His gaze remained fixed upon the empty stone. He had witnessed everything—everything except her final whisper before the flames consumed her. He knew nothing of the apology she had offered, nothing of the wish she had made before leaving the world.
His fingers slowly tightened around the snow beneath his hand. The snow crumbled within his grasp.
"Narakasura…" His voice carried rage this time. "You deceived a woman who had never once left this mountain. You made her believe falsehoods. You made her carry the burden of cursing an innocent man. And after all of that… you forced her to end her own life."
The mountain answered only with silence.
For several moments, Karna remained kneeling there while the cold wind battered against his robes. Then he scooped a fistful of snow into his hand. The icy crystals slowly melted beneath the warmth of his palm.
"How strange…" he murmured quietly. "The Earth bears grain for the righteous. It also bears serpents and poisonous weeds. If poisonous weeds are allowed to spread without restraint… even fertile fields eventually become barren."
His grip tightened.
"Narakasura… if destiny refuses to let me end your life… then I shall imprison you. You will spend the rest of your days watching the world continue without you."
Without another word, Karna rose. His divine chariot descended from the heavens once more. The seven celestial horses neighed before carrying him across the skies toward Pragjyotishapura.
Hours later, the magnificent city appeared upon the horizon. Yet something had changed. The enormous barrier surrounding the kingdom no longer resembled the one Karna had shattered through. Dark crimson runes continuously flowed across its surface like living veins. Ancient tantric symbols rotated one after another before disappearing into the barrier itself. The surrounding air felt unnaturally heavy.
Karna frowned.
"This… is Shukracharya's work. Even my celestial steeds couldn't go through."
His chariot halted several hundred meters before the barrier. He slowly raised Vijaya. A single divine arrow materialized upon the bowstring.
The bowstring hummed softly.
The arrow shot forward like a streak of sunlight and struck the crimson barrier. Instead of shattering, the divine energy disappeared into it. The countless runes immediately brightened. The barrier trembled once, then grew even denser than before.
Karna remained silent.
"So… it absorbs divine energy as well. Looks like it is specifically designed to keep divinity away. I highly doubt an ordinary divyastra would work as well. But I cannot waste the blessings of Tridev on something like this. It is disrespectful to them."
He continued observing the city from afar. Nothing. No opening. No weakness. Only silence. After several moments, Karna finally turned the chariot around. The seven horses slowly ascended once more. For the first time in many years, he left an enemy's doorstep without a battle.
Within the royal palace of Pragjyotishapura, deep beneath the palace itself, Shukracharya slowly opened his eyes. A faint smile appeared upon the old guru's face.
"So… Karna came, after all. As I expected." He chuckled softly. "O Karna… this time I stand beside Narakasura. You may be unconquerable upon the battlefield… but not every battle is won with a bow."
His gaze slowly drifted toward the glowing formation surrounding the city.
"As long as Devavinashaka completes his transformation… Narakasura shall remain beyond your reach."
He slowly raised one hand. A servant immediately entered and bowed.
"Call Maharaj Narakasura. I wish to speak with him."
Not long afterward, Narakasura entered the chamber.
"You summoned me, Gurudev?"
Shukracharya nodded. "Karna came today."
A smile appeared upon Narakasura's face. "So… he finally learned the truth. He must be furious. He thought he could use her to kill me… only for her final gift to become a curse upon himself." He laughed quietly. "I wonder how helpless he must have felt."
Shukracharya neither smiled nor laughed. Instead, he looked directly into Narakasura's eyes.
"Do not celebrate too early. Karna has failed today. That does not mean he shall fail tomorrow. Do not forget that he carries power that can restrain you. You might be one of the most powerful beings in Bharatvarsha, but you are still not a match for him. Now that he carries the essence of Brahma in his Vijaya bow, his arrows are even more powerful. As long as you are in this city, you are safe, but that would also mean the city becomes your prison. If you don't want that, we have to do something else."
Narakasura straightened. "Then what should I do? Show me the path."
Shukracharya folded his hands behind his back. "Power. You require more of it. A small city-kingdom will no longer suffice." He slowly walked toward the map hanging upon the wall. "Many kings already resent Karna. Many share your ideals. Win them. Form alliances with Kalinga's enemies as well as form brotherhood with the Asura kings like Banasura. Expand your influence. Do Rajasuya Yajna and become an emperor. It was so that Karna must be worried that if he comes alone to fight you, his kingdom will turn into ashes by your allies."
Narakasura silently looked at the map.
"And while you strengthen your kingdom…" Shukracharya's eyes narrowed, "I will strengthen your future." He looked toward the workshop hidden beyond the chamber. "With my tantric knowledge, I will create a weapon that will be as powerful as Indra's Vajra. But for that, we need time and patience."
Narakasura nodded in understanding.
Weeks quietly passed. The seasons continued moving. Life returned to Anga. Yet one matter still remained unresolved—the Black Forest, Kaalavana.
Even during daylight, the dense canopy allowed almost no sunlight to reach the forest floor. Ancient trees stood so close together that their twisted branches intertwined overhead, while a damp, earthy smell lingered constantly beneath the heavy shade. Every footstep sank softly into thick layers of fallen leaves, and the silence between the distant calls of unseen birds carried an unsettling weight.
Karna walked alone beneath that endless darkness.
His expression remained calm. His destination was clear—the Rakshasa tribe troubling the surrounding villages, the missing children. He intended to get to the roots of this problem.
Suddenly, a faint rustle echoed somewhere behind him.
Karna stopped walking. Silence returned. His eyes remained fixed ahead.
Then a presence rushed toward his back. Without turning, his right hand shot behind him. His fingers closed firmly around a slender neck. The figure struggled only briefly.
Karna finally turned.
Before him stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman. Her figure was graceful, her features delicate, yet her skin resembled the bark of an ancient tree, while two branch-like horns curved gently upward from her head. She looked directly into his eyes. Then she smiled.
The next instant, her entire body dissolved into drifting green mist. Only a soft whisper lingered beside his ear.
"Interesting…"
The forest became silent once more.
Karna slowly withdrew his hand. His brows furrowed.
"A Yakshini…?"