Author's Notes:
Lots of cool ideas, lots of interesting opinions. I value both sides of the coin, praise and criticism. Thank you, you all. You do not know how large a pivotal role all of you play in defining where this story takes its route and where it takes a stand.
I originally had the plot and summary written out for reference, but with so many good inputs being made available by eager contributors, to name a few:
Omegas Prime
WisdomOfCelestials (formerly Darsassan)
Beccalliluigi 96 (formerly beccalliluigi)
Stormdragon981
And many others which I have failed to mention. Not forgetting those that stuck around since 2016, thanks guys.
(Update: 26/01/2019)
A series of unfortunate events have hit me, last week. While writing the coming chapter, my computer got fried in the Aussie Heatwave of 47 Degrees. Losing not just my data but the story drafts as a whole.
Fortunately, after some scurrying around. I managed to locate a backup in an old thumbdrive i used to carry around and have made additional backups in the event lightning strikes the same place twice. :)
What does this mean for RaK?
Well, the old backup doesn't have the latest chapter. So that means redoing all the work for the next Chapter 130 - Equal to Heaven and Earth. Once again, I'm sorry for the delays. I was just as eager to release this sooner despite the constant delays.
To make up for it, I'll post it side by side with the promised side chapter and another chapter.
For thus says the Lord God, "How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgement, sword, famine, wild beast, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!
Ezekiel 14:2
…
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
…
Shangri-la was one second a paradise and in an instant, it had become a hellscape. Their eternally blissful dawn sky had been robbed of its splendor and replaced with a heavy aura of death, a frightful visage of a blood red sky stood in its place.
Nature, flora and fauna screamed as the very ground became contaminated with ill karma manifesting into poison. Igniting to viscous blackened flames until the only thing the flames ignored were the lifeless ashes. Animals and Livestock alike ran from their habitats and pens as the awful pressure weighted upon their better instincts.
The Shangri-lan Army converged immediately. Not that small army sent to rescue the haughty prince, but the entire army. A threat had come to paradise, one they had feared for all eternity. The last time a threat of this magnitude had ever occurred, it was when the Himavanas learnt the name Yalung. The demon god ravaged the Himavana lowlands save for Shangri-la still out of its reach. Now another with the same aura as the Asura trapped under the mountain posed them a serious threat. And worst of all, he was IN Shangri-la.
Coming from all flanks to encircle the demon loose in their home. A figure surrounded by an aureole of blackened flames emerging from his body obscured by the harmful flames. An illusion of a crown formed from dark light. The sight of it was enough to shake the hearts and minds of the Yaksha warriors, young and old who recalled the terrifying stories told by their ancestors. Four princes of Shangri-la arrived one after another to oversee the assembly of the armies, to lock the rogue demon and suppress any further action. Tarakeshwar had disappeared from the scene, the only clues of his whereabouts would likely be from the mangled corpse of a Yaksha General lying on the floor with an expression twisted in horror. One Rakshasa was not as important as the new threat to paradise.
With all their attention to the abrupt awakening of the quasi-Demon, the monk was free to tread the lands he had long ascended from once more. His presence within the mountains was not something the Natural Law of the Himavanas was capable of denying or rather, had no authority to do so. His khakkhara (monk sounding staff) rings rattled incessantly at the flow of ill karma that the Yaksha had sown, or rather, all the ill karma they bred was now undergoing a full circle by returning to them in calamity.
The monk immersed himself within prayer as he sat at the ledge of one of the floating islands overlooking the Yakshas' attempt to contain the threat. Flipping his prayer beads one at a time with his thumb.
He read the history of the vessel which the quasi-Demon inhabited, it was not a difficult task as the threads of Karma were all over the place.
He, "Ajay Ghale" had done everything in his capacity to protect the Human inhabitants of the Himavana Lowlands as he possibly could. His heart was in their survival and prosperity. Much had changed from his original personality. The monk felt it all. The suffering, the pain, the hatred, the love and joy. Everything that defined "Ajay Ghale's" one year of living, the monk learnt it all. Including his run-in with the last of the Demon Banishers of the Himavanas and the latter's true plans.
(BOOBOOOBOOOM)
"EEEERRRRRRRAAAAHHH!"
"…."
The Yaksha armies were not capable of anything save spreading their bodies into paste over the ground which was flattened by an incomplete paragon's aura. Now, it appeared the Princes and Generals were undertaking the cautious effort to take him down, viciously attacking it from all corners with their larger numbers.
The monk got up from his meditative position with the aid of his sounding staff. He waved his hand across the battlefield and read the leylines. Soon, when the Yaksha were unable to stop him he would intervene for the sake of Shangri-la and his karma to the home that assisted his ascension.
"Ten Vedic Talismans, Ten Sacred Guardians… (sigh)"
The vessel had only two unsealed hexes, the 4th and 8th. Two was not enough to break the final seal which gave the Demon a chance to change his destiny and oppose the prophecies. He had encountered five more hidden from plain sight but in front of him nonetheless. Three were in possession of the last inheritor along with a Demon Banishing Hex of his own creation, the next to succeed in the line. The 9th Demon Banishing Hex. And one, had fallen into the hands of the worst possible individual to hold it.
If he didn't seek to to change the world that Eternal Heaven moulded within the mountains, all of his will eternally remain Eternal Heaven's. A heavy sigh escaped from the monk carrying both weight and a mysterious aura of ascension.
Everything done, the good and the bad will be returned. That was the law of the universe, Karma. Not even gods diverted from it. So, what the current lord of the mountain sowed with his adversaries and peers will eventually return back in full to him. The good and the bad.
The monk's part in balancing the scale had long been done. Even so, he worried for the vessel, for what was about to happen to him. He had altered one part of the Rakshasa Princess's plans and/or Eternal Heaven's without either of them knowing and if they did, would change nothing. Only "Ajay" could do that. This was his gift to the vessel who called himself "Ajay Ghale".
Noticing a familiar object on the ground, dropped by the Quasi-Demon in its rampage no doubt, the monk reached down to pick it up. He had once given it away, and now it had returned to his side.
"I can give you no further chances…"
Twirling in his fingers familiarly. The wooden icon, Kalachakra.
Thoughts clouded in darkness, yet there was no feeling of the cold chill of the void. What was this shearing heat? His mind felt…. Hazy.
When the first bell struck.
Memories played before him as if they were his and playing only at a time of imminent death. But they weren't his.
A windy mountain where a domain lay below, that valley was the city of Akaash. Five siblings lived under the roof of their father, a Regent of a castle. A witness through the eyes of the participant, a son of this Regent. He was a daydreamer and a hopeless fool, or so his peers thought. The gift of intelligence was under utilized, because nothing challenged him. So, his peers thought him dumb….
Except her, the adoptive child of the Regent. His adopted sister. A complexion that made the sun rise and starry night bend at her moods of innocence. Her love for him was unwavering, despite their origin, despite their favor in the household, despite she was the crown jewel and he the roadside trash.
He swore to rid the mountains of forces to harm his city and in turn, her. Climbing the bloodied battlefields and pulled the ranks of the military with monstrous prowess, navigating the thorns of bureaucracy and politics to emerge at the very top of the hierarchy. Pulling a divine weapon from its sheath of stone. Defying the will of the heavens and mundane destiny was all for her.
