Unlike the earlier journey from the Matsya Kingdom toward Hastinapura, this journey progressed at a much calmer and slower pace. The cattle needed rest during the evening hours, and the horses, too, could not remain agitated endlessly amidst constant movement. Moreover, Karna himself saw no reason to rush toward Kashi during the darkness of night.
"There is no wisdom in forcing living beings beyond their limits merely because one possesses the power to do so," Karna said once when Duryodhana suggested increasing the speed. "A king who ignores exhaustion in his animals will later ignore exhaustion in his people, too. And when rulers stop hearing tired breaths, kingdoms begin walking toward ruin."
Duryodhana couldn't counter that and just stayed silent.
Night gradually spread across the skies.
Below them, forests became dark patches beneath moonlight while rivers shimmered like silver threads winding through the earth. The stars appeared brighter at such heights, and the cold winds of the upper sky brushed constantly against faces, clothes, banners, and armor.
At intervals during the journey, the cattle became restless.
The unfamiliar movement through the skies disturbed many of them. Nervous calls spread through the massive herd while some horses stamped their hooves anxiously against the cloud surface.
Whenever that happened…
Karna would quietly take out the divine Veena.
And then play the soothing music.
Soft.
Steady.
Gentle like flowing water beneath moonlight.
The notes would drift across the cloud-covered sky while the night winds carry them through the massive herd. Slowly, the restless animals would calm down one after another. Horses would lower their heads. Oxen would stop pulling against restraints. And even the soldiers fell silent every time he played.
Some closed their eyes unconsciously.
Others simply listened.
And among all of them…
Princess Dushala found herself falling deeper and deeper into silent admiration.
At first, it had merely been curiosity.
Then awe.
But now, while watching Karna beneath moonlight with the Veena resting against his arm while celestial melodies soothed thousands of living beings at once, her heart slowly crossed into a place she herself was beginning to fear.
Especially because every time her eyes drifted toward Ratnaprabha sitting quietly beside him like some inseparable guardian… A faint heaviness formed inside her chest.
Meanwhile, during the long journey, Duryodhana too gradually tried to grow closer to Karna.
Without Shakuni constantly hovering nearby, whispering strategy and suspicion into his ears, Duryodhana's natural personality became far more visible. Karna noticed many things during their conversations beneath the night sky.
Ambition.
Pride.
Strong attachment toward family.
An intense refusal to bend before humiliation.
And above all…
The desire to build strength powerful enough that nobody could ever look down upon him again.
More than once, Karna found glimpses of Jarasandha within Duryodhana's thinking.
Especially in the way he spoke about power.
"A kingdom without overwhelming strength," Duryodhana once said while staring toward the distant horizon below, "is like a treasure chest without locks. The world does not respect kindness first, Maharaj Karna. It respects fear first. And then you must show your kindness."
Karna listened quietly.
While he doesn't agree, he did not entirely disagree either. Everyone has their own ideology. The important thing is not one's ideology but one's actions. Because one will only get their karmaphala from their karma, not what's in their heart. That's what he learned from his brother Shani, during the little bit of conversations he had with him during those two meetings he had.
Yet there was one thing during the journey that constantly irritated him.
Again and again, Duryodhana returned to the same topic.
"The throne was mine from the beginning," Duryodhana muttered bitterly while the cloud drifted beneath starlight. "But the moment those Pandavas returned, everything began slipping away from me little by little. It is like raising a tree for years only for another man to arrive during harvest season and claim its fruits."
In the end, Karna looked at him calmly and decided to respond.
"Then strengthen your roots instead of cursing the branches, Duryodhana," he replied. "A weak tree fears competition. A strong tree simply grows taller."
Duryodhana fell silent after hearing that.
Yet the bitterness inside him clearly had not disappeared.
Throughout all this, Dushala mostly remained quiet.
But her gaze followed Karna constantly.
Whenever he spoke.
Whenever he played music.
Whenever he gave orders to soldiers.
Whenever he smiled faintly at Ratnaprabha.
Her eyes always returned to him unconsciously.
The journey continued steadily through the night and the following dawn.
And finally…
Around the fourth prahar of early morning, nearly around four o'clock, the distant lands of Kashi appeared ahead beneath the dim blue light before sunrise.
Outside the city itself, an enormous military encampment had already been established.
Countless banners bearing the same golden symbol of the Sun fluttered across the plains.
Rows upon rows of tents stretched outward like a temporary city.
Large fires still burned from the night while soldiers moved through the camp preparing for the arrival.
And waiting there…
Were elephants.
Hundreds of them.
Three hundred adult elephants and one hundred forty war elephants stood ready for transfer.
The moment the massive floating cloud descended slowly from the heavens, the soldiers below immediately reacted.
More than one hundred thousand soldiers waited there.
Alongside them stood over ten thousand chariots and twenty thousand cavalry.
As the cloud slowly descended toward the grasslands, every single soldier below dropped onto one knee simultaneously.
The sound alone thundered across the plains.
Duryodhana stared at the sight in visible surprise. His eyes moved across the seemingly endless rows of warriors before finally stopping upon Karna.
"So this…" he murmured slowly, "this is your Suryasena."
Even his voice carried disbelief now.
"I did not expect you to bring your entire army merely to escort cattle."
Karna looked over the massive encampment calmly.
"They are only one-sixth of our army, Prince Duryodhana. Not our entire army."
The answer struck Duryodhana harder than expected.
One-sixth.
His eyes widened slightly.
He began mentally calculating numbers instantly.
And the conclusion unsettled even him.
Dakshina Kalinga maintained such a gigantic military? More numbers than even a larger kingdom like the Kuru?
But why?
Unlike Kuru, there were practically no kingdoms openly threatening Karna or his kingdom right now.
He didn't know that most of that army wasn't to protect the land from outside forces, but they were also dispatched to every city and town to lessen the crimes and to remind the wealthy individuals, the landlords, and the village heads and such that the royal palace is keeping an eye on their actions.
The thought lingered heavily in his mind.
Meanwhile, after the cloud fully landed, the organized movement began immediately.
The five thousand Kuru soldiers and three thousand Matsya soldiers were assigned camping areas near the massive cattle sections while the herders focused entirely on maintaining order among the animals. Karna's own soldiers spread outward strategically around the plains, establishing layered defensive formations in case of threats.
Even during trade…
Karna's discipline remained military-grade.
Nothing was left exposed.
Nothing was left careless.
After making the arrangements, Karna personally led Duryodhana, Dushala, Matsya's commander Ranadheera, Queen Ratnaprabha, and his own general Kala Bhairava toward the higher command tents prepared nearby.
The air outside carried the cool dampness before sunrise, while elephant calls echoed through the plains repeatedly.
For a while, everyone rested within their respective tents.
Then, after completing his morning prayers toward Lord Surya and silently thanking Goddess Sangya for her help, Karna prepared for the next part of the visit.
As dawn fully broke…
Karna and Ratnaprabha led their guests toward Kashi city itself.
Duryodhana, Dushala, Ranadheera, several personal attendants, elite Kuru guards, and selected Suryasena warriors accompanied them as a formal escort. As for Karna's army, they stayed behind to protect the cattle and the horses.
The roads toward the city were already crowded despite the early hour.
News of Karna's arrival had spread quickly through Kashi.
People lined the roads trying to glimpse the famed king who traveled through the skies carrying armies and cattle upon clouds.
The palace gates soon opened.
And waiting there personally…
Was Karna's young brother-in-law, the twenty-one-year-old King Indraverma.
The young king stepped forward warmly.
"Maharaj Karna," he greeted respectfully. "Welcome back to Kashi."