Karna's eyes sharpened instantly.
Without hesitation, he called out calmly yet firmly.
"Tvara."
The next moment, reality itself distorted slightly before him.
A golden portal opened in the air.
One of the seven divine steeds of his celestial chariot burst forth from within it like a streak of lightning.
The horse landed heavily against the stone road, its white-golden mane blazing beneath the torchlight while divine energy crackled faintly around its body. Of all the celestial horses, Tvara was the fastest.
Karna mounted the steed in one smooth motion.
The instant his hands gripped the reins... Tvara exploded forward.
The road beneath shattered slightly from the force.
The city walls blurred past.
Cold night wind slammed against Karna's face as the divine horse raced toward the northwestern forest beyond Dvarika's outer regions. Trees became streaks of darkness around them while the distant battle noises faded behind.
Within minutes, he found them.
A lone rider speeding through an isolated forest path beneath the moonlight.
And draped helplessly before him was a woman in royal attire.
Her voice reached Karna immediately when her eyes spotted him.
"Karna…!"
It was Subhadra.
Karna's face instantly turned cold.
"STOP!"
His voice thundered through the forest.
The fleeing rider suddenly pulled the reins hard.
*Neigh*
The horse skidded violently across the dirt path before stopping amidst swirling dust and scattered leaves.
Slowly…
The figure turned around.
Moonlight fell upon him.
Dark armor.
Cruel eyes.
A face carrying traces of divinity corrupted into monstrous arrogance.
When they came face to face, he immediately sensed the divinity of Bhudevi and Vishnu himself. And as per his knowledge, there is only one being that has both of their divinity. The child born from the union of Bhudevi and Lord Varaha
Narakasura, the King of Pragjyotisha.
But never in the world did he expect the child of Lord Varaha himself to become an asura.
Shock filled Karna's face for a moment. But then his eyes changed as they fell on the woman who was being abducted.
Subhadra struggled weakly against Narakasura while breathing heavily, her clothes disheveled from the violent ride. Relief flashed across her face the moment she saw Karna.
Without any hesitation, Karna raised his right hand calmly.
Golden light erupted beside him.
The mighty Vijaya Dhanush manifested into existence with a deep metallic hum that echoed through the surroundings.
The surrounding air itself seemed to tense as Karna aimed the bow directly at Narakasura.
"Release her," he said coldly.
Then, after a pause, his voice lowered further.
"Or your death tonight will be gruesome, Raja Narakasura."
For a second…
Silence lingered beneath the moonlit trees.
Then Narakasura burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
The sound felt twisted and unpleasant, echoing unnaturally through the forest.
"You kill me?" he mocked arrogantly. "Narakasura? Fool…"
Without warning... He drew his bow instantly and released an arrow.
The projectile screamed through the air like a streak of black fire.
But Karna moved even faster.
TWANG!
His arrow left Vijaya like lightning.
The two arrows collided midair.
BOOM!
The impact exploded into sparks that illuminated the forest path.
Narakasura's smile faded slightly.
Then both warriors moved simultaneously.
Arrow after arrow erupted into the night.
Narakasura unleashed volleys rapidly, his corrupted divine energy coating each projectile in dark purple flames. Trees shattered around Karna while the ground exploded repeatedly beneath the impacts.
But not a single arrow reached him.
Not one.
Karna's movements remained terrifyingly calm.
His fingers blurred across the bowstring with frightening precision. Every incoming arrow was intercepted before reaching him, destroyed mid-flight through perfect timing and overwhelming accuracy.
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!
The sounds of bowstrings echoed endlessly through the forest.
Sparks rained across the night.
Leaves tore apart from the pressure waves.
Subhadra could barely follow the exchange anymore.
All she saw were streaks of golden and dark light colliding endlessly between the two warriors.
Narakasura frowned.
Then increased his speed.
Three arrows.
Five.
Ten.
They came from different angles, curving unnaturally through the air.
