The Weight of Karma
Ambarisha stood at the threshold of something greater.
The temple ruins lay quiet, the lingering traces of corruption now nothing more than a whisper in the air. The battle was over. He had won.
And yet, the words from the Karmic Ascension System still burned in his mind.
[Ascension Pathway Unlocked]
- You are now eligible for the First Karmic Gate.
- The path to true ascension begins now.
- Warning: This choice will determine your fate.
His fingers curled into a fist.
The First Karmic Gate.
The system had guided him until now—through battle, through awakening, through revelations of his past self.
But this…
This felt different.
Permanent.
As if stepping through this gate would set something in motion that could not be undone.
He exhaled.
Krodhasura, the fallen Rakshasa General, sat against the remnants of a broken pillar, his form human but his eyes still burdened with the weight of corruption. He had once been a guardian of dharma—now reduced to nothing but a relic of a forgotten past.
And yet, he was still alive.
Because Ambarisha had chosen to spare him.
A choice that, in his past life, he never would have made.
“I do not understand you.” Krodhasura’s voice was quiet, hollow. “Why let me live?”
Ambarisha didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he glanced down at his own hands. The golden inscriptions of his newfound power still flickered, faint but persistent.
Finally, he spoke.
“Because I’m not the man I used to be.”
Krodhasura’s lips curled into something resembling a bitter smile.
“Then perhaps… you may yet survive what comes next.”
Ambarisha frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Krodhasura lifted his gaze.
“You have disrupted the balance. The cycle has shifted. And now—”
A cold wind swept through the ruins, carrying with it the scent of burning flesh.
“—he has noticed you.”
The Rakshasa King Awakens
Far beyond the ruined temple, in the very heart of Kalyanagara, a fortress of obsidian and bone loomed over the city.
A monument of oppression.
Inside its walls, the throne room of the Rakshasa King pulsed with dark energy.
Thick veins of blackened stone crawled up the pillars, ancient symbols of adharma carved deep into its structure. The air was thick with the scent of blood and fear, the very walls whispering the tormented screams of those who had perished within them.
And at the center of it all—a figure sat upon a throne of skulls.
Massive. Unmoving. Watching.
His skin was like charred rock, deep fissures glowing with molten energy. His four golden eyes burned with an unnatural light, a cruel intelligence lurking beneath their depths. His form was wrapped in layers of shadow, shifting like a living void, coiling around him like a serpent waiting to strike.
Shatrughna, the Rakshasa King.
And in that moment—
He saw Ambarisha.
Not through eyes.
Not through messengers.
But through the fabric of karma itself.
A ripple in the cycle. A disturbance in the flow of dharma and adharma.
A new player had stepped onto the battlefield of fate.
And that—was unacceptable.
His voice rumbled through the chamber, low and filled with the weight of countless sins.
“A mortal… has broken the chains of karma.”
His massive claws flexed, power radiating from his form like heat from a dying sun.
“Unacceptable.”
A figure knelt before the throne, cloaked in shadows, their features obscured.
“What are your orders, my king?”
Shatrughna did not hesitate.
“Bring me his head.”
The shadows moved.
And somewhere, across the city, the hunt for Ambarisha began.
Back at the Temple
Ambarisha felt it before he heard it.
A deep pressure in the air, as if something had just shifted in the very fabric of reality. His Divine Sense flared, warning him of an imminent threat.
Krodhasura exhaled slowly.
“And so it begins.”
Ambarisha turned sharply. “What did you do?”
Krodhasura gave him a tired, knowing look.
“Nothing. You did this yourself.”
Ambarisha froze.
The moment he had chosen a different path—the moment he had spared Krodhasura—he had disrupted the natural order.
He had changed something.
And now, fate was correcting itself.
A chill ran down his spine.
A new system notification appeared before him.
[URGENT SYSTEM ALERT]
- Global Karma Disturbance Detected
- Your actions have drawn the attention of a Major Entity
- Warning: A high-level Rakshasa Enforcer is approaching.
- Time Until Arrival: 2 Hours
Two hours.
That’s all he had before something—someone—arrived to erase him.
His fists clenched.
For the first time, he truly understood.
This wasn’t just about getting stronger.
This wasn’t just about climbing the karmic ladder.
This was war.
And he was already in it.
The Countdown Begins
Two hours.
That was all the time he had.
The Karmic Ascension System’s warning still burned in Ambarisha’s vision.
[URGENT SYSTEM ALERT]
- Global Karma Disturbance Detected
- Your actions have drawn the attention of a Major Entity
- Warning: A high-level Rakshasa Enforcer is approaching.
