Meanwhile, on the highway, Yash and Aarav were speeding after Leo.
The massive black hound was running at nearly 100 kilometers per hour.
And judging by his expression...
He wasn't even trying.
For Leo, this was barely more than a morning jog.
Yash accelerated his car until it was running parallel to Aarav's bike.
He lowered the window and shouted over the rushing wind.
"What exactly is that dog?! How is it running this fast?"
Aarav glanced toward him.
"Just understand one thing for now."
He raised his voice so Yash could hear him.
"Demons, gods, and other supernatural beings actually exist. I'll explain the rest later!"
Yash stared at him.
"You're seriously telling me—"
"Later!"
Aarav accelerated again.
Yash sighed and followed.
---
Nearly half an hour later, Leo suddenly turned off the highway.
He disappeared onto a narrow dirt road leading into the forest.
Yash and Aarav followed.
But eventually, even the dirt road disappeared.
Leo didn't stop.
He simply continued through bushes, uneven ground, and rocky paths.
Aarav finally brought his bike to a halt.
Yash stopped his car beside him.
They had no choice but to continue on foot.
Leo noticed this and deliberately slowed down, allowing them to keep up.
After several minutes of walking through the dense forest, the trees finally opened up.
And there it was.
An enormous, abandoned mansion stood in the middle of the forest.
Its walls were covered in vines, several windows were broken, and the entire structure looked as though it had been forgotten for decades.
The three stood before the massive entrance.
Leo looked toward the mansion and barked.
"Woof! Woof!"
(Lady Boss is here.)
Without hesitation, Leo suddenly leaped.
He cleared the massive gate in a single jump.
Yash's mouth fell open.
"What the—?"
Before he could finish, Aarav also jumped over the gate effortlessly.
Yash stared at them.
Then he shook his head.
"Of course..."
He tried jumping as well.
But unlike the other two, he didn't even come close to clearing it.
After a moment of awkward silence, Yash grabbed the gate and climbed over it the normal human way.
"I hate supernatural people."
Aarav glanced back at him.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
---
The three moved toward the inner entrance of the mansion.
Then—
Grrrrrrrr...
A deep growl echoed from inside.
Leo immediately stopped.
Aarav and Yash became alert.
Suddenly, three... then four vicious wolves leaped through the inner entrance.
Their eyes glowed red.
They were far larger than ordinary wolves.
Their bodies were covered with strange dark fur, and signs of the earlier massacre still remained on their mouths and claws.
Aarav's expression hardened.
He looked toward Yash.
"Sir, I think you should stay back."
Yash frowned.
"This could be dangerous for you."
Yash immediately shook his head.
"If I leave a teenage boy in a situation like this and walk away..."
He tightened his grip on his weapon.
"...then I don't deserve to call myself an officer."
Aarav looked at the wolves.
These aren't ordinary wolves.
Before he could say anything else—
One wolf suddenly lunged toward Aarav.
Another charged toward Leo.
And the third went straight for Yash.
Leo reacted first.
He intercepted the wolf attacking him, knocking it away with overwhelming force.
At the same time, Aarav gathered energy into his fist.
BOOM!
His punch sent the attacking wolf crashing several meters away.
The creature rolled across the ground before getting back up, clearly stunned.
Meanwhile, Yash dodged the wolf that attacked him.
But the creature immediately changed direction and lunged at him again.
This time, Yash had no room to dodge.
He raised both hands and grabbed the wolf by its jaws, desperately holding it back.
"Get off me!"
The wolf struggled violently.
Before it could overpower him—
Leo rushed in.
He grabbed the wolf and pulled it away from Yash, forcing it back.
The creature went down and stopped moving.
Leo then turned toward Yash and growled.
"Grrrr! Woof!"
Yash stared at him.
Then he looked at Aarav.
"What did he just say?"
Aarav calmly replied,
"He told you to stay behind us."
He pointed toward the mansion.
"You provide backup from there."
Yash understood.
He nodded.
"Fine."
Aarav, Leo, and Yash continued toward the mansion.
None of them realized that someone was watching them.
---
Deep beneath the mansion, inside a hidden laboratory, a scientist observed them through a monitor.
His eyes shone with curiosity and greed.
"Wow..."
He leaned closer to the screen.
"Extraordinary."
A strange smile appeared on his face.
"They would be perfect for my next experiment."
He paused.
"But first..."
His attention shifted toward another control panel.
"...it's time to test this experiment."
He pulled down a lever.
Across the laboratory stood a large chamber filled with green liquid.
Inside it, Kirti floated unconscious.
An oxygen mask covered her face.
Several monitoring cables were attached to the chamber, constantly recording her vital signs.
Beside Kirti's chamber stood another sealed container.
Inside it was something resembling a human heart.
It was beating.
Thump.
Thump.
