The Seven Demon's Tamer

With how popular Ryder was turning out to be, he was beginning to trend around the four nations of the United Kingdom, especially his country; England.

All the radio channels were booming. All they could talk about was Ryder and the most recent disaster.

—"Today on the recent unexplainable disaster: What exactly is Ryder? Man, myth, or monster?"

—"One who contracted with the devil beast."

—"Has the devil beast possessed the anonymous Ryder into destroying Ludlow?"

The news anchors delivered their lines with interest, purposely dropping newslines to appear presentable and pique public interest.

This was the story of a lifetime after all. Ratings had never been higher.

And as for the rumors? They multiplied at a crazy rate.

Some said he could fly; others insisted he could walk through walls. One particularly creative someone said Ryder was actually three small children in a trenchcoat who had been possessed by his familiar.

Cases like these do spring up once in a while about someone contracting a familiar from the devil plane or from the divine plane, aka white mark plane, but there hasn't been any evidence yet to prove them as much as Ryder.

The absurdity of the sudden outburst of headlines involving the devil plane contract would have been laughable if the destruction left in his wake wasn't so terrifyingly realistic.

Ryder was the hot topic of various TV channels; just as people were aware of what he did, they were also aware of what he didn't do—wrong rumors about him spread.

"Quite an intriguing young man indeed," Leo commented with a smile as he listened through his small radio.

The radio was quite old—an unstylish version of a radio that should have had no business still functioning in this era of digital streaming and satellite broadcasts; yet Leo kept it because he preferred it to modern alternatives.

More than anything, he wanted to live a simple life and enjoy peace and good food.

Besides, there was something intimate about the warm, slightly distorted sound that digital perfection lacked, which he found comforting. It reminded him of the old days.

"So someone managed to contract a devil as his familiar." Leo switched off his radio, the speakers emitting one final pop before falling silent.

He sighed into the air, puffing out smoke even though he wasn't smoking a cigarette. The smoke curled lazily upward, forming patterns too deliberate to be natural—swirls that briefly formed hollow rings in the air before disappearing.

This peculiar habit of exhaling smoke without a source that he had developed had puzzled many people over the years.

Leo found their reactions amusing. It was just one of the many small ways he reminded others that he was quite different from them and from how they assumed he appeared to be.

This was a harmless tell when he was doing it for fun. However, when he does this during a fight, then it meant he was about to take things seriously.

Just as he was about to make another turn into the last street to reach his destination, a voice suddenly called out from behind:

"Hey, Leo."

Leo didn't immediately turn. Instead, he paused mid-step. In that moment, he analyzed several important details: the voice was male, the speaker around five meters behind him, and possessing the natural aura of a contracted red-marked summoner with two familiars—all this intel, he discovered instantly with his back still turned against the person.

Turning around, he questioned expressionlessly. "How did my name suddenly become popular? I haven't been a noisemaker f—"

He suddenly stopped talking the moment he saw the uniform.

His casual voice stopped, distorted, and calculations began running behind those peculiar eyes of his, observing for escapes. He wasn't searching for routes for himself, but for the person behind him, in case he was planning to cause any trouble.

He wouldn't be letting this one run away. Instead, he would kick some butt, like he had been doing to every other troublemaker.

"Oh, if it's none other than the FSG commander." Leo smiled. "What brought you here today?"

Stepping forward, Lucian smiled warmly, displaying his perfect white teeth. "I'm not here to cause trouble, but rather to share some interesting information.

To be more appropriate, the information I intend to share with you is quite confidential. Why don't you come with me?"

Leo stared at Lucian blankly in a stressed gaze for seconds before responding. "I'm exhausted right now and my house is close by; you should come with me instead."

Leo's counter-offer was due to pure stubbornness—something Lucian had been alerted about.

The powerful will not obey others' demands without good reason—this is what Leo always told himself.

He will not be following Lucian even though Lucian was a popular FSG commander everyone knew, including him.

If he insisted on something that could have a reasonable alternative such as his request to Leo... then Leo wouldn't mind declining and that was clear.

Leo's nonchalant attitude was almost disrespectful, and moreover, he didn't regard the title or position of anyone, and such disrespect was something Lucian hated.

He bit his lips while clenching his fist, not wanting to act irrationally because of Leo's attitude. "Have you forgotten that a 'come with me' from an FSG commander is not a suggestion, but an order?"

Leo turned around and walked away, countering with a question of his own. "Are you aware that I hate being bossed around?"

"If you do not agree with my terms, feel free to leave."

Lucian tensed up as he watched Leo walk away. "Why does this kind of disrespect keep playing out, over and over these recent days?"

With no other options, Lucian followed.

His quick steps betrayed his authoritative composure, despite his attempt to maintain a composed pace.

Leo smiled slightly to himself, sensing the agent's approach without turning.

Arrogance is a typical characteristic of FSG agents. They are strong, and that's for sure, but they were too proud and relied too heavily on their organization's reputation to control others.

Leo had met dozens like him over the years. They all believed that a fancy uniform and government backing made them invincible until they approached him, who taught them otherwise... with his fist.

