True Demon

"There's a woman here…"

Baldy the Second muttered, his voice laced with disdain, the corners of his lips twitching as if he'd bitten into something sour.

He was infamous among mercenary circles — a brute who treated warriors weaker than him with less dignity than beasts. Arrogance dripped from every step he took, like oil from rusted metal.

After hearing rumors about the Demon Queen Noctyss' tomb appearing, Baldy had thrown together a team overnight and plunged into the wilderness. Greed burned in his eyes. Fame, fortune, power — if he found the tomb, everything would change.

Weeks passed.

But despite their best efforts, they found nothing.

Worse yet, they had to flee like rats when they encountered a Stage 2 warrior team. That humiliation twisted Baldy's insides like a knife.

But still, he refused to give up.

Until finally, they stumbled upon it — a secluded stone courtyard, half-concealed by hanging moss and ancient trees. Time seemed to slow. The wind grew hushed, and even the forest beasts stayed away.

Baldy's gut churned.

Something about this place… it reeked of hidden power.

Just as he was about to send scouts forward, a figure emerged from within.

A woman.

She walked with graceful steps, carrying a crude wooden basket filled with freshly dug herbs. Her flowing black hair danced with the breeze, and her flawless skin glowed in the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy.

Then she spoke.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to bypass their ears and sink directly into their bones — soft, warm, divine.

"Ahh! Traveler, are you lost?"

Baldy's mind blanked. His thoughts scattered like dry leaves. For a moment, he forgot where he was.

His feet moved on their own, dragging his bulky body forward like a puppet on strings. Behind him, his team followed in a daze, their eyes reflecting her silhouette.

But something subtle changed.

The way they looked at Baldy — it twisted, soured. What was once reluctant obedience turned into unspoken hostility, boiling under the surface.

And then — it snapped.

Like wolves fighting over a scrap of meat, Baldy's men turned on each other.

Fists flew, blood splattered, bones cracked. Roars of rage filled the air.

Noctyss watched from the shade of her garden, her lips curling slightly at the edges. Her eyes gleamed like polished obsidian, reflecting every drop of chaos.

She always found it amusing — the ease with which the weak tore each other apart.

How delightful.

But even that entertainment grew stale after a while.

With a sigh, she turned her gaze upward, frowning slightly.

"Why can't I sense the presence of the tomb…?"

Her brows creased in frustration.

Back when she was being hunted — when that old cougar chased her down — Noctyss knew she wouldn't last long. So she'd made preparations.

She sealed her treasures within a mobile tomb, then sent it drifting through the spatial field within the Emerald Green Forest's limits. No one would suspect it. A barren forest with no significant mana presence? The perfect hiding spot.

She only needed to wait.

Once the danger passed, she'd reclaim her treasures, regain her power, and remind the world of her name.

That was the plan.

But now… too much time had passed. The connection with her tomb — once vibrant — had thinned to nothing.

If her soul was still that of a Stage 4 entity, then it would have been no problem but everything else had crumbled.

Her Power was stripped.

Pride wounded smashed udher the boots, now she was reduced to nothing more than water bucket.

Just then, the sound of heavy panting echoed behind her.

She looked down to find Baldy the Second, soaked in blood and bruises, crawling toward her like a dog who had returned to its master.

His face was battered. His nose hung crooked. Blood leaked from swollen lips. But his eyes — those puppy eyes — glistened with blind adoration.

"Ohhh! Good boy."

Noctyss smiled sweetly, a tender expression softening her face.

She tilted her head and cooed, voice dripping with warmth.

"You must have gotten tired after working so hard."

"Go! Eat…"

Baldy blinked.

Her words echoed inside his skull like a command from heaven. His thoughts blurred.

Then, understanding dawned.

He got on all fours and crawled toward his unconscious former teammates. A girl lay closest — her breath shallow, blood seeping from her scalp.

With a grotesque smile splitting his face, Baldy opened his mouth and bit down on her neck.

Puchi!

A spray of blood. His face turned crimson.

But he didn't stop.

Mouth full of flesh, teeth grinding against bone — he ate, and ate, and ate.

His stomach ballooned grotesquely, his skin stretching tight.

Noctyss clapped lightly, cheering him on.

Her expression remained cheerful. But her eyes… they were colder than winter steel.

"No, no!"

"You can't stop eating…"

"Continue…"

Baldy whimpered but obeyed, forcing down more gore.

Just then —

Swish!

A blur shot through the trees, arriving in an instant.

Dark Shadow stood at the edge of the courtyard, her eight legs moving in irritation.

Her tone was dry, but sharp.

"Water bucket, what are you doing? We could have made fertilizer from them."

"You truly have no sense. I should tell Thief to teach you one or two things…"

Noctyss's expression twitched.

"This fucking spider…"

She cursed inwardly, but on the surface her expression didn't change. She turned away slightly, pretending she hadn't heard a word.

Dark Shadow, too, didn't linger. With a swift motion, threads of nether silk shot out, wrapping the leftover corpses and dragging them into the forest.

And then she was gone.

Noctyss watched the spider's retreating figure, her eyes burning with hatred.

"Just you wait. Once I regain my power… I'll make you suffer a fate worse than death."

...

Meanwhile Ricky was busy hearing the account of happenings from Alexandria mouth.

The cat's expression was grim, as she recounted the atrocities committed by two legged animal's im vivid details.

With her incredible story telling abilities, Ricky more or less understood everything, now he only had one question in his head.

"Was I living under a rock?"