The Seven Demon's Tamer

In order to win a duel in the tournament, one must get knocked out or surrender—simple rules on the tongue, but complex to execute.

Submitting meant giving up the fight willingly, without getting defeated or fighting till the last stand—a choice few duelists would make willingly, especially with their pride on the line. No one would like to appear weak on the dueling ground, especially since there are lots of gangsters around—they can become an easy target for gangsters.

As for a knockout, it could be achieved in two ways: either by being rendered unconscious or by being forcibly thrown away from the platform.

Although Crusher's iron golem familiar had been knocked off the platform earlier, it wasn't counted as a loss because Crusher himself remained firmly standing on the platform. According to tournament rules, it would not be counted as a defeat as long as the combatant stays within the bounds of the platform, regardless of their familiar's position.

This was Crusher's saving grace, but he wasn't too confident above it.

Crusher realized that Ryder wasn't a walk in the park with just a few displays, and out of curiosity, he asked,

"What are you?" Crusher called out, his voice echoing across the arena.

The question wasn't as it seemed; it had more meaning beyond its simple phrasing, and Ryder was aware of that. Crusher wasn't asking for Ryder's identity or species—he was questioning how anyone could possess such overwhelming power. In all his years as a summoner, and in all the battles he had ever fought, he had never felt so outmatched.

"Did you hear that?" whispered a short man with blad hair. "Crusher sounds... worried."

He better don't. A lady with a large red scar across her face, holding hands with the short blad man, responded, "I've bet my life savings on Crusher for him to win this tournament."

"Cheer up, guys," a young kid from the side, too tall for his age, appeared in between them and wrapped his hands around their necks in a friendly gesture, a smile on his face. "Crusher's never lost a tournament match. Never."

"And who exactly are you?" questioned the lady, quickly knocking his hands off her shoulder, hostility evident in the gesture.

"Easy there." The boy quickly backed off. "I'm just a friend; I'll take my leave now if I'm bothering you."

With that, he walked off, scratching the back of his head with a nervous smile.

After blending with the crowd, he mumbled under his breath while raising a waste pouch. "Done."

"And she said she bet her life savings on Crusher." Mylo chuckled. "Now, how does she have this gold?"

Raising the other pouch, it was lighter, particularly the one he took from the man.

"Oh." Turning it over, a few silver coins fell into his hands. "I'm disappointed."

Crusher is a red-marked summoner, the pinnacle of summoners. If he was feeling completely powerless against the Black Devil, then what rank is the Black Devil?

A red-marked summoner like himself should not have been overpowered so easily by another of the same rank. The thought troubled him.

Was Ryder perhaps of an even higher classification? Was there a rank beyond red? Obviously, there is a rank above the red mark, but that was more of a myth than actuality, because, as long as he could remember, no human had ever received the mark for as long as he had existed.

Since Crusher began to participate in the tournament, he had never once permitted his beast to use its affinity—this was the little ace he had confidence in.

Even if Ryder, or rather, the Black Devil, was overpowering, he still had hope, which helped him keep his cool.

"At least, give me the privilege to know your beast rank before I permit mine to use its affinity," Crusher said as the aura around him began to change. Around him, an orange, flame-like aura, invisible to the human eye, burned over him.

"That doesn't seem friendly, Ryder," Luxy commented as he observed through the Black Devil's eyes.

"I think I can testify to that." Black Devil replied as he took his stance. Their whole demeanor changed as he assumed a fighting stance.

Bwooom

The sound reverberated through the arena as Crusher and his iron golem both charged forward with fixed gazes, moving in perfect sync as if controlled by a single mind. The platform trembled with each step the iron golem took, each collision of its legs against the ground creating spider-web cracks in the hard surface of the platform.

"Do you have a clue what its affinity is?" Black Devil inquired mentally as he braced himself.

"No," Luxy replied. "But be careful—they won't be able to defeat you in an actual battle still, despite their sudden change in aura, but be careful because they can win this battle by knocking you off the platform."

"Summon your beast, will ya!" Crusher screamed as he launched upward, momentarily slowing his overall speed and easing Black Devil's worries a bit.

The move seemed almost clumsy—a rookie mistake that someone like Crusher would never make unintentionally.

And indeed, it was all a plot.

Like a flash of lightning, the iron golem closed the distance between itself and Black Devil, its massive fist stretched backward, gathering force for a devastating blow.

While Ryder had been focusing on Crusher, the golem had circled around with surprising speed for something so massive and heavy as it.

WHAM!

For the first time, a successful hit was delivered to Black Devil as he was caught off guard, forcing him to stagger a few steps backward, and pieces of rock under his feet shattered.

Crusher, who had been the prime focus of Black Devil's attention, was given a moment to attack due to the distraction his familiar had caused. In mid-air, he twisted his body with surprising agility for a man his size and descended with his leg extended in a perfect aerial kick.

Wham!

A heavy kick was delivered directly to Black Devil's head, sending him crashing to the ground on his back. The impact cratered the platform surface, dust rising like a brown cloud that temporarily obscured the entire platform.

The dust was still in the air as everyone watching gasped. The turn of events in this fight was causing a surge of joy in the battle that had everyone standing up in an uproar of cheers.

