[Kark]: Pratik!!
Kark screamed.
Pratik's body lay bleeding on the battlefield.
Exhausted.
Motionless.
Before Kark could react, Haidoro's plasma-coated punch tore straight through him.
The fused souls of Grimori and Mala were forced back into their original bodies, which had been kept deep beneath the battlefield until the battle ended.
Somewhere beneath the battlefield...
Mala woke up drenched in sweat.
She wasn't frightened for herself.
She was frightened for Pratik.
[Mala]: He... he's alive, right?
Mala asked, her eyes filled with fear.
It wasn't fear for herself.
It was concern.
The gentle side of her she always tried to hide.
Even Grimori wasn't certain.
But to calm her, he silently nodded.
[Grimori]: Let's return to the battlefield. While Ganaraj and Kel keep Haidoro occupied, we'll make sure no soldiers interfere.
[Mala]: And... we have to bring Pratik back.
Mala added without hesitation.
*
Haidoro continued walking toward Ganaraj.
Ganaraj walked toward him as well.
Alone.
Kel remained on high alert.
His sole purpose now was to prevent any surprise attacks against Ganaraj.
The insane soldiers who had long lost their sanity still obeyed one thing.
Orders.
Orders that came only from Haidoro.
They stood silently behind him.
[Ganaraj]: You'll regret making an enemy of us... The moment you laid your hands on our people.
[Haidoro]: I've made countless enemies throughout my life. What makes your kind any different?
Haidoro replied without slowing his pace.
His internal wounds had already begun healing much faster.
Soon...
His Dark Energy Reserves would recover.
And once they did—
He would reveal the true essence of destruction through his Dragon Beast Form.
Steam escaped from Ganaraj's body.
His chubby build gradually shrank into a lean, muscular physique.
He was sacrificing raw power for speed and flexibility.
[Haidoro]: You aren't even worth my time.
Haidoro cast a cold glance toward his soldiers.
That alone was enough.
The order had been given.
Without a single word, the army charged toward Ganaraj and Kel.
Something felt wrong.
Suddenly—
A massive portion of the soldiers was blown away.
Haidoro looked toward the sky.
So did Ganaraj and Kel.
Hundreds of Three-Tusked War Elephants descended overhead.
The very same beasts Pratik had sent away earlier to hunt the soldiers had finally returned.
The winds released from their trunks formed violent hurricanes across the battlefield.
A spacecraft crashed into a nearby island.
The impact unleashed a massive earthquake.
At the same time, the Ganas dragged the Four Stared Personnels back onto the battlefield.
Not to fight alone—
But to ensure they could support their ruler, Ganaraj, whenever he required it.
From the burning spacecraft, a lone figure climbed to its highest point.
Gaja.
Commander of the Ganas.
The lower section of the spacecraft burst apart as countless Ganas poured toward the battlefield.
Freed from captivity, the Four Stared Personnels took to the skies and moved toward Haidoro.
Standing atop the wreckage, Gaja roared—
[Gaja]: Glory to Lord Ganesha!!!
That single cry sent the morale of the entire Gana army soaring.
Haidoro laughed.
A deep, genuine laugh.
[Haidoro]: Seems the next generation will have quite the tale to remember.
The battlefield shifted once again.
Ganas.
Three-Tusked War Elephants.
Gaja.
Ganaraj.
Kel.
Grimori.
All gathered on the eastern side of the planet.
The ground suddenly burst open.
Mala and Grimori emerged from beneath it.
Without wasting a second, Mala rushed to Pratik's unconscious body and carried him away from the battlefield.
Grimori, meanwhile, walked over and stood beside Ganaraj.
Three Four Stared Personnels floated behind Haidoro.
The remaining soldiers gathered behind him.
The battlefield had been redrawn.
The stakes had risen once more.
Suddenly—
Another figure crashed into a nearby mountain, destroying a massive section of it.
As the dust settled...
Surya stepped out.
His upper body wasn't covered in clothes.
Only bandages.
The scars from his previous battle against Haidoro had yet to heal.
Haidoro glanced sideways at him.
[Surya]: I've returned stronger. Don't expect me to go down so easily this time.
Surya unsheathed his sword, rested it on his shoulder, and walked toward Ganaraj.
For the first time in his life...
Haidoro witnessed something he had never understood.
Weaklings...
Who refused to stop fighting.
No matter how many times they fell.
No matter how hopeless victory seemed.
They continued standing for what they believed was right.
It made him...
Jealous.
Those bonds.
Those ideals.
That unwavering resolve...
They were things Haidoro had never experienced himself.
To him, retreat had always been cowardice.
Failure had always been unforgivable.
Yet now...
He saw something else.
A different answer to life itself.
But instead of changing him...
It only fueled the fire burning within him.
The desire to destroy everything before him.
The world Haidoro knew had never rewarded optimism.
Only strength.
Strength was survival.
Everything else was meaningless.
He had never lived in a world built upon hope.
And he refused to accept one now.
Because, to him...
Those who embraced such ideals had never truly paid the price for them.
[Haidoro]: I shall never forget you people...As long as I live.
Haidoro murmured quietly while watching every one of his enemies gather before him.
He slowly raised a finger toward them.
That single gesture became the signal.
The battle resumed.
The planet trembled beneath the advance of both armies.
Yet before anyone else could react—
The two greatest forces had already collided.
Ganaraj.
Haidoro.
The shockwave from their clash blasted both armies away.
Only the elites—
Grimori.
Surya.
Kel.
Gaja.
And the Four Stared Personnels—
Managed to remain standing.
Locked in combat, Ganaraj and Haidoro shot toward a nearby island.
The instant they arrived—
Their exchange vaporized both the spacecraft and the island itself in a fraction of a second.
Grimori cracked his fingers while staring down the Four Stared Personnels.
Surya silently analyzed every opponent before him.
Gaja unsheathed his blade.
Kel remained grounded.
Waiting.
Supporting.
The three Four Stared Personnels stood completely unfazed.
Time was running out.
Grahan and Yash continued their psychological battle.
Haidoro and Ganaraj clashed through sheer brute force.
And somewhere else...
Pratik was fighting for his life.
To be continued...