Forested Cliffside Road...
The road darkened as Rudra's car slipped into the long tunnel, headlights off.
"Don't turn the lights on."
Guru Arvind said calmly.
"Wasn't planning to,"
Rudra replied, his pupils shifting—
[Night Vision: Active.]
The world before him turned into sharp outlines of green and black, every bump and wall crystal clear.
After a few moments...
Naman's car, with Raftar beside him, burst into the tunnel at full speed, followed closely by Zor on his bike.
Unlike Rudra, they couldn't see anything.
"Damn it, where'd they go?!"
Raftar shouted, trying to find shadows in the darkness.
But Naman didn't hesitate.
"They're up ahead. I know it."
They emerged from the tunnel into the moonlit forest path—
But—
CRASH!
"____"
A car slammed into the side of Naman's car with brutal force.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Raftar yelled, thrown against the side window.
It was Rudra's car.
He had hidden in the blind curve just outside the tunnel, waiting like a predator.
With precise timing, he rammed them, pushing them violently toward the edge of the cliff.
One wrong move, and—
The car would fall into the abyss.
Rudra gritted his teeth and pushed the pedal.
SCREEEECH!!!
Tires screeched. Metal groaned.
The enemy's car was now inches from the cliff's edge.
Behind him, Guru Arvind held onto the door handle.
Anish and his family screamed as they felt the sharp jerks of impact.
"Are you trying to kill them?!"
Anish shouted.
"I'm trying to make a decision for them,"
Rudra growled.
Zor's bike skidded as he emerged from the tunnel—
Narrowly missing the impact zone.
He swung the bike around, holstered one pistol, and pulled out the other.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets rained toward Rudra's car—
Each one aimed with terrifying precision.
A side mirror shattered.
A bullet scraped the hood.
Inside, Rohit shielded his mother.
Tarun pulled his father down instinctively.
"We're being shot at!"
Rohit shouted.
Guru Arvind's hand glowed faintly—
Light forms a protective barrier across the car windows.
TING! TING! TING!
The bullets bounced off harmlessly.
Rudra yelled out the window,
"Back off, or I'll send this car down with you in it!"
Naman tried to reverse—
But the wheels spun in place.
The edge was too close, and the tires caught partially in loose gravel.
"They're going to kill us!"
Raftar said, drawing a dagger with a dark crimson glow.
Zor, still pointing his pistol, called out,
"Let them go, Boy! You're crossing a line!"
Guru Arvind's voice rang out calmly from the back:
"Zor. Naman. Raftar. This is your last chance to walk away. If you push now… You may not return."
Two vehicles, one nearly tipping into the void, the other teetering between attack and restraint.
The forest held its breath.
The screech of metal and gravel was the only sound—
CRASH!
The car that Naman and Raftar jumped from slipped, lost footing—
—and plunged off the cliff, disappearing into the foggy abyss below with a hollow echoing roar.
Inside Rudra's vehicle, his hand slammed the brake.
SKKKRRRT!
The tires screeched to a stop.
The BGM that had been pumping—
CJ's "WOOPTY"—
Cut off abruptly, the silence that followed was almost deafening.
"____"
The BGM Booster was still active, but the track had stopped.
Like the calm before a storm.
"Everyone okay?"
Rudra asked sharply, eyes still locked on the enemy outside.
Anish's wife looked around in a panic.
"We're not hit… I think we're okay."
"Good. Don't get out. Keep your heads low."
He stepped out of the car slowly, a faint golden smoke-like aura still lingering around his shoulders.
The wind swept through the trees as Guru Arvind stepped out beside him, looking calm, yet alert.
Surprisingly, Anish Shetty followed, no longer the frail, recovering patient.
His steps were slow but firm—
His gaze was sharp, like a man who had worn many faces over the years.
"I can handle one of them."
Anish said calmly.
"I've got my Nandi Astra. Just need a moment to prepare."
Guru Arvind nodded approvingly.
Then Guru's eyes narrowed.
"Rudra… your side."
Rudra turned slightly, feeling the sting at last.
Beneath his right arm—
Just under the ribs—
A patch of blood soaked through his shirt.
He hissed softly.
Tch~
"Tch… bullet must've grazed me."
It wasn't fatal, but it was deep enough to matter.
From across the clearing, Naman let out a loud laugh.
Haha~
"Look at you,"
He roared.
"You talk like a hero—yet you bleed like a coward."
"Was all that driving to save your life, little boy?"
Zor and Raftar flanked him, watching silently, guns drawn but not firing—
Yet.
