The Inseparable Princes

98. The Ultimate Duel

What would he do? He had to get up and fight, or at least try to do so, for otherwise (or even otherwise otherwise) Rama would kill him. If he sat there trying to catch his breath, then he'd fail to catch anything else in his living life for then he would be dead, and when he'd be dead, he wouldn't have a life so what would he catch in his life after he doesn't even have a life? That was too complicated, so he decided to just get up.

He pulled the arrows out of his chest because they were obstructing him big time and he needed to see things clearly in order to fight. Apparently that was a requirement. Preposterous. But anyway, Rama was all for it. The fight was resuming, he was happy. For if he didn't even fight in the first place, how would he kill? Logic? Rama would not just go and stab Ravana when the latter is nearly dying, or is pretending like he's nearly dying but he isn't. (get it? coz I don't)

Rama decided that now, since Ravana was in a good enough position to defend himself, he would attack. That was great news for the world, except, well, Ravana himself, because he didn't exactly want to die. Nobody ever wants to die, I guess. Not in such a situation. Rama tightened his grip around his bow and he took an arrow from his quiver. It had a petal shaped head, and it also glowed with a subtle white colour. Rama placed it on his bow and released it even before anybody could realise what he was planning to do. That single arrow multiplied into a thousand in just a single moment, and flew towards Ravana and his army. But Ravana shot a hundred arrows back towards the ones that were approaching in order to stop them just in time to save himself. Himself, not his soldiers, about a thousand of whom had died at that very moment by those arrows that his own hadn't obstructed.

Ravana shot more arrows than were required. Rama figured that it would be a waste if he kept doing the same monotonous thing over and over again, because there would never be a result. Saving himself was probably not the way to go, which anyway, he had never intended to do. Killing the opponent. So Rama decided not to pay heed to the arrows that came at him, which anybody would admonish him for, because he was starting to take the arrows to himself, before they'd fall off. However, Rama's arrows that he shot at Ravana, more calculated, more fatal than those of his opponent's, were doing the trick. While Rama stood strong as a mountain against all of those arrows that struck him, not even wincing as they came and went, Ravana grimaced as each arrow met its target perfectly.

Wondering how Rama anticipated the movement of his enemy such that even after the enemy moved, the arrow would hit the target? That, from Rama's end, was just him exhibiting his intelligence, his presence of mind, and perhaps some experience of running behind a deer that kept constantly moving even as Rama tried to kill it. Rama had some simple logic there which, clearly, Ravana hadn't even thought of, let alone figuring it out entirely. Rama imagined the movement of a normal being in case an arrow approached towards his body, and while thinking of it, he would know where exactly the figure moved, so he would know where the vital organs were so that he could aim, not for the position of just standing, but for a moving opponent. And not even once had his arrow missed its target. He isn't called the best archer of the universe for no reason.

The afternoon just got darker and warmer as Rama and Ravana practically covered the sky with their arrows, not letting any light penetrate the cover. However, there wasn't a result. Despite bleeding profusely, Rama fought with with the same agility as before, his energy and stamina unparalleled. Ravana, on the other hand, having taken more arrows to himself, thanks to the fact that it was the master of the very craft of archery fighting him, was looking incredibly weak and surprisingly enough, wasn't boasting one bit about how he was great.

Ah, spoke too soon.

"What do you think?" he laughed, his exhaustion practically showing through as he spoke in the the middle of trying not to be as loud while gasping for air. Rama raised a brow. He didn't want to be provoked. For if Ravana did try that, he would just not let him go with a rather easy death as planned earlier. His magnanimity wasn't for those who tortured people, not for people like Ravana. "You're a big hero, you think? You'll kill me, you think? Ha, you couldn't even protect your wife!" He burst out laughing.