Chapter 12
The fortress loomed like a jagged scar against the mountainside, its dark structure merging seamlessly with the cliffs around it. Massive energy conduits snaked along its exterior, pulsating faintly with the unmistakable glow of the fragments’ power. The entire structure radiated menace, a beacon of what lay within.
Ajit crouched low at the edge of the ridge, his snake sense buzzing faintly as he scanned the area. The air was heavy with tension, each faint hum from the fortress’s energy grid setting his nerves on edge.
“Looks worse up close,” Rajesh muttered, adjusting his tablet as he crouched beside Ajit. “I’m picking up a ton of energy signatures. Shastra Bahu’s definitely in there, and he’s not alone.”
Padmini crouched on Ajit’s other side, her gaze fixed on the fortress. “What’s the play? Storm the gates?”
“Not yet,” Ajit said, his voice low. “We need to get inside without setting off every alarm in there. Rajesh, any weak points?”
Rajesh tapped furiously on his tablet, his brow furrowing. “There’s a service tunnel on the east side, near the base. It’s lightly guarded, but the moment we’re in, we’ll be in their system.”
“Good enough,” Ajit said, standing slowly. “Let’s move.”
The group descended the ridge carefully, keeping low to avoid detection. The faint hum of drones patrolling the perimeter reached their ears, but Ajit’s snake sense guided them, allowing them to slip past unseen.
The service tunnel came into view—a narrow, reinforced entrance partially obscured by jagged rocks. Two guards in mechanized suits stood watch, their visors glowing faintly in the dim light.
“Can we take them quietly?” Padmini whispered, gripping her metal rod tightly.
Ajit nodded, his tendrils sparking faintly. “Stay here. I’ll handle it.”
He moved like a shadow, his body low and fluid as he approached the guards. His snake sense buzzed sharply as one of them shifted, scanning the area with their visor. Before they could react, Ajit struck.
His tendrils lashed out, wrapping around the first guard’s arm and pulling him off balance. The second guard turned, but Ajit was faster, delivering a venom-coated strike to his visor. The helmet sparked violently as the venom corroded its circuits, and the guard collapsed with a muffled grunt.
The first guard struggled against the tendrils, but Ajit silenced him with a precise blow to the chest. Both guards lay motionless as Ajit signaled to Rajesh and Padmini.
“Clear,” he said quietly.
The interior of the service tunnel was dimly lit, the walls lined with exposed wires and flickering screens. The faint hum of machinery echoed around them, mingling with the distant sound of heavy footsteps and low voices.
Rajesh moved quickly, his tablet linked to the fortress’s network. “I’m in,” he whispered, his fingers flying over the screen. “I’ve disabled the alarms in this sector, but we’ve got about ten minutes before they notice.”
“Then we don’t waste time,” Ajit said, his snake sense guiding him as they moved deeper into the tunnel.
The path split into multiple corridors, each one lined with doors labeled in a mix of Hindi and technical symbols. Ajit paused, his senses narrowing in on a faint energy signature that pulsed like a heartbeat.
“This way,” he said, gesturing toward the leftmost corridor.
The group moved in silence, the tension in the air growing heavier with each step. The energy signature grew stronger, its pulse resonating with the fragments in the case Rajesh carried.
They rounded a corner and stopped short. Ahead of them, the corridor opened into a massive chamber, its walls lined with glowing conduits that radiated power. At the center of the room stood a massive device—a cylindrical structure that hummed with the unmistakable energy of the Nagamani fragments.
Rajesh’s jaw dropped. “That’s… that’s a conduit.”
Ajit nodded grimly. “It’s how he’s channeling the fragments’ power.”
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the chamber, and Shastra Bahu stepped into view. His mechanical arms gleamed in the light, their movements precise and menacing. The energy coursing through the conduits seemed to pulse in time with his steps, as if the fortress itself obeyed his command.
“Well, well,” Shastra Bahu said, his voice smooth and mocking. “Nagaman. I was wondering when you’d show up.”
Ajit stepped forward, his tendrils sparking. “I’m here to stop you.”
Shastra Bahu chuckled, his mechanical arms flexing. “You’ve come to stop me? How noble. But you’re too late. The Nagamani’s power is mine, and soon, the Asura will rise. This world doesn’t need a hero—it needs a god.”
