Rutu Raj's sudden departure left the room in a heavy silence. Rudra turned his gaze toward Master Madhu, calculating the massive family tree that had just been laid out before him.
"Master Madhu," Rudra asked, his voice serious. "If what Rutu Raj said is completely accurate... that means counting all the branches, I have a total of 9 brothers and 1 sister, right?"
"Yes, Rudra," Madhu nodded, his expression strict. "Your bloodline is vast, spanning across demons, deities, and humans. But you have no time to dwell on it now. The final hour is approaching."
Without warning, Madhu grabbed Rudra's shoulder, shifting both of them back into the training dimension one last time. "You have reached the Red Line, but you must lock it down completely." Under Madhu's intense pressure, Rudra focused his core, permanently stabilizing his five elemental beasts so that his energy perfectly balanced along the Red Line without a single flicker. He was now fully battle-ready.
The next morning, an official imperial letter arrived from Lord Vidura, the Grand King. It was a mandatory summons for a high-level global council meeting. Every single King and Sovereign from across the realms materialized in the grand court of Vidura.
King Vidura stood at his throne, raising his hand for silence. "Welcome, rulers of the realms. Today, Sovereign Rudra of the Shadow Throne wishes to speak about the impending demonic invasion and present his strategic defense plan."
Before Rudra could even step forward, a stunning, fiercely independent princess stood up from her royal seat.
"Hold on, Lord Vidura!" she announced proudly. "My name is Maya, and I am the Princess of the Maga Kingdom." She turned her sharp eyes toward Rudra, her tone mocking. "Rudra doesn't even possess an official kingdom, a proper palace, or any established territorial boundaries of his own! He is a King without a land. How can a stray king like him talk about global problems or lead us into war, Lord Vidura?!"
The entire courtroom erupted into murmurs. The other kings and queens began to nod in agreement. "Yes! Princess Maya is right! Why should we listen to a ruler who has no kingdom?"
When the vote was called, the entire council alignment turned heavily against Rudra. Frustrated by their arrogance, Rudra, Master Madhu, and his wives walked outside the palace gates, with the other kings and queens following behind.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the sky above the courtyard turned pitch-black. A violent, high-tier demon tore through the spatial fabric, landing heavily in front of the royals. Its voice was a guttural, terrifying roar.
"MAYA!!! Give me the Stone right now, or I will paint this courtyard with your royal blood!" the demon screamed with violent intent.
Instantly, all the kings drew their legendary swords, stepping forward to flex their power. "How dare a single demon challenge the united kings?!" they roared, unleashing massive energy blasts.
But a strange, horrifying phenomenon occurred. Even though the kings possessed immense power, their attacks passed straight through the demon like smoke! They couldn't physically touch or scratch the monster. The demon bypassed their entire defense line, lunging directly and exclusively at Princess Maya.
"Help me! Someone save me!" Maya shrieked, backing away as the demon's claws rushed toward her face.
SHWIP!
In a fraction of a millisecond, Rudra materialized right in front of Maya. Using his newly mastered Red Line power, his fist solidified, catching the demon's strike head-on with a massive kinetic shockwave. The demon gasped, shocked that Rudra could actually touch its intangible body.
Seeing her life saved, Maya didn't hesitate. She quickly snatched a glowing, mystical gemstone embedded inside her royal crown. With a swift movement, she pressed the gemstone against Rudra's chest, chanting an ancient spell. A brilliant, blinding flash of cosmic energy bound the two of them together.
The demon stumbled back, gritting its teeth as it realized the stone was gone. "Tsk! You got lucky today. I will handle you two later!" the monster roared, vanishing into the shadows.
Rudra looked down at the glowing energy fading into his chest, completely bewildered. "What did you just do, Princess Maya? What is this?"
Maya caught her breath, looking at Rudra with a mixture of awe and relief. "This is our kingdom's ultimate power stone—the Kona Mani. The Mani can only form a permanent cosmic bond with exactly one woman and one man. Because you saved me, I have officially bonded my Kona Mani with you, Rudra. From this moment on, we both are destined to sleep in the same—"
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!!"
Isha yelled at the top of her lungs, her face completely flushed red with pure jealousy and anger. She covered her ears, absolutely refusing to hear the word "bed" leave the princess's mouth.
Rudra's eyes widened in panic, and he immediately stepped back from Maya, waving his hands frantically. "Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute! Not the same bed! She is not my wife, okay?! Isha, calm down!"
Turning back to the princess with a heavy sigh, Rudra adjusted his cloak. "Alright, Princess Maya... it seems you're coming with us back to Gota Village. You've got a lot of explaining to do about this Kona Mani."