THE DIVINE ASTRAS

Chapter 13

"Guruji, I know how to fight."
"Then show me."
"Oh please. This is not a movie, I know you know how to fight. I'm just telling you that I know how to fight as well."
"Let's see it then."
"Oh....nooooo. No way, I shall not be fooled into this. I try to punch you but you use some cool technique to sucker punch me in the face or stomach, then blood spurts out of my face....not at all am I..."
Rudra could almost not see his movement. A punch was blocked by Rudra, that was to the face.
"Guruji, why? If you want to teach me how to fight, just teach me!"
"Impressive. You have crossed what a human can do normally, you were able to follow the direction of my punch and then block it, this is not divine power just raw, hard, work. Your willpower is strong."
"You don't know what I've been through....Kartik is the only one I have left, I lost everyone else. I wanted to be strong enough for him. For Kartik."
"Yet you still lost him. A loser. Sometimes strength is just not enough. You need to be more. More aware of your surroundings, more aware of the place where you live in. You are nothing, you cannot save your brother, you are useless, Kartik will die. You won't save him..."
"I know what you're trying to do..."
"How could you? Little Rudra, lost his father, lost his mother, running away, crying all the time, praying to God, God only helps those who help themselves, it is you who killed your parents, you who were unable to save them, you who lacked the power and the courage, no matter how strong you become, no matter how fast you become, nothing can compensate that, you lost then and you will lose later. You are a family killer...."
"ENOUGH!"
Rudra jumped at the monk like a savage.
He dodged him like it was nothing.
"YOU THINK I AM STRONG? YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING! I'LL TEACH YOU BETTER THAN TO TALK SHIT ABOUT MY BABA!"
"I'm standing here, are you just all talk? Loser?"
"I'LL GET YOU!"
Rudra launched a kick at him. He brushed it away like it was air. He threw a cross, the monk just weaved out of harm's way.
"I was wrong you are too slow."
"ARGHHHHHH...."
He launched a jump knee at the monk, he stepped sideways with ease.
"It's time I got serious now."
That hit the spot. Rudra had channeled all his anger into that flying knee, that attack was so fast and strong, the best fighters in the world had fallen before it. None had been able to see it coming, it was so fast, none had the ability to stand it's power, yet somehow, he had dodged it like it was a snail sliding towards him. And what the monk said scared him.
Next what happened, Rudra couldn't see.
A few seconds later, he was on the floor, probably with a few broken ribs and bleeding from the lips which were cut so bad that he could taste the blood on his tongue.
"You are so violent." said Rudra.
"I'm merely a defender and a guide."
"You kicked my ass, you said you couldn't teach me anything, well just teach me how to fight and I'll teach that guy a lesson or two. I'm sure, no one can beat your fighting skills."
"As flattered I am by your words, but these fighting skills won't be enough for your victory."
"Are you nuts? I couldn't even see what you were doing!"
"Because you are still moving like a human, you don't have to do that, you are not a mere human, at the very least, you are a demigod, try to at least move as fast as one."
"You are a human, right?"
"Yes."
"But..."
"But no, this is not something which hard work can achieve by itself, I have been granted this power by God. I can do it because this power is divine."
"I knew something was fishy. You bloody have superpowers."
"Ugh. You...sir, listen. Do you have any idea who you are?"
"I'm a wizard?"
"People are dying out there. This is no time to be joking! Your own brother is at risk!"
"I thought monks were supposed to be calm!"
"Okay. Listen. Why do you think I'm faster than you? Is it because I have trained harder than you..is that simply the...."
"Yeah."
"Just listen. Please."
"Okay."
"Do you honestly think my being this fast has anything to do with hard work? This is divine power! You have experienced some of it first hand, haven't you? Just remember that feeling. You are not bound by the same laws of physics as a normal human being, you're a demigod, you cannot run out of breath, you cannot tire, you cannot fatigue, you can run faster than light, you can transcend dimensions, transcend time itself..."
"Wait, that one time, when I saw that man! In the black and white vision? Maybe that was from another point in time. Woah. Okay. I got this."
Rudra stood up.
"I'll kick your ass now. You savage monk. You'll pay for trying to incite me with words...you'll pay.."
"Less talk, more actions. Believe."
Rudra tried to punch him but failed, instead he got attacked, one, two, three, four punches, one in the face, three in the gut.
"This is not working sir, believe..."
And the monk punched him, but this time, he moved and almost dodged it.
"You saw that?"
"I felt it."
"Good work sir. Let's do some more."
"Let's do this."
Ten seconds later, Rudra was on the floor again.
"You failed again, but you got a tiny taste of divinity, otherwise, you would have failed to block my fifth attack. Seems you don't understand, you are still bleeding. You don't have to bleed, believe, my punches should not be able to hurt you or bruise you, even after they hit! You should...."
"Less talk, more action."
Rudra had gotten up. The monk looked at him, his injuries seemed to have vanished, the bleeding seemed to have stopped, and Rudra seemed to have stopped breathing.
"I'll unleash my inner 'the One' now."