Master Madhu's ethereal presence materialized right beside Pushkal, his sharp eyes examining the pitch-black, obsidian armor coating the boy's entire right arm.
"Excellent, Pushkal," Madhu praised, his voice echoing with deep satisfaction. "You have successfully forced your mortal flesh to adapt. You have officially awakened the Black Body technique. The more you let that obsidian darkness cover your frame, the more your strength, speed, and overall physical ability will multiply exponentially."
Pushkal stared at his heavy, powerful black arm, feeling the massive kinetic energy humming beneath the obsidian skin.
Madhu stepped closer, dropping a massive lore bomb about this legendary power. "But remember this, Pushkal—the true divinity of the Black Body lies in absolute interaction. Because you conquered the liquid, smoky ghosts, your physical form can now bypass the laws of nature. Depending entirely on the raw intensity of your feelings, your black hands can touch, grab, and completely crush anything—be it a solid rock, a flowing liquid, an invisible gas, the air around you, or even empty space itself. It all depends on your emotion."
Pushkal gritted his teeth, his fist tightening as the image of the Mokura Clan demon burned into his mind. "Space itself... I will use this to rip those bastards apart."
"Your basic awakening is complete," Madhu nodded, his image fading. "Now, stay here and continue your mastery. I must check on the King."
With a sudden dimensional shift, Master Madhu appeared in the parallel space where Rudra was struggling to contain his overflowing, volatile energy. The sheer density of the Shadow Throne and the Potnuri bloodline power was leaking out of Rudra in massive, chaotic waves, distorting the entire dimension.
Rudra looked up, sweat pouring down his face, his expression completely innocent and desperate. "Master Madhu... how do I lock this down? How do I control these five elemental beasts and this raw power?"
Instead of answering calmly, Madhu's gentle mentor vibe instantly vanished. The air pressure dropped to absolute zero as Madhu unleashed a terrifying, crushing authority.
"It is an absolute shame..." Madhu spoke, his voice turning into a deep, guttural, and terrified roar that shook the entire pocket dimension.
Rudra flinched, shocked by the sudden change in his master. "Master...?"
"Look at yourself!" Madhu snapped, his terrifying voice drilling straight into Rudra's soul. "An absolute Sovereign... a King of the Shadow Throne does not even know how to properly control his own power! If you keep releasing your energy from your body in this chaotic, undisciplined manner, you will burn out before the seven days are up!"
With a sharp flick of his wrist, Madhu summoned a glowing, holographic energy meter in front of Rudra's chest. It showed a massive wave of chaotic energy fluctuating wildly.
"If you drop your output too low, you will fall down and faint," Madhu explained strictly, pointing to the floating construct. "Look closely at this visual matrix. Do you see this specific Medium Line? And do you see this glowing Red Line right above it?"
Rudra focused his blood-red eyes on the floating red marker.
"From this moment on, you will suppress your ego and your external aura," Madhu commanded coldly. "The exact moment your internal energy stabilizes and perfectly aligns with that Red Line without fluctuating even a single millimeter... that is the exact moment you have officially controlled your god-tier power. Now, focus, shut your mouth, and reach
the Red Line!"Five grueling days of the apocalyptic countdown had violently bled away. Only two days were left before the Demon Sky would tear wide open over the earth, and yet, Rudra was still hopelessly stuck. He hadn't managed to learn a single stabilization technique, his immense power still fluctuating wildly away from the designated Red Line.
Master Madhu was absolutely furious. The pressure of the impending global slaughter was weighing heavily on his shoulders.
"Five days, Rudra! Five days and you haven't mastered a single millimeter of internal control!" Madhu shouted, his terrifying voice booming through the dimension, completely rattling the courtyard. "If the seals shatter tomorrow, you will be nothing but a helpless king watching his world burn!"
Rudra stood there, sweat dripping from his chin, his blood-red eyes filled with frustration. He was pushing his soul to the absolute limit, but something was physically blocking him.
