Maayak's blade of illusion hovered inches away from the trembling little girl, his wicked grin twisting nder the pale mask. Kartik's eyes snapped open. A surge of something ancient and fierce flooded through him, making every nerve in his body burn with power.
"Enough," Kartik's voice echoed, low but sharp like thunder in a cave.
A sudden blast of invisible force slammed into Maayak, hurling him back several metres. His illusions flickered wildly before stabilizing again. Maayak staggered, eyes wide with shock. "What… what kind of spell was that? It didn't hurt, just… pushed me away?!"
Kartik slowly rose to his feet, a dark aura seeping out like smoke from deep within him. His hair grew, spilling down to brush against his neck; the bruises and cuts across his skin faded as if erased by unseen hands. His body seemed to stretch and strengthen, muscles tightening under skin that deepened into a black and grey tone, veins subtly glowing beneath the surface.
In the distance, Ranthak and Agastyan both felt it at once—a sudden, crushing presence pressing down on them like a mountain of divine might.
Even the enemy elites felt it; the air grew heavy, and a cold shiver crawled up their spines.
Before Maayak could recover, he sent forth a spear of illusions toward Kartik.
The deadly apparition shimmered and weaved through the air, but as it reached Kartik, it simply dissolved into nothingness, as though the space around him rejected its existence.
Maayak's confident smirk vanished. Kartik stood tall, his silhouette surrounded by the swirling dark aura. The ground seemed to tremble, pebbles rolling away from his feet.
Behind Kartik, the divine spirit beast, Nandi, lowered its mighty head to bow. And, one by one, the warriors of Trinetra, Ranthak, Agastyan—even the hidden villagers and senior warriors—bowed deeply.
The air crackled with reverence and fear. Enemy warriors exchanged anxious glances.
Maayak's gaze finally dropped to Kartik's chest. His eyes widened in terror. "That… that eye… it's fully open?!"
The divine eye on Kartik's chest glowed purple, unblinking, its intricate lines alive with power. "Impossible!
We've never seen the eye completely open! So… this is the power of the divine eye? But why isn't the black rain water working?!"
Maayak's mind raced, cold sweat on his brow. The eye must have been closed before… now it's awake and shielding him. A barrier! His panic turned to murderous resolve. If I let him live, everything is lost.
"Die, boy!" Maayak roared, unleashing a storm of illusions. Dozens, then hundreds, materialized: blades, chains, monstrous faces with gaping jaws, each leaping toward Kartik from all directions.
But Kartik was gone. In a blink, he reappeared behind Maayak, moving so fast his figure blurred into an afterimage.
His fist crashed forward, the sheer force of it generating a shockwave that splintered the
ground, rattled bones, and cracked Maayak's illusionary mask.
Maayak summoned another illusion just in time; it absorbed part of the blow, but the impact still hurled him through the air. He smashed into a column of ancient stone, rubble raining around him. Dust choked the air.
Kartik didn't wait. His gaze locked on the terrified little girl, frozen where Maayak had left her.
He vanished and appeared at her side, gently lifting her trembling form into his arms.
"Thank you… big brother," she whispered, tears streaking down her dusty cheeks.
He gave her a small, wordless smile before disappearing again. The next instant, he reappeared beside the hidden villagers, lowering the girl to safety. She clung to the hem of his tattered shirt for a moment,then released him as he gently stepped away.
Without a word, Kartik returned to the battlefield, dark aura spiraling around him like living shadows.
His skin shimmered between black and grey, the divine eye on his chest shining as if burning with judgment.
In front of him now stood Nishaara, her eyes cold as winter, dark mist coiling around her like snakes.
Beside her loomed Kraan, his skin stitched and scarred, mounted atop a massive undead tiger whose eyes glowed a baleful green.
"So," Kraan sneered, though his voice trembled slightly, "you got a little bit of power because of that accursed eye. But it won't matter. We still have many more warriors, beasts, and curses to bury you."
His words dripped with bravado, but fear hid behind them, clear as day.
With a guttural command, Kraan unleashed his magic beasts. The undead tiger lunged, flanked by snarling, twisted wolves and giant, winged carrion birds. The earth shook under the weight of their charge.
The divine warriors braced themselves, but before the monsters could reach Kartik, a low rumble echoed across the battlefield. A deep, ancient sound, like stone splitting the sky.
Everyone turned their gaze upward.
High above, black clouds churned, and then, as though torn by an invisible blade, a massive hole opened in the sky. Sunlight—real, pure sunlight—pierced through, spilling golden light onto the cursed village.
Dust motes shimmered like falling stars.
For the first time since the fight starts, The villagers and warriors were able to see the sky.
From that break in the heavens, something fell—a streak of brilliance, moving faster than thought.
It crashed into the ground between Kartik and Kraan and Nishaara with the force of a thunderclap, sending a blast of wind that flattened grass, toppled stones, and forced even the strongest warriors to shield their eyes.
Dust cleared...