Chapter 65 – Burning
The silence of the night was cut through by the deafening explosion that rocked Madhu’s mansion. Smoke and dust flooded the open space, but the crowd of people sat still, continuing to chant gibberish. Uruvi watched them with a mix of fear and anger. “Are they serious?”
“You can think of them later; we have a fight on our hands!” said Vishwas, as he chased after the Asura.
She could see their faces twitch and struggle with the fine dust falling on them, yet they remained resolute. However, their teacher, who sat in the front, was less hesitant to show his discomfort as he covered his mouth with a cloth. She shook her head and dashed towards the gate.
The cold air of the night rushed past Ashwin as he flew high above the wall and onto the street outside. Seconds before he could hit the ground, he fired off a powerful beam of light directed right at the ground. The blast pushed him forward, which let him hit the asphalt with a gentle tumble.
His third eye opened, revealing the approaching danger. He quickly leapt to his feet and out of the way just as the Asura smashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater behind. “You chose to come after me? I wonder why?” he said, with a smirk on his face.
“Sheep don’t talk before slaughter,” Madhu retorted. He lunged at Ashwin with his two blades, swinging them with precision and ferocity.
Ashwin quickly parried them with his sword, but he felt the immense strength behind each swing. He quickly went on his back foot, trying put some distance between them, but his opponent continued to chase after him.
Uruvi and Vishwas rushed out through the gateway, pausing for a moment to assess the situation.
“Shit. He is going to get himself killed!” said Vishwas as he rushed to his companion’s aid.
‘Arya. Any info on what we can expect?’ asked Uruvi as she watched the Asura’s moves carefully.
“Negative. No entries found on Madhu.”
‘Well, he doesn’t look to be of the level of Bhadra. Still, fighting him won’t be easy. Especially now.’
“Affirmative. Fatigue levels of companions are dangerously low. Uruvi, you must end the fight fast,” said Arya.
“Easy to say…” she mumbled as she shifted uneasily.
Vishwas lunged at the Asura, his gauntlets turned red-hot before erupting into flames as they approached the target. Madhu, however, easily parried the flurry of punches with his machete. Their rhythm was interrupted by a quick swipe from Ashwin, who aimed for Madhu's jugular, but instead met with thin air.
Madhu knelt down, slamming his hand into the ground. The asphalt around him erupted in concentric circles, with plumes of fire bursting out from underneath the tar.
“What the fuck!” Vishwas exclaimed as he leapt back. He felt a foot touch his shoulder, which he followed, only to see Uruvi leap above him and the fires.
She brought her axe down onto the Asura, who blocked it by crossing his pair of machetes. “Argh! Seriously?” She exclaimed.
A golden whip wrapped around Madhu’s arm before yanking it. The blades broke formation, letting the axe through and forcing him to leap back. He proceeded to yank on the line, pulling in Ashwin, who was too late to let the line go. He delivered a powerful kick into his opponent’s stomach, knocking him out. He followed it up with a final blow to the skull but was parried by an axe.
“Thunderclap!” she shouted. The shockwave threw the Asura into the air, but he recovered quickly and landed on his feet.
She snapped around and saw Ashwin lying on the ground.
“Uruvi, his vitals are doing fine. He is only unconscious,” said Arya.
‘Oh, thank god!’ She turned her attention back towards her opponent.
“Additionally, he applied a debuff to Madhu. Expect a drop in speed and defense,” said Arya.
‘That will help…’ Her eyes drifted up and saw no number or health bar above his head. ‘What the hell? Arya, can you pick up his health?’
“Negative. His stats are not readable,” Arya replied.
‘Looks like I am going to have to rely on instincts.’ She shot forward, engaging him with a flurry of swings from her axe. He expertly dodged around each swing while searching for any window of opportunity to strike back. ‘He is strong and fast, but…’
She suddenly broke her rhythm and slammed her leg into him, throwing him back onto the ground. Vishwas jumped at the opportunity, coming down onto him with a burning fist. The Asura spun like a top, moving out of the path of the fist just in time, while getting back onto his feet. He used the momentum of the spin to deliver a swift cut right at Vishwas’s neck, who barely managed to dodge it by rolling away.
