The assassin’s punch crashed into Bhagavat’s face hard enough to twist his entire body sideways.
Blood scattered across the ruined ground.
Bhagavat barely managed to stand properly before another strike slammed into his stomach.
His breath vanished instantly.
A painful gasp escaped his mouth as he stumbled backward.
The assassin didn’t stop.
He moved forward calmly and drove his elbow into Bhagavat’s shoulder.
CRACK.
Bhagavat dropped to one knee.
Pain shot through his arm.
Before he could react, the assassin grabbed his hair violently and yanked his head upward.
A fist smashed directly into his nose.
Blood poured down instantly.
Bhagavat’s vision blurred.
The dead universe around them rumbled with distant thunder as cold wind swept through the broken remains of ancient skyscrapers.
Fragments of floating stone drifted silently beneath the fractured sky.
The assassin looked down at him without emotion.
“I haven’t even used my powers yet,” he said quietly.
“And you already look half dead.”
Bhagavat clenched his teeth and swung a punch upward.
The assassin caught it effortlessly.
For a second— Silence.
Then the assassin twisted Bhagavat’s arm and slammed his knee into Bhagavat’s ribs.
CRACK.
Bhagavat cried out in pain.
The assassin hurled him across the ground.
Bhagavat crashed through shattered pillars before skidding across the black stone ground.
Dust rose around him.
His entire body screamed in agony.
Still… He forced himself up again.
Breathing heavily.
Bleeding.
The assassin slowly approached through the drifting dust.
Each step echoed through the empty ruins.
“I only used close combat,” he said calmly.
“But you still failed.
I thought you could entertain me with a hand-to-hand fight…
I’m very disappointed in you.”
Bhagavat wiped blood from his lips and glared at him.
“Then I’m grateful you think that highly of me.”
Silence lingered in the air for a moment.
The assassin stopped midway.
Then he vanished.
Bhagavat’s eyes widened.
A hand suddenly seized his throat from behind.
The assassin lifted him into the air effortlessly.
Bhagavat clawed at the assassin’s wrist as his breathing stopped.
“You really don’t understand your situation,”
The assassin whispered near his ear.
Then he slammed Bhagavat straight into the ground.
BOOM.
The ground shattered beneath the impact.
Cracks spread outward like spiderwebs across the black stone.
Bhagavat coughed blood violently.
The assassin grabbed him by the collar and punched him again.
And again.
And again.
Each hit became heavier.
Brutal.
Merciless.
Bhagavat’s body barely remained conscious under the storm of blows.
Yet even then… blood still dripped from his mouth onto the ruined ground.
His fingers still tightened around the broken blade.
His vision trembled.
Breathing burned like fire inside his chest.
But his eyes never left the assassin.
Not once.
As if his broken body could surrender everything… except defiance.
The assassin’s fist stopped midair.
Silence lingered between them.
“What’s wrong with this kid…?
He should’ve died by now, but he’s still alive.”
Then, the assassin slowly stood up.
The shattered ground trembled beneath his feet as the assassin stared down at Bhagavat’s broken body.
And then—
BOOOOOOM—!!
The impact alone shook the entire dead planet.
Mountains cracked apart in the distance while storms of dust rose into the dark sky.
He walked forward slowly and stared directly into Bhagavat’s bloodied face, as if observing a monster that refused to die.
“How about this…?” The assassin asked.
“What if I let you experience what’s beneath this planet’s surface?”
Bhagavat’s expression instantly changed.
“Hey kid… I’d say you’re around 78 to 90 years old.
And don’t cry.
If I do that, your body will vanish inside the lava of this planet’s core.
I want to play with you a little bit more.”
Then—
A faint smile appeared across the assassin’s face.
“Let me guide you through this dead universe.” He tilted his head slightly.
“Don’t you think… that would be interesting?”
Suddenly—
The assassin grabbed Bhagavat and threw him high into the sky.
Bhagavat shot upward like a meteor.
The assassin looked up calmly… then disappeared.
The atmosphere exploded behind him.
And in the very next instant— he appeared above Bhagavat.
Like smashing a football— the assassin swung his leg downward with monstrous force.
CRAAAAASH—!!
His kick landed directly on Bhagavat’s stomach.
Space distorted.
Bhagavat’s body became a streak of destruction as he was hurled downward at terrifying speed.
The impact split the planet into two.
An enormous crater erupted across the shattered planet as oceans of lava burst into the sky like exploding suns.
Shockwaves devoured continents.
Mountains collapsed into burning abyssal depths while the atmosphere itself trembled from the impact.
The assassin whispered as he floated through space.
“What a monster… he still hasn’t died.”
A faint grin appeared on his face.
“Alright…
Get ready.
We’re going for a little morning walk through space… and make sure you enjoy it.”
Inside his mind—
“It seems this kid is awakening some unnatural power… though it should’ve been impossible for an ordinary human to survive that impact.
