LightReader

Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: The First Blood

The Pandavas prince Arjuna sprinted backward, his feet barely touching the sand as he created two hundred paces between himself and Romulus.

In one fluid motion, he nocked an arrow, drew Gandiva's string to his ear—and released.

THOOM!

The bowstring's snap echoed like thunder, shaking the air. The single arrow split mid-flight, multiplying into thousands, a shimmering storm of death raining toward Romulus. The sky turned silver with their approach.

The Roman stood firm, didn't flinch as the death rain descended., shield raised until the arrows were mere inches away.

Then—he vanished.

Not a blur. Not a dodge. Gone.

The arrows struck with enough force to send concentric shockwaves through the battlefield—one, two, three rings of upheaved earth radiating outward.

Loki, the trickster god materialized straddling a lightning bolt floating upside-down above the battlefield. "WELL, WELL! IT SEEMS ROMULUS HAS RECEIVED MERCURY'S BLESSING—THE SPEED TO VANISH FROM EVEN A GOD'S EYES!"

The gods erupted. Indra clenched his fist. "Cowardice!".

Arjuna took a step—the ground collapsed beneath him. A pit yawned open, swallowing his footing. But the archer twisted mid-air, kicking off the crumbling earth to land gracefully.

"So the tricks have started," he shouted, brushing sand from his arm. "I've traveled with the greatest trickster for years. You won't surprise me so easily."

Then—Romulus appeared, standing half a foot in front of Arjuna, his gladius already mid-swing.

Arjuna's eyes widened.

The blade passed through empty air as Romulus vanished again, reappearing hundred paces away.

Then another Romulus appeared.

And another.

And another.

A hundred Romulus clones materialized across the battlefield, each armed differently—gladius, dagger, spear, whip, trident—their weapons glinting under the arena's eerie light.

They roared in unison—a bear's growl, a wolf's howl, a legion's war cry. The sound was deafening, shaking the sand beneath Arjuna's feet.

A blur—too fast to track, an arrow grazed Arjuna's cheek, slicing a thin red line. A single drop of blood welled, hung for a breath, then fell—one… two… three drops.

The third was caught on Arjuna's finger—he smeared it across Gandiva's limbs, making the bow hum in D-sharp

From behind, a spear materialized mid-air, thrusting at his spine, its passage leaving afterimages of eagle wings.. Arjuna sidestepped—but not fast enough. 

The spearhead sliced through three strands of his hair, severing them cleanly. The strands drifted to the ground like fallen feathers.

The gods gasped Krishna murmured, "Partha…".

Jupiter grinned. "A hair's breadth from death!".

Sun Wukong leaned forward. "Boring!".

Freya traced the path of the severed hair. "Such pretty hair… what a waste.".

Kali clapped with all four hands, her bracelets of skulls chattering

Arjuna closed his eyes.

The hundred Romulus clones tightened their circle, weapons raised. The air hummed with impending violence.

Then—Arjuna moved.

In one motion, he drew Gandiva, nocked an arrow, and fired straight upward.

BOOM!

The bowstring's release cracked like thunder, the shockwave kicking up a ring of dust. The arrow streaked into the sky, a golden trail blazing behind it.

The thunderclap on release left everyone momentarily deaf—even the gods leaned forward, mouths moving soundlessly.

 

 

More Chapters