Suddenly, Ananya rushed into the training grounds, her eyes wide with a sudden, brilliant realization. "Master Madhu, stop! It's not his fault!"
Madhu turned his fierce gaze toward her. "What do you mean, Ananya?"
Ananya ran up to Rudra, gently tearing open the front of his training tunic to expose his sternum. There, deeply embedded into his skin, was a faint, glowing, and ancient runic brand. "Look closely at my husband's chest! This is the forbidden Kalapa Mudra! It was placed on him long ago. This seal actively suppresses his natural flow, making it completely impossible for my husband to control or balance his god-tier energy!"
Madhu's eyes widened in profound shock. "The Kalapa Mudra... No wonder the Red Line was unreachable."
"Can anyone release this mudra?!" Ananya begged, her voice tight with panic.
Madhu stepped forward, his hands humming with spiritual energy. "It is a complex, high-tier binding curse, but I will try my absolute best to break it."
Later that evening, seeking to clear his chaotic thoughts, Rudra walked alone into the deep, fog-laden forests surrounding Gota Village. The red moonlight filtered through the dead branches, casting eerie shadows on the floor.
Suddenly, a cold, calculative voice echoed through the trees, making the hair on Rudra's neck stand up.
"Look at you... wandering around like a lost lamb, King Rudra. Care to have a little fight with me?"
Rudra violently spun around, his crimson eyes narrowing into slits. "Who are you?! Show yourself!"
The voice chuckled darkly from the fog. "Oh? How could you possibly forget me so easily, Rudra?"
The mist parted, and stepping out with a menacing, sharp smile was the ultimate master of manipulation—Shakuni. He had come all the way from the mountains of Bhutan!
"Shakuni?!" Rudra gasped.
Before Rudra could even draw his weapon, a massive shockwave rent the air as Master Madhu arrived on the scene like a bolt of lightning, sensing the sudden threat.
Shakuni didn't flinch. Moving with terrifying, fluid speed, he snatched a heavy demonic sword from his left side and threw the blade straight into the ground between them, completely discarding his weapon. He raised his bare fists, a mocking grin on his face.
Madhu stepped in front of Rudra, his aura flaring with explosive combat energy. "Who dares you to challenge us on a hand-to-hand combat match in my presence, Shakuni?!"
But Shakuni's target wasn't Madhu.
In a fraction of a millisecond, shifting like a ghost, Shakuni bypassed Madhu's guard for a brief moment. He lunged forward and violently pressed his palm directly against Rudra's chest, right over the hidden Kalapa Mudra! A strange, clicking cosmic sound echoed from Rudra's sternum.
Before Rudra could process what happened, Madhu roared in fury and threw a devastating punch, dragging Shakuni away into a brutal, high-speed exchange.
The battle that followed was purely god-level. Madhu and Shakuni clashed in a merciless, hand-to-hand combat dance. They didn't even use weapons—the sheer kinetic force of their fists swinging through the air created sonic shockwaves that sliced massive, ancient trees clean in half! Giant boulder rocks shattered into dust just from the ambient pressure of their footsteps.
Suddenly, mid-strike, Shakuni glanced up through the shattered canopy, locking his eyes onto the bleeding red moon. He smiled sharply, backing away with effortless grace.
"Our time is up," Shakuni chuckled, adjusting his robes. "Okay, Madhu... bye."
With a sudden wave of cosmic dice energy, Shakuni vanished into thin air, leaving the forest dead silent.
Madhu stood in the center of the destroyed clearing, his breathing heavy as he stared at the spot where the manipulator had just been standing. He turned his gaze back to Rudra, who was clutching his chest, feeling a strange, massive warmth unlocking within his veins.
Why did Shakuni travel all the way from Bhutan just to pick a sudden fight with Rudra and Madhu? Why did he purposefully press the Kalapa Mudra on Rudra's chest before leaving? Can you guys guess what
mind games he is cooking up?