Somasura's confusion did not last long. His eyes remained fixed upon the warrior standing below, and the more carefully he observed him, the more certain he became that this was no ordinary human.
There was something deeply unnatural about the ease with which every one of his attacks had been destroyed, and the divine bow resting in the man's hands only made the matter more troubling.
Somasura had spent eleven thousand years performing tapasya to obtain his boon of invincibility, and yet he could not overpower a single human?
He narrowed his eyes and thought that he had made a grave mistake by treating this warrior as an insignificant mortal.
Whatever the man's identity might be, he could no longer afford to underestimate him.
Somasura raised both hands.
Dark Asuric energy gathered around him once again, but this time it did not form a single weapon.
It began taking shape in dozens of different forms. Spears appeared first, followed by heavy maces, curved swords, and other weapons, each one forged entirely from the same dark energy that had formed his previous attacks. Within moments, more than a dozen Asuric weapons floated above his head, suspended in the air as though held there by an invisible force.
"Let us see how you stop all of them," he said.
With a violent movement of his hands, Somasura sent every weapon flying toward Karna. The weapons descended together from different directions, their combined force capable of tearing apart the entire yajna ground.
Karna did not retreat. He simply drew Vijaya.
The bowstring stretched beneath his fingers, and he released a single arrow. For a brief moment it appeared that only one arrow had been fired.
Then, midway through its flight, it multiplied. One became two, two became four, and within moments a dozen celestial arrows were moving through the air, each one following its own path.
They struck the incoming weapons one after another, and with every impact another Asuric weapon vanished into nothingness. The entire attack was nullified.
Somasura's face hardened.
Among the gathered vassal lords, one man suddenly stared at Karna with widening eyes.
"The radiance equal to Suryadev, the divine bow in his hand, the golden earrings shining in the sunlight, and the Ardha-Surya Tilak upon his forehead…" His voice trembled with realization. "It is Maharaj Karna."
The words spread rapidly among the others. Ripudhaman's expression changed. Keshivarma froze.
"Maharaj is here?"
Neither of them had expected it.
Ripudhaman watched Karna with an expression that was difficult to read.
Keshivarma, however, had become visibly uncomfortable.
His eyes moved toward the Asura commander and then back toward Karna, and it felt as if Karna had come to display his authority.
Above them, Somasura's anger finally overcame his surprise.
"Enough!" His voice thundered across the field. "Everyone, attack! Kill whomever you see! Go!"
The Asuras behind him spread their wings.
Nearly fifty of them immediately descended from the sky. Their mouths opened as they flew downward, and dark energy began gathering within their throats. The air around them trembled as each prepared to unleash his attack upon the people below.
But they never got the opportunity.
By the time the Asuras had begun their descent, Karna had already closed his eyes for a brief moment and begun pouring his own divinity into Vijaya.
The golden radiance surrounding him intensified.
His ordinary clothes remained unchanged, but the warrior beneath them could no longer be mistaken for an ordinary man. Divine energy flowed through his arms into the bow, and the very atmosphere around him seemed to grow warmer.
Karna opened his eyes.
He drew Vijaya. A celestial arrow appeared upon the string, its radiance far greater than that of the arrows he had used before.
He released it.
The arrow shot upward, then divided.
Dozens of celestial arrows spread across the sky, each one carrying the blazing power of Surya.
They moved through the descending Asuras before any of them could release their attacks.
One after another, the Asuras were struck.
The field filled with flashes of golden light. Every Asura struck by the arrows fell immediately, their bodies crashing upon the ground. A few arrows continued beyond them. Two of them struck Somasura—one pierced his side while another tore through his abdomen.
Somasura staggered backward. His eyes widened. He placed one hand against his abdomen. Blood covered his fingers. He looked down at it in disbelief. Then he slowly looked around. His entire army had fallen. Not one remained standing.
Somasura's breathing became heavy. The confidence that had filled his face moments earlier had disappeared, replaced by genuine shock. He looked at Karna.
"Who are you?"
It was the second time he had asked the question. This time there was no arrogance in it.
Karna raised Vijaya once again. Another celestial arrow appeared upon the bowstring, brighter than the previous one, its golden radiance illuminating the ground around him. Karna aimed directly at Somasura.
"Sangyaputra Karna," he said, his voice calm. "And your death."
Somasura's expression changed.
Then his body blurred. One Somasura became two, then four, then dozens. Within moments, countless illusions of the Asura filled the field, each one appearing identical to the others. Some stood upon the ground, some moved around Karna, and others appeared in the sky above him.
Somasura's voice echoed from every direction. "I underestimated you, certainly. But do not think that means I am so weak that you can defeat me so easily."
Karna watched the illusions without moving his bow.
He understood what Somasura was trying to accomplish. For a moment he simply remained silent. Then he murmured, almost apologetically, "Forgive me, Asura, but you do not get the opportunity to showcase your abilities in a place where such an auspicious yajna is taking place. Just as one does not allow a storm to enter a house where the sacred fire is burning, so too will I not allow your tricks to disturb this ground."
He released the arrow.
It flew straight ahead. The countless illusions shifted simultaneously, attempting to confuse its path. The arrow did not change direction. It passed through one illusion, then another, then another. None of them affected it. The arrow continued forward until it struck the real Somasura directly in the chest.
The illusions vanished.
Somasura let out a terrible groan and staggered backward, both hands immediately moving toward his chest where the celestial arrow had pierced him.
Karna lowered Vijaya slightly. "The arrows shot by my Vijaya Dhanush do not miss their target. Your illusions do not matter, Asura."
The demon fell heavily upon the ground.
For several moments he could do nothing except breathe. His vision began to blur. He looked upward at the sky. The clouds moved slowly above him, and his eyes became moist with bitter regret as the realization of his own mistake finally settled upon him.
"Eleven thousand years…" His voice was barely audible. "I performed tapasya for eleven thousand years to earn that boon. And I could not even live for eleven days." A faint, bitter smile appeared upon his face. "I should have asked for invincibility against mortals too. I made the same mistake Ravana made… I underestimated humans."
He closed his eyes. His voice faded. Somasura's body became still. He was dead.
For a moment, silence covered the yajna ground.
Then the people began to react. The priests who had witnessed the entire battle looked toward Karna with reverence, while the vassal lords slowly lowered their heads. The soldiers stood stunned among the fallen Asuras, and then the first cry rose from the crowd.
"Suryaputra Karna ki Jai!"
Another voice joined it. "Maharaj Karna ki Jai!"
Soon the entire gathering echoed with the cries.
Karna simply smiled. He looked toward the yajna kund, where the sacred fire was still burning.
"Today is the final day of the yajna," he said, his voice carrying across the gathering. "I hope you will continue the yajna exactly as you have done until now. Whoever tries to spoil this sacred event… my bow will answer them."
The cheering subsided. The meaning of his words was understood by everyone.
Karna then turned toward the soldiers. "Clear the bodies from this place. Take them to the cremation ground nearby."
The soldiers immediately obeyed.
The corpses of the Asuras were removed from the yajna ground, and the soldiers began carrying them away while others ensured that no remnants of their weapons or energy remained near the sacred fire.
Only after the ground had been cleared did Karna turn toward the priests. "Continue."
Karna then looked toward the vassal lords. Ripudhaman was standing rigidly. Keshivarma looked considerably more nervous than before. The other lords were equally uncertain about what they were supposed to do.
Karna gestured toward their places. "Sit down. Continue the yajna."