LEGACY OF THE FALLEN
Chapter 18
"Now begin the second round", Arihant shouted, and both he and Jasmine jumped onto a nearby tree, giving the two space for their battle. This time, Aksh's focus was completely on Avni—he wanted to understand how she was manipulating the branches of the trees.
Avni's previously playful expression was now gone, and she looked like a completely different person. Her emerald eyes were locked onto Aksh, and there wasn't a trace of playfulness on her face.
She slowly lifted her hand, and the moment she moved, Aksh immediately launched an attack—jumping from the ground toward her. But before his fist could reach her, a branch suddenly shot downward, its sharp end launching like a needle toward his face.
Aksh turned his head just in time, barely dodging the strike. Even so, the pointed tip of the branch grazed his cheek, leaving a clean, deep cut just enough to draw blood. But Aksh didn't stop—it was his chance to attack. With the branch now behind him, he pushed forward.
Then, out of nowhere, another branch came at him from the opposite side. Aksh quickly stepped back twice, narrowly dodging it.
And now, in front of him, were two branches snaking out from behind a tree, rushing toward Aksh from opposite sides. Their ends were as sharp as swords—and behind them stood Avni, the one manipulating them.
The branches charged like a pair of roaring tigers, closing in on Aksh with deadly speed. As they neared, Aksh jumped upward, trying to evade the attack—but the branches followed him, twisting up after him.
"Are you kidding me?" Aksh muttered as they closed the distance. He knew he couldn't dodge mid-air. So, he twisted his body downward, facing the ground.
And just as the branch lunged for his abdomen, he crossed his arms to shield it. The branches struck—his hands absorbing the hit—but their edges were far too sharp. They pierced clean through his palms and into his abdomen.
Blood splattered onto the ground, leaking from his stomach and staining the green branches crimson. His body hung limp on the impaling branches, arms dangling downward. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, staining his lips as his vision blurred. His eyes fluttered, struggling to stay open, but the darkness crept in, pulling him into an abyss. His breath grew shallow, and with a final, ragged exhale, his eyelids closed, surrendering to the void.
Aksh opened his eyes and immediately touched his abdomen. As he looked down, he noticed his shirt had a huge hole where the branches had pierced him, but there was no visible wound—he was already healed.
"Since you're up, let's continue with the third round," Arihant said, grinning. "And Avni, rather than just hitting his abdomen, you should hit every single part of his body so that his whole body will be reconstructed. Oh wait—" Arihant suddenly stopped and scoffed in surprise. "I-I just created a legendary technique!The name of this technique will be Divine Immortal Body Reconstruction, and it will go down in history!" Arihant shouted in pride, waving both of his hands upward.
"Stop with this bullshit," Aksh interrupted, growing increasingly annoyed. "Did you seriously come up with a name for this inhumane training and slap the word divine on it? And how could you be so proud of it?"
"And rather than making me fight her barehanded without any Tejas, can you at least give me a weapon to defend myself?" Aksh demanded.
"What are you talking about? If you don't get hit, how will you become stronger?" Arihant groaned, then mockingly imitated Aksh's voice in frustration.
Aksh just stared at him with a deadpan expression, saying nothing.
"Fine, fine. What kind of weapon do you want?" Arihant sighed, finally giving in.
"A shield," Aksh replied immediately, as if he'd been waiting for Arihant to ask.
"Fine then," Arihant said, pulling a small pouch from his pocket. He reached inside, and from that little pouch, he pulled out a wooden shield with a steel base—half the size of Aksh—and tossed it toward him.
Aksh caught it with ease and said, "Let's move on to the next round."
Both of them got into position, ready for the third round. This time, Aksh didn't attack first. He stood still, holding the shield in front of him, fully focused, his entire body guarded behind it.
Avni raised the index and middle fingers of both hands. As her fingers moved, two branches stirred—mimicking her motion like a pair of cobras, swaying in sync, eyes locked onto their prey.
The pair of branches launched toward Aksh, ready to bite him from the front like twin serpents.
But instead of avoiding them, Aksh sprinted straight at them.
Just as the branches reached him, he dropped into a slide—his body low to the ground—and gently tilted his shield upward. The motion deflected their trajectory, sending them veering off to the sides.
