The red-haired man sat on a black throne, light from a few scattered lamps was the only thing making him visible. The silence caused the breaths of the ones present to be heard clearly in the entire room.

“I see you.” Arav’s voice suddenly echoed in the red-haired man’s head. As he opened his eyes, streams of blood began flowing out of them with a faint blue light visible for a split second. The woman wearing black clothes, standing a distance away from the man, noticed the blood. Her face showed no signs of concern; instead, curiosity glimmered in her eyes.

The man blankly stared in front of him. “That prince of Padma Kingdom…..is Pralaya’s reincranation,” his words resounded like a loud explosion in the entire room. The woman’s curious expression was nowhere to be seen, instantly replaced by horror and shivering eyes.

“How is that possible?” the woman asked in a doubtful tone, her heart thumped rapidly as if about to jump out of her chest. The atmosphere quickly became heavier with everyone present gazing at each other's surprised faces.

The red-haired man suddenly stood up, causing even the slightest movement in the room to stop almost immediately. “The humanoid was destroyed by just a few words,” he spoke while moving in her direction.

The red-haired man’s response caused her to shake for a moment. “Th-the Dragon tongue,” she said in a tone filled with utter horror.

Amidst her state of horror and confusion, the red-haired man suddenly gazed at her. She quickly understood his intention and stretched both of her hands forward:

[WOOSH!]

A dark mass of energy appeared in front of her open palms, which began making the atmosphere dense.

“M-..My lord?” someone's voice resounded out of the dark energy and echoed in the entire room.

“What is the current state of the Chandra Kingdom?” the woman asked in an anxious tone.

“The dark dimension...it just exploded...the king and Drona of Padma Kingdom are present in front of the Paradise,” the voice from the dark energy quickly responded with a hint of fear in his voice.

“THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT!! TELL ME ABOUT THAT PRINCE OF PADMA KINGDOM!!” the woman exclaimed with rage.

“HEIK!...I...I apologize...but he didn’t escape the sphere before it exploded.” The voice replied in a shaky voice. A wave of relief washed over everyone present the moment this response was heard, except one. The red-haired man still stared at the dark mass of energy with a blank expression.

"The king will die from the pain of losing his grandson," the red-haired man said as if ordering someone. A brief silence ensued from the one speaking through the dark energy. "My lord…may I know…why?" the voice asked with great hesitation, interrupting every word.

The woman's brows immediately contracted. "YOU IMBECILE! YOU DARE QUESTION THE DRAG--" she began exclaiming with rage. But the moment her eyes noticed the raised hands of the red-haired man, her words were halted.

"So that humans don't face any difficulty hunting the elves," the red-haired man responded in a calm tone. "I understand."

[WOOSH!]

The dark energy in front of the woman's hand dispersed, leaving her frowning. "How dare that filthy human speak in such a manner?!" she spoke with her teeth tightly pressed.

To her surprise, the red-haired man showed no reaction to her whatsoever.

“Prepare to summon that” A chill filled the entire place the moment he spoke again. The woman’s eyes widened, she clenched her shaking hands while gazing at the red haired man with a surprised expression. “But sumo-..” Just as she began speaking:

“Only two life crystals remain on this world, and it requires far more energy than that. Pralaya being aware of our intentions is a matter of concern far greater than the destruction caused by summoning that” The red haired man said while turning his head in a particular direction, stopping his gaze on a sphere filled with dark energy.

***

Dozens of Nagas stood around an altar while forming a circle. A statue of a Naga, holding a golden statue had all of their gazes fixed on it. Chants of the Nagas present echoed in the entire room, making the golden trident radiate a powerful yet calm energy in greater volume with every passing moment.

A female Naga entered the hall from an opening on the left, about a dozen Nagas walked behind her while an anxious one moved beside her at equal pace. “Young Princess, you must reconsider this..” he said while nervously fidgeting his fingers.

“I have made up my mind, it doesn’t matter if my father failed, I will wield that trident.” The female Naga responded as she walked closer to the altar. The twelve Nagas listened to her response and had a proud expression, “Daughter of Nagaraj, you have the same courage as your father. It seems avenging his death isn’t a far sought goal.” The oldest Naga said while bowing his head, followed by the other eleven ones bowing in unison.

