[ASTRA SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
*Ding! The divine core has been unlocked.
Host: Agastya
Species: Celestial
Sub Species: Deva
Class: ???
Title: ???
Energy Core: None (Divine core detected)
Rank: Tier-0
Status: Awakened
Special Abilities: [Locked]
Agastya blinked, staring at the holographic screen. "What is this?"
He sat still, his eyes locked onto the glowing holographic screen floating before him. His heart pounded against his ribcage as he saw the words [Divine Core Unlocked] that flickered at the top of his stats, standing out in contrast to everything else.
He had spent his entire life believing he was born without an energy core. Despite being trained in the arts of martial arts from young age, he couldn't progress because he had no core. It was like he was defeated right from the moment of his birth. It had always made him inferior to the rest, incapable of rising beyond his station. And yet.... here it was. A Divine Core, something only celestial bloodlines can have.
His hands clenched into fists. "Why is that I have no energy core then?" Agastya couldn't help but fall into thoughts. He didn't understand something. If he is a celestial bloodline, how come he wasn't born with any energy core at all, when all those hunted celestial bloodlines usually not only are born with an energy core, but also awaken even elemental cores, some even said to possess multiple elemental cores.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. The events that had led him here flashed through his mind: Vibhav's sacrifice, the ambush, the pain of the blade tearing through his body, the mysterious entity of light, and the voice of Yami speaking to him from the locket.
Then came the rage. "Vibhav…"
"Those damn bastards captured Vibhav…" Agastya clenched his fists tightly, anger seeping into his bones and veins popping out.
The Nova Guild had taken 1,000,000 credits in exchange for handing over Vibhav to that noble. And chances were, they had already delivered him to the Moon.
Agastya gritted his teeth. Vibhav was an idiot. A selfish, reckless fool who had put himself in this situation. But that didn't change the fact that Agastya himself is the fool who put Vibhav in danger, the only family member he had left. And Agastya wasn't going to stand by and do nothing.
"I'll get him back." His grip tightened even more to the point that his wrist went pale. His face, meanwhile, looked as cool as ice. "And I'll make sure every single one of them pays for what they did."
However, his rageful thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a soft ding!
A new notification popped up in front of him:
[Starter Pack Available]
Congratulations, Host! As the chosen wielder of the Astra System, you have received a Starter Pack! Would you like to open it?
[Yes] / [No]
Agastya raised an eyebrow. "A starter pack?" he muttered. It felt strange, almost like he was playing some kind of game, but at this point, he had already witnessed too much insanity to question it.
He extended a hand and pressed [Yes].
The moment he did, the system screen shimmered and transformed into something new. Two glowing icons appeared before him, both question marks, floating in midair.
Choose one.
Agastya hesitated for a moment before reaching out and tapping the left one.
FLASH!
A bright golden light exploded from the icon. Agastya instinctively shielded his eyes, but when the light faded, he saw something falling from the air.
It was a bow, landing on the ground with a soft thud. It was unlike any bow he had ever seen in the market. Its body was sleek and dark, shimmering with golden engravings that pulsed faintly. The moment his eyes landed on it, its name appeared automatically in his mind as if he recognized the bow...
SHARANGA
Agastya furrowed his brows deeply. "Sharanga? I feel like I have heard this name before. Where did I hear it?" His gaze never left the divine bow resting on his lap. Vague memories appeared in his head when he was a child, and his father was telling the stories of some mythical gods.
Before he could process it, another object materialized in front of him. It was a book, looking quite old.
A new message popped up.
The Book of Bhargavastra has been obtained. Would you like to transfer its knowledge directly into your mind right away?
[Yes] / [No]
Agastya stared at the prompt, his heart racing. "A direct transfer of knowledge? "That was insane, but at the same time, it would save years of study. At the same time, he, too, finds this Astra name strangely familiar.
Intending to see where this goes, he pressed [Yes].
The moment he did, a surge of information crashed into his brain like a tidal wave. His entire body froze, and his vision went white as thousands of pages worth of ancient knowledge flooded his mind.
