The ruined rooftop of Ujjaini stood under a cloud of drifting dust.
Half the structure had collapsed under the force of Vajra Judgment, leaving jagged stone and broken beams hanging above the streets below. The night wind pushed ash through the air like dark snow.
But no one moved.
Because something impossible had just happened.
The villain they believed dead…
Was still speaking.
Across the shattered rooftop, Devika Agnivarna stood calmly.
Her flames burned low now.
But the voice that came from her mouth—
Was not hers.
"Well," the voice said casually.
"That was exciting."
The surrounding Rakshak warriors stared in stunned silence.
One of them whispered,
"…He's inside her."
Beside Devika stood Captain Varun, spear raised and eyes steady.
His voice remained calm.
"Awaiting orders."
Rudra Sen's grip tightened around his sword.
The hunter's expression had hardened completely.
"You transferred your consciousness."
Devika's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Something like that."
The floating panel flickered invisibly before Arivaan's mind.
Mind Transfer Active
Primary Host: Devika Agnivarna
Secondary Host: Captain Varun
Original Body: Destroyed
Arivaan sighed inside Devika's mind.
"Well."
"That complicates things."
Devika's real consciousness stirred faintly beneath his control.
"You… parasite…"
Her voice echoed weakly inside the shared mental space.
Arivaan chuckled.
"Relax."
"You're still alive."
Across the rooftop, Rudra Sen stepped forward again.
"You're no longer bound to a single body."
Devika tilted her head slightly.
"Correct."
The hunter's voice grew colder.
"That makes you far more dangerous."
Arivaan shrugged through her body.
"Flattering."
Varun shifted his stance slightly.
His spear pointed toward the Rakshaks.
"Shall I eliminate them?"
Arivaan considered the battlefield carefully.
Seven Rakshaks remained.
Several injured.
All exhausted.
But the most dangerous one—
Still stood ready.
Rudra Sen.
Devika whispered faintly within the link,
"You can't keep this up forever."
Arivaan smiled.
"We'll see."
The floating panel flickered again.
Host Stability: 89%
Mental Strain: Increasing
Arivaan frowned slightly.
"Hm."
Rudra Sen noticed the subtle hesitation.
"You're not as stable as you pretend."
Devika laughed softly.
"That's an assumption."
But the hunter was right.
Controlling two bodies without his own physical anchor strained the system.
Every second required more concentration.
Varun spoke calmly.
"Command, master."
Arivaan sighed.
"Alright."
Devika's flames surged slightly.
Varun tightened his grip on the spear.
Arivaan raised his hand.
"Attack."
Both servants moved instantly.
Devika launched forward with a burst of flame.
Varun dashed beside her like a shadow.
The Rakshaks reacted immediately.
Weapons rose.
Energy flared.
But this time—
The coordination felt different.
Arivaan's mind operated directly through both hosts.
The battlefield looked different from two perspectives at once.
Two angles.
Two sets of reflexes.
Devika's flames erupted across the rooftop.
Varun attacked through the fire.
His spear struck a Rakshak's shield with devastating force.
CLANG!
The warrior staggered backward.
Another Rakshak attempted to attack Devika from behind.
But Varun intercepted instantly.
The spear flashed.
The warrior barely avoided the strike.
Across the battlefield, Rudra Sen dashed forward.
His sword cut through Devika's flames again.
But Varun appeared beside him immediately.
CLANG!
Spear met sword.
The impact sent sparks flying.
Arivaan chuckled through Devika's voice.
"You see the problem now?"
Rudra Sen didn't respond.
He attacked again.
But every strike now faced two defenders.
Devika blocked the blade with a wall of flame.
Varun attacked from the side.
The hunter deflected the spear but was forced to retreat.
The floating panel flickered again.
Host Stability: 84%
Arivaan sighed.
"Still draining."
Devika whispered inside the link,
"You can't maintain two bodies for long."
Arivaan shrugged mentally.
"Maybe."
But across the rooftop—
The Rakshaks had already realized the truth.
One of them whispered,
"We can't kill him anymore."
Another answered quietly,
"He's inside them."
Rudra Sen raised his sword again.
His voice came out calm.
"No."
The hunter stepped forward slowly.
"We simply adapt."
Devika raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds ominous."
Rudra Sen's eyes burned with determination.
"If your mind has no body…"
"…then we will destroy the hosts."
Varun's spear lifted instantly.
Devika's flames surged.
Arivaan smiled faintly.
"Well."
"That's rude."
But the hunter didn't hesitate.
Because now the battle had entered an entirely new stage.
It was no longer about killing a villain.
It was about saving the warriors he had stolen.
And Rudra Sen would destroy both hosts if necessary.