The sky above Delhi burnt crimson.
Flames tore across the heavens like cracks in reality itself, turning night into a blood-red nightmare. Towering buildings that once kissed the clouds now stood as broken skeletons of steel and glass, their remains swallowed by smoke and fire.
The earth trembled.
Explosions echoed from every direction.
Alien warships hovered above the ruined city, their metallic bodies glowing with eerie blue runes as beams of destruction rained down upon the last defenders of Earth.
At the centre of the battlefield stood a lone man.
Rudra.
His black robe, once embroidered with golden dragon patterns, was now soaked in blood and torn in dozens of places. His breathing was ragged. A deep wound ran across his chest, glowing with poisonous purple energy.
Yet his eyes still burnt with terrifying determination.
Around him stood ten women.
His disciples.
The ten stars who had followed him from the very beginning.
Each one was a legend in her own right.
The Sword Saint.
The Divine Healer.
The Shadow Hacker.
The Celestial Seer.
The Crimson Spear Queen.
And the others who had once shaken the world with their names.
Now, they stood in a circle around him, facing the endless tide of alien soldiers pouring into the ruins.
"Master," the silver-haired swordswoman said softly, gripping her blade tighter, "we'll hold them here."
Rudra's eyes trembled.
"No," he said, his voice hoarse. "Retreat. This battle is already lost."
The woman smiled.
A sad, gentle smile.
The healer stepped closer, blood trickling from the corner of her lips.
"We followed you in life," she whispered.
The hacker girl laughed weakly, brushing ash from her face.
"So of course we'll follow you in death too."
Rudra clenched his fists.
For the first time in decades, fear gripped his heart.
Not afraid for himself.
Fear for them.
The sky split open.
A monstrous alien beast descended from above, its body larger than a skyscraper, its eyes glowing like twin suns.
Its roar shattered the air.
The Sword Saint moved first.
With a flash of silver light, she shot upward.
Her blade cut through the darkness like a falling star.
BOOM!
The impact sent shockwaves across the city.
She managed to sever one of the creature's limbs—
But the beast's claw pierced straight through her chest.
Time stopped.
Rudra's eyes widened.
"NO!"
She looked down at the claw impaling her, then turned back toward him.
Even then, she smiled.
"Master… live."
Her body exploded into countless particles of light.
Rudra stood frozen.
The first star had fallen.
Then came the second.
The Spear Queen charged into the alien ranks, tearing through dozens of enemies before being engulfed by a storm of plasma fire.
The healer sacrificed her life force to block a fatal strike aimed at Rudra.
The seer used forbidden divination to stall time itself, only for her soul to shatter.
One by one.
They fell.
Each death tore another piece from Rudra's heart.
The battlefield that once roared with war now echoed only with grief.
By the time the dust settled, only Rudra remained.
And before him stood two figures.
A man in white.
A woman in crimson.
His closest friend.
And the woman he had once loved.
Rudra stared at them, disbelief mixing with fury.
"You…"
His friend smiled coldly.
"It's over, Rudra."
The woman looked at him without emotion.
"You were always too blind to see the truth."
Above them, the alien warships lowered their cannons.
Rudra's blood ran cold.
Betrayal.
At the very end.
His eyes turned toward the place where his disciples had fallen.
Ten empty spaces.
Ten lives lost.
Ten regrets carved into his soul.
The flames reflected in his eyes as he slowly rose to his feet.
Blood dripped from his fingers.
His aura exploded.
The ruined city trembled once more.
"If heaven grants me another chance…"
His voice shook with rage.
"…I swear upon my soul…"
Thunder split the heavens.
"I WILL KILL EVERY TRAITOR."
A beam of light descended from the largest alien warship.
It swallowed him whole.
And darkness consumed everything.