Ajit’s gaze hardened, venom pooling at his fingertips. “Then let’s see how a god bleeds.”
Shastra Bahu stood at the center of the chamber, a living monument to power and precision. His mechanical arms flexed with a metallic hum, their articulated joints glowing faintly with the same energy coursing through the conduits around him. The air felt heavier in his presence, each step he took reverberating through the chamber like a declaration of dominance.
Ajit’s snake sense buzzed sharply, warning him of the danger ahead. He steadied his breathing, his eyes fixed on the towering figure before him.
“You’ve gone too far, Prakash,” Ajit said, his voice steady but cold.
Shastra Bahu tilted his head, his expression one of feigned amusement. “Prakash is dead. I am Shastra Bahu, the vessel of the Asura’s power. And soon, I will be much more.”
Ajit’s tendrils sparked faintly, his stance shifting into one of readiness. “Whatever you’ve become, it ends here.”
Shastra Bahu’s laugh was low and menacing. “You think you can stop me, Nagaman? You’re nothing but a relic clinging to a dying world. Allow me to show you what true evolution looks like.”
With a whirring sound, Shastra Bahu’s mechanical arms extended, their clawed tips crackling with energy.
“Rajesh, Padmini—stay back,” Ajit said sharply.
Without another word, Shastra Bahu lunged, his arms striking with terrifying speed and precision. Ajit moved instinctively, his snake sense guiding him as he dodged the first blow and countered with a venom-coated strike. The venom hissed as it made contact with the metallic surface of one arm, but the armor remained unscathed.
“Impressive reflexes,” Shastra Bahu said, his voice calm as he swiped again. “But you’ll need more than that.”
Ajit twisted and flipped, narrowly avoiding the barrage of strikes. His tendrils lashed out, wrapping around one of the mechanical arms in an attempt to immobilize it. The arm jerked violently, pulling Ajit off balance before slamming him into the ground.
He gritted his teeth, the impact jarring but not enough to keep him down. He rolled to his feet, his venom sparking at his fingertips.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Ajit taunted, his voice defiant.
Shastra Bahu smirked faintly. “Hardly.”
The chamber trembled as the conduits along the walls pulsed with renewed energy. Shastra Bahu raised one of his arms, and a burst of energy shot toward Ajit. He dodged, the beam scorching the ground where he’d been standing.
“Rajesh!” Ajit shouted, his voice sharp. “That conduit—can you shut it down?”
Rajesh, crouched near the chamber’s entrance, frantically typed on his tablet. “I’m trying! But the system’s locked—this thing’s running on its own power source!”
Padmini stepped forward, her voice steady despite the chaos. “Then we disrupt it manually. If we can overload the system, it’ll destabilize.”
Ajit glanced at her, his snake sense flaring as Shastra Bahu advanced again. “Then do it. I’ll keep him busy.”
The battle raged on, each clash of power shaking the chamber. Ajit’s movements were swift and precise, his venom-coated strikes aimed at the joints and weak points of Shastra Bahu’s arms. But the villain’s mechanical limbs adapted quickly, their speed and strength forcing Ajit to stay on the defensive.
“You’re a pest,” Shastra Bahu snarled, his arms slamming into the ground and sending shockwaves rippling outward.
Ajit leaped into the air, using his tendrils to swing over the attack and land behind him. “Better a pest than a puppet,” he shot back, delivering a venomous strike to Shastra Bahu’s back.
The blow landed, and Shastra Bahu staggered slightly. His green eyes burned brighter as he turned, his voice laced with fury. “You’ll regret that.”
Meanwhile, Rajesh and Padmini worked quickly, navigating the maze of conduits and control panels along the chamber’s perimeter.
“This thing is linked to the fragments,” Rajesh said, his fingers flying over the controls. “If we can amplify their energy output, it might cause a chain reaction.”
Padmini frowned, her hands steady as she adjusted a panel. “And what happens when it overloads?”
Rajesh hesitated. “Hopefully it just knocks out the system. Worst case—it takes this whole fortress with it.”
“Let’s aim for ‘hopefully,’” Padmini said, her tone dry.
Ajit’s snake sense buzzed sharply, pulling his attention back to Shastra Bahu. The villain raised both arms, their claws glowing with an intense light.
