2025-02-19 00:08:00Despite 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. 'So I am the only vessel that can hold in a demon monarch.' Ryder never knew much about how markings work until he got to this world. From the looks of things, it is very rare for a human to be able to contract a familiar from the demon plane. The demon monarch is even the hardest. More than the majority of the demon monarchs have never contracted a host. Every human they have ever marked never successfully cleared their trial. Seeing that the trial is always too hard for humans to handle, they decided to cancel the trials they put in store for the humans and made the contraction process straightforward and direct. 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. The moment a demon makes a contract with a human and then tries to bind and form a marking on the host's body, like Luxy did to you, success is never attained. The human soul instantly explodes and dissipates into nothing, killing the human in the process. "I have been watching you, Ryder. Ever since I noticed that Luxy was able to bind with you successfully, I had no proof that you were special. You are special enough to hold a devil in." "I wasn't quite sure if you would be able to hold a monarch in, but then I asked myself—will the Dracogon tell us false information or a lie?" "No," Hollow replied to himself. "No, he wouldn't. I can trust the Dracogon's word, even though he isn't exactly... an ally." "The Dracogon trusts that you will be able to make a successful contract with him, so then, who am I to not be able to do the same? I don't know about the Dracogon's power at the full extent, but I know I am not stronger than he is." Ryder remained quiet on the outside, but inside screamed otherwise. "How different do you think I am? How special do you estimate me to be!? What if that had killed me!" Hollow tilted his head downwards while his golden eyes gleamed under the dim light of the soul realm. "You are special enough to hold a demon monarch. That is clear to both of us, and I do not know your limit." "I was quite intrigued to know your limit, but unfortunately, I won't. You will die by the time we discover your limit." "For that reason, Luxy won't be coming back in. I kicked him out in order to guarantee success in our contraction process, and I do not want him back. You won't want him back either because I am plenty of ranks above him and better in every aspect." "Ha ha, very funny," Ryder laughed dryly, unimpressed. "You are not the one who will help me make my decision. I'll decide myself, and I want Luxy back." A malicious laugh echoed through the area as Hollow squinted his eyes. "You think you are in the place to decide, huh, little human. No one else will be intersecting with your soul, not even the Dracogon by my will." "You already have me, so that's enough. I am capable of transporting you out of this realm at will, and that I will do." Ryder wanted to speak but quickly held back his words, only uttering a little sound. For a little while, he and Hollow stared at each other with locked gazes, not breaking eye contact. While Ryder was partially bracing himself against being teleported away, he noticed something that made him grin inwardly. Hollow wasn't making any move; he was simply staring at him. If Hollow wanted to teleport him, he would have done it without wasting any time. The delay could only mean one thing... there is a restriction that is stopping Hollow. Ryder stood in relief before he spoke. "You can teleport me away, can't you? So why the delay?" "You are just as smart as I expected," Hollow replied. "You see, Ryder, I did not bind myself with your soul; I simply forced my way through. In human terms, I'll say I am in... rent; I do not own this house." "If I teleport you away, then I won't be able to go along with you because we haven't made an official contract," Hollow explained. "Heh, so even the monarchs have their limits," Ryder thought inwardly. "So, what now?" Ryder questioned with a smirk. "You already know, don't you? You are to allow me to bind with your soul." "No!" Ryder spoke sharply. The feeling he was getting from rejecting the offer of a demon monarch made him feel butterflies in his tummy. "Ryder, should I tell you a secret?" Hollow asked. "The only reason why you are alive is because I see you are a vessel, my vessel, and a capable one at that." "Other than that, if you were like the other humans that couldn't hold a mere wandering demon or devil from this plane, I wouldn't have minded taking your life the instant I saw you." "You know where this is going, don't you, Ryder? If I find no use for you, I am not only going to kill you, but I will also punish you for wasting my time." "So make your choice now and choose wisely," Hollow concluded. "This creature has next to no aura radiating out from his body, and yet... it is so intimidating," Ryder thought inwardly before he started speaking out. "Hollow, do you really think you can kill me? I guess not. Throughout your lifetime, which has probably been countless millennia, how many times have you seen a human that managed to show or possess the potential to withstand a demon in his soul?" "How many have you seen that can withstand a monarch in his soul?! I can guess very few, or maybe none." "Would you take the risk of killing me, a human who can withstand a demon and a monarch at the same time in his body without receiving a drawback!?" "Tell me now, Hollow, would you be able to destroy a golden vessel like my own?" Hollow, for the first time, was quiet. He kept his head down deep in thought before suddenly... *Vwoom!* A quick gust of wind swept the surface of the entire plane where they were. It traveled with such might that even Hollow, who was inside Ryder's soul realm along with Ryder, felt it. "Speaking of 'worst-case scenario'..." The Dracogon has arrived.
