The Rakshasa let out a thunderous laugh that shook the entire cavern. "Hahaha! So, you came here to rescue my food? His enormous body slowly rose to its full height, his head nearly brushing the ceiling while his crimson eyes looked down upon Karna as though he were nothing more than a small animal that had wandered into the wrong den. "Then become my food instead!"
Without warning, the giant swung his enormous arm across the cavern.
The force alone sent loose stones rolling across the ground.
Karna's eyes sharpened.
His body shifted a fraction of a moment before the massive hand reached him.
The enormous palm swept past his face with enough force to create a powerful gust that tugged violently at his robes. Karna landed lightly several paces away.
His feet had barely touched the ground when another celestial arrow was already resting upon Vijaya.
The bowstring vibrated.
The arrow streaked across the cavern.
Once again it struck the Rakshasa directly. Once again, the divine energy disappeared without leaving behind the slightest wound.
The Rakshasa laughed even louder. "Hahaha! It tickles!"
Karna's expression became serious.
His fingers immediately summoned another arrow.
This time he did not aim for the chest.
Every living being possessed weaknesses—eyes, throat, heart.
Even the strongest warriors protected those places instinctively.
His breathing slowed.
The world around him seemed to become still.
Only the Rakshasa's left eye remained within his sight.
The bowstring stretched. The arrow was released. It crossed the cavern in an instant. Perfect. The celestial arrow struck directly into the giant's eye.
Yet instead of blood, the arrow dissolved into countless golden particles before vanishing completely. The Rakshasa did not even blink.
Silence.
For the first time since entering the cave, Karna lowered Vijaya slightly. "No…" he quietly murmured. "This cannot happen. The eyes are vulnerable even for Devas, much less a rakshasa. The only explanation is that some boon is rendering divine energy ineffective."
The Rakshasa grinned. "You finally understand." He slammed both fists against his own chest. "Now… stop resisting and become my food!"
He charged.
Every step caused the cave floor to tremble violently.
Karna remained completely still until the enormous shadow loomed directly above him. Then Vijaya disappeared. Golden light gathered within his right hand. A long sword materialized—Suryatej. The brilliant blade reflected the light of the cavern like flowing sunlight.
The Rakshasa raised his massive hand. "I've caught you!" Its palm crashed downward.
The entire cave shook violently.
Fragments of stone rained from the ceiling.
Dust filled the air.
Yet the Rakshasa's eyes suddenly widened.
It had struck only empty ground.
Karna had already moved. His body appeared beside the gigantic arm almost effortlessly. Without hesitation, Suryatej descended. The sword passed through flesh as though cutting through flowing water. One enormous finger separated cleanly from the Rakshasa's hand before crashing heavily onto the cave floor.
For a brief moment, silence. Then blood erupted from the severed hand. The Rakshasa stared at the missing finger. As pain struck him, he let out a roar so deafening that even the unconscious prisoners stirred within their cages.
"RAAAAGH!"
Karna calmly stepped backward. "So… my suspicion was correct. It isn't a physical blow that your boon rejects. It is energy." His eyes remained fixed upon Suryatej. "Suryatej carries no divine attack. It is merely a sword. It cuts. And flesh obeys the blade—just as a river obeys the banks that guide it, no matter how strong the current."
The giant's expression twisted into fury.
With another deafening roar, he slammed both hands against the ground. Immediately, the cave floor split apart.
Thick roots burst upward from beneath the earth like countless enormous serpents, twisting around one another before rushing toward Karna from every direction. They wrapped around pillars, tore through stone, and within moments completely surrounded him.
The Rakshasa laughed. "Let's see you escape this!"
The roots lunged simultaneously.
Karna inhaled slowly. Then he moved. Suryatej became nothing more than flashes of golden light.
Each root reaching him was cleanly severed before it came within a single arm's length.
Fragments of wood scattered across the cavern.
Another root emerged, then another, then dozens more.
The Rakshasa poured every ounce of his magic into the attack.
