The coup began at dawn.
Not with screams.
But with silence where guards should have been.
---
Karna sensed it the moment he opened his eyes.
The air was wrong.
Too still.
Too expectant.
Like the world holding its breath before lightning struck.
---
> [Threat Detection – Passive Triggered]
> Location: Anga Capital
> Status: Internal Hostility Confirmed
Karna rose, already armored, bow in hand.
"So," he muttered, "you finally chose daylight."
---
The first blade came from behind.
Karna turned—
An arrow punched through the attacker's chest before steel could touch him.
The body fell.
No war cry followed.
Only footsteps.
Many.
---
"Secure the inner court!" a voice shouted.
Not Angan.
Kuru-trained.
---
Karna stepped into the corridor.
Blood followed.
---
This was no rebellion.
This was execution.
---
Across the city, loyalists were cut down quietly.
Supply depots burned.
Messengers vanished.
The coup had been planned for weeks.
---
> [Coup Probability: 92%]
> Objective:
> Remove Karna
> Install Kuru Proxy Regent
Karna laughed once.
A sharp, humorless sound.
"Cowards," he said. "You couldn't even face me openly."
---
He reached the balcony.
The sun rose behind him.
Golden light spilled across the palace.
And for a moment—
Every conspirator froze.
---
"King Karna lives!" someone shouted in fear.
Panic rippled.
---
Karna drew his bow.
One arrow.
Two.
Three.
Each shot claimed a life.
Not randomly.
Leaders.
Commanders.
The spine of the coup snapped visibly.
---
In Mahismati, Arya felt it.
The system screamed.
---
> [Critical Event – Karna's Fate]
> Status: Active Elimination Attempt
> Override Option Available:
> Direct Intervention
> Cost:
> Narrative Exposure
> Karma Instability
Arya stood from the council table.
"Prepare riders," he ordered calmly.
"How many?" a general asked.
Arya's eyes hardened.
"Enough to arrive in time."
---
> [Decision Logged]
> You have chosen Intervention
> Warning:
> This choice removes all plausible deniability
Arya nodded.
"I know."
---
The ride was brutal.
No banners.
No horns.
Only speed.
Mahismati cavalry moved like shadows across the plains.
---
> [System Evolution – Triggered]
> Condition:
> Repeated Sovereign-Level Decisions
> Evolution Option Unlocked:
> Dominion Protocol
Arya ignored it.
Not yet.
---
In Anga, the palace burned.
Karna stood in the courtyard surrounded by bodies.
Blood soaked the stone.
His armor was cracked.
But his spine was unbroken.
---
Then—
A horn sounded.
Not Kuru.
Mahismati.
---
Karna turned sharply.
Disbelief flashed across his face.
---
Arya rode through the smoke.
No speech.
No challenge.
Just presence.
---
The conspirators panicked.
"This wasn't planned!" someone screamed.
"Mahismati wasn't supposed to come!"
Arya dismounted.
His gaze swept the field.
Cold.
Assessing.
Final.
---
> [Combat Authority – Absolute]
> All Hostile Units Classified:
> Enemies of Sovereignty
---
Arya drew his blade.
The system did not narrate.
It watched.
---
The battle ended quickly.
Not because of numbers.
But because resistance collapsed.
---
When the last conspirator fell, silence returned.
Heavy.
Earned.
---
Karna stared at Arya.
"So," he said hoarsely, "you chose war."
Arya wiped his blade clean.
"I chose you not dying in your sleep."
---
They stood amid the wreckage.
Sunlight.
Smoke.
Blood.
Two kings.
No court.
No witnesses.
---
"You exposed yourself," Karna said. "Hastinapura will never forgive this."
Arya met his gaze.
"I stopped caring about forgiveness when they burned children."
Silence followed.
---
> [Bond Stress Test – Active]
> Arya ↔ Karna
> Outcome Pending
---
Karna exhaled slowly.
"You didn't do this for alliance."
"No."
"Then why?"
Arya answered honestly.
"Because some lines should not exist."
---
The system activated violently.
---
> [Dominion Protocol – Forced Activation]
> Reason:
> Multi-Sovereign Intervention
> Effect:
> Authority Aura Manifested
> Cost:
> Emotional Suppression +2
> Empathy Decay +1
Arya staggered slightly.
Karna noticed.
"What did you lose?" he asked sharply.
Arya steadied himself.
"Something I can't afford during war."
---
The sun climbed higher.
Anga survived.
But nothing was the same.
---
In Hastinapura, Duryodhana received the news.
Mahismati troops in Anga.
The coup failed.
Karna alive.
---
Duryodhana's smile vanished.
"So," he whispered, "you chose each other."
Shakuni's eyes gleamed.
"Then we break them together."
---
> [Global Narrative Shift]
> Factions Solidifying
> War Phase: Unavoidable
---
Arya prepared to leave.
Karna stopped him.
"This doesn't make us brothers," Karna said.
Arya nodded.
"I know."
"But it makes us enemies to the same lie," Karna continued.
Arya met his gaze.
"That's enough."
---
As Arya rode away, the system whispered one last line.
> [Warning]
> Dominion Protocol usage will permanently alter your humanity
Arya did not look back.
War did not reward hesitation.
---
Above Anga, the sun burned brighter than ever.
Refusing to bow.
---
End of Chapter 16