“You’ve lost, Nagaman,” Shastra Bahu said, his voice filled with confidence. “The Asura’s power flows through me. You’re fighting a god.”
Ajit’s tendrils lashed out, wrapping around the villain’s mechanical arms and holding them in place. “You talk too much,” he said, his voice cold.
With a surge of strength, Ajit pulled Shastra Bahu forward, driving a venom-coated strike into his chest. The venom hissed as it burned through the outer layer of his armor, and Shastra Bahu let out a roar of pain.
Behind him, the conduits began to spark violently, their glow growing erratic.
“Ajit!” Rajesh shouted. “We’ve almost got it—just hold him off a little longer!”
Ajit gritted his teeth, his focus unwavering as he dodged another swipe from Shastra Bahu’s arms. “Make it quick!”
The chamber trembled as the energy in the conduits reached a fever pitch. Sparks rained down from above, and the hum of power grew deafening.
“Padmini, now!” Rajesh yelled.
Padmini slammed her hand down on a control panel, and the conduits erupted in a burst of light. The energy surged through the system, and Shastra Bahu’s mechanical arms spasmed violently.
“No!” Shastra Bahu roared, his voice filled with rage as the power coursing through him faltered.
Ajit seized the moment, his tendrils lashing out to pull the villain to the ground. He stood over Shastra Bahu, his venom sparking at his fingertips.
“This ends now,” Ajit said, his voice low and resolute.
The chamber flickered with unstable light as sparks rained down from the overloaded conduits. The hum of raw energy vibrated through the air, growing louder and more chaotic with every passing second. Ajit stood over Shastra Bahu, his tendrils sparking and venom pooling at his fingertips.
“You think you can stop me?” Shastra Bahu snarled, his voice ragged but defiant. His mechanical arms twitched, their movements erratic as the energy coursing through them faltered.
Ajit leaned closer, his gaze cold. “I don’t think. I know.”
With a sharp motion, Ajit drove his venom-coated fist toward the center of Shastra Bahu’s chest. But before the strike could land, one of the villain’s mechanical arms snapped up, deflecting the blow and pushing Ajit back.
“You’re too late,” Shastra Bahu growled, his voice filled with venomous pride. “Even if you destroy me, the Asura’s awakening is inevitable.”
Ajit steadied himself, his snake sense buzzing sharply as Shastra Bahu rose to his feet. The villain’s movements were jerky, his mechanical arms sparking and twitching as the overloaded conduits fed unstable energy into his body.
“Rajesh!” Ajit shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. “What’s happening to him?”
Rajesh ducked behind a control panel, his eyes scanning the fluctuating energy readings on his tablet. “The overload’s destabilizing the entire system, including his power source! If it keeps up, he’ll implode—and take us all with him!”
“Great,” Ajit muttered under his breath, his tendrils lashing out to block another swipe from Shastra Bahu’s arms. “So how do we stop it?”
Rajesh hesitated, his voice tense. “We have to cut the fragments’ connection to the conduits. It’s the only way to stop the feedback loop.”
“Then do it!” Ajit said, dodging a powerful strike that cracked the floor beneath him.
Rajesh nodded, his fingers flying over the controls. “I’m on it!”
Shastra Bahu’s laughter echoed through the chamber, twisted and hollow. “You think you’ve won, Nagaman? You’ve only delayed the inevitable.”
Ajit moved quickly, his snake sense guiding him as he dodged a flurry of strikes. He countered with venom-coated blows, aiming for the joints of the mechanical arms. The venom burned through the outer layers, causing the arms to sputter and jerk, but Shastra Bahu pressed on, his strength undiminished.
“You’re not a god,” Ajit said, his voice steady despite the chaos. “You’re just a man who forgot what it means to be human.”
Shastra Bahu’s eyes blazed with fury. “And you’re a fool who clings to weakness.”
He lunged, his mechanical arms striking with devastating force. Ajit twisted and flipped, his movements fluid as he evaded the attacks. His tendrils lashed out, wrapping around one of the arms and yanking it forward. With a venom-coated strike, he severed one of the arm’s joints, sending sparks flying.
Shastra Bahu staggered but didn’t falter. His remaining arms flared with energy, their glow intensifying as the overloaded conduits fed them power.
“Rajesh!” Ajit shouted again, his voice sharp. “Now would be a good time!”
