The Seven Demon's Tamer

Splash!

Blood painted the air instantly as a pair of sharp claws sliced through the body of the griffin.

The beast's dying screech tore through the air as its blood sprayed. The black spray hung suspended for a fraction of a second, droplets catching the moonlight like rubies before gravity finally brought them down.

The griffin zoomed past Luxy unexpectedly and headed for Ryder with maintained motion, but Luxy sliced it into pieces with a clean, instantaneous swipe the moment it got just a few inches away from Ryder.

The monster's momentum carried its severed parts forward as chunks of flesh and feathers rained down around Ryder, who stood frozen in place, still struggling to command his body.

Luxy's speed nearly made it feel like he was in two places at the same time at that moment. One second standing puzzled as the griffin zoomed past, the next materializing between the beast and Ryder—claws extended—and then, disaster.

Even Leo was taken aback at the quickness of Luxy. His usually nonchalant face was replaced with a flash of genuine surprise.

"That's even faster than me!" Leo gasped inwardly but maintained a straight face outside. He had taught himself to never show weakness, especially not in front of potential enemies. But this... this was something else entirely.

The creature had already zoomed past Luxy, who was looking puzzled, like he was caught off guard. But suddenly, Luxy had already hopped, overtaking it even while it was still in motion, and sliced it.

Luxy sliced it with his claw that elongated instantaneously, stretching to around the length of Luxy's little limb in the blink of an eye.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Leo walked towards Luxy, whose claws were dripping with blood, retracting into him.

"I'll kill you." Ryder, still being overwhelmed by his emotions, suddenly sprinted forward with his fist readied for a punch. His voice came out as a growl, moving as if he had been able to control his body.

His eyes were covered in blood—actual blood—seemingly unaware of all that had transpired around him.

Not now. Leo swung his knuckle with his full force, knocking Ryder's head hard—so hard that Ryder's body went limp mid-strike, and he blacked out instantly.

The orange swirling energy in the air began to contrast until it eventually burst into sprinkles of glowing light, like falling fireflies. The particles danced in the air before fading away, taking with them the intense aura pressure that had filled the battlefield moments ago.

"We should get going now, don't you think?" Leo spoke to Luxy, his voice casual, as if they were old-time friends rather than enemies, standing amidst the aftermath of their battle. "Too much odd energy has already radiated out from this field during our battle, and I can assure you for sure that the FSG are already on their way now."

He glanced up at the sky, and with his incredible sight, he could see the faintest hint of approaching drones several miles away.

"Why would I come with you? We are enemies, aren't we?" Luxy responded with a smirk on his devilish bunny's face.

"Nahhh." Leo waved his hands dismissively. " I'm not interested in fighting. Not anymore."

"I was overpowering you, wasn't I?" Luxy fell to the ground, laughing hysterically. His tiny body shook and his paws clutched at his stomach, as if the very thought of their battle was the funniest joke he'd ever heard.

"Heyyyy!!" Leo retorted and turned away, crossing his hands over his chest childishly. His bottom lip pushed out in an exaggerated pout. "I was just warming up!"

Luxy's laugh only increased.

Sigh!

" I found a liking to this kiddo, and you too." Leo's voice and character instantly matured, almost like he wasn't the one acting like a kid earlier.

"I was told to report instantly the moment I find you by the FSG."

Luxy died inside instantly. He hesitated momentarily before continuing. "Have you reported?"

"Of course not," Leo replied with a scoff. I'm not the type to follow orders. "I do whatever I want."

"I already warned them beforehand though. I told them I work alone. If I cannot handle something myself, the presence of others won't make a change."

He kicked at a piece of debris, sending it skittering across the floor. "To them, you and your summoner are a threat they would rather eliminate now, while you're still... manageable." The pause before the last word hung heavy in the air.

"To me, you guys are worthy of living. It's been ages since I felt like I'm gonna lose a fight."

"Right," Luxy responded, his tone neutral. "Help me with my host, will ya?"

Leo smiled and pulled Ryder off the ground to his shoulder, hefting the young man with ease.

Despite his lean frame, Leo's strength was clear in the way he carried him without strain.

"All set!!!"

Sirens could be heard coming from all around—the air, the land, and everywhere to be mentioned. Red and blue lights painted the sky; their synchronized movement nearly made it seem like they were dancing to the wail of the siren.

