(A/N):
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The battlefield crackled with tension after Surya Vardan's death.
His headless body collapsed in the dirt,
And his blood hissed where it touched the scorched ground.
Both Maitreya and Maria froze for half a heartbeat,
"____"
"____"
Their gazes snapping toward the mutilated corpse.
Their faces twisted—
Not in grief—
But in disgust.
"Surya Vardan… that reckless fool,"
Maitreya muttered, voice sharp like steel.
"To die at the hands of mere children. Pathetic."
Sneer~
Maria's lips curled into a cruel sneer,
The barbed chains which is her astra in her hand clinking with menace.
"Hot-headed as always. But his death won't go unanswered."
They turned back to their battles, fury fueling every move.
Meanwhile the fight between Maitreya and Guru Arvind.
The clash of sword and spear rang out like thunderclaps.
Guru Arvind's breathing grew heavier, his arms straining as his Prabastra absorbed yet another brutal strike from Maitreya's Vishadanta Astra.
Sparks flew, cutting through the smoky haze.
Maitreya's movements were precise, brutal, unrelenting.
Every step carried the arrogance of a man who believed time itself bent for him.
Guru Arvind countered with wisdom and patience, reading the flow of battle, redirecting blows, keeping his rhythm intact.
But sweat poured down his wrinkled face, his chest heaving harder with each exchange.
'This body… it won't last much longer.'
The old guru Arvind clenched his jaw.
He knew it—
If the fight dragged on, Maitreya's youth-like endurance would crush him.
"____"
He had to find an opening, a single decisive strike.
Maitreya smirked as he noticed Arvind's faltering breath.
Smirk~
"You're slowing, old man. No wisdom will save brittle bones."
His Vishadanta Astra slashed downward, embedding into the earth, sending a fiery shockwave rippling outward with poison aura spread.
Arvind barely leapt aside, the heat singeing his robes.
Still, the old man's eyes burned with defiance.
"Strength without discipline… is nothing but a child's tantrum."
While in the battle between Maria and Rajandra.
On the other side, chains of blackened steel lashed through the air like serpents.
Maria's Uloga Astra, forged from barbed links, twisted and warped with every flick of her wrist.
Spears, blades, and hooks sprouted from it mid-flight, each strike aiming to shred or impale.
Rajandra met her storm head-on.
His body pulsed with the light of the Shima Astra—
Muscles expanding, mane-like hair bristling, his eyes glowing crimson.
With every passing second, his aura swelled, his roars deepening, his strikes heavier.
The earth cracked beneath his claws as he ripped through the incoming chain, sparks flying where steel met raw beastly power.
Maria hissed, her control snatching the chain back into shape, reforming it into a jagged whip.
Hiss~
"You think brute rage will save you?"
she mocked, her voice like venom.
"Metal bends. Flesh tears."
She snapped her arm, and the chain coiled around Rajandra's forearm like a constricting serpent.
Rajandra growled, veins glowing like molten rivers under his skin.
Growl~
"____"
The Shima Astra roared within him, answering his fury.
With a violent pull, he yanked her chain taut, dragging her forward instead.
His glowing claws slashed across the air, sparks bursting as they scraped the corrupted metal—
Leaving deep gouges behind.
Maria's eyes narrowed.
"____"
For the first time, her weapon resisted her control, corrupted steel groaning against the sheer primal force pushing back.
'Impossible… his strength is growing faster than my Astra can corrupt.'
Rajandra's roar shook the battlefield, his glowing mane flaring like wildfire.
His crimson eyes locked on her.
"I'll tear your chains… and you with them!"
The two battles raged side by side—
One a clash of cunning versus endurance, the other a storm of technique versus primal fury.
And as the roars, sparks, and shockwaves echoed across the bloodstained battlefield.
The battlefield rang with clashing steel and the roar of burning Astra.
Guru Arvind's Prabastra shimmered with blinding radiance, its light cutting through the smoke and ash.
He swung low, and for a moment the blade grazed across Maitreya's knee.
AHHHH!
"____"
The effect was immediate.
Maitreya stumbled, his proud stance faltering as a guttural scream tore from his throat.
