The Seven Demon's Tamer

Despite how Ryder continuously repeated to Hollow that he was not interested in his words, Hollow still paid no attention.

What Hollow was saying was quite interesting after all, so Ryder decided to listen to most of it while repeating his intent.

'So I am the only vessel that has appeared since forever who can hold in a demon monarch,' Ryder thought, it was quite surprising. Was this why he'd always felt different? Why he'd never quite fit in with his peers back on Terra?

The only person he managed to hold brief conversations with once in a while was Mara, Dr. Hamm's daughter.

Ryder never knew much about how markings worked until he got to this world. The briefing he had received from the Gloomy Guses felt laughably inadequate now.

From the looks of things, it was very rare for a human to be able to contract a familiar from the demon plane. The demon monarch was even the hardest—practically impossible.

None among all of the demon monarchs had ever contracted a host. Every human they had ever marked was unsuccessful.

Only a handful of humans for the past millennium could bear their mark and survive. Even if they did manage to endure a mark from a demon monarch, the next phase—passing their trial—would be impossible.

Their trials were legendary for their difficulty—like trying to solve a Rubik's cube while blindfolded, underwater, and being pursued by flesh-eating fish.

Seeing that the trials were always too hard for humans to handle, they decided to cancel the trials they had placed in store for the humans and made the contraction process straightforward and direct. Get marked, visit the astral shadow plane and bind with familiar—easy.

It should have been easier. It should have worked.

It didn't.

Despite the brevity of the contraction process and the ease, there was still a decline in the human body and soul. It just was not strong enough to contain the beasts from this plane.

Human souls—it still wasn't possible. Best case scenario, the binding process starts and about three seconds into it, everything falls apart.

The moment a demon made a contract with a human and then tried to bind and form a marking on the host's body, like Luxy had done to Ryder, success was never attained.

The human soul would instantly explode and dissipate into nothing, killing the human in the process.

Hollow had witnessed this phenomenon firsthand more times than he cared to count. The disappointment had been crushing each time—to finally find a potential vessel, only to watch them literally burst into particles during the binding.

"I have been watching you, Ryder," Hollow continued, his voice resonating throughout the expanse. "Ever since I noticed that Luxy was able to bind with you successfully, I had proof that you were special. You are special enough to hold a devil, which is not an every-millennium occurrence."

"How long exactly have you been watching me?" Ryder asked, not sure if he wanted the answer, but still, he asked.

Hollow's facial expression upon hearing the question twisted into a terrifying smile again. "Since the moment you set foot in the Astral Shadow Plane. Your arrival notified me instantly—it's something that we monarchs could sense."

"The astral shadow plane itself recognized you as an anomaly," Hollow explained, clearly enjoying what he was saying right now.

"I wasn't quite sure if you would be able to hold a monarch in," Hollow continued, settling back on his bone throne like a cat with a dominant pose. "But then I asked myself—would the Dracogon make a big deal out of false information?"

"No," Hollow replied to himself in a resigned tone, his crimson eyes gleaming dangerously as they stared at Ryder. "No, he wouldn't. I can trust the Dracogon's word, even though he isn't exactly... an ally."

"What exactly is your relationship with the Dracogon?" Ryder asked, curiosity overriding his caution.

Hollow's laugh echoed across the soul realm's expanse as he heard the question. "Relationship? We are competitors, kings of our respective domains.

I've made it clear the relationship between monarchs is not the friendly type. We respect each other's power while simultaneously seeking opportunities to gain advantage over the other.

"Again, the Dracogon trusts that you will be able to make a successful contract with him," Hollow continued. "So then, who am I to doubt that I could do the same? I don't know the full extent of the Dracogon's power—no one does, really—but I know I am not stronger than he is."

Ryder remained quiet on the outside, but inside screamed otherwise. His inner monologue was currently running at approximately the speed of a freight train.

"Wait," Ryder said, processing this information. "You're admitting the Dracogon is stronger than you?"

"I am admitting that comparison of power between demon monarchs is... complex," Hollow said through his gritted teeth. "The Dracogon may have certain advantages. Age, experience, and a great historical past."

The bone throne creaked again as Hollow leaned forward, his crimson eyes narrowing. "But power isn't entirely about raw strength, young human. Though, we all are anomalies when it comes to strength. That is why no soul can endure us."

"How different do you think I am? How special do you estimate me to be?" Ryder protested angrily, his voice rising. "What if I had been killed by you as you forced your way into my soul? What if this whole 'special vessel' theory is wrong and I just got lucky with Luxy?"

Hollow tilted his head downward, his crimson eyes gleaming under the dim red light of the soul realm like red rubies reflecting flame.

"You are special enough to hold a demon monarch without your soul collapsing into fragments," Hollow said.

"That much is clear to both of us. What I do not know is your upper limit—how many of us you could potentially contain, or what other unique properties your soul might possess."

"And what I do know is that you are delaying the inevitable. I'll bind with you no matter what."

"I was quite intrigued with the thought of knowing how much your soul can handle, but unfortunately, I won't. You will die if we try to discover it."

"For that reason, Luxy won't be coming back in," Hollow declared with finality. "I ejected him to prevent disturbance from a little peasant like him in our contraction process, and I have no intention of allowing him to return.

