Age of Asura [Progression, LitRPG, Apocalypse]

A few days ago.

Bhadraksha watched over the city from the top of a tall building. The sunset had drenched the concrete landscape in a hue of orange and red. “What a grotesque sight.” Before him laid vast area of concrete jungle that had eaten into the lush green nature. He felt the pain of Mother Earth, who was forced to carry the heavy burden that the humans had laid upon her.

He turned his attention back to his screen. The map did not show him any anomalies, but he knew well that there were many more hiding outside the boundaries of his little map. “Oh Parameshwara (Supreme Lord). Protect them from these horrible times.”

The sun dripped beneath the horizon, drenching the city in darkness. The chaos seemed to have subsided within the city, at least the kind that deserved his attention. He stood on the bank of an enormous lake, staring into his screen.

‘All the portals seemed to have closed up, and still no sign of the source. Was the old man wrong?’ He closed his screen and looked at the moon that hovered over the lake. ‘Or were we just too late?’

He stared at the moon’s reflection on the surface of the lake when he noticed something peculiar. The large pristine white was interrupted by a suspicious black dot right in the middle of it. He focused on the dark spot, revealing a creature that should not have been on Earth.

It crossed its arms and flashed its bright white teeth, inviting him over. He accepted the offer and stepped onto the filthy, toxic water that filled the lake. His feet touched and stood on the surface of the water, as if it were a solid object. As he got closer, he got a better picture of it, or rather, her.

A Rakshasi, a female demon. She was a very human-like being, with dark, midnight blue skin and yellow eyes. Her raven black hair flowed down her shoulders, with a pair of large goat horns protruding from her skull. She had a lean figure and a lean face with sharp features. She hovered over the surface of the water, while her black cloak fluttered with the wind like it were a living being. “You are not supposed to be here. Not yet, anyway,” she said. Her voice sounded soft and hollow.

“Not yet?” asked Bhadra.

“Master has a plan for everything and everyone. They ask you not to let your pragmatism get the better of you.”

Bhadra could not stop himself from letting out a chuckle. “Who is this master of yours?”

“They will reveal themselves when the time is right.”

“And when is that supposed to be?”

“That master will decide.”

“Hmph. What is your master’s end goal anyway? Creating irreversible damage to this world, how do they plan to justify their actions?”

“Master has seen possibilities that you could only dream of. They wish to make a world for our kind. The world we deserve.”

“Our kind?”

“That day is not far away. Six days from now, when the Sun reaches noon, the world shall witness its second convergence. A path between worlds that will let those who are more deserving inhabit this world.”

Bhadra was taken aback by her bluntness. “I believe you might have let some key information slip.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Master wanted you to know, and now you do.”

“Is that so? I guess I will have to get the rest of the information… myself.”

She let out a smirk. “Go ahead. Try your best.”

He lunged at her without any hesitation. His eyes were locked onto her, trying to look past any illusions. He threw his fist right at her, only to be met by an invisible wall. The water underneath them parted ways, creating a depression that began to pull him in. ‘A straightforward defense? She is confident she can take me head-on.’

He drew his arm back and delivered another punch, shattering the shield, before pushing forward with a flurry of punches. The Rakshasi danced over the surface of the water, her lean body letting her dodge his fists with ease. She flipped backwards, striking him in his chin with her right leg and pushing back. As she landed back onto the surface of the water, she threw her hand up into the air, pointing at the moon above them.

He watched as a silvery line shot out from fingers, heading towards the moon, before bringing it down onto him. He shuffled away from the line of attack, which cut the water in half, creating a rift that reached the bottom of the lake.

His feet landed in the decaying flora at the bottom, followed by the Rakshasi, who nimbly hovered over the ground. He charged at her, his fists glowing in a bright orange hue. The narrow space between the walls of water gave her little room for her to evade. However, she didn’t need to. She parried his fists with relative ease, taking little to no damage in the process.

‘Not only is her combat prowess good, but her strength is also unmatched.’

She brought her hands together as she shot up into the air. The walls began to collapse as the rift began to flood with water. He leapt into the air, chasing after her, before catching her by her foot. The two dropped back onto the surface of the water, whereupon he managed to pin her down.

“You are good. Very good. That strength of yours… It didn’t come naturally, now, did it?” asked Badra.

“In this world of illusions, there is nothing natural,” she said, gritting her teeth. “You may be an Asura, but your body is still mortal.”

The surface beneath her popped, and the two plunged into the water. Bhadra felt like the Rakshasi just melted in his arms. He looked around the deep blue water and found no sign of her.

Suddenly, several large fish plunged into the water and began to surround him. As they got closer, they took the shape of women with large fins on their backs and tails where their legs should have been. He could see their razor-sharp claws and teeth hiding behind their inky black hair.

‘Mastyakanya (Mermaid)? No…’ They were Matsyamohini (Sirens).

They charged at him, baring their fangs and claws, taking a swipe every time they passed by. He could feel their attacks reaching dangerously close to his throat. He managed to grab onto one of them by its tail, dragging her back and slamming her into another one. A pool of blood appeared as their bodies hung in the water, lifeless.

Two of them fled immediately, while the rest circled back toward him. ‘Not giving up that easily, are you?’

One of them stopped at a distance before letting out an ear-piercing scream. The water around him trembled to the beat of her voice, squeezing the breath out of his lungs. He watched another appear before him before morphing back into the Rakshasi.

Water began to flood his lungs as he felt himself drowning. However, he persisted, grabbing her by her throat and dragging her down with him. She quickly flipped around and dragged him into the dark depths.

‘We should have reached the lakebed by now…’

He let her go and began to swim toward the light at the surface. He saw the other Matsyamohini flee. Turning back, the water beneath him began to pool at the bottom, creating a large bubble. ‘An explosion!’ He knew well he would not survive an explosion underwater.

He put all his strength, pushing himself to reach the light. The water around him heated up, and he felt his body almost give up on him.

Suddenly, out of the blue came another woman with a tail. He prepared himself for another fight, only to be whisked away by her. Fresh air surrounded him once again as the water beneath them exploded, covering them in fine mist.

They crashed back into the water before being launched into the air again. He felt all the water in his lungs forced out by the force of the jumps, letting him breathe air once again.

His hand sank into the soft sand as he pushed himself off the ground. He looked around and saw an endless body of water on one side and vast plains of grassland on the other. “How? How did I reach here?” he asked.

The woman’s tail receded, revealing a pair of weak legs. They had just enough strength for her to walk up to him. She immediately knelt on one knee and bowed her head. “Lord Badraksha.”

He immediately gestured for her to get up. “There is no need. Where am I?”

“You are on the shores of the Arabian Sea,” she said as she got up on her feet. “You may remember it as Para Samudra."

There was a look of bewilderment on his face, but it quickly melted away. “I have travelled a great distance in the blink of an eye.” He walked towards the sea and looked at the moon gazing upon them. “The enemy is far more powerful than I imagined. Then again… It is my own misjudgment that is to blame.”

She clasped her hands and asked, “lord… the sea… It's panicking. It senses something is wrong.”

“That is because Lord Varuna (God of the seas) is not here anymore.”

A surge of fear filled her heart. “What do you mean, my lord?”

“The world is operating without its preservers. Until that void is filled, I am not sure what is going to happen.”