- Time Until Arrival: 1 Hour 58 Minutes
The weight of the countdown pressed against his mind.
A Rakshasa Enforcer.
He had no idea what it was or how strong it would be—but if it was being sent by the Rakshasa King himself, it was far beyond anything he had faced so far.
And he wasn’t ready.
Not yet.
He turned to Krodhasura.
“You need to tell me everything.”
The fallen general leaned back against the broken temple pillar, his face impassive, but there was something behind his tired eyes—something distant, unreadable.
“You are out of time for explanations, Ambarisha.”
“You have two choices: run… or prepare for battle.”
Ambarisha exhaled sharply.
“Then I prepare.”
Krodhasura chuckled—a dry, hollow sound. “You really are different.”
Ambarisha ignored him.
His mind was already racing.
He needed information. He needed strength.
And above all—he needed guidance.
And there was only one person he could think of who might have answers.
Devaki.
A Meeting in the Shadows
The streets of Kalyanagara were different at night.
The fear that hung over them during the day remained, but now it was sharper, more dangerous. The alleyways carried whispers, and the deeper Ambarisha moved into the city, the more he felt eyes watching him from the darkness.
But his Divine Sense had changed.
Where before it had been a faint awareness of karmic auras, now it was clearer, more refined.
He could see them.
The auras of the people around him.
Some flickered with faint golden light, their karmic balance fragile but still intact.
But others…
Shrouded in shadows.
Twisted, coiling masses of adharma.
Some of them weren’t human anymore.
He clenched his jaw and pressed forward.
Devaki had told him to seek out the hidden temple, but finding it in a city crawling with Rakshasa spies was a risk in itself.
He didn’t have to wait long.
A voice drifted from the shadows.
“You took your time.”
Ambarisha stopped.
From the darkness, Devaki stepped forward.
His dark robes swayed slightly as he walked, and though his silver-streaked hair looked untouched by age, his eyes held centuries of wisdom.
And the strangest thing?
His karmic aura was still pure white.
Unshakable.
Untouched by the stains of past sins.
A true sage.
Devaki studied him carefully. “You’re stronger than before.”
Ambarisha’s gaze hardened. “Not strong enough.”
Devaki sighed. “Then you understand how little time you have.”
Ambarisha nodded. “Tell me about the Karmic Gate.”
The First Karmic Gate
They moved to a hidden chamber beneath the city, concealed behind a ruined monastery. The air was thick with incense and forgotten prayers, the faint remnants of old mantras still echoing in the silence.
Devaki gestured toward an ancient mural carved into the stone.
It depicted a massive cosmic wheel, surrounded by figures both divine and monstrous. Each layer of the wheel contained different realms, each one separated by a gate.
At the very top, a radiant figure stood at the highest realm, bathed in golden light.
Ambarisha frowned. “What is this?”
Devaki’s voice was quiet. “The path of ascension.”
He traced his fingers along the first layer of the wheel.
“The Karmic Gates exist beyond mortal perception. They are not just trials. They are barriers, separating mortals from true ascension. You must pass them if you wish to transcend your fate.”
Ambarisha’s fists clenched.
“And what happens if I fail?”
Devaki turned to him. “Then you fall.”
A chill ran down Ambarisha’s spine.
“Fall where?”
Devaki’s golden eyes narrowed. “Back into the cycle. Back into the mistakes of your past.”
A long silence.
Ambarisha stared at the mural.
The weight of it pressed against his mind.
This was never just about power.
This was about breaking free.
His past self had climbed this path before—and fallen.
This time, he had to make it to the top.
No matter what it took.
The Rakshasa Enforcer Approaches
Suddenly—
Ambarisha felt it.
A deep, crushing force descending upon the city.
It wasn’t just energy.
It was presence.
Powerful. Crushing. Monstrous.
A karmic pressure so immense it sent shivers through his soul.
The system flashed.
[WARNING: TARGET HAS ARRIVED]
- Rakshasa Enforcer Detected: Level ???
- Threat Level: LETHAL
- Time Left: 00:00
Ambarisha stiffened.
Devaki’s expression darkened.
“It’s here.”
The ground shook violently, the entire city reacting to the presence that had just entered it.
And from somewhere deep in the night—
A voice echoed.
Cold. Ruthless. Final.
“Ambarisha.”
A wave of black energy surged across the city.
The hunt had begun.
The City Falls into Shadow
The entire city trembled.