With every beat, a strange red energy leaked from it.
The entire chamber trembled slightly.
The scientist watched with excitement.
As the lever moved downward, the two chambers began connecting through a series of tubes.
The strange heart suddenly dissolved into a red energy-infused liquid.
The substance flowed into the green liquid surrounding Kirti.
Slowly, the mixture entered her chamber.
The green liquid began changing.
Kirti's body started absorbing the strange substance.
The scientist's smile widened.
"Yes..."
He quickly walked to a nearby drawer and pulled out a thick book.
It looked like a personal research diary.
He opened it and began writing.
Experiment 21 — Successful.
He paused.
Then wrote the next line.
Kirti is the perfect host for Lady Vishakha.
He closed the diary.
A sinister laugh echoed throughout the laboratory.
"Hahahaha!"
And while the scientist celebrated his success...
Far above him, three unexpected intruders were getting closer to the mansion.
Aarav.
Yash.
And Leo.
The three of them finally made their way deeper into the mansion.
From the inside, the place looked even more like a forgotten ruin. Thick tree roots had crawled across the walls, branches had forced their way through broken windows, and layers of dry leaves covered the floors.
It was as if the forest had slowly claimed the mansion as its own.
Leo suddenly stopped.
His ears perked up.
He had sensed something.
A faint wave of energy was coming from somewhere ahead.
Leo turned toward it and barked.
"Woof!"
(This way.)
He immediately started moving in that direction.
Aarav and Yash followed him until they reached another large gate.
But this wasn't an ordinary gate.
It had been tightly bound with kalawa and several different kinds of threads. A massive lock sealed it shut, while strange markings had been drawn across the entire surface, forming what looked like some kind of mystical seal.
Aarav stared at it for a moment.
Then his expression became serious.
"This is a Bandhan Kriya."
Leo examined the gate and growled softly.
"The energy we're sensing... it's coming from inside this."
Aarav closed his eyes.
A moment later, his spiritual energy spread throughout the area.
The atmosphere around them seemed to tremble.
Then—
Whoosh!
A strange blue energy spread across the ground.
And suddenly, a three-dimensional holographic reconstruction appeared in front of them.
Yash's eyes widened.
He stared at the scene in disbelief.
"Okay, seriously... how the hell are you doing all this?"
He looked at Aarav.
"Does Venkatesh know how to do this too?"
Aarav opened his eyes.
"No. He can't do any of this. He's a normal human."
He paused.
"Or rather... a normal officer."
Yash sighed.
"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better."
Meanwhile, the holographic reconstruction continued playing.
Several huge wolves suddenly appeared from the other side of a wall.
Aarav immediately focused on them.
"They came from there."
Leo's ears dropped.
"Grrr... Woof."
(Sorry, Boss.)
Aarav shook his head.
"It's not your fault."
His gaze shifted toward the sealed gate.
"There is dangerous demonic energy coming from inside this place too."
He turned away from the gate and walked toward the wall where the wolves had appeared.
Yash followed and placed his hand against the wall.
"There might be a hidden passage here."
Aarav took a step backward.
"Move away."
Yash immediately understood.
He stepped back.
Leo also moved aside.
Aarav clenched his fist.
Spiritual energy gathered rapidly around his palm.
Then—
BOOM!
His fist struck the wall.
A powerful shockwave erupted through the structure, creating a large opening.
Yash froze.
He looked at the hole.
Then at his own hand.
Then at Aarav's hand.
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
"Yeah... I'm definitely going to need a very long explanation later."
Beyond the broken wall, a staircase descended into darkness.
Aarav didn't waste any time.
He and Leo started down the stairs, with Yash following behind.
After descending for some time, they finally reached the hidden laboratory.
The moment they entered—
A man sitting calmly on a chair caught their attention.
He wore a white laboratory coat and glasses. His hair was completely white, yet his face carried a strange, crooked smile that made him look completely unhinged.
He slowly spread his arms.
"Welcome! Welcome to my lab, my friends!"
Yash immediately raised his pistol.
"Who are you? And where is Kirti?"
Leo looked around the laboratory.
Then he barked loudly.
"Woof! Woof!"
(Can't he see? Lady Boss is right there!)
The scientist began laughing like a madman.
"Kirti? Of course!"
He turned his head toward the side of the laboratory.
There, inside a chamber, was Kirti.
The liquid surrounding her had now turned completely green.
The scientist looked toward one of the monitors.
MERGING — 99%
His smile widened.
And then—
100%.
The process was complete.
The scientist slowly extended both hands toward Kirti.
"Now... behold my greatest creation yet!"
Suddenly—
CRACK!
The chamber shattered open.
Kirti leapt forward and landed directly in front of them.
The scientist spread his arms dramatically.
"A perfect slave with the power of a Demoness Emperor!"
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Now, my pawn... I command you!"