He sprang back to his feet without slowing and dashed straight toward Avni.
In response, Avni curled her fingers inward.
The branches, moving with her command, twisted around with eerie synchronization and shot toward Aksh's back at terrifying speed.
Sensing them closing in, Aksh leapt forward—and in one smooth motion, swung his shield behind his back from beneath his feet.
The branches struck the shield with a sharp crack, giving Aksh a sudden burst of momentum that propelled him even faster toward Avni.
As he closed the distance, Avni extended the third finger on both her hands. With a sharp upward motion of one hand, another branch erupted from the ground—aimed directly at Aksh's chin.
It came out of nowhere.
Aksh instinctively jerked his head back, narrowly avoiding the strike. But before he could regain balance, Avni moved her other hand.
One of the previous branches, still in motion, whipped forward with a violent snap and struck his leg like a lash—hitting through a tiny gap in the shield covering his back.
Aksh fell to the ground, the blow knocking him off balance. Before he could recover, all the branches came crashing toward him like a pack of vipers. He rolled across the dirt, desperately trying to evade them as they struck with relentless precision. Each time a branch hit the ground, it landed with a thunderous crack—splitting the earth open like a hunter tearing into its prey.
Even as he rolled to dodge, some of the attacks still managed to graze him—striking his face, hands, legs, and chest. Only his back remained untouched, shielded by the wooden barrier strapped to it.
As one of the branches struck the ground, Aksh blinked and leapt onto it, breaking free from the prison of endless strikes. But in doing so, he unknowingly leapt into the lion's den—grabbing hold of the very branch that was about to betray him.
Avni didn't waste a second. With a swift wave of her fingers, the branch Aksh was clinging to whipped toward the tree, slamming him against it. Aksh became a helpless sandwich between bark and wood—the shield barely protecting his back, while the front of his body was already torn and tattered.
The branch curled around the tree like a serpent, locking Aksh in place. Then, with a sweeping motion of both her hands, Avni summoned the earlier branches. They came crashing down on him with relentless fury, striking again and again, as Aksh remained trapped—unable to move, unable to defend.
With each strike of the branches, their color began to change—soaking red, coated with Aksh's blood. The relentless barrage continued for minutes, until finally, Avni stopped waving her fingers. The branches froze mid-air. The one holding Aksh against the tree was now entirely red, dripping blood in thick, steady droplets.
Slowly, it uncoiled and pulled back, setting him free. Aksh fell from the tree like a lifeless body ready to crash into the dirt. Jasmine rushed forward to heal him—but stopped in her tracks, stunned by the sight.
Aksh… was still standing.
Completely covered in blood from head to toe—blood dripping from his fingertips and chin, wounds etched across every inch of skin—the sight was terrifying.
"How... how is he still standing after all those wounds?" Avni muttered in disbelief.
Her gaze hardened, and she moved her fingers to launch another attack. A branch twisted forward like a whip, ready to end it.
But Aksh didn't move.
The branch closed in.
And just before it could strike—Aksh looked up.
His crimson eyes glowed. His pupils had become thin, vertical slits.
He raised his hand slowly, forming a fist, and with just a slight touch—
—a strange crimson light burst from his knuckles.
The moment his fist touched the branch, it shattered into pieces, completely destroyed—and the energy didn't stop there. The crimson surge shot forward like a storm, toward Avni.
A massive explosion erupted. Bigger than the Dog House itself. The entire Shantivan shook.
"What the hell just happened… and why are you covered in flour?" Ayesha shouted, sprinting toward the blast site.
"I don't know! I was eating in the kitchen, then there was a huge boom, the whole kitchen shook, and a container of flour fell on my head," Tushar replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"I shouldn't have asked you, idiot," she groaned.
As they reached the scene, Aman and Shreya arrived too. Dust hung in the air, thick and heavy. When it finally settled… all of them froze.
Avni was trembling, floating in the air on her hat, while Jasmine held her tightly, trying to calm her down.
In front of them stood Arihant, one hand extended forward, a glowing white spherical barrier covering him and the two girls.
And across from him, on the opposite side of the scorched ground—
—lay Aksh.
Unconscious. Soaked in blood.