In a dark green forest a terrifying and highly dangerous place known as the Kavla Forest, where any ordinary warrior could survive for only a mere few moments.
In the dark kavla forest there was a cave. This cave had a bizarre and sinister appearance, formed of eerie black rocks. From within this dreadful cave, three dark silhouettes were emerging. Among these shadowy figures were two women and one man, with a girl named Maya walking right in the middle of them as they stepped out of the cave together.
The woman holding the red stone was Maya. She wore a perfectly fitted, blood-red and black Angrakha. Beneath it, much like the ancient warriors, she wore a loose Antariya (dhoti-pants) tied securely at her ankles.
Resting on her chest and shoulders was light yet sturdy black-and-gold armor, intricately engraved with ancient demonic runes. She wore long, black leather gauntlets on her forearms to ensure a firm grip on her sword. Her hair flowed freely, and as she walked, a small black cape tied to her back fluttered in the wind.
Standing to her right was a woman appearing to be around the same age, named Vishakha.
She was dressed in dark purple and deep blue combat attire. On her upper body, she wore a backless Choli (combat-halter top), covered at the front by a thin, reinforced padded armor.
Below, she wore a silk slitted dhoti-skirt with high cuts on both sides. Her arms were adorned with serpent-shaped Bajuband (armlets). But the most lethal detail of all was the silver payal (anklets) she wore on her feet.
Accompanying them was a man looking to be in his early thirties, named Takshak. He was completely bare-chested, but his muscular upper body was covered in dangerous, black 'Demonic Tattoos' that enhanced the flow of his cultivation energy. For his lower body, he wore a heavy, pleated charcoal-black dhoti.
Around his waist was an exceptionally wide war-belt made of leather and iron, where his Rakt-Chakrams (Blood Chakrams) hung menacingly. On his right shoulder sat a heavy, horned metal pauldron. His forearms, from the elbows down to the wrists, were tightly wrapped in black cloth bandages, over which he wore his Chhaya-Katar (Shadow Punch-Daggers). His face constantly carried an expression of pure, seething rage, and his eyes glowed with a faint crimson light.
Breaking the silence, Maya spoke up, "We have obtained what we came for. We must now return to our sect."
Hearing Maya's words, both Takshak and Vishakha nodded and replied, "Yes, Sect Leader. Let us depart."
However, just as the three of them took a step forward, a spear came hurtling straight toward Maya, violently slicing through the air as if meant to skewer everything in its path.
Maya immediately sensed the deadly weapon rushing toward her back.
Takshak and Vishakha sensed the incoming threat at the exact same moment. Without a second thought,Takshak instantly turned around and tried to deflect it downward using the armor worn on his wrist.
However, the force of the spear was so devastating that it wounded his wrist. Despite the injury, Takshak did not budge an inch and managed to deflect the spear towards the ground.
The spear crashed into the earth, causing a massive explosion. Following the blast, a thick cloud of dust and dirt spread everywhere.
Takshak looked at his injured hand; his wrist armor was completely shattered, and blood began to pour from his wound.
The three of them landed back in the forest, right below the portal. Furious, Takshak shouted, "Who dares to mess with us? Whoever you are, come out!"
Just then, daggers infused with origin energy flew toward Takshak, striking him directly in the chest. Injured by the daggers, Takshak's vision began to blur. Immediately, several shadows descended upon him, attacking with swords. Before he could even blink, one was about to slit his throat.
In the split second before the strike could hit, Maya used her crimson blade to deflect the assassin's attack. The force sent the assassin's weapon flying into the air, forcing the attacker to jump back. Maya stood her ground, firmly gripping her single-edged, crescent-curved sword.
Meanwhile, Vishakha tightly gripped her long, flexible whip-sword, the Urumi, standing highly alert.
Maya asked Takshak, "Are you alright?"
Panting, Takshak pulled the dagger out of his chest and replied, "Yes, I am fine."
He then carefully examined the dagger he had pulled out and noticed poison coating its blade.
