The Seven Demon's Tamer

Bwoooooooom!

The air burst violently with purple, crackling energy, rumbling the air and even the ground beneath them like a rising earthquake.

The bolt tore through the air and finally began to materialize above them like a layer of thin, swirling energy.

A quick air current rippled outward suddenly, blowing away the debris and remains of the destroyed warehouse on the ground. Dust, broken glass, pieces of concrete and metal—all were swept aside in an expanding circle, leaving a cleared space beneath the crackling energy bolt.

"It turns out it was a good thing the underlings' tournament was held in a secluded, hidden area," Ryder thought, glancing around at the devastation they had caused. "If it wasn't, then we might have attracted unwanted attention."

He ruffled his hair as he attempted to confirm if his hood was completely ripped off—and yes, it was. The night air felt cool against his exposed hair, a peaceful sensation after so long hidden beneath the hood.

He felt naked, vulnerable in a way that had nothing to do with physical protection.

Bwoom!!!!!

Another air current rippled outward again, stronger this time, forcing both Ryder and Leo to brace themselves against its force. Leo dug his feet into the ground, his muscular frame leaning into the wind like a tree in a heavy storm.

Ryder, lighter and less physically imposing, had to widen his stance to avoid being pushed backward.

Then, from the swirling energy hanging in the air, sharp claws emerged, slicing through the layer of energy as if it were a curtain being torn apart.

Luxy was coming out.

Another hand emerged sharply from the swirling energy, moving with deliberate purpose, as if Luxy was trying to pull himself through a tight space. And then...

Bwoooooooom

The creature's whole body blasted out; the force with which it exited the swirling energy wall created yet another shock wave that rippled outward in all directions.

Leo clenched his fist tighter as he refined his stance, but the moment the creature landed on the ground, he was temporarily stunned.

"A rabbit?" he questioned rhetorically, his voice caught between disbelief. "The demonic familiar that gave you all the strength to tear down half of the FSG base and destroy half of Ludlow town was just a rabbit."

Leo's word hung in the air, bouncing off Ryder's ears faster than he could process. Ryder stared at the ground, lost—there was something else bothering him now.

Standing at about 12 inches tall, its body was covered in sleek, white fur that seemed to glow in tune with the moonlight. Its eyes glowed with an inner red light, and sharp claws extended from its paws, each one glistening like a polished blade.

Two long ears stood upright on its head, twitching occasionally as if picking up sounds beyond human hearing.

Ahhhhhhh! Luxy stood up in a human-like pose, stretching both of his hands sideways while moaning, allowing the wind to sweep through his fur.

"So this is what it feels like to be physically outside in the human plane," he said in his deep yet melodious voice. "The air itself feels like peace."

And it can talk! Leo instinctively took a step backward. Familiars always have intelligence levels below the capability of communicating through speech.

Luxy's eyes suddenly shifted to Leo, glaring at him so intensely that the temperature around them dropped by several degrees. "Yeah, I can talk," he said, his voice lowering to a growl.

Luxy changed his stance, dropping slightly and assuming a pose that resembled a sprinter at the starting blocks. Luxy's body flashed through the air, leaving streaks of lightning composed of pure purple gamma energy in his wake, just like the energy that had formed the swirling energy wall above. Both of his legs were outstretched for a kick heading straight for Leo's chest, the movement so fast it was almost invisible to the naked eye.

Leo barely had time to raise his arms in defense before the blow connected, sending him skidding backward, his boots leaving parallel furrows in the ground. Leo's eyes were still widened even after he blocked the attack—it was still like a powerful hit—the kind that Ryder wasn't capable of even at his best.

His body finally came to a stop several yards away, his forearms throbbing from the impact but his grin extended like a maniac, wider than ever.

"Now that's more like it!" Leo called out, joy and happiness building up in him. "Let's see what else you can do, shall we?"

Vwoom

They both charged forward at each other, colliding over and over again, appearing as nothing but flashes of purple lightning to anyone who might be watching—it was like they were everywhere at once. Each impact created a small shock wave, and the air between them began to shimmer with heat generated by each collision.

Upon every attack, one person dominated the other—Luxy was winning, each of his hits counting. Despite Leo's incredible human strength and combat experience, he was simply outmatched.

Meanwhile, Ryder was on the ground, kneeling and unable to move. Luxy was winning and, from the looks of it, in a matter of time he would bring Leo down. But if Ryder had joined the fight, then Leo would have been completely overpowered by now.

Luxy didn't even attempt to call Ryder over because he knew Ryder wouldn't be able to move. It was as if his emotions were like invisible chains holding him in place, and like a mountain weighing upon his head at the same time.

Luxy, who stole glances at him every now and then during the whirlwind of combat, felt guilt building up inside him; he knew exactly what was happening to Ryder right now. Their separation—as Luxy was physically manifested outside Ryder's mind and in this human body—had broken down barriers that had been carefully constructed within Ryder's mind.