“I’m trying!” Rajesh yelled, sweat dripping down his face as he worked. “These systems are ancient—I’m barely holding them together!”
Across the chamber, Padmini moved quickly, her eyes scanning the conduits for a way to manually sever their connections. She spotted a series of glowing nodes embedded in the wall, their energy pulsing in rhythm with the fragments.
“Rajesh!” she called out, pointing to the nodes. “If we disable these, will it stop the feedback?”
Rajesh glanced up, his eyes widening. “It might! But it’ll take a direct hit—those things are reinforced!”
Padmini didn’t hesitate. She grabbed a heavy metal rod from the ground and sprinted toward the nodes, her movements precise and determined.
Ajit caught the motion out of the corner of his eye, his snake sense flaring sharply. “Padmini, wait!”
She ignored him, raising the rod and slamming it into the first node. Sparks erupted as the connection severed, the energy flow dimming slightly.
Shastra Bahu let out a roar of rage, his mechanical arms lashing out toward her.
Ajit moved instinctively, his tendrils latching onto the arms and pulling them off course. “You’re not touching her,” he growled, delivering a venom-coated punch to Shastra Bahu’s side.
Padmini struck the second node, the impact sending a jolt of energy rippling through the chamber. The conduits dimmed further, their glow flickering as the system destabilized.
“One more!” Rajesh shouted, his eyes fixed on his tablet. “That’ll sever the connection completely!”
Padmini turned toward the final node, her grip tightening on the rod. But before she could strike, one of Shastra Bahu’s arms whipped around, knocking her off her feet.
“Padmini!” Ajit shouted, his voice filled with panic.
She hit the ground hard, the rod clattering out of reach. Ajit’s snake sense flared as Shastra Bahu turned his attention toward her, his eyes burning with malice.
Ajit moved without thinking, his tendrils lashing out to ensnare the villain’s arms. He yanked them back, forcing Shastra Bahu to stagger.
“Rajesh, help her!” Ajit shouted, his voice strained as he fought to hold the mechanical arms in place.
Rajesh bolted toward Padmini, grabbing the rod and helping her to her feet. She nodded her thanks, determination flashing in her eyes as she took the rod and charged the final node.
With a powerful swing, she struck the node, shattering it. The energy flow cut off abruptly, and the conduits went dark.
Shastra Bahu let out a deafening roar, his mechanical arms sparking violently as the overload reached its peak.
“You’ve doomed us all!” he bellowed, his voice filled with rage and desperation.
Ajit released the tendrils and stepped back, his gaze fixed on the faltering villain. “No. We’ve saved everyone.”
The chamber trembled as the energy surged one final time, then collapsed into silence.
The silence that followed the collapse of the conduits was deafening. Shastra Bahu stood in the flickering light of the failing energy grid, his once-menacing form now unstable. Sparks erupted from his damaged mechanical arms, their movements jerky and uncontrolled as the feedback coursed through his body.
Ajit stepped forward cautiously, his snake sense buzzing faintly. The villain’s green eyes burned with a dangerous light, but there was something else there now—desperation.
“You think this is over?” Shastra Bahu snarled, his voice distorted as energy crackled around him. “The fragments’ power cannot be contained. You’ve only delayed the inevitable!”
“You’ve lost,” Ajit said, his voice steady but cold. “Let it go before you destroy yourself.”
Shastra Bahu let out a bitter laugh, his mechanical arms twitching violently. “You don’t understand the power you’re meddling with, Nagaman. The Asura’s will cannot be denied!”
Before Ajit could respond, Shastra Bahu slammed one of his malfunctioning arms into the ground, sending a shockwave through the chamber. Ajit twisted and leaped to avoid the debris, his tendrils lashing out to steady himself as the floor buckled beneath him.
Rajesh and Padmini scrambled toward the chamber’s edge, Rajesh clutching his tablet as he navigated the chaos. “Ajit!” he shouted over the din. “The system’s collapsing! We need to get out of here!”
Ajit’s gaze flicked between his friends and Shastra Bahu, who staggered but refused to fall. The villain’s mechanical arms jerked uncontrollably, their claws scraping against the walls as sparks rained down around him.
“You don’t get to run,” Shastra Bahu growled, his glowing eyes locking onto Ajit. “If I fall, I’m taking you with me!”