The poison was spreading rapidly through Takshak's body, causing darkness to creep into his vision and a deep chill to settle in his bones. He turned to Maya, "Sect Leader, I think these daggers are laced with poison—" Suddenly, he vomited black blood. Shocked, Takshak stared in horror at the black blood staining his hands.
Gritting her teeth, Maya said, "Oh no... we are trapped in a very bad situation."
Takshak urged, "Sect Leader, don't worry about me. You must leave this place!"
At that moment, two armed shadows launched an attack on Vishakha, clashing against the strikes of her Urumi.
A third shadow fired an arrow that struck Vishakha squarely in the leg. Stumbling, she pulled the arrow out and was horrified to see that it, too, was laced with poison.
Panicking, she muttered, "Just what kind of poison have they used on me?" Her leg gave out, and she began to stagger. Her hands trembled violently, causing her grip to loosen, and her Urumi slipped from her grasp. Seeing the two shadows closing in from her left and right, Maya immediately dashed forward to save her companion.
However, just as she moved, the same spear was hurled at her back once again by an unseen attacker.
To defend herself, Maya swung her sword forward, successfully blocking the spear's strike. The sheer impact of the two clashing weapons caused the earth beneath them to crack open.
Launching a counterattack, Maya pushed the unknown assassin back and delivered a flurry of sword strikes. But the assassin, possessing years of harsh training, gave Maya a fierce fight.
The assassin thrust the spear straight at her; Maya dodged the attack and tried to counter, but the assassin swiftly evaded her strike and plunged the spear directly through her stomach. With the spear lodged in her abdomen, Maya shoved the assassin away and staggered backward.
The spear remained embedded in her stomach. The assassin stepped back, extending an open hand and spreading his fingers as if calling out to something. Suddenly, the spear inside Maya's body began to vibrate, violently ripping itself out of her abdomen and flying straight back into the assassin's hand.
Maya lost a massive amount of blood from the horrific wound, but she refused to stop fighting. She charged forward, attempting to strike with her sword, but the assassin used the upper blade of his spear to cleanly sever the hand she used to hold her weapon.
Screaming in sheer agony, Maya dropped to her knees. The assassin slowly walked up to her, pulling down the mask covering his face. Smirking, he said, "It has been a long time, Maya..."
Seeing his face, Maya was consumed by rage and screamed, "You traitor... Setu!"
Setu mocked her, "So much hatred, and that too for me... how wonderful."
Seething with fury, Maya spat out, "Bastard, I will not spare you!"
Looking at her with feigned pity, Setu replied, "Just look at yourself. Look at the pathetic state you are in."
Maya continued to curse Setu relentlessly, hurling insults and profanities at him. She roared, "I will kill you with my own bare hands!"
Setu laughed out loud, "Oh really? With your bare hands?"
Maya sat there, tightly clutching the stump of her severed hand. Setu said, "Look, Maya, cursing me won't change anything. If you people cooperate with us..."
But Maya blatantly refused to cooperate and continued to rain abuses on him. Losing his temper, a twisted idea suddenly crossed Setu's mind. He looked at Maya and said, "How about I give you a little surprise?"
Hearing this, Maya said nothing and just stared ahead. Setu then ordered the rest of his men to bring the injured Vishakha forward. Gripping his spear, Setu grabbed Maya by her hair and forced her to look ahead. There, her companion Vishakha had been forced onto her knees, with an assassin standing behind her holding a sharp blade.
Maya instantly realized what she was about to witness. Setu gave the command to his subordinate, and the assassin callously slit Vishakha's throat.
Deep crimson blood sprayed out like a fountain from her neck. As her throat was severed, Vishakha began to thrash and twitch in excruciating agony.
Maya screamed, crying out Vishakha's name, but soon, Vishakha's body stopped trembling. She had met a highly agonizing death.
Witnessing this horrific sight, Maya was left utterly devastated and plunged into deep shock. At that moment, Setu stood right behind Maya, raising his spear high. "Your journey ends here, Maya," he whispered. He then drove his spear straight through Maya's heart, killing her instantly on the spot.