Chasing Forgotten Stars II

Chapter 14

"From Kiss to Cosmos: Vinayak's Ascension" 

The remaining twenty-nine sons of Raktavardhan, broken but not yet defeated, looked at one another with a final surge of rage. With trembling hands and bloodied faces, they gathered their last strength, their eyes filled with hatred and defiance. Chaturbahu, leading the charge once more, spat on the ground, his voice hoarse but laced with venom.

"Brothers, we may fall today, but we will not bow to a child!" he roared, lifting his weapon high. The others followed suit, their faces contorted with fury and desperation. They knew they were no match for Bhav, but their pride would not let them retreat.

Together, they unleashed a devastating, chaotic wave of dark energy, summoning every last ounce of their power in one final, reckless assault. The earth trembled beneath them, the sky cracked with dark lightning, and a roar of demonic fury echoed across the battlefield.

Bhav, still standing at the center of it all, watched with a growing, uncontainable anger. His soft, playful demeanor shifted as his glowing eyes darkened, and his body radiated with divine energy. The audacity, the insolence of these sons—daring to continue their assault after everything, after being offered mercy.

"You should've stopped while you had the chance," Bhav said, his voice no longer playful. It carried the weight of the universe itself, echoing with the power of gods.

With a single, fluid motion, Bhav raised his divine bow, stringing an arrow glowing with the very essence of creation. The moment he released it, the battlefield was bathed in a blinding light. Time seemed to pause for a fraction of a second—long enough for the sons of Raktavardhan to realize their fate.

And then, in a blink, it was over.

The arrow split the sky and struck with the force of a thousand suns. The ground shook, the air cracked, and the very fabric of reality trembled as the divine arrow obliterated the sons in an instant. Their bodies disintegrated into the ether, leaving no trace behind. The once-proud warriors of Shonithapura had been wiped from existence.

Far away, Raktavardhan, watching helplessly from the battlements of his fortress, screamed in agony. His once unshakable resolve crumbled as the weight of his sons' deaths crushed his heart. Tears flowed freely down his face, his hands shaking as he fell to his knees, pleading with the heavens for mercy that would never come.

Krpaka, who had witnessed it all from the safety of Bhav's chariot, could only bow his head in sorrow, tears of his own mixing with the dust of the battlefield. His heart ached for his brothers, for the senselessness of their deaths, but deep down he knew that Bhav's judgment had been just.

Bhav turned, his eyes softening once more as he looked toward the distant figure of Raktavardhan, weeping in the distance. There was no hatred in Bhav's gaze, only sadness—a regretful farewell to the demon king who had once been his friend.

Without a word, Bhav ascended back into his divine chariot, his tiny form now radiating with the calm after the storm. He glanced at Krpaka, still kneeling, and offered him a small, reassuring smile.

"Come, Krpaka," Bhav said gently. "You've done well. Let me return you to your father."

The chariot soared through the skies, carrying Bhav and Krpaka across the devastated battlefield, past the remains of the demonic army, and back toward Shonithapura. As they approached, the massive gates of the demon fortress opened reluctantly, and Bhav descended with Krpaka, his small feet barely touching the ground.

Krpaka bowed one last time before Bhav, gratitude and sorrow mingling in his eyes. "Thank you, my lord. You've shown me mercy when none was deserved. I will serve you faithfully from this day on."