Shastra Bahu lunged, his remaining functional arms striking with wild, unpredictable force. Ajit moved swiftly, his snake sense guiding him as he dodged the erratic attacks. He countered with venom-coated strikes, targeting the exposed joints of the arms.
Each blow sent more sparks flying, and the mechanical limbs faltered under the repeated assault. But Shastra Bahu’s rage only seemed to grow, his movements becoming more frenzied as he lashed out with everything he had.
“You fight like a desperate man,” Ajit said, his voice calm despite the chaos. “You’re not a god. You’re just afraid.”
Shastra Bahu roared in fury, his mechanical arms slamming into the ground with enough force to crack the floor beneath them. “You dare lecture me? I am evolution! I am power!”
Ajit’s tendrils lashed out, wrapping around one of the faltering arms and pulling it free with a burst of sparks. The severed limb clattered to the ground, its lights dimming as it sputtered to a halt.
“Power doesn’t make you invincible,” Ajit said, his tone sharp. “It just makes you blind.”
Meanwhile, Rajesh and Padmini worked furiously to stabilize the fragments. The case they were housed in glowed faintly, their energy pulsing in rhythm with the failing system around them.
“If we don’t stabilize these, they’re going to overload,” Rajesh said, his voice tight with urgency. “And if they overload—”
“We’re all dead,” Padmini finished, her hands steady as she adjusted the controls on the case. “Just tell me what to do.”
Rajesh nodded, his fingers flying over his tablet. “Redirect the excess energy into the failsafe module. It’ll buy us enough time to get out of here.”
Padmini moved quickly, her focus unshakable as she followed Rajesh’s instructions. The fragments’ glow dimmed slightly, their pulsing becoming steadier.
“It’s working,” Rajesh said, a hint of relief in his voice. “But we’ve got maybe two minutes before this whole place comes down.”
Ajit delivered a final venom-coated strike to Shastra Bahu’s chest, sending the villain staggering backward. Sparks erupted from his failing mechanical arms, and his movements slowed as the feedback overwhelmed his systems.
“You’ve lost,” Ajit said, his voice firm.
Shastra Bahu stumbled, his glowing eyes dimming slightly as he struggled to remain standing. “You think this is victory? You think you’ve saved them?” He let out a bitter laugh, his voice filled with venom. “The Asura are coming, Nagaman. And when they do, you’ll wish you’d let me finish what I started.”
Ajit stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. “You’re done.”
With a final motion, he delivered a venomous punch to the neural core at the center of Shastra Bahu’s chest. The strike landed with a burst of energy, and the villain let out a guttural roar as his mechanical arms seized up and collapsed.
Shastra Bahu fell to his knees, the light in his eyes flickering as the last remnants of power drained from his body.
“Ajit, we need to move!” Rajesh shouted, his voice echoing through the collapsing chamber.
Ajit turned toward his friends, his snake sense buzzing faintly as the chamber trembled. He moved quickly, his tendrils lashing out to clear debris as they made their way toward the exit.
The fortress shook violently, the unstable energy from the conduits tearing through its foundations. Behind them, Shastra Bahu remained motionless, his defeated form illuminated by the flickering light of the fragments.
As they reached the exit, Ajit glanced back one final time. The fortress groaned under the strain of its collapse, and Shastra Bahu’s shadowy figure disappeared into the rubble.
The group emerged onto the mountainside just as the fortress imploded, a massive plume of dust and debris rising into the sky. The ground beneath them trembled, and the faint hum of the fragments’ energy finally faded.
Rajesh doubled over, gasping for breath. “Tell me we don’t have to do that again.”
Padmini leaned against a boulder, her expression grim but relieved. “We made it. That’s what matters.”
Ajit stood silently, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. The battle was over, but the weight of Shastra Bahu’s final words lingered.
The Asura were still out there. And this fight was far from finished.
The mountainside was eerily silent as the last echoes of the fortress’s collapse faded into the distance. The air was thick with dust, and the faint glow of the fragments in their reinforced case was the only light cutting through the dim haze.
Rajesh slumped against a jagged rock, his face pale but his eyes sharp. “Alright,” he said between gasps. “Let’s never do that again.”
