It won't be wrong to say things transpired in a blink of an eye for Linda. Before she could react, Lyod's body had been pierced by the hand of a strange being that looked only distantly related to a human being. 

Lyod's end had been anticipated, but even she didn't believe it will be so abrupt. If Linda had to take a bizarre guess, she would say the old man might have deliberately not defended himself, letting his attacker get the upper hand over himself. 

Shocked by the suicidal attitude of Lyod, it left no room for Linda to intervene even if she had wanted to do so. Whenever experts at their level fight, things will rarely come down to a life-and-death match. 

The cost of killing a cultivator was at times too much for the winning party to pay, notwithstanding the range of escape methods. This meant experts at master Lyod's level very seldom lose their lives unless they are defending something more dear to them than their life itself. 

Nevertheless, when the duo initiated such an intimate hug to mark the end of their fight, Linda was left to pull the hair from her scalp. What was going on? She had no idea. Why would master Lyod embrace the person who fatally wounded him?

Besides Linda, Yalda still had her lower jaw hanging, completely caught off-guard by the strange development. "Why.. didn't he run away?" This was certainly the most important question in both the mistress's and her maid's minds. 

"I am not sure. Also, I can sense a strong demonic aura from her." Linda said pointing to the woman in black with a lot of inhuman features. "Demonic aura?" Yalda noticed the expression of her mistress changes rapidly. 

It didn't take the head maid of the Wilder house to connect various dots together to form a complete picture, even as a giant monument of sand manifested opposite to her. 

The presence of demonic power was the very reason master Jacob had been tasked by the Royal Court to come to this place. From the limited clues they were able to gather from the town where master Jacob and his son Samuel made a stop while on their way to the capital, they got to know he was seen last with a woman whose face had been suspiciously wiped off the memory of any person who had come across her. 

Right now both the dots seem to connect perfectly. A demonic woman will impeccably fit the identity of master Jacob's killer. "We have just seen her take out master Lyod so effortlessly, miss. Please don't do anything irrational." 

If she had to pick a stronger individual between old tutor Lyod or her mistress, Yalda would have picked Linda any day of the week. But having witnessed the brute strength of the demonic woman and how brutally she just murdered old Lyod in cold blood, had given her chills. If possible, she would want Linda to not confront this fiendish lady right now. 

Much to her relief, Linda seems to still be in complete control of her faculties after some deep breaths. However, contrary to Yalda's solace, the Wilder lady had her own plans to tackle the situation. 

***

Sometime later, Paula emerged from her sand pyramid, her tattered clothes dipped in fresh blood and her right hand still dripping with the blood of her kin. "You have my respect, husband." 

The courage Lyod had displayed in fighting her even with all odds stacked against him, won her unadulterated admiration. Though extremely sad things had to end up like this between the husband and wife pair, Paula felt incredibly lucky to have spent her life with the man who faced death with a smile. 

"I will return for you." In a departure from her usual behavior, Paula actually kneeled on one leg, paying her deep reverence to the man who fought to protect her. 

Even at this time, Paula was being stalked by a pair of cold eyes. If not for Lyod throwing her mind onto chaos, the dark-eyed woman would have certainly sensed Linda and her attendant. Getting back to her feet, Paula let her eyes dry up before shooting through the sky. 

The next minute, a pair of women stood in Paula's place. "Why is this happening to us? As if the threat of beastmen and the Krypto vines was not enough, now do we have to deal with these demonic creatures as well?" The maid exclaimed, finding it hard to believe their country just lost another expert in a matter of minutes. 

Yalda did not need to be a genius to assess what kind of turbulence this devastating news was going to cause in the power chambers of the capital. 

"Don't you find her behavior odd?" Linda meanwhile was perfectly calm, a bit too calm if someone was to take Yalda's opinion. Yes, they can only be called an acquaintance of old tutor Lyod at best, that's how she justified her mistress's lack of reaction. 

"I mean if she was here to kill old Lyod, why did she let the man hold her? As a cultivator, it's a big taboo to drop your guard to such an extent." Linda had been left befuddled by the strange occurrence. "Not to mention she took time to build this tomb and pay her respect.. it amuses me." 

Yalda was relatively skeptical of all these claims. "You are reading too much into this, miss. Who knows what goes on in the heads of these nutjobs?" As per her, this person they just came across might very well be another heretic who is after the Demon Magic. 

When alive, Demons were a source of utter terror for every other species. Their mighty strength kept suppressed both the Angels and Dragons through thousands of years. Hence, once they were wiped out, the secret of their forbidden strength became the locus of fanaticism for those who sought to augment their natural cultivation with Demon knowledge. 

