The Last Rudra - Chapter 155

All the twatvajivis exploded with an ear-splitting boom. Under the sammohan curse, lightning, fire,water, and ether churned together to form a giant tornado. The entire arena shook as a giant fissure ran like a serpent across it.

The crowd watched, mouths agape with incredulity. The seemingly unbreakable prison had been shattered so easily.

Guha couldn’t help but pinch his fellow apprentice to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. And he wasn’t because the guy cried out with pain, throwing a dagger look at him.

Since when did his friend become so powerful? Though Guha had never witnessed two apprentices fighting, he was sure their fight wouldn’t be too  different from this.

The shock waves of the explosion had split the earth’s chest. He could see ether wind ripping space around Ishit, whose body was ablaze, making him look like a son of Uddor, who dwelt in Asharar.

Ishit’s eyes were bloodshot.The fiery red blood was trickling down from them. The emotionless eyes glanced towards the Okalian girl, who had stabilized herself in the air.

Ashen faced,  blood dripping out of the corner of her cherry red lips, she looked so pitiful that ,for a moment, even Guha thought Ishit had gone too far.

He felt a need to advise his friend on this matter. Or if he continued going like this no decent girl would garland him at her swayamvar.

As if it was not enough, all of a sudden, Ishit vanished from his place with the furious tornado on his tail.

Layla’s face fell as she took out a golden coin. The coin  swiftly expanded into a shield  with a face embossed on its shining surface. From the snake-like hair wiggling out of the fierce looking man’s head, Guha knew it was Itur’s shield, another two star astra.

The shield covered the girls from head to toe, giving off a powerful aura. However, it didn’t deter Ishit.

Kalnemi, the black sword appeared in his hand. It’s runes shone brightly with the flow of spirit.

Ishit raised it and brought it down with full force.

Clang!

The two astras collided. Kalnemi sliced the shield, giving the crowd the second shock of the day.

Layla cried out, fear written all over her charming face. She must have wanted to surrender, but Ishit didn’t give her a chance. His cruel fist landed on her belly, knocking the air out of her lungs.

Ishit didn’t stop there. He twisted her both legs and threw her away on the earth.

Ishit knew the world would despise his actions, for attacking a woman was not an honorable act in wielders ‘ eyes, unless it was necessary.

Sure enough, as soon as the audience saw the Okalian girl convulsing in pain, laying in the rubble, they began to curse Ishit.

Even Oman sighed, he didn’t approve of the lad’s action.

“Why are you sighing? ” Padma snapped at him.

“Nothing! ” Oman hurriedly  hid away his emotions. He knew better than to despise Ishit’s action before Padma. She had been acting up on every tidbit since last night. Oman didn’t blame her, for no mother would want to leave her only son behind. More so when she knew she might never see him again.

“Don’t you dare to chide him, Oman. He didn’t do anything wrong. A foe has no gender.” Padma glared at him.

“I know that, my lady.” Oman replied. Only if it was so simple. He thought to himself.

He swept his glance over the excited crowd. Everyone was despising the boy’s unnecessary act.

How hypocritic the world was! You could rape an innocent girl, but you couldn’t beat her in a fair duel.

Of course, he wouldn’t teach such idiotic idologies to the boy. The lad needed to be decisive. Southerners always treated their enemies equally.

“You’d better.” said Padma.

*****

Ishit didn’t care about others’ opinions. As soon as the crier announced his victory he walked out of the arena without sparing any glance towards the moaning girl.

Ishit didn’t join Karuvaki in the auditorium. The event had lost its purpose for him. If his father hadn’t insisted on him going on with his matches, he wouldn’t have even come to watch.

So after changing his clothes in the retiring chamber made for participants. He left for the smithy. His goal was simple: he would train there and teach Viswa as part of their deal.

Opposite to Ishit’s concern, the master smith proved a great help. He had corrected his basic flaws, and shared his invaluable experience with him. His Kalnemi sword was their joint project. The reason Kalenemi could change its shape  was all because of him. If he hadn’t shared his in depth research with him, he could have never infused the astra’s sentience into each grain.

