Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Rakshasa Illusion Array

Arjun Vikramaditya stood before the Rakshasa Illusion Array, a colossal obsidian archway pulsing with malevolent crimson runes at the Crimson Lotus Academy's heart. Sage Vishwamitra's voice echoed like Vedic thunder: "This trial births warriors or breaks them. Illusions draw from your deepest fears, manifesting as rakshasas fueled by unresolved karma. Survive three layers, claim the Garuda Feather relic, or dissolve into madness." Disciples murmured; even Duryodhan had faltered here, barely emerging with scars on his soul. Arjun nodded, stepping through. The world twisted—hills became Patala abyss, air thick with asura howls. The Kubera Cube thrummed, anchoring his mind. �First layer: Layer of Doubt. Phantom rakshasas mimicked his father's frail form, the village elders' scorn. "Useless blood! Return to dust!" they jeered, claws raking illusory meridians. Pain seared true—doubts made flesh. Arjun gripped his Vel, now fully manifested as a golden lance etched with Navagraha sigils. "My dharma is forged in fire!" Igniting Fire Sutra, he unleashed Vajra Petal Storm. Lotus-thunder petals bloomed in a relentless gale, shredding the shades. Each strike purified a doubt, prana surging purer. He broke through, Garuda winds granting ephemeral flight.Second layer: Layer of Rage. Here, illusions birthed Duryodhan's kin—Kaurav prodigies wielding chakra storms and serpent venoms. They swarmed, taunting his poisoned springs sabotage. "Peasant, your rise ends!" Rage boiled in Arjun, tempting blind fury. But the cube whispered balance—Thunder Dharma's calm precision. He danced like monsoon lightning, Vel weaving Chasing Thunder, arcs chaining foes in paralyzing webs. One by one, they shattered, their karmic echoes fueling his dantian. Sweat beaded his bronze skin; muscles strained like coiled nagas. Yet resolve held—ruthlessness without chaos.Final layer: Layer of Annihilation. A colossal ten-headed rakshasa rose, embodying his unborn potential's shadow—a failed Chakravarti crushed by heavens. It roared, unleashing void palms that devoured light, mimicking the cube's untapped abyss. Arjun's body screamed as spatial tears clawed his flesh. Visions flashed: Asura metamorphosis, six arms ripping gods. Channeling nascent God and Devil Fusion, he fused Jatayu flames with abyssal darkness. "Navagraha Annihilation!" Vel erupted in a starburst—nine graha lights converging into a black-hole lotus, imploding the beast. The array cracked; a radiant Garuda Feather descended, merging into his bloodline. Wings of ether ghosted his back, speed doubling eternally.Emerging bloodied but unbroken, Arjun faced stunned silence. Sage Vishwamitra's eyes gleamed. "Garuda's heir! You've claimed a divine blood fragment." Duryodhan seethed from afar, plotting deeper alliances. Whispers spread: the Vikramaditya whelp was no fluke. That night, under blooming lotuses, Arjun meditated. The feather stirred visions—Himalayan Divine Peaks, grander trials. Poisoned foes were mere weeds; true serpents awaited in higher realms. His heart of sanatana dharma burned fiercer. The path to 33 Lokas sharpened—Chakravarti's throne beckoned, one crushed illusion at a time.