Chapter 51 - Kritya

Nahusha roared like a winged lion. His fiery fluttering hair in the wind were flames. His hammer crackled with lightning as he brought it down on his enemy, who was dragging away the half-naked woman. 

The furious roar seemed to freeze the man on the spot. His red eyes, behind the helmet, widened as he watched the silver hammer,  which had been soaked in green blood of Vrikshas, and colourless blood of stone-giants countless times. 

The air around him turned into a prison, trapping him like a mouse. Pressure as heavy as the mountain of Illore bored down on him. His rips cracked like dry twigs beneath his battle armour, his legs had long since turned boneless. 

SPLAT! 

The hammer squashed the stunned Moriyan body like a tomato. Nahusha let out a furious roar as he rushed towards the other moryian who was ready for him with his blood-stained axe. . The woman's helpless cries froze into his dry throat as he watched the god of war striking again. 

The cruelty of war had surpassed Nahush's imagination. The Arch-Sacrifier hadn't thought the enemies he was going to face this time were devils in human flesh. 

Nearly all of his men had already departed to the astral plane. 

The enemy knew everything about them--their secrets, their battle tactics, their astras. 

His hammer, which had never failed him, was now a toy in his hand. 

Nahusha knew with his fall nothing could save Glassia, and that was not far away. The evil curse was racking his body, slowly turning it into stone.

The air vibrated as if it got frightened of what was coming. Many tiny eddies formed around both warriors--one clad in golden armour, and the other in dark dragon sheath. 

Howling like a ghost of the endless desert, the blazing axe clashed with the hammer, which had just tasted the Moriyan blood and was thirsty more. 

The lightning thundered, not in the sky, around the two warriors, sending lightning bolts in the squeezed wind. The ungraspable ether (Aksha tatva) split apart, letting in the ghostly wind of the astral plane. With it came evil creatures of the soul world---dankinies, all naked wearing skulls as a garland. The dakinis let out evil laughter as they rushed for the fresh blood of the dead warriors. 

Laughing sinisterly at the gory sight,  they greedily filled their bowls and drank the red wine to their fill. Then they danced, wearing intestines in their veiny necks, excitedly cackling at the falls of humans. 

The shock of the clash blasted apart the dilapidated walls of houses, the Moriyan warrior took three steps behind. His eyes glowed brightly, as he mumbled what was called the dark tongue in Varta, and the holy tongue in Moriya. His dark scaled armour glowed up giving off the sinister aura.

His axe morphed into a Vajra. The violet coloured lightning danced around it as if laughing like the dakinis. 

"I think you're Nahusha, the war god. " The Moriyan warrior said in a grunting voice, "I, Jaffal, long wanted to meet you."

"Maybe the demoness of death arose that wish in you." snorted Nahusha, as he mentally gathered ether around them. His last attempt to save his motherland. He only hoped King Nirvana would be able to handle the aftermath if he succeeded. 

"Haha … maybe shattering stones, and cutting trees have made you conceited. Never mind, we, messengers of the One, are good at subduing the wild lions. " laughed the Moriyan, as he raised his Vajra. 

All of a sudden, the sky darkened as if almighty heaven had been provoked. The lightning bolts as thick human torsos thundered in the enraged sky as they came to cremate the Glassian warlord. 

An otherworldly pressure bore down on Nahusha, making him buckle his knee. The lightning fell on him, charring his shoulder.  Nahusha ignored the cracking sound of his bones, and excruciating pain, as he concentrated his mind to accumulate enough ether for his last move that would end the battle. He could see his men dying. The powers of his enemies were too bizarre to fight with. 

They seemed to command nature itself.

Blood gushed out of the green eyes of Nahusha, as he clenched his teeth. 

A little more. 

He said to himself, ignoring the thundering war cries of the enemies. 

"I really admire your courage, Glassian. If you are willing to accept our lord's seal I will make you king of this dark land. There is no need to foolishly die for the man who is hiding in women's tits." the Moryians said. 

Nahusha didn't seem to listen to the offer of his enemy. He closed his eyes, and let go of his hammer. His hands moved slowly in Nasmakra. His lips whispered 

"Krim!!!"

The ether vibrated around him. Nahusha concentrated his mind as he formed a mental image of a woman.

Her butter-soft skin is sapphire blue. Her waist-length hair is night itself. Her wide eyes are the sun and the moon. Her cackle is thunder, the shine of her teeth is lightning. She has four arms, all decorated with --Khadaga (double edge sword,), trident, and Khappar ( hollowed skull brimming with blood), and a decapitated head. 

