The night wind howled across the rooftops of Ujjaini, scattering broken tiles and sparks of fading fire.
The battle had reached a turning point.
For the first time since gaining his strange power, Arivaan was no longer simply giving commands.
Now he was inside the fight itself.
Through the newly unlocked Command Link, his senses expanded beyond his own body.
He could see the rooftop from two perspectives.
His own.
And Devika's.
Her vision appeared in his mind like a second pair of eyes.
He could feel the heat of her flames.
The tension in her muscles.
The rhythm of her breathing.
It was overwhelming at first.
But strangely exhilarating.
Arivaan laughed quietly.
"So this is what it feels like."
Devika's body stiffened slightly.
Inside her mind, she could feel his presence more clearly than before.
"Get out of my head…!"
But the command system held firm.
The invisible chains binding her body remained unbroken.
Across the rooftop, Rudra Sen watched carefully.
The hunter had noticed the change instantly.
Devika's movements were different now.
More precise.
More deliberate.
Like someone else was guiding every step.
"You've deepened the control," Rudra Sen said.
Arivaan nodded casually.
"Something like that."
But even as he spoke, his focus remained divided.
Half of his awareness stayed in his own body.
The other half moved through Devika.
It felt almost like playing a complex game.
Except the battlefield was real.
And the consequences were deadly.
Arivaan issued a new command.
"Devika… advance."
Her body moved immediately.
But this time the movement felt smoother.
Natural.
Because Arivaan was adjusting the motion in real time.
Devika dashed forward.
Flames spiraled around her arms as she launched another attack.
Rudra Sen stepped forward to meet her.
Their clash erupted once again.
CLANG!
Steel collided with fire.
But this time, Devika's attack patterns changed mid-strike.
Arivaan guided her movements directly.
A flame burst from the left—
Then suddenly shifted direction toward Rudra Sen's flank.
The hunter barely managed to block it.
His sword flashed again.
The rooftop trembled from the impact.
But Arivaan had already predicted the counter.
Through Devika's senses, he saw the movement before it completed.
"Step back."
Devika's body shifted instantly.
The blade passed through empty air.
Rudra Sen's eyes narrowed.
"You're predicting my movements."
Arivaan smirked.
"More like reacting faster."
The truth was slightly different.
With two perspectives—
Arivaan's awareness had doubled.
He could observe the fight from two angles at once.
Which made Rudra Sen's attacks easier to anticipate.
Devika attacked again.
Flames spiraled upward in a blazing arc.
Rudra Sen blocked.
But this time—
The impact forced him to take a step backward.
Just one.
But it was the first time during the battle.
The hunter noticed immediately.
"So that's the difference."
Arivaan raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"You're not just controlling her body anymore."
Rudra Sen adjusted his stance.
"You're fighting through her."
Arivaan grinned.
"Exactly."
Devika's flames surged again.
The rooftop tiles cracked under the heat.
The controlled attacks came faster now.
More precise.
More relentless.
Rudra Sen blocked two strikes.
Three.
Four.
But the pressure was increasing.
The hunter realized something important.
If this continued…
The villain's control would only grow stronger.
Which meant the battle needed to end quickly.
Rudra Sen suddenly changed his strategy.
Instead of blocking—
He stepped directly into Devika's next attack.
His sword moved with blinding speed.
CLANG!
The blade struck Devika's arm guard, knocking her balance sideways.
Then the hunter pivoted and aimed a powerful kick toward her side.
Arivaan reacted instantly.
Through Devika's senses, he felt the shift in Rudra Sen's weight.
"Jump."
Devika's body responded immediately.
The kick missed by inches.
She flipped backward across the rooftop.
Landing several steps away.
The flames around her hands burned brighter again.
Arivaan smiled.
"This is incredible."
Devika struggled internally.
"You're… using me like a puppet!"
Arivaan shrugged.
"That's the ability."
Rudra Sen's voice cut through the wind.
"You're enjoying this too much."
Arivaan looked toward him.
"Wouldn't you?"
Rudra Sen didn't answer.
Instead—
He raised his sword once more.
But this time the blade glowed brighter than before.
Silver energy began gathering along the edge.
Devika's instincts reacted immediately.
Even under control, she recognized the danger.
"That technique—"
Arivaan felt it too.
Through the Command Link, he sensed Devika's sudden tension.
Rudra Sen's aura shifted.
The air around him seemed heavier.
The hunter spoke calmly.
"This fight has gone on long enough."
Arivaan's smile faded slightly.
"Is that so?"
Rudra Sen raised the glowing blade toward Devika.
"Release her."
Arivaan crossed his arms.
"Or what?"
The hunter's voice became cold as steel.
"Or I stop holding back."
The wind swept across the rooftop again.
Devika's flames flickered.
Arivaan studied the glowing blade carefully.
For the first time since the fight began—
He sensed real danger.
Because whatever technique Rudra Sen was preparing…
It was far stronger than anything used so far.
And this time—
The hunter intended to end the battle.