The Seven Demon's Tamer

Honestly, Leo never expected that things would go so smoothly. Seeing the unsettling amount of gamma energy in the atmosphere of the village and the incoming wave from a distance, he had a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

Leo analyzed the destruction around them, noting how the ground had become a mixture of mud and black blood. Buildings lay in various states of collapse—some partially crumbled, while others were reduced to nothing.

The village would never be the same again; that much was certain.

Whatever would have emerged from the portal clearly would have caused them quite some trouble, even though they wouldn't have been exactly the ones in danger. The villagers—simple folk with no means to defend themselves against such otherworldly horrors—especially since there weren't powerful summoners among them.

If Master Sung hadn't been around or on their side, a lot more casualties would have been suffered while handling the beasts from the breach, given their number. Even with Master Sung's lightning and flame manipulation, along with his guild members' efforts, there were still a few deaths—but few enough to be counted on one hand.

"The Red Eastern Guild really knows their stuff," Ryder said almost reluctantly, not wanting to sound like he was dying to join the guild. "Though I'd rather die than tell that smug Mo Fan."

Leo chuckled and patted Ryder on his shoulder, saying nothing.

Most of the villagers had been placed in an artificial space created by the affinity of one of Fan's familiars—a pocket dimension that deprived its occupants of the real world, where they could remain safe until the danger had passed.

With everything going smoothly, Leo was honestly relieved. Killing wasn't something new to him because he'd done it a couple of times, but only with a valid reason. He didn't kill for fun. Actually—even when it seemed like it—there was always a reason behind it many might not realize.

Leo flexed his hand, retreating his life energy back to its core—a green glow visible only to his enhanced perception. The manipulation had become second nature to him now, after years of practice and meditation.

Life energy was his one advantage in this world filled with summoners, where familiar owners reigned supreme.

"What do you think is taking so long?" Mara asked, her voice small but steady.

Leo turned to stare at her, remembering—she hadn't panicked during the battle, hadn't frozen in terror like many untrained individuals would have. That was a promising characteristic of a worthy summoner.

"The monarch," Leo replied simply, gazing up at the breach that still hung in the sky like a malicious eye. "It's holding the portal open."

Leo tapped his temple with one finger. "I can see the energy patterns. Something big is still up there, taking its time."

"It's been long enough," Leo finally called out to the breach, impatient to spill the final blood and end the whole disaster. "Get the hell out, will ya?"

It was almost as if the portal responded to Leo's call, and suddenly it began to crackle violently with streaks of orange lightning.

"Everyone, take defensive positions!" Mo Fan said audibly to everyone, his voice cutting through the crackling energy in the air. His guild members immediately spread out, summoning their familiars or preparing their own techniques.

Mo Fan, standing closest to the guild master, stared daggers in Ryder's direction as his blood orc familiar materialized beside him in a swirl of crimson mist. "Watch how a real summoner handles things."

Ryder could only wonder what gave Mo Fan so much confidence even after knowing he didn't stand a chance if they were to battle. Could it perhaps be because of the presence of their guild leader?

It took a short while before the rat monarch emerged, descending like a meteor strike. The rat—an untamed familiar monarch—bloodlust clear in its eyes, moved toward the ground with a bone-chilling screech that announced danger.

BANG

The impact was tremendous. As it collided with the ground, the earth trembled violently. Dust and debris exploded outward in a wave, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

Despite its terrifying entrance, the energy reading Leo could sense from it disappointed him—he could tell the creature wasn't all that strong. The dust hadn't even settled yet for its appearance to be visible, but he probably could solo it if given the chance.

As it hit the ground—despite the shockwave that resonated through the horizon—the expression on Master Sung's face contorted in disinterest.

As the dust settled, the monarch came into full view. Unlike the others, this one was particularly massive—around the size of an elephant—while the others were just the size of wolves.

It had three sinewy tails, positioned like a scorpion's would be, and its fur was midnight black, its bloodshot red eyes gleaming with malevolence and bloodlust.

Despite the shockwave that had resonated through the horizon, the expression on Master Sung's face remained one of disinterest. He seemed almost bored by the appearance of this final challenger, as though expecting something far more impressive to cap off the breach.

"Mo Fan," Master Sung called out, his voice level. "Your familiar seems eager. Would you like to handle this?"

"It would be my honor, Master Sung." He turned to his blood orc familiar. "Let's show them the power of the Red Eastern Guild."

The rat monarch let out another shriek. It seemed to be observing its opponents—its beady red eyes scanning the assembled group—until they locked on Mo Fan's orc familiar, sensing the bloodlust.

"It's intelligent," Leo observed quietly to Ryder. "It knows who is going to attack already."

Ryder nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Makes sense. It's a monarch, after all. Probably controls the lesser beasts."

Mo Fan simply signaled toward his blood orc with a small head gesture, and it charged at the rat with its arms glowing black as it gathered the blood from the ground and condensed it into a hard shell around its fist.

The rat monarch, sensing the threat, readied itself—revealing rows of jagged teeth that looked capable of ripping metal apart. It let out a challenging roar, its tails arching high above its head.