She is wearing lion skin. In her beautiful feet are anklets, the chime of these golden ornaments shattered the eardrums of the enemies. 

As Nahusha proceeded with the ritual, the woman began to take shape in him. And with the last thought. A fire erupted in him, within a blink yogic fire burned his body to ashes. 

The sudden turn of events threw off the Moriyan. 

The space twisted above the pile of ashes. A stormy wind began to howl. The earth shuddered. Lightning flashed in the dark sky with heart-shattering thunder. 

All the ten directions laughed menacingly. The chime of anklets resounded in the darkening world. 

The battle halted at once as the horror-stricken warriors looked around themself for the source of the evil sounds. 

And in the southern sky, they caught a glimpse of a woman starkly naked except the skin of a freshly killed lion wrapped around her thin waist. Her sapphire blue skin was glowing, giving off the aura of death, and destruction. 

Her eyes were glowing so brightly making it impossible to look at her soul-captivating face. Her four hands seemed to be pulling the invisible strings of the world making it dance on the chimes of her anklets. 

Glassians warriors shuddered as they looked at the beautiful but menacing woman. They threw away their astras, and fled not even caring about the attacks of their enemies. 

The woman cackled mirthfully, as she flew down. 

"Who are you ?" asked a Moriyan.. But the woman only laughed. A khadaga (double-edged sword) appeared in her supple hand.  With a maniac laugh, she attacked the warrior.  The warrior summoned his shield but it shattered as if it was made of glass the appalled warrior tried to flee. However, the woman was quicker. She grabbed the man's helmet and her khadga beheaded the horrified warrior as if he was not a warrior that had just butchered Glassian druids, but mere he-goat. 

The scene froze the Moriayans for a moment. The warlord of Moriya, Jaffal frowned, as he howled, 

"When do you all become so cowardly? Haven't we deflowered the wild nymphs of  Kanya?  Haven't we slept with the bloodthirsty banshee of Ravias? Haven't our lord enslaved death-fairies? "

Jaffal's thunderous voice woke up the shuddering Moriyans. Their eyes glowed up like embers in the dark. 

"This beauty presents herself as a victory trophy; how can we be so rude to reject her? Brothers, subdue her and I can assure you, you all will forget your women."

The Moriyans laughed. Their fear vanished. 

"Let's work together so we can enjoy ourselves together. " Jaffal shouted as he raised his vajra. And the lightning came crashing down for the blue woman. 

The other Moriyans warriors also attacked. 

The woman raised her chin skyward and laughed. And the next moment, her face turned grim. Her flower -petal soft hand tightened around the khadga. Her slender legs moved gracefully, and a fierce battle broke out. 

Or it was just a one-sided butchery. 

The lightning bolts showered the woman's tender body. However, instead of hurting her, lightning rushed on her blue skin as if caressing it. 

The arrows, which could breach even the sheath of dragons, rained on her like sparkling flowers.

The evil curses, which had rendered mighty druids powerless, were nothing but blabbering, before her baneful laughs. 

Reaping the heads of the Moryians, the blue woman danced and with her danced the ten directions, wind and the earth. 

It didn't take long for the  Moryians to realise why Glassians had fled away. The woman was not something they could subdue. As soon as the realisation dawned on them, they too threw away their weapons and fled for their dear lives. Jaffal didn't stop them. He commanded the wind to bring him away as far as possible from the devilish. 

He fled towards the living sea to take shelter in the heavenly abode of Samudra. In all his fifty years of life, he had never met such a frightening enemy. He cursed Millian, the mysterious Glasssian who had invited him to the hidden land of druids. 

The young man had told him every secret of druids, even their meaningless rituals and folklore. However, he hadn't mentioned such a horrifying woman. 

Didn't he?

A frightening thought struck his mind. His eyes widened as he looked behind…

His heart jolted. 

The woman was just behind him smiling at him like a maiden in love. A chill ran through his spine. 

"You're Kritya. The goddess ......."

Jaffal's headless body dropped to the ground. The woman laughed as she looked at the decapitated head, putting on the expression of horror.

She raised her head up and drank the dripping fresh blood. 

Her eyes glowed, and her laughter echoed in all ten directions. Dakinis danced around her. 

She looked into the distance and flew laughing sinisterly.. Beheading everyone --Glassians, Moriyans alike.