He became the King of the Rakshasa, a Lord of the mountains. With him at the very top, there would be no force that would endanger her.
He was the will of the mountains, and she was Esha. And how terribly wrong he was to have made that assumption.
When the second bell struck.
A seeker returning home to tell his family and liege the treacherous yet vibrant adventure he'd endured in Shangri-la was met with spears impaling his body. His wife taken away, his mother and father slain. The perpetrators were the king's men, Royal Guards. And a smiling woman he had never seen before.
After retrieving their spears from his ragged corpse, they did not even have the courtesy of finishing him off. She stayed and toyed with his body, tormented his soul. And once satisfied, she left. All he could do was await death slowly and painfully. And so, he waited.
He waited and waited and waited….. to no apparent change. Hours became days, days became months. How could this be?! His body already stopped moving, his flesh decomposing. How was he still awake, living in hell on earth. Or had his spirit refused to leave his body. No. He had reached the threshold between life and death, but something was chaining his corporeal to his corpse.
His exposure to Shangri-la had changed him in ways he did not yet fully understand. He was about to undergo metamorphosis between leaving his mortal coil and ascending. He should have ascended, but he didn't. For a single emotion chained him like an anchor to the earth, the chain of rage. Months passed, years, then a decade then two.
His body ceased decomposition in the ditch he was thrown into, the animals avoided him, and blood flowed from his body in unseemingly real amounts. Carrying his hatred and animosity for the one he once served. His body began to morph, blood formed a lake which became Visalakhutta. His body suspended underneath this wellspring of poisonous toxic essence of hatred.
And then, with a mighty roar that shook the four corners of the Himavanas. The Demon God of the Himavanas made his debut.
When the third bell struck
The prodigal son returns to his homeland to scatter his mother's ashes. Mere casual words decided the result of the Rebellions triumph over the ruler of the mountains. All that would have been his became scraps for the hungry dholes at his feet. And then the dogs bit their master's hand… and his life ended abruptly.
When the fourth bell struck
A burning mountain and valley. Rakshasa droning over the cliffs in an avalanche of extermination, Yaksha delivering loyal devotees off realm to paradise. Those mortals that were abandoned -no, discarded. A young man was the last line of defense for these helpless people, as he led the remnants of the Army and Rebellion he had subjugated under his new rule to stave off the vengeful Rakshasa. He was no longer a lost sheep, he was the King of Kyrat. But even that was not enough, his friends fell one by one, overwhelmed, by suicide attack and through saving a life not theirs.
Yet, he persisted until he had been left the only remaining inhabitant of Kyrat. The Rakshasa had taken his country, the Yaksha had taken his people, and Esha….. took his wife, devouring her.
This was not past, nor was it present.
This wasn't his memory. Or was it?
He felt the tremor of the King of Kyrat roar till his vocal cords snapped, his tears amixed with blood and a hole in his heart that would never recover. He saw the reflection of the Kyrati King looking down upon the puddle of blood flowing from his own body. A lifeless expression of his own face, a face that held similarity and striking resemblance to his own. Yet, what was this feeling compiled one upon another? It grew with every bell chime. Amidst the pain, he tried to suppress it from welling inside. But it flowed through his body as if it were alive.
The Rakshasa King lost his kingdom.
The Seeker, his loyalty taken for granted.
The Prodigal Son was discarded and left for dead.
And the Last Kyrati King witness the destruction despite his all.
He… The demon was not feeling the resentment of any one of these fragments of memories.
He was feeling all of their resentment, their hatred and malice pooled into one chalice. All of them, faced the same outcome at the hands of the same action that triggered the spiraling of events to the collapse of their dreams and their meaning of life.
Four lifetimes of loss.
…
Four lifetimes, betrayed.
…..
…..
Four Lifetimes of Fury.
(BANG) A projectile Vajra that struck both the power of lightning and speed interrupted the Demon in its reflection of thought upon the fragmented memories of the four victims of fate as if its own.
The Demon growled at the sudden show of aggression towards it, its injury caused by the spatial weapon boiled and dissipated in an instant. It still showed to the attacker and the demon that it was still affected by his weapons.
[Outsider, you have no right to cause any further havoc! You are in violation- what am I saying? You have lost all sense of awareness. You are nothing more than a wild animal right now!] The gleeful aggressor floated in mid-air, donned in majestic armour that made the cornered Prince's wrecked and ruined one seem as if they were leagues apart. Several more Vajras hovered around him. Three other similarly dressed individuals flanked him mid-air in the unspoken physics of Shangri-la. He bore an unspoken resemblance to the former who had been nervously pressing his way through the army that had slowly but surely mustered in sufficient numbers.
[You truly have outdone yourself in the art of ridiculing one's self once again, Royal Fourth.]
[Shut your mouth!] He retorted angrily,but even then, he had no way of consoling himself after what he had done. He would never have guessed he would be cornered in this way, or for assistance to come in the worst possible way.
If it were lowly serfs who knew the saga, he could still silence them or bribe them off. But his brothers who competed with him for the throne, this was no laughing matter. Not only did they know he was the cause for bringing such a calamity to Shangri-la, but to see the mace not in his hands spoke much of Andhakan's failures in acquiring the weapon.
[You are a disappointment onto yourself, fool. If this had been your own mistake it would have been that. But you have dragged Shangri-la into this.] Beneath the calm and composed voice, the Fourth Prince sensed a tone of disdain and mockery. Yet, everything his elder brother, the Second Prince said was true.
[How was I to know he carried a fragment of Kalinag!?]
[Oi. Oi. Making a problem somebody elses. It appears that protector of yours has failed you as well.]
[What will Holy father's subjects say of your unbecoming attitude towards all of this?] His other brothers took this opportunity to slight him, feeling rather refreshed from speaking out their spite against their overly aggressive younger brother. The Youngest of the five, yet still vying for the throne as an equal.
[You-…]
[Now Now. I think we are all in agreement that this is all on Andhakan. However, that does not change the fact that "he" is still on the loose.] The Second Prince faced the demon who had preoccupied itself with trampling through the armies with the seeming ease of an adult blocked by infants.
The figure cladded in blackened flames leaped through the ranks with ease, it barely struck down at the warriors in its way. Simply brushing its flames against them, set them ablaze with viscous irremovable flames. Terrified screeches and death cries amplified as it converged on its prey that had escaped.
Andhakan knew who it was after. Moments ago, he was savouring his torture of the Demon Banisher, the mace was just a stone throw away as well. The one in a million chance, it had to be a foul remnant of Yalung here. Why weren't there guards detailed to watch that mountain for whatever curious inhabitant wandered in? And the Bell of Enlightenment? After those flames burst out of nowhere, the aura leaked from his body. A vacuum strike struck the illusion of the bell and shattered it into pieces.
That was the most powerful unique magic aside from the will of the mountains used only in Shangri-la. Andhakan's signature, one he had learnt under personal tutelage from his father.
[Hmph! Fragment of the Demon God, huh? I would like to see it!]
The uncultured one moved forwards with his cavalry slaying sword in the ready stance as he flew elegantly at the Demon. His arrogant approach now had the Demon's full attention.
(BOOM) (BOOM)
"(Growl)!?" Attention taken off those levitating Vajras which should not have been taken lightly.
[Here we go! HAA!] The Yaksha Prince swung down his seemingly unwieldlycavalry slaying sword with uncharacterized ease.
