The Seven Demon's Tamer

Leo's eyes suddenly shot open, sensing the danger. "They are here."

He sharply got up from the ground as if he hadn't been sleeping just moments ago and rushed toward the other two, starting with Mara. His movements were careful and silent, aimed not to create panic but to ensure swift action.

A gentle tap on her shoulder was all it took to wake her. Mara's eyes fluttered open immediately, and she could tell from Leo's expression that something was terribly wrong.

Then he ran toward Brok, whose snoring had been echoing through the dojo like a pig's. Leo's approach to waking the larger man was... considerably less gentle.

*Wham wham wham*

"What the—! Hey! Stop hitting me!" Brok protested, his massive frame quickly standing upright as Leo's had.

Mara couldn't stop giggling as Brok got up from the ground covered in bruises and a swollen eye, his hair sticking up in every direction like he'd been struck by lightning.

"Sorry, big guy," Leo said without a trace of remorse in his voice, "but we needed you awake. The Falcon Guild is attacking."

The words hit them like a speeding truck. All traces of laughter from Mara's face disappeared as she realized the reality of the situation.

With that announced, Leo rushed outside, the others trailing behind him without wasting any time.

Just the moment after Leo exited the dojo, a loud, violent explosion resounded in the distance, causing them all to instinctively halt.

The sound was loud, earth-shaking, and filled with the kind of raw power that made the ground beneath their feet vibrate.

The night sky, which had been peaceful and star-filled just moments before, was now illuminated by an orange glow emanating from the direction of the explosion. The smell of smoke filled the air shortly after.

"They're planning an ambush, aren't they?" Mara muttered, staring in horror at the distant glow. "They made us believe we had time, only to attack in the middle of the night when we'd be at our most vulnerable."

At that moment, Master Sung and the three Sen members also rushed out from the dojo close by, moving to group up with Leo and his companions. Master Sung's expression was thunderous, his usual composure replaced by cold fury.

Mikasa looked alert and ready for battle, her pink hair catching the distant firelight.

Ryomen appeared as emotionless as ever, though there was a slight tension in his posture that suggested he was more engaged than usual.

Zhou, meanwhile, was practically vibrating with excitement, his eyes gleaming with the kind of manic joy that only came when he was about to engage in serious combat.

"Where's Ryder?" Zhou suddenly questioned, turning his head left and right frantically, searching for the black-marked summoner.

His voice carried an edge of panic that was unusual for someone of his rank. He wasn't panicked because he cared about Ryder's safety; he was panicked he might not get the chance to spill his blood if he got snatched away.

On the other hand, the question seemed to snap everyone into a darker reality—negative thoughts filling their heads like poison. If Ryder was missing, if he had somehow been taken or worse, then everything they had been fighting for could be lost before the battle even began.

"I wouldn't worry about him if I were you," Leo suddenly spoke up, his voice cutting through their growing panic. "Ryder left a short while ago. I could sense him moving around, restless. He went for a walk."

"Left to where?" Master Sung pressed, his aura intensifying at the greatest level they had ever felt from him. The air around them seemed to boil with his barely contained anger, making it difficult to breathe.

"There's only one way to find out," Leo said grimly.

They all turned toward the direction where the explosion had come from. There were many meteor-like objects still raining down from the sky like a beautiful meteor shower, but one particular meteor had come down faster than the others—clearly, that one had more significance than the rest.

"We need to move," Master Sung declared, his voice carrying authority. "Now."

***

Ryder had already braced himself against the meteor collision, positioning himself to dodge what he assumed would be a direct impact. He had calculated the speed of the meteor, ready to avoid what looked like certain death falling from the sky.

But little did he know the meteor was never aimed to hit anyone.

In fact, what was raining down wasn't meteor strikes at all—it was the transportation affinity of the Falcon Guild's teleporter. Every single one of these meteor-looking objects contained a summoner inside of it.

The meteor-looking object that had collided with the ground ahead of the others that were still coursing through the air had caused a shallow crater in what had been perfect, untouched grassland.

The impact had been tremendous, sending shockwaves through the earth and filling the air with dust and debris.

The smoke exuding from the crater quickly dispersed in the night wind, revealing the true identity of what had just collided with the ground.

It was a smooth red rocky object, massive enough to be around the same size as a boulder and perfectly intact, free from any cracks or damage that should have resulted from such a violent impact.

Well, perfectly intact quickly became a past-tense description because...

*Boom!*

The rock exploded again, this time not a fiery explosion, but that of raw, overwhelming strength shattering solid stone from the inside out.

Fragments of red rock scattered in all directions, each piece glowing briefly before crumbling to dust.

The figure that emerged from within the rock remained suspended in the air with casual ease as he steared directly at Ryder with unhidden maliciousness.

His presence was immediately oppressive, filling the air with the kind of malevolent energy that made small animals flee and caused plants to wither and die.

"I'm Ryder," Ryder said with a forced smile, waving at the figure with casualness. "And you are?"

*Boom!*

The ground shattered as the levitating figure finally descended, his landing creating a crater that ruined a good portion of what had once been a perfect, dreamlike landscape.

The man who stood before him was like a monster in a human body. He stood nearly seven feet tall, his muscular frame seemed to strain against his red combat attire.

Scars crisscrossed his arms and lower face. His bald head reflected the moonlight, and his eyes held coldness.

"I am the first elite of the Falcon Guild, Captain Kyujiro Nakamura," the figure responded, his voice carrying weight, making Ryder nearly feel invisible. "I am going to be taking you with me to my master, black-marked summoner Ryder."