Vwoom. A sudden appearance of a foreign energy was felt. Like a powerful gust of wind traveling through the air, it flung the hooded figures away violently. Crash! The wall that they all went smashing against crumbled, while they coughed up blood. The ancient stone wall, which had withstood centuries and maintained its shape, gave way like wet paper beneath the force of their bodies. Dust and debris filled the air, creating a hazy cloud that carried the smell of dust. There was actually no force in reality, but the Gloomy Guses could guess why such a thing had happened to them. The presence of a stronger familiar just appeared. Kyle, his vision still swimming from the impact, watched as tiny cracks spread across the floor of the conjuring room like veins. The ancient runes etched into the stone floor glowed, pulsing with light—as if the very magic holding the room together was straining against something it had never encountered before. They were most certain that it was the pr

"I noticed their summoning beast was trying to escape from their body and run away from their sight, not just because of my presence, but because of a presence that leaked out from the Astral Shadow Plain.""Due to the level of fear they were experiencing, they abandoned the safety of their host and hurt them in an attempt to escape.""I never directly caused any harm to Lucas or Kyle; I believe they can testify to that."Ryder explained. The aura burning through the plain were he came out from was terrifying indeed, even for Luxy who is a devil beast as well. It was demon monarchs fighting, not just any random creature.Upon hearing what Ryder had to say, she turned towards the duo.They had a clue about what Ryder said, but never knew it would get to this extent.With a slow nod, they approved.Now, turning towards Ryder, the entire interrogation was coming to an end.Now I would like to confirm: did you truly contract a beast from the demon plain?"Yes," Ryder gave a flat answer.

*Flip. Flip. Flip.* Dwang Sung, the leader of the Red-Easter guild himself, flipped through the pages of the newly printed newspaper, sipping the coffee from the cup in his right hand. "Is that so... Someone successfully contracted a beast from the demon plain." "Y... Yes... Mm... Master Sung." His personal servant, who had brought the newspaper to him, remained in his bowed position as he spoke. Ming Fan had served the master for over a decade, even since before he created the Red-Eastern guild, yet master Sung's presence still made his knees weak and his voice tremble. There was something about being in the same room as a man who contracted with four red-marked familiars that made even the most hotheaded men tremble. "And his simmon is?" Dwang Sung asked, taking another sip of his coffee. The newspaper now lay flat on his lap after he dropped it, the headline screaming up at him in bold letters: "DEMON PLAIN CONTRACTOR DEVASTATES FSG BASE." "His simmon is still

Ryder was quite surprised at the situation unfolding right before his eyes.He knew there was something up right from the time he got into the room. The muscular size and strong presence of the disguised workers made him already know that he might be having a problem.Furthermore, he was most certain of the fact that they were all interested in him from the moment he noticed their piercing gaze on him.It was like being watched by a pack of wolves who thought they were being subtle.Every time he glanced up to stare around, at least three pairs of eyes would quickly look away, busying themselves with random tasks that seemed comically out of place.One particularly large man with scars peeking from beneath his rolled-up sleeves was delicately arranging chopsticks with the precision of someone disarming a bomb.He never expected this situation he had found himself in as the outcome of being unable to pay for his meal. But before attending to all the workers there, Ryder couldn't get so

The piercing wail of FSG van sirens cut through the heavy afternoon air, along with the continuous, windy noise from the flapping wings of various familiars. The cries and roar of familiars and sirens echoed across what had once been the busy eastern district of Ludlow. The district where various shops and busy street markets had stood just hours before now contained only an area filled with rubble—a wasteland of shattered concrete and twisted metal. Commander Lucian stepped out of the lead vehicle, his boots crunching on debris all around. The smell of smoke, along with something else—something he'd come to recognize from too many scenes like this—hung in the air. There was also the unmistakable scent of spent magical energy—the remaining trace of gamma energy that had been unleashed through an affinity for fire. "Spread out, fifteen-meter intervals. Our priority is survival of the survivors, and evidence accumulation," Lucian ordered, his voice carrying the authority that came wi