He pointed toward Aarav, Yash, and Leo.
"Break them... but keep them alive. They'll make excellent subjects for my next experiment!"
He burst into another fit of laughter.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Leo stared at him.
Then, completely unexpectedly—
He started laughing too.
"Woof! Hahaha!"
The scientist's laughter stopped.
His expression changed.
"What...?"
He looked down.
Kirti was standing directly in front of him.
The scientist's eyes widened in disbelief.
A moment later, he collapsed beside the control system.
The machine sparked violently as he hit it.
Kirti calmly looked at him.
"Stupid human."
She then turned toward the three figures standing across the laboratory.
Her eyes slowly moved from Leo...
to Aarav...
and finally to Yash.
"A celestial dog..."
Then she looked at Aarav.
"A human boy..."
And finally Yash.
"And another human man."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"You guys are far too weak for me now."
She rolled her shoulders and stretched as though she had simply woken up from a long sleep.
"Now that I'm alive again..."
She looked around the unfamiliar laboratory.
"First, let me see what this world looks like now."
She paused.
"Anyway, I'll spare you."
Her smile became wider.
"I need a few slaves, after all."
Kirti slowly raised her chin.
"So, all three of you..."
She pointed toward the floor.
"Get on your knees."
Silence filled the laboratory.
Leo slowly turned his head toward Aarav.
His expression said everything.
"Grrr... Woof."
(I think Lady Boss has completely lost it.)
And then—
Leo immediately dropped to his knees.
Aarav stared at him.
Yash stared at him.
Even Kirti looked slightly surprised.
Then she smiled.
"That's nice."
She nodded approvingly.
"At least someone here is sensible."
Aarav's expression remained completely blank.
Yash slowly lowered his pistol.
And somewhere inside his mind, one thought became painfully clear—
This situation had somehow become even crazier.
Aarav looked directly at Kirti.
"Who are you?"
Kirti pointed at herself with an amused expression.
"Me?"
She chuckled.
"I guess I was gone for far too long. That's probably why nobody is afraid of me anymore."
As she spoke, her eyes suddenly changed.
A strange wave of energy passed through her.
She was reading Kirti's memories.
"Hmm..."
Her expression slowly shifted from amusement to genuine curiosity.
"Wow. A modern world... and a democratic country."
She looked around the laboratory.
"Humans really have progressed quite a lot."
Then she paused.
"Oh?"
She looked at Aarav.
"So this boy is this body's younger brother."
A mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"That makes you my younger brother too, doesn't it?"
She casually pointed toward the floor.
"So how about you kneel?"
Her smile widened.
"I'll keep you as my slave for eternity."
The moment she finished speaking—
Aarav disappeared.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, he was already in front of Kirti, suspended in midair, his leg swinging dangerously close to her face.
Kirti's eyes widened.
She caught his ankle in midair.
But Aarav twisted his body.
Using the momentum of his movement, he spun around and delivered another kick with his opposite leg.
BOOM!
Kirti raised her other arm and blocked the strike.
The impact was powerful enough to force her several steps backward.
Aarav landed lightly.
He looked at her with a faint smile.
"Honestly, my sister talks just as much as you do."
His smile faded slightly.
"But she's still family."
His expression suddenly became serious.
He brought his hands together.
"Divine Chains!"
The ground beneath Kirti cracked.
Four purple chains erupted from the floor and instantly wrapped around her arms and legs.
Kirti looked down at them.
Then she sneered.
"That's it?"
She pulled her arms apart.
Crack!
The chains snapped free as though they were nothing more than ordinary ropes.
Aarav's technique was completely broken.
Kirti grabbed two of the remaining chains and infused them with her energy.
The purple glow rapidly changed.
Red energy began flowing through them.
Kirti's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Wonderful!"
She swung the chains toward Aarav.
"So where were you hiding this power all this time?"
Aarav raised his hand.
A translucent energy shield appeared in front of him.
CLANG!
The chains slammed against the barrier with a sharp metallic sound.
Kirti grinned.
More energy poured into the chains.
Red flames began dancing across their surface.
Then—
CRACK!
The shield shattered like glass.
Aarav was thrown backward.
Instead of falling, however, he landed against the wall.
His feet remained firmly attached to its surface.
Yash stared at him from below.
"Seriously...?"
Aarav ignored him.
Still standing sideways against the wall, he formed another hand seal.
"Divine Arrows."
A glowing magic circle appeared in front of him.
A moment later—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A barrage of pale-colored energy arrows shot toward Kirti.
Kirti's expression immediately changed.
Instead of being afraid, she looked excited.
She swung the chains around herself, deflecting the incoming arrows.
Some arrows shattered the moment they collided with the chains.
But Aarav wasn't finished.
He brought his hands together again.
"Divine Chains!"