It was all coming to him, all the emotions. All the emotions Luxy had suppressed in him were rushing back at full force, like barrages.

The guilt he was supposed to feel over destroying the FSG base—the critical damage FSG agents had received from the collapsed building, their shattered bones.

The anger he felt for his parents' assassination—white-hot rage that burned through his mind like acid and the vengeance he felt toward the unknown who killed his parents.

The sadness he should have carried due to his mother's gruesome death—the emptiness of knowing he would never again feel her embrace or hear her voice.

The worry he felt due to his father's abduction—the constant anxiety of not knowing if he was alive or dead, suffering or spared.

The fear he felt while fighting the lava mantis at the start—the terrifying appearance of it and the red-hot lava it could excrete.

The fear he felt towards the crusher while he destroyed his opponent before him.

All the information in his mind that Luxy had made him ignore to maintain calmness—the memories Luxy had suppressed inside him—were all coming back to him in an unstoppable barrage.

"Arrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!" Ryder screamed in his mind in agony, his eyes reddened with tears, rage, and pain. His fingers dug into the earth beneath him, gouging deep furrows in the soil.

Why, how, what the hell!!!!

Turning towards Luxy, who was battling Leo in a blur of movement and energy, he glared as he realized:

"It was you all along! You were operating my mind!!!" Ryder barked inwardly, unable to voice anything outward except grunts.

He attempted to stand up and lunge at Luxy but couldn't move an inch from where he was kneeling on the ground, his hands over his head.

The emotion felt like a wave of physical weight, pressing him down against the ground like a mountain resting upon him.

"Why the hell am I even here, in an illegal fighting event!

Why was I destroying Ludlow earlier instead of searching for my abducted father!

Why does the memory of my life over the past few days feel so unreal, like a dream over which I have no control!

Luxy was using me; he was making me exhibit the character he wanted me to have. He was refashioning my whole life to his taste! I'll kill that B*STARD!!!!!

'Ryder, you have to calm down.'

Luxy, despite being outside, was still able to speak in Ryder's mind. 'I was doing all this for the best.'

'Shut your damn mouth, you son of a b*tch. I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense.'

Wham!!!!

In the ongoing battle, Luxy's legs and Leo's fist both connected, creating another explosive shock wave. There was a clear winner, just as it had been since the start of the fight—Luxy's kick overpowered Leo's punch, sending the human flying backward through the air as his hands dangled.

Leo's strength was superhuman, far beyond what any normal person could achieve, but it still could not be compared to that of a devil beast like Luxy.

"If I hadn't done all that I did, you would have gone astray, Ryder," Luxy communicated mentally, even as he physically pursued Leo across the battlefield. Leo, who had been all-powerful a moment ago, was receiving a one-sided beating from a distracted familiar who was attending to his summoner as he fought. "Whether you like it or not, you wouldn't have been able to find your father up until now!"

"What the hell are you to say! Don't tell me that—you made me feel like a fool," Ryder barked inwardly. "I hate you!!!!"

Rumble

The swirling energy in the air from where Luxy emerged struck the ground with purple lightning right between Leo and Luxy, almost hitting Leo, but he moved backward just in time.

"Oh, so you have more tricks up your sleeve," Leo pouted with a grin despite his condition. "Luxy was clearly winning the fight singlehandedly without Ryder's assistance."

"I wish," Luxy replied honestly. "That wasn't my doing... If it were, I wouldn't have missed."

Rumble

Unlike the first time when a single bolt descended to the ground, this time multiple bolts rained down in a flash, each strike leaving a smoking crater in the already damaged ground.

Both Luxy and Leo, who were charging at each other, froze in their spots, puzzled as they stared at the swirling energy above. The vortex had changed—grown lighter at its center, with sparks of orange now radiating amidst the purple energy.

Ryder's body twitched as he forced himself to his feet, his eyes radiating pure hatred.

The energy that had been swirling at a calm pace accelerated while lightning sizzled around it. The vortex began to rotate faster, condensing inward as if being pulled into itself.

Looking at the state Ryder was in, they could tell it wasn't his doing. I mean, he had been behind the creation of the swirling energy during his attempt to summon Luxy, but right now he wasn't the one altering it.

So what the hell was going on!

With each passing second, the portal compressed and condensed into a circular, thick, rotating energy wall in the air until it finally halted, having completed its transformation.

From the energy hole, which now appeared more like a portal, the color instantly turned from purple to orange—a glow that painted the ruins around them in its light. And from it...

A sharp talon emerged, slicing the air.

No, no, no!!! At that moment, a realization hit Luxy. A breach!!!

"But I'm not all that strong." Luxy was panicking inwardly, without uttering a word. "Summoning me altered the balance of gamma energy on the planet!!! Because of this, a path linking the Astral Shadow realm to planet Terra has been formed. The creature from the Astral Shadow plane will be able to enter this planet, untamed..."