Karna's eyes remained steady.
His fingers drew faster.
Every collision exploded closer and closer to Narakasura's side instead.
Narakasura's expression slowly darkened.
Because he realized something unsettling.
Karna was not merely blocking him.
He was pushing him back.
The pressure behind Karna's arrows continuously forced Narakasura's horse to retreat step by step across the forest path.
Then suddenly, frustration exploded out of him.
With a furious roar, Narakasura kicked himself off the horse and landed heavily upon the forest ground.
The impact cracked the dirt beneath his feet while his dark armor rattled violently. In one motion, he drew a massive curved sword and raised his shield, his corrupted aura erupting outward like black smoke.
"You arrogant human!" he roared.
He charged forward.
The ground trembled beneath his brute force.
Meanwhile, Karna calmly stepped down from Tvara's back. His boots landed softly against the earth despite the tension filling the air around him. The divine horse moved aside instantly, understanding its master's intent.
Karna dismissed Vijaya.
The mighty bow dissolved into particles of golden light.
Then slowly…
He raised his right hand.
A terrifying radiance erupted beside him, and Suryatej materialized.
The heat surrounding the blade distorted the air itself while ancient divine inscriptions glowed faintly across its surface.
The moment Narakasura sensed the sword...
His eyes widened.
Danger.
For the first time during the battle…
He truly felt danger.
But by then, Karna had already moved.
SHING!
The slash descended with overwhelming force.
Narakasura barely managed to raise his shield in time.
BOOOOM!
The divine blade struck the shield and shattered it instantly. Fragments exploded across the battlefield while the shockwave rippled through the trees.
Narakasura staggered.
And Karna's kick followed immediately, his foot driving straight into the Narakasura's stomach.
The impact sounded like a drum struck by thunder.
Narakasura was blasted backward through the forest, crashing violently through multiple trees before finally skidding across the dirt.
*Cough* Cough*
The demon coughed heavily, rage twisting his face.
"I'll kill you..."
Then he roared and surged forward again using pure monstrous strength, his muscles swelling beneath the corrupted divine energy surrounding him. This time, he slammed directly into Karna with enough force to push even him backward several steps.
The earth beneath Karna's feet cracked from the pressure.
Then... the swords collided.
CLANG!
Sparks erupted wildly between them.
Narakasura attacked ferociously, his blade descending again and again with brutal force meant to overwhelm through sheer aggression. Every strike carried enough power to split stone.
But Karna's movements remained composed.
Precise.
and completely controlled.
He parried with frightening efficiency, redirecting heavy strikes at slight angles rather than meeting them directly. Suryatej danced through the darkness like concentrated sunlight while Narakasura's corrupted weapon emitted waves of black energy.
The battle intensified rapidly.
Their swords clashed repeatedly while shockwaves tore through the surrounding trees.
Narakasura swung horizontally.
Karna ducked beneath it and countered upward.
Narakasura twisted away barely in time.
Narakasura attempted to shoulder-slam him again using brute force, but Karna pivoted smoothly to the side and drove his elbow into Narakasura's ribs hard enough to stagger him.
Then Suryatej flashed.
One clean strike and Narakasura's sword shattered.
The broken weapon spun away into the darkness.
Before he could react... Karna stepped forward and thrust Suryatej directly through Narakasura's armor.
The blade pierced deeply.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
*Graaaa*
Narakasura let out a furious scream.
But then...
The wound began healing.
The bleeding slowed unnaturally fast.
The flesh regenerated before Karna's eyes.
Karna narrowed his gaze slightly.
Regeneration.
A troublesome ability that those with divine energy or asuric energy can use to heal their wounds.
But it did not stop him.
Again and again, Suryatej cut through Narakasura's body.
Shoulder.
Chest.
Arm.
Side.
Each wound bled heavily before healing moments later.
And with every strike, Narakasura's frustration only grew further.
Because, despite his regeneration…
The pain remained real.