Rudra stepped forward, wiping the blood with his fingers and flicking it onto the dirt. He stared at Naman with cold eyes.
"You think I was running to save my life?"
"No, Naman. I was making sure you three didn't die too easily."
His voice was calm, laced with silent fury, and the BGM Booster pulsed faintly—
Waiting for the next track to activate.
"You want Guru Arvind?"
Rudra said, cracking his neck.
"You'll have to go through me."
The silence between the two sides was palpable.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Even the wind held its breath.
Only the flutter of birds—
Fleeing the treetops—
Dared to break the stillness, sensing the clash of forces ancient and foul.
The air pressure shifted.
Thick. Heavy.
As if nature itself was watching.
Then—
The red stone necklaces worn by Naman, Zor, and Raftar began to glow dimly—
Not with vibrant energy, but with a rusted red light, like dying embers from a corrupt forge.
Guru Arvind's eyes narrowed.
"____"
"They're… tainted."
Naman reached into his coat and slowly pulled out a hand knife—
Its hilt is lined with engravings meant for light-based channelling.
Which is clearly an astra.
But something was wrong.
The blade didn't shine.
It didn't glow.
It didn't hum with divine energy.
Instead, it turned into a long, twisted sword—
The colour of corroded iron, with faint veins of red lightning running across its edge.
He tossed the weapon to Raftar, who caught it with ease, spinning it once in his hand like he had done it a thousand times before.
"This was once a Light Astra."
Guru murmured.
"Now it reeks of… decay."
Naman then pulled out a bronze ring, jagged and worn like it had been forged in battle and never polished again.
He passed it to Zor, who slipped it onto his finger.
The moment he did, the ground around him rippled—
Suddenly, claw marks of dark energy slashed into the dirt in a circle around him.
A transparent projection of a massive bear—
With glowing red eyes and black mist leaking from its snout—
rose behind Zor like a demonic spirit.
The bear snarled, roaring silently in the spiritual plane, its presence warping the nearby air.
"Bear-based Astra,"
Rudra muttered.
"But corrupted…"
Even Anish stepped back slightly at the oppressive aura.
These weren't normal weapons.
They were defiled versions of sacred Astras—twisted by their being forced.
The iron-like corrosion and warped elemental properties revealed the truth:
These men weren't just enemies.
They were experiments. Puppets.
And this is what happens if Astra is being forced upon.
Guru Arvind clenched his fists.
"We must end this here…"
Rudra didn't respond with words.
"____"
He stepped forward, right foot scuffing the dirt.
"Let them come."
[BGM Booster: New Track Detected]
Inside Rudra's mind, the BGM Booster flashed—
[🎵 [New Track Unlocked]: "Believer" – Imagine Dragons (Combat Mode)
Mode Chosen: Surround Sound.]
The music didn't play out loud yet—only in Rudra's earpiece, syncing with his pulse, waiting for the first blow to land.
Zor's eyes glowed faintly.
Raftar's blade crackled darkly.
Naman raised his hand—
And pointed at Guru Arvind.
"Hand him over… or fall here."
Rudra cracked his neck.
"____"
Crack~
Guru took one step forward, holding his kitchen knife—
Now again glowing with white plasma.
Anish clenched his fists, and his body glowed faintly with the blue hue of Nandi Astra preparation.
The battlefield was set.
The sky cracked open as storm clouds gathered, lightning flashing in the distant mountains.
CRACK! FLASH!
The first drops of rain hissed against the hot car hood.
Then, with the roar of thunder, the radio crackled to life—
🎵 "You made me a,
you made me a believer… believer!"
Rudra's BGM Booster had fully synchronised with the second track.
His reflexes sharpened.
His vision expanded.
His breathing synchronised with the beat.
[SYNC COMPLETE – BOOSTS ACTIVE]
[▸ SENSE ENHANCEMENT
▸ REACTION BOOST
▸ PHYSICAL STABILITY UNDER PRESSURE]
Rudra cracked his knuckles.
But before anyone could move—
Zor leapt, fists wreathed in red mist, the projection of the corrupted bear charging alongside him.
"RAAAAAAAGHH!"
"____"
But before the bear could strike Rudra, a glowing celestial cow—
The Nandi Astra(Cow Based Astra)—
Charged in and collided with it mid-air.
Anish, having activated his Astra despite his weakened body, roared with determination.
"Stay away from him!"
Zor and Anish crashed into the mud, fists flying, spiritual beasts snarling in spectral silence as the two men exchanged blow after blow.
Meanwhile, Raftar and Guru Arvind met at the centre—
CLANG!
KSHHH!
