The dust settled over the Prakasam Barrage, but the air remained thick with the metallic scent of demon blood. A hundred thousand corpses lay scattered, piled so high they blocked the view of the river below.
In the center of this carnage, Rudra didn't collapse in exhaustion. He didn't celebrate. Instead, he gathered the bodies of the Demon General and the highest-ranking monsters into a massive heap. He drove the dark blade, Jay Kala, into the center of the pile and simply sat.
He sat there like a dark emperor on a throne of death, one leg crossed over the other, his chin resting on his hand. His eyes, still glowing with the remnants of the Nightmare Dimension, stared coldly at the horizon.
General Vishnu and the high-ranking RSS officials arrived minutes later. Behind them stood the Elite 7—the warriors who were supposed to be "more powerful" than Rudra. They froze. The sight of a teenager sitting calmly atop a mountain of 100,000 dead demons was a psychological shock they weren't prepared for.
"He... he did it alone?" whispered one of the Elite 7, his hand trembling on his sword hilt. "We were trained for years... but this... this is a different level of existence."
Rudra looked down at them from his grim throne. "You're late," he said, his voice echoing with a divine vibration.
General Vishnu stepped forward and bowed his head deeply. "Forgive us, General Rudra. We didn't realize the war would be over before we even drew our breath. From this day, the Eastern Branch follows your command."
Rudra stood up, the corpses beneath him turning to dust as he moved. He walked toward the Elite 7. As he passed them, the pressure of his aura forced them to their knees.
"I don't care about ranks," Rudra said, pausing next to their leader. "But if you are part of my 15-man squad, Kala-Agna, remember one thing: I don't lead soldiers. I lead survivors. If you can't keep up with my shadow, leave now."
Suddenly, a voice broke the tension. "RUDRA!"
Isha came running through the lines of soldiers, her face pale with worry. When she saw him covered in blood, she didn't care about the General's rank or the staring soldiers. She threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest.
Rudra's cold expression softened for a split second. He wrapped his arm around her, his blood-stained hand stroking her hair.
"It's over, Isha," he whispered. "But the real fight is just beginning."
At that moment, thousands of miles away in the Deep Abyss, an ancient throne cracked. The Demon King had felt the death of his 100,000 soldiers. A roar shook the underworld. "Find the boy with the Black Blade. Bring me his head, or I shall burn the human worldBefore the chaos at the barrage, a forgotten memory flickered in the back of Rudra's mind. A flashback of his grandfather, Prasad, talking to Rudra's father.
"This boy..." Prasad had said, watching a young Rudra train, "He is not like us. His potential is a bottomless abyss. One day, he will be even more powerful than all of us combined. He is the true heir of the stars."
Back at the Prakasam Barrage, the silence was deafening. The Elite 7 members stood frozen. They were the pinnacle of human strength, but seeing Rudra sitting atop a throne of 100,000 demon corpses like a dark king made them feel like ants.
Rudra slowly stood up and stepped down from the mountain of bodies. His aura was cold, suffocating.
Suddenly, a figure rushed through the crowd. It was Isha.
SLAP!
The sound of the slap echoed across the silent barrage. Everyone gasped. The boy who just slaughtered an army had been struck.
"Why?!" Isha screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Why didn't you call for help? Why did you face them all alone? Do you have any idea how terrified I was?"
The coldness in Rudra's eyes vanished instantly. He didn't get angry. He didn't use his power. He simply stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug. He stayed calm, letting her cry into his shoulder as the world watched in awe.
General Vishnu stepped forward, still trying to process the scene. "Rudra... did you really kill every single one of these demons alone?"
"Yes, Sir," Rudra replied simply, his voice firm. "I did what had to be done."
A high-ranking RSS Headquarters Officer stepped out from the shadows, looking at his tablet in disbelief. "Rudra... your combat data has been uploaded. In just two days, your global ranking has jumped into the Top 10. This is a miracle. And this sword... it came from the heavens, didn't it?"
"Yes, Sir," Rudra nodded, the dark blade Jay Kala humming in agreement at his side.
The Elite 7, who were once arrogant, looked at each other and then bowed simultaneously. "General Rudra... we were wrong. You are a monster. Please... train us! Lead us to be as strong as you!"
Rudra, who was a god-like warrior just a moment ago, suddenly felt a wave of shyness. He looked at the 7 powerful warriors begging him for training, then at Isha, and then at the General. The mental and physical exhaustion of the battle finally caught up to him.
His knees buckled. Before anyone could react, the hero of the barrage fell down (fainted) into the arms of the RSS officers. to cinders!"