The city felt different that night.
Tense.
Waiting.
Aarav stood across the street from Rudra Khanna's headquarters — a towering glass building glowing against the dark sky. Security was tighter than ever. Armed guards. Surveillance. Locked entrances.
But Aarav had spent years preparing for this.
Beside him, Meera watched the building that had defined her entire life.
"If we do this," she said quietly, "there's no going back."
"There was never a way back," Aarav replied.
Inside the building, alarms suddenly went silent.
A power outage.
Aarav moved.
They entered through the underground parking level. Two guards were taken down silently. Elevators disabled. Stairs only.
Each step upward felt heavier.
On the top floor, the office doors stood open.
Rudra Khanna waited inside, calm as ever, standing near the glass wall overlooking the city.
"I was wondering when you would come," he said without turning.
Aarav stepped forward. "It ends tonight."
Rudra finally faced him.
"You think killing me will fix your past?"
"No," Aarav replied. "But it will stop you from ruining more futures."
Meera's voice shook. "Father… please. Stop this."
Rudra looked at her — not as a crime lord, but as a father.
"I built all of this for you."
"I never asked for it!" she cried.
Guards entered the room suddenly.
Gunfire erupted.
Aarav moved fast, disarming one guard and using him as cover. Glass shattered. Chaos exploded inside the office.
When the smoke cleared, only three people remained standing.
Rudra reached for a hidden weapon in his desk.
Aarav saw it.
Before he could react, Meera stepped forward.
"Enough!"
She stood between them.
Silence filled the room.
Rudra's hand trembled slightly.
Aarav's breathing was heavy.
The Shadow King had ruled through fear for decades.
But now he stood facing something stronger.
Choice.
And for the first time…
He hesitated.