They cheered not because they actually gave a damn about Crusher, but because most of them had placed their bets on him as the reigning champion. He had to win, or they would sustain a big financial loss.

The dust that had risen as Black Devil was still on the ground was slowly settling when a shadow was cast above him.

"You weren't kidding, Luxy," Ryder communicated mentally, his internal voice remarkably calm. "This truly isn't friendly."

The iron golem raised its feet upward, suspending it in the air just above Black Devil when, suddenly,

Bang!

It stomped down with earth-shattering force, breaking the platform's surface with ease. Chunks of stone flew in all directions, raining down on the audience.

It appeared as though Black Devil was caught beneath the devastating stomp, crushed to the ground—but Crusher knew better. His eyes had caught a blur of movement just before impact. Black Devil wasn't there.

"That's a nice move. I'll hand it to your crazy familiar," a voice whispered in Crusher's ear, so close he could feel the warm breath against his skin.

Crusher felt chills running down his spine as he heard the words. He wasn't being threatened, yet the voice caused nothing but fright.

He quickly turned, swinging his fist in the direction where he predicted the voice had come from, but he struck nothing but empty air. His fist whistled through the space where Black Devil's head should have been, meeting no obstruction in its path.

"Let me show you how it's done," came the voice again, now from behind him.

Wham!

Crusher's vision blurred and distorted as he was sent flying through the air from a punch across his face. The blow had come so quickly he hadn't even seen it—one moment he was turning, the next he was flying through the air with the taste of his own blood filling his mouth.

Moving with incredible speed, the iron golem caught Crusher mid-flight, its massive arms creating a protective cradle for its summoner.

But Black Devil wasn't done. Appearing right above the iron golem's head like a shadow, with his cloak flapping in the wind and his leg stretched backward, ready for a kick—

Wham!

Ryder delivered a heavy kick to the familiar's skull, the force so great it sent the iron golem flying off the platform and crashing into the ground five feet below with a thunderous impact that shook the entire warehouse. The golem landed with such force that it created a small crater in the ground.

Clap!

As soon as his familiar was sent crashing out of the platform, Crusher clapped both hands, summoning it back to the platform.

"I thought you were planning to use your affinity," Black Devil questioned as he walked towards them with his head down, while, somehow, a soft wind blew through his cloak, causing it to flap in tune with the breeze and adding dramatic effect as he approached Crusher on the ground.

"So then, tell me, what happened?"

Like a flash of dark lightning, Black Devil disappeared and then reappeared right beside Crusher with his fist ready to deliver what should have been a knockout blow.

Wham!

Ryder's eyes widened as he watched his fist, surprised.

Surprised, in fact, was an understatement—he was beyond surprised.

Crusher had blocked the attack and was now holding onto Ryder's fist with just one hand, his grip like an iron cuff. He had a smirk on his face, revealing teeth stained with his own blood from the earlier hit.

"Who said I wasn't using my affinity?" he smirked.

Wham!

The speed at which the iron golem's hand came towards Black Devil was beyond his estimation.

Wham!

The sound of the impact echoed throughout the arena as the familiar's fist connected with Black Devil's torso. The force behind the blow was tremendous—beyond anything the golem had displayed since the match began. Black Devil's body was sent blasting swiftly through the air, heading straight for the edge of the platform and what would certainly be a knockout defeat—a ring-out knockout.

Quickly planting his feet into the ground with a screech against the surface, Black Devil managed to halt his movement just before skidding off the platform, his heels practically hanging over the edge.

Small fragments of the platform's edge crumbled beneath his feet, falling to the ground below in a shower of dust, as his eyes stared at them. Surprisingly, he wasn't feeling bothered or frightened.

It was almost as if he lost the emotion of fear the moment he stepped onto this platform.

His hands trembled from the impact as he raised them and rubbed them across his forehead.

Blood—there were blood droplets dripping down his forehead.

"I thought I wasn't going to get hurt anymore ever since I contracted you, Luxy," Ryder spoke, his eyes wide open in genuine shock. "So how?"

Luxy was quiet for a while before he eventually spoke up.

"I think I know their affinity now."

"That's not what I asked," Ryder muttered. "How am I hurt, Luxy?"

"You are hurt because of their affinity." Luxy snapped back. "Let me explain, dummy.

Their affinity is a flash one, like that of the lava mantis you fought back then, who had the affinity for producing molten magma. The affinity of the iron golem is power reflection.

By power reflection, I mean the ability to absorb the exact power from an attack it or its summoner receives and return it, adding its strength to boost the overall impact," Luxy elaborated.

"If you remember, you kicked the iron golem off the platform and also punched Crusher.

The force exerted from the attack you delivered to Crusher gave him the capability to grab your fist while you punched him earlier, and as for how the iron golem was able to hurt you, it was from the power reflected from the kick you delivered to it."

Ryder nodded in realization as he stared at the two, waiting for him to make the first move. "Now I understand."

"Yeah," said Luxy. "You have to attack with enough strength toward Crusher that will knock him off the platform with guarantee."

"That wouldn't be easy, given that his annoying familiar is on the same platform as us," said Ryder.

"Or..." Luxy hesitated for a bit.

"Or what?"

.

..

...

....

Silence stretched between them for a while, and then Luxy concluded, "Or you summon me out to take care of the iron golem."