Something went wrong.
Shiva, hovering at the edge of unconsciousness, felt it before he saw it. A crushing pressure—wrong, heavy, overwhelming. He forced his eyes open.
A monster stood before him.
His breath caught.
What… is this now?His thoughts came slowly, painfully. There's no way I can defeat that thing in this condition. Forget this condition… I couldn't defeat it even at full strength.
As if responding to the creature's presence, the arena began to move.
Stone groaned. Ice shattered. Massive sections of the battlefield slid, rotated, and locked into place, merging into a single, colossal arena—far larger than before. An execution ground.
Shiva looked around.
Fear gripped him.
Perhaps for the first time in his life.
Bhumi lay on the ground, blood still flowing from her severed arms, her breathing shallow. Priya knelt beside her, crying openly, her hands shaking as she tried to stop the bleeding. Arjun held her, whispering words of comfort he himself didn't believe.
Forge was still conscious—but barely. His burned arms trembled as he struggled to remain upright.
Shiva was the only one still standing.
He had two choices.
Fight… or run.
For a brief, shameful moment, the thought of escape crossed his mind.
But that wasn't how a warrior thought.
Grinding his teeth, Shiva forced his body into a fighting stance. With what little strength he had left, he lunged forward.
The monster didn't move.
It didn't need to.
This abomination was the result of a forbidden technique known as Soul Bequest.
Normally, Soul Bequest was a solemn rite. When a person stood at death's door, they could embed a fragment of their final spiritual energy into another—usually a memory, a message, a farewell. It only worked between those bound by deep connection, most often blood.
Soldiers used it to send their last words home.
But the sisters had corrupted it.
Instead of memories, they embedded their souls.
By sacrificing their lives, they bound themselves to Kamala, gifting her their teachings and spiritual energy in one final act. What appeared to be invincibility was nothing more than a temporary surge—a power borrowed from death itself.
The human body was meant to house one soul.
More than that, and it began to decay from within.
A ticking time bomb.
But until that moment arrived—
They were completely unstoppable.
Shiva's attack never landed.
The monster struck him aside effortlessly, sending him crashing into the ground. He tried to rise. Failed.
Hope was slipping away.
Then it got worse.
With a sharp crack, the spiritual nullifier around Priya's wrist shattered. Its energy had finally run its course.
Priya screamed as her uncontrolled spiritual energy erupted outward, flooding the arena like a beacon.
The monster turned.
Its attention locked onto her.
Forge tried to stand. Failed.Shiva clawed at the ground. Failed.
They could only watch.
Priya was about to be taken.
Then—
A voice tore through the arena, sharp and commanding.
"Take your hands off her, you monster."
The monster froze.Not in fear—but in recognition.
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