You shouldn't want him back either—I am several ranks above him and superior in every conceivable aspect."

"Ha ha, very funny," Ryder laughed dryly, his voice carrying more anger than amusement. "You're not the one who gets to make my decisions. I'll decide for myself, and I want Luxy back.

He saved my life, he's been honest with me, and he didn't force his way into my soul without permission."

A malicious laugh echoed through the area from Hollow's throat as he squinted his eyes.

"You think you are in a position to make demands, do you, little human?" Hollow's voice carried amusement as he spoke. "No other entity will be binding with your soul space—not even the Dracogon if I'm inclined to that."

"You already have me as your familiar," Hollow continued, "so that should be sufficient for your needs. I am more than capable of transporting you out of this realm whenever you wish, and that service I shall provide—once we finalize our arrangement, of course."

Ryder wanted to speak but quickly held back his words, swallowing his immediate response. Something felt off about Hollow's confident declaration.

If the demon monarch truly had complete control of the situation, why was he bothering with all this conversation? Why not just force the contract immediately?

For a tense moment, he and Hollow stared at each other with locked gazes, neither breaking eye contact.

While Ryder was bracing himself for the possibility of being forcibly ejected from the realm, he realized something that made him suppress a grin.

Hollow wasn't making any immediate moves. He was simply staring, talking, explaining, justifying. If the demon monarch truly had the power to force a contract and teleport Ryder away without consequence, he would have done it without wasting time on conversation.

The delay could only mean one thing—there was some kind of restriction preventing Hollow from doing it.

Ryder stood up straighter, relief flowing through him.

"You can teleport me away whenever you want, can you?" he asked neutrally. "So why the delay? Why all the talking and explaining?"

"You can teleport me away, can you? So why the delay?"

"You are just as perceptive as I expected," Hollow replied. "You see, Ryder, I did not bind myself with your soul through the proper channels. I simply forced my way through, like... let's say I kicked down your front door and made myself comfortable in your living room until you kick me out."

"If I were to teleport you away from this realm," Hollow continued, his voice taking on a tone of reluctant honesty, "I would not be able to accompany you because we haven't bound.

I would be left behind, stuck in this realm, while you returned to your world with no way for me to follow or maintain our connection."

'Heh, so even mighty monarchs have their limitations,' Ryder thought inwardly.

"So, what now?" Ryder questioned, unable to keep a slight smirk from creeping across his face.

"You already know, don't you?" Hollow's tone was patient and calm, with his gaze fixed. "You are to allow me to bind with your soul properly. Grant me permission, and we can both get what we want."

"No!" Ryder spoke sharply, his voice echoing across the endless expanse. The feeling he got from rejecting the offer of a demon monarch sent butterflies dancing in his stomach.

"Ryder," Hollow said, "should I tell you a secret? Something that might help you understand this current situation?"

The demon monarch leaned forward on his bone throne, the structure creaking under his weight. "The only reason you are still breathing, and your body is still in one piece, is because I recognize you as a vessel—specifically, as my vessel."

"You know where this is leading, don't you, Ryder?" Hollow's voice carried on. "If I determine that you serve no useful purpose, I will not merely kill you. I will ensure that your death is... educational.

A punishment for wasting the valuable time of a monarch. Your suffering will serve as a lesson to you in case you ever get born again."

"So make your choice now and choose wisely," Hollow concluded.

"This creature has barely any aura radiating from his body," Ryder observed with fear coursing through his veins, "and yet the intimidation from it is off the charts."

"Hollow," Ryder began, his voice steadier than he felt, "do you really think you can afford to kill me? I mean, really stop and think about it for a moment."

He took a deep breath. "Throughout your lifetime—which has probably spanned countless millennia, am I right?—how many times have you encountered a human who managed to demonstrate the potential to withstand even a regular demon in their soul?"

Ryder began to raise his voice, beginning to pace back and forth. "How many humans have you seen who could withstand a monarch in their soul? I'm guessing the answer is 'very few.'

"Would you really take the risk of killing me?" Ryder continued, pressing his advantage. "A human who can not only withstand a demon but can potentially withstand several demon monarchs? Someone who might be the key to solving a problem that has frustrated your kind for millennia?"

He stopped pacing and faced Hollow directly, meeting those burning crimson eyes with as much courage as he could muster.

"Tell me honestly, Hollow—would you be able to bring yourself to destroy a golden vessel like myself? Would you be able to live with the knowledge that you threw away possibly the greatest opportunity your kind has ever had?"

Hollow, for the first time in their entire conversation, fell completely silent. The demon monarch sat back on his throne, his head tilted downward in what appeared to be contemplation.

The silence stretched on, heavy with the possibility of Ryder winning the conversation.

Suddenly then, cutting through the tension like a blade through silk...

*Vwoom!*

A sudden, powerful gust of wind swept across the surface of their entire vicinity outside, and somehow, they also felt it in the soul space.

It traveled with such tremendous force that even Hollow, sitting on his bone throne, recognized the power behind it.

"Speaking of worst-case scenarios..." Hollow muttered, his voice carrying a serious quality devoid of all the pride he had been emanating.

The demon monarch Dracogon had arrived.