The battlefield did not wait for grief to settle.
At dawn, the Kurus attacked.
Not with siege engines or massed formations—but with a narrow, brutal strike aimed directly at Mahismati's western gate. It was a commander's assault. Surgical. Decisive. Designed to break resolve rather than walls.
Bhishma's handwriting was all over it.
---
> [Battle Alert]
> Enemy Vanguard Detected
> Objective: Western Gate Breach
> Commander Presence: Confirmed
Arya stood on the ramparts as the first horns sounded, his body already aching before the Sovereign's Burden even stirred. The air tasted of iron and inevitability.
Karna arrived beside him, fully armored.
"They're not testing us anymore," Karna said grimly. "They're finishing something."
Arya nodded.
"I know."
---
The western gate shook as battering rams struck in perfect rhythm. Shield walls advanced behind them, disciplined and relentless. No wasted movement. No panic.
These were veterans.
---
> [System Advisory]
> Tactical Efficiency – Enemy: Exceptional
> Recommendation:
> Host Direct Intervention Required
Arya felt the familiar resistance.
The system no longer *offered* power.
It *demanded* judgment.
---
"Open the inner gate," Arya ordered.
Karna spun.
"That puts you in the kill zone!"
Arya met his gaze.
"That's the point."
---
The gates opened.
Arya descended alone.
Not as a god.
Not as a symbol.
As a man walking toward violence he could no longer avoid.
---
The clash was immediate.
Steel screamed.
Blood sprayed.
Arya moved with ruthless economy—every strike precise, restrained, final. No wasted motion. No unnecessary cruelty.
And yet—
Every life he took tore something loose inside him.
---
> [Judicial Memory – Active]
> Direct Kill Registered
> Target: Confirmed Combatant
> Emotional Impact: Severe
> Sovereign's Burden:
> Amplified
Arya staggered, breath hitching.
The soldier fell.
Dead.
Not faceless.
Not distant.
Right there.
---
Karna watched from the gate.
This was not Dominion.
This was worse.
This was choice made flesh.
---
The enemy commander emerged then.
Tall.
Broad.
Eyes sharp with recognition.
"Prince of Mahismati," the man called. "I wondered when you'd come down."
Arya raised his blade.
"Leave," he said. "Now."
The commander laughed.
"You let children die yesterday," he said calmly. "Don't pretend you're merciful today."
The words cut deep.
---
> [Provocation Detected]
> Emotional Stability: Threatened
Arya felt the system tense.
Not to empower.
To observe.
---
They clashed.
The commander was skilled—strong, disciplined, experienced. Each exchange pushed Arya harder, driving him back step by step toward the gate.
Karna moved instinctively—
Then stopped.
This was Arya's fight.
---
The commander grinned.
"You're slowing," he taunted. "Mercy takes stamina."
Arya said nothing.
He saw the opening.
He took it.
---
His blade pierced the man's chest.
Clean.
Direct.
Fatal.
---
The commander gasped.
Surprise flickered across his face—not fear.
"Good," he whispered. "Now you're honest."
He fell.
Dead.
---
The battlefield froze for half a heartbeat.
Then—
The Kurus withdrew.
Not routed.
Not broken.
But acknowledging something had been settled.
---
> [Battle Update]
> Western Gate: Secured
> Enemy Vanguard: Withdrawn
> System Notice:
> Personal Kill Count: 1 (Direct)
> Judicial Weight: Significant
Arya stood still.
His blade trembled.
Then steadied.
---
Karna reached him.
"You didn't hesitate," Karna said quietly.
"No," Arya replied.
Karna searched his face.
"And that scares me."
---
The Sovereign's Burden did not surge.
It *answered*.
---
> [System Assessment]
> Host Adaptation: Confirmed
> Emotional Suppression: Emerging
> Note:
> This increases survivability
> Decreases redemption probability
Arya wiped his blade clean.
"I didn't enjoy it," he said.
Karna nodded.
"I know."
"That's what scares me too."
---
That night, the city did not mourn.
It watched.
Arya had crossed another threshold.
Not into cruelty.
Into inevitability.
---
Bhishma listened to the report and exhaled slowly.
"He killed personally," Bhishma said.
Krishna smiled faintly.
"And did not break."
Bhishma's voice was heavy.
"Then the boy is gone."
Krishna looked toward Mahismati.
"No," he said softly. "The boy is learning how not to scream."
---
Back on the wall, Arya stared at his hands.
They no longer shook.
---
> [New Status Applied]
> Emotional Callusing (Stage I)
> Effect:
> Pain delayed
> Guilt deferred
> Long-term damage cumulative
Arya closed his eyes.
The system did not congratulate him.
It merely recorded.
---
"I see you now," Arya whispered.
Justice had a face.
And it looked back without blinking.
---
End of Chapter 27