“TODAY I SHALL LIFT THIS TREASURED WEAPON OF THE NAGAS, ALONG WITH OUR MORALE THAT WAS TRAMPLED BY THE HUMANS!!” The woman said in a loud voice, while her determined eyes gazed at the Nagas present around her.

The other Nagas present gazed with anticipation, as she stretched her hands and grabbed the golden weapon.

[HUM!]

Intense golden energy suddenly burst out of the trident, filling the entire room with a golden glow. The energy began rapidly raging throughout the female Naga’s body. The pressure generated from the phenomenon pushed the other ones back, as breathing seemed almost impossible under the incredibly heavy atmosphere.

Then suddenly, the energy stopped its rampage and slowed down. The Nagas’ eyes glimmered with awe and gratitude, while reflecting the image of the unharmed female Naga holding the trident in her hands.

“ALL HAIL PRINCESS AASHA!!” The Naga soldiers previously behind her began cheering with their respectful voices trembling the floor.

[TAK...TAK…TAK]

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The sound of someone’s slow footsteps suddenly put a halt to the cheering. All of the Naga soldiers quickly turned back and raised their spears in the direction of the incoming footsteps.

“All hail princess Aasha,..All hail princess Aasha..” Someone said from the darkness, with the words spoken completely contrasting the tone. Instead of respect and awe, the voice spoke with a tone of mockery.

The Nagas didn’t have to wait for long. Within a few moments, a man with a pale face and long black hair, his hands placed behind his back, walked forward with a slow yet confident pace.

"WHO ARE YOU?! HOW DARE YOU INTRUDE THE SACRED CHAMBER?!" the Naga who was previously warning her from lifting the trident, said with his enraged eyes willing to burn the man alive.

The man completely ignored the question, his eyes were locked on something entirely different, "Oho!…that seems quite exquisite.." the man said while moving towards a table that had several glasses filled with a red liquid on top of it. The soldiers attempted to stop the man by moving their weapons in his way, but just as they slightly moved, the female Naga holding the trident raised her left hand, halting their movement.

The man quickly lifted one of the glasses up and drank the entire liquid in seconds. “Tchah!..I must say, I wasn’t expecting something this good!’’ The man said while raising the empty glass towards the female Naga. “After the death of the elder daughter, the only remaining and younger daughter of a fallen king lifted the ancient weapon, while her ancestors failed to do so for generations, for the sole purpose of taking revenge. Quite the rags to riches story.” he continued while placing down the glass.

“YOU IMP-..” The same Naga attempted to speak once again, but his eyes suddenly widened with his words stopping abruptly. Other Nagas were bewildered by the utterly horrified expression suddenly covering his face.

The very next moment,

[DRIP!]

Purple blood began falling on the floor, its origin being the Nagas' necks. Their eyes widened with disbelief upon seeing a cut on the Nagas' necks that had appeared suddenly without a single movement from anyone.

The next revelation horrified the female Naga, she noticed an incredibly thin thread tied around her neck, along with every single other Naga present in the room. The other end of all the threads were tied to the fingers of the man, raised above his closed fist.

“Unfortunately for you, your story has a major issue…Your father couldn’t keep his end of the deal.” The man smiled at the terrified female Naga. Before anyone could react, the man slightly moved his fingers:

[THUD!]

All of their heads were cut off their bodies, creating a loud sound by falling in unison.

***

Adhrit and Yaksh stood in front of two graves, located right beside the Paradise, surrounded by trees. Adhrit gazed in the Paradise’s direction, not even the slightest of signs of the previous tragedy were visible. The blue residents of the elves, along with the farmlands and the trees, kept shining under the sunlight.

Yaksh noticed Adhrit looking at the paradise. “They were lucky that it all happened in a separate dimension,” he spoke after a brief silence.

Adhrit turned his head towards the graves, “I wonder..” he spoke in a solemn tone, while his shivering eyes gazed at the tombstone. A sword with a silver sheath was embedded right beside the grave on the left, while a disk made of gold, with a dragon carved on its surface was sticking on the right one.

Adhrit’s eyes were plagued with sadness, while his mind kept recreating the image of both Arav and Aizen’s death. On the other hand, Yaksh’s face was clouded with hints of rage and uncertainty, regret being the only emotional similarity between the two.

