"The Kshira Sagara!"
"Hayagriva has taken refuge in the Kshira Sagara!"
Indra's eyes gleamed as he peered into the void. In the boundless abyss of darkness, deep within the pitch-black Ocean of Milk, a flicker of golden radiance pulsed that like a lone beacon defying the vast emptiness, an unyielding flame illuminating the path ahead.
That wretch actually hid here.
Without the guidance of the Vedas, he would never have conceived that Hayagriva had secreted himself so perilously close to the very threshold of the protector's divine abode.
"Onward!"
Indra tightened his grip on the reins. Surya's white steed surged forward, galloping through the endless dark, its hooves pounding against the unseen currents of the celestial sea.
For a fleeting moment, the horse neighed—a sound vast as Pranava itself, reverberating through the abyss.
"Lord of the Winds~""Sitting among the winds, they call you, the wisest among the wise~"
Distant yet clear, the sacred hymns of the Vedas resonated across the void. Their divine verses stepped through the darkness, weaving through the cosmos, descending upon the boundless Kshira Sagara.
Deep within the Ocean of Milk,
"I see it... the Light of Wisdom!"
"O Veda, eternal fountain of truth! Grant me the knowledge to be eternal beyond this kalpa!"
Hayagriva stretched his arms wide, his voice trembling with exultation.
The Vedas were his. Madhu and Kaitabha? He did not need them now. Let those two fools perish. He would seclude himself, immersing in the scriptures, deciphering their infinite wisdom in solitude.
As long as he possessed the Vedas, nothing else mattered. Even if Mahadeva himself dissolved the cosmos into ashes, Hayagriva would persist, untouched by ruin.
Such was the assurance the Vedas had granted him.
"O Veda, bestow upon me the wisdom to transcend the end of this age!"
Submerged in the depths of the celestial sea, he bellowed his plea.
And then—
A golden radiance burst forth from his chest.
It carved through the darkness like an unsheathed blade, an unrelenting force that sundered the void. The light expanded outward, a luminous beacon unfurling across the abyss, a lighthouse in the infinite gloom.
"Ah! Such brilliance! Such divine wisdom! Is this enlightenment? Is this the Vedas themselves revealing their sacred truth to me?!"
His eyes widened, his breath hitching.
Endless golden light cascaded from his form, flowing like a celestial river. A surge of uncontainable joy bubbled within him. He stumbled forward, lifted his gaze to the radiance above.
So beautiful.
Closing his eyes, he let the emotion consume him. In this golden expanse, something deep within stirred, an understanding beyond words, beyond mortal comprehension.
"I can hear it… the voice of wisdom within the Vedas!"
"I hear it! It grows clearer!"
His equine ears twitched, adjusting slightly before he stood tall. He turned them skyward, aligning with the divine resonance and surrendering to the wisdom whispering through the sacred light.
"Lord of the Winds~ sitting among the winds, they call you, the wisest among the wise~"
The melody echoed through the abyss, reverberating with an inexplicable cadence.
No.
Something was wrong.
A chill coiled around his spine. His eyes snapped open, just in time.
Indra.
There, astride his white horse, the King of the Devas loomed. His celestial bow was drawn.
And from the bowstring—
A single arrow, wreathed in venomous blue light.
The Arrow of Halahala. A streak of death, tearing through the void, closing the distance instantly.
"Damn you Devraj!" Hayagriva's instincts ignited.
With a swift motion, he raised his hand and loosed an arrow of his own. A shimmering projectile, sculpted from the very waters of the Milky Sea, surged forth to intercept the oncoming strike.
The two divine projectiles met in a violent clash.
A deafening explosion shattered the silence of the Milky Sea as the venom of Halahala erupted, its noxious essence swirling into the churning vortex, mingling with the crashing waves.
A rolling tide of destruction.
Hayagriva's eyes narrowed, flickering with understanding.
"It truly is the poison of Halahala… You even withstood my power."
Without hesitation, he propelled himself upward, bursting from the Ocean of Milk in a spray of radiant droplets.
At that very moment, Indra's divine armor blazed to life. The golden plates absorbed the deadly venom, neutralizing its corrosive force. In the same breath, he drove his celestial steed forward. The white horse thundered through the skies, his arrival heralding a storm.
Two radiant streaks of light tore across the celestial waters, sending waves surging toward infinity.
Hayagriva cast a glance over his shoulder.
Indra was closing in.
Fast.
Too fast.
Any moment now, he would be within striking range. A cold glint flashed in Hayagriva's eyes.
If I cannot flee… then I will strike Indra down!
His body twisted midair, reversing direction in an instant. The bowstring drew taut, bending like a crescent moon. With a single breath, he loosed his arrow.
Flames erupted.
The projectile expanded, shifting, twisting, and morphing into a colossal, snarling goat. The infernal beast roared as it surged forward, its very presence boiling the celestial sea beneath it. Dense, choking smoke coiled around its form as it charged at Indra.
"Burn in the wrath of Agni and Rudra!" Hayagriva's voice rang out, filled with triumph. "Agnirudra Astra and devour him whole!"
The flaming goat bellowed, its body a searing mass of divine fire and destruction, its horns curved like crescent moons dripping molten fury. The heavens trembled as it lunged forward, its hooves cracking the very fabric of the sky.
