The Seven Demon's Tamer

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

Yes, Leo had been acting strange and staring at the sky with a distant gaze, like he could see something far away they couldn't. His enhanced perception had been picking up disturbances that were invisible to their normal senses.

Eventually, he had explained he could see gamma energy from a far distance away, assuring them something big was happening, but they were too occupied with a different trouble to head towards the origin of the gamma energy.

Who would have thought that commotion was happening here, at what should have been their abode?

Ryder also wasn't clueless because he remembered feeling a particular sharp pain, which he could now translate to Luxy being in danger.

It had been a sudden, piercing sensation that had cut through, beyond physical pain—a clear sign that something was seriously wrong with Luxy who was at this apartment.

The sudden pain that made him call Luxy back to him had been more urgent than he'd initially realized.

"Luxy was at your apartment," Ryder said slowly, the implications becoming clear to him. "So if he was hurt, that's clear evidence that something big was definitely going on because... Luxy isn't weak; he is literally the strongest in the modern age... The incident at the FSG base is enough evidence that he is the familiar with the strongest energy reading."

Without even questioning, Luxy could already read Ryder's mind and concern, and so he exited Ryder's body as a projection this time around, rather than manifesting his full physical form.

Brok and Leo both stared at Luxy with piqued interest. They also remembered Luxy was left in the apartment so he must have been there while it all happened.

"Well, well," Luxy drawled, stretching in his body before he continued. "Miss me already? Though I suppose given the circumstances..."

"Why didn't you stop it?" was the first question Brok asked as he stared at Luxy, his voice almost carrying accusation. "You are plenty strong; you should have been capable of preventing this."

Luxy's ears twitched in irritation.

"Hey, hold it," Luxy spoke as he levitated to ground level and settled into a relaxed position. "I was attacked, not the other way around."

"To be more appropriate, the apartment itself was attacked by the FSG with the intention of taking care of Ryder. They weren't exactly subtle about it either."

They all quietly listened to the explanation while Luxy continued, seeming to enjoy having their full attention.

"I was in the sitting room behind the curtains, just minding my own business after... maybe knocking a few things over—you know how it is when you're lonely and bored," Luxy began, his tone conversational despite the seriousness of the matter.

"You were knocking a few things over," Leo fired with a burning gaze, looking as if he would attack Luxy that instant.

"Relax, dammit!" Luxy fired back. "Have you lost your interest in listening to what I have to say?"

"Humph!" Leo turned away in irritation, allowing Luxy to proceed.

"While succumbing to boredom, suddenly, the whole place gets swarmed. About fifty of them, all armed and acting like they owned the place. They were FSG members."

Brok and Leo collectively gasped while Ryder only raised his eyebrows. His emotions were improving pretty well as he could feel some certain emotions completely now, while the others partially.

"About fifty!" Ryder repeated, his tone carrying something resembling puzzlement. "I thought it was only Lucian and the other lady!"

Luxy shook his head and corrected, "There were around fifty, give or take a few. Hard to get an exact count when they're all trying to surround you at once."

"Lucian and the lady were definitely the leaders," Luxy clarified, shifting his position to get more comfortable.

"But despite being plenty strong, they brought an entire squad with them. Guess they really wanted to make sure they got you this time... Most likely dead."

"However, you never got to see the squad members though, because they all scurried away after I trashed their asses."

"Lucian and his comrade were in the process of searching the apartment for Leo when they found me." Luxy paused for a moment, moving his gaze to the ground before uttering the next statement with less casual pride.

"I kinda... killed a lady trying to harass me!"

"What!" Ryder barked, his emotional control cracking for a moment. The idea of Luxy killing someone—anyone—sent a chill through him that had nothing to do with the evening air.

But Brok and Leo seemed unfazed by what Luxy had uttered, their expressions more thoughtful than shocked.

"Don't you dare feel bad!" Leo spoke firmly, stepping closer to Ryder. "I kill for valid reasons, remember? So that also means I will accept killing from others if there is a reasonable excuse. You should too."

"They came to my apartment with ill intent, which was most likely to kill me and you—that I definitely know because I've been on their enemy's side for a while now," Leo continued.

"I have actually been on various guilds' and associations' bad side for decades, and no one would mind if I died; in fact, many of them would be overjoyed, and you are just like me. So cheer up."

Placing an arm on Ryder's shoulder, Leo added with the evidence of experience behind his words, "They would have killed me if I were found, and would have tried to kill you too.

"A group that could cause such a troublesome aura definitely isn't an arrest squad or some sort—this was an execution squad."

"Kill whoever wants to kill you, Ryder."

Ryder gazed up at Leo, who had the expression of a lecturer who had given his most important lesson, then killed the vibe with his flat response.

"I've always known that..."

"But she never made a clear attempt to attack me or you directly. At least, not that I saw."

"But she did to me!" Luxy interjected, with his arms stretched upwards, waving them like a little child trying to answer a question in class. "This is my story, not yours, dammit!"

"They were making hostile attempts towards me. Remember I mentioned she was harassing me? She stroked my fur without my permission!"

Brok blinked. "That's... that's what you consider harassment?"

"Hey!" Luxy protested. "How would you like it if some stranger just walked up and started touching you without asking? Especially when that stranger is part of a group that's there to kill your summoner?"

"Plus," Luxy added with his voice growing darker, "very creepy, very hostile, and definitely not something you do to a familiar you're not planning to fight."

"Oh, back to the story," Luxy continued, settling back to the ground. "They eventually summoned out their familiars, all fifty summoners. That created the thick gamma energy Leo must have sensed from the village."

Leo nodded grimly. "I guessed as much. The energy presence was massive—too large and too coordinated to be random."

"I knew it could either be a single incredibly strong familiar being summoned, or a horde of red-marked familiars. Given what we know about Lucian's resources and connections, the latter seemed more likely."

"The fact that Lucian is an FSG member could also mean his comrades are FSG as well, making them all red-marked summoners," Leo continued, explaining his mind's analysis.

"Not like they would bring weak summoners to attempt to kill the legendary summoner slayer and the black-marked summoner as well."

"Now everything seems to align," Leo spoke with approval, nodding his head. "This wasn't a random encounter or even a standard manhunt. But still, Lucian must be so stupid to ever think he would win.

"It's hard to believe vengeance could blind someone so much."

Luxy continued, bringing back their attention, "Obviously, the FSG members weren't effective against me, and they noticed, so they all retreated pretty quickly once they realized what they were dealing with."

"But here's the thing—the FSG members weren't the real problem," Luxy's tone grew more serious. "The true threat that caused everything wasn't the FSG members... It was the lady accompanying Lucian."

"Her name is Mia, and she has a familiar called Daoka the Crimson Monarch," Luxy continued, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "Now those two... They are the real threats."