Arya wasn't done. His resolve had settled like stone. As Sharvas and his remaining forces retreated, Arya pressed forward, his bloodied boots steady on the shifting soil of the battlefield.
Kritipal shoved Parashar aside and began withdrawing, rallying his dwindling men to form a defensive wall around him. Behind them, the last Kshoniraaja stood battered, swaying but not fallen. The Kaalraths circled the beast like vultures, cutting at him from all sides. Blades sliced through flesh and armor until the giant, bloodied and howling, finally dropped to his knees and fell.
The fall of the last Kshoniraaja sent a wave of unrest through Sharvas's lines. His soldiers faltered. Parashar moved away from the main front and toward the tents. There, Savignya lay unconscious, her wounds deep but not fatal. The healers worked swiftly. She would live—but she would not return to battle.
With Eknandini down and the giants gone, the tide had turned. Sharvas's men were being pushed back further and further. Dhanudanda walked behind Arya, relentless, his soldiers fighting with the force of retribution. Arya's focus was unshaken. The enemy was losing strength with every passing moment.
Parashar mounted a horse, borrowed near the tents. Accompanied by a handful of his men, he rode swiftly across the field toward Arya, who now stood at the edge of the press, staring into the chaos ahead.
"Stop, Arya!" Parashar shouted. "You shouldn't go further. We cannot do what they did to us. We continue tomorrow."
Arya turned slowly, his gaze calm but stern. He walked up to Parashar and looked into his eyes. "Tell that to Rudra, who lies with an arrow in his chest."
Parashar met Arya's eyes. "I know your pain. Savignya lies unconscious because of Sharvas's broken rules. She was stabbed by Eknandini. She will survive, but only if we don't lose more people. We cannot stoop to their level."
Arya's brow furrowed. "You are still talking of rules? They broke them. They attacked after the shankh was blown. Sharvas is the reason Rudra may not survive. And Savignya—when did that even happen?"
"This is war," Parashar said, his voice sharper now. "One life can tip the balance. Rudra and Savignya are not gone. Don't let anger make you foolish. Raktapasu fell in battle too—how do you think Sharvas felt then?"
"Raktapasu died fighting fairly. Sharvas knows no such thing." Arya's voice was cold now.
Parashar knew Arya was right. But that didn't change his position. "If Sharvas reaches the city, his strength might double. We don't know what's waiting there. We don't know his plans."
"I don't plan to let him reach the city." Arya turned toward the battlefield.
His voice rang out. "Men! Vartul formation! Stop the enemy from reaching the city!"
Soldiers scrambled to obey. Dhanudanda nodded and moved in rhythm with the orders. The command echoed across the front.
Arya turned to the war engineers. He lifted his hand. Moments later, giant boulders were launched through the air, arcing toward the city gates. They landed hard—some smashing into the outer walls, others blocking the entrances entirely.
Sharvas and his forces pushed backward, but their way was now obstructed. There was no retreat through the gates. Arya watched from a rise, measuring their movement.
"Horsemen! Get behind the enemy. Do not let them pass through. Hold your ground, no matter what!" Arya's voice cut through the battle.
Cavalry units galloped wide, circling and surging around the flanks. Behind Sharvas, Arya's riders clashed with his remaining cavalry. The battle stretched in all directions, but Arya's voice held the center together.
"Dhanudanda, take a Baan formation. Strike the center. Break their line. If anyone blocks you, kill them."
Dhanudanda grunted in approval and moved, leading a wedge of hardened fighters straight into the heart of Sharvas's ranks.
Arya's gaze swept the battlefield. He wasn't speaking from rage. His eyes were calculating. His voice sharp, focused. He moved like a commander now. Men obeyed without question. The field bent to his will.
From above, the war formations began to take shape. The Vartul closed in, two concentric circles. The outer led by Dhanudanda. The inner slowly swallowing Sharvas and Kritipal. Sharvas's men were caught between them. A circle of steel, blood, and pressure.
"You have the option to fight or go back to Savignya and others. I will not blame you for leaving the battlefield. You have your rules and I have mine." Arya said calmly to Parashar.
Parashar turned to Arya. "I'll not stop you. I will return to the tents. We must protect those who remain."
"Do what you must," Arya replied.
Parashar nodded. He wasn't afraid of Sharvas or war. But he'd seen what battle did. He believed in fighting with restraint. War had rules—without them, it was madness.
Arya watched him go, then turned silently to join the fray.
The battlefield shifted. The night deepened. The moon stood high.
Midnight struck.