(THANG) The sword contacted the Demon's physical manifestation with a resounding metal upon metal strike. Did it hit his flesh or something else?
Its teeth.
[Hoh? We have ourselves a wild beas-(BANG)] It was only a second, but his distraction caused him to ragdoll in the air before stabilizing himself near his brothers' side once more. The absence of his weapon and the footprint embedding his destroyed life-saving armour. The breastplate had taken the life-threatening strike in his place to live another day.
[Careless.] The older brother commented on the reckless younger one.
[Silence! I was unprepared- that's all!] He said in his stumbling.
[Then why are you sweating?] Moments ago, Andhakan held the very worst of expressions. But seeing his brothers fail as miserably as him gave some redeeming consolation he was not incompetent or at least not alone unworthy.
[Ey! This is still your fault!] The Third Prince roared back, unable to take the embarrassment of losing focus and nearly getting killed.
[Yes, and it will soon be all of ours if we are unable to suppress him.] A wave from the elder Second Prince halted what would have been another spat between them.
[….]
At least on that, they agreed. Andhakan looked amongst the brothers of his and noticed a certain fellow missing.
[Where is that whoreson?] The Second Prince's eyes looked down on him with sharpness that indicated a sense of disgust.
[Oh, Royal Fourth. While your words are honest, they should not speak your thoughts. You never know, the skies and earth have eyes for which we will never see. Be it him or Holy Father.] He told his sibling in a playful way of passing a word of caution.
[What does it matter if he's here on not! We will be the ones holding the glory!] The Third Prince exclaimed.
[We?] The Second Prince's snort caught him by his tongue, showing his reluctance to cooperate with him. His face showed more caution than before. Previously, the Second Prince's weapons gave him the window to strike the Demon. Yet now he was questioning their joining of hands. If anything, he was unwilling to share victory with the likes of them. Even being of the same mother, their ambition outweighed their family ties. This was a battle for the throne of Shangri-la and the title of Son of the Mountain, one who should succeed the Lord of the Mountain. There was no greater power on the earth in this era.
But…..
[I guess we will. Although, we will have to play this one cautiously. This incident must not fall onto Holy Father's lap, especially now during his cultivation cycle. Are we in agreement?] Unanimously, they agreed.
With a wave of his hand, the Shangri-lan Army converged albeit reluctantly to act as cannon fodder. Commanders scattered throughout the ranks kept them in line and order to comply with their directives.
(CRUNCH) Their attention went back to the Demon who crushed the lodged sword in his mouth by biting down into it. Actually devouring the precious enchanted metal.
[You can keep it. I am not a petty Prince like Little Fourth, here!] With a swish of his hand, a new more elegantly master-crafted sword appeared from a spatial rift and into the Third Prince's hands.
As the Armies converged upon the Demon who swung its fists sending a powerful vacuum that crushed all within the vicinity of its strike, the Princes of Shangri-la moved in carefully to deliver effective blows onto the Demon to gradually weaken and subdue their prize.
While they had agreed to cooperate with one another, no one had agreed on who would take the killing blow. Each Prince carefully weighted their strengths and weaknesses along with their options, hoping the others would do most of the work on their behalf.
An unnoticeable smile underlined his lips as he thought of the humiliating things happening unto his brothers, or even better. Their utter demise at the hands of the second coming of the Demon God.
And who liberated Shangri-la from this terror, no one but himself. He would be the most patient amongst the Princes as he always had.
This might be a bounty in disguise after all.
Pestilence –
The US embassy in Islamabad was subject to the largest congestion it had had in years. The attacks by mobs and the terrorists were taking their rage upon citizens and soldiers stationed here in Pakistan. Civilians demanding asylum and a means to return to the States. But most recent, were the remaining soldiers of units detailed to certain military bases in the country. The news they brought was far graver.
An audacious aggressor had crossed the Hindustani mountains of the Himalayas just to boldly come here and destroy them. They were by no means a small force, no rag-tag group relying on unconventional tactics to fight like the insurgents and terrorist cells. These were conventional armies make in the image of their own. Possessing paratrooper regiments, armoured fighting vehicles, modern infantry implementations in communication and weaponry. But most concerning of all, airpower.
Early-warning systems failed to report the arrival of bombers and fighters that bombarded the runways and hangars not because they couldn't see, but rather because they had been silenced.
The latest arrival to the embassy was a wanted fugitive codenamed "Snow White" by Central Intelligence. Pleading rights to asylum and protective custody for his companions in exchange for information regarding the Himavanan Forces both in Pakistan and back in their mountain home. He had company, the security forces quickly dispatched these operatives. As convenient as it was for him to indulge them of the operatives identifies as agents from a network known only as V4. They had no time to play games with him, extracting information was faster to save their own people than four to five of his friends lost in the mountains. The needs of the many (them) outweighed the needs of the few (Jason Brody and his friends).
He was taken to a quiet room to be interrogated, no restrictions were given to the methods, it was complete jurisdiction given to the interrogator, much to his glee. Even from the outside, they could hear the screaming. But after an hour, the screaming suddenly stopped and then intensified. That was more than one person screaming. Armed security forces went to investigate the sealed room. Upon opening the heavy locked door, fumes rushed out carrying a heavy odour of rot. Out flashed figures, foaming from their mouths rabidly attempting to bite their fellow man. The interrogator and his assistants' feral actions indicated rabies infection.
Few had been bitten and that was all it took, less than ten seconds later, these victims joined the ranks of those overcome with the unknown rabies-inducing virus. Soon, ten spread out and infected forty, forty became a hundred, a hundred became three hundred and the numbers continued to grow till by the time the authorities had been alerted, it became too late to contain.
The soldiers that mustered, the civilians seeking asylum. Feral instincts had no discrimination towards its next victims. And so, these unfortunate victims became members of the new horde growing in numbers.
The carrier of this "virus" was suspected of being "Snow White" himself, while their armed forces still had the convenience of manpower to find him before failing to access the situation of the outbreak. Was no where to be found, only sightings and glimpses of him appearing around had been caught. He moved too fast through the labyrinth of walkways and open-air spots as if this was his playground. Only spreading whatever plague, he brought with him further until it became too late to suppress.
Apart from their rabid behaviours, the "infected" were easy to discern. Skin started to flay as if from leprosy, bloodshot eyes, and the unending drooping from their lapsed and spasming jaw muscles. This outbreak became worse than an ordinary Wild dog bite.
War –
The soldiers on both sides were in the state of pandemonium. As a human figure struck and turned over a 60-ton tank, tearing the turret of another before tearing the crew to ribbons. With a swing of his broken blade, a vacuum was sent to cut down his enemies. It didn't matter if you had survived with just a mere graze or a nick, that was all the broken Astra required to slowly corrode your body into ashes.
The air was filled with frantic shouts and screams, the monster who possessed Kshatriyan Lord Vasu Khati no longer hunted the Marine infantry. It went for the Army tank and Stryker battalions that lay heavy ordnance at him to no effect as an emerald aura enveloped him, causing rounds as powerful as 120mm Depleted uranium penetrator sabot to ricochet and shatter off the unearthly green veil. The Himavanan Armoured Regiment was left in a daze, some swore they saw an illusion or mirage of a Rhino engulf his figure. When it charged at an opponent, there was nothing that could stop him.