A low, vibrating hum pulsed through the streets, seeping into the very bones of Kalyanagara. The Rakshasa Enforcer’s presence was like a shroud, curling into every alley, every marketplace, pressing down on the souls of the people.
For the first time in decades, the city was completely silent.
Even those who had grown numb to oppression—the merchants who paid their Rakshasa taxes, the street dwellers who knew never to look a demon in the eye—felt it.
A change.
A shift in power.
The oppressors were not simply watching tonight.
They were hunting.
And their prey was Ambarisha.
The Whisper of Death
Ambarisha stood in the shadows of the ruined monastery, his mind racing.
His Divine Sense flared, tracking the unnatural ripples in the air—invisible distortions that slithered through the streets like vipers, spreading outward, searching for him.
It wasn’t just one presence.
It was many.
“They didn’t send just one assassin,” Ambarisha muttered under his breath. “They sent an entire pack.”
Devaki’s expression remained unreadable. “You should be honored. Shatrughna usually doesn’t waste this many on one target.”
“I’m not honored.” Ambarisha’s hands clenched. “I’m pissed.”
Devaki exhaled through his nose. “Good. Use it.”
And then—they attacked.
The Assassins Strike
The first assassin materialized from the darkness, moving like a phantom, his body barely more than a ripple in space.
Ambarisha had barely blinked before a curved dagger whistled toward his throat.
His Divine Sense screamed.
Too fast—!
His body moved on instinct, twisting just as the dagger grazed his collarbone. A thin line of crimson bloomed against his skin, but before he could counter—
Another one appeared.
Then another.
And another.
Four Rakshasa Assassins surrounded him in an instant.
They weren’t like the brute Rakshasas he had fought before.
These creatures were refined, calculated, their movements precise, their blackened auras flickering like broken candle flames.
They weren’t trying to overwhelm him with power.
They were testing him.
Studying his reactions.
Hunting.
“He’s strong,” one of them murmured, his voice slithering through the air like a whisper of silk.
“But he bleeds,” another answered.
Ambarisha exhaled.
They wanted to see how he would react.
Fine.
He’d show them.
The Sudharma Chakras Unleashed
Ambarisha launched forward.
His Sudharma Chakras spun to life in his hands, twin rings of pure karmic energy, radiating golden flames. The nearest assassin barely had time to react before Ambarisha struck.
SLASH!
The first chakra tore through the assassin’s arm, severing it in a clean arc. Black blood sprayed across the temple walls.
The Rakshasa hissed, staggering back, his form flickering as he tried to reform.
But then—his wound did not heal.
The assassin’s eyes widened in shock.
“Impossible—”
Ambarisha didn’t give him a chance to recover.
His second chakra spun outward, carving through another assassin’s chest. The demon screeched, his body convulsing as golden flames ate away at his flesh.
Ambarisha landed lightly on his feet, his chakras spinning back into his hands.
“Your tricks won’t work on me.” His voice was steady. Deadly.
The remaining assassins hesitated.
And for the first time—
They looked uncertain.
The Hunt Becomes a War
Devaki moved in a blur.
One moment he was standing behind Ambarisha. The next—he was in the center of the assassins, his fingers tracing golden sigils in the air.
A pulse of divine energy erupted outward.
The nearest assassin’s body froze mid-movement, bound by unseen forces.
Devaki’s hand hovered over the demon’s forehead. His voice was calm. “You should not have come here.”
Then—he pressed his palm forward.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave of light erupted from Devaki’s touch, sending the assassin flying backward. The Rakshasa screamed as his very essence was unraveled, his body dissolving into nothingness.
Ambarisha barely had time to register the sheer force of Devaki’s power before the sage turned to him.
“Go.” His voice was sharp. “More are coming. This battle is a distraction—the real Enforcer will arrive soon.”
Ambarisha’s jaw clenched.
He didn’t want to run.
But Devaki was right.
The assassins weren’t here to kill him.
They were here to stall him.
To weaken him before the real fight began.
And that meant—
He needed to move. Now.
A Hidden Path
Devaki led him deeper into the underground tunnels beneath the city, weaving through collapsed ruins and forgotten passageways. The walls were ancient, carved with inscriptions that had long since faded.
Ambarisha could still feel the assassins behind them, but they weren’t following.
Because they didn’t need to.
Something else was waiting ahead.
His Divine Sense pulsed violently, warning him of what was to come.
And then, at the end of the tunnel—
A massive, iron-bound door loomed before them, etched with celestial symbols.
Devaki stopped.
“Beyond this door lies the First Karmic Gate.”
