A duel of archers

In a cave in the Himalayas, Shiva opened his eyes in meditation. Before him, a layer of water seemed to float, refracting and distorting everything. Opposite him stood Arjuna, the God of the End of Lostbelt.

"Go back, future god, you must not come here, there is no place for you here."

Shiva roared, but Arjuna stepped forward, and the thin barrier between them instantly surged into a raging torrent, like a giant wave about to engulf the Daichi. Arjuna, however, stood firm against the storm, like a stubborn rock.

"I've arrived." Arjuna crossed over, but his body appeared and disappeared intermittently. If Bai Mo were there, he would know that this was a sign of being rejected by the world.

Arjuna truly existed in this era, and so did all the gods who were devoured by the Omnipotent God. Unless the Omnipotent God was willing to change his form of existence, such as transforming into Heroic Spirit, he would inevitably be noticed by the world and rejected by the Counter Force.

But the problem now is that Arjuna too powerful.

Perhaps at this moment, Shiva before him represents the maximum effort that his Counter Force has been able to exert.

"Stop now, Arjuna! Your actions will destroy this entire world!" Shiva roared, his third eye opening to confront the terrifying being before him. Arjuna, faced with Shiva's warning, was like a man weary of a salesman's pitch.

"These are all... trivial matters."

"You!" Shiva roared in fury, his trident appearing in his hand, with the figures of the God of Great Terror and others materializing, as if ready to fight Arjuna to the death at any moment. But Arjuna actually smiled.

"Do you want to fight me, Mahadeva? But for the world, the outcome won't change. Lord of Innocence, you know very well how to choose to preserve all of this. Think about what Narottama will do."

Arjuna gazed at Shiva before him. There was only one way to prevent the world from being shattered: for the Mahadeva to act as a medium and bring Arjuna into this world. To ensure the integrity of the judgment, he could not back down. After all, once a tool loses its function, it is useless, and he would not allow himself to become useless.

If they were to fight Shiva, the terrifying power of these two would destroy the entire continent in an instant.

This is not the time to end the world; Shiva would not do such a thing.

If we look at it rationally, then there is only one choice.

However, Shiva is not a god who can always remain rational.

A flash of black light appeared, and the trident pierced Arjuna's chest head-on. Shiva's eyes were filled with rage, and the flame of his third eye burned fiercely like a shooting star.

The destructive power surged into Arjuna's body, seemingly intent on burning him to ashes. But this attack itself also became a bridge of 'connection,' through which Arjuna locked onto this era.

"I understand, this is the trial you've given me."

Arjuna closed his eyes, then let the destructive power surge within him. But even so, his aura remained unchanged. When he had devoured the India gods, Shiva was among them, and now, Shiva's power was insufficient to contend with him.

Flames also surged from behind Arjuna, initially appearing blurry like an image, gradually becoming clearer and merging with Shiva's flames. Shiva's gaze remained sharp, his third eye shining brightly as it pierced the trident in his hand, then he twisted it sharply.

Behind Arjuna, a phantom figure seemed to be pierced through, fell down, and disappeared.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Arjuna remained completely expressionless. The flames devoured everything, igniting the snow-capped mountain like a welcoming bouquet, celebrating the arrival of this Omnipotent God.

In the Sweetness City, the Pandavas looked at the city, a sense of relief at surviving a calamity welling up within them. At the same time, they felt a complex mix of emotions; too much had happened tonight. Bhima couldn't help but steal a glance at Karna, who was driving the chariot, and whispered in Yudhishthira's ear:

"Brother Yudhishthira, if Karna is truly your elder brother, then what about your throne?"

"Is there even a question? Although Father Pandu never met him, the throne should be inherited by my elder brother, so naturally I should abdicate."

Yudhishthira stretched and looked very relaxed.

It was indeed relaxing. Ever since arriving in Hastinapura, he had constantly reminded himself to be a qualified king, a king who upheld the Dharma. To be honest, demanding this of himself was too torturous. Now, with Karna's appearance, he felt a long-lost sense of relief.

After the car arrived, Bai Mo expressionlessly grabbed Yudhishthira's shoulder.

"Yudhishthira, do you still remember what I said to you? You were... carried away, weren't you? You spoke with such conviction, 'What's there to be afraid of?'"

Yudhishthira's expression froze instantly. The next moment, Yudhishthira let out a wail and vanished in an instant.

"He won't kill Yudhishthira, will he?" Krishna Nakula and shook his head, reassuring him, "Don't worry, with Draupadi around, he won't do that."

"I have a feeling that with Draupadi's involvement, Yudhishthira's chances of survival are even lower."

Sahadeva muttered something under his breath, while Krishna turned his gaze to Arjuna, Arjuna had remained silent since the beginning. Krishna sighed inwardly and then handed something to Arjuna.

"This is..."

"It's your bow; I stole it back then."

Krishna gave a mischievous smile. Arjuna, seeing his weapon, reached out and grasped it again. Beside him, the dark-skinned servant said in a mocking tone, "What's wrong, Arjuna? You look a little disappointed, don't you?"

Compared to this, are you really willing to give up like this? You conquered most of the Indraprastha's territory; is it really a good idea to just hand it over to Karna like this?"

The dark-skinned servant fanned the flames from the side, but Krishna interrupted him as he was about to continue.

Now that we've got the bow back, let's try it again.

A while later, Arjuna arrived at the arena. Everything was so familiar. A series of footsteps sounded, and a figure walked over. It was Karna.

What are you doing here?

"It's just an opportunity, one I've been waiting for for a long time." Karna, also holding a bow, looked at Arjuna and asked, "Do you remember what happened back then?"

"Remember, you were driven away by Drona, and then you swore to become the greatest archer in the world."

"Yes, today, I feel like I've accomplished almost everything I set for myself in life, except for this."

Karna opened his hands, and the Armor of Hell peeled away layer by layer. The once Golden Armor, now transformed into blades, moved according to Karna's Armor of Hell.

Are you looking for death?

"No, I'm doing this for fairness. It's not fair that only you risked your life, is it?" Karna's chest blade also opened, revealing his strong muscles.

Arjuna's lips also curved into a smile.

"That's how you'll end up dead, you fool."

The arrow is on the string; it must be released.

However, as the bowstring snapped, a crisp sound rang out—not the sound of an arrow, but the sound of a fist.