Corrupted blade met plasma-forged light sword, sending sparks and steam into the rain-soaked air.
Raftar twisted with unnatural strength, his corrupted Astra pulsing as it clashed with Guru's Prabhastra, the holy blade made from condensed plasma-light.
Guru's coat billowed in the wind, his expression grim and focused.
"You were just a pawn in his game… what have you become?"
Ahhhhhh!
Raftar didn't answer—
Only screamed and pressed forward harder.
Naman stood still, raindrops dripping down his face, eyes locked with Rudra.
"____"
"____"
He lifted his hand like a gun…
Bang.
An invisible wind slash shot toward Rudra at blinding speed.
"Wh__!"
Rudra barely twisted his body aside—
SHHHH! –
A cut tore through his coat and shirt.
Blood trailed from a shallow slash on his ribs.
As he landed, his right boot sank into the ground like quicksand.
"____"
"Tch—!"
Too late—
Another invisible slash came!
Rudra arched backwards, narrowly avoiding the full brunt—
But it grazed his chest, drawing another line of red.
"Wind and Earth,"
Huff~ Huff~
Rudra muttered, breathing heavily but eyes razor-focused.
"He's using two Astras…"
Naman just smiled—
Smirk~
A quiet, unsettling smirk—
As if Rudra was right where he wanted him.
"You're observant,"
Naman said, finally speaking.
"But not enough to survive."
The wind howled behind him.
The earth pulsed beneath.
Guru, locked with Raftar, shouted—
"Rudra! Don't let him corner you—those Astras are working in tandem!"
As Rudra stood breathing heavily, blood dripping down his side, Anish's voice pierced the storm:
"Rudra! He's using three Astras!"
Everyone froze.
"____"
"____"
"____"
"His third Astra is sense-based—a Blood Type Astra!"
"It distorts perception… hides presence… even manipulates what we feel."
A sudden chill swept through Rudra's spine.
No wonder Naman's attacks always came at impossible angles…
No wonder his movements felt delayed, like a heartbeat off from reality.
Rudra's eyes narrowed.
He exhaled deeply.
"Then there's no choice…"
Suddenly, the air rippled around him.
A golden aura erupted—
Thick like smoke, yet radiant like the sun.
It poured from his chest, arms, and back… swirling around him like a storm made of light.
The rain hissed as droplets touched the golden aura and evaporated.
[DING....]
[BRAHMASTRA – ACTIVATED]
[▸ Healing Factor – Enhanced]
[▸ Sensory Clarity – Restored]
[▸ Astra Synchronisation – Stable]
[▸ Status Effect Resistance – High]
The wound on his ribs began to seal itself, flesh knitting back in seconds.
His posture straightened.
His muscles tightened.
And his eyes glowed with divine intensity.
The moment the Brahmastra's aura expanded outward…
The red stone chains around Naman, Zor, and Raftar's necks began to pulse violently.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
The red stones glowed like molten lava.
Energy crackled along their bodies—unstable, corrupted.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Zor's bear projection twitched, growing jagged and wild.
Ahhhhhh!
Raftar's blade screamed with an ear-piercing frequency.
And Naman's smirk vanished, replaced by something rare—
Concern.
"What is this astra?"
He muttered, voice low.
Rudra lifted his foot—
And the earth trap crumbled like sand, unable to bind him any longer.
Each step he took, the ground lit up beneath him, golden glyphs forming and fading.
He glanced down at his chest—fully healed.
He raised his eyes, fixing them on Naman.
"Three corrupted Astras… a corrupted soul… and still hiding behind tricks."
"Let me show you what real synchronisation looks like."
As "Believer" reached its second chorus, the golden aura around Rudra swelled, matching the beat.
🎵 "Pain! You made me a, you made me a—believer!"
Meanwhile...
Zor snarled and pulled away from Anish, his bear raging uncontrollably.
Raftar faltered for just a moment against Guru's blade.
Naman raised his hand again, but it shook ever so slightly.
"Tch. So you were hiding this all along…"
Island where Dev is sealed....
Far away on a desolate, forbidden island—
Where light dares not stay long—
Deep within a cavern carved by war and time, the silence was fractured.
Dev, the once-feared wielder of many Astras, sat sealed in dark obsidian,
His body was bound in countless enchanted chains.
Suddenly—
THRUMMMMM!
A shockwave of divine resonance rippled through the void.
Dev's eyes, long closed in hatred and patience, snapped open.
"____"
"That energy… No…"
"That's the Brahmastra."
His mind raced back to his defeat.