Uruvi dashed in, swinging her axe to his right side, only for it to be stopped by his bare hands. “What the?”
He clenched his teeth as he smashed his hand into the blade, shattering the metal. She fell back with an audible gasp, stunned at the sheer strength.
“Uruvi! Get back!” Vishwas cried as he shoved her to the side, before being hit with a solid kick to his stomach.
Uruvi rolled onto her shoulder and landed on her knee. She watched Vishwas get thrown onto the ground.
“Vishwas's HP is at thirty-two percent. Presently unconscious,” said Arya.
She shifted her focus towards the Asura walking up to her, in a slow but confident stride. He wore a sly smirk, and his body appeared more relaxed.
“Let’s see how cocky you are without your axe,” he said.
‘Arya, are the debuffs still active?’
“Affirmative. His speed and defense have been reduced by fifteen percent. Uruvi, you can take him on.”
“Affirmative,” she said, gritting her teeth. She threw the handle of her axe with all her strength, but he casually dodged it.
She dashed towards him with her fists clenched, her heart racing, and anger flooding every muscle in her body. A red aura enveloped her, and the world around her seemed to slow down. She came to a sudden stop about a foot away from him. He quickly adapted, going onto his back foot.
She threw her clenched fist right into his face, which he blocked with ease. She quickly followed it up with a knee to his stomach, which appeared to have caught him off-guard. She proceeded to lay in a flurry of punches, aiming for his head and ribs, occasionally switching it up with kicks. He was sharp enough to block a few and try to parry those he could, but the difference in speed became all the more clear. He tried to counter with his spells, throwing an occasional fire punch, only to be parried with ease.
She slammed her foot into his belly, throwing him back, but he managed to stay on his feet. He threw a sharp glare at her before bringing his hand down onto the ground.
Suddenly, a beam of light appeared out of the night and slammed into the Asura. Uruvi looked to her right and saw Rambha standing at a distance holding a large cannon with both hands.
“Uruvi! Finish him!” she cried out.
“Right!” She thrust her hand forward. “Riptide!”
A column of water formed before her upon which a massive wave rode straight into the Asura, who was woefully unprepared. The wave crashed into him, throwing him onto the ground, while ripping the ground beneath the column violently.
She paused and watched him with bated breath as he struggled to push himself off the ground.
‘He looks battered. Now is my chance!’
Just as she stepped forward, Rambha cried out her name once again. “On your right!” she said.
The roar of a two-stroke engine drowned the silence of the night. Bright yellow drew her attention, which was immediately followed by the loud screeching of the brakes as a figure dressed in white arrived atop a motorcycle. Uruvi leapt off its path as it took a sharp U-turn, before coming to a stop between her and Madhu.
The rider was dressed in a dull white tunic and torn skinny jeans. Her fair skin contrasted with the darkness of the night, while her long black hair and dark eyes framed a narrow face. A face she and her companions knew too well.
“Sana?” said Uruvi.
It was a face that was plastered everywhere. On every other screen, billboard, and newspaper ad. She was revered for her acting, but no one knew how good an actress she was in real life as well.
Sana paid no attention to Uruvi, turning towards Madhu, who was picking himself up. “Get on!” she commanded.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he said with a grunt.
“No time for explanation. We need to run," she said.
“The hell are you!” said Uruvi as she lunged forward. A sharp blade sliced through the air, pushing her back and earning a yelp from Rambha, who watched the affair from a distance.
“I am giving you a chance to live. Take it,” said Sana, who held her large, broad blade against Uruvi’s throat.
“Get out… I have unfinished business,” said Madhu as he limped around the motorcycle.
Sana shot a glance at his weathered state. “No time. Someone far worse is coming our way.”
He stopped and shot a confused look at her. “Who?”
Sana’s eye shifted between Uruvi and Rambha, who stood still as statues. She saw the two men behind Uruvi getting up on their feet. “Get on now… We must not delay.”
He let out a low growl and hopped on to the backseat. Sana twisted the accelerator, and the engine roared. The bike shot forward, vanishing into the darkness of the night.
“Fucking hell…” Uruvi cursed under her breath before letting out a dull sigh.