"So the god of pale skin finally showed up."
And with that, he disappeared—leaving the Destructive Brothers unconscious and twitching.
While Ishaan turned the camp into a battlefield, at that very moment—
Asragni was fighting Iravan.
Or rather, Asragni was beating Iravan badly.
"Every cell hurt."
Iravan gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his lip. Clothes torn and burnt. Muscles screaming. But his eyes—sharp. Focused.
Asragni, bathed in shimmering blue Swar, floated—like a celestial being.
Untouched. Cold.
Iravan didn't flinch. He calculated.
Asragni's movement: 0.8-second delay after heavy attack.
Defense has micro-shift in elemental balance post-teleport.
Air pressure drops before he strikes.
"He fights like a god… but even a god bleeds."
Iravan inhaled.
His sword shifted.
He manipulated momentum, redirected energy flow through his bones, and launched forward.
Strike one — faint. Feint. Redirect. Pivot. Left hook. Downward sweep. Ghost edge strike.
Asragni moved—fast.
But Iravan adjusted mid-air.
His sword scraped Asragni's shoulder.
Blood. A single drop. Blue. Divine.
Asragni stopped. His gaze sharpened.
"You are… interesting."
Iravan didn't stop.
He knew this was a losing battle. But it wasn't about winning.
It was about proving something.
Asragni's next attack came like storms—fire, wind, molten pressure.
Iravan countered. Redirected. Dodged.
Until one final blast threw him like a ragdoll into the rubble.
His limbs trembled. Vision blurred. He was at his limit.
But something stirred.
Inside.
A voice.
Not his.
Something ancient. Dormant. Divine.
"...No. Not yet."
Iravan stood. Just barely.
He raised his hands—and unleashed a fraction of Uchcha Swar.
It surged like a dying sun.
Asragni paused.
It hit. Not fully. Not perfectly.
But he felt it.
"You're a child… trying to wield a god's whisper."
He raised his hand to end it.
Iravan calculated every possible way to dodge or survive Asragni's next attack.
Only one conclusion came to mind—
Death.
Asragni reduced the energy—
BOOM!!
It never landed.
A black and violet vortex swallowed it mid-air.
Ishaan stood between them, hands raised—nullifying the blast with casual perfection.
"Tch tch tch… that's not very godlike of you."
Asragni's gaze didn't change. Ishaan smiled.
Asragni (to Ishaan):
"Everything was in balance… until your kind shattered it.
It was a human king who broke the world ages ago…
Not a curse, not a sprit.
And now… you stand there calling me the enemy?"
Ishaan:
"Do you really want to fight us now for the dumbest and silliest decision that stupid king took ages ago?"
"You know if we both go all out now, half the continent's gone.
We both produce Swar like heartbeats.
There's no end to this unless one of us dies."
"But if you're still itching to fight… come.
After all, elements were made to be destroyed."
Asragni chuckled. Low. Cold.
"You're still arrogant, Destruction.
You think chaos defines power."
He looked at Iravan.
"This one has potential. A flicker of something real.
But sparks die easily."
He turned away, lifting into the air—divine mist swirling around him.
"Next time, Ishaan… don't interfere.
Or I'll see how far your destruction truly reaches."
He vanished.
Iravan coughed, struggling to his feet.
Ishaan grabbed his arm, steadying him.
"Damn, you looked like someone microwaved a corpse."
Iravan:
"And you were watching the full show.
Did you even eat popcorn?
Or were you waiting for my head to be blown up by Asragni's attack
Ishaan:
"If I remember decades ago… no no, centuries ago or ages ago,
You told me: 'never stop my battle unless I'm about to die,' remember?
So I was just waiting for Asragni to beat you so badly that you reach your death."
Iravan:
"Yes, I only tol—"
Suddenly…
Something happened to Iravan.
Ishaan didn't know what was happening.
The Ishaan who always remained calm and careless… panicked.
"Are you okay, Iravan?"
"Iravan…?"
"Iravan, are you listening?"
"Iravan, answer me!"
"Iravaannn!!"
Iravan snapped out—confused and shocked.
"Ishaan… wha… what I felt… was it real?
Or was it only my ima… imagination?"
End of chapter 9: Real or Imagination
© 2025 Parth Bhelekar. All rights reserved.
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Kaalvigraha™ — When gods bleed, chaos begins.