The heavy, iron manhole cover rattled before being violently pushed aside.
A rush of cold, smoggy night air hit their faces as the Core Four finally climbed out of the disgusting city sewers. They found themselves in a dark, abandoned alleyway miles away from the glorious, bright lights of the Indra-Sabha Temple.
"Fresh air!" Daizy gasped, taking a deep breath and wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek. Her beautiful white dress was completely ruined, stained with mud and sewer water, but she didn't care. She was just glad to be out of the dark.
Sambhab quickly climbed out, pushing his glasses up. He looked around at the broken streetlights, the graffiti-covered brick walls, and the empty, broken-down factories.
"We are in Sector 9," Sambhab confirmed, his blue eyes scanning the shadows. "The Old Mill District. This area was abandoned decades ago. It is completely off the grid. The police don't come here, and the Holy Guards definitely won't patrol this far out."
"Good," Karma said, climbing out last. He helped slide the heavy manhole cover back into place.
Karma looked completely different. The heartbroken, terrified boy from the temple stage was gone. His jaw was set, his teal eyes were sharp, and the dark blue hilt of the Lightning Sword over his shoulder seemed to hum with a quiet, deadly energy. He was focused.
"Alright, team," Karma said, looking down the dark street. "Dad said to look for a rusty red door in a back alley. Let's move quietly. We don't know what kind of criminals hang around here."
Kanha stretched his massive arms, his bones popping loudly. "Let them come. After running away from that fake Baba, I seriously need to punch something to fix my mood."
They walked silently through the foggy, abandoned streets for twenty minutes. The silence of Sector 9 was incredibly creepy. It felt like the shadows themselves were watching them.
Finally, tucked away at the very end of a dead-end alley, surrounded by mountains of broken crates and trash bags, they saw it.
A heavy, thick iron door. It was painted a dark, peeling red, covered in deep scratch marks that looked like they were made by giant claws.
Standing in front of the door were two massive men. They didn't look like normal bouncers; they looked like absolute monsters. One had thick, gray stone-like skin, and the other had glowing, feral yellow eyes. They were clearly illegal, unregistered Awakeners.
Karma stepped forward, keeping his hands away from his sword to show he wasn't looking for a fight.
The bouncer with the stone skin crossed his massive arms, looking down at the four muddy, tired teenagers. He let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
"Are you kids lost?" the stone bouncer sneered, his voice sounding like grinding gravel. "The playground is five miles that way. This is a dead end. Get out of here before I break your little legs."
Sambhab tensed, ready to ignite his Black Hell Fire. Daizy nervously hid behind Kanha.
But Karma didn't flinch. He looked directly into the bouncer's eyes and spoke with absolute, chilling calm.
"The storm brings the lightning," Karma said.
The two bouncers instantly stopped laughing. The feral bouncer with yellow eyes leaned in, sniffing the air around Karma. His eyes widened slightly as he felt the dense, terrifying pressure of Karma's suppressed 3rd Chakra.
"Well, well," the stone bouncer grunted, a cruel smile forming on his face. "You know the password. Fine. The password gets you inside. But don't start crying if you don't like what you see."
He turned around and heavily knocked on the red door three times. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
The heavy door slowly creaked open.
The moment they stepped inside, a wall of sound and heat hit them like a physical punch.
It was absolute chaos. They were standing on a high metal balcony overlooking a massive, underground concrete arena. Thousands of wild, dangerous-looking criminals, mercenaries, and rogue Pranists were screaming, drinking, and waving wads of cash in the air. Heavy, heart-pounding bass music shook the metal floorboards.
In the center of the room was a massive, blood-stained concrete fighting pit enclosed by thick iron chains.
Two fighters were inside the pit, violently clashing with raw, deadly Pran energy. There were no referees. There were no safety barriers. It was an illegal deathmatch.
"Oh... my... god," Daizy whispered, covering her ears from the sheer volume of the roaring crowd. "This is terrifying."
"No, daizy " Kanha grinned, his eyes sparkling with absolute, unrestrained excitement. "This is paradise!"
A tall, skinny man wearing a flashy purple suit and a gold chain walked up to them. He was chewing a toothpick and had a nasty scar across his nose. He was the Pit Manager.
"New meat?" the Manager sneered, looking at their muddy clothes. "I don't know how you kids got the password, but this isn't a charity. If you want to place a bet, the counter is downstairs. If you're broke, get out."
"We are not here to bet," Karma said firmly, his voice cutting through the noise. "We are here to see the boss. We need to speak to Bhairav Singh. The Iron Beast."
The Manager stopped chewing his toothpick. He looked at Karma like the boy had just asked to jump into a volcano.
Then, the Manager burst out laughing. "You want to see Bhairav?! The boss doesn't meet street rats! He only talks to people who command respect. And looking at you four muddy puppies... you have zero respect in this club."