Ambarisha’s heart pounded.
“I thought the First Gate was a trial.”
Devaki’s golden eyes gleamed in the dim light.
“It is.”
He raised his hand, pressing his palm against the iron.
The door shuddered.
The carvings blazed to life, golden runes spiraling outward as the ancient mechanisms within unlocked.
A gust of otherworldly wind rushed past them, and from the other side of the door—
A presence stirred.
A presence that was waiting for him.
Devaki turned to Ambarisha.
“Once you step through, there is no going back.”
Ambarisha took a slow breath.
The assassins were still behind them.
The Rakshasa Enforcer was still coming.
But this—
This was the true path forward.
He stepped through the gate.
And the door slammed shut behind him.
Beyond the Gate
The moment Ambarisha stepped through, the world changed.
The underground passage was gone.
The scent of damp stone and flickering torchlight had vanished, replaced by a vast emptiness—a realm of swirling gray mist and endless sky.
There was no ground beneath him, yet he stood firm. No walls, yet he felt confined.
And then—
A voice echoed.
“Welcome, Fallen King.”
Ambarisha’s breath hitched.
That title.
It wasn’t the first time he had heard it.
The wraiths in the temple had whispered it.
Krodhasura had spoken it.
And now—the Karmic Gate itself recognized it.
His past life.
The weight of his sins.
They were all tied to this moment.
This was no ordinary trial.
This was judgment.
[First Karmic Gate: Trial of the Past]
- A Fragment of Your Past Life Has Been Unlocked.
- Face the Shadow of Who You Once Were.
- Failure Condition: Submission to the Past.
The mist thickened, swirling like a living thing.
And then—it took form.
A figure stepped forward.
Armored in gold. Cloaked in regal blue, with a crimson tilak marking his forehead.
A man of imposing stature, his presence heavy with authority, with judgment.
Ambarisha’s throat went dry.
He knew this man.
Because this man was him.
Or rather—the version of him that had lived before.
The past Ambarisha—the King of a Forgotten Era.
And he was staring directly at him.
The Fallen King Speaks
“So… this is what I have become.”
The King’s voice was deep, resonant—unshaken by time.
He took a step forward, his golden boots pressing against nothingness, yet making no sound.
“A servant. A wanderer. A man who wields divine power—yet refuses to use it fully.”
Ambarisha’s fists clenched.
“You are not me,” he said. “You are nothing but a fragment of the past.”
The King tilted his head. “Am I?”
He raised his hand.
And in an instant—the mist warped.
The emptiness was replaced by a battlefield.
A war-torn plain, bodies scattered across the cracked earth. The air was thick with the scent of blood and fire, and above them—a red sun loomed, burning like an omen of death.
And at the center of it all—
A throne.
The same throne from Ambarisha’s visions.
And before it—a kneeling figure.
A man, bloodied, chained, defeated.
Ambarisha’s breath caught in his throat.
He knew this scene.
He had lived it.
The kneeling man was not an enemy.
He had been a friend. A brother-in-arms.
A loyal general who had fought by his side.
And yet—
The past Ambarisha had executed him without hesitation.
The King turned to him.
“Look upon your truth, wanderer. This was my dharma.”
“This was the price of power.”
Ambarisha shook his head.
“That wasn’t dharma. That was cruelty.”
The King’s golden eyes narrowed.
“Do you truly believe that?”
And then—the throne room came alive.
The kneeling man lifted his head—and suddenly, his eyes were filled with terror.
“Please,” he gasped. “You know this isn’t right.”
The past Ambarisha did not hesitate.
His hand glowed with celestial power—not a weapon, not a blade, but something far worse.
A karmic judgment.
A power that did not simply kill—it erased.
It ripped the soul from the body, binding it to the endless cycle of suffering.
A fate worse than death.
And the past Ambarisha had delivered it.
Without remorse.
The King turned to him again.
“This was dharma.” His voice was cold. “And you called for it.”
Ambarisha shuddered.
The weight of it.
The truth of it.
This wasn’t just a memory.
This was a question.
A challenge.
What had he been?
What had he become?
And was he truly any different now?
The Battle of Wills
The King of the Past turned fully toward him.
“If you deny me, you must prove it.”
He raised his hand.
A weapon of pure karmic energy materialized in his palm—a spinning ring of flame and gold, the true form of the Sudharma Chakra.
“Show me, Wanderer.”
“Show me that you are worthy to move forward.”
The air cracked.
And then—
The King attacked.
A Fight Against Himself
The first strike came fast.