BOOM!
Indra's gaze sharpened.
With a single, fluid motion, he leaped from his steed, his figure silhouetted against the raging abyss. His golden fist clenched, then struck forward.
The flaming goat shattered on impact.
Scattered embers rained down like a meteor shower, their glow dancing wildly before vanishing into the endless churning sea.
Beneath the second layer of his divine armor, no mere weapon could wound him.
BOOM!
The sea roared in defiance, waves rising and falling like awakened titans. Thunder and lightning split the heavens, detonating against the darkness with celestial force. Streaks of divine light slithered through the skies, writhing like nagas in mid-flight.
Amidst the chaos, Indra and Hayagriva stood face-to-face upon the boundless Ocean of Milk.
Their gazes locked.
Tension crackled in the air like the prelude to a cataclysmic storm.
In the glow of the Vedas' wisdom, their eyes met, a silent decree of the battle to come.
Their forms flickered. Silhouettes flashed and intertwined in the ceaseless, raging tempest.
BOOM!
Lightning struck.
They moved. Bows raised. Arrows nocked.
Two streaks of light tore through the storm and into the heavens.
"Halahala Astra!"
"Shakti Astra!"
Two divine arrows met midair, splitting space itself.
Indra's projectile, a venomous green-blue arrow, writhed as it flew. The poison surged through it, twisting into the form of a monstrous serpent with four gleaming fangs. It lunged forward, its gaping maw thirsting to devour its prey.
Hayagriva, however, needed only one shot.
A single arrow.
One that carried the weight of an entire universe.
It surged forth—unstoppable, unrelenting—space itself bending under the sheer force contained within.
The two arrows collided.
For a moment, silence.
Then detonation.
Half of Hayagriva's arrow dissolved, corroded by the venomous fangs of Halahala. But the other half endured.
Unstoppable.
It tore through the lingering venom, streaking toward Indra with unyielding force.
BOOM!
Indra's golden arms moved.
A single sweep, swift as lightning and precise as fate. His hands cleaved through the incoming force. There was a roar of thunder, followed by a tempest of divine radiance.
The Arrow of Power shattered into ashes.
Hah!
Hayagriva's eyes flickered. At that moment, a surge of divine wisdom flooded Hayagriva's mind.
The knowledge of the Vedas expanded in all directions, an overwhelming force that transcended the very fabric of reality. His aura flared, a blazing radiance that pierced through the abyss, undeniable and absolute.
"I see it now!" His voice rang out, echoing with the weight of newfound revelation. "Your blessing makes you impervious to weapons… but now, I know how to defeat you."
A slow grin spread across his face. Raising one hand, he extended a single finger, pointing directly at Indra.
Indra's gaze sharpened. His head tilted ever so slightly, watching.
Then, Hayagriva's fingers unfurled. His voice was steady, deliberate, filled with unshakable conviction:
"The power of the Vedas flows through me. I can feel the pulse of the world… the essence of Maya itself. Now, let me wield it."
"Cosmic Storm!"
With a single motion, he swung his arm.
BOOM!
The skies and the stars trembled. A violent gale erupted from his fingertips—an all-consuming force that tore through the void.
The winds howled, fiercer and more terrifying than even the might of Vayu himself. A force beyond comprehension surged outward, shaking the very foundation of the celestial ocean. Waves rose and crashed with fury, as though the cosmos itself had been overturned.
In that fleeting instant, Hayagriva had yet to comprehend the full depth of the Vedas' wisdom.
But he understood one truth.
Maya is illusion.
Everything is Maya.
Even the world itself.
And if the world were an illusion, then it could be commanded. It could be shaped, twisted, and bent to his will.
BOOM!
The storm howled. A tempest unlike any before roared to life.
Indra was caught within its merciless grip, his form swallowed by the spiraling maelstrom of cosmic force. It didn't matter that Hayagriva had only just awakened to this power—it was enough to ensnare Indra.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
Let's see how you escape this, Indra.
With a cold snort, he shifted his gaze.
His eyes fell upon Indra's white horse, galloping in the distance. It remained untouched and unshaken by the chaos around it.
That wretched beast. It's divine blessing reeked of arrogance.
His brows tightened. The celestial steed was more than a nuisance. It was a symbol of defiance.
And he would see it destroyed.
Without hesitation, he drew his bow.
A single arrow, wreathed in raging flames, ignited the heavens as it shot forth.
Hah!
The fiery projectile sliced through the void, its aim locked onto the white horse. It was mere moments from striking its target.
But then, a streak of seven-colored light tore through the darkness.
Indradhanu Astra. It streaked forward, overtaking the flaming projectile.
BOOM!
A cascade of thunder and fire erupted as the two arrows collided. Their detonation swallowed the attack whole.
What?!
Hayagriva's equine ears flicked in shock. He whirled around, his eyes widening—
Indra had broken free.
Impossible…!
The King of the Devas stepped forth from the heart of the storm. His golden armor blazed against the heavens, his eyes cold and unshaken. The string of his bow thrummed with power.
Set against it was a snow-white joint, twisted into the shape of an arrow. Its shaft hissed with storm-born energy, and its hilt crackled with the wrath of lightning.
Indra's eyes locked onto his target.
Without a word, he released.
BOOM.
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