"Om, my son… yes, I stayed far away. But I never truly left you alone. I was always there for you. And Om… you were chosen. You have to save everyone you still can. Great power always comes with responsibilities… and we cannot run from them."
Hearing his grandfather's words, Om finally broke down completely. Tears streamed endlessly down his face as he collapsed onto his knees and whispered,
"But why me…? I don't want any of this…"
Even after hearing that, Dhoomketu remained calm.
For a while, he simply watched Om cry.
Then Om spoke again, his voice trembling with emotion.
"Please forgive me, Grandpa… I couldn't save you… but please… please tell me you're not dying. Please, Grandpa… I don't want to lose you. I just found you after so many years. I want to spend time with you… I want to take you home with me… please tell me nothing happened to you…"
Seeing Om so shattered, Dhoomketu slowly walked toward him and pulled him into a hug.
"My child… life and destiny are not in our hands. Even I cannot control death. Yes… I am dying."
Om's eyes filled again.
"But as for time…" Dhoomketu continued softly, "I will always remain with you."
Then he gently pulled away and placed both hands on Om's shoulders.
"Listen to me carefully now. Recognize your powers. The world is changing. Danger on Earth is growing every second… and protecting it is now your responsibility."
His voice became firmer.
"Leave this childish thinking behind. Rise above life and death. Focus on your growth… focus on mastering your powers. Because if you stay like this, then one day you'll lose everything… and the regret will destroy you from within."
Om silently listened while tears rolled down his cheeks.
"I know the burden on your shoulders is far too heavy for someone your age… but you still have to carry it."
Then Dhoomketu smiled proudly.
"Do not waste time fighting change, my child. Accept it. Grow stronger. Make me proud… even if you have to stand against the entire world to do it."
His eyes softened.
"Protect your loved ones… but first make the whole world your own. Then protect it."
Those words slowly reignited something inside Om.
The confidence he had lost… began returning.
Wiping his tears, Om looked at Dhoomketu and asked,
"But how am I supposed to do all this alone? You saw them too. Just those three demons were overpowering everyone. Their strength isn't meant for humans to fight against… and my powers weren't even hurting them. How can I possibly defeat monsters like them?"
Hearing that, Dhoomketu smiled faintly and looked up toward the endless sky.
"Om… you still have no idea what you are truly capable of."
Then he continued,
"And besides… you are not alone. But even if you were, it would not matter."
He slowly raised one finger.
"Throw even a tiny stone into a river… and it creates ripples through the entire water. One small stone is enough to shake the whole river."
Then he looked directly into Om's eyes.
"And you… are no ordinary stone."
A proud smile appeared on his face.
"You are a young man burning with living energy itself. You have the power to shake not just this world… but this entire universe."
His voice echoed powerfully through the white void.
"So never underestimate yourself, Om. Just believe in yourself… because you can do anything."
Meanwhile—
while Om and Dhoomketu spoke in that mysterious dimension…
the real battlefield had not stopped.
Vipul, Adi, and the masked boy were still desperately fighting against the three demons.
While clashing against Vipul, Vyomasur laughed darkly.
"Angel… accept your defeat already. The gods' final hope is lying there covered in blood. Your body is slowly disappearing too… which means your time is running out as well."
Then he pointed toward Om's lifeless body.
"Tell me… after you're gone, who will stop us? That child? That old man? You three generations are the very reason we siblings will establish the Demon Kingdom today!"
His grin widened with madness.
"From this moment onward… the Age of Demons begins!"
Then his face twisted cruelly.
"But sadly… you father and sons won't live long enough to witness it. Of course, all of you must die first… and after that…"
He looked toward the world beyond.
"Humanity will be next."
Then his eyes returned to Om's body.
"But before all that… I think I'll feast on the boy's corpse first."
He laughed wickedly.
"What a delicious meal he'll make… hahaha!"
The moment Vipul heard someone talk about his son like that—
something inside him snapped again.
With pure rage, he kicked Vyomasur away violently before standing protectively in front of Om's body.
Then he slowly pointed his sword toward Vyomasur, Jeevanashini, and Balasur.
His glowing red eyes burned with fury.
"From this moment onward… if any one of you even touches my son again…"
The ground beneath them started trembling.
"…then remember this carefully."
The divine energy around Vipul suddenly exploded outward.
"I won't leave even a single demon alive to witness your so-called Demon Age."
The instant those words left his mouth—
all three demons froze.
A terrifying pressure suddenly filled the battlefield.
Vipul's power had increased several times over.
The energy radiating from his body alone was enough to suffocate them.
Vyomasur stared at him in disbelief.
"Impossible… this… this is the power of the gods… but how?! How can a mere human body contain this much power?!"
But unlike him—
Balasur became excited.
Laughing wildly, he rushed toward Vipul while leaping into the air.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! So we finally get to fight a god! Come on then! Let's finish this game… and then eat that boy!"
Swinging his giant sword toward Vipul's head, Balasur attacked—
—but suddenly—
Vipul vanished.
Before Balasur could react, Vipul appeared behind him instantly and slashed his sword across Balasur's back.
A deep wound tore open.
Green blood splashed across the battlefield.
At the same time, Vyomasur and Jeevanashini also charged forward to attack Vipul—
—but suddenly—
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
A heartbeat echoed across the battlefield.
Loud.
Heavy.
Overwhelming.
And along with it—
a monstrous pressure of energy began spreading through the sky itself.
The moment the three demons felt it—
terror spread across their faces.
It felt as though that energy alone could kill them.
Meanwhile, Vipul took advantage of the distraction and stabbed his sword directly into Balasur's chest.
But despite the attack, the blade barely pierced through.
Balasur's skin was tougher than metal itself.
Then—
a few seconds later—
even Vipul sensed that terrifying energy in the sky.
But unlike the demons…
a smile slowly appeared on his face.
Because he already knew who that power belonged to.
Slowly, he turned toward Om's body.
And so did the three demons.
Jeevanashini's voice trembled in fear.
"Brother… is… is that…?"
Understanding exactly what she meant, Vyomasur answered grimly,
"Yes… he's still alive."
Fury immediately exploded inside him.
Raising his hand into the air, an enormous spear of ice formed instantly in his grip.
"We cannot allow this to happen!" he roared. "Forget the angel for now! Everyone attack the boy first! We'll deal with the angel later!"
But then—
suddenly—
Balasur stepped backward while staring at Om's body.
"I surrender… I don't want to fight anymore."
Vyomasur looked at him in disbelief.
"Bala! We came this far and now, when victory is right in front of us, you want to run away like a coward?!"
But then he noticed something horrifying.
Balasur's entire body was trembling.
Even in his monstrous beast form, every strand of fur on his body stood upright in fear.
His eyes…
were filled with terror.
Like a wild dog standing before a lion.
And while trembling, Balasur whispered,
"Big brother… can't you feel it? This energy spreading through the air… do you understand what level it's on?"
His voice shook.
"Do you really think… we can defeat something like that?"