Without Venkata, Ananda’s shield wouldn’t last, but the God King approached the ravine anyway. Not all the soldiers had reached a safe distance, so his job was important to protect them as much as the Demon King.

Deep cracks spread across the ground as diamond-tipped claws dug deeper into the earth. The ground rumbled when, at first, it seemed as though more magma was rising from the chasm, slowly this time. But soon, the shifting plates atop a mound of churning lava took the shape of a massive serpentine head. A tongue of white fire flicked from its maw, and its eyes—glowing, vacant orbs—scanned the plains.

The head continued to ascend, revealing a long neck, the underside of which swirled with white-hot lava. It hissed and great plumes of smoke escaped the edges of its maw. The great monster’s eyes narrowed as it raised its gaze upward toward the shield of light surrounding it. Its neck stretched and it crashed its head right through Ananda’s golden dome. At first it seemed the dome would hold, but after a great crack, the shield shattered into fine dust.

Ananda winced.

The beast continued to rise from the chasm as if nothing had been in its way. Its neck arched, and it looked down at the fleeing soldiers. Eyes narrowing, the Primordial Beast hissed. Scalding air swept over the plains, evaporating the floodwaters.

“Not today.” Ananda summoned a powerful gust, dispersing the hot air and shielding his retreating soldiers.

The Great Devourer turned its gaze to Ananda, who froze under its stare. Their eyes locked, and Ananda’s blood ran cold. The beast's intelligent, malevolent eyes focused on him as it continued to emerge. Its neck gave way to powerful shoulders and arms ending in deadly claws. It was nearly the size of Mount Kaashil, and Ananda sensed only half of it had surfaced.

Venkata had warned that the Devourer was beyond their soldiers’ abilities, but was it beyond their own?

Ananda stared, transfixed, as the Devourer opened its maw, revealing jagged crystalline teeth. The creature inhaled deeply, pulling its head back, then roared. Ananda clapped his hands over his ears and dropped to one knee.

Hold this thing back? What a joke.

Gritting his teeth, Ananda glanced over his shoulder at Venkata, still forming the mudras to empower their spell. Ananda couldn't just stand there; he had to act. Even if it was ultimately futile, he couldn’t allow the Primordial Beast to fully emerge from the ravine. He felt his legs shake.

“Get up,” he muttered at himself. Forming a fist with his hand he raised it above his head. “Get up!” He swung his fist down onto his thigh. The hit rattled through his armor, making Ananda grit his teeth, but it stopped the shaking. He got back onto his feet.

Far away, the roar’s shockwaves caused the soldiers to stumble. The Devourer saw this and, unlike the blank, animal focus of the smaller Primordial Beasts, its gaze was cunning. Its mouth twisted into a look of triumph.

Ananda gathered all his remaining power into his hands and feet as he saw the Devourer lift one of its massive claws. Forcing his legs to move, Ananda dashed across the plains, positioning himself between the soldiers and the incoming attack.

The Devourer, focused on the fleeing soldiers, ignored the lone figure in white and gold in its path. What could he possibly do against this behemoth?

The giant claw slammed down, sending a wave of lava and broken rock hurtling toward the soldiers. The intense heat alone would have incinerated half of them.

But Ananda adopted a stalwart stance and stood firm. With a fierce war cry, he thrust his hands forward, fingertips pressed together to form a wedge. His magic swirled from his fingertips and down his arms. The molten wave crashed against him, split by the blade created by his hands.

Ananda's feet slid as the force shoved him back, but he held his ground, even as it fractured beneath him.

The lava parted harmlessly to either side, cooled by the floodwaters. Behind him, the soldiers regained their footing and reached a safer zone far from the mountain-like Primordial Beast. They grew smaller as they continued to run toward the refuge of the mountain.

The attack dissipated, leaving Ananda standing. He met the Great Devourer’s gaze again, this time seeing its keen, calculating eyes. How dare this insignificant bug get in its way? What a bold creature. It would devour him first.

But then the bug seemingly vanished. The Devourer snorted and searched, baffled. Where had it gone?

