Silence.
Only the sound of blood dripping… and rain falling like soft tears from the sky.
The chamber surrounding the Hell Gate lay in ruins. Stones cracked. Walls scorched. The heavy scent of smoke clung to the air, blending with sorrow. The rain grew harsher, as if the heavens themselves mourned what had transpired.
In the center of it all—Satya lay motionless.
He wasn't unconscious. Just empty.
Tired.
Lost.
Ananya's healing warmth was gone. That comforting touch… had vanished. Replaced by a cold void that spread through his chest.
Yet she had done her best. And she had brought him back.
Satya groaned softly as he sat up. Pain spiked through his ribs, making him wince. Rain soaked through his skin, mixing with dried blood that clung to his face. Faint golden markings flickered across his body—remnants of some divine force still dormant within him.
But inside… he felt nothing.
No strength. No energy. No guidance.
"The system is gone," he whispered.
"Oorja… is gone. Without her, I'm just… me."
His hands clenched against the broken ground. His entire body trembled—not from pain—but from the weight of solitude.
Memories surged in.
Oorja's voice. Her scolding. Her laughter.
Her strength.
All of it… fading like a dream at dawn.
Then—
CRACK!
The sky split open.
A deafening roar of thunder shook the world.
A spear of golden lightning tore through the clouds, crashing into the earth just above him. The ground shattered. Wind howled through the ruined chamber.
From the storm, a figure descended.
Glowing. Radiant. Divine.
Vayunanda.
He hovered mid-air, his very presence radiating like sunlight made flesh. His eyes—twin suns. His voice—deep thunder wrapped in calm fury.
"You think you are nothing?"
"You are not just chosen. You were built for this."
"Satya... you are my disciple."
Golden light spiraled around Satya. Ethereal symbols filled the air—memories, not weapons.
"You relied on the system too much," Vayunanda said. "But you were never just a user. You are my student. My legacy."
"You already wield my gifts. You hold my weapon. You carry my will."
"Now rise… and prove it."
And then—
He vanished.
The rain paused.
The world held its breath.
Satya rose slowly. Ash danced around him like a swirling wind of memory—merging fire and rain into one.
His wounds closed—not through magic—but through something deeper. Like fire stitching muscle and bone.
His breath steamed in the cold air.
And in his hand—
A trident appeared.
Not given.
Claimed.
It had always been his.
No fear remained in his eyes.
Only focus.
Only fire.
"It's time for a rematch," Satya whispered.
From the shadows, she stepped forward.
Oorja.
Her black braid fluttered like a banner in the storm. Her eyes held no anger. Only resolve. And hope.
"This is your final test," she said softly.
"Show me who you really are… or die."
She moved.
In a blink.
Her sword flashed.
Clang!
His trident met her blade—sparks erupted in the air.
She struck again—elegant, fast, deadly. He ducked, twisted, countered with the trident's hilt, forcing her back.
No hesitation.
No fear.
He moved like a flame carried by the wind.
She flipped through the air, landing smoothly, smiling.
He pressed forward—each step a memory, each strike a lesson she had once taught him.
Oorja swept low.
He jumped.
She lunged high.
He twisted mid-air, blocked with his arm, and countered with a kick that sent her sliding back.
"She trained me for this."
"Now… I fight her."
Oorja raised her hand.
Dozens of glowing swords formed around him—illusions.
Satya closed his eyes.
His third eye blazed open.
The world slowed.
He moved.
Every illusion shattered as he danced between them—his body flowing like fire.
He spun—his trident trailing arcs of flame.
In an instant, he vanished—reappearing behind her.
One hand on her shoulder.
The other swept her legs.
She crashed to the ground. Her sword clattered beside her.
Satya stood above her. His trident hovered just inches from her chest.
But he didn't strike.
He waited.
Oorja looked up.
And smiled.
"You've earned it," she whispered.
"You don't need me anymore... but I am still with you."
System Reborn.
The ground beneath Satya ignited.
Flaming lotus petals bloomed beneath his feet.
"System boundaries lifted."
"User Authorization: True Flame Bearer confirmed."
"Unlocked Art: Divine Blink – Antarpatha."
