The King of the Cave-demons stood before the combined forces of Sections D and B, holding his dark sledgehammer.

  Behind him, the wounded cave-demons crawled to the sides, their eyes glowing with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

  Naraga stepped forward, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. "So long, you have managed to defend against my soldiers... that is quite interesting. Now... try me."

  Varun, his veins still pulsing with the light of his unlocked first chakra, didn't hesitate. "I'll take care of him!" He surged forward, his hydrostatic punch aimed directly at Naraga’s chest—a strike that would have shattered a boulder.

  Naraga didn't even raise his hammer. He moved with a casual, terrifying speed, delivering a mild counter-strike that sent Varun skidding back across the cavern floor.

  "Varun! Are you okay?" Aaron shouted, catching him before he hit the wall.

  Aishwarya instinctively nocked an arrow, her eyes tracking Naraga’s throat. The remaining demon soldiers snarled, preparing to swarm, but Naraga raised a single, grey hand to stop them.

  "I am challenging you to a duel," Naraga said, his finger pointing directly at Surya. He scanned the room, a cold smirk touching his lips. "If you wish, we can end the fight here. Or... if you prefer group battles, then look at the count and decide your fate."

  Surya looked around at the injured soldiers. "Don't do it!" Aishwarya hissed. "He’s only doing this because he fears his army will be defeated."

  "I don't think so," Subha interrupted, her eyes closed as she focused her spiritual senses. "It is a fair deal to accept. In fact, it is advantageous for us."

  "What are you talking about, Subha?" Aishwarya demanded.

  "I can sense the lifeforce all over this cavern," Subha whispered. "The number we see here is a lie. I can hear heartbeats even inside the very walls."

  "It means..." Mona added, her voice trembling, "there are demons hidden inside the stone."

  "Yes," Subha confirmed. "Probably ten times more than what we see. That is their real army. If we fight them all at once, we will be buried."

  Aishwarya went pale. "That's not possible... okay, but what if we send Surya and he loses?"

  "He won't," Pari said, his voice firm. "He is still learning to unlock his first chakra, but his raw impact injured those demons more than even Chandru’s strikes."

  Surya took a deep breath and stepped into the center of the battleground, the orange glow of his aura flickering with renewed intensity.

  "Surya!" Vaishu called out, reaching for him.

  A hand caught her shoulder, stopping her. It was Chandru. "He will be alright," he said simply, his eyes never leaving Naraga.

  Vaishu looked at Surya’s back, her heart racing. "Be careful, Surya."

  Surya didn't look back. He gave a sharp, confident nod—a gesture of silent promise—and turned to face the Cave-Demon King.

  Flashback:

  The Dense Manali Forest — Months Ago

  The winter air was biting. Naraga stood over a pile of four deer corpses, his sledgehammer resting on his shoulder. Beside him, his General was strapping the carcasses to his back. A dark vulture circled above before diving down, landing on the arm of a Cave-Demon messenger.

  "A message from the Vamp Council," the messenger announced, trembling.

  Naraga didn't look up from the hunt. "Read it."

  “To the esteemed members of the Mythic Council—

  Heera, one of our greatest Vamp warriors, has fallen in battle at Munnar. His valor, his loyalty, and his unwavering service to our kind shall never be forgotten. His legacy will endure in the annals of our people.

  We call upon each of you to stand with us in this grave hour. A rising threat brews in Munnar. The new students of the BLINK Association—Section D—are far more formidable than we had anticipated.

  This is not merely news.

  This is a warning.”

  — Janaga, King of the Vamps.

  The General looked at Naraga. "Did you know this Heera?"

  "Not much," Naraga replied, wiping blood from his hammer. "I saw him once when I visited Janaga’s court."

  "Do you want to do anything?" the General asked.

  "Not really," Naraga said, his voice cold.

  "Killing a Pure-Blood is difficult,” he said evenly. “But not impossible. And this is not the first time one has fallen.”