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They are distorted. The climate malfunctioned. The intense presence consumed everything as the Dracogon made its way downward. Reality itself seemed to warp and bend around the descending figure. Temperature fluctuated wildly—sweltering heat one moment, a more intense heat the next—coloring the plane in colored radiation. Plants withered and crumbled to dust while the soil beneath cracked. The atmosphere grew thick with a raging inferno, almost viscous, and made it seem as if the plane itself was pleading for help. Each time he flapped his wings, a gust of hot wind was sent through the entire planet, reaching everywhere—even up to Hollow, who wasn't present in the physical plane. Those weren't mere gusts. Each time the wing flapped, it unleashed a powerful, raw force that tore the trees around from their roots, scattered boulders into pebbles, and sent lesser demons and devils present in the plane tumbling through the air like autumn leaves. Even mountains couldn't contain the ass
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Bang! The sound wasn't merely loud—it was catastrophic, affecting the landscape like the birth of a universe in reverse. The impact sent shockwaves everywhere across the plain, causing ripples that distorted everything. Trees that had somehow survived the initial overpowering presence now uprooted themselves and fled alongside the high air current and shockwaves. Bang! The second collision was even more violent than the first. Where the two monarchs met, the air itself seemed to solidify, in fact, crystallize before shattering into a million fragments that were strangely visible to the naked eye. The entire plain had ceased to function properly in the presence of such overwhelming power. Bang! Bang! One after the other, loud sounds, like explosions, resounded as Dracogon and Hollow clashed in different directions each time. The ground shook upon every attack, and Luxy and Ryder both braced themselves. It felt like the entire plain wouldn't be able to maintain its stiffness and
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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
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The next day morning...Knock, knock, knock.Ryder, who was awakened by the knock at the door, walked toward it and opened it.Standing before him was a troop of men dressed in identical uniforms containing stars, strapped by the shoulder.The one standing next to him was most likely the highest-ranking member among them, having three stars on each side of his shoulder."This uniform, I recognize it."It is the uniform of the Federal Summoner Guild, owned by the federal government of his own country.This isn’t mostly referred to as a guild but more like the police force. On the planet Terra—a planet of summoners—there were major security forces like the police, soldiers, and an extra—FSG, which stands for Federal Summoner Guild.The FSG isn’t actually the extra; it is more of the major force among them because they take charge of duties that are beyond the capabilities of the other common security forces.<
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"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.
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Let the fight... begin.Crusher wasted no time with his offensive strikes.He blasted forward with a leap, covering the distance between him and his opponent nearly instantly.Whoosh.He swung his fist straight at Green Bloody's face. With the power enhancement he had gotten from his familiar, the punch was catastrophic. The air itself seemed to compress around Crusher's fist, creating a small shockwave that ruffled Green Bloody's hair.No, more appropriately, the punch would have been catastrophic if it had hit.Green Bloody dodged the punch, much to Crusher's greatest shock, by ducking under his arm and swiftly appearing behind him. His movement was fluid in its grace.Unlike the few others Crusher had fought, he instantly recognized that Green Bloody wouldn't be easy.A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. No one had ever made Crusher miss so completely since today's tournament began.Wham!
