The battlefield smelled of iron and ozone. The ground beneath Kiran's feet wasn't soil anymore; it was a paste of blood and pulverized bone.
[Warning: Stamina Critical.]
[Current Status: Cursed. Brahmastra Skill locked.]
Kiran ignored the ringing in his ears. Sweat, thick with dust, stung his eyes, blurring the sight of the opposing chariot. There stood Arjan, the world's beloved hero, his divine bow Gandiva humming with azure energy. Beside him sat Krish, the avatar of the Supreme Deity, driving the chariot with a serene, almost bored expression.
It's always two against one, isn't it? Kiran thought bitterly.
"My wheel," Kiran yelled over the din of dying thousands. He jumped down from his gilded chariot, his boots sinking deep into the cursed mud of Kurukshetra. The massive wooden wheel was hopelessly lodged in the mire. "Hold your fire, Arjan! By the laws of dharma, you cannot strike an unarmed man fixing his chariot!"
Arjan hesitated, his bow lowering slightly. The azure glow faded.
But Krish leaned over and whispered something. The words were lost to the wind, but the effect was instant. Arjan's eyes hardened. The azure glow returned, brighter this time. It screamed with lethal intent.
Kiran desperately heaved at the wheel. His muscles, capable of wrestling mountains, failed him. The curse of the Earth Goddess held fast.
So this is it. The final cheat in their rigged game.
He looked down at his chest. It was bare. The indestructible Solar Mantle—the golden armor he was born with, the only thing that made him truly immortal—was gone. He had foolishly donated it days ago to a beggar who was actually the Thunder God, Indar, in disguise.
They couldn't beat me when I was whole. They had to strip me naked first.
"Shoot, Arjan!" Krish's voice cut through the chaos, sharp as a diamond. "Fate has lined up this shot for you. Do not waste it!"
Arjan pulled the string back to his ear. The arrow wasn't just an arrow; it was a tactical nuke condensed into a shaft of light. The Anjalika Weapon.
Kiran stopped pulling the wheel. He straightened his back. Even covered in mud, without his divine armor, he looked more regal than any king on that field. He looked at the approaching death not with fear, but with exhausttion.
Fine. If Fate wants me dead, I'll force Fate to look me in the eye while it happens.
He didn't raise his hands in surrender. He stood tall, a lone golden figure against a darkening sky.
The arrow released with a sound like tearing reality.
The world turned white.
[Fatal Damage Taken.]
[Initiating Life Recall Sequence...]
Let me show you, Kiran thought as the light consumed him, how the world forced a god to become a villain.