Unyielding, insatiable, never-ending was the lust for battle and warfare.
And then that lust seeped into their minds, clouding their thoughts, corroding their mental strength with thoughts of mindless destruction and slaughter. The men abandoned their vehicles, drew their bayonets rushed to the closest enemy to flay his skin over their faces. The aura infected the demented soldiers and gave them strength inferior to only the Conqueror.
Famine –
He should have been a vegetable, Narmada was clear on this after striking his spinal cord with precision. Her Vanguard finished off the rest effortlessly. All that was left, was to clear this valley of human presence for the final stage. A mere landslide to stop them? If they were human mortals that would have been a total victory for the human commander. But they were not.
And now, here he was. Standing amidst the very first casualties to be sustained on her end, death of warriors she'd fought in a forgotten era besides. One Rakshasa warrior was another piece they will go without, this was no longer a game she could afford to play. She was forced to cover for her troops' retreat alone, why? Because this ravenous beast had attacked her vanguard with his barehands, he received more than his fair share of stab wounds from the vanguard lances. Yet, like a deadly marionette hanging on to whatever flesh that still hung onto his bone struck with terrible consequence to those that were not in the position to block his insanely ferocious assault. It was a speed that Narmada was confident in handling, but with the limited window, all they could do was withdraw.
It was all she could do, as the beast showed another one of its deadlier traits in combat. Wounds, fatal and grievous in nature boiled and vanished at an insane rate of regeneration. The arm a warrior had severed off him, he reattached it to the joint and his arm moved as if there was never a loss of it. Their weapons had the coating of venom and neural-toxin, enough to kill a human many times over, the beast showed complete immunity to that as well. The beast had no limit to his stamina and relentlessness.
But as time went by in their stalemate, she noticed the earth around her begin to decay, the soil hardened, the remaining crops withered, the waters turned polluted. She understood now, where the source of the beast's unnatural power came from. Drawing life force from the very place her mastery of magic fell under. The earth had its life taken from it, worsening the field against her.
Death –
The grim reaper laughed over the fools that dared confront him, to dare say that in face of him, they feared no death. An unnatural smog surrounded the rubble of the second CIA installation where the Jatayu Paras fought against the CIA operatives protecting the numerous server banks. At first, nothing seemed wrong apart from the inconvenience of being unable to see directly in front of you. Men were isolated from one another amongst the rubble from both sides.
Then came the shoutings of an unsound mind, screaming, crying, laughing, the lunacy of joyfully playing. The operatives were overcome with emotions of all variety except the ones that mattered the most, solemnity and temperance. The Himavanan soldiers too were caught in this smog that caused hallucinations and madness but seemed unaffected. Trying their best to consolidate their ranks lost in the sudden freak of nature event. All around them, victims of the smog began to crackdown, killing their comrades in a fit of rage, tearing their flesh because it burned from the inside, cut out their eyes because they were seeing nothing but illusion.
The Jatayu were witnesses to hearing the terrifying sounds of men's ego being eviscerated, but none as terrifying as the silhouette of a giant serpent slithering through the unnatural purple smog. They could hear as men were being devoured, cries of salvations, final prayers for God's deliverance. A snake? A serpent? Or a Dragon?
Before closing in, the Dragon's cunning robbed its host's enemies of the very weapon that gave them their potency and undeniable edge in combat, turning it against themselves.
Their minds. Proving to all, that it was all but uncertain. No one would cheat Death.
They already had their hands full with reorganizing the newly formed Federal Army to the defense of the four states of the reunited Sacred Himavanas. The United States had done what had been expected in response to the public rising of hostilities, albeit a little late. The enacting of an arms embargo.
As they warned, Russia reluctantly dropped all weapons supplying as did numerous countries whom Arjun and Ajay had established arms contracts with for first and second-hand weaponry. Although, not all hope was lost. The resilient Jewish state continued their sympathizing under the radar to continue the titanium supply they needed. In the same respect, India no longer respected the United States enough to keep to the sanctions, silently supplying arms in the same measure as they had before. Badala had done them a favour worthy to repay in Karma's worth.
In the western media, the Demon of Kyrat had already been revealed to the public for the first time as a cunning and cruel dictator. Hiding behind the theatrics of a mask and twisting morals for the sake of ambition. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world that wasn't pro-American, he made an incredible feat of building a resilient power in the Hindustani Mountains. Opposing neighbouring superpowers with incredible versatility. No formation of a country/nation went without bloodshed, the Himavanas were no exception. This was the nature of Humanity and its limitations that they can only hope to one day surpass.
The Command and Control of Himavana Federations' Army High Command were in chaos. They had lost communication to the units in Pakistan, neither could they reach Kumsa where the 4th Autonomous were engaged, the shadow force accompanied by Jason Brody had also gone quiet.
Command and Control of Operation Hai Ba, deep within the Command Module of Lanka were in chaos. At first, there was a struggle to contact certain individuals of the conflict, mainly Kshatriyan Lord Khati and Captain Hamal since they were marshalling the units within the operation. Particularly when things were getting awry with the resistance the United States Military Forces garrisoned in Pakistan were putting. All contact was lost with Jason Brody as well, within the opinion of many field commanders' expectations.
But now, they were receiving nothing but reports from auxiliary communications specialists about strange occurrences revolving around their overseers going "berserk" or "possessions". Mainly, Lord Khati, Captain Hamal, Major Kadayat. If anything, they had in common, it was their interaction with the Demon of Kyrat. No words could clarify the meaning behind that summary, only an order to video tape whatever occurred for later analysis.
A calmness stalked the Marshal of the Himavanas as he sat in a glassed-off waiting room with his wife and the newly-elected Chief of the Himavana Yinkian district forces, Dema. With the power of technology at their side, Arjun and Dema did not have to be in the same room as the radio operators and comms specialists to know the most current situation and be affected by their moods.
Dema was here because his forces were involved in Operation Hai Ba, his presence in their command facility was to mediate for his groups in the event that the overall commander chose to cut losses. He had been anxious inside, but the Lady of the Roka household was here, and he dare not show disrespect in front of her. Arjun controlled the military, but Manisha Roka was so heavily networked with society that with a wave of her hand, relief supplies could be sent to places in desperate need of aid…. Or not. Instead, his worry was translated into shaky hands as he held up the teacup to drink.
"No contact still?" Arjun asked Layak his secretary who shook his head. He had tried other means of getting in touch with the parties they had lost contact with via auxiliary units. But the endeavour proved for naught.
"Marshal, what is happening?..." Dema was the one who showed the most concerned expression wise, but Arjun was no different deep down.
"What can you provide us, Layak?" Arjun was no alright with even the smallest of rumours.
"We believe it's a phenomenon like in Point 2153." Hearing this suspicion made him all cramp up inside. That was electrical interference caused by the highly magnetized iron ore in the area and to a large extent, an artificial climate created by their fearsome enemy.
"Rakshasa?"
"No one can say for sure. Although it seems unlikely, Lord Badala told me once they were only roaming the Himavanas. They had no reason to venture all the way out into the flatlands, especially Pakistan or India for that matter."
That was just an opinion, yet Badala had no reason to lie. Arjun felt that Layak knew more than he let on.
"What do you think, son?" Layak was surprised for a moment that Arjun wanted to hear his opinion without dissing him.
"I think….." Layak seemed like he wanted to say but in the presence of Lady Roka and Chief Dema….