  He adjusted the hammer on his shoulder.

  “It is not advisable to involve ourselves in Vamp matters. It is not our problem.”

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  He paused.

  “We do nothing… unless Janaga himself steps down from his throne to face them.”

  Naraga stared at Surya, the realization clicking into place.

  "It is him", the King thought, his eyes narrowing. "No doubt. He possesses a primal energy flow that eclipses the others. The one in the coat (Chandru) shows discipline and refined power, but this boy… he is a reservoir of pure, unbridled force."

  That momentary distraction was all Surya needed. Naraga looked up just as Surya closed the distance.A raw, heavy-impact punch boosted by solar energy delivered straight into Naraga’s stomach. The force was immense, the sound echoing like a sledgehammer hitting a drum. Naraga was blown backward, his heels carving ruts into the stone floor.

  The cave-demon soldiers stood paralyzed. Their King had been moved.

  Neon tensed, ready to launch himself into the fray to protect Naraga, but Vana’s hand raised who stands beside him.his eyes were glued to the duel. He gave a sharp shake of his head: Do not intervene at his brother.

  Naraga straightened up, clutching his midsection. He looked at the boy with a grim, new respect. "Surya... is it?"

  "Yes," Surya replied, his breathing steady.

  "I have not seen one like you in decades," Naraga rumbled. "The message was true. You are strong. I no longer doubt how a Pure-Blood like Heera fell before you."

  Behind the line, Vaishu whispered to Pari, her eyes wide with shock. "He knows... he knows about the Pure-Blood."

  "But," Naraga continued, his voice dropping into a lethal register, "you must consider one thing. We are not vampires. We are cave-demons—a superior species. Our skin is thicker, our muscles denser than iron. You cannot kill us with a single blow."

  Surya looked at him, unimpressed. "Are you done talking?"

  The remark snapped Naraga’s patience. With a roar of fury, he launched himself at Surya. The two collided in a fierce, rhythmic exchange of violence.

  BOOM.

  Naraga landed a punch that would have crushed a tank.

  BOOM.

  Surya absorbed the shock and countered with a strike that rattled Naraga’s ribs.

  The exchange accelerated until Surya found an opening, channeling a burst of maximum energy into a singular blow that exploded against Naraga’s face. The King’s head snapped back, and for the first time in history, the blood of a Cave-Demon King sprayed the floor from a broken nose.

  Blinded by rage, Naraga unleashed a massive, overhead smash. Surya was thrown across the cavern, slamming into the stone wall. Before he could recover, Naraga was on him, bringing both fists down in a tectonic strike that sent a cloud of ash and pulverized rock into the air.

  "He’s gone," one of the demon soldiers muttered, seeing Naraga’s silhouette standing in the dust.

  "Too early to judge," Chandru countered, his voice cold and certain.

  As the ash cleared, the truth was revealed. Naraga was drenched in sweat, his hands shaking. His smash hadn't connected with the floor—Surya was crouched beneath him, blocking the massive weight of the King with both hands.

  Surya’s teeth were gritted, sweat stinging his eyes. He’s pretty strong, he thought. Physically more powerful than me. He glanced back at Chandru, his mind screaming: Say something... I need help!

  In that moment of desperation, a memory flickered in Surya’s mind: the fight between Chandru and Heera. He remembered how Chandru, even when weakened, had methodically targeted one specific, vulnerable point over and over again.

  Surya’s eyes locked onto Naraga’s. He didn't wait for the King to reset. Surya launched a sudden, brutal headbutt that sent Naraga reeling. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, driving a high-energy punch into the exact spot on Naraga’s stomach where he had struck before.

  Naraga swung wildly and missed. Surya ducked, weaving under the King’s guard, and struck the same spot again. Crack. Naraga let out a pained grunt, his leg buckling.

  "One more, Surya!" Nova shouted from the sidelines.

  "Come on, do it!" Sheetal encouraged.

