The Last Rudra - Chapter 167

Once again, after thousands of years, the sound of ‘Nawah al’asmaa! (Only Nuha is Supreme) echoed in the air of Garuna, the virgin land. Like messengers of death, the dark warriors of Mir pounced on the spirit wielders. Soon a frenzied battle broke out. The earth quivered underfoot.

All the five elements, together with laws of destruction, churned in the already ruined arena.

“Protect the prince!” cried out Vasu as he summoned his spirit beasts.

The space shook and so did the earth as a terrifying creature appeared amidst the frantic battleground.

The scary beast had the head of a dragon, the torso of a lion, and the tail of a serpent.

The chimera let out its fiery breath as it pounced on the kaaldoota, who was throwing spirit-wielders like ragged dolls.

The agile chimera landed on the back of the gigantic beast.

Its sharp claws started to tear off the hide of the kaaldoota, causing it great suffering. The kaaldoota, war animal of Moriya, howled furiously as it shook his colossal body to get rid of the chimera.

However, the chimera, who had confronted the mammoth beast before, knew how to deal with it.

The sly beast pierced its glowing nails deep into the kaaladoota’s hide and clung to its body like a leech.

Just then, lightning flashed in the sky, and a thunderous roar startled all the warriors.

They couldn’t help but freeze on their spot as a giant winged lion as white as snow appeared in the sky like a floating cloud.

Its large golden eyes were petrifying their beholders.

Jora’s face fell as it recognized the pixiu, the famous mount of Kalingan lord Vasu.

He glanced at Vasu fighting with the dark warriors while protecting the seemingly dead young man. A look of shock flashed over Jora’s face as his eyes fell on the unconscious young man. The shock was momentary. It soon turned into a sinister smile.

“It seems Nuh is with us, my nazir,” he said to Mir, hovering in the sky beside him.

The two were watching the battle while their fiery eyes searched for something in the gaping rips of space.

“Why? Have you found the temple’s space-nod? ” Mir asked. He didn’t seem to mind the furious roar of the pixiu.

Moriyans were called spirit-defiers for a reason.

The spirit beasts, no matter how powerful, were their food.

But, of course, the reverse was also true, if they didn’t have sufficient strength.

“No! But something else. and it’s not less precious than the temple,” Jora said mysteriously. He was in no hurry.

Vasu couldn’t escape. His men had encircled the area.

The winged lion roared again, and thick bolts of lightning, like blue serpents, came down crackling from the sky.

“Tell me what it is. I’ve no time for your riddles! And could you take care of this annoying beast? ” Mir said.

Though he seemed relaxed, the truth was his heart was thudding like a trapped bird.

Oman, the guardian of  Elat, was still alive, and so was his son, the future guard of Nuh’s temple.  (Moriyan name of Inna’s temple)

If only Alisa had deciphered the ancient runes a bit earlier, his men would have eliminated the boy.

“It is the beloved son of Aslan, Tissa. ” Jora said, not minding the sour mood of Mir.

“Where?” Mir was startled. He looked around. Soon his eyes fell on the figure tied on the back of Kaligan’s lord.

“Go and seize him. we can’t let this golden bird escape,” he ordered Jora.

“But what about you?” Jora asked.

“What about me? I’m joining the battle. I have roughly located the nod.” Mir said as he summoned his sword. “And you’d better not disappoint me this time, ”

The Moryian lord gave his oldest Gazi, a warning look as he flew down. His body started to grow and so did his blood-red sword. When his feet landed on the ground, he was already thirty feet tall.

“Nawah al’asmaa!”

Mir cried as he swung his sword, Ilidima.

Elinor, the queen of darkness had gifted him this sword when he helped her escape the cursed prison.

IIidima was forged with the blood of all races.

If Elinor were to be believed, the ancient sword was once wielded by the first Nazir, Mora, himself.

Red light lightning dazzled the pagan falconer and his griffin.

Fifty feet long Ilidima fell on him, chopping him and his bird into two.

Even his shield and his glowing armor couldn’t save him.

The pagan’s thick blood flew out of his convulsing body. The red sword drank it thirstily.

