The sky cracked above them, like glass struck with a divine hammer.
Fragments of reality hung suspended midair—glimmering like constellations that had forgotten where they belonged. Between those fractured stars, a spiral path formed… upward.
Not a bridge. A trial.
Luv stared up at it, sparks dancing off his silver armor, eyes sharp.
"That thing wants us to come to it."
Astha twirled Vaayutal once before letting it vanish into sparks, the weapon dissolving until called again.
"It expects we'll die before reaching the top."
Naira adjusted the folds of her robe, talismans fluttering around her like birds gathering before a storm.
"Then let's disappoint it."
---
[Ascent]
The spiral path through the broken sky wasn't made of stone or magic—it was thought.
Each step they took triggered a challenge. Memory illusions. Gravity shifts. Ethereal beasts stitched from discarded prayers.
But they didn't slow.
Luv rode on bolts of lightning, his body arcing between floating platforms as he pierced through false gods made of sand.
Naira whispered through her fingertips, weaving mantras that turned time backward for seconds, freezing enemies and clearing their climb.
Astha walked through fire and forgetting.
One specter took the form of his mother. Another—a temple burning in silence.
He said nothing. Only gripped Smritidhaara tighter.
The chain flickered—his memories burning behind his eyes—and he slashed through each ghost with brutal precision.
His robe flared open once more, revealing a new pattern etched into its lining.
Mantra Type: Tamas-Hantra
Effect: Banishing illusions and divine manipulations
They reached the summit in silence.
---
[The Floating Citadel – Vajratma]
The fortress loomed above them now, rotating slowly in the broken sky like a forgotten planet. Spires of molten mantra spiraled downward, and bells tolled with no sound.
They stepped onto its outer ring.
At the center: the Veiled Woman.
She sat on the 7th throne now, legs crossed, the broken timeglass veil fluttering with every breath.
"You came. I am impressed."
Luv held up his hand, electricity circling his palm like a vortex.
"Cut the pretense. Why bring us here?"
She did not answer.
Instead, she raised a hand—and the thrones lit up.
Seven Lights. Seven Guardians.
---
[Combat Phase Initiation: The Vajra Thrones]
Each throne cracked open—seven figures emerged.
Not living beings. Not quite machines. They were hybrid sentinels forged from cosmic metal and divine punishment.
Each represented a principle:
The First: Ahankara – Pride Given Form
The Second: Shoka – Grief Unending
The Third: Moha – Blissful Delusion
The Fourth: Dvesha – Hate With Purpose
The Fifth: Trishna – Desire Manifest
The Sixth: Maya – Reality's Lie
The Seventh: Karuna – Pity Weaponized
The veiled woman smiled faintly.
"Only those who kill their own shadows may witness the blueprint."
Astha's eyes narrowed.
"Then let's burn them."
---
[The Battle Begins]
A colossus stepped forward—gleaming, ten-armed, and crowned in fire. It struck with sheer pride—each blow demanding that Astha kneel.
Astha didn't.
He summoned Smritidhaara and Vaayutal both. The chain wrapped around the colossus' leg, dragging it mid-swing as Astha leapt high.
"Smritidhaara: Vikara Mode."
The triple-bladed sickle ignited, and he tore off two arms in one rotation.
"You think I bow to power?" he said, landing hard.
"I was forged in its ashes."
He crushed the colossus beneath mantra-embedded boots—its core shattering into fractured arrogance.
---
The Sentinel of Hate moved fast—mirroring Luv's attacks with perfect counter-aggression. Each strike got stronger with every dodge.
But Luv adapted faster.
He powered his armor to peak output, flooding the air with storm fields.
Lightning coiled around his throat like a serpent as he summoned his secondary mantra:
"Indradarpana: Thunderform Mirror—Reflective Mode."
The next blow came—and Luv let it strike.
The backlash redirected twice the force back at the construct. It staggered.
Luv followed through with a roar, driving a thunder-enhanced knee through its chest.
"You hate? Good. I enjoy this."
---
Naira's fight was quiet.
Karuna spoke constantly—offering pity. Whispering forgiveness. Promising relief.
Naira walked through it all, her eyes burning.
"Forgiveness isn't freedom," she said. "It's escape."
She drew a circle of silver thread mid-air, chanting in reverse tongue.
Her talismans formed a floating guillotine—the Severance Sutra.
When Karuna leaned in to embrace her, Naira whispered:
"Some pain must live."
The construct's head rolled in silence.
---
Three thrones remained.
Astha, blood streaking down his cheek, looked toward the veiled woman.
"Are you done testing?"
She stood now.
"No. You've passed. Now comes the gift—and the burden."
From her veil, she pulled a scroll—bound in bone and gold.
"The first page of the Divine Blueprint."
It floated toward Astha, spinning, then burned itself into the air.
Runes appeared behind him—cosmic architecture and forbidden scripts.
And a name.
One they recognized.
"Sharvaka…?"
The woman nodded.
"Yes. The executioner. The one who culls gods and men alike."
Her eyes gleamed.
"And he's already hunting you."