This time, several purple chains erupted from the ground at once.
They wrapped around Kirti's entire body.
Before she could react—
Aarav appeared directly in front of her.
BOOM!
His fist struck her.
Kirti's eyes widened.
Her eyes immediately turned crimson.
"You dare...?"
A furious roar escaped her.
Suddenly, an enormous vortex of energy erupted from her body.
BOOOOOOM!
The energy wave swept across the laboratory.
It absorbed the surrounding energy and even pulled Aarav's divine chains apart.
Leo and Yash, who were standing farther away, were thrown backward and crashed into the wall.
Aarav flipped through the air before finally landing on the ground.
Kirti stood in the center of the storm.
Her aura had become terrifying.
Even the air around her seemed to tremble.
For the first time, Aarav felt genuine fear.
He took a deep breath.
Then slowly...
A strange smile appeared on his face.
Kirti noticed it immediately.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Suddenly, black smoke began emerging from her body.
Kirti looked down.
Her expression changed.
"A Shadow Slave?"
She looked directly at Aarav.
"You placed a Shadow Slave inside your own sister?"
Aarav casually shrugged.
"For safety purposes."
Kirti's expression became disgusted.
"You're crazy."
She stared at the dark entity.
"You humans don't understand your own limits. You keep making pathetic contracts with Shadow Lords, thinking you can control them."
She raised one hand.
"That thing is far weaker than me. I could crush it with my little finger."
Aarav chuckled.
"Maybe."
His lips curved into a faint, confident smile.
"But this Shadow Slave belongs to me."
Kirti froze.
"Hmm?"
She looked confused.
Then suddenly—
Something inside her changed.
Her expression stiffened.
"What...?"
She felt something pulling at her soul.
It was as though an invisible force had opened a black void inside her spiritual realm.
Her soul began being drawn toward it.
"What the...?"
Kirti looked at Aarav in disbelief.
"You..."
The pull became stronger.
Her eyes widened.
"You sacrificed your Shadow Slave to create a seal?"
She stared at him.
"How?"
Her voice became filled with genuine shock.
"Who the hell are you?"
Those were her final words.
Kirti's consciousness faded.
Her body collapsed.
Within her spiritual realm, Vishaka's soul was dragged toward the black void.
The darkness swallowed her completely.
Then the void slowly condensed.
It transformed into a strange black symbol.
Inside it were the Chinese characters:
密封
Seal.
The same symbol briefly appeared on Kirti's neck, glowing faintly before disappearing.
Silence returned to the laboratory.
Then—
"Aarav..."
Kirti's weak voice broke the silence.
Aarav nodded.
"Hmm?"
Kirti looked at him.
"Change the names of those spells."
Aarav blinked.
"Why?"
"They sound really lame."
Aarav's face immediately fell.
"I thought I looked cool."
Kirti stared at him.
"No."
She shook her head.
"You looked lame."
Leo finally came running over.
"Woof! Woof!"
(Lady Boss is right, Boss.)
Kirti frowned.
"Lady Boss?"
Leo's eyes widened.
He suddenly became excited.
"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"
(Lady Boss can understand Leo!)
He pointed his snout toward Aarav.
"Grrr! Woof! Woof!"
(Hello! Master is my boss, and you're Master's pretty sister!)
Then Leo happily added—
"Woof! Woof!"
(Lady Boss, you are very beautiful!)
Kirti smiled.
"Thank you."
Aarav looked at her curiously.
"Because of that demoness, you're able to understand his language."
He paused.
"But were you conscious during the fight?"
Kirti nodded.
"Yes."
Her expression became more serious.
"I could see everything you were doing... but I couldn't control my body."
She looked down at her hands.
"I was really scared."
Aarav quietly nodded.
"Hmm."
He took a deep breath.
"For now, I've sealed her inside you."
He looked at the faint spot where the seal had appeared.
"She can still see and hear everything we do, but she can't control your body unless you allow her to... or your willpower becomes weaker than hers."
Aarav's expression became thoughtful.
"I'll try to find a permanent solution. Somehow, we need to get rid of her completely."
Kirti nodded.
"Why don't we ask Vikram Bhaiya?"
She corrected herself.
"I mean... Baba Bashukinath."
Aarav nodded.
"That might actually work."
He moved beside Kirti and helped support her.
They began walking away from the laboratory.
Behind them, Yash looked at the scientist lying near the damaged control system.
"We'll have to deal with this body."
Kirti immediately looked at him.
"You're a police officer. You're going to destroy evidence?"
Aarav lightly tapped Kirti on the head.
"Idiot. He's talking about getting rid of the evidence so that you're protected."
Kirti blinked.
Then casually shrugged.
"Yeah."
She smiled.
"I was just kidding."
Yash stared at the two siblings.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
Then he sighed.
"I'm starting to understand why you two are related."