While the rest of the masters of this new world outlawed any research on Demon Magic, this couldn't stop many old experts who had been stuck at their cultivation level for dozens of years and felt like they could receive a boost with the help of the leftover vestiges of Demon insights. 

In order to dissuade these kinds of individuals, the authorities would vehemently crush any such attempts. Naturally, Yalda assumed the woman who had fought against Lyod to be one such expert who could not resist the lure and resorted to the forbidden method of cultivation. 

"What surprises me is not her behavior, but rather the strength of the individual. Previously when these kinds of fanatics are caught and disposed they had never been this strong." Yalda raised her own anxieties, but Linda didn't respond to her, instead choosing to stare in the direction which the demonic woman had left. 

"Let's go, we can't lose her tracks. The way she was acting, I am sure she is after something or someone." Linda had begun walking away, closely followed by her fox. Yalda showed a hint of trepidation, nonetheless the safest place for her was certainly behind her mistress's strong back.

**Several miles away**

Away from the ruckus, Ryu had since been pacing through the forest floor. The vegetation surrounding him has grown thicker with different kinds of beasts prowling the land. Most of these beasts were harmless, but along the way, the distressed boy came across more than four wild beasts that could have potentially harvested his life. 

Thanks to his quick thinking, Ryu was able to avoid any direct confrontation with them, choosing to change directions whenever he encountered a dangerous predator. This saved his life, but avoiding the creatures also meant he could not run in a straight line. 

Every next step of Ryu right now was bringing him deeper and deeper into unknown territory. Worse, he didn't even know where he had been rushing to. All he knew was he got to get away from Lyod as much as he could. 

So far away from the place, now Ryu can't feel any vibrations of the earth under his feet like earlier. Maybe he had run out of the area of influence or it might be that the fight itself had ended. 

Such a thought inadvertently brought a worrisome outcome in his mind. What if master Lyod was not able to stand up to the attacker? What if he was really defeated? If so, was he hurt? Hundreds of questions reverberated in his brain, but he got answers to none of them. 

"Please hang on, old man." Even if he wasn't able to stand up to the person, Ryu hoped at least Lyod will plan an escape considering he had done his best to get away as well. 

Ryu had been so occupied in his thoughts, he failed to notice how the forest cover around him had started to dilute around him. When he noticed the anomaly, it was too late to turn back. Vegetation gave way to rocky terrain with nothing but boulders around him and black soil beneath his feet. 

The lack of canopy over his head made Ryu shrink like a hare being stalked by a bird of prey. Needless to say, he rushed in order to cross this barren land and hide in the thicker grove. Much to the misfortune of the boy, he could not do so in time. 

*Bang* A sharp whistle was followed by a huge explosion. The blast was so severe that Ryu was sent flying for a second time within a small interval. Struck by the harsh gravel, the young lad suffered serious bruises till the time he landed face first. 

"Time is up, boy." Ryu didn't even need to turn back to know the identity of his pursuer. However, once he did face back, he froze in place. The person behind him was not exactly human. To call her human will be a farfetched deal as well. 

While she was no doubt a female, the person was hideous. Her skin was corroded, lined with inky black veins that carried some kind of cursed blood through them. Two bony frames on her back represented some kind of frayed underdeveloped wings. 

Her face was just as terrifying with flaming red eyes, so much so that Ryu felt his mind go in from the shock factor alone. Frozen in place, he could not move at all. 

"I have suffered a lot in this mission. Now, I must take you back." She spoke in a diabolical voice. For whatever reason, the fiendish woman was seething in anger. When she extended her long bony hand towards him, a petrified Ryu crawled over backward. 

"What happened.. to master Lyod." Looking at the inhumane personality, perspiration leaked uncontrollably from Ryu's head. Somehow he was extremely worried about old man Lyod now. Can a person really survive this? 

'Foolish brat.. what are you scared for? That's just a poor imitation of a real Demon.' Came a familiar voice. Ryu never believed he would say such a thing, but the presence of the Demon inside of him at this moment helped him calm his nerves, however strange it may sound. 

'Remember my deal? It stands true still.' The voice echoed in his mind, slowly trying to influence him when he was the most vulnerable. 'I can't have you dying, even you know that much.' 

Nonetheless, having been through this slow brainwashing so many times now, he was a lot more resistant to it. A quick chant of the sacred sutra from his Dragon godfather was sufficient to keep the Demon at bay. 

Once he dealt with his internal turmoil, Ryu can only direct a fearful glance at the person opposite him. "Where is.. master Lyod?" He stuttered in fear, continuously crawling backward. It might be the most pathetic he had ever been, but his life was more important than anything. 

"He is no longer here. A brave man... but not quite strong to stop me." The fiendish woman had left her answer open-ended, neither confirming nor denying if his old man was safe or not. Yet, in a situation like this, Ryu can only fear the worst.