"I will allow it for once, you're free to speak, they are also free to listen." With a word, the confidential restriction was lifted. Layak had no worry about anyone else hearing because of the glassed-up rooms two-layer vacuum sandwich in the walls, preventing sound from escaping.
"I think it's them."
"Them?"
"The Kshatriyan Lords, Sir."
"Why would they be emitting the same kind of phenomenon?" Dema was baffled and so was Madam Roka.
Layak bit his lip as he remembered what Noore had made them promise not to say when Ajay was in a comatose state. But in a time like this, there were eight thousand soldiers on the other side of these mountains.
"Because they possess the same power that Badala has."
"Power?" Again, only Dema and Manisha were not too clear on the subject.
But Arjun had a faith idea of what he was referring too, as he looked to the floor with wide eyes reflecting on what he knew. There was that incident with the "Garuda" flying monster in the Papir Capital City of Bhagawan ka Nivas. The monster that an entire helicopter battalion and gunships failed to destroy, let alone suppress. And who was it on the ground facing that nightmare alone? Kyrats own Demon living up to his name. There was always something strange about him, it wasn't just grit or mastery of combat prowess.
"There is no conclusive evidence, but over the course of the recent civil war there have been reports of radio interference where Lord Badala operated and difficulty reaching him and soldiers in his proximity. It is highly possible this phenomenon also Lord Badala's doing, at least unintentionally."
There was something….. magical. He had passed out before seeing all of it. But not only that, Badala told him himself. This theoretical phenomenon Layak spoke of seemed to support his assumptions about what was currently happening.
"So you knew as well." Layak retreated a step back after Arjun mentioned his failure to inform him this sooner. Ashamed he had to keep it from his superior.
"He was probably told not to say." To his surprise, House Roka's matriarch came to his defence against her husband. "And what did you mean you knew as well?"
Now it was Arjun's turn to fall into awkwardness. "Uh-… No, Badala told me a week ago."
"There, so you can't really fault him for keeping it a secret then if you were doing the same with me." Manisha had a smile on her face, but thirty years of marriage told him it was anything but a smile.
"I want to hear everything. Layak, you will validate whether what my husband says is true or false. Can I count on you for that?" To help her instead of his boss, what sort of situation had they gotten themselves into? Arjun on the other hand, was not allowed to refuse.
And so, Arjun poured out the story told to him by Badala, who unbeknownst to him was Ajay Ghale. Manisha listened and showed no reaction, exhibiting how elegant she was in the face of such troubling news and information, like a Dowager.
Dema just listened and was reluctantly dragged into a world where magic and lore were living by their side in obscurity all this while. Manisha quietly sipped her tea with a mellow expression, proving to be the calmest amongst all of them.
"Thank you, husband." When Arjun had finally given everything she'd asked for, she finally smiled at him genuinely.
"In recognition of your sincerity, I will indulge you something I had learnt in regards to the information I have gathered. You claim Badala has a fragment of the Demon God Yalung's power. And that Yalung is the Demon God formed from Kalinag's vengeance, are you saying that Badala is a descendant of Kalinag?"
"I should think….."
"Then here's my point. How would there be descendants if he was betrayed by his liege and his family robbed from him, furthermore being locked away under the mountain? The opportunity for further offspring no longer exists and his existing ones if any would have formed entirely different bloodlines since they were not conceived after his return from his adventure."
"Ah-." Arjun had never really dabbled nor pondered on that gap in the story, even though he was sure Badala told no lies as he never had.
"It would either be A, he was lying or B, there is a gap that even he doesn't know."
"What use is this information?" Manisha sighed as her husband was only interested in the summary and not the details which could prove fatal.
"If Badala is a descendant, then theoretically there could be more than one?"
"…. Are you-…. Are you suggesting that not just Badala, but some of the Kshatriyan Lords are also descendants?" Dema had inquired in place of Arjun, too stunned after reaching revelation to answer. Even Layak did not consider this.
"Perhaps it is by fate that they were brought together, but it need not be just whoever interacted with Badala the most, our enemies…. Mohan might even possess some himself." This was just pure assumption, but the reality of it if true could prove worst than they anticipated.
"What do we do?..."
"You are the Marshal of the Army, you tell us." Manisha couldn't believe how weak he was after being pushed into a corner mentally.
"Sir, if I may." Layak was the one to open his mouth this time, with a nod from Arjun he continued.
"This calls for an emergency protocol, if Golden Path does possess individuals of this nature that theoretically puts them at strategic asset value of Lord Badala himself, we need to start developing tactics and weapons to deal with them."
"I agree, draw out a framework immediately, son. And I will endorse it as soon as possible."
"Also…." Layak didn't seem to be finished.
"In the event that something may… happen to Lord Badala….."
"Happen?"
"Turn on us." Layak's words carried a heavy scent of trouble that weighed on Arjun's easily doubtful heart. Of the notion that Badala would-
"Watch what you sprout, Major." A word of caution passed over him to tell him not to cross his bounds that Arjun had haplessly loosened.
"Wife-."
"(Sigh) I am done helping you apes with even the simplest of cognitive thoughts." She just waved her hand to blow it all off, taking her steps off the front stage.
(pop) Then, the tablet PC received a notification from the communications hub.
Arjun quickly brushed through the lock and inspected the report.
"Jatayu Paras Battalion 2 and 3 have re-established contact via local hardline. Hah! This is good!" The mood of the three improved considerably, as it was the first step to recovering their lost comms.
"What will you do now, sir?"
"Find the overseers, Lord Khati and Captain Hamal. Apparently, Sun Kwan's boy is the one we found and isn't under any of the rumoured effects. So he isn't one of those fellows, they are inquiring about the sudden loss of communications. It appears they probably don't know what became of the other units."
"Are they close enough to the 8th?" Dema sought the news from his Armour Regiment.
"No. The only one they seem close to is… hmmm…"
"What?"
"Layak." Arjun called him, and he stood ready.
"Sir?"
"Pass the order to them through a secure one-way channel on our end, have them look into Objective Trojan-Beta, re-establishing comms with the rest of the units will be their secondary mission. However, the Primary objective remains the same as well as the pickup point."
"Aye, sir." Layak went about his duty to dispatch the order right from the top.
Arjun and Dema continued to discuss the fate and contingency to be applied for the Armour Regiment in their retrieval. Those T-80 and T-72 main battle tanks especially weren't exactly airborne transport friendly, and they had initially arrived by railway. Although, they sounded more positive than before and believed it was possible to return all of them in one piece.
Manisha was left to herself once more, as her part in assisting her husband in keeping Dema at bay from bombarding him with the Armour units' welfare was completed. In truth, Manisha had found out something else from her findings between Arjun and Layak.
Badala was raised by Ishwari, she knew of this because he had said so before. When did Ishwari pick him up? Before she fled to the United States? That didn't seem right. And what she went through wouldn't have called for her thinking of helping anyone else other than herself and her boy. Badala was a decendant of Kalinag who in turn was Yalung. What were the chances of a Kalinag bloodline member already being in the States beforehand? There were no Kyratis in the states in those days because they had only dwelled within the mountains and only as far as India during the last days of the Devi Dynasty.