The roots became thicker, faster, sharper. Yet Karna's swordsmanship remained perfectly composed. His feet never moved unnecessarily. Each swing carried only the force required. Every strike found its target.
The cave echoed continuously with the sound of wood being split apart.
Within moments, the enormous forest of roots lay scattered across the cavern floor.
The Rakshasa's breathing became heavier.
Its anger grew. With another furious roar, he stretched one hand into the air.
Dark energy gathered.
A gigantic iron club covered with wicked spikes materialized within its grasp.
It swung immediately.
The weapon whistled through the air with terrifying force. Karna bent backward just enough for the spikes to pass inches above his face. The club struck the cave wall. An entire section collapsed.
Before the Rakshasa could recover, Karna was already moving.
The blade carved a deep wound across the giant's forearm. Another swing came.
Karna stepped aside.
A second wound opened across its shoulder.
The Rakshasa roared again.
Its club swept horizontally.
Karna jumped.
His body rotated gracefully through the air.
As he landed, Suryatej flashed once more. Another deep wound appeared across the giant's thigh. Blood poured freely.
The Rakshasa became increasingly frantic.
Roots erupted again.
The club swung wildly.
His enormous fists crashed into the ground again and again.
Yet every attack met only empty air.
Karna never attempted to overpower the giant. Instead, he simply continued moving—one step, one dodge, one slash. Again and again. The wounds slowly multiplied. The fingers gripping the club were sliced apart one after another.
The weapon finally slipped from the giant's grasp before crashing heavily onto the cave floor.
*Thud*
His knees began trembling.
Still, Karna did not stop.
Suryatej continued dancing through the air.
Deep cuts covered both legs.
Another series of precise strikes disabled the giant's remaining hand.
The roots emerging from the earth became fewer, slower, weaker.
Finally, the Rakshasa collapsed onto both knees.
Its enormous body trembled violently while blood flowed across the stone floor. It could no longer raise its arms. It could no longer stand.
Karna slowly approached.
Suryatej rested quietly in his hand. The blade stopped before the Rakshasa's throat. The giant looked up. His breathing had become ragged. Then the Rakshasa lowered his head.
"Please… spare me… I don't want to die…"
Karna's expression remained unmoved. His eyes slowly shifted toward the iron cages—the unconscious men and women lying within them, the dried blood, the bones scattered across the cavern.
Then he looked back at the giant.
"You ask me for mercy. But did you show mercy to them? A river that floods its own banks cannot complain when the fields refuse its water. You who have taken life without restraint now beg for your own."
The Rakshasa hurriedly shook his head. "I… I am a Rakshasa. I eat humans. It is my nature."
Karna's gaze hardened. "If a traveler enters your territory despite warning, if hunger compels you to hunt, that is the way of nature. But leaving your territory, entering villages, stealing sleeping children from their homes, tearing innocent people away from their families… that is no longer nature. That is cruelty."
The Rakshasa's eyes widened. "No! I never did that! I swear! I have never entered a human village! I rarely leave this cave!"
Karna's eyes narrowed. "Then explain."
The Rakshasa swallowed heavily. "The Dandakaranya tribe… they bring them. They offer these humans to me. In exchange, they remain free to rule the forest without my interference. I merely… eat whatever tribute they bring. Then I sleep again."
The cave became quiet once again.
Only the heavy breathing of the wounded Rakshasa echoed through the underground chamber while streams of blood continued flowing across the uneven stone floor, gathering in the cracks before disappearing into the darkness beneath. Karna remained standing before the giant, Suryatej still resting calmly against his shoulder, his unwavering gaze fixed upon the Rakshasa's eyes as though trying to see beyond fear and into the truth.
Neither of them spoke. The silence itself became the interrogation.
Finally, Karna broke it. "Tell me one more thing. My celestial arrows. They pierced neither your flesh nor even your eyes. They simply disappeared. Did you receive some boon from Tridev?"