Passing on the torch

Karna looked at Surya, the sun god, before him, and for a moment, the thought flashed through his mind, "Is it possible that they're all just playing a trick on me?"

He had such thoughts, but reason told him that the mighty Sun God and the Rama with the Axe would not joke with him about such things, and the warmth emanating from the Golden Armor was not fake.

Looking back now, everything seems to make sense: why I was born with this armor, why I can look directly at the sun while others are blinded by its light...

"But... if what you're saying is true, then who is my mother?"

"Isn't that question obvious? In Hastinapura, aren't there five children like you, born through the blessings of the gods?"

He patted Karna on the shoulder and told him everything. Karna slowly uttered a woman's name. "Queen... Kunti."

"Then what am I? Did everything I've been through before have no meaning? I was supposed to be the elder brother of the Pandavas, the blood of the Kshatriyas flows in my veins, what about all the contempt I've suffered, the repeated rejections and ridicule I was subjected to when I was studying? And how am I supposed to face this...?"

However, before Karna could finish speaking, Bai Mo interrupted him:

"Karna! How did I teach you before? What is the first thing to do when you encounter difficulties?"

Karna took a deep breath and said, "First, we need to stay calm."

"Yes, calm down, and then start dealing with it. Karna, how can you say that everything you've been through has been meaningless? A mediocre king lives in the palace and cannot see the lives of the people below."

Those sycophants will use treasures to bewitch his eyes, the songs of dancers to cloud his hearing, fine wine to cloud his judgment, and games to make him addicted. In the end, under these carefully woven veils, the king will be unable to tell whether he is wise or foolish.

Great kings, however, go into the marketplace themselves, where no one can hide from them, and they will feel the nation's crisis and the people's genuine love and respect.

Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, Karna nodded, but the confusion in his eyes remained like a fog. He was no longer the hero who had been given charity; he was just a young man.

Seeing this, Bai Mo patted him on the back and said:

"You don't need to answer questions immediately. You have a long future ahead of you, and plenty of time to find the answers. I'm telling you about your background only to prevent you from going down a bad path."

As for now, it's time for us to leave and find a place that can resolve the confusion in your heart.

Bai Mo spoke slowly, and then Karna suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, stood up and bid farewell to the sun god Surya and the Rama with the Axe.

With a smile, Surya said caringly, "Karna, my child, there is no need to worry about the uncertainty of the future. Just as no matter how bad a day is, the sun will rise again and a new day will come."

My child, whenever the sun shines, I will always be watching over you.

Feeling the profound care from this god-like figure, Karna bowed to him with his hands clasped together. Although he suddenly had this father figure, he could still feel the heartfelt care from the god.

A care as warm as the sun.

When Karna faced Rama with the Axe, he respectfully touched Rama's feet.

Rama with the Axe, also put his hands together and said earnestly, "Child, there is no need to feel ashamed. As I said, what I oppose is not the Kshatriyas, but the brutal Kshatriya regime of this world."

And you, Karna, son of the sun, son of Radha, possessing power and talent, have truly experienced the distortion and error of this regime as the son of the charioteer.

I am the setting sun, and you are the rising sun. This world will be changed in your hands. Although you are not my disciple, you are the continuation of my life's vision.

After saying this, Rama with the Axe, stretched out his hand, revealing a piece of brocade with incantations written on it—the very incantation for summoning and retrieving Brahma's Noble Phantasm's magical treasure.

"Take it, child. Weapons should not gather dust; they should shine on the battlefield."

Holding the light, fluttering brocade in his hand, the young man's hot tears dripped onto it.

When facing Bai Mo, Karna also wanted to perform the foot-touching salute, but Bai Mo helped him up, saying, "Your martial arts skills are barely up to par; you're still far from being a master. We'll be traveling together for a while longer."

Afterwards, Bai Mo handed the calculation core of the Kuaiji Type Zero to Karna. Like a pocket watch, it was full of mechanical feel, and Karna wore it like a necklace.

"The Hell War Armor requires sufficient thought and calculation to unleash its full potential. You can only utilize about 50% of its power for now, but with this, you can unleash up to 80% of its power."

I hope one day you won't need this help.

After accepting the necklace, Karna clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to Bai Mo.

"Master, if it weren't for you, I would have surely deceived the Venerable One with lies, and even if I had graduated, I would have been disgraced and expelled. Without you, I would not have achieved what I have today."

"Alright, alright, you're making it sound like a life-or-death situation."

Bai Mo interrupted the somewhat sorrowful mood. After speaking, he also bid farewell to Rama with the Axe. Surya bowed to the two of them again before returning to the heavens.

In the Heaven, Surya was clearly in a good mood, and coincidentally, the god-king Indra was also holding a grand banquet to celebrate Arjuna's graduation. Basically, everyone was there except for a few gods who were in asceticism or in emanations.

"Surya, you seem to be in a good mood? Could it be that something good has happened?"

Mitra asked the sun god, and Surya drank the Soma in his cup in one gulp, saying, "Hahaha, because my son has also completed his training. King Indra, I truly never expected such a fortunate encounter. Fate is so fair; it gave my child a humble birth, yet allowed him to meet that savior."

On the ground, Bai Mo, unaware of what had happened, led Karna on the road back to Hastinapura.

"Have you finished your business there, Krishna?"

"Yes, I've dealt with the Shamona, handled some Asura who came to assassinate me, and even exchanged a few blows with Indra. Now I'm finally free to do something."

Krishna brought two chariots; Bai Mo and Kama rode in one, while he and Karna rode in the other. While Karna was struggling with his past, Krishna said to Bai Mo:

"This time there is some trouble. Although Brahma has changed this external force in another form, 'diluting' it into a form that can be obtained through asceticism, it has reduced the destructive power but also amplified the greed of ambitious people."

However, the ambitions of some of the more ruthless were like flames doused with oil; this was the case with Shamona, and in order to minimize casualties, it took some time.

Upon hearing Krishna's words, Bai Mo gave a wry smile. Although this method of substitution prevented the influence of the Magnetic Field Power from harming the common people, since these powerful beings could not be separated from social production, it also allowed more people to acquire power.

Only heaven knows what the Mahabharata will look like this time.