CHAPTER ASHBORN 454: RAJA JAGATH AINDRI

Ashborn Primordial

The moment Raja Jagath activated his Crown Chakra, Vir knew they were doomed. The aura spread across the whole battlefield, enveloping it and crushing even those at the farthest reaches with its spiritual pressure.

Vir hadn’t ever felt anything like it. Not from Cirayus, not even from Matiman when he’d activated his Crown.

Over the past months, Vir had come to feel terror for others—for Maiya, for his clan. For Samar Patag. Yet, for the first time in years, Vir felt terror for his own life.

Forget winning—could they even survive against this monster of this caliber?

“Snap out of it, lad,” Cirayus said, having deployed his own Crown to counteract Jagath's. While Chakras didn’t appear to Prana Vision in the same way the different affinities did, Vir could still gauge their potency.

What he saw did not bode well at all.

Jagath’s aura was nearly double that of Cirayus’, and where Cirayus’ Crown manifested as a giant, metaphysical version of himself, Jagath’s was condensed. Like the deepest depths of Mahādi, it was a bottomless wellspring of energy that consumed the minds of all it touched.

And this was just its secondary effect. Crown Chakras amplified every aspect of one’s being—from other Chakras to their prana arts to their physical strength. If his aura alone was this powerful, then how much stronger would this old demon be?

How much stronger would he have been had they fought within the forest, where his Ultimate Art, Jungal Beckons, would have given him a second army?

The Raja’s mount seemed to disappear, reappearing next to Cirayus with an oversized Khanda sword that Vir had rarely ever seen before, and never this large.

Though its size could not compare to Sikandar, Jagath’s momentum, coupled with his monstrous strength, lent the fat, heavy sword a power that created cracks under Cirayus’ feet, despite having used Balancer of Scales to soften the blow.

The next instant, Vir was sailing through the air.

Huh?

Vir glanced down to find his own body clad in jet-black, clawed armor, katar already in hand.

I must have activated Aspect of the Demon God reflexively, Vir noted idly as he landed, flaring Balancer of Scales to land upright.

Vir could still feel the reverberations in his bone.

If I hadn’t had Aspect of the Demon God active…

Vir shuddered, looking at his foe with renewed respect. He could scarcely believe anyone could hit that hard.

The Aindri Raja raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You’ve already mastered two of the Ultimate Bloodline Arts?”

“The boy is nothing if not impressive, Jagath,” Cirayus said, launching another blow with the massive Sikandar. A blow that Jagath dodged easily. Vir didn’t know whether it was using Blink or some other art, but the creature moved in a way that ought to be impossible for something of its shape and size.

Vir dusted off his armor and prepared to reengage. This time, he’d be ready. This time, he’d use every Art at his disposal, working in tandem with Cirayus.

Yet, as Jagath himself said, Vir and Cirayus couldn’t afford to kill the Raja, even if they were able to. Right now, that didn’t even seem likely.

“Your orders?” Ekat’Ma called from the shadows, the urgency in her voice snapping Vir back to the present moment.

“It would seem you’re still lacking, Cirayus,” Jagath said, his voice booming across the battlefield. “In Chakra and intellect both.”

Vir scowled. The sad truth of the matter was that even if they managed to defeat Jagath, it would be a long, bloody battle with high collateral.

Moreover, it would take time. Time that Samar Patag didn’t have. Exactly as Jagath wanted.

Vir had to admit, Annas had engineered a true masterstroke of a plan—somehow bypassing the eyes of even the Iksana. Something Vir thought impossible.

Gnashing his teeth, Vir did the only thing he could.

“Recall Maiya from the Human Realm. Ask her to help however she can with the city. Send Balagra to aid her. And… Please ask Ashani to come here immediately.”

Vir felt terrible—both for interrupting his fiancé's affairs and for relying on his Imperium friend in this way.

If he didn’t, however, many of his people would die.

And that was simply unacceptable.

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Vir smashed his fists and flared Prana Furnace.

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“It’s not working!” Ekta complained, earning herself a glare from Hiya.

“I know!” she hissed. “But what else can we do?”

Ekta looked away, feeling guilty. “S-sorry. It’s just…”

“I know,” Hiya said, ruffling the young girl’s hair.

After meeting Svar, they’d split up to cover more ground. Hiya preferred it that way. Despite Svar’s apparent change of heart, she’d never forgiven him for what he’d done to Bolin.

Despite avoiding any fire bundle locations that had guards, Hiya and Ekta alone had disrupted over a dozen locations, and Hiya guessed Svar had done the same.

As a direct result of their actions, barely a handful of fires had sprung up around the city, and it seemed that Asuras and town guards with Water magic were already dousing them.

Unfortunately, the fires were merely a distraction, as Hiya had uncovered while helping the Chits against her will.

Annas was planning on raiding the castle and fortifying key areas of the city. Hiya even overheard some of his people saying they’d take hostages.

It was all in the letter she’d written for Janani.

A letter apparently no one had seen. Or had Annas’ goons hidden it?

Hiya shook her head. If that were the case, she’d be imprisoned right now. Or worse.

She looked down at her explosive armband and shivered.

Now was not the time to think of such things. For now, she had to keep fighting the fires. The Asura might be on top of it, but there were only a handful left in the city. Most had gone to fight off the monkeys.

Grabbing Ekta’s hand, Hiya rounded the corner into the slums and wrinkled her nose.

Things had gotten a lot better recently under Vaak’s rule, but the slums were still the slums, and the smell hadn’t really gone away. At least no one was dying of starvation anymore, and the beggars in the streets had mostly disappeared, having found homes to move into.