  Surya rose, drawing every remaining spark of energy into his frame. He didn't just punch—he launched a high-energy strike that acted like a kinetic explosion. The impact was absolute. Naraga was lifted off his feet and sent crashing to the ground.

  Surya stood over the King, his breathing heavy, his knuckles glowing with residual solar heat. "Do you accept your loss?" he asked, his voice steady.

  Naraga didn't answer with words. His hand scrambled across the stone floor, his fingers locking around the handle of his sledgehammer. He roared, a sound of pure, unadulterated defiance. "NEVER!" With a surge of desperate strength, he swung the massive hammer in a wide, horizontal arc aimed straight for Surya’s head.

  "Move, Surya!" Vaishu’s scream pierced the air.

  But Surya didn't move. He planted his feet, drew his arm back, and met the primordial iron head-on with a solar-charged fist.

  CRACK-SHATTER!

  The collision was deafening, a sonic boom that sent a shockwave through the cavern, knocking several demon soldiers off their feet. When the dust settled, Naraga stared in horror. The edge of his legendary sledgehammer—the pride of the cave-demons—had been pulverized into jagged fragments by Surya’s knuckles.

  Aaron could only stare in stunned silence. "He is inhuman," he breathed, his own hands tightening into fists. "I've seen power-hitters before, but to shatter that alloy with a bare hand..."

  ?Nuvan nodded slowly "Yes... you are right. Look at him. Despite the collision, despite all the hits he took from Naraga... he still refuses to bleed."

  Surya’s eyes were cold. "That’s enough. The duel is over. Let us go."

  Naraga wiped the blood from his lip, a dark smirk returning to his face. "But... I never said I would let you go if you won."

  Surya blinked, turning toward the back. "Is that true, Chandru?"

  Chandru leaned against a pillar, looking utterly unbothered. "Yes. He never said that"

  "Why are you supporting him?!" Aishwarya shouted, her bow still raised. "He's fooling us!"

  "Now," Naraga growled, ignoring the students, "it is time for them." He reached for his hip, his hand searching for the leather pouch containing the Bhavirana Orbs. His fingers met empty air. He franticly checked his belt, his eyes darting around the floor.

  "What are you searching for?" Surya asked, confused.

  The blood drained from Naraga’s grey face. He slowly turned his head toward the shadows where Vana and Neon stood. "Where is it?"

  Vana tilted his head innocently. "Where is what, King Naraga? Be specific."

  "Don't act!" Naraga roared. "The orb pouch! Where is it?"

  Vana reached into his coat and pulled out a gunny Pouch. "Is this the one?" He tossed it carelessly toward the King. Naraga snatched it out of the air and tore it open. It was empty.

  "Where is the orb chain?!"

  Neon stepped forward, dangling the gleaming chain from his finger. He had already detached a massive, pulsing orb from the chain which carries the mammoth symbol. "I was wondering," Neon mused,"what would happen if someone gave a command to this one right here?"

  Naraga’s eyes widened in genuine terror. "Don't... don't do it! Unleashing a Vahana of that scale will destroy this entire cavern!"

  "Exactly," Vana said, a chilling smile spreading across his face. "Thank you, King Naraga, for explaining the rules of the orb so clearly earlier. You’ve been a most helpful host."

  Vana gave a sharp nod to Neon. Neon held the orb aloft and whispered the command: "Airavat - Destroy everything you see."

  The Twins didn't wait to see the results. They turned and vanished into a hidden crevice in the back wall.

  The orb in the center of the room didn't just glow—it began to bleed a glowing Red energy. Cracks appeared in the air itself. A massive, trunk-like limb began to materialize from the void, followed by the sound of a trumpet that shook the mountain to its roots.

  "Everyone! OUT!" Subha screamed.

  The roar of the Airavat was followed by a sound even more terrifying. The kinetic shockwave from the Mammoth's manifestation had finally pushed the cavern’s structural integrity past its limit. The entrance was sealed.With a deafening roar of cascading rock, the entrance was sealed.