The mosque's dome—although scarred—still rose proudly above soot-blackened walls. Through the cracked glass, daylight fractured over marble floors, suggesting hope amidst decay. From the battered courtyard, a low rumble echoed: the Bronze Warden's cry.
Arjun stood at the entrance, spear in hand, Vajrapath humming faintly. Beside him, Varun checked the ash-red bracers around his wrists; Dhani wrapped her Glacier Thread around her arm; Tapan fine-tuned his drone control interface; Meher mounted her position on a collapsed minaret; and Jassi adjusted the RPG rack on his back.
Arjun's voice was low, but its weight carried over every heartbeat."We clear this beast. Then we restore what was taken."
A dozen survivors huddled behind low barricades, weapons at the ready. Their faces were drawn, but their pulse beat with cautious hope.
Arjun took a breath of dust-choked air and exhaled.
The Bronze Warden stepped forward—a ten-foot hulk of molten bronze skin, bone-like ribs jutting in ridged arcs. Steam hissed from its joints. Light shimmered through its cracks—like magma beneath cracked earth.
It roared again. An invitation to war.
Arjun tapped his vambrace. The system display shimmered:
Enemy Threat: Bronze Warden (Tier III+) – Heavy Threat
Recommended Strategy: Coordinated Suppression, Armor Pressure, Elemental Immobilization
He raised his hand."Trigger on three."Varun nodded at Jassi to prepare.Dhani raised her Glacier Thread, fingers poised.Tapan's drones—eight now—hovered like silent hawks above the courtyard.
Arjun counted in his mind: one… two… almost there.
He pointed forward:One—Engagement.Varun stepped forward first.
Varun moved, channeling breath to his heart. The bracers glowed deep red. He launched the first Flash Net toward the Warden's feet—a sac of explosives trailing threads of brilliant gas.
It exploded between the Warden's legs. A white flash. A shimmer of disorientation.
The Warden recoiled, claws raising as if to punish the street itself.
But Dhani responded faster. Ice chains erupted, latching onto the Warden's ankles, twisting tight. The molten metal hissed as frantic heat met freezing cold.
Tapan's hunter-drone drew near, launching a burst of blinding light into the creature's eyepits. A short-lived stun.
Meher fired—a bullet of precision through the Warden's shoulder seam, fracturing molten bronze. The flesh buckled, molten from within.
A chorus of armored steel and resolve.
Arjun advanced through scattered rubble. Each step was careful, controlled. He felt the Veerbhadra Echo stirring:
Trigger: Battle Threshold Reached+10% Strength+25% Critical StrikeFear Immunity: Active for 12s
He drew Vajrapath.
Lightning flickered along the spear's shaft.The ground beneath the Warden cracked again as Arjun struck.
Clang! — Vajrapath against molten bronze.
They met in a burst of sparks.
Arjun braced. The ground trembled under the impact.
He counter-struck, aiming for the kneecap joint. A crack. The Warden roared. Its thigh muscle—viscous and red-hot—sizzled and splintered.
Varun dashed past Arjun, laying another micro-charge on the Warden's collar seam.Each explosive split molten bronze and twisted bone, ripping molten tendons.
Dhani lashed out, her Glacier Thread spinning—a poi of steel and ice—splintering shards of glowing metal.
Tapan sent drones forward—Recon Drone marking weak joints, Medic Drone hovering near survivors, Hunter Drones discharging concussive rounds at the Warden's back.
Meher's sniper shot—calculated, precise—pierced the creature's crown joint, spreading cracked bronze outward.
The temple walls vibrated. Rubble fell.
The Warden staggered forward, blind-eyed, bleeding pools of molten bronze at its feet.
Arjun seized the moment:He planted a foot on the creature's rusted shell, vaulted like a ritual warrior, and dug the spear through its spine.
The beast roared. Its head flared molten steam—as if in defiance.
He twisted the spear. Black slag dripped from bronze.
He plunged it deeper.
The Warden collapsed—molten flesh smoldering.
Its body shuddered, then stilled.
Silence draped the courtyard like a sacred cloak.
Arjun withdrew the spear.The echo faded.He stood over the smoking form.His chest heaved—his eyes fiery, but his posture calm.
He surveyed his team—exhausted but victorious.
"We did this," he said softly. "Now we cross the threshold."
The mosque doors forced open themselves as if a hidden hand recognized their purpose. The golden barrier glowed to life—gentle but firm.
They entered.
Inside the dim chamber, moonlight sketched rays through shattered glass. Pews were blood-stained, yet the sanctuary still breathed through the silence.
At the base of the dome lay an open book—pages singed, yet readable. It carried a scribbled verse:
"If you are reading this, protect the others. Delhi is not done."
But there were no priests. No children. No survivors.
Only a PENDANT—a child's prayer talisman, still warm.
In the back corridor, softly, they heard sobbing.
Arjun drew his sword, walked toward the sound.
But that ending—the sobbing voice—pushed Arjun forward.A new light flickered in his chest.
System Notification:
Sanitizing Minaret Node...
Path of Sanctuaries: Node 3/4
Synchronizing+2,500 XP | +500 Coins
Stone of Sanctity obtained
His eyes drifted to the talisman on the ground.
"This place... needs a protector."