Then… his form shifted further.
Two additional serpent heads emerged beside the first.
A three-headed serpent king towered over Karna, with each set of eyes glowing with dangerous intensity.
Varunaksha's voice rumbled through the ocean kingdom. "You dare attack my people in my own domain, human?"
Karna replied calmly, though his grip tightened slightly around Vijaya Bow. "Your people attacked first."
The serpent king hissed loudly. "Every intruder is an enemy. And every enemy must die."
Then, without further warning...
He attacked.
The gigantic serpent surged across the seabed with terrifying speed despite its size. One massive tail swept toward Karna while the three serpent heads lunged simultaneously from different directions.
Karna jumped backward instantly.
The tail smashed through coral pillars behind him, shattering them apart.
Then Vijaya Bow sang again with golden arrows streaked toward the serpent heads.
Varunaksha blocked them through streams of poisonous water expelled from his mouths, dissolving several arrows midair before crashing toward Karna again.
The battle escalated violently.
Unlike the others, the Nagaraj possessed tremendous physical power and ancient mystical abilities. Poison storms erupted around the battlefield while massive serpent coils repeatedly attempted to crush Karna through sheer pressure.
But Karna continued countering him calmly.
Arrow after arrow pierced through scales.
Sword strikes carved bloody wounds across the serpent king's body.
Still, Karna warned him repeatedly.
"Stand down. I do not wish your death. Your last chance..."
But Varunaksha refused every warning.
Because of his pride, the territorial possessiveness, and the humiliation of seeing his warriors defeated by a human had consumed him fully.
The three-headed serpent lunged again with murderous force.
This time, Karna's eyes hardened.
"Since you refuse peace and respond to it with malice, then there is only one outcome."
Divine energy surged around him suddenly.
The atmosphere itself trembled.
He raised Vijaya Bow slowly.
Then invoked his Guru's divyastra for the first time...
"Om Bhargavaya Namah
Tapobalena Agnim Samahvaya
Bhargavastram Prajvalaya
Adharmam Vinashaya
Krodham Shuddham Samarpaya
Dharma Rakshaya, Satya Palaya"
*
Bhargavastra, the divyastra blessed through the lineage of Parashurama, has been conjured between the fingertips of Karna. A terrifying radiance gathered around the arrow.
The surrounding Nagas froze in horror, at once, sensing its power.
Even Varunaksha's movements faltered briefly.
Then...
TWANG!
The Bhargavastra erupted forward like concentrated destruction itself. It pierced directly through the center of the serpent's head first.
Then exploded through the remaining two.
BOOOOM!
The entire underwater kingdom shook violently.
*Gaaaaaah*
The three-headed serpent king let out one final monstrous roar before collapsing heavily upon the seabed.
Silence followed.
Complete silence.
The surviving Nagas stared in frozen shock at the fallen body of their king while Karna stood amidst the battlefield, breathing steadily, golden light fading slowly around him.
The massive body of Varunaksha lay motionless upon the ocean floor, its enormous three serpent heads collapsed against the shattered coral stones, while dark blood slowly spread across the ground like streams of ink beneath moonlit water.
The Samudra Nagas, who moments earlier charged with rage and venom, now stood frozen in silence, their weapons lowered halfway, their serpent tails curled stiffly against the ground in fear and uncertainty as their King was dead.
The only sound remaining was the distant hum of the ocean currents outside the giant protective barrier that surrounded the underwater realm.
Karna slowly lowered Vijaya Dhanush.
His breathing remained calm despite the battle. Golden droplets of water slid from his armor while strands of wet hair clung lightly against his forehead and neck. He glanced behind, spotting Subhadra still lying on the floor unconscious.
Before he could turn around and pick her up, from among the gathered Nagas, one figure moved forward.
The serpent warriors immediately bowed their heads and moved aside in respect.
It was the Naga Queen.
Urmila glided across the stone floor with quiet dignity, her long serpentine tail shimmering under the bluish glow of the crystal pillars. Her scales were dark blue mixed with lines of gold, resembling moonlight reflected upon deep ocean waters.
Though sorrow was clearly visible in her eyes after witnessing the fall of her husband, there was no hatred on her face. Only solemn acceptance.
She stopped several feet before Karna.
For a brief moment, she looked at the body of Varunaksha lying behind him.
Then she lowered her head respectfully.
