The colossal golden sword, forged from Rakta's energy, hung in the sky like a second sun. Its blinding light cast the devastated forest in surreal patterns of light and shadow
Where lush vegetation once thrived, only a wasteland remained charred trees and smoldering earth stretched to the horizon The air hung thick with ash and the acrid scent of burning foliage
Rakta floated above, a grotesque amalgamation of countless eyes and twisted limbs his malformed body pulsed with malevolent golden energy his innumerable eyes fixated on the fallen forms below, a twisted grin forming on his faceless visage
As the golden blade began its descent, suddenly the air shifted from Rudra's seemingly lifeless body, tendrils of black fog began to seep out
They curled and twisted as they expanded rapidly, slowly within few seconds it Swallowed him whole, Slowly, the dark mist reached upward, meeting the descending blade when the black fog made contact with the golden sword, the radiant weapon began to crumble, its gleaming surface tarnishing and disintegrating into nothingness
The black fog enveloped Rudra entirely, lifting his broken form gently into the air. His shattered body began to mend before their eyes bones realigned as the flesh regenerated, and even his severed leg reformed seamlessly.
From his back, majestic wings unfurled, while elegant horns sprouted from his head, curving upward like a natural crown
When Rudra opened his eyes, they were no longer familiar black as midnight, they surveyed the devastation with detached amusement a smirk played across his lips, exuding a confidence and mockery absent before. He flexed his hands, examining them with casual interest before turning his gaze toward Jaipa
"Oh... my star Sirius ? " he said, his voice eerily calm
Then he looked down at his regenerated body with appreciation
" look at you," he continued with mocking tenderness "Curled up inside your own body like a frightened child ? "
His voice hardened "These are the consequences of lacking strength..." His voice was cold but somehow warm
With a dismissive wave, he raised his hand as white light gathered in his palm
"I will fix things this time ! everything you've ruined ? "
Saying that he sent the light flying toward Jaipa in an instant, all injuries on Jaipa's body vanished as if he had never been wounded
"Losing to a mere creature like this one," he muttered to himself, his black eyes now fixed on Rakta "How pitifully insignificant"
The wind tousled his hair as he extended his arm skyward. His wooden blade flew back into his hand, and the black fog coalesced around it, infusing the weapon with dark luminescence.
The blade elongated, its hilt extending to accommodate the surge of power intricate patterns etched themselves along its surface, pulsating with energy the once simple weapon had transformed into a formidable sword that exuded an aura of absolute dominance
With a swift motion, Rudra vanished, reappearing instantly before Rakta
"Look at what you hold," he said softly
"My blade is just the beginning, and just the end of me...."
His voice resonated with power
"Be known by it, be swallowed by it that's the both beauty and ugliness of strength "
Without hesitation, he swung his transformed blade. The air itself seemed to split as a deafening slash covered in black fog released from his weapon as the dark mist connected with Rakta's body, it cleaved through effortlessly
A blinding darkness erupted, followed by an implosion that consumed the remnants of the monster. When the darkness finally faded, nothing remained of Rakta expect his ring and beads
The forest fell suddenly silent as the oppressive atmosphere lifted, replaced by a serene stillness
Rudra stood amidst the aftermath, his transformed blade resting at his side as the black fog began dissipating into the air
"Wow!" he exclaimed, touching the mark on his chin with something like admiration
"You even got this...."
With those words, the black fog releasing from Rudra's body was sucked back inside him. As the darkness vanished, Rudra began to fall from the sky. It became clear that he had never been conscious the being who had fought Rakta was something else entirely
When Rudra finally hit the ground, there was no sound, as if nothing had fallen from the sky at all
Two fallen bodies lay unconscious in a forest full of monsters above them, a bright moon hung in the sky, touching them gently with its light. There was no movement from either form, like two suspended dead bodies thrown into the wilderness beside them, the princess and the knight also lay breathing but unmoving
As morning came, the four unconscious bodies remained still in the forest the sun's hot rays began to touch them, and bit by bit, small movements stirred in their limbs
The first to wake was Rudra, slowly opening his diamond-like eyes, hair touching his neck gently
**RUDRA'S POV**
"Why do I feel so hot?" I wondered hazily still in half Sleep "Did that bastard not kill me ? "
A strange thought emerged in my mind: "Or is that bastard making a barbecue out of me?"
I know it sounded weird to think something like that, but what could I do? I thought my life was about to end
So I lay there for a while, waiting for death. But I noticed a few strange things my body felt refreshed, and all the pain from before had vanished
I felt stronger than before, and most strangely, I could feel my leg that had been severed at first, I thought I was hallucinating in my final moments, so I waited when nothing happened, I muttered to myself, "Should I take a peek ? "
Slowly, I opened my eyes to find myself lying beside a massive hole, at least several hundred meters wide
I couldn't gauge its depth my instincts made me push back, and I realized two things first, my leg was indeed there and moving; second, my body bore no injuries not even a scratch as if I had been given a new form. And more than that, my body had grown stronger, much stronger....like i had jumped years of training in a single night
Suddenly I remembered "Rakta! Where is
he ? "
My eyes frantically searched for the monster, but I couldn't find him. Looking at my surroundings more carefully, I wondered, "Am I even in the same forest?"
The landscape around me was unrecognizable. Where I lay, there was nothing not even grass. The trees looked like they had been through a years of war
Slowly standing up, I shivered at the memory of pain before pushing those thoughts aside. I began searching for Jaipa, remembering the terrible condition I'd last seen him in. After moving past what appeared to be a war zone, I spotted Jaipa's body lying beside a tree
I ran toward him, only to hear him muttering in his sleep "Rudra, bow before me and serve me as your master... Ha ha ha..."
I shiged and gritted my teeth and gave him a light tap on the head
"Ouch, ouch..." he groaned, slowly opening his eyes
The first thing he said was: "Did you get the food?"
I sighed, looking at him, but i had a feeling of profound relief washed over me....