His flesh where the light touched began to blacken, sizzling as though his own body could not endure the radiance of the sacred Astra.
Sizzle~
His leg trembled violently,
The fire in his veins no longer enough to hold his frame steady.
But the man was relentless.
"____"
Snarling through the pain, he raised his weapon —
The Vishadanta Astra, its spear-tip dripping with a noxious, venomous gleam.
With a sudden surge of will, he lunged forward, the poisonous edge aimed straight for Guru Arvind's chest.
The old guru's eyes widened —
Too close, too sudden.
But before the strike could land—
A shadow blurred across the battlefield.
A foot crashed into Maitreya's ribs from an impossible angle.
CRACK!!!
The impact echoed like a thunderclap.
"—GRAAAH!"
Maitreya spat blood as his body bent unnaturally,
The crunch of shattering ribs ringing in his ears.
His breath was stolen, his insides twisting in agony.
It was Mohan Bhargav.
His body glowed with the raw, unorthodox ferocity of the Vanar Astra(Monkey based astra).
The strength of the celestial monkey god exploded in his kick,
The motion wild and unpredictable.
"You won't touch him, bastard,"
Mohan snarled, landing lightly on his feet, his golden tail flickering behind him.
Maitreya's body skidded across the battlefield, ribs broken, his hand still desperately clutching the poison spear.
He coughed, blood painting his lips, his once-proud frame trembling as he forced himself to lift his head.
His blurred vision locked on Arvind again.
But what he saw in that instant was death itself.
His eyes reflecting the descending glowing Prabastra.
The Prabastra Sword, glowing like the sun's judgment, was already descending.
"NO—!"
The blade carved through the air,
Leaving a trail of burning radiance.
In the next heartbeat,
It cleaved through Maitreya's neck.
His scream cut short.
Ash erupted from the wound, his body unraveling into cinders.
His head toppled before it could hit the ground, dissolving into dust.
Within moments, nothing remained of Maitreya but drifting black ash scattered in the wind.
The battlefield fell quiet for a breath.
Guru Arvind lowered his sword, its holy light dimming,
While Mohan's wild grin faded into a hard glare.
Another elder had fallen.
And the tide of war shifted further still.
Maria's barbed chains lashed forward like serpents,
Wrapping around Rajandra's beastly form.
The glowing metal constricted his limbs, bound his arms to his sides, locked his legs,
And even forced his snarling jaws shut.
For a fleeting instant, her eyes widened with triumph.
The ground trembled as her Astra pulsed.
'It's over.'
But then—
ROOOOAAAAARRRR!!!
A guttural roar erupted from Rajandra,
So primal it made the battlefield shudder.
His Shima Astra ignited, his veins bulging with blazing energy.
His body glowed like molten steel, every muscle straining against the chains.
CRACK!
One chain snapped.
SNAP! SNAP!
Another broke, then another.
"____"
Before Maria could react, before she could reinforce her bind,
Rajandra's clawed hand shot out like a beast uncaged.
He caught her by the throat, his fingers sinking into her flesh.
Her eyes went wide.
Her chain control faltered.
Rajandra's growl rumbled, deep and hate-filled.
Growl~
"I have waited… so many days… for this moment."
His burning eyes pierced hers.
"Every night, I dreamed of tearing you apart. And now—"
His grip tightened, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.
Maria clawed at his arm, chains writhing helplessly in the air.
"—you will know my hatred."
With deliberate cruelty, he seized her hand.
SNAP!
One finger bent backwards till the bone pierced through skin.
Kyaaaaaahh!!!
Maria screamed, the sound echoing through the battlefield.
Then another finger.
SNAP!
Ahhh!!!
And another.
SNAP!
KYAAAH!
Her shrieks grew hoarse, her body convulsing with agony.
Rajandra's lips curled into a savage grin.
Grin~
"Not enough."
He tore downward, breaking her leg at the knee,
The bone jutting through torn flesh.
Maria's cry choked into sobs of pain.
Sob~
Chains thrashed around them, wild and uncoordinated,
But her control was gone.
One by one, he ripped her apart.
First her arms.
Then her legs.
