The second divine binding shattered like glass. Its fragments rose into the storm above, where black clouds churned, thunder twisting into the shape of colossal chains that writhed across the heavens.
The spectators on the cliffside staggered back, shielding their faces. The sky itself seemed to split with fury.
"This is impossible…"
"No disciple can survive this long—he should be ash already!"
"Is he… still human?"
Even the elders sat in uneasy silence, their authority cracking under the sight of the boy defying heaven itself.
---
The Third Binding
A pillar of light crashed down, searing the ground around Arhaan. From the blaze emerged an enormous spectral warrior—armor forged of divine fire, wielding a blade longer than a man's body.
It raised its weapon, and with a single swing, the earth beneath Arhaan split open.
Arhaan barely rolled aside, his arm torn open by the searing heat. His golden chains lashed out, but the warrior's blade cleaved through them as though they were threads.
For the first time, his breath faltered.
The disciples cheered.
"Yes! The heavens won't be broken!"
"He'll be crushed here!"
But Selene's veiled eyes glimmered with something else—not fear, but interest.
---
The Roar
Arhaan staggered, blood dripping into the cracked earth. The celestial chains tightened, trying to drag him down.
But within his chest, the echo of the First Prisoner's voice thundered again.
"Chains are not meant to bind you. Chains are meant to be broken."
Arhaan roared, his body igniting with fire brighter than ever before. His golden chains erupted in countless strands, wrapping around the divine warrior's arm, legs, chest—pulling with all their strength.
The spectral giant resisted, blade rising for a final strike—
—and then, with a deafening crack, Arhaan tore it apart.
The warrior dissolved into sparks, its divine blade shattering like brittle glass.
---
Heaven's Fury
The heavens screamed. Lightning fell in endless torrents. Four more bindings slammed into Arhaan at once, chaining him to the ground. His body convulsed under the unbearable weight, blood spilling freely.
But his eyes—burning gold through the haze of agony—lifted toward the storm as if daring the heavens themselves.
"I told you. I will not kneel."