The Seven Demon's Tamer

"The uniquely named Summoner Slayer," Ryder mused aloud, his mind working through the bombshell. "Does that mean you were actually a killer? Like, professionally?"

"Yes, I was," Leo responded, his playful character diminishing again.

There was no pride in the admission, no shame either. Just the simple acknowledgment of a truth he'd carried for over a century.

Brok stole a quick glance then quickly turned away, hoping it wasn't noticed, but he was caught red-handed by Leo who wasn't even staring at him.

Those enhanced silver eyes missed nothing, a fact Brok was beginning to find both impressive and unsettling at the same time.

"Worry not, big guy," Leo spoke with a slight grin, though there was understanding in his tone. "Don't worry, I'm not going to suddenly develop a taste for friends' blood or anything dramatic like that."

Brok attempted a nervous laugh that came out more like a strangled cough. "Right, of course not. It's just... you know... 'slayer' is not what I had assumed it to be."

"I thought you were being referred to with that name just to seem flashy, I never thought it was so real."

"You see, I'm from the underworld and none of the people I've known have been able to make a big killer name like that for themselves," Brok explained with rapid words as he scratched his head nervously. "None are as popular either."

Leo burst into laughter upon hearing Brok go on, however, this wasn't the usual playful laughter... This was quite mature. A part of Leo that Brok really wanted to stop seeing.

Lucky for him, Ryder had spoken to divert Leo's attention, sparing him from awkwardness.

"If you were a killer, why were you feeling worried about the portal from earlier hurting the villagers?" Ryder pressed, his mind working through the clear contradictions between what Leo claimed and how he behaved.

"Why were you worried about the lives of the villagers? Your reaction when that old woman died—that wasn't the response of someone who's comfortable with death."

Leo remained silent for a while, like he was hesitating and carefully selecting his next words. The weight of years of experiences pressed down on him—memories of fights he'd rather forget rushing back, of necessary kills that he had to make.

"Because I am not actually the kind of killer I am assumed to be," he finally said, his voice quieter than usual.

Brok perked up, sensing there was more to the story. Despite his nervous comment earlier, he was genuinely curious to know more about Leo. "What do you mean?"

"You see, 'Summoner Slayer' isn't actually the right word to describe me," Leo explained, his pace slowing as they walked. "To be more appropriate, I should have been referred to as 'Familiar Slayer' because that's what I specialize in exterminating."

"Most of the time, summoners do not attack me directly but they use their familiars, and so I mostly kill familiars."

He paused, watching a bird circle overhead for fleeting moments. "You have to understand, back in my day, there were a lot more... let's call them 'problematic' summoners around.

People who used their familiars to terrorize others, to settle personal scores, to commit crimes and most importantly, mess with me because they thought they could get away with it due to them having powerful familiars."

"The authorities were often either corrupt, too weak, or simply didn't care about what happened to ordinary people. So someone had to step in."

Ryder found himself trying to picture Leo's past in his head. "So you were like... a vigilante?"

"I suppose that's one way to put it," Leo chuckled, though it wasn't really with amusement this time. "Though I never saw myself as some noble hero. I just... couldn't stand watching innocent people suffer when I had the power to stop it."

"I know what it is like to feel bullied. After all, I am a blind man that can barely see objects with my natural sight and at a point in time, I was blind and still hadn't unlocked the Silver Gaze."

"There are only a few times I have killed summoners," he continued, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "And every single time, it was because they left me no choice."

"I carefully select the reason I kill, ensuring there is a valid reason for it. I don't take lives lightly—never have, never will."

Brok nodded slowly, beginning to understand. "So when their familiars were defeated..."

"You see, some summoners who can't control their emotions become enraged after they lose their familiars to me, instead of feeling fear," Leo explained. "They attack me with the intention to kill, and that's why they ended up dying by my hand."

"It's always self-defense?" Ryder asked.

"Always," Leo confirmed firmly. "I may have killed familiars for what I would call justice, but I've never killed a human being who didn't try to kill me first or kill others. That's a line I've never crossed and never will."

"I believe you can testify, Ryder, I tried to kill you only because you had caused so much destruction and was seen as a potential danger to the life of ordinary folks."

Pointing forward, Leo questioned despite the absurdity of the situation he was seeing.

"Where is my house!"

It was supposed to become a comical question but Brok and Ryder couldn't seem to laugh. The scene before them was too unsettling for laughter.

"I think you should be shedding tears, Leo, not acting surprised," Brok spoke, sniffing in place of Leo.

The area where Leo's apartment was previously stationed was completely deserted.

For several yards there were no buildings, just a plain leveled land that seemed surprising and impossible. It wasn't just that the building was gone—it was as if it had never existed at all. The ground was smooth, unmarked, with not even rubble or debris to indicate that anything had ever stood there.

"It was here a while ago and now it's no more. What the hell happened?" Leo muttered, walking to where his front door should have been. "There were no violent explosions of some sort; the battle we were fighting earlier clearly caused more scene and noise than whatever transpired here."

Ryder knelt down and touched the ground where Leo's sitting room should have been. The earth was unnaturally leveled, something definitely went on here.

"Everything seemed so surprising. Everything," Brok spoke again. He'd grown fond of Leo's cozy apartment during their brief stay.

Everyone was lost except Leo, who suddenly straightened up with a look of grim understanding crossing his features. "Now I know where the aura was coming from."

Ryder and Brok both turned to listen as Leo faced them, his expression serious. "Remember the heavy wave of gamma energy that caused the portal, the one I've been telling you about since the start?"

Like a light bulb, the realization flashed in both Brok and Ryder's minds. The pieces of the puzzle were finally clicking into place.