A glint of light caught the back of its claw, and the Devourer’s gaze snapped to it.

Ananda had gathered his magic in his feet and raced up the Devourer’s arm faster than mortal eyes—and the Devourer’s—could track. In his hand, he summoned his most potent weapon, the Vajra, or Thunderbolt—a celestial weapon passed down through generations of God Kings. Surging with divine lightning, it could transform into any form but was at its purest as a ball of electricity, which now crackled in Ananda’s palm as he sprinted up the Devourer’s arm.

From the creature's shoulder, Ananda leaped high, soaring above the beast's head. The Devourer almost seemed to grin, opening its maw wide, ready to snap him up like a serpent.

Ananda raised the Vajra above his head, the lightning orb growing brighter and more intense. Sparks danced across its surface.

With all his might, Ananda hurled the lightning bolt straight into the Devourer’s gaping maw. The creature greedily swallowed the Thunderbolt, snapping its jaws shut around the weapon. Its nostrils flared in triumph, but then Ananda triggered Vajra’s true attack.

Inside the Devourer’s throat, the Vajra detonated.

Lightning arced through the Devourer’s neck, spewing out great gouts of molten rock. Meteors rained down across the plains, now deserted save for Ananda and Venkata. The Devourer screeched in agony and glared at him.

Whatever brief thrill of victory Ananda had felt vanished under that glare. The Devourer moved with surprising speed, raising a claw to swat him from the air.

Ananda hurtled to the ground faster than he could recover. He curled up, bracing himself for impact. Forgive me, Venkata, he thought. This might be the most I can do.

But instead of striking the hard earth, Ananda felt strong arms catch him, absorbing the force of his fall. They crashed to the ground, creating a crater, but Ananda remained unharmed. Slowly, those arms lifted him to his feet. He turned and saw Venkata’s fiercely glowing red eyes.

Venkata had caught him. And more than that—he had finished the spell.

**

Rows of soldiers climbed the grand staircase of Mount Kaashil when a golden cradle soared over their heads, landing beneath the entwined trees at Dinan’s feet.

Stunned, the Keeper of the Gate bent down, reaching for the woven cocoon. Before he could touch it, the threads unwound, and the spell unraveled to reveal Lady Ragini’s prone form.

“My Lady!” Dinan cried, tossing his mace aside and dropping to his knees. He gently slipped a hand under Ragini’s head and lifted her until she sat upright. “My Lady, please be all right.” She bore no visible wounds and was back in her sari, not her armor.

So much had transpired on the battlefield, and Dinan had been so focused on the immense claws emerging from the chasm that he hadn’t noticed King Venkata sending his daughter back to the mountain.

Ragini stirred, making a soft sound as she awoke. “Dinan?” she asked, dazed for a moment before bolting upright. How was she back at the mountain? Where were her father and King Ananda?

Dinan called after her, but she was already racing out of Rudra’s shield again. Ragini shoved past one soldier after another, panic fueling her steps. She knew what her father and the God King intended to do. It wasn’t their duty!

Her eyes glowed with a farsight spell, and the battle scene came into view.

A colossal, lizard-like creature of lava and stone loomed over two luminous figures on the ground. Ragini watched as those figures clasped each other’s arms and began to glow, transforming into a great disc of light—a Celestial Chakram, one of the divine weapons.

The disc spun into the sky, churning the clouds above and the waters and lava below. The Great Devourer roared and met the Chakram midair. Their collision reverberated across the world, blinding the plains with brilliant light. Even Ragini had to shut her eyes.

A moment later, the shockwave from the two kings’ final attack struck her, sending her hurtling back toward her husband’s shield. Before she could land, Dinan leaped forward, catching her with surprising nimbleness for a Bull Spirit of his size.

He held her tight as she initially struggled in his grasp. The air filled with a terrible scream. Whose scream was that?

Ah.

It was her own.

Ragini’s tears streamed down her face, her throat raw from calling out for her father. She pleaded for the return of the two kings from the unyielding world and cursed the Primordial Beast where it lay, half-emerged from the chasm, its head slumped on the ground, motionless.