At first, I thought I could kill him with nothing but kicks and punches, the way normal humans fight.
But now… this kid is awakening something beyond human.
So it won’t be unfair if I use my real powers.”
The assassin’s gaze shifted toward Bhagavat, whose body floated through space after the planet had been destroyed.
Meanwhile, inside Bhagavat’s fading consciousness—
“Why… only me…?
Why does this always happen to me…?”
His barely opened eyes trembled weakly as fragments of light drifted across his blurred vision.
“I recovered from illness… just yesterday and today… I’m fighting just to stay alive again.”
His thoughts grew slower.
Heavy.
Distant.
As though even consciousness itself was beginning to slip away.
The assassin raised one hand toward the dead planet beneath him.
A moment later, the black blade burst from the planet’s fractured surface and ascended through space before landing silently in his grasp.
The moment his fingers closed around the weapon, the surrounding space distorted violently.
Thin cracks spread across the darkness itself as though reality could no longer withstand the blade’s existence.
The drifting fragments of the destroyed planet began trembling.
Oceans of lava floating through space suddenly changed direction, slowly orbiting around the assassin like burning stars drawn toward a black hole.
Bhagavat’s breathing faltered.
For the first time since the battle began, his instinct screamed at him to run.
The assassin lowered the blade slightly and looked toward him with quiet disappointment.
“Now…” he murmured.
“Let’s see…
how long you can keep resisting.”
A calm voice came from behind the assassin.
“Your performance wasn’t bad.”
Suddenly—
The assassin felt overwhelming fear.
His body froze instinctively.
The black blade in his hand trembled slightly.
For the first time since entering the dead universe, his breathing became unstable.
Slowly, he turned around.
And the moment he fully turned around, his pupils shrank.
“…Urvashi…!” he gasped.
She didn’t release pressure.
Yet the moment she appeared—
The dead universe itself became strangely still.
Her expression remained calm.
Too calm.
But the space surrounding her felt unnatural, as though reality itself feared existing near her presence.
The assassin narrowed his eyes behind the metallic mask.
“It’s impossible…”
Meanwhile, Bhagavat’s fading eyes widened weakly.
“…Di…di…?”
Urvashi glanced briefly toward Bhagavat’s broken body floating in the distance.
Then her gaze slowly returned to the assassin.
“Surrender or…”
Then suddenly—
BOOOOOM—!!
Before Urvashi could finish speaking, the assassin had already plunged the black blade straight through his own heart.
Blood drifted silently through the dead universe as the assassin’s body trembled violently.
Yet even then—
Urvashi’s expression didn’t change.
She simply looked at him calmly.
“Quick decisions aren’t always wise.”
The assassin’s pupils trembled beneath the metallic mask.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then suddenly, his entire body froze.
“…What…?” Panic spread through his voice.
Invisible cracks spread across the assassin’s body as though reality itself had begun rejecting his existence.
*
*
*
Soft daylight entered quietly through the large glass windows of Bhagavat’s room, casting pale reflections across the dark floor.
The room smelled faintly of medicine.
Meanwhile—
Bhagavat lay unconscious on his bed while several holographic medical screens hovered nearby, displaying shifting blue symbols and body scans.
A middle-aged doctor stood beside the bed, carefully examining the injuries covering Bhagavat’s body.
Nearby, Bhagavat’s mother sat quietly beside the bed, her tired eyes fixed on him without moving even for a moment.
Standing beside her, his auntie held her hands tightly together, unable to hide the worry on her face.
Meanwhile, Urvashi stood near the window with folded arms, silently watching the room.
The doctor frowned slightly while reading the holographic results.
“…This doesn’t make any sense.”
One of the floating screens flickered rapidly.
The doctor stared at it for several seconds before speaking again.
“His body should’ve collapsed already after suffering this level of damage.”
A brief silence followed.
“But somehow…
his internal injuries are healing at an abnormal speed.”
Bhagavat’s mother lowered her head slightly in relief, though her hands still trembled faintly.
The doctor slowly removed his glasses, still unable to understand the results before him.
“I think he is awakening… but this is completely different from any normal awakening process.
I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Silence filled the room once again.
Then—
Urvashi turned and started walking out of the room.
Shanti Lata noticed her.
“Urvi… what actually happened to him?”
Urvashi turned toward them before speaking.
“Maa, Maausi… everything is okay.”
Her mother looked at her hopefully.
“Urvi…”
Then suddenly, Meenakshi burst into the room with a scream.
“Babuuuuuu!”
Shanti Lata instantly let out a terrified scream after seeing her.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh… ghost!”
The next moment—
Silence.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
The doctor looked completely confused while everyone stared at Meenakshi.
Meenakshi’s gaze shifted toward Bhagavat.
Only then did she realize the situation.
“Uhhh… I was just worried about him.”
“This girl is impossible,” Urvashi whispered.
Meenakshi entered like a final boss instead of a worried person.
Also… things are about to become much worse from here.