Badala called Ishwari his mother, in the event that he was truly related to Ishwari- no. It should not be possible. King Min and her conceived Lakshmana during the spring to summer period, that was two years after her boy was conceived. And Ishwari had been heavily involved with herself away from her husband for that time. She stayed in Manisha's maternal household the entire period so if she wasn't around, then her Roka family members would have kept a close eye on her.
So Ishwari had no further children, Lakshmana was killed, and Ajay has been missing for a year. There had been many speculations on her end, she had spread out as wide a net as Arjun had searching for the boy to no apparent luck. The biggest assumption was custody of the King, knowing his relation to Ishwari.
But even for him, there was a limit to how long someone can be kept safely away from the public eye. Even among trusted servants who aided in limiting his movement outside of the safehouse, rumours will be passed around, reaching the farthest places imaginable. That included Golden Path.
There was a rebellion that occurred quite recently as well, if anyone knew what King Min was hiding around his place, it would have been the Canton Families. Seeking to capture him to extort the King, knowing his favouritism for the son he never had. But that did not apparently happen, instead the Cantons ordered the rebel soldiers to kill the king, meaning either they couldn't find him and didn't know where he was, or he was never hidden to begin with.
But hiding in plain sight.
And among the people she knew, who was the one person who would appear to be so public yet obscure. Someone whose past was as unreadable as his intent for the future. There was only one person that fell into this category, she didn't even need second thought about it.
Her heart palpitated, but her face once again was made of porcelain to deceive the men. Because piecing together all the things that went on since the day they heard that Ajay Ghale was returning to Kyrat were more explosive than anything she had ever known. The things he'd done, the changes he'd made, and what were the things and thoughts that were the driving factor for all of this? To think that even her daughter had hidden this from her and Arjun spoke much about how deep she was involved in these developments. Arjun had never been playing the front stage, he was merely a front, a showman for the public to keep their eyes on.
The real auditor and creator of the image "Badala", who had been rebuilding and reuniting the Himavanas, was none other than the Prodigal Son they had been looking desperately for.
Ajay Ghale.
She had realized who had been playing the entire crowd into thinking a fictional individual was responsible for the earthshaking movements. But that wasn't the only detail to arise from her findings. Something else far worse had been made plausible through these assumptions that Ajay was Badala.
And that was who among his parents was his progenitor to Kalinag's bloodline.
Their orders were to investigate on Brody and the Four Virtues agents first. Then a certain group got in their way.
"I remember you…" Han Feng exclaimed as he recognized two of the hundred individuals that had turned themselves in. A minor discomfort had caused his heart to swell, but not to the point that it required medical attention. As for those men and women. Surrender, as in put their weapons down and their hands up.
"You're Force Recon."
"Were." David corrected him with past tense.
Han Feng cast his eyes upon the jarheads that surrendered before the two battalions of Jatayu left in his command to raid all of the remaining bases. Leopard and Bear battalions had cleared up resistance in three bases, applied scorched earth upon whatever loitering cargo planes of Lupus Caelum and the 38th Mountaineers couldn't salvage.
"Is this some kind of joke?" They were the aggressors of this fight, they weren't expecting the Marines of all people to surrender.
"Badala was right." David started off.
"Of course, he was. But you're welcome to continue struggling. But instead-…. Heh! Did you marines suddenly forget the meaning of your own creed?" Han Feng was one of the overseers of the battle group, but Lieutenant Colonel Sandesh was the commander of the two battalions. Han Feng noted how Ajay had always told them of Sandesh's loyalty to King, Queen and country that was unmatched. So to see others' loyalty falter was distasteful in his eyes.
David just shook his head.
"He knew how we'd act. Our first strike policy, our confidence in our capabilities and mistake in underestimating you lot." David said it in a solemn way.
"Damn right, he did!" Sandesh said almost shouting as he kicked David alone to the floor and pressed a gun to his head.
"Colonel!" But Han Feng's call was no use, it was in Sandesh's eyes.
"We don't have to keep them alive, you remember Lord Badala's words better than anyone. Spare no one-."
"-But those of value!" Han Feng retorted as he completed his orders.
"Huh! You mean war booty?" Sandesh leered at him with a smirk on his face.
"I'm sorry, did you just presume to know what Lord Badala thought?" Han Feng said with a threatening glare that caught even Sandesh off his guard, not expecting the younger man to actually maintain his footing as was given in his premium status.
Han Feng took extra steps by walking up to Sandesh to confront him, causing the latter to step off David and walk back.
"Don't overstep your boundaries, Colonel." His cold tone put Sandesh in a dilemma and his troops in question, who was the real boss.
"Damn, he sounds like him." Perkins got off whispering whilst helping David to his feet.
Han Feng turned back to the former marine captain after displaying a show of authority that he was the one in command. How ironic the situation was in Kyrat, they, David and Gregor thought. A month ago, Han Feng's relatives tried to overthrow the monarch. Now, the Kyratis had seemed to let their past enmity be water under the bridge. They had a common enemy now.
"What are you proposing, Captain?" David was thankful they still had force commanders willing to be diplomatic at this stage of the wars.
"At this rate, Badala's policies will put the Himavanas at odds with the world."
"And?"
"But you know better than any of these fellas, no offence.." David didn't wait for the Jatayu around them to respond or Sandesh at this point.
"The Federation of the Himavanas can't fight on two fronts. Especially the one at home." David had heard of the Rakshasa, he had even seen a glimpse from the video feed. They were monsters unlike anything he'd ever seen. So even the Himavanas had a limit.
"….."
"But at the same time, our country cannot be allowed to defeat the Federation. Or else-….."
"The monsters of the mountains will develop a taste for the foreign delicacy." Answered Han Feng smirking in a ravenous way as he understood David's grounds.
"That's how they see us?" Perkins asked on the side as an unwanted distraction.
"You have quite the audacity, Captain." Han Feng said with a smile. "To propose using our Himavanas as a buffer against an impending threat like that. Well, of course you'd be afraid. At what sort of power can turn all of your nuclear arsenals against you with a mere thought."
Han Feng had been open about it, while Perkins and David had been tight-lipped to a certain extent. But hearing that some other faction was responsible for the Nuclear Carrier Disaster caused the remaining marines to feel sweat trickle down their spines. They had cast their lot with David and Perkins in a call beyond duty, so both of them indulged their comrades of the true happenings of the Himavanas and what really went on behind the mountains.
"You'd better be offering something worthy of keeping your homeland safe from those monsters in the attic, Captain. But the way I see it, there isn't a lot a "former-captain" can contribute." He said in an almost ridiculing tone, it was clear Han Feng nor the Jatayu believed he had anything of value.
"All of us."
Han Feng cast his eyes disdainfully over the assembled marines that somehow trusted this discharged Captain enough to follow him here.
"Two hundred is a good number, but I'm afraid you aren't worth the weight." He said frankly.
"You misheard me, Sir." But David corrected him.
"I'm not dedicating the services of two hundred marines willing to be disavowed. I'm dedicating all operational forces in Pakistan to the service of Bada-…"
"Ahahahahaha!- Ahhahahahahaha…." Han Feng and Sandesh laughed like they hadn't before. Some of the Jatayu who heard also joined in and spread what nonsense the respected Captain sprouted.
"And why should we believe that a modest Former-Marine Captain is capable of turning ten thousand soldiers, operatives and civilians against their country?"
"… Because…" David wore the grimmest expression possible as he leaned over to share to Han Feng through a whisper of what he intended to do to achieve their ends.
