The Inseparable Princes

78. Victory of The Vanaras

This was just the first shocker for Ravana and his little boy.

"WHAT?!" roared Indrajit upon coming to know that the two brothers had survived his attack of the Nagastra. "Th-This is impossible! How?!" he said under his breath and continued to mumble incomprehensible things. Ravana widened his eyes as Mandodari shuddered. This was certainly not going their way.

"Maharaj, even now if you could return Sita-"

"MANDODARI!" he yelled, cutting her wise words off as he always did, never understanding her importance in his life. She shook her head in disappointment. Nothing could convince her husband that this battle could end up killing him.

"Pitashree, I'm going to the battlefield again. And this time, they will be dead for sure!" growled Indrajit. Ravana shook his head.

"No, son. I'll send Dhumraksha today. He is more than enough for those insects!" declared Ravana, grinning, as his son cackled too. Deciding against learning from one's mistakes is nothing but senselessness and foolhardiness. That was exactly what the duo of father and son were doing.

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The sun peeked out from behind the mountains at Lanka, providing light for everyone to see the ghastly, disturbing battlefield again. The Lankan army had lined up and was ready to attack when they were commanded to do so, and the monkeys too, grinding their teeth, were raring to go.

Hanuman stood ahead of the army, his mace held tightly in his hand, and his eyes narrowed. Similarly, the demons were being led by Dhumraksha, a menacing demon, who seemed ready to annihilate the entire monkey army. But Hanuman was at the forefront for a reason.

As the chieftains commanded their respective armies to attack the enemy, Hanuman took on the danger man for the day, Dhumraksha. The duel that ensued was a sight to behold. Dhumraksha violently pounced out of his chariot and onto Hanuman, but it did not seem to matter one but to the latter. In turn, he leapt forward himself and shattered his chariot to mere shards of gold. Dhumraksha was seething, as he grabbed his mace from under the crushed chariot and twirled it around before he swung it towards Hanuman. Hanuman brought his on mace right before his chest and they both clanged, making sparks.

With a roar, the demon pulled his mace back and tried to attack Hanuman once again, but the latter seemed to be too good for Dhumraksha, as he simple held the mace with his left hand, while attacking him with the mace in his right. Dhumraksha fell back, panting, before he got back up to pick his mace up. But as the duel resumed, Hanuman attacked him on the head with the mace, and he went back to the ground, reeling from the blow. He got up once again, and stumbling and tripping over everything on the ground, he walked up to Hanuman again and gave Hanuman a blow on his arm. And in less than a second's time, Hanuman attacked Dhumraksha on the head once again, and this time he blacked out. Forever.

★★★

"Are you telling me that Dhumraksha has been killed?!" asked Ravana, his voice unusually soft, indicating some menace to come, as the soldier trembled like a leaf.

"Y-Y-Yes, Maharaj." said the frightened soldier, and Ravana got up and stomped his right foot on his footrest.

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? HOW!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the court frighteningly. "You are telling me that that mere Hanuman killed Dhumraksha? Dhumraksha?! One of the best in our army? How?!"

"Maharaj," began a voice. Ravana, simmering, turned to him angrily. "Please allow me to go now. I shall kill those hermits and bring their dead bodies dragging all the way around the cities of Lanka, and to your feet!" he said confidently. Vajradamshtra was his name.