Sambhab adjusted his glasses. "Tactically speaking, how do we earn this 'respect'?"
The Manager smirked, pointing a long, bony finger down at the blood-stained concrete pit. "You see that cage? You want an audience with the Iron Beast? One of you has to step into the pit and survive three minutes against our reigning champion. If you live, Bhairav will see you. If you die... we throw your bodies in the river."
Karma immediately grabbed the hilt of his Lightning Sword. "Fine. I'll do it."
"Hold up, fearless leader," a massive hand clamped down on Karma's shoulder.
Kanha stepped in front of Karma, cracking his knuckles. His bright orange aura was already beginning to leak out, eager for violence.
"Bro, you just had a massive psychological breakdown in front of fifty thousand people," Kanha said with a highly confident, arrogant smirk. "You are emotionally exhausted. Besides, if you use that shiny blue sword, everyone will know who you are. We are supposed to be hiding, remember?"
Karma hesitated. "Kanha, these aren't academy students. These are killers."
"And I am Papa Kanha," he laughed loudly, stepping toward the stairs leading down to the pit. "I need to vent my anger anyway. That fake Baba ruined my mood, and the sewer ruined my shoes. Somebody is going to pay for it!"
The Manager laughed mockingly. "The big boy wants to play? Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you."
A minute later, the loud buzzer rang, signaling the end of the previous match. The crowd roared as the Manager grabbed a microphone.
"Alright, you bloodthirsty animals!" the Manager yelled, his voice echoing through the arena. "We have a special treat! A fresh, muddy challenger has decided to test his luck! Give it up for... uh... whatever his name is!"
Kanha casually stepped into the concrete pit. He was covered in dried sewer mud, his uniform was torn, and he didn't even draw his weapon. He just stood there, rolling his shoulders.
The crowd erupted into cruel laughter.
"Look at this kid!"
"He's gonna die in ten seconds!"
"I bet five thousand rupees he cries for his mommy!"
"And facing the challenger," the Manager screamed into the mic, "Our undefeated monster... THE BONE CRUSHER!"
The heavy iron gates on the opposite side of the pit slowly cranked open.
The crowd went absolutely insane.
Stepping out of the shadows was a terrifying, eight-foot-tall behemoth of a man. He didn't even look human. His entire body was covered in thick, dark-grey metallic armor that had naturally grown out of his skin—a terrifying 3rd Chakra mutation. His fists were the size of boulders. Every step he took left a crack in the concrete floor.
Daizy gasped from the balcony. "Kanha! Be careful! He looks like a living tank!"
Sambhab frowned, his tactical mind calculating the threat. "Metallic-skin mutation. Incredible physical defense. High mass. Kanha is at a severe disadvantage in close combat."
Down in the pit, the Bone Crusher cracked his massive metallic neck and glared down at Kanha. "I am going to crush your skull into powder, little boy."
Kanha looked up at the eight-foot giant. He didn't look scared. In fact, Kanha looked deeply, deeply annoyed.
"Hey, tin-can," Kanha sighed, pointing at his ruined, muddy sneakers. "I had a really, really bad day today. So I'm only going to say this once. Lie down, go to sleep, and save us both the time."
The Bone Crusher roared in pure fury. He didn't waste time. He charged forward like a runaway freight train, his heavy metallic boots smashing the concrete. He pulled back his massive, boulder-sized fist, aiming directly for Kanha's head. The sheer air pressure of the punch made the chains around the pit rattle.
"DIE!" the giant screamed.
Kanha didn't dodge. He didn't step back.
In a fraction of a second, Kanha pulled his tiny, toothpick-sized iron staff from his pocket. He didn't even expand it into a full staff. He simply held the tiny piece of iron between his fingers, wrapped his fist tightly, and punched forward to meet the giant's strike.
"Matter Manipulation: "
Kanha concentrated all of his 3rd Chakra not to make the iron bigger, but to make it infinitely heavier inside his fist.
The giant's metallic fist collided with Kanha's knuckles.
KRRRRAAAACK!
A sound like a bomb going off echoed through the entire underground club. A massive shockwave blasted outward, blowing the hats off the people in the front row.
The Bone Crusher's eyes rolled into the back of his head. His unbreakable metallic arm completely shattered, sending shockwaves of pure kinetic force rippling through his entire eight-foot body.
The giant's feet lifted off the ground, and he flew backward through the air, crashing violently into the thick iron chains of the cage. He hit the ground. He didn't twitch. He was out cold.
One punch.
The heavy bass music stopped. The screaming crowd went dead, pin-drop silent. Thousands of hardened criminals stared at the pit in absolute, terrified shock.
Kanha slowly stood up straight, blowing a small wisp of smoke off his knuckles. He looked around at the silent crowd and let out a loud, disappointed sigh.