Like a crazy beast, Mir ran into the crowd of spirit wielders. The corpses began to fall on the ground in his wake.

With thick blood chasing him, the Moriyan lord seemed so frightening that many late apprentices and master-spirit wielders who hadn’t fled seeing the fiery ball fainted with fear.

Some with brave hearts tried to stop the death’s messenger, but they soon realized the disparity between them. They tried to flee for their lives. But there was nowhere to go. The arena had already been sealed with a terrifying blood shield.

While the gory sight was quivering the heart of young spirit wielders, astral creatures, like dakinis and sakinis cackled menacingly.

They began to dance, for their bone bowls were brimming with fresh blood.

******

Though the defilers had caught the maharathis off guard,  they didn’t have an edge over them.

All the fifty maharathis present there were veterans. Each of them had taken at least one bloodbath on the gory battlefield.

They knew how to face these monsters very well.

With Amukha as their leader, they soon crafted a battle strategy. Tissa’s safety was their main priority.

Though Aslan didn’t favor Tissa greatly, it didn’t mean he would be happy at his only son’s death.

None of them wanted to face Aslan’s wraith. So the first thing they did was to send a messenger bird to get help.

Amukha used his life-saving treasure called space piercer and breached open an opening into space.

Saket, the vice chief of Puskar academy of Ahom, lent them his tenth-grade messenger dove.

The bird disappeared into space as a waterdrop does into the sea.

The maharathis took Vasu in the center and started to counteract. They just had to hold on for one or two ghadi, for their help was hiding in the airfield.

Amukha, who was master of the ether element, created a space rift between them and the defilers.

Taylor, a maharathi from Okala, moved his hands and the ground burst open, catching the dark warriors off guard.

The strong force of gravity pulled them into the gaping rifts. He then closed the earth’s chest, burying at least a dozen so Moryians into the earth.

From above the winged lion of Vasu, and the lightning dragon of Saket were showering the defilers with lightning.

The fire was rolling on the ground like water.

The mighty Divya astras clashed, sending shock waves in all directions.

It was a very frightening sight. The sun hid behind the dark clouds. Its face paled with fright. The ghost wolves took it for the sickly moon. They abandoned the carcasses and started to howl, with their ghastly mouth raised to the sky.

Their howls were so shrill if a commoner happened to hear them, his soul would flee his body.

Jora watched the battle with a serene face. The old Gazi had survived fifty battles. He had fathered fifty gazis and one slave.

The old Gazi couldn’t help but glance towards the city, which had shut all its gates.

Had Kasma really perished? He wondered again.

Before coming here, Jora had a false hope that he might sense the soulbond after reaching the virgin land.

But It too got shattered now.

There was no sign of his youngest son. He sighed. He felt helpless.

But it was truly stranger.

Whenever a bonded slave died, his master felt a sharp pain in his soul. However, both Kasma and the girl had disappeared, and Jora had received no call.

There was something amiss here.

Jora frowned as he pulled back his attention from the fortified city to the current battle.

First, he had to take care of these pagans. His eyes glinted with green light.

Jora’s dry lips quivered. The sky rumbled above. The sun got scared so much that it fled the sky.

The pitch-black night fell in Minaak. One couldn’t even see one’s hand.

The bizarre phenomenon shocked the dark warriors and maharathis alike.

“Phantom of Guzaal!”

Vasu’s eyes widened as he looked at thirty feet dark figure hovering in the sky. Its green eyes reminded him of the darkest night of his life.

“Be careful! he is Jora, the blood-thirsty phantom, ” He warned his men. As he summoned all his beasts- five-headed snakes, golden ape, diamond panther, and a dozen more.

The face of other Maharathis turned grim.

Each of them had heard the dreadful tales of this wraith. Rumors filled with gory details, and darkness.

The magsmen said he was immortal and feasted on souls.

No astras could slay him.

According to one tale, Jora had swallowed the whole city of 10000 spirit-wielders called Guzaal. And thus he got his name ‘Phantom of Guzaal’.

Maharathis summoned their most powerful astras and arts as they organized themself in a human array.

“Kekekekekeke! OHHH hohohohoho! BWAAAHH hahahaha!” The eerie laugh made their pores stand.