A flash of shock and then of anger overcame Han Feng as he grabbed his shirt and tightened his fist that loomed beside his face. But now delivering the punch, his fist hovered for a moment and then receded.
"You're a monster, Captain David Goh!"
"It's for you to decide."
"I want no part of this! I'm a killer, not a fucking lunatic!" Han Feng glared over at the Marines in his company.
"And you! All of you, agree with this?!... Diu Nei! Kill them all!" His word was all they needed to raise their weapons.
"You can't win against the Rakshasa yourselves!" Argued David.
"… Then we'll die trying." Han Feng said as he raised his own rifle. The Jatayu had not heard what was spoken between them, but it spooked their leader so much that it wasn't worth knowing. Han Feng who understood what David was getting at would rather fight to the death than do what he suggested.
*(Static) -elp! (Static) -URRGhhhh! (Static)* The radioman's comms were filled with erratic sounds and static causing their momentary conversation to be distracted. Standard Frequency Comms had long stopped functioning properly even when there was no magnetic interference like in a certain region of Kyrat. Yet this Marine's radio worked just fine, perhaps it broadcasted from a more advance mode of communication, like satellite laser communication.
"You! Which channel is that?" Han Feng asked the signaler Marine. Who kept mum, forcing Han Feng to get Sandesh to tell his men to lower their weapons for the time being.
David checked with the Marine first. "That's the US Embassy. Sounds like somethings chewing up the place."
"Brody…."
"…. So he's on your side now, eh?" David said with a wry smile seeing how much they'd changed in their absence. Another known Category L was supporting Badala now.
Han Feng's looked held greater hostility. He was more than clear about Jason Brody's profile and mission. He was only supposed to nab the Head of Mission, and it was supposed to be done in stealth. Snatching the radio set from the marine he listened in on the commotions, only to hear hordes of moans, drooling and animal noises along with screams. Whatever was happening, didn't go according to plan.
"He's not on our side." He said throwing back the radio set and approached Sandesh. "Colonel, I'll take a Company with me to check if that's ok with you." Han Feng said to David before turning to Sandesh to requisition a strike force. They still had places to be, but Han Feng couldn't miss this chance to check while they were nearby.
"I'll leave you with two, what do I tell Command?" Sandesh motioned two Company commanders to accompany him.
Han Feng's expression was grim and foul. "Tell them… Jason Brody will no longer be a liability." He explained after pulling off a slugger anti-material rifle from the jeeps seat rack and the appropriate number of .700 Nitro slugs. Knowing Jason, there was always surprises with that damn blight. Why did Ajay bother to keep him around? It can't be because of that chick he had a relation with once. To think that he found common ground with Jeevan in regard to "Snow White", Jason Brody was too much of a wild horse to be kept around.
And… there was something bugging him to go there. It was just a mere thought, but just thinking about it made the mark on his hand burn. A gut feeling was telling him something had happened in the North where Jason was, the Southwest where Jeevan was, and the East where Arjun fought. He had to go.
"Let me follow." David was barricaded by two of the closest soldiers before he came forth.
"Why?"
"That's the US embassy, and well-…we're American. I'll prove to you I can do what I promised." In truth, it would allow them to assess the situation before entering the compounds or vicinity thereby saving lives.
Han Feng was still not convinced about David's nonsensical plan to convert the entire infrastructure of the overseas military forces of the United States in Pakistan over to them. But the pros of having him investigate what became of Brody was important. If Jason leaked intel to the US, there was going to be setbacks in the near future. Jeevan believed one of them should have been supervising Jason instead of the Four Virtue agents, but Ajay gave his order.
"You're far from convincing me, Captain. But we'll see where this takes us." He handed back Perkins his confiscated M4 carbine, as the Jatayu companies did the same to David's odd bunch.
Han Feng still did not believe what came out of Captain David Goh's mouth that time. Especially someone so driven to the core of protecting his country. Perhaps his zeal was what inevitably led them here, had David concoct that absurd plan.
But David was right about one thing, Ajay was creating too many ripples in the status quo. It was upsetting the balance, imperfect but still bearing notions of peace. Will the world ever settle down after what he intends to do? Han Feng couldn't say. David actually wasn't asking much of them other than believe and trust, and if his plan went through, no one was going to thank him. The United States would only remember them in time to come…..
As the Iscariots of Peshawar.
It became obvious to the Demon, that they were all holding back their true strengths. They were simply poised to wear him down for any particular one of them to deliver the final blow, so they were careful about how much strength was used and the damaged that had been done.
This point was not just noticed by the one on the receiving end, but the soldiers of Shangri-la as well. For they knew better than anyone, the strife that went on between the Royal Bloodlines in the hopes of securing the throne to King of the Yaksha and all the other perks of being the overlord of Shangri-la. For like the current King, the path to godhood was within reach with the sacred treasure that was the Himavanas.
If they were holding back, then so should it. Instead of acting further like a berserker, the Demon lowered his guard, showed a weakened self to those seeking its life. With lowered resistance, the Princes thought this was the extent of his strength. Its anger was there, no doubt. The Second Prince had not been wrong when he claimed the demon ran on just animalistic instincts. But how does a Tiger, a Lion, a Crocodile catch its prey, the Gazelle, faster and more agile than itself? Through the element of surprise and making prey underestimate their capabilities to allow them to lower their guards. And when the time was right…..
[Already done for? Is this all the Demon Banishers risked their all to put down?]
He said so boldly yet was huffing. It was an assurance there was no threat to life that dictated this, the Natural Law was looming close by in the event they were endangered. The Third Prince, wielding a more lavished over-sized sword swung at the Demon's limbs that blocked with consequence of deep gashes that recovered instantly but weakened its metabolism from observation. The demon swung its talon sharp nails at the Prince in a weird martial art style that had no predictable pattern that they could make sense of. But the floating Vajras of the older Second Prince covered the openings for his younger brother.
Although, they moved a lot slower, as if running out of juice or following their user's stamina. This was where the Fifth prince fit into the bill with a sword and buckler combination, providing openings for the heavy hitter to do the denting. And where did the Third Prince, Andhakan fit in? Borrowing a treasure off one of the Generals, a single-razor tail whip sword. Striking down at the Demon with his illusionary magic to be a force multiplier.
But while his brothers thought of slaying the demon, his mind was still on the sword mace, Kaalapatthagada. Embedded in the ground as it had before. Since the awakening of this Quasi-Demon, it left the mace as its hands were enough to deal with him and then his brothers. Never attempting to retrieve it, Andhakan didn't know why. Perhaps the mace now repelled its existence.
But he still couldn't retrieve it because though the demon now stood in his place, Ajay Ghale was technically still alive. And the mace was still bonded to him through the will of Varish.
"EERRAAAAHHHHHHH!" The demon swept its talons like a wounded tiger from the injury sustained by the Third Prince.
[Look!] As he pointed towards the Demon, they all noticed it. The wound that should have healed no longer did. The Demon's metabolism could not keep up with their pounding.
The moment he noticed and declared it, they were already moving in to take the killing blow. Seeing this, the Third Prince also pursued the Demon that went on a kneel, its blood flowing and corroding the local earth.
[Out of the way! I am the one who dealt the most toll to the Demon!] The Third Prince shouted in disbelief that they were really going to steal the kill.