"Warrior, I'm Naga Queen, Urmila. On behalf of the Samudra Naga race, I apologize for the distress we caused you," she spoke softly, yet her voice carried clearly across the silent underwater hall, "among humans, perhaps the death of a king ends with the death itself. But among Nagas, every action coils around another like the rings of a serpent. A single act births another consequence, and that consequence births another duty."
Karna listened silently.
The Queen continued slowly, her voice carrying the heaviness of ancient customs.
"While you have rightfully put the end to our King, by the ancient laws of the Samudra Naga clan, the one who slays our king must either face our eternal curse… or accept our tradition. You must marry one of the unmarried daughters of Varunaksha and become our kin. Only then will the curse of blood feud end."
At those words, Karna was startled. "Marry?"
The surrounding Nagas lowered their gazes further, clearly tense about Karna's answer.
The Queen nodded and calmly explained, "When our ancestors left Patala and settled here, Lord Varuna promised us protection against hostile forces. However, we were also sternly warned that he won't stop someone with divine lineage. Then, our ancestors made an oath that if one day our king is killed, the killer must either become our kin or the world shall face our wrath. We don't wish to do this, but we are bound by the oath of our ancestors. You have two choices, warrior. One, either marry one of my daughters or eradicate our entire race. If you leave without becoming our kin, we will be forced to release all of our poison into the waters and the air, destroying the entire human race along with it.
Karna's eyes slowly moved across the gathered faces around him. Fear. Anxiety. Uncertainty. Some of the younger Nagas looked frightened, while others looked desperate, almost as if waiting for judgment upon their entire future.
They were truly worried that this warrior would destroy their entire race. The one who killed their king could indeed be capable of that. Atleast, that's what they thought, at the moment.
Meanwhile, the calm Queen continued again after a brief pause.
"Among my daughters," Urmila said carefully, "only one is an Icchadari Nagin. Only one can fully take human form and live comfortably among mortals without harming herself or her surroundings. She is my sixth daughter… Princess Ratnaprabha. I offer her to you."
As the Queen clapped her hands twice, movement came from behind the gathered Nagas.
A beautiful young woman slowly stepped forward.
Ratnaprabha kept her head lowered as she approached.
Her long black hair carried a faint bluish tint beneath the glowing lights of the underwater kingdom, and her violet eyes possessed the unmistakable vertical slits of the serpent race.
Around her neck rested a small golden pendant shaped like a hooded cobra, while her attire, woven from shimmering sea-silk, reflected the ocean lights softly with every movement.
Surprisingly, she didn't carry the Nagamani, though.
But despite her elegance, nervousness was clearly visible.
Her fingers continuously twisted the edge of her sleeve.
Her breathing was uneven.
And though she tried to appear composed, the faint trembling in her shoulders betrayed the storm inside her heart.
Karna looked at her quietly.
For several moments, he said nothing.
The silence itself became heavy.
Then, finally, his voice emerged calm and steady.
"Princess Ratnaprabha," he said gently, "look at me."
The young Naga princess hesitated.
Slowly… very slowly… she raised her eyes.
Fear was there.
Shyness too.
But beneath both, Karna also saw something else.
Resolve.
The kind born not from confidence… but from accepting responsibility despite fear.
Karna's expression softened slightly.
"Princess, I apologize for bringing trouble to your life," he said calmly. "However, I truly do not wish to harm your clan. I killed your father as I thought it was necessary, but I didn't know about your traditions and the implications it would have on your lives. Had I known before, I would have defeated him and not killed him. Regardless, we cannot change the past, and I had no intention of committing an unnecessary massacre."
The underwater hall remained completely silent as his voice echoed softly through the crystal corridors.
Ratnaprabha's lips trembled faintly.
For a few moments, she seemed unable to speak.
Then finally, in a soft voice barely above a whisper, she replied while her fingers tightened slightly around her sleeve.
"My father…" she paused briefly, lowering her gaze for an instant before forcing herself to continue, "he was never kind to us. To him, daughters were like pearls locked inside a treasury chest. Valuable only when useful. He saw power before family."
A painful silence followed her words.
Even Queen Urmila closed her eyes briefly.
Ratnaprabha slowly looked back at Karna again.
"So, I don't think you bring trouble into my life," she said softly, "If anything, you liberated us from his tyranny, and I'm the one who should apologize for forcing my way into your life."
The words were simple and honest, surprising Karna.
He didn't know how their father treated them, that a daughter was speaking such words for a father.
Regardless, he could see that she was atleast willing.
Karna studied her face quietly for several long moments.
Then finally, he nodded slowly.
"Very well."