The words sounded arrogant at first. But when he looked more carefully at Arjuna's face, he saw something different. There was no mockery, no desire to look down on the Nishada prince. Only quiet, genuine confidence — the kind that came from a man who truly believed he stood above his opponent.
Ekalavya did not react to the tone. He simply reached into his quiver, took an arrow, and held it between his index and middle fingers instead of the usual way. He drew the bowstring back with a smooth, practiced motion and settled into a stance, aiming straight at Arjuna.
Arjuna's eyes widened slightly.
"So this is what he has developed…" he thought. "Let us see it then."
Ekalavya released the arrow.
It flew true, but not as fast as Arjuna had expected. He shifted his weight and stepped aside with ease. The arrow passed harmlessly by and buried itself in the ground behind him.
Arjuna spoke as he straightened.
"Yes. It can be an alternative style to the traditional one we are taught. But it cannot replace it."
He nocked an arrow of his own and released it in one fluid motion. The shaft cut through the air with sharp speed.
Ekalavya's eyes flickered with surprise, yet he twisted his body and dodged cleanly. The arrow whistled past his shoulder.
That was the end of the polite opening.
From that moment, both men began to move.
Arjuna stepped forward quickly, firing two arrows in rapid succession while advancing. Ekalavya dropped low, rolling to the side, then came up already drawing his next shot. Arrows crossed in the air between them. Some struck the stone floor and shattered. Others embedded themselves in wooden pillars or the soft earth of the courtyard.
Ekalavya charged in a low run, releasing an arrow while still moving. Arjuna leapt lightly over it, twisted in mid-air, and sent a return shot downward. Ekalavya slid under the arrow and came up again, already reaching for another.
The exchange grew faster.
Midway through the fight, Ekalavya suddenly changed his drawing style. While pulling the bowstring, he brought his fourth finger into play as well, keeping the arrow firmly between his index and middle fingers. The new grip gave him a slightly different release angle, and the arrow carried more speed and power than before. One of his arrows forced Arjuna to twist sharply to the side, closer than before.
Arjuna's expression remained focused, but a rare, small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He was enjoying this.
The quivers grew lighter.
When only a handful of arrows remained, both men began to move with greater urgency.
They charged toward each other, boots scraping against stone. Arjuna dove to the ground, snatched an arrow that had fallen earlier, and fired it while still rising. Ekalavya did the same a heartbeat later — grabbing a spent shaft from the earth and releasing it in one continuous motion.
Their arrows crossed again, colliding this time with great accuracy and deflected from their paths.
By now a large crowd had gathered. Soldiers lined the edges of the courtyard. Royal guests stood among them — Duryodhana, Yudhishthira, Shakuni, and Jarasandha had all arrived. Karna quietly explained the nature of the challenge: the first clean strike would decide the winner.
Jarasandha watched with open interest.
"Arjuna is as skilled as the rumors claim," he said. "Truly befitting of Drona's finest disciple."
Duryodhana folded his arms, eyes fixed on the Nishada prince.
"Ekalavya is the impressive one, Maharaj. I never expected Ekalavya to become this skilled. Years ago, when injustice was served to him because of Arjuna, I thought his future as an archer was over."
Yudhishthira remained silent for a long moment, simply observing.
Jarasandha turned to Karna.
"Who do you think will win, Karna?"
Karna answered without hesitation.
"Prince Arjuna. No doubt about it."
Jarasandha raised an eyebrow at the firmness of the reply. "You seemed fully convinced."
Karna shrugged, "It's because I fought him and I sparred with Ekalavya as well."
The King of Dakshina Kalinga then glanced toward Duryodhana. "Prince Duryodhana, you trained with Arjuna in the same gurukul. You know what he is capable of. Does he look like he is trying his best?"
Duryodhana studied Arjuna carefully. The Pandava moved left and right with a rare, almost relaxed smile on his face, still matching Ekalavya blow for blow. Ekalavya's expression, by contrast, remained tight and restrained.
Duryodhana refused to admit it.
But then, Yudhishthira finally spoke.
"No."
Jarasandha's face grew more serious. "So Ekalavya has no chance of winning?"
Karna's eyes stayed on the two archers. "That depends on whether he is willing to use his speciality, shoot two arrows at once and take Arjuna by surprise."
Just as the words left his mouth, something unexpected happened — even for Karna.
Arjuna suddenly leapt high into the air, sailing past Ekalavya. For a split second it looked as if he would land behind him. But before his feet touched the ground, Arjuna twisted his body so that his head faced downward. In that inverted position, with blazing speed, he nocked an arrow, drew, and released.
The shaft struck Ekalavya cleanly in the back.
The courtyard fell silent for a heartbeat.
Then the first clean strike of the match was over.
Ekalavya stood frozen for a moment, the arrow still lodged lightly against the back of his armor. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. Sweat ran down the side of his face and dripped onto the stone floor. The sudden strike from behind had caught him completely off guard.
He slowly lowered his bow. His fingers tightened around the grip once more, then relaxed.
"…I accept defeat," he said, voice steady despite the exhaustion.
Arjuna landed lightly on the ground, already turning to face him. He gave a small nod of respect.
"That was a good spar."
Then his eyes shifted toward Karna.
For a brief second it looked as if he were making a silent statement — that he had proven himself.
But a moment later the expression changed. He looked directly at Karna and spoke with quiet, unshakable resolve.
"When I have mastered every divyastra… when I hold a divine bow equal to your Vijaya Dhanush… when I carry no disadvantage compared to your gifts — I will stand before you, Karna. And on that day, I will prove before all of Aryavarta that I am the greatest archer this world has ever known."
Karna regarded him for a short while. Then he shook his head once, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"If that is what it takes for you to believe," he said calmly, "then fine. I will welcome your challenge. You have my word."