The forest remained quiet as the group continued their journey home.
Morning sunlight filtered softly through the massive trees surrounding the narrow path while distant winds moved through the leaves overhead. Normally the atmosphere would've felt peaceful. Familiar.
But now—
every step carried tension.
The war waiting ahead had settled heavily over all of them.
And eventually—
Riven stopped walking entirely.
"…no."
Everyone turned toward him immediately.
Arin paused too.
Riven looked genuinely frustrated now.
"No, I'm sorry, but this makes absolutely no sense."
Kael sighed softly under her breath.
"Here we go."
Riven ignored her completely while staring directly at Arin.
"Even if we protect the towns, how exactly are YOU supposed to fight an entire army alone?"
The question hung heavily in the air afterward.
And honestly—
everyone else wanted the answer too.
Riven stepped closer afterward, his expression growing more serious now than sarcastic.
"We just fought a minor division of the Entity's forces."
He pointed toward Vijaya afterward.
"And even then, you nearly died before completing that thing."
Nobody interrupted him.
Because he wasn't wrong.
Riven continued,
"If THAT was just a minor division, then the real army should be much stronger."
The wind around the forest quieted slightly afterward.
"How are you supposed to face them alone?"
Silence followed briefly.
Then slowly—
everyone else began agreeing too.
"He's right."
"This isn't another fragment hunt anymore."
"You can't carry an entire war alone."
Even Selene stepped forward afterward while looking toward Arin carefully.
"We trust you."
Her voice remained calm.
"But trust doesn't make you invincible."
Liora stayed quiet the longest.
Then finally—
"…I know how strong you are."
Her eyes remained fixed on him now.
"But even I don't fully understand what you've become after restoring Vijaya."
That sentence settled differently somehow.
Because it was true.
Ever since the battle inside the Expanse ended—
Arin himself felt different.
Not merely stronger.
Complete.
Like something ancient inside him had fully awakened again.
For several moments he remained silent afterward while the forest moved softly around them.
Then finally—
"…fair enough."
The group blinked slightly.
Arin slowly stepped away from the path afterward before stopping inside a large clearing surrounded by towering trees.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Vijaya appeared in his hand again.
The divine bow radiated golden-black light beneath the morning sky while ancient symbols ignited faintly across its surface.
Everyone instinctively felt pressure spreading through the clearing now.
Not hostile.
But overwhelming.
Arin quietly looked toward the completed bow afterward.
"…when Vijaya was fragmented, most of its power remained sealed."
Golden energy slowly spiraled around the weapon.
"But now…"
The air itself trembled slightly.
"…everything returned."
Then suddenly—
the sky darkened.
Everyone froze instantly.
One by one—
ancient weapons began appearing around Arin.
Not physically at first.
Manifestations.
Astras.
Divine weapons formed from celestial energy itself.
The forest shook violently beneath their presence.
Riven stared blankly.
"…what the hell…"
The first Astra emerged behind Arin in a massive burst of golden light.
A weapon unlike anything they had ever seen before materialized briefly in the air itself.
Vasavi Shakti.
The divine weapon granted by the king of gods himself.
Even manifested partially, the weapon radiated terrifying pressure strong enough to distort the surrounding air.
Arin's voice remained calm afterward.
"Vasavi Shakti."
The spear vanished instantly.
Another manifestation replaced it.
A massive celestial weapon burning with violent spiritual energy appeared overhead.
"Bhargavastra."
The surrounding trees bent violently from the pressure released by it.
Then another.
And another.
The sky itself began filling with divine weapons.
"Brahmastra."
A sphere of golden destruction formed high above the clearing. The sheer energy contained inside it made everyone instinctively step backward.
"Brahmashirastra."
This time the atmosphere itself nearly collapsed.
The moment the manifestation appeared, the entire forest fell completely silent. Even the wind stopped moving.
Because unlike the others—
this Astra didn't merely feel destructive.
It felt apocalyptic.
Liora's breathing slowed slightly afterward while staring upward.
"…that thing…"
Arin nodded faintly.
"It can erase entire regions from existence."
Riven immediately pointed upward.
"WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT?"
Arin ignored him.
The manifestations continued appearing around him one after another while celestial energy flooded the clearing.
"Nagastra."
Snake-shaped energy spiraled violently through the air afterward.
"Agneyastra."
Divine flames erupted across the sky briefly before vanishing again.
"Varunastra."
The surrounding air filled with overwhelming pressure like entire oceans materialized above them.
"Vayavyastra."
Storms exploded across the clearing instantly.
"Bhumi Astra."
The earth itself trembled beneath their feet.
"Parjanyastra."
Thunderclouds formed overhead unnaturally.
"Indrastra."
Lightning tore through the skies.
"Surya Astra."
Golden sunlight intensified so brightly the forest itself seemed to burn beneath its radiance.
Everyone watched speechlessly now.
Even Kael looked completely stunned.
Because these weren't ordinary weapons.
Each Astra felt powerful enough to destroy armies by itself.
And Arin wasn't finished.
"Garudastra."
A massive golden bird formed briefly across the sky before dissolving into light.
"Shakti Astra."
The atmosphere distorted violently again.
"Anjalika Astra."
This one felt quieter somehow.
But deadlier.
The moment it appeared, everyone instinctively felt their hearts tighten.
Arin's expression darkened slightly afterward.
"…this is the Astra Arjuna used to kill Karna."
Silence swallowed the clearing instantly.
Then finally—
"Narachas."
Thousands of glowing arrows appeared behind him like a celestial army itself.
"Bhalla Astra."
Massive crescent-shaped divine arrows manifested afterward.
Then—
everything vanished.
The forest returned to silence instantly afterward.
Only Vijaya remained in Arin's hand now.
Nobody spoke for several long seconds.
Because honestly—
what could they even say after seeing that?
The pressure released by those Astras still lingered throughout the clearing. The trees surrounding them remained damaged despite Arin never actually firing anything.
He had only shown them.
Only manifested their presence.
And even that alone felt terrifying.
Arin quietly looked toward the group afterward.
"…the completed Vijaya restored access to everything Karna once wielded."
His gaze slowly shifted toward the sky above the forest.
"And unlike before…"
Golden-black energy flickered faintly around him.
"…I remember how to use all of them completely now."
Riven looked like his entire worldview collapsed.
"…you're joking."
"I wish I was."
Darin slowly rubbed his forehead afterward.
"So you're basically a walking apocalypse now."
"That's… surprisingly accurate," Kael admitted quietly.
Liora stared at Arin silently for a long moment afterward.
Then finally—
"…you really were serious."
Arin met her gaze calmly.
"The war coming toward us isn't something ordinary people can survive against."
The atmosphere grew heavier again afterward.
"But with Vijaya complete…"
The divine bow pulsed softly in his hand.
"…I can fight it."
No arrogance.
No pride.
Just certainty.
And somehow—
that certainty frightened them more than the Astras themselves.
Because standing before them now—
Arin no longer felt like merely the boy who wandered into the forest years ago searching for strange dreams.
He felt ancient.
Like someone who had walked through countless lifetimes and finally remembered every single one of them.
And for the first time—
the group truly understood why the Entity feared the Suryaputra.