Hiya glanced down at her partner in crime. The Chits had set up at least a dozen spots here. More than anywhere else in the city.

They had their work cut out, and so she lost no time.

Dispersing the straw piles and moving the urns of oil was easy enough, and each spot took barely a minute, now that they’d had so much practice. She handled the oil, while Ekta took care of the straw.

They worked effectively as a team, ruining one spot after another. A few had already been lit, but most had not. Annas was short of hands, considering how long it was taking him to set the city ablaze. It might have been good enough had Hiya, Ekta, and Svar not sabotaged his plans.

Her joy quickly vanished when she glanced at the young Ekta. What would happen to them after all this?

Would Annas detonate their bombs in rage?

Hiya gulped. It seemed just the sort of thing the monkey would do.l

But Vaak…

She shook her head. No. Vaak couldn’t be everywhere. She couldn’t rely on them to save her.

No, she’d made up her mind. And despite her grave reservations, so had Ekta. They couldn’t just sit idly by after having helped the enemy. Not after all Vaak had done for them.

Not after Bolin.

For all she knew, Annas would detonate their armbands even if they’d obediently helped his cause.

Except, unlike Bolin, Ekta and Hiya were smarter about it. They watched each others’ backs. They didn’t dare approach any location that seemed dangerous.

“Hiya?” Ekta asked, looking up at her with her big red eyes. “You’re thinking again.”

“Yes,” Hiya sighed with a sad smile. “Yes, I was. But not anymore. Now come on. These fires won’t douse themselves.”

It finally happened during their fourth heist in the slums. Despite their precaution. Despite minimizing the time they spent sabotaging the Chits.

Hiya knew that every second they spent inside one of the fire locations was a risk. One they couldn’t get rid of, no matter how carefully they scouted the street before entering the shacks.

“What the grak?” a deep, hoarse voice called out, causing Hiya and Ekta to whirl.

“W-we were just rearranging the straw,” Hiya stammered. She’d prepared a whole story in advance, in case they were caught.

Yet it was as if someone had stolen her ability to speak. Worse—she couldn’t recall a single word she was supposed to say.

“You aren’t even supposed to be here,” the demon—a slight-framed red that Hiya assumed was Aindri—said. “No, I think you’re up to no good.”

Hiya froze when his eyes moved to the armbands on Hiya and Ekta’s arms, and he smiled.

“Ah, I see how it is. Now, help me light this fire, or I detonate your armbands.”

“Y-You can’t do that!” Ekta cried, eyes wide in fright.

He probably can’t, Hiya thought. She doubted Annas would give that power to his lackeys. But then again, they couldn’t be sure, could they?

Squeezing Ekta’s hand, Hiya shook her head at the girl.

“We’ll help,” Hiya said, hanging her head. She could practically hear Bolin screaming at her in her head. Telling her she was making a mistake. To not back down in front of this Aindri.

But Hiya wasn’t Bolin. Nor would she die like him. That went doubly so when Ekta was around.

Ekta, smart girl that she was, nodded and moved to rearrange the fire bundle she’d just dispersed. Half the material was gone, but the oil would ensure that the fire destroyed the thatch building, regardless.

The Aindri snatched the oil urn from Hiya before she could ‘accidentally’ drop it, then doused the entire pile in it.

Finally, he brought out some firesteel and a striker.

Firesteel? Hiya thought, frowning. Why would he need Firesteel? Can’t he just use an Aspect art?

Hiya’s frown grew even deeper when she realized the Aindri had no visible Aspect tattoos on his body.

That didn’t mean much on its own—tattoos were easily covered by clothing—but the fact that this demon needed mundane means to start a fire told her he at least lacked Aspect of the Blazing Forest.

Hiya glanced at Ekta. Judging by her parted lips, the girl had seen it as well. Of course she had. Ekta had always been astute, despite her tender age.

Should we? Ekta’s expression seemed to say.

Hiya hesitated. Should they? It was tempting, yes, but too great a gamble.

What if he had other powers? And even if not, could they—two girls—overpower a fully grown male demon?

No. It was too risky. They’d have to find another way. Perhaps later, when the demon wasn’t looking—

A thwacking sound broke Hiya out of her thoughts.

It was followed by the Aindri’s eyes rolling into the back of his head and crumpling onto the ground.

Behind him was a hooded figure in a black robe, holding a steel pipe.

Vaak!? Hiya thought, her heart threatening to burst.

“Looks like I made it in time,” the voice said.

Hiya froze. She knew that voice. That high-pitched, breathless voice. It wasn’t Vaak. His was deeper. Full of confidence. Of a wisdom of a thousand years. No, this was…

“Svar?” Hiya asked in disbelief.

“Why, were you expecting someone else?” Svar asked with a smirk.

“Why?” Hiya breathed. “How? Where are your goons?”

“They’re not my goons,” Svar said, sounding annoyed. “I just finished up with the ones I could get to, so I headed for the slums. Figured I hadn’t run into you yet, so the chances of meeting seemed high. Just glad I got here in time.”

“You are?” Ekta asked with genuine surprise.

“Look, I know you think I’m some sort of villain,” Svar said, letting out a sigh. “And maybe I’ve done some things… But, er. Well, I figure I owe Bolin one. So consider us even.”

The boy turned and left, not bothering to wait for Hiya’s response.

“You’re hardly even,” Hiya whispered, regardless. “But maybe you’re not just a villain.”