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The number of people in the warehouse was easily a thousand or two, if not even more. Every breath Ryder took felt like inhaling a cocktail of cheap alcohol and stale cigarettes.Bodies pressed against one another, creating a suffocating atmosphere with every breath. The warehouse—once used for storing imported goods that never made it past customs—now housed a different kind of contraband: violence for profit.It was dominated mainly by gangsters. Men and women with hard eyes and harder knuckles, bearing scars all over as if their bodies were illustrating the intensity of their misdeeds with scars that spoke louder than any confession.Although various other criminals were there, they weren't there for the fight but to carry out some more illegal activities that could help them bag a great deal of cash, mostly gambling."Five grand on Crusher breaking at least three bones!" shouted a man with a face that looked like it had been rearranged by an a
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As Ryder walked through the moonlit streets, his newly purchased cloak flowed gently in the evening breeze; he observed the multitude of posters plastered haphazardly on walls and poles.He pulled his hood lower, ensuring his face remained hidden. The best decision he could think of was hiding his face at all times since only a few people know his identity. His name is quite famous now, and as long as his face remains hidden, then it should be fine.A particular poster caught his eye, the paper still fresh, unlike most of the other weather-beaten announcements surrounding it.[Underlings TournamentEvery Tuesday and FridayOrganized at midnightLocation: undisclosedWhoever defeats the champion goes home with the prize.#10,000 Terra gold coin.]"They'll be organizing it today," Ryder thought inwardly, mentally calculating the hours until midnight. "It's Tuesday."He patted the pocket of his tr
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With how popular Ryder was turning out to be, he was beginning to trend around the four nations of the United Kingdom.All the radio channels were booming. All they could say was about Ryder and the most recent disaster.—"Today on the recent unexplainable disaster: What exactly is Ryder? Man, myth, or monster?"—"One who contracted with the devil beast."—"Has the devil beast possessed the anonymous Ryder?"The news anchors delivered their lines with a wry grin that was supposed to be fake, just to appear presentable, but the excitement in their eyes betrayed them.This was the story of a lifetime. Ratings had never been higher.And as for the rumors? They multiplied at a crazy rate.Some said he could fly; others insisted he could walk through walls. One particularly creative someone said Ryder was actually three small children in a trenchcoat who had been possessed by his familiar.Cases like these do spring up once in a while about someone contracting a familiar from the devil pla
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The morning sunlight penetrated through the half-drawn curtains, casting beams of soft sun rays across the living room.Ryder sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, his dark eyes fixed on the translucent figure hovering before him. Luxy—his familiar—floated in the air, the edges of his ethereal holographic form rippling once in a while like disturbed water."Familiars and their summoners are emotionally linked, but not you, Luxy," Ryder said, breaking the silence that had stretched between them for nearly an hour.This is one of the few times he had summoned Luxy out. This kind of summoning style wasn't the regular one; it was different.It may appear like a unique style he developed by himself at first, but then, deep down, he knew this was a failure.He has tried multiple times to summon Luxy out of his body to experience the world, but not once has he succeeded.Normally, summoning a familiar isn't something that is learned, because the knowledge of it naturally engraves itself on t
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Normally, when a human receives a mark of invitation to the Astral Shadow plain, the mark is shapeless, resembling a scar. It is an ugly-looking, twisted thing that appears somewhere on their body all of a sudden—simply there one morning when the newly marked person wakes.New bearers of the mark might mistake it for perhaps a strange bruise from sleeping awkwardly. But, due to how widespread the summoning mark is and how summoners populate the entirety of planet Terra, it does not appear as a foreign mark.Everyone, including those familiar with the ways of summoners and those who have partaken in any practical aspect of summoning, recognizes it for what it truly is: an invitation to power beyond mortal comprehension.The marks vary in color—some blood red, others brown, a few with an orange marking. Tang Jim's had been a deep red, so dark it seemed to absorb the light from everywhere, located on his left arm. He'd spent years proudly displaying it at every chance he found, watching
chapter 19
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
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"If I go all out and kill this familiar, then what?" Ryder questioned."Well, if you kill a familiar, then it will die for good, and there'll be no way to revive it."Ryder rolled his eyes. "You're right. That's generally what 'killing' means."Familiars are dwellers of the Astral Shadow Plain. The Astral Shadow Plain is a plain for partially dead creatures.When some creatures die, their souls instantly travel to the dead domain, but while others do, their souls get transferred to the Astral Shadow Plain."Death has one beginning and one end, but what lies in-between differs," Luxy explained, his tone taking on that professorial quality that made Ryder picture him wearing tiny spectacles and suits, that is, if beings inhabiting one's soul could wear spectacles."The Astral Shadow Plain makes creatures half alive and half dead. With that state of existence, they can either visit the living or the dead Plain at will, if a contract is being made."Ryder tilted his body to the side, narr
chapter 17
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