For a moment, Mara thought the rat might actually have a chance. Its size and obvious aggression would make most assume it was a formidable opponent—at least at first glance. But then she saw the orc's fist blur with speed, moving faster than seemed possible for such a bulky creature.

WHAM

The impact was devastating—a perfect execution. More black blood splattered all over the ground as the rat monarch's head burst like overripe fruit, reduced to mush by just a single punch from the orc.

The sound was sickening—a wet crunch followed by the splatter of blood against the already blood-soaked earth.

It took a brief moment, but then a thud resonated as the rat monarch beast's body collided with the ground.

Its massive form lay motionless, the three tails that had moments ago whipped through the air with deadly intent now limp and lifeless. It didn't even get a chance to strike.

"And that," he declared proudly, "is how it's done."

It was clear that the monarch had been the creature holding back the breach's closure. Only a couple of seconds after the rat monarch fell, the portal began to contract—the edges pulling inward like the closing of a massive eye.

The crackling energy diminished, the orange lightning fading until eventually, the breach ceased to exist with a final burst of light.

It was finally over.

Meanwhile, Mia and her familiar Daoka were still chasing after the black mist heading toward the village. They were hard on its track, unwavering, until suddenly a smell hit their noses—one they were very familiar with: the smell of blood.

It wasn't just any blood, but the blood of beasts. The smell was so thick and so unusual, it clearly wasn't from just one or a few of them—but a whole horde.

It was like a massacre of familiars had taken place nearby—but how… and why?

Mia instinctively slowed down, as did Daoka on his own will and not on Mia's command. Their synchronized movements almost made it seem as though they shared one mind.

"Something's wrong," Mia murmured, her keen eyes scanning the horizon, utterly shocked. "This isn't right."

Just at that brief moment when they slowed down, the black mist they'd been pursuing zoomed past their field of view and into the village, disappearing.

"No!" Mia cried out, frustration in her voice. "We almost had it!"

She was about to rush forward again when a figure finally reached them, breathing heavily from exertion. Lucian, who had been far behind, finally caught up.

"What happened?" he demanded between gasps for air. "Why did you stop? Have you killed it so soon?"

But then he instinctively sniffed and realized it for himself. The smell of blood. His expression darkened immediately, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

"The demon plane contractor has done something again!" His fists clenched tighter, knuckles turning white due to how much strength he was using. "While we were busy fighting his familiar, he was busy causing bloodshed."

Lucian's eyes blazed with fury, consumed by vengeance. "He just keeps causing havoc every single day we leave him alive."

Mia placed a calming hand on his arm, though her own expression was grim. "We don't know for sure it's him, Lucian."

"Who else could it be?" he snapped, shaking off her touch. "That level of destruction—that much blood—it has to be Ryder and that silver-eyed summoner slayer he has on his side."

Mia didn't argue further.

"Let's hurry up," Lucian urged, his breathing finally under control. "Maybe we still have a chance. You can have Daoka handle the devil-viper bunny, while you face Ryder."

Mia nodded with firm resolve. She turned to her familiar, who was standing right next to her.

Joining both of his hands to make a symbol, Lucian said, "I'll send both of my familiars to give you assistance and strike at every opening they spot."

Shadows wrapped around all three of them—Mia, Lucian, and Daoka himself—tendrils of darkness that seemed to overpower all light. The shadows consumed them out of existence from the spot where they stood, erasing them from reality for a brief moment.

Then, just as suddenly, the shadows brought them back—depositing them right before a group of individuals in the distance, but inside the village.

This was one of the powers of the shadow affinity Daoka possessed—the ability to travel through shadows as they had just done.

As long as there were shadows around, Daoka could simply exchange himself or other objects at will with the shadow. In other words, he could use the shadow as a door linking two different locations instantaneously.

Being a crimson monarch with shadow affinity, his control over shadow manipulation was beyond average; it was at the peak. He could sense shadows from vast distances, and he had sensed the shadows of this particular group of individuals from the place where he, Mia, and Lucian had been.

As surprising as it may seem, Lucian recognized most of them. Not just Lucian, but Mia as well—especially Master Sung.

"Master Sung! Mo Fan!" Lucian called out, utterly shocked, before his gaze shifted.

His eyes moved again to the others he recognized until eventually he saw two particular odd-looking creatures.

"Leo and Ryder," he growled out. "So you are here causing more havoc, huh? I guess you haven't done enough."

Leo dramatically smacked his wrist over his forehead in an exaggerated manner. "Oh, havoc? We are only just beginning," he declared with mock seriousness.

"Please, hero, come save the people." His voice increased with craziness as he added, "Save them from us—we are the bad guys."

Ryder simply chuckled at Leo's dramatic display, seemingly unfazed, before staring at the marking on his shoulder.

"Every single day, the reason for me to kill you multiplies—both of you."

"I guess today," Master Sung finally intruded, his calm voice cutting through the tension as he declared, "you won't have a reason henceforth."