The very weapon—
The only force—
That had ended his campaign…
The energy he had sought his entire life, the reason he was sealed, was now being wielded…
"…by a boy?"
The darkness quaked.
Dev's scream erupted—
A monstrous roar of betrayal, rage, and disbelief.
"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE!!"
"I AM ITS RIGHTFUL MASTER!"
The entire island trembled.
Mountains cracked.
The sea roared.
And in the far-off battlefield, the red stone necklaces worn by Naman, Zor, and Raftar lit up like fire.
Back at the Cliffside Battlefield...
"____"
"____"
"____"
The trio felt it instantly—
A deep, psychic surge from Dev.
The voice echoed in their minds like a death bell:
"He is not worthy."
The three staggered.
Zor broke the silence in shock.
"T-That was… Master Dev's…"
Raftar looked at him with a confused gaze.
"But he said the Brahmastra rejected him… Why that boy?"
"____"
Naman (silent)… his face slowly hardened.
The moment of doubt evaporated from Naman's mind.
No more mockery. No more taunts.
"Boy,"
He whispered coldly,
"You're not just a nuisance anymore… You're a threat to everything we stand for."
Naman Attacks –
But Rudra doesn't wait, he was already moving.
Golden glyphs flickered beneath his feet as he burst forward.
Before Naman could react—
Rudra's fist crashed into his gut, breaking through the hastily formed air shield.
BOOM! CRACK!
The shield cracked like glass.
Naman's body arced through the air, smashing into the rocky ground, carving a shallow trench.
Zor was shocked seeing Naman on the back foot.
"NAMAN!"is
But Rudra wasn't finished.
Without giving a moment's breath, Rudra followed, slamming his foot down where Naman landed.
Naman barely rolled away, trying to form claws of compressed wind for close combat.
He lunged—but—
"Too slow."
Rudra ducked, turned, and with a fluid move, tripped him mid-air, spun behind, and landed a crushing elbow to the spine.
"____"
Gasp!
Naman gasped—overwhelmed.
Every counter-attack he tried, Rudra read him.
His sense of Astra couldn't mask the boy's instincts anymore.
For the first time in years… Naman was thoroughly outmanoeuvred.
Guru Arvind and Anish were locking their battles still—
But the focus now was clear:
The boy who controls the Brahmastra… The boy, their master, could never tame…
Rudra stood over a crumbling Naman, golden light flickering in his eyes.
"Tell your master,"
He said, voice calm but laced with power,
"The Brahmastra didn't reject him because he was weak. It rejected him… because he was never worthy."
Seeing Naman overwhelmed, both Zor and Raftar abandoned their current fights.
Without hesitation, they lunged at Rudra from both sides—
One powered by brute force, the other wielding blade-like fury.
But—
CRACK! THWACK!
Rudra twisted his hips, turned mid-step, and kicked Zor square in the ribs, sending him spiralling through the air.
Raftar barely got close before Rudra's other leg connected with a spinning heel kick—clean and brutal.
Both bodies flew past the battered Naman, crashing onto the ground in a heap.
Rudra calmly walked forward.
"If this is the best Dev could give… I'm disappointed."
Just as Rudra was about to continue the beatdown—
WHOOOOM!
Suddenly, the red stones around all three enemies' necks pulsed violently, almost like a heartbeat.
A flare of blood-red flames erupted, rising like a blazing wall between Rudra and his enemies.
"____"
Rudra's eyes narrowed.
'That's Astra fire…That's Dev's interference.'
The fire lashed out like a living serpent, trying to engulf Rudra—
But he was faster.
He stepped back swiftly, the flames licking at his boots but never touching him.
Then—
Silence.
"____"
The red flames vanished as quickly as they had come.
All three—Naman, Zor, and Raftar—were gone.
There was no explosion, no noise.
Just… emptiness.
Suddenly, Rudra blinked as a cool breeze passed him.
A golden text prompt appeared in his vision:
[DING...]
[🛡 SYSTEM ALERT 🛡
✅ Hidden Task Complete!]
[🗡 Objective:
— Make an impression on Dev.
— Prevent Naman, Zor, and Raftar from capturing Guru Arvind.
🎁 Reward: +65 HP (Bonus: Passive Regeneration temporarily enhanced.)
⚠ Impression left on entity: [Sealed One – Dev]
→ Effect: HIS WORST ENEMY. ]
Rudra muttered to himself.
"So… he's watching."
The air felt colder.
Not because of fear—
But because the war had officially begun between them.
Rudra turned toward Guru Arvind and Anish.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! And power stone!!!
Which will motivate me more?