And at the center of it all...
The Bhargavastra Mantra.
A divine technique, passed down by the sage Bhrigu, meant to wield astral energy in ways that defied the very fabric of reality.
Agastya gasped as the flood of knowledge finally settled, leaving him breathless. He automatically sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes to concentrate.
His breathing eventually became slow and steady as he absorbed the immense knowledge of the Bhargavastra. His body trembled, feeling the sheer weight of power now coursing through his body.
Bhargavastra was not just a single attack. It was a force of absolute destruction, capable of reshaping the battlefield itself. Depending on the wielder's intention and focus, it could:
Summon torrential floods, drowning entire armies in an instant.
Unleash streams of fire, burning enemies to ash within moments.
Call forth divine lightning, striking with precision and causing devastation.
Transform into powerful arrows of pure divine energy that could cut through anything.
And Agastya was quite overwhelmed on receiving the knowledge of such a technique.
*Ding!
A notification rang in his mind, pulling him from his thoughts.
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully acquired Bhargavastra, one of the most powerful astras.]
Yami's voice followed, "However, be warned, you may have obtained Bhargavastra, but your current mastery over it is nonexistent because of the direct knowledge transfer. Invoking it improperly will have severe side effects on your body."
Agastya remained silent. He wasn't surprised at all. After all, the mantra only gave him the knowledge on how to invoke the astra. It is just a theory. To perfect the mastery, he needed practice.
Yami, the system, went on saying the same thing.
*Ding! Until you train and gain better control, excessive use of Bhargavastra will drain your life force. Your body is not yet accustomed to handling divine energy. If you overextend yourself, you will die.
Agastya clenched his fists as he murmured. "I just need to train harder before using it."
*Ding! Yes. Otherwise, you will destroy yourself before you can destroy your enemies.
He exhaled sharply. "That was fine. If that was what it took to master this power, then so be it."
His eyes drifted to the Sharanga Bow lying beside him. He reached for it, brushing its smooth yet firm surface with his fingers. The moment his hand made contact, the bow hummed, responding to his touch. A faint golden glow pulsed along its body.
It felt as if it was meant for him.
He gripped it tightly, then turned toward the exit of the cave. The world outside was still dark, but the first hints of dawn appeared to be seen in the sky.
Standing at the edge of the cave, he gazed down at the river below. His eyes narrowed in surprise. "Water?" It was a rare sight on Earth, where most natural water sources had long dried up or been contaminated by war and industrial greed.
A thought sparked in his mind when he saw the stream of the river.
Feeling like this is a perfect chance to test his strength, he closed his eyes and channeled divine energy into the arrow. The divine energy, now a part of his body, felt like solar energy he used to absorb from the sun and use it for the attacks. And he felt like he had absolute control over the energy that was running through his veins.
Intending to summon a flood in the river, he pulled back the bowstring and spoke the incantation in the ancient long long-lost language of Sanskrit to invoke the astra.
"Om Hum Phat Bhargavastre Agne Tejase
Parashuhastaya Swaha।
Om Hum Phat Kreem Kleem Aim Hreem
Bhargavastraya Parashudharaya Namah"
[Translation: Om! Let the fiery Bhargavastra, born of divine energy, be awakened! May the supreme weapon of Parashurama, wielder of the divine axe, unleash its might. I invoke thee, O celestial Astra.]
*
Soon, a golden arrow materialized between his fingertips, pulsing with pure energy. He aimed at the river below, focusing on its gentle flow. The idea was simply to increase the water's volume and let it flood. If he could control this level of power, then his mastery over the astra would take a step forward.
But just as he was about to release the arrow...
Shnk!
A sharp pain shot through his forearm.
His grip on the bow faltered, and the golden arrow dispersed into thin air. Agastya's gaze snapped to his arm, where a dagger was embedded deep in his flesh. Blood trickled from the wound.
His instincts screamed at him.
An ambush!
He turned sharply, scanning his surroundings.
A beautiful girl was spotted a few meters away in a firm stance while spinning another dagger. "Hello there..."