Padmini sat beside him, her hands resting on her knees as she caught her breath. “I second that.” She glanced at the fragments, their glow pulsing faintly in rhythm. “But I don’t think it’s over.”
Ajit remained standing, his silhouette framed against the rising plume of smoke from the fortress. His snake sense was quiet now, but the memory of Shastra Bahu’s final words lingered in his mind like a shadow he couldn’t shake.
“The Asura are coming,” Ajit murmured, his voice low.
Rajesh looked up, his expression uneasy. “Yeah, about that. What did he mean by ‘coming’? Aren’t they already here?”
“No,” Ajit said, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “What we’ve been fighting—what he was becoming—that’s just the beginning.”
The trek back to the van was slow and tense, every step filled with the weight of what they had just faced. The mountain trail felt longer this time, the silence between them growing heavier with each passing moment.
As they approached the vehicle, Rajesh broke the quiet with a nervous laugh. “So, uh, how do we celebrate not dying? Pizza? Ice cream? Or do we just skip straight to sleep for the next three days?”
Padmini managed a faint smile. “All of the above.”
Ajit didn’t respond, his focus still on the fragments. He placed the case carefully in the back of the van, his fingers lingering on the latch for a moment.
Rajesh climbed into the driver’s seat, starting the engine with a relieved sigh. “Alright, let’s get out of here before this mountain decides to throw anything else at us.”
Padmini sat in the passenger seat, her gaze drifting to Ajit as he slid into the back. “You’re thinking about what he said, aren’t you?”
Ajit nodded, his expression unreadable. “Shastra Bahu was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a liar. If he said the Asura are coming, we need to be ready.”
Padmini hesitated, then turned to face him fully. “We will be. You’re not alone in this, Ajit.”
He met her gaze, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “I know.”
The drive back to the city was uneventful, but the atmosphere in the van was anything but calm. Rajesh occasionally glanced in the rearview mirror, his fingers drumming nervously on the steering wheel.
“So,” he said, breaking the silence, “what’s the plan now? Because I hate to be the guy who says it, but I think we just poked the Asura-shaped hornet’s nest.”
Ajit leaned back against the seat, his gaze distant. “First, we secure the fragments. Whatever happens next, we can’t let them fall into the wrong hands again.”
“And then?” Padmini asked, her voice quiet but steady.
Ajit’s jaw tightened. “Then we prepare. If the Asura are coming, we’ll face them head-on.”
By the time they reached the safehouse, the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the city. The faint hum of life in Imphal was a stark contrast to the chaos they had left behind in the mountains.
Ajit carried the fragments inside, placing the case on a reinforced table in the center of the room. Rajesh immediately began running diagnostics, his tablet glowing faintly in the dim light.
Padmini stood by the window, her arms crossed as she watched the city below. “Do you think they know?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ajit joined her, his gaze following hers. “Not yet. But they’ll feel it soon enough.”
“What do we tell them?” Padmini asked, turning to him.
“The truth,” Ajit said simply.
Rajesh let out a low whistle, drawing their attention. “Good news and bad news,” he said, gesturing to his tablet. “The good news is the fragments are stable—for now. The bad news? That stability is temporary. They’re resonating with something, and it’s getting stronger.”
Ajit frowned, his snake sense buzzing faintly at the edges of his awareness. “The Asura.”
“Bingo,” Rajesh said, his tone grim. “Whatever’s out there, it’s drawing power from the same source as these fragments. And it’s not stopping.”
Padmini stepped closer, her expression tense. “How long do we have?”
Rajesh shrugged, his unease clear. “Days? Maybe weeks if we’re lucky. But not long enough to relax.”
Ajit clenched his fists, venom sparking faintly at his fingertips. “Then we use the time we have. We find out what’s coming—and how to stop it.”
The room fell silent, the weight of their situation settling over them like a heavy blanket. The fragments pulsed steadily in their case, their light casting faint shadows on the walls.
“We’ve stopped them before,” Padmini said, her voice filled with quiet determination. “We’ll do it again.”
Rajesh nodded, his usual humor replaced with a rare seriousness. “Yeah. We’re in this together.”
Ajit’s gaze remained fixed on the fragments, his resolve hardening. The battle against Shastra Bahu was over, but the war against the Asura was just beginning.
“We fight,” he said, his voice steady. “No matter what comes, we fight.”