"How... is this possible?! I swear I dodged it. Then... how?" Aaryan mumbled.
Even though he saw blood, he didn't feel any pain — not because he was durable, but because the one bleeding that crimson blood wasn't him. It was the... child in his hands.
The attack had pierced straight through the boy's heart.
Yet, his eyes remained closed.
Aaryan looked down at the boy's face, and instead of pain, he saw dried tears — and a faint smile.
The smile on the boy's face was unrealistic, yet believable at the same time.
Even though the child was injured in reality, he was in paradise within the illusion.
"Should I wake him up from the Mayav — his illusion paradise — to make him see this cursed, filthy reality, where evil is rewarded and feasts on the flesh of the good?" Aaryan thought, his face gloomy, sadness clearly evident in his eyes.
Suddenly, the expression on his face changed — from sad to angry. His face turned red like a shade of crimson, his knuckles turned white. From Aaryan's whole body, a strange white and golden aura was released, covering him completely.
Aaryan then looked behind and glared at the one who attacked him.
His stare wasn't intense — it was cold, devoid of every emotion other than revenge. That stare of his alone was enough to eradicate the existence of a being.
But the one Aaryan was staring at didn't budge a bit. Instead of fear, its eyes gleamed with excitement.
"I know you're there. No need to hide, you damn roach," Aaryan said, his voice cold.
"Looks like I'm busted."
A human-like voice came from an unknown space.
"Wait! What the—? Is this a human? No, it can't be! I saw with my own eyes — my power of Maya."
The look on Aaryan's face changed for a bit, but returned to absolute coldness the next second.
The next instant, a gigantic portal opened, tearing the fabric of space.
A being appeared.
Aaryan's whole being was fixed on the being coming out of the portal. His expression hadn't changed one bit, and no one knew when it would.
"I think your sight is pretty good," the being said with sarcasm. "You saw me even when I was in a different dimension. I've taken quite a liking to your eyes. So, can you gift them to me? Please." Its tone was polite, but it sounded more like an order.
The portal behind it closed the second the being left it.
As Aaryan saw the devilish grin on the being's face, his rage peaked, but he controlled his cool on the surface.
"What are you?" Aaryan asked, tone flat.
"Ignoring my request, I see," the being replied, touching its chin, mocking Aaryan. "Well, I guess I should answer you, Aaryan."
As Aaryan heard his name from the being's mouth, his expression grew complicated. How does he know my name? Aaryan thought.
"You must be thinking why I know your name, right?" the being asked.
"Yes," Aaryan replied.
"But why? Isn't the answer obvious?" The being looked at Aaryan's cold dark eyes. "Aren't you the strongest?! And I think it's normal for one to know the best."
"Strongest, huh?" Aaryan spoke. "Am I really the strongest?"
"Yes, you are," the being replied. "Anyway, I am what you humans call... Rakshas."
Just as these words left the being's mouth, Aaryan's whole body moved on its own.
In an instant, Aaryan landed an all-powerful punch on the Rakshas's gut.
"Woah, woah! Cool down a bit," the Rakshas said, wiping the blood from its mouth. "It was quite hard to block that attack, you know? At least give me a short notice, okay?" It teased, having blocked Aaryan's attack earlier.
Aaryan remained silent and was lost in his own thoughts, looking at his fist.
What happened? My body moved on its own as soon as I heard the word Rakshas... Wait, could it be—
"Time's up. Now it's my turn," the Rakshas shouted at Aaryan with a huge grin, snapping him out of his thoughts.
The next second, the Rakshas appeared in front of Aaryan and delivered a blow right at Aaryan's chin.
"Not bad, you know?" the Rakshas said, standing up.
Even though the one who attacked was the Rakshas, the one who took damage was the Rakshas too.
The Rakshas continued, "You made an illusion of yourself to deceive me, and it worked — instead, you hit me. I guess that's how the strongest operates."
"I wonder," Aaryan said, his eyes solely focused on the Rakshas.
Then their barrage of attacks began. Both the Rakshas and Aaryan rapidly exchanged blows.
Their movements were so fast they were invisible to a normal being. Each clash generated waves strong enough to destroy buildings.
"You move like a God!" the Rakshas praised Aaryan, a large grin on his face. "I can't even imagine defeating you! Your movements — so precise and efficient — always hit me no matter how fast I move. What's more, you aren't even using your Maya."
The Rakshas paused and moved away from Aaryan. Its body began to tremble — not out of fear, but out of something else: joy and excitement. "Is this the difference between a Transcendent being and a normal one?"
"Transcendent, you say?" Aaryan cut through the Rakshas's words. "I don't know if I am or not, but can you shut your shitty mouth up? I want to, no... I'm going to kill you."
Aaryan's eyes were empty like a void — no warmth, no kindness. Just a single thing on his mind: retribution and revenge.
"Of course you can, God," the Rakshas replied. "But before that, can I have my share of fun?"
Just as Aaryan heard this, his instincts told him that something ominous was going to happen, and his body backed down on its own.
Aaryan's instincts were spot-on.
A strange red aura was released from the Rakshas's body.
Its body began to transform. The crimson aura soon wrapped completely around the Rakshas's form.
The Rakshas, who had previously looked human — beautiful yet dangerous — now appeared divine and demonic all at once. Its long red hair glowed like a blood moon; its golden eyes radiated an unholy purity. Its face was as captivating as the night sky — once seen, one could easily lose themselves within it. Its physique resembled Aaryan's, though slightly inferior. The only thing that had distinguished it from a human before were the sharp, curved horns on its head.
But now, the red aura condensed into a shining crimson armor that enveloped its entire body. Four new eyes opened, and two additional arms tore through its back — four arms in total, each carrying a different weapon.
One right arm held a sword, the other a Gadā.
One left arm grasped a spear, the other wielded a whip-like weapon — an urumi.
Aaryan was stunned as he saw this transformed form of the Rakshas.
"What do you think about this form of mine, God? Am I now worthy enough to touch your feet?" the Rakshas asked.
"Not enough," Aaryan replied, regaining his cold demeanor.
"Is that so?" The Rakshas smiled faintly. "But even then... I will try. After all, I want to kill you, God."