"Are you kidding me?!" Kanha yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "I asked for a fight! That guy was made of paper! Bring me someone stronger! Papa Kanha is just getting warmed up!"
Up on the balcony, Karma couldn't help but smile. Sambhab adjusted his glasses, a rare grin on his face. Daizy cheered loudly, "That's our Vanguard!"
Suddenly, from the very top, VIP balcony, a slow, heavy clapping sound echoed over the silent crowd.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Everyone in the club immediately looked up, their faces turning pale with respect and fear.
Standing in the shadows of the highest balcony was a massive man. He wore a dark leather coat, and half of his face was covered in brutal, jagged burn scars. His one good eye locked directly onto Kanha, and then slowly moved to Karma.
"One punch," the man's deep, gravelly voice echoed, carrying a terrifying authority. "It has been twenty years since I saw a kid with that kind of arrogant, stupid confidence."
The man leaned over the railing, looking directly at Karma.
"Bring the boy with the blue sword up to my office," Bhairav Singh, the Iron Beast, commanded. "Let's see if the son is as crazy as his father."
The metal stairs leading up to the highest VIP balcony creaked under Kanha's heavy boots. After his unbelievable one-punch knockout in the pit, the entire underground club treated the Core Four with absolute, terrified respect. The scary bouncers quickly stepped aside, not daring to make eye contact with the muddy teenagers.
The Pit Manager, sweating nervously, opened a pair of heavy oak doors. "Right this way. The boss is waiting."
The Core Four stepped into the VIP room. It was a massive, luxurious office that looked completely different from the dirty fighting pit outside. The floor was covered in a rich, red carpet. The walls were decorated with ancient, dangerous-looking weapons and glowing Pran crystals. The air smelled of expensive cigar smoke and strong coffee.
Sitting behind a massive mahogany desk was Bhairav Singh—the Iron Beast. Up close, he looked even more terrifying. Half of his face was covered in jagged, pink burn scars, and his one good eye stared at them with intense, heavy pressure.
"The Lightning Lord's son," Bhairav said, his deep, gravelly voice echoing in the quiet room. "I haven't seen that blue sword in fifteen years. And your friend here..." He pointed a thick, scarred finger at Kanha. "He hits like a falling meteor."
Karma stepped forward, keeping his hand near his sword. "My father sent us. He said you could help us."
Before Bhairav could answer, a soft, highly arrogant, and incredibly familiar laugh echoed from the dark corner of the room.
Hahahaha...
"Oh my, look what the sewer rats dragged in," a smooth, mocking voice said.
A figure slowly stood up from a luxurious leather sofa in the shadows, holding a crystal glass of red wine. As she stepped into the light, the Core Four completely froze.
It was Sera.
She looked absolutely flawless. She was wearing a perfectly tailored, dark crimson suit, her hair was elegantly styled, and her dark aura felt as sharp and dangerous as ever. She looked down at the four muddy, exhausted teenagers with a smirk of absolute superiority.
Karma instantly drew his Lightning Sword, the blue sparks illuminating the room. Sambhab's hands ignited with Black Hell Fire, and Daizy summoned her glowing green vines.
"YOU!" Kanha roared, his orange aura flaring violently. He pointed his iron staff directly at her face. He looked at Bhairav, absolutely furious. "Hey, scar-face! How do you know this bitch?! She is our enemy!"
SLAM!
Bhairav Singh slammed his massive fist onto his desk, the force of it cracking the thick wood. His terrifying aura filled the room, making it hard to breathe.
"Mind your tongue, boy!" Bhairav growled, his one eye glaring furiously at Kanha. "You might be strong in the pit, but in this room, you show respect. She is not just any guest. She is one of my VVIPs... and my most special person. She is the main financial backer of this entire underground fighting club."
The Core Four were stunned. Sera was funding this massive, illegal operation?
Sambhab quickly adjusted his glasses, his mind racing. "So that is how you gathers untraceable black money and recruits illegal Pranists. This fight club is a front."
Sera took a slow sip of her wine, completely unfazed by their glowing weapons. She slowly walked toward them, her high heels clicking on the wooden floor. She stopped right in front of Daizy.
Daizy, whose beautiful white dress was covered in disgusting brown sewer mud and slime, nervously took a step back.
Sera looked Daizy up and down, her eyes filled with cruel amusement "Look who has arrived") The great, 'Apsara'(holy maiden ) of the Indra-Sabha. Weren't you supposed to be sitting on a golden throne, healing the sick? Look at you now. You smell like rotten garbage, rolling around in the mud like a stray dog. Did the holy priest kick you out so soon?"
Daizy's face turned bright red with humiliation. She bit her lip, looking down at her ruined dress, feeling completely small and dirty in front of the elegant, wealthy villain.