It was a short walk before Leo got to his house, but then he suddenly paused at the front of the big gate, right before entering the compound.

His body went completely still, like someone who had caught an unexpected scene, despite how perfectly normal Lucian saw his vicinity.

His fist tensed slightly, and his eyes—those peculiar blue eyes with a silver blend to it—seemed to glow faintly for just an instant.

Someone was here.

At first, Leo seemed surprised; then later, he calmed down and ended with a chuckle. It wasn't a nervous laugh or even an amused one. It was the laugh of someone who had just discovered an unexpected but interesting change of events.

Lucian watched silently from the back and then followed Leo inside until they got to the couch in the sitting room.

"Oh, this is rich," he muttered, shaking his head slightly as he pushed open the door, which moved in perfect silence.

The interior of Leo's house was expensive-looking, and that's for sure. Anyone would doubt how someone like him owns such a place, but there is a story behind it.

The furniture was clearly expensive but chosen for comfort more than display. It was the home of someone who lived firmly in the present but had a deep appreciation for the past.

At the top of the dining table, he could see a kettle alongside a coffee cup.

"Oh, wow. This person surely loves luxury," Lucian commented, briefly staring at the coffee cup.

"He surprisingly didn't take anything away from the house, which I still do not understand why," Leo observed, his brow furrowing slightly in genuine confusion.

"He came in, made some coffee, sat on the couch, and left through the back door a short while ago," Leo mentioned as he rested on the couch. "Just what was his motive?"

Lucian wasn't too surprised about how Leo knew all these details. Back then, when the FSG first laid their eyes on him, they realized he was quite an intriguing one.

In truth, intriguing was an understatement. Leo had been a source of fascination, frustration, and fear for the FSG ever since they became aware of his existence.

He was an anomaly. He didn't fit neatly into any of their interpretable classifications of threat, and the FSG hated nothing more than something they couldn't classify and contain.

Of all the humans on the entire planet Terra, he is one of the few who never received a mark invitation, even though he is in his mid-twenties... I mean, appeared like he was in his mid-twenties.

The mark system was supposed to be void of failure; only delays should be possible, but Leo's case is certainly different. By age eighteen, every human with magical potential is supposed to receive their invitation to the Astral Shadow Realm.

The color of the mark determined the type and strength of familiar they could potentially contract: brown for the weakest, followed by orange, red, and finally white/black which is seen as Divine plane and demon plane, housing the most powerful.

White and black are rumored to be around the same level of strength, but there isn't any evidence, as no one has been able to contract a creature from the white plane in particular and rarely ever in the black plane as well.

The black and white are like yin and yang, separated. According to the knowledge derived from history that has been passed down through multiple generations, it is said that a battle once occurred between them.

That aside, despite being different, Leo is one of the most feared individuals in the entire country.

Leo had no mark at all. No invitation had ever appeared on his skin, despite his obvious supernatural abilities. It was as if the system itself had taken one look at him and decided, "Nope, not touching that one."

That alone would have been enough to capture the FSG's interest. But then there was the incident in Bristol...

Feared was another understatement. There were a good number of FSG agents who would rather take early retirement than be assigned to cases involving Leo.

He didn't have a malicious reputation, but he did have a more frightening reputation. He had an absolute, unwavering capability to handle any issues that came his way, combined with a complete disregard for any and every authority he had not personally deemed worthy of respect.

The Bristol incident had started as a simple observation operation. He was minding his business when some FSG members began to act all cocky and superior towards him.

Four red-marked summoners—the elite of the elite, sent to one person—should have been overkill. One red mark was enough to level an entire duplex with his fist and sheer strength. Four together should have been able to do more incredible feats, and handle a single unmarked human with ease.

However, they couldn't even scratch Leo.

He single-handedly defended himself against four red-marked summoners without suffering any damage, but on the other hand, the summoners received fatal injuries.

When the FSG noticed him at first, they tried to order him to come with them to the base for questioning, or else they would resort to violence, and he gave one flat answer:

"No."

The FSG members attempted to use violence, but the casualties they suffered made them regret their actions—a big mistake indeed.

Again, they sent out a squad of twelve FSG agents to carry out the operation and...

The operation was over in less than three minutes. When the backup team arrived, they found the twelve summoners unconscious but alive, their familiars murdered, and Leo calmly drinking tea on a park bench close by as if nothing had happened.

The surveillance footage later recovered showed only blurs—Leo moved too quickly for the cameras to capture clearly. What little they could see was beyond the limits of their understanding of human capabilities.

After a good number of unsuccessful trials, Elena decided to give him a try and attempt to talk to him, and for the first time, he was responsive.

She'd approached him—not in uniform but in casual clothes, not with demands but with questions. She'd brought coffee from his favorite shop and had simply asked if he had time for a chat.

No pressure, no threats, just one intelligent person seeking conversation with another.

From there on, Elena managed to build a relationship between him and the FSG. The house he lives in now was given to him by Elena.

All this was done for him for one reason; it was done for him to expose how invincible he was.

