The Seven Demon's Tamer

Chapter 4

Ryder, the Dracogon just sent a message to you." Luxy suddenly spoke.

Ryder, who had just calmed down from the panic of losing Luxy, suddenly felt panic rise in him once again.

He didn't know why, but he was feeling intimidated by the mention of the Dracogon.

Although he was aware that this Dracogon was the ruler of all the devils and demons within his field of view, that wasn't enough to make him dread this much.

Could it be the tone of Luxy's voice? He wondered but then spoke.

"What was the message? What did he send to you?"

Luxy paused for a brief moment before responding. "It is your test. He said your test is beginning."

The moment Luxy said that, all the beasts that had been previously minding their business and doing their thing turned to glare at Ryder.

His heart skipped a beat as he stared back.

Even Luxy was quite puzzled at this. If Ryder were just an ordinary human, he would have attracted the attention of the beasts the moment he entered a certain range around them, but Ryder wasn't— not anymore.

Since Luxy contracted with Ryder, Ryder's aura and presence had automatically changed into his. Ryder was detected as a devil just like him, but for some reason, it felt like all the beasts ignored Luxy's presence and turned towards Ryder.

Soon, another revelation came to Ryder, which Luxy translated instantly.

"No, no, no! This is bad. Ryder, you have to run!" Luxy panicked, his eyes widened.

"Where should I run to? Why should I run?!" Ryder panicked as he frantically stepped his toe to the ground.

"All the beasts are going to attack you. The test is for you to survive a battle against his followers."

Turning around to the only direction where there were no beasts present, Ryder darted towards it. It was the exact same direction where he had come from—the deserted forest.

Like crazed, mindless beasts, all the creatures chased after Ryder.

Ryder halfheartedly expected the beasts to halt right before the wasteland, but no, they didn't.

"What does he want me to do about them? How am I supposed to pass the test?" Ryder questioned as he ran and dodged projectiles that were hurled towards him while maintaining a few meters' distance from a horde of crazed beasts right on his trail.

Right now, he was harnessing Luxy's speed to the fullest extent.

"Why are you asking me?! You are the chosen vessel, not me. It is up to you to figure it out!" Luxy retorted angrily.

"Please tell me if you have a way to! I beg of you!" Ryder pleaded.

"Right, right... You are meant to defeat them all, which is impossible because, since we are bonded, you are just as strong as me..."

"And I am just averagely strong, enough to go one-on-one with a good number of beasts there without getting killed."

"Darn it!" Ryder cursed. "You can go one-on-one with some of the beasts here, but I am being attacked by all of them at the same time! They don't look like the kind that would patiently wait for you to fight them one after the other."

"Yes, that is the problem," Luxy spoke. "And they are gaining on us now."

Suddenly, a hand wrapped around Ryder's leg, halting him from moving even a muscle.

"Can't I talk my way out, Luxy?" Tears drooled down Ryder's face as he realized his fate.

"Unfortunately, no!"

*Wham!*

A heavy fist crashed on him, forcing him downward and breaking the solid, hard ground beneath his feet.

Being caught by one of the beasts was very much equivalent to being caught by all the beasts. He was being chased by all of them at the same time, after all.

Grabbing onto his neck was another devil beast, a humanoid one in particular.

"Luxy, please, can you help?" Jaxon panicked. "I need your help!"

*Crack!*

Bending its hand sideways, the devil broke Jaxon's neck. Normally, a single punch from even the weakest beast should be enough to kill Jaxon, but that was in reference to the past.

Jaxon already had strength equivalent to a devil, so it was not much of a surprise that he took a hit, but that wasn't the biggest deal right now. His neck had been snapped, immobilizing his whole body.

Whether he liked it or not, he was going to die if he didn't find a way out, which would surely involve him moving.

Easy, right? No, it wasn't... not with a broken neck.

"Luxy! Please help!"

*Boom!*

The next attack that collided with his body came from an enormous devil beast that leaped into the sky before crashing into Jaxon with its legs stretched out.

The attack sounded like an explosion, destroying the entire ground as far as Jaxon could see with his enhanced eyesight.

Jaxon's entire bones were now shattered into countless fragments like glass, but strangely, he was still in one piece.

Only three out of the hundreds of beasts hard on his trail had made any contact with him. There were still hundreds of beasts readying themselves and waiting for their turn to attack Jaxon.

Despite how much stronger he was currently compared to his previous self, he wasn't confident that he would survive ten more attacks.

"I think I can help," Luxy, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke.

"Then don't tell me—do it!" Ryder screamed inwardly to Luxy.

As soon as Jaxon spoke, the mark on his shoulder slowly exuded black smoke. Luxy was coming out.

"Brace yourself because you are in for a rough ride."

Jaxon was feeling too weak to even scream as Luxy bit onto his fleshy back, then rushed away in a forceful blast, blowing up dust behind.

Hard on their trail were countless devils.

A giant piece of rock was hurled towards them, but Luxy quickly swerved sideways, dodging it.

More and more projectiles were hurled towards them, but Luxy managed to counter them all. He was more than aware that he wouldn't last long if he kept running, but why should he when he had a plan?

Luxy wasn't by any chance the fastest creature around, so getting caught was an inevitable outcome.

A whip-like tail extended towards him, aimed to wrap around him, and unsurprisingly, it succeeded.

Opening his maw filled with sharp teeth, he clenched at the tail so hard that it had to let loose.

Due to the seemingly short confrontation with the tail, a rock hurled towards them struck them unaware.

Blood spewed out from Jaxon's mouth as his body forcefully slammed to the ground.

'Lu... Luxy...' Jaxon spoke in his mind, his consciousness slowly seeping away.

'Are we going to make it?' Jaxon asked hopelessly.

For a moment, there was total silence. Since Luxy was no longer in his body but outside, he guessed that his message never got to Luxy, but surprisingly, a reply came.

'Yes, Jaxon, we are going to survive.'

*Crash! Crash! Crash!*

One after another, rocks that flew from the sky slammed into Luxy and Jaxon.

Their movement slowed after every hit until, eventually, they came to a halt, unable to move.

Grabbing Luxy by the neck, a particular devil stared at him with a cold gaze before flinging him away. Luxy was not the target.

The one meant to be killed was Jaxon, who lay on the ground, half-conscious.

'You said we would make it, Luxy, didn't you?' Jaxon tried to bite his lips to reflect his emotion, but his mouth couldn't move; all it did was flinch.

*Dark Devil Art: Self Banishing!*

A heavy wave exuded from Jaxon's body, flinging the devil along with the other beasts closest to him away violently.

Black energy and red lightning distorted the air as Jaxon's body lifted upwards. It wasn't just him—Luxy as well.

'I told you we would survive, didn't I?' Luxy transmitted directly into Jaxon's head.

'Only in this plane... I hereby banish myself away from it.'