The forest clearing trembled under the weight of battle.
Steel clashed.
Men shouted.
Dust rose into the air.
But at the center of it all—
There was stillness.
Karna.
His bow was raised.
Another arrow already drawn.
His golden aura flickered faintly around him.
The enemy leader stood across from him now.
No more smirking.
No more mockery.
Only caution.
"You're stronger than expected…"
He admitted quietly.
Karna's voice was calm.
"You expected less."
The man's grip tightened around his weapon.
"No…"
A pause.
"I expected a king."
His eyes sharpened.
"But you fight like a weapon."
Karna released.
The arrow shot forward like a streak of sunlight.
The leader barely managed to deflect it.
The impact pushed him back several steps.
His expression changed completely now.
This wasn't a test anymore.
This was survival.
Around them—
The battle shifted.
The soldiers of Hastinapur, inspired by Karna's precision, pushed forward.
Vrinda moved like a storm.
Her blade cutting through resistance.
Her movements sharper than ever.
"Don't let them regroup!" she commanded.
The unit responded instantly.
But the enemy wasn't breaking.
They were trained.
Disciplined.
Prepared.
More of them emerged from the forest.
Reinforcements.
Vrinda's eyes narrowed.
"They planned this."
Karna didn't respond.
Because he already knew.
The leader raised his hand again.
This time—
No hostage.
A signal.
The attackers shifted formation.
Coordinated.
Strategic.
They began targeting the soldiers—
Not Karna.
Divide.
Weaken.
Overwhelm.
Karna's eyes sharpened.
"They're trying to isolate me."
Vrinda stepped closer.
"Then we don't let them."
But the battlefield was already splitting.
The unit was being pushed apart.
Controlled chaos.
The leader smiled again.
"Now… let's see."
His voice dropped.
"How you fight alone."
For a brief moment—
Karna stood surrounded.
Enemies closing in from all sides.
No clear path.
No formation.
Silence.
Then—
He closed his eyes.
Solar Battle Instinct.
The world changed.
Every movement slowed.
Every enemy revealed.
Every strike predicted.
His eyes opened.
Golden.
Focused.
Unstoppable.
He moved.
Not back.
Forward.
Arrow released.
One enemy fell.
Second arrow—
Another dropped.
Third—
Fourth—
Fifth—
Each shot perfect.
Each movement fluid.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
The attackers faltered.
Because this wasn't normal combat.
This was control.
Absolute control.
The leader attacked.
Fast.
Direct.
His blade aimed for Karna's blind spot.
Karna didn't turn.
He fired.
Backward.
THWACK.
The arrow struck the man's shoulder.
He staggered.
Shock flashed across his face.
"How—"
Karna turned slowly.
"You're not the first to try."
The leader gritted his teeth.
Then—
He did something unexpected.
He laughed.
"Good."
Blood dripped from his wound.
But his eyes burned with something darker.
"Then you'll understand this."
He reached into his cloak—
And threw something to the ground.
A signal flare.
The sky above shifted.
A loud horn echoed through the forest.
Vrinda froze.
"That's not retreat…"
Karna's expression hardened.
"No."
"It's a call."
Moments later—
The ground trembled slightly.
More enemies.
Dozens.
No—
Hundreds.
Emerging from the forest.
Even the soldiers of Hastinapur stepped back slightly.
This wasn't a hidden camp.
This was a forward base.
The leader smirked again.
"You walked into something much bigger, Sun King."
Karna looked around.
Then upward.
At the sky.
The sun had reached its peak.
Bright.
Blazing.
Unforgiving.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Good."
Vrinda turned toward him.
"You're smiling?"
Karna drew another arrow.
But this time—
The air around it changed.
Heat gathered.
Light condensed.
The arrow began to glow.
The soldiers stared in disbelief.
Even the enemy hesitated.
The leader's smile faded.
"…What is that?"
Karna's voice was calm.
"The answer."
He pulled the string back fully.
The bow creaked under the pressure.
Energy surged.
For the first time—
The battlefield felt fear.
Karna released.
The arrow shot into the sky.
And for a brief moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The sky burned.
Light exploded outward.
A wave of golden energy crashed down into the battlefield.
Blinding.
Overwhelming.
Devastating.
Enemies were thrown back.
Weapons shattered.
Formations destroyed.
The forest itself trembled.
Silence followed.
Smoke filled the clearing.
Bodies scattered.
The ground cracked.
At the center—
Karna stood.
Unmoved.
Unshaken.
The leader knelt on the ground.
Breathing heavily.
Eyes wide.
"…Monster…"
Karna walked toward him slowly.
Bow still in hand.
"No."
His voice was calm.
"I'm the one who ends this."
The man tried to move—
But couldn't.
Karna raised one final arrow.
"Who sent you?"
The man laughed weakly.
Even now.
"You're already too late…"
Karna's eyes narrowed.
"For what?"
The man's smile returned.
"Hastinapur…"
A pause.
"…is next."
Silence.
For the first time—
Karna's expression changed.
Not anger.
But realization.
The real attack…
Had never been here.
Far away—
In Hastinapur—
The palace bells began to ring.
Loud.
Urgent.
Something had begun.
And Karna…
Was not there.