Her metallic Astra sputtered and died as her body was reduced to a mangled heap in his grasp.
Maria wept blood, her voice ragged,
Until Rajandra's claws closed around her face.
"Your screams… will be the last music I hear from you."
With one final, merciless squeeze—
CRUNCH!
Her skull shattered in his grip.
"____"
Blood and ash sprayed across the ground.
The Uloga Astra collapsed, lifeless.
Maria's body hung limp for a second before Rajandra hurled it aside like broken prey.
The battlefield froze in stunned silence.
"____"
The gruesome end of one of Dev's most trusted followers hung heavy in the air.
Rajandra stood in the carnage,
His chest heaving, blood dripping from his claws,
His burning red eyes glowing brighter than ever.
Meanwhile...
Dev ran with everything he had, flames at his heels, his eyes fixed on the descending golden pillar.
Each stride carried him closer, his trident blazing, his breath ragged but filled with a feverish hunger.
At the heart of the divine light, he finally saw it.
A lotus of pure aura gold, its petals half-closed, slowly blooming with an aura that made the very air shiver.
Upon it sat a boy —
Serene, still, his form radiating peace and unimaginable power.
His small frame glowed with the dense, oppressive pressure of the Brahmastra's energy,
As if the cosmos themselves had crowned him its vessel.
Dev skidded to a halt, disbelief contorting his face.
His voice cracked with rage.
"Why… why him?"
His eyes widened, bloodshot.
"Why would you choose a child over me? Do you not see me? Do you not know what I have conquered, the Astra I have mastered?!"
His roar shook the ground beneath him, flames leaping higher.
"I am superior—stronger, greater than this boy will ever be! I am destiny itself!"
The Brahmastra did not answer.
The boy sat still upon the lotus, his closed eyes calm, unbothered by Dev's fury.
"____"
The silence was worse than mockery.
Dev's hand trembled as he reached forward, his fingers stretching toward the radiant lotus.
The light brushed his skin—
Warm, pure—only for a sudden wave of dizziness to strike him like a hammer.
"Wh—what…?"
The world spun.
His vision blurred.
"____"
The golden lotus, the boy, the divine pillar—
All of it wavered like mist. He stumbled, grasping at air, his breath ragged.
Then, in a blink—
It was gone.
The boy. The lotus.
The pillar of heaven.
Dev blinked and found himself standing in the middle of a searing desert, endless dunes stretching beneath a cruel sun.
His flames flickered weakly, his throat dry,
The air oppressive and scorching.
His trident sank into the sand.
His chest heaved, rage boiling in his gut.
"Damn you…"
He hissed through gritted teeth, the Brahmastra's silence still ringing louder than any denial.
Dev's roar echoed across the empty dunes,
A broken sound of rage and desperation.
But then—
He froze.
A searing pain tore through him. His veins bulged,
His flesh blistered, his skin began to… rot."Wha—arghhh!" he screamed, clawing at his arms.
The skin peeled in strips, blackened and cracking.
From beneath the torn flesh, worms and maggots writhed out, crawling across his chest and face, burrowing into his wounds.
His trident slipped from his trembling hands and sank into the sand as he staggered, gagging on his own screams.
"What… is this…?!"
He howled, falling to his knees, clawing at the creatures gnawing at his skin.
Ahhhh!
Then—
He heard it.
A voice. Cold.
Female. Merciless.
"How does it feel… to rot alive?"
Dev froze mid-scream, his breath ragged, sweat and blood dripping down his face.
Slowly, he turned his head.
Standing there amidst the endless desert was a woman—
Calm, predatory, her eyes glowing crimson like burning embers.
Her presence warped the air, her hair billowing in a phantom wind.
She looked at him not as an equal… but as prey.
Dev snarled, his voice hoarse.
"Wh—who are you?!"
The woman sneered, her lips curling into a cruel smile.
"My name…"
She said, her voice echoing across the barren land,
"is Junoo. The one who will kill you—for daring to try to harm Rudra."
Her eyes blazed brighter, twin lanterns of rage,
And suddenly the desert itself responded.
The golden sands turned a deep, hellish red,
The sky bleeding with the glow of her fury.