He felt it.
Not just power.
A connection.
A bond.
The system no longer controlled him.
It listened to him.
But peace never lasts.
A low, guttural growl echoed through the ruins.
Then—
BOOM!
The wall behind Satya detonated in a storm of molten stone and hellfire.
From the smoke…
He emerged.
RAKSHA-DHVAJ.
The Gatekeeper of Hell's Wrath.
Six monstrous arms scraped against the ruined floor.
Bone armor cracked and shifted like tectonic plates.
Lava bled from his eyes—cursed tears of hatred.
His body was rage given form.
The air warped.
The ground cracked.
Reality bent around him.
His presence wasn't just power.
It was domination.
⚔ Phase 1: The Bone Tyrant
Raksha-Dhvaj roared—a roar that split the sky.
Then charged.
Each step was a quake, shattering the ruins beneath.
Satya blinked.
Reappeared behind the beast.
SLASH!
The trident cut deep.
But the demon spun—four arms lashed out.
Satya ducked, weaved, leapt—
Wind Pact: ACTIVATED.
He was a blur. A whisper of death.
Circling the beast, landing strike after strike—divine flame singing into flesh.
But the monster kept coming.
It didn't bleed fear—only rage.
A war of speed vs. strength.
The floor collapsed under them.
The temple itself shook.
Satya carved into the demon's leg, shattering its knee—
But the beast didn't fall.
It evolved.
☠ Phase 2: The Soul Binder
With a howl of rage, Raksha-Dhvaj's outer shell shattered.
From within stepped a cursed form—leaner, faster, wrapped in chains forged from memories and guilt.
His eyes became black holes.
Every chain he summoned whispered regrets…
Dead comrades.
Lost chances.
Betrayals.
Failures.
Satya froze.
He saw Agneyi fall.
He heard the Inferno Guild cry out.
He saw himself—alone, broken, unwanted.
"It's your fault, Satya…" the chains whispered.
His flame dimmed.
He dropped to one knee.
But then—
Vayunanda's voice echoed in his soul.
"You are not your past. You are the fire that outlives it."
Satya screamed.
The Flame of Will burst from within.
Chains melted.
He stood—trident ablaze.
Trident Storm Dance: ACTIVATED.
He blinked, spun, and shattered the illusion realm.
The Soul Binder shrieked—
Then exploded in fire.
But it wasn't over.
👑 Phase 3: Hell's Warden – Final Form
From the ashes…
He rose again.
Larger.
Burning brighter than a star gone mad.
A crown of flaming skulls hovered above his head.
His six arms now held six weapons of sin:
A whip that screamed.
A blood-dripping hammer.
A cursed sword.
A nightmare-forged spear.
A soulfire-coated dagger.
And one empty hand, waiting to claim more.
The chamber collapsed from his power.
Reality shook.
But Satya didn't run.
Silence.
Satya floated high above—
Cloak burning.
Third eye glowing like a comet.
Trident pulsing with every pact.
Below, the monster raised all six arms.
The world held its breath.
THROW.
The trident became a flaming comet.
BLINK.
Satya caught it mid-flight.
DRIVE.
Straight through the demon's cursed heart.
BOOOOOOM!
The chamber became a firestorm.
Lava.
Lightning.
Ash.
Raksha-Dhvaj screamed—
Then crumbled.
To dust.
To silence.
To ashes.
System Notification:
"⚠ Ash Pact Updated.You can now summon flame-bound guardians.Dead army may rise.You are now a Flame-Wielder: Necromancer of the Ash."
Only silence remained.
Only the sound of drifting ash.
Then—
Souls began to rise.
Jassi.Rehan.Tina.
Even the shattered form of Raksha-Dhvaj—reborn, no longer monstrous, but purified.
Their eyes now glowed with golden flame.
Their wounds—gone.
Their spirits—reborn.
They knelt before Satya.
"We choose to follow you," they said.
Satya raised his hand.
From the scorched ground—
Golden lotus flames bloomed.
The dead around him stood.
Not as ghosts.
Not as echoes.
But as Flame-Bound Guardians.
His army.
And suddenly, another system notification arrived:
Choose names for your new dead allies' army.