This made Ishit’s question about his opinion about the man. He couldn’t understand what made his father hate Viswa so much.

The old smith had refused to speak about it. And as for his father, he dared not ask about it.

Anyway, he knew his answer already.

The carriage halted with a jerk, bringing Ishit out of his stupor.  Ishit peeked out of the window. It was smithy.

Despite Inna’s event going on, the place was bustling with crowds as ever.

Youngmen had choked the gate.

Ishit got off of the carriage and paid the chauffeur. He took out his master emblem and put it around his neck.

Before the puzzled eyes of the crowd, he entered the smithy.

“How come he has a master smith emblem?”

“Don’t you recognize him? He is the famous young lord of Minaak, Ishit.”

“So the rumors are true.”

“Of course. I wonder if he is taking orders. I would like to see his mastery. ”

“What mastery? His father has arranged this post for him.”

Ishit ignored the boisterous crowd. He knew better than to argue with them.

In the memory of Onish, he had heard Guru Anand Giri saying,

“One who believes you will never ask for proof. And no evidence will be enough to shush the one who doubts you. So one should never try to convince an atheist that Paramatman exists. The omnipresent doesn’t want him to know of his existence.So why meddle in the design of the supreme. ”

Ishit crossed the court and entered his forge.

As usual, Viswa was busy. The hammer was hammering the wind gold into armor  on its own.

The entire forge was working with him. Ishit couldn’t help but marvel at the old man’s skill, who was just sitting there like a statue.

“You have come at the right time, master. ” Viswa’s voice resounded in the forge. He seemed everywhere.

“I think I have discovered the way,”

“Oh! Let me see.” replied Ishit.

The hammer continued with its work, so did the furnace and other instruments. Only a parchment came flying in the air and spread before Ishit.

There were many complicated diagrams, yantras, and designs were drawn on it.

Ishit’s brows furrowed as he examined the parchment carefully.

For some reasons, Viswa had a peculiar interest in soul smithing.

All his questions were about souls, and sentience. And after listening to Ishit’s explanations, which were based on his knowledge of Glassian smithy, the old man came up with a strange idea.

He wanted to  fuse a beast’s soul in a yantra, an alien concept.

Despite their millennium long research, spiritualists weren’t able to figure out what a soul was composed of.

There were theories, but none could fully explain a soul.

According to Ghost smiths of Ghosttown, a soul had a body just like a gross body. It too had sense organs and mind. According to Acharya Punnag of Randrava,

A soul is composed of an unknown element called Mahattatva which is then covered by Pradhana just as a seed is covered by its skin. This skin, covering of Pradhana, differentiates souls.

According to Vanabhatta, there was no difference between a beast soul and human soul.

That was why the Mayavan forest had beast ghosts too. The only difference was that they were less menacing and dangerous.

“What do you think of my design, master?” Viswa’s voice boomed in the forge.

“As you suggested I have used ether essence, wind essence and fire essence to draw yantra.”

Ishit shook his head.

“I can’t see anything wrong with the design. But we can only be sure after testing. Have you asked for a beast soul?” said Ishit.

“Of course, I did.”

“Which one?”

“First grade rabbit.”

“No. Change it with something more powerful, like a three grade serpent.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I don’t know, but the serpent’s soul is more tenacious than any other beast.” Ishit replied.

“Now when you’ve pointed it out, It did make sense. Only serpent ghosts have been seen so far. I think it may have been the reason.”

Viswa said.

“Okay! I will tell Nicho. By the way, what are you going to teach me today. I have already finished all the orders. ”

Ishit kept silent for a while, as he pondered over the questions.

“Today we will practice how to make prana ghaat.” replied Ishit.

A prana-ghaat was a cursed astra that could be sent from anywhere to kill anyone in the world.

There was no escape from the prana-ghaat, only a skilled smith, who had mastered Glassian smith could diffuse it.

The ghaat  traveled in the sky among stars, and after finding its target it attacked  like a meteor or heavenly lightning.

Of course, it was not easy to make one. Apart from  rare smithing material, one needed something from the enemy too.. Such as hair, blood, etc.