[A victory wasted on you, Royal Third.] The Second Prince sneered. [Will you truly make a difference with this slaying?] He continued to tease as he began to gain the lead from flight and headstart.
[If no one can decide, then to whom the blade first touches will be his.] The Fifth Prince already set the boundaries as he casted aside his buckler that weighed his speed down.
[Heh! How coy of you, Royal Fifth?] The Second grinned mercilessly like he would slay his own sibling to get this kill. Yet, only verbal threats were passed, no one lay the first hand on each other and only raced towards the downed Demon.
The adrenaline pumping through their hearts had made them fail to notice the absence of Andhakan, seemed to satisfy themselves with the thought that the Fourth Prince had given up.
At this point, the Shangri-lan Armies were literally sitting down to enjoy another show of Royalty bickering over spoils. There was no longer a need for them to be involved.
From a long distance, another new entry had seemed to arrive on the battlefield. Although it seemed too late. The Princes were too preoccupied to notice who it was and what his thoughts would be in regards to the Demon's actual strength.
The Third Prince seemed the quickest to catch up and overtake, but he was again a victim to the Second Prince's usual acts of trickery and deceit. His Vajras aligned themselves into a wall to block him, gaining extra seconds of advance movement. The Third Prince bellowed in rage, while the Second Prince mirthlessly smiled at his lack of ability to outplay his opponents. He had been preoccupied to much that he almost failed to notice the Fifth Prince taking advantage of their distractions to advance on his own. In speed, they were evenly matched.
(Thang) (Thang) [Hah-…. Hah-….. JAIVANT!] The Third Prince roared out the Second Prince's name as he charged through the air with matchless speed induced through a secret technique he had kept hidden from knowing eyes.
His velocity shocked his trickster of an older brother and younger, he did not wish to use this technique unless challenged. And now they knew he had this trump, but in consolation, he would have the Demon's head to present to their father.
[Become my stepping stone!] He laughed with madness as he enchanted blade loomed over the Demon like an executioner's guillotine.
He brought it down with the might of his swing and hidden technique to sever the head of its shoulders. Andhakan had reached the sword mace successfully without any of them realizing.
But the Third Prince was too overjoyed while the Second and Fifth were disgruntled and upset as they weren't able to catch up in time. He had won it all.
[Hahahaha-GURRGHH?!] The downward swing had created a dust cloud from all of the ash created from the Demon's flames. So, no one could see the Third Prince nor the Demon after his sword swung down to behead.
"(Growl)!"
[No-…..NoNoNONONO- Please!- For the love of-(CLANGG) AAARRRRRRGHHHHHHH!] A scream rung out from the dust cloud, that sounded exactly like the one who should have claimed the Demon's head as a trophy.
As the Princes halted their pursuit and awaited the dust to clear, an unnerving silence daunted the surroundings that were felt by everyone. [Royal Third?]
The Second Prince called out to inquire about his brother's status, but no response came. Only the familiar wet growls of the beast they were hunting together.
The Shangri-lan Army immediately went to arms, while the Princes were on their guard. Only Andhakan didn't seem to know as he continued to try and lift the sword mace from the ground but proved impossible. He turned back to where the Demon was as it was clear the mace had not lost its master yet.
When the dust settled, an unrecognizable silhouette presented itself as a shadow over the harsh light. It didn't resemble anything they had encountered before. And as the silhouette became clear as the dust no longer obscured their view….
Shangri-la bore witness to the beginnings of the horror that was the Demon God's shadow.
It was the Demon, standing with vitality. Its wounds healed at the initial rate, proving that the entire act of fatigue before was merely a ruse. But their horror was channelled from the grotesque shape that the Demon held out in one hand.
The greatsword belonging to the Third Prince, had just found its owner. As in... the cavalry slaying swords had been used to impale the Third Prince. Or at least, the upper half of his remaining body. A horrified expression filled with agony, frozen for eternity. Raised in the air like some sort of show of triumph over a monster.
It went through their heads too slowly to process by the time the Natural Laws Tribulation Lightning Clouds had arrived in exacting punishment upon he who had slain a Prince of Shangri-la.
The Second and Fifth Prince stared in disbelief at the sudden turn of events. It was simply inconceivable in their eyes, unless…..
The Demon had been holding back all this while, watching. Waiting for a chance to strike while their guard was down. And his reward for that was the one who irritated it, on a kebab.
Then, the Demon created another act in order to send the Yaksha of Shangri-las' hearts into despair.
Reaching its blazing hand out where the Fourth Prince was, the Darkstone Mace trembled then shot into the air through an invisible traction force that pulled it into the Demon's free hand. Giving Andhakan the worse kind of scare he had possibly ever experienced.
At the same time, the tribulation lightning, the same in function as the one in the lowlands but on an entirely different level here. The Tribulation Lightning of Shangri-la struck down with bolts that made the former seem minuscule and insignificant in comparison of potential.
The Demon growled as it raised the Darkstone Mace and made the simplest of motions of swinging it downwards with an ungodly force, causing a massive vacuum to converge on the Tribulation Lightning bolts. The moment the bolts struck the vacuum, they did not detonate nor spread, instead, it was sucked into an ever-growing blackhole that had not been there before. One after another, the bolts entered the blackhole and disappeared from reality.
And then, it reached the source of the Lightning bolts themselves. The Tribulation Lightning cloud swirled like a tornado, fighting the artificial blackhole with every fibre of its form that it could. But it wasn't enough. The black hole absorbed what was left of the Tribulation Cloud and with a-
(BANGGG)
It disappeared from existence as if it was never there to begin with. The will of the mountains had just been suppressed.
And that was when all of Shangri-la knew, this wasn't a fake, nor was it a mere fragment of the original. With a triumphant roar that reintroduced itself, they realized-
"EEERRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
This was THE Demon God.
Updates 12th July 2018:
Apologies for the long hiatus, was finishing on my exam which turned out very nicely. I have the next chapter in workshop, hanging around. During that mean time i was quite happy doing the God of Cookery, which is less stressful as there is a plot to follow behind, unlike RaK which has deviated significantly off canonic plot for obvious reason of story expansion. I have the support of some lovely people as hindi translators, idea brainiacs and the time now to continue with the epic of Ajay. hang on to your chandis babies!
Update 24th Dec 2018:
It has been another long unwanted hiatus for me in RaK. With real-life situation becoming more hectic for myself in my fourth year which involves my thesis and job search. So, i've decided to regulate the number of postable chapters which is within my ability to complete to two per month from now on. (One for RaK and one for GoC). That way things can get moving still. I rushed to get chp 130 out as soon as possible but it may take a day or two longer so hang on there.
Update: 26/01/2019:
A series of unfortunate events have hit me, last week. While writing the coming chapter, my computer got fried in the Aussie Heatwave of 47 Degrees. Losing not just my data but the story drafts as a whole.
Fortunately, after some scurrying around. I managed to locate a backup in an old thumbdrive i used to carry around and have made additional backups in the event lightning strikes the same place twice. :)
What does this mean for RaK?
Well, the old backup doesn't have the latest chapter. So that means redoing all the work for the next Chapter 130 - Equal to Heaven and Earth. Once again, I'm sorry for the delays. I was just as eager to release this sooner despite the constant delays.
To make up for it, I'll post it side by side with the promised side chapter and another chapter.
