Chapter 12: The Iron Grip of Dharma
The Trishira-Vulture's three heads snapped forward simultaneously, its iron feathers clattering like a thousand falling daggers. It was a creature of the Rajas-Tamas (Passion-Ignorance) blend—fast, violent, and fueled by a hunger that transcended the physical.
Vikram stood perfectly still. To any onlooker, he looked like a statue of white marble. But in his perception, fueled by Reaction (L10-MAX), the bird's lunge was slow, clumsy, and predictable. He could see the individual fibers of its neck muscles tensing. He could see the black Paap swirling in its throat like toxic smoke.
The Brutal Counter
Vikram didn't reach for his sword. He wanted to feel the weight of his new evolution.
As the middle head's beak—sharp enough to pierce temple walls—closed in on his chest, Vikram's hand moved. It wasn't a blur; it was an instantaneous transition from one point in space to another.
CRACK.
Vikram caught the middle beak with his bare left hand. The impact sent a shockwave into the ground, shattering the stone beneath his feet, but his arm didn't move an inch. His Strength (L10-MAX) turned his skeletal structure into indestructible Vajra.
"You are fast," Vikram whispered, his Charm (L10) causing the bird's other two heads to freeze in a moment of existential confusion. "But you are hollow."
The Vajra-Mushti Discharge
Vikram's right fist ignited. This wasn't the flickering blue spark from before; it was a condensed, blinding sphere of Tejas.
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Skill: Vajra-Mushti (Empowered by Strength L10).
Calculation: Raw Strength + Punya-Compression.
Total Output: 50,000 Newtons of Spiritual Force.
He drove his fist into the vulture's chest.
BOOM.
The iron feathers didn't just break; they disintegrated. The shockwave passed through the bird's body, erupting out of its back in a spray of black energy. The Rathi-tier beast didn't even have time to scream. Its physical form collapsed into a pile of rusted metal and dark ash.
[ TARGET NEUTRALIZED ]
Karmic Reward: +8,000 Punya.
Bonus: [Iron-Vulture Feathers] x10 (Can be traded in Shop).
Current Punya: 8,005.
The Divine Interruption
As Vikram shook the soot from his hand, the forest grew unnaturally silent. The wind stopped. The indigo sky seemed to ripple like the surface of a pond.
A beam of pure, white light descended from the heavens, piercing the canopy of the Dandaka forest. Vikram shielded his Eye of Truth (L7) as a figure materialized within the pillar of light.
It was a man with four arms, holding a lotus, a mace, a conch, and a spinning disc of gold. He wasn't a mortal. He wasn't a Rishi. He was an Avatar-Projection of a higher realm.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: CELESTIAL ENCOUNTER ]
Entity: Messenger of the Preserver (Vishnu-Ansh).
Rank: UNKNOWN (Beyond Level 100).
Varna-Aura: Transcendent Gold.
Karmic Counter: INFINITE.
"Vikram of Vajra-Grama," the entity spoke, and the sound felt like it was coming from inside Vikram's own soul. "You have reached the ceiling of the mortal cage. Your Strength is at its limit. Your Speed can go no further. To face the Ten-Headed Shadow of the South, you must become more than a man."
Vikram knelt, his Charm (L10) resonating with the purity of the being before him. "Lord, I seek only to protect the Rta (Cosmic Order). What must I do?"
"The South is protected by a Karmic Wall that no mortal can breach," the Messenger said. "To break it, you need the First Blessing. You have the Punya of a hero, but do you have the Tapas of a Sage?"
The Path to L11
The Messenger waved a hand, and a portal of swirling silver light appeared in the clearing.
"This leads to the Himalayan Void, the domain of Lord Shiva's Silence. If you can meditate there for seven heartbeats of the Universe, you shall receive the Blessing of the Destroyer, allowing you to break the L10 limit of your Strength."
[ NEW QUEST: THE LIMIT BREAKER ]
Objective: Enter the Himalayan Void.
Reward: Strength L11 (Transcendent).
Cost to Enter: 8,000 Punya.
Risk: Your Ego (Ahankara) will be stripped away. If you fail, you lose all levels.
Vikram is at a crossroad. The South is waiting, but he is currently "capped" at Level 10.
The Ascension: Spend your 8,000 Punya to enter the Himalayan Void and attempt to reach Level 11 Strength (The power to move mountains).The Tactical Refusal: Refuse the blessing for now. Use the Punya in the Akasha Shop to buy [Stealth-Mantras] and try to sneak into the South as a Level 10 mortal.The Greed Path: Ask the Messenger for a Lottery Ticket instead, hoping to win a Trimurti Blessing without the dangerous meditation.
What is the Iron Sage's choice?