Ash fell like black snow.
Far above the shattered temple, the sky split open—not with lightning or thunder, but with a chant. A divine syllable rang out across the sky, echoing through unseen veils, reaching ears that weren't meant to hear mortal rebellion.
Astha felt it in his bones.
So did the gods.
The Vaakhshaastra had awakened.
And it spoke in a voice the heavens had long buried.
---
[Elsewhere — The Divine Court of Sharvaka]
In the sanctum where no mortal gaze could trespass, Sharvaka stood beneath the hanging scrolls of judgment.
A tall figure draped in ash-white garb, no face beneath his hood—only judgment. His scythe, Shatvachan, rested beside him, humming in low, grave tones.
"The Child of Smoke has spoken the syllable."
From the floating runes above, the voice of an elder god trembled—not in fear, but in rage.
"Erase him. Before his voice reaches others."
Sharvaka lifted his hand. The judgment scroll unraveled by itself, revealing Astha's name scrawled in cursed ink—now glowing.
"Target: Astha. Crime: Remembering the forgotten."
Without a word, the executioner vanished, riding on tongues of divine flame, tearing through the layers of realms.
---
Back on Earth — Edge of the Ruined Valley
Naira sat against a boulder, panting. Her mantra core was still unstable from the encounter.
Luv stood guard, thunder coiling gently around his fingertips, gaze fixed on the blackened sky.
Astha crouched nearby, silent.
Smritidhaara had wrapped around his arm like a sentinel serpent, its tips glowing with silent scriptfire. Vaayutal rested at his back, still humming faintly with the unspoken mantra he had absorbed.
"You okay?" Luv asked him without looking.
"No," Astha replied. "And I don't want to be."
Naira exhaled slowly.
"The gods will send someone. They won't let the syllable live inside you."
"Let them come," Astha muttered, standing. "I want to look the divine in the eye… and show them what they buried."
The wind shifted.
The air turned molten.
Luv turned sharply.
"Something's coming."
---
Arrival of the Divine Executioner
The ground cracked.
A golden flame tore open the sky—like a wound stitched by fire—and from it descended Sharvaka.
Not flying.
Falling.
His scythe embedded in the earth first, causing a shockwave that flattened the trees for miles. Reality shook, whimpering at his presence.
His hood turned slowly.
No words.
Only judgment.
A single floating scroll unfurled beside him, marked with Astha's face… and one word written in divine script:
ERASURE
Astha's body tensed. But instead of stepping back, he pulled Vaayutal forward and whispered—
"Now you die."
---
Clash of the Bound
Sharvaka moved.
No chant. No buildup.
One blink, and his scythe was already cleaving through the air.
CLANG!
Vaayutal met it—barely. The clash sent Astha flying back through boulders, crashing and dragging into the dirt, blood leaking from his temple.
Sharvaka didn't stop.
He walked—every step burning the world beneath it.
Luv stepped in front of him, arms outstretched.
"You want to erase someone—start with me!"
He activated Indrajaal Mode, thunder circling his body like a storm halo. Spears of lightning burst forth from his arms.
Sharvaka didn't block.
He absorbed the lightning into his scythe.
And returned it—twisted into divine fire.
BOOM!
Luv was thrown back, armor cracked, but he grinned.
"Heh… not bad."
---
Astha rose, cloak torn, bloodied but grinning.
"That all?" he spat blood. "Because I haven't even begun."
Smritidhaara ignited.
"Vikara Mode… No."
He held it high.
"Kaala-Sansmaran Mode: Release."
The sickle exploded into pure fire and memory, wrapping around his form like molten threads. It linked to his back and extended into twin blazing whips, while his eyes shimmered with Vaakhshaastra runes.
He stood taller, shadows forming beneath him despite the blazing sky.
Sharvaka finally spoke.
"Your name was not meant to remain."
"Then carve it out of my corpse," Astha growled.
They clashed again.
Vaayutal met Shatvachan. Sparks flew.
Smritidhaara coiled around the scythe and dragged it down.
Astha kicked the divine executioner back—sending Sharvaka flying for the first time.
Luv and Naira regrouped behind him.
"Ready?" Astha asked.
"Born ready," Luv said, charging his thundercore.
"No running," Naira smirked.
"Then let's kill a god."