The past Ambarisha swung his chakra, and in that instant, the entire battlefield shook. A wave of pure force exploded outward, ripping through the landscape like a storm.
Ambarisha barely had time to react—
His own chakras ignited, spinning to life in his hands, clashing against the incoming blow.
BOOOOM!
The impact sent him skidding backward, the force of it nearly overwhelming him.
His past self was stronger than he had imagined.
But he wasn’t done.
The King moved like a god of war, relentless, striking from every angle, his attacks precise, calculated, perfect.
But Ambarisha wasn’t the same man anymore.
He had changed.
He had learned.
The battle raged—a clash of past and present, of ideals and regrets.
And with every blow, Ambarisha began to see the truth.
His past self had been strong. Unstoppable.
But he had been alone.
And that was why he had fallen.
The Final Strike
The battle reached its peak.
The past Ambarisha raised his chakra high, power crackling around him.
“You will fall again.”
Ambarisha gritted his teeth.
“No.”
He threw his chakras forward—but this time, something changed.
His chakras did not move alone.
A golden force surged behind him, not just his own power—
But the karmic ties of those who still believed in him.
Krodhasura. Devaki. The people he had saved.
And with that final strike—
The illusion shattered.
The battlefield dissolved into light.
And the past Ambarisha was gone.
The Gate Opens
Ambarisha staggered forward, his breath ragged.
The Karmic Gate pulsed before him, glowing with golden light.
The system flashed.
[Trial Complete: The Past is Faced]
- You have rejected your former self.
- You may now proceed.
- Karma Points Earned: +250 KP
The door before him opened.
And beyond it—a new path awaited.
The golden gate loomed before him, humming with an energy that was neither warm nor cold—only absolute.
Ambarisha took a slow breath, stepping forward. His footsteps felt heavier now.
Not because of exhaustion.
But because of the weight of what he had just done.
He had faced his past self.
Not as a warrior.
Not as an enemy.
But as a truth he could no longer ignore.
And in that battle—he had chosen to be different.
The Karmic Ascension System flashed, breaking the silence.
[First Karmic Gate—Trial Complete]
- You have rejected your former self.
- A new path has opened.
- Karma Points Earned: +250 KP
- Ascension Path Updated: Intermediate Karmic Disciple → Karmic Bladebearer
- New Ability Unlocked: Sudharma Bind (Rank B)
Sudharma Bind (Rank B) – Skill Description
- Allows temporary karmic binding of an opponent’s adharma-based abilities.
- Can suppress Rakshasa corruption in a target for a limited duration.
- Grants increased resistance to spiritual attacks.
Ambarisha’s breath hitched.
This wasn’t just another weapon or attack.
This was something far more dangerous.
A power that didn’t destroy… but restrained.
His grip tightened.
In his past life, he had ruled with absolutes—life or death, dharma or destruction.
But now, the system was offering him something else.
Something he had never once considered.
A path that wasn’t about killing his enemies… but about breaking their chains.
He exhaled. “This… changes everything.”
But he had no time to reflect further.
Because the moment he stepped through the gate—
The world exploded.
The Enforcer Has Arrived
BOOOOOM!
The earth shook, a pulse of black energy tearing through the city like a tidal wave.
Ambarisha staggered forward, emerging from the hidden chamber—only to find Kalyanagara in chaos.
Buildings cracked.
Stone roads ruptured.
The sky itself burned, a crimson glow swirling above the city like a bleeding wound.
And at the very center of it all—
A monster had arrived.
Ambarisha’s Divine Sense screamed in warning.
And then he saw it.
A towering figure stood amidst the destruction, his massive frame cloaked in shifting shadows, his skin ashen and cracked, like a corpse that had risen from a battlefield long forgotten.
But it was his eyes that were the worst.
A deep, soulless gold, burning with the weight of a thousand fallen warriors.
This was no ordinary Rakshasa.
This was a hunter of ascended souls.
A creature forged not to rule, but to erase those who defied fate.
The Rakshasa Enforcer.
And he had come for Ambarisha.
The Enforcer Speaks
The Rakshasa’s golden eyes locked onto him.
And then—he smiled.
“So… you are the one who has broken the cycle.”
His voice was like shattered stone, layered with something deeper, older.
“You should not exist.”
Ambarisha stepped forward, his chakras still glowing from his ascension.
“And yet… here I am.”
The Rakshasa tilted his head.
Then—he laughed.
A low, rumbling sound that sent a tremor through the city.
“Then let us correct this mistake.”
The air warped.
And the battle began.
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