The worms squirming in Dev's rotting flesh writhed faster, chewing deeper,
As if feeding on his fear.
The once-blazing sun dimmed, leaving only her crimson aura painting the wasteland.
Dev, for the first time in years, felt his breath falter—
Not from exhaustion, but from fear.
Dev snarled, fury masking the tremor in his voice.
"You think you can scare me with worms and sand tricks?!"
With a roar, his fire trident ignited, its flames lashing outward.
He swung it down at Junoo—
But the weapon passed through her, like she was smoke.
No heat. No resistance. Nothing.
Dev froze.
His eyes widened, the first crack in his arrogance.
"…Impossible."
Junoo tilted her head, eyes glowing like molten coals, unblinking.
Her smirk deepened, like a predator watching its prey flail in a trap.
Smirk~
Dev's thoughts raced, pounding in his skull.
'This isn't real. None of this is real. This desert, this rot, this woman—it's all an illusion. She's hiding. She has to be close.'
With a snarl, he slammed his trident into the sand.
The desert exploded upward in a wave of fire, heat distorting the air for miles.
He spun, unleashing lightning spears, stone shards,
And whirling blades of wind in every direction, determined to tear apart the mirage.
The desert responded with thunderous crashes—
Sandstorms erupting, dunes splitting, lightning tearing the sky.
But Junoo remained.
Untouched.
Unmoved.
Every attack passed through her like shadow on water.
And then—
Dozens more Junoo appeared.
A circle of her, surrounding him, each one wearing the same mocking sneer.
Dev's breathing hitched.
"____"
His grip on the trident tightened until his knuckles bled.
'Where?! Where's the real one?!'
His mind raced, scanning, calculating, desperate to locate the anchor of the illusion.
But no matter how much he pushed, burned, or blasted—the world refused to yield.
From all sides, the identical Junoo spoke in unison, their voices like knives scraping bone:
"You can't break free, Dev. Not from me"
The red desert pulsed like a living heart, and Dev realized—
Terrifyingly—
That this was no ordinary illusion.
This wasn't just a trick of the eyes or mind.
This was a prison of the illusion.
Suddenly,
Dev thrashed into sea,
The crushing weight of the sea drowning every breath.
His chest screamed, his lungs begged for air,
Bubble~ Bubble~
"____"
But all he inhaled was water.
The endless abyss pressed down on him, colder and darker with each second.
"No…! No, I refuse…!"
He snarled, bubbles ripping from his mouth as his body convulsed.
But nothing changed.
His fire refused to ignite.
His lightning fizzled out, swallowed by the void.
He was powerless, drowning in someone else's nightmare.
'If I can't break the world… I'll break myself.'
With bloodshot eyes and veins bulging in madness,
Dev summoned a dagger-like Astra, its blade writhing with crimson light.
Without hesitation,
He plunged it into his stomach.
A white-hot agony exploded through his body.
AHHHH!!!
"____"
His scream distorted the ocean around him.
The pain was unbearable—
But that was exactly what he wanted.
The illusion shattered.
The sea cracked like broken glass,
And suddenly Dev was back in the forest where the boy and the Brahmastra present.
But his relief died instantly.
Thick red roots, smoky and pulsating like veins, coiled around his body from the ground.
They wrapped his arms, legs, and throat, binding him in a grotesque cage.
Each tendril drained his energy, sucking at his veins like leeches.
His muscles twitched violently as his Astra energies sputtered out of control, leaving his body trembling.
"____"
Dev's eyes widened, horror blooming across his face.
"You… tricked me again."
Junoo emerged from the red haze, her silhouette sharp and terrifying, eyes glowing with otherworldly fury.
The roots writhed at her command like living serpents.
She leaned forward slightly, her voice a razor against his ears.
"Every time you think you've escaped… you only sink deeper. Do you feel it, Dev? The strength being pulled from your veins? The weight of your own power pressing down?"
The roots pulsed, draining him further,
And Dev's once-fiery aura flickered weakly like a dying ember.
"____"
Junoo's gaze hardened.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N): Guys, don't forget to vote in the Poll.
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