CHAPTER 39, THE FIRST MOVE
The hospital room was silent, wrapped in a stillness that felt almost unnatural.
The only sound breaking that silence was the steady rhythm of a machine—
Beep… Beep… Beep…
Each sound echoed softly, as if reminding the world that the life lying on that bed still existed… barely.
Krrish's eyes were open.
But he wasn't truly looking at the ceiling above him.
He was somewhere deeper.
Inside his own mind.
---
For a long time, he didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't react.
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Because he was thinking.
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Not like an ordinary person.
Not emotionally.
---
But strategically.
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Every memory he had just received—
every fragment of Leo Thomson's life—
was being broken down, piece by piece.
Analyzed.
Understood.
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"…So this is the life I've entered."
The thought formed slowly.
Calmly.
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There was no anger in his expression.
No immediate rage.
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Only clarity.
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He slowly blinked, adjusting to the weight of this new body.
It felt wrong.
Not injured.
Not damaged.
---
But limited.
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His fingers twitched slightly.
Even that small movement felt heavy, as if his body resisted his will.
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"…Weak."
He acknowledged it without denial.
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This was not his original body.
Not the one that could shatter mountains or stand against kings.
---
This body—
belonged to a man who had never won a single battle in his life.
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Leo Thomson.
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A name that carried no respect.
No fear.
No value.
---
Only disappointment.
---
Krrish slowly turned his head, feeling the strain in his neck.
Even that simple action demanded effort.
---
"…Interesting."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
---
"This isn't just a limitation…"
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"…it's a condition."
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He closed his eyes again.
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And this time—
he didn't just recall memories.
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He organized them.
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"Jain Thomson…"
His father.
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A man obsessed with status.
With reputation.
With how the world perceived him.
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"He doesn't care about truth…"
Krrish analyzed quietly.
---
"He cares about control."
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"For him, Leo was never a son…"
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"Just a failure he couldn't hide."
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Next—
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"Liya Thomson…"
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His mother.
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"She's not cruel…"
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"But she's weak."
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"She chose silence over justice."
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"She watched everything happen…"
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"And did nothing."
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Krrish's expression didn't change.
---
"Silence is worse than betrayal."
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Then—
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"Shane Thomson."
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His stepbrother.
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At this point—
Krrish's eyes opened slightly.
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"The most dangerous one."
---
"Because he doesn't rely on strength…"
---
"He relies on perception."
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"He creates lies…"
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"And makes them look like truth."
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A faint pause.
---
"People like him…"
---
"…are harder to defeat than warriors."
---
Because warriors fight openly.
---
But manipulators—
---
control the battlefield itself.
---
Then—
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"The sisters."
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Jia.
Luna.
Aarti.
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"Emotionally driven."
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"They don't seek truth…"
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"They accept what's convenient."
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"They follow the strongest narrative."
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Krrish's gaze hardened slightly.
---
"That makes them easy to control…"
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"…but dangerous in groups."
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And finally—
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"Claire Thomson."
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Silence filled the room for a moment.
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The name carried more weight than the others.
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"His wife."
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"The one person who should have been his support."
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"But wasn't."
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Krrish's eyes darkened slightly.
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"She never loved him."
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"Not even once."
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"She stayed because it was convenient…"
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"Because it was expected…"
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"Because it benefited her."
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And behind him—
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"She chose someone else."
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Not just emotionally.
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But completely.
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Krrish exhaled slowly.
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"…So this is the battlefield."
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No armies.
No kingdoms.
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Just people.
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Flawed.
Selfish.
Weak.
---
And yet—
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dangerous.
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Because they didn't fight with strength.
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They fought with choices.
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Krrish slowly opened his eyes again.
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"If I fight them directly…"
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"I lose."
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The conclusion came instantly.
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Because in this world—
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he had nothing.
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No power.
No authority.
---
Not even respect.
---
He lifted his hand again.
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It trembled.
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Unstable.
---
Unreliable.
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"…Force is not an option."
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"So I change the method."
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His eyes sharpened.
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"I don't attack them."
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"I make them collapse."
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From within.
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At that moment—
the door opened.
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A nurse walked in, holding a file.
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"Oh… you're awake?"
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Krrish turned his head slightly, observing her.
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Her posture.
Her tone.
Her reaction.
---
Everything.
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"Yes…" he replied softly.
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"How long… have I been here?"
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The nurse glanced at the file.
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"Three days."
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"You were in critical condition."
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"If you had come any later…"
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She didn't finish.
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She didn't need to.
---
Krrish already understood.
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"I would have died."
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The nurse nodded.
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"You should rest."
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"And…"
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She hesitated.
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"Your family hasn't visited."
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Silence followed.
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A normal person—
would feel pain hearing that.
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Disappointment.
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Loneliness.
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But Krrish—
---
just smiled faintly.
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"Good."
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The nurse looked confused.
---
But said nothing.
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She adjusted the IV—
and left.
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The door closed.
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Silence returned.
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Krrish slowly sat up.
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This time—
he didn't hesitate.
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Pain shot through his body.
---
His muscles resisted.
---
His breathing became heavy.
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But he endured it.
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"…First lesson."
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"Accept the weakness."
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He placed his feet on the ground.
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His body shook slightly.
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Unstable.
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But he didn't fall.
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"…Second lesson…"
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"Use it."
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A faint smile appeared again.
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"They see Leo as weak."
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"As useless."
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"As someone who can't fight back."
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He stood there quietly.
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Balancing himself.
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Learning his limits.
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"…Perfect."
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"Because underestimation…"
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"…is the greatest opening."
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He took a slow step forward.
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Unsteady—
but controlled.
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"If I fight them…"
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"I lose."
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"But if I make them fight themselves…"
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"…I win without attacking."
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His mind began forming strategies.
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Clear.
Precise.
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"Jain Thomson…"
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"I'll break his pride."
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"Not by opposing him…"
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"But by exposing him."
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"Liya…"
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"I'll force her to face her silence."
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"She'll have to choose."
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"And this time…"
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"She won't be able to stay quiet."
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"Shane…"
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A slight smirk appeared.
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"I'll let him build his own trap…"
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"And then…"
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"I'll make him fall into it."
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"Sisters…"
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"I'll change what they see."
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"And when their perception changes…"
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"They'll turn on their own."
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"And Claire…"
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His expression became calm again.
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"No destruction."
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"No revenge."
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"I'll make her see."
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"Everything."
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"Until she can't escape it."
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Sunlight slowly entered the room.
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Krrish looked toward it.
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"This world…"
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"…doesn't belong to the strong."
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"It belongs to those…"
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"…who understand people."
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He clenched his weak fist.
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"This time…"
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"I won't win by force."
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"I'll win by control."
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Not over bodies.
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But over minds.
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And that kind of control—
---
was far more absolute.
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The beeping machine continued in the background.
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The world outside moved normally.
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No one knew.
---
No one noticed.
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But something had changed.
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A man who once dominated through power—
---
had now entered a world—
---
where power meant nothing.
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And yet—
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he was more dangerous than ever before.
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Because now—
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he wasn't just a warrior.
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He was a strategist.
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A manipulator.
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A judge.
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And this time—
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the battlefield wasn't a realm.
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It was life itself.
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And Krrish…
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was ready to play. 🔥