It wasn't that Leo couldn't be hurt—theoretically, at least. While speaking from experience, landing a significant blow on him had proven nearly impossible.

His reflexes were beyond human; his perception of even the most unpredictable attacks was perfectly acute.

The way he reacted to attacks was as if he could see them before they were even launched, as if he could see intentions forming before they manifested as actions.

All these are due to the special ability he possesses called the silver gaze. It is a special ability that allows him to see beyond the limits of all other humans.

Although he told them the name and briefly explained the ability of the silver gaze, he never went too deep into explaining all its special abilities.

They attempted to persuade him to say more or to teach an FSG member how to harness the silver gaze, but he gave his usual annoying flat answer:

"No."

The flat refusal had driven FSG researchers to go the extra mile for Leo. They had offered him money, power, experimental technology, even access to classified files, but still nothing had swayed him. The silver gaze remained his secret, which he wouldn't share.

They knew just one aspect of the silver gaze, and that is its ability to predict the next move of his opponent accurately. He can never be caught off guard.

A person who could never be caught off guard, who always knew what was coming next, really sounded like someone who could never be defeated.

Right now, Lucian had just realized another specialty of the silver gaze: the ability to recall past movements.

He could tell everything the intruder in his house did the instant he entered.

"Uh, um." Lucian cleared his throat, gaining Leo's attention.

"Quick question: I hope you aren't here to persuade me to tell you all the details of my silver gaze?" Leo questioned in a playful tone, but with a sharp glare that made the question sound more like a threat.

"No, no, it's not that," Lucian assured, raising his hands in a gentle gesture. "We need your alliance in taking down a really strong foe that has been causing lots of troubles lately."

Leo raised an eyebrow, and for the first time since their encounter began, he appeared interested. "You mean the Ryder guy?"

The question caught Lucian off guard. He had prepared a detailed briefing to gradually lead up to the point where he would reveal their target's name.

Having Leo jump straight to the conclusion made him kiss his teeth in annoyance and curse inwardly. 'Why couldn't I have a dramatic reveal at this part?'

Lucian slowly nodded. "Yes, you must have heard about him from the news, but there is more than just that."

"Probably," Leo interjected dryly. "If you're dragging me into this based solely on what Channel 4 reported, then why not?"

Ignoring the interruption, Lucian continued, "This Ryder guy is very powerful."

"No kidding," Leo muttered and rolled his eyes. "Next you'll tell me water is wet and booty is fluffy."

Lucian's jaw tightened slightly at Leo's snarky interruptions, but he continued anyway. "He destroyed half of Ludlow and took down sixteen members of the Red-Eastern guild. Alongside that, he killed one red-marked familiar."

"You do know how strong the Red-Eastern guild members are, don't you?" Lucian questioned rhetorically. The Red-Eastern guild is a guild consisting mainly of red-marked summoners.

"Yes, yes, the scary red marks," Leo waved dismissively. "The cream of the magical ice cream, the top of the summoners guild, the big bad wolves of the summoning world. I'm familiar with the propaganda. Get to the part where this concerns me, please."

Lucian ignored him as he pressed on. "He also destroyed half of the FSG base and escaped from my very own grasp."

"Now that's interesting," Leo replied, completely unfazed. "What do you want me to do now?"

"I want you to work alongside us in taking him down," said Lucian. "The pay will be massive."

"Oh, oh," Leo cheered, giggling to himself at the thought of it. "Now that is a generous offer."

"I'm in."

Lucian smiled as he heard this. "Let's go to the FSG base, so I can fill you in on the remaining necessary info."

Leo smiled in approval as he walked toward the door to exit his house, but then he turned, as he remembered something.

"Oh, I forgot to mention." Leo was dead serious as he concluded, "I will be going alone to take him down.

I won't want too much of a crowd; working alongside me, they'll slow me down."

"He'll—NO!" Lucian banged his fist on the dining table, shattering it instantaneously, and gritted his teeth.

Leo was quite puzzled. Lucian is the kind who always maintains his composure and emotion at least to a reasonable level, but why did he suddenly act like this?

"I asked for your alliance; I never asked to send you to your deathbed.

If you fight that man all by yourself, you'll die for sure.

He is a walking catastrophe that causes nothing but disasters.

You won't stand a chance alone."

Leo turned around and questioned, his blue-silver eyes glinting dangerously in the gloomy light of the evening, "What made you think so?"

Lucian sighed as he walked toward Leo.

The balance of the world had changed ever since Ryder contracted his familiar.

"I felt the gamma energy in the air intensified the same day he contracted his familiar."

The statement was something that should be considered deeply. Lucian delivered the message with such sincerity that it was difficult to dismiss as mere exaggeration.

"You might be strong, but he is stronger, and that I know for sure.

If you team up with the best members of the FSG in this state, and with the alliance I am gathering and more plan to gather, you'll have a chance."

"We can take him down."

Leo stared at Lucian right in the eyes with a cold gaze, reflected by his glinting pupils. Lucian did not seem to realize just how stubborn Leo was, especially since Leo didn't respond to his long speech.

"Let's get to the base."