[GLUBL!]

While they both were lost in their thoughts, a sound could be heard behind them along with a familiar energy suddenly appearing. Both of their eyes immediately widened, a wave of intense emotions froze Adhrit’s spine and made him motionless.

Yaksh turned back and found a woman in white clothes, gazing at them with her completely white eyes.

“It’s been a while..” Ambu said as she walked towards them. Yaksh began wondering how to respond to her, but it didn’t take him long to realize that he wasn’t the one Ambu was heading towards. Adhrit’s heart kept beating faster and faster, as the sound of her footsteps kept getting closer to him. His hesitation reached its peak the moment Ambu stood in front of him. He swiftly lowered his gaze with not enough courage to make eye contact.

“I..am sorry.” Adhrit went silent after speaking this single sentence. His anxiousness kept building up as Ambu too wasn’t saying anything and kept standing still. Until:

“Heh..” A soft chuckle made Adhrit’s head race with questions, his previous hesitation and anxiousness were replaced with confusion. “Taking blame for everything is a quality common in you two brothers…which surprises me,” Ambu added.

Her light hearted response placed Adhrit’s mind at ease, but at the same time, an equal amount of confusion quickly covered his face. Before Adhrit or Ambu could speak any further, the footsteps of Yaksh walking away entered their ears.

Surprised, Adhrit quickly turned in the elf’s direction, “Where are you going?” he asked in a slightly loud voice, as Yaksh had already moved some distance away from them.

Yaksh stopped his movements as he heard Adhrit, “I don’t belong here.” he said without turning his head. Yaksh’s response made Adhrit silent for a brief moment, but as he once again began walking, “The blood demon is inside you now…and we both know you aren’t even close to the capability of Master. The moment you dealt even the slightest of harm, I’ll be standing against you.” Adhrit said in a serious tone that made Yaksh turn towards him.

“You should rest, a long and hard training awaits you.” Yaksh responded with a smirk, but what caught Adhrit’s attention was the slight tint of red in Yaksh’s green eyes.

[WOOSH!]

A green aura appeared around Yaksh, he jumped towards the sky and landed a significant distance away in mere seconds. Adhrit’s eyes contracted, as a similar tint of red was present in Yaksh’s green aura.

Adhrit turned his gaze away from Yaksh’s direction,

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t be of any use in his last moments.” Adhrit said while lowering his head in front of Ambu, catching her off guard. “You’ve grown..” She said with a smile. Adhrit was even more confused by her non-existent response to Arav’s death, but this confusion appeared with a previously shattered hope, slowly rebuilding in Adhrit’s heart.

Adhrit went on his knees with his head bowed down, "When you arrived, I sensed a disturbance in the space. Your ability holds some form of similarity to mine, I request you to guide me in learning my Mantra," he said in a respectful tone. Ambu sensed a determination hidden in the young warrior's voice.

[WOOSH!]

A dark energy suddenly appeared to their left, Adhrit was alarmed by the sudden phenomenon and quickly stood up, his mind began fearing the worst as he kept remembering his previous struggle in the separate dimension.

[WOOF!]

Marichi's appearance out of the dark energy sent a wave of relief all over Adhrit. Ambu smiled while sitting down, as Marichi sprinted towards her in his small pup form.

“Well, I intended to do so from the beginning, but now even he has given his approval.” She said while patting Marichi’s head. Adhrit’s face brightened upon listening to her response, “I am deeply grateful for your kindness, I will not disappoint.” Adhrit said with a determined expression, while only a single thought kept ringing in his head:

‘I won’t ever let anyone die in front of me…I must get stronger.’

"At the same time, Yaksh had already arrived in front of the main city’s entrance.

‘I will have to save her myself…I must get stronger…stronger than that thing…I will never allow myself to be humiliated by anyone..' Yaksh thought while making a final jump at the sky, ‘You crave strength…to not be humiliated…to not be thrown aside. I shall grant you that strength, but are you prepared to face the consequences?...HEHEHE…This will be more interesting than I had anticipated.’ The blood demon’s voice echoed in Yaksh’s head, while he jumped out of the main city’s borders.

[Chapter 40: END]

[Arc: Chandra kingdom: Completed]