Soon, a batch of summoners could be seen rushing towards the ruined field where a warehouse once stood. They moved with military precision—each step coordinated, each summoner maintaining a specific distance from their comrades.

Mo Fan was still standing on his spot, unmoving. He was standing at the exit from the maze, inches away from the surroundings of the field. His eyes were fixed on the destruction before him, his mind replaying the impossible battle he had witnessed.

"Your hand on your head, turn around." A husky voice boomed from one of the FSG high-ranking agents who noticed Mo Fan—he was the only one present on the scene.

Despite the order, Mo Fan remained unmoving, a statue carved from flesh and bone. His muscles refused to respond, locked in place by the aftereffects of exposure to raw gamma energy.

"Can you not h—"

"Captain!" A soft feminine voice intruded from the side, cutting through the tension like a knife. "He is with us."

The commander suddenly halted and turned around, staring at who spoke. It was none other than Wendy—one of the agents on patrol, and particularly the agent who reported the case.

"What do you mean by that?" Captain Morgan questioned, his bushy eyebrows furrowing together to form a single gray line across his weathered face.

Walking towards Mo Fan, Wendy grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled off a badge. The metallic emblem gleamed under the blue and red lights of the FSG trucks around, allowing Captain Morgan to see clearly under the night sky.

"He was given this badge by the FSG due to the collaboration of his guild with us," she explained, her voice calm. "He was the leader of my patrol team and he ventured out alone, intending to handle the task by himself while we went on our own to report."

"Sir," someone spoke from the horde of FSG members that had now encompassed the field. It was Rio, his tall frame and distinctive dark blue hair making him easy to spot among the uniformed masses. "I was with him as well."

The confirmation from a second agent seemed to give Captain Morgan enough clarity for now. With that, Captain Morgan calmed down and shifted his order into a question directed to Wendy. "Do you have any idea why he is not moving?"

Rio and Wendy both turned simultaneously to stare at Mo Fan before responding, their expressions mirroring each other's concern. "We have no idea, sir!"

Thud!

Mo Fan's body suddenly fell to the ground, unconscious with his eyes open. His limbs splayed out wide. His eyes, though open, seemed vacant—staring into infinity.

"Call forth the medical team to attend to him immediately," Captain Morgan barked, his voice carrying no room for hesitation.

"Sir!" Rio and Wendy responded before their footsteps hurried away.

Staring at the field, all the FSG agents were walking around, confused and aimless.

"Anyone found something?" Captain Morgan's husky voice boomed, echoing across the ruins. His patience was thinning—headquarters would want answers, and soon.

No, sir! They all responded back simultaneously, causing the captain to lean backward, puzzled.

Sir! An agent called out. "There are multiple craters on the floor and debris swept to the side. There clearly was a fight going on here."

"There are footprints at the middle of the field," another of the agents said. "But no one leads out of the field, so we can't tell where the culprit went!"

The absence of exit tracks was troubling. It suggested either flight—unlikely, given the lack of an airborne trail of residual aura his familiar should have sensed—or teleportation, which was a rare affinity.

Fight, huh? Captain Morgan muttered. "How about blood stains? Can you find any?"

Upon hearing that, someone from the horde made a symbol with his fingers, and red mist began to flow out from his left arm, materializing into a hound dog beast.

Sniff sniff.

That was all it took for it to detect the direction of blood in the field—just two sniffs in the air. Its head jerked up, ears perked forward, then it ran off.

The summoner placed two of his outstretched fingers on his head for a brief moment and closed his eyes until he was able to translate his familiar's communication.

"There are a few fresh blood stains around, sir."

Commander Morgan smiled. "Very good. Bring the evidence. Hurry!"

With that, the familiar returned, turned its head left and right, then ran off toward the pile of debris scattered at the side of the field.

Bring all the evidence to his summoner, was the hound familiar's task.

"Sir!" another agent called out, a small bird hovering above his head—presumably his familiar. "My beast has detected energy readings of two orange-marked familiars, one red mark, and one more..." The agent paused, swallowing hard before finishing, "...surpassing a red mark."

Captain Morgan's expression darkened, his bushy eyebrows drawing together in a severe line. "The Demon Plain contractor was here," he stated flatly, the words falling like stones tossed into deep water. "Inform Commander Lucian immediately!!"