Karma immediately stepped in front of Daizy, shielding her from Sera. He pointed the glowing tip of his Lightning Sword right at Sera's throat.
"Back off, Sera," Karma warned, his teal eyes glowing dangerously. "If you try anything, I don't care if this is Bhairav's room. I will cut you down right here."
Sera didn't look scared at all. In fact, she smiled. She gently used two fingers to push the blade of the Lightning Sword away from her neck.
"Relax, Lightning Boy," Sera sighed, rolling her eyes. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have sent my personal assassins into the sewers. But I didn't."
She walked back to the leather sofa and sat down, crossing her legs. Her expression suddenly turned completely serious and business-like.
"The High Priest of the Indra-Sabha is getting too arrogant," Sera said, her voice turning cold. "He thinks because he controls the public, he can start controlling the Shadow Cult's operations too. He is trying to take all the power for himself. I don't like greedy old men trying to boss me around."
Sera looked at Karma, then at Kanha, Sambhab, and Daizy.
"Come on, today our goals are exactly the same" Sera proposed, raising her glass. "You want to expose his fake miracles to clear your names. I want his operation destroyed so he stops messing with my business. So, Let's forget our past enmity and join hands. A temporary truce. Just for tonight."
The room went completely silent.
Kanha looked like he wanted to throw up. "Team up with her? I'd rather go back and hug the fake high priest !"
Daizy gripped Karma's sleeve, still hurt by the insult. "Karma... can we trust her?"
Sambhab pushed his glasses up, analyzing the situation with pure logic. "Tactically speaking, we are fugitives with zero resources. Sera has money, influence, and insider knowledge of the Cult. An alliance of convenience is highly risky, but the mathematical probability of us succeeding alone is less than four percent. We need her."
Karma looked at his father's sword, then at the burn-scarred face of Bhairav Singh, and finally at Sera. He hated it. He absolutely hated it. But his father had told him to come here for a reason.
Karma slowly deactivated his 3rd Chakra. He sheathed his sword.
"Fine," Karma said, his voice hard as stone. "A temporary truce. But if you double-cross us, Sera, I promise you won't walk out of that temple alive."
Sera smirked victoriously. "I love a boy with a bit of fire. Now, let's get to business."
Bhairav Singh finally relaxed, leaning back in his heavy chair. He opened a locked drawer in his desk and pulled out a large, dusty roll of thick blue paper.
"Your father, the Lightning Lord, saved my life twenty years ago," Bhairav said, his voice filled with deep, genuine respect. "When he found out what the Indra-Sabha was doing, he tried to raid the temple alone. He failed because he didn't know the layout. But before he died, he managed to steal this."
Bhairav unrolled the paper and spread it across his desk.
The Core Four and Sera gathered around. It was a highly detailed, ancient architectural blueprint.
"This is not just a temple," Bhairav explained, tracing a thick, calloused finger over the map. "The Indra-Sabha is built on top of an ancient, massive underground cavern. That is where the High Priest hides his true operations. The Shadow Cult's underground laboratory."
"Look here," Sambhab pointed to a large, circular room on the blueprint, far below the main garden where Swati had been. "The 'Youth Camp' is located directly above this massive underground facility. The children aren't meditating. Their pure Pran energy is being siphoned down into this lab through the floorboards!"
Karma's blood ran cold. He thought of his little sister, Swati, sitting on that grass, trusting those sweet-talking priests.
"That's where they make the Red Pills," Sera confirmed, narrowing her eyes. "The High Priest extracts the pure life force from innocent children, mixes it with dark Cult magic, and creates those pills to brainwash his followers and create Shadow Beasts."
Karma slammed his fists onto the desk. The sheer anger in his heart was completely overwhelming. He didn't care about his reputation anymore. He didn't care that the public thought he was a demon. He just wanted to save his sister and tear that fake temple to the ground.
"How do we get in?" Karma asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Bhairav tapped a small, forgotten drainage pipe on the blueprint. "The front doors are heavily guarded by thousands of Holy Guards. But there is a hidden, underwater tunnel that connects the city sewers directly to the lower levels of the laboratory. It's incredibly dangerous. It's filled with toxic waste and failed mutant experiments."
Kanha cracked his knuckles, a terrifying, excited grin returning to his face. "Mutants? Toxic waste? Secret labs? Finally, a real mission!"
Daizy nodded, her green eyes shining with renewed courage. "We have to save those children. We have to save Swati."
Sera finished her wine and stood up. "I will provide you with stealth gear, earpieces, and a map. But once you go underwater, you are on your own. I will be waiting at the extraction point."
Karma turned to his team. The heartbreak of the morning was gone. The Core Four were back, stronger and more united than ever.
"Alright," Karma commanded, the blue sparks of his lightning dancing across his knuckles. "We sneak in. We find the lab. We get the proof. And then... we show the world what a real storm looks like."