - In the young tamer's voice, his tenacity was felt by his dying foe. 

"You have fought hard, brother. But now it is time to leave the world to humans. Entrust your soul to Yoichi and let your power live on in him," Therion replied, staying a few feet away from the two challengers. 

Urgerross' breathing became increasingly intermittent and weak. Caught the dragon demon would have bled to death, but it seemed to keep fighting to stay alive. Its body could no longer handle all that pain, but its pride-filled soul wanted to remain in that world at all costs. 

Yoichi took a step forward and swiped the hilt of Ryutaro's katana with his right hand. The metallic sound of the sword blade slithering along its scabbard drew Urgerross' gaze to him. 

When the young warrior looked at the sunlight reflected on that shiny blade, Ryutaro's image appeared on it for an instant, as if the gatekeeper was behind him. 

"I am not yet worthy to wield your sword in the real world, Ryutaro-Sensei," Yoichi remarked, speaking in the spirit of his master. "But let me be guided by your blade to end the suffering of Urgerross, the terror of the heavens, guardian of the Sanctum of Infinity and undisputed ruler of thunder," he spoke again.

Those words were like music in the ears of the dying white dragon, who heard someone else speak its name and praise it as if it were a king. When Yoichi was one step away from it, its big arms stopped flailing and its body lay still, resigned to its fate.

Yoichi lowered himself to its face and looked into its sun-yellow eyes, trying to convey his feelings to his opponent. With his right hand, the young tamer pointed the tip of the sword at the center of the dragon's neck.

"I thank you, Urgerross. May your soul fly free for eternity. In the world from which I come, I will let the storms guide my spirit and I will see the reflection of your image in the sky," the blond-haired young warrior stated, waiting for his supreme interlocutor to close its eyes and prepare for the end of its days.