54 I am alive.

" What do you think Vighasa? " in a dark room, multiple figures sat around the table with their faces covered in shadows.

" After this war. There are only seven of us left among the Asura god-class warriors and twelve if we include, Mahishasura, Prahlada, Virochana, Kalanemi, and King. Although we are still stronger in terms of battle power but it is not wrong to say that in numbers, we are falling behind vastly. They have more than thirty god-class warriors and their voice in the court will also rise significantly. I don't doubt my king's orders but he doesn't see this point as a threat because he fully believes in his brother, but let's not forget one thing. Betrayal doesn't come from your enemies. " one of the figures spoke passionately while slamming the stone table with fierceness.

" but what can we do? " you know how our king is. If we tried to do something secretly... And we are found out... We would most likely be punished heavily and in the worst-case scenario... Death."

One of the figures spoke while scratching his beard.

" I suggest we don't do anything. The Danavas may be much more in number, but we are stronger, by a very large range and what is the worst they can do? I think you old racist farts should let go of this ideology as the Samudra Manthan may emerge soon, so you all better be preparing and training for that instead of sitting here and making assumptions and having superficial discussions. " One of the Asuras stood up and shouted in a young and passionate voice.

" Hasti....min---- "

" shut up you old fart and Don't get on my nerves. Unlike the rest of you, who have given up on becoming stronger, I need to train so that I can get stronger and be of greater use to my king. I don't intend to be just slightly above the ordinary. I want to move into that extraordinary category. " Hasti spoke with a seething voice and looked like a dragon spewing fire before storming out of the room.

The room was left in an embarrassed atmosphere and Hasti's words still reverberated in the heads of most of the Asuras present there.

" I think we should not talk about these things till the Samudra Manthan. " Vighasa muttered while standing up and also stormed out of the room hastily.

~~~~~~~

SHAAATTTTERRRRRR

" THE ASURAS DEFEATED AND DESTROYED THE NAGA LOKA HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA GREAT, WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC HAHAHAHA " Indra started to laugh madly while sitting on his majestic throne.

This piece of news had made up his day and it wasn't only he who was happy, most of the Devas were also brimming with joy.

" With the Samudra Manthan being so close. They have surely proven to the world again, how vicious and uncultured they are. No way in hell, Lord Vishnu is gonna let those Asuras get Amrita after this event, heck, they may not even survive the Samudra Manthan. " Indra muttered with happiness.

" Yes, this time the Nagas really did us a favor. It may look like Asuras have won this war but from a strategic point of view... It was we who won it. Both of our closest rivals clashed and all the damage caused to them was like a blessing to us. But I still get my head around the fact, that a wuss like Prahlada could attack with such decisiveness and ferociousness that nearly the whole Naga race was killed. " Surya spoke with a joyous expression on his face but had a thoughtful look a moment later.

" Surya, no matter how soft and peaceful yearning Prahlada is. He is still a king, and if someone tries to exterminate and kill all your people, even the softest of kings will become a cruel murderer and Prahlada is the son of the cruelest Asura king, so in a way, this was bound to happen someday, and this will also make his relationship with Lord Vishnu go down the drains. " Indra spoke with a smile on his face while he stared at the beautiful armrest of his throne.

The Asuras had never been liked by the other races due to their barbaricness, and aggressive nature, whether it be Humans, Devas, or Nagas.

Everybody considered the Asuras as their main enemy, but the peace from these hundreds of years under Prahlada's leadership had started to form a positive image for the Asuras in front of races who had no direct conflicts with them.

But all that had changed with this incident, the Asuras have once again refreshed their image as the villains of the world and only the Devas could stop these vicious and cruel Asuras from once again conquering the earth.

" King, this time. Even lord Brahma may not be so much neutral between us and the Asuras. Lord Brahma's one and only son, the Great Sage Narada was injured badly by the Danava Prince Svarbhanu and Dark Dragon Vritra. " Vayu, the god of wind as well as the godly messenger spoke with a exciting voice and once again drew cheers from the Asura hall.

" let's go to meet Sage Narada. We can't miss this opportunity. " Indra spoke with a rare moment of slyness and once again made his brothers remember why he was the king.

" Yes. We must meet and wish Sage Narada a quick recovery and discuss the heinous crimes of the Asuras. " Varuna, the water god hummed in agreement and got up, looking ready to go.

' Looks like there won't be any change in the racial hierarchy any sooner and finally we may even get rid of those Asuras.... Well, I don't think that will happen, as most likely, like always Lord Shiva will save those Asuras at the last moment from complete extinction. ' Surya thought while getting up with a sigh and looking at the excited and buzzing hall.

~~~~~~~

One day after the Asura - Naga war.

In a hall of a large palace at the edge of the former Asura capital.

" let's start today's meeting. " Andhaka spoke while looking around the hall filled with most of the important people in the Asura race.

He had a lot to talk about today as possibly the biggest event yet in the history of the Devas and Asuras was coming near, and as the king at such an important time, he can't let his race down.

" After the defeat of the Nagas. There is no one to stop us from proclaiming the Pataal once again as our domain. All the other races must have heard the news by now and would be rushing here most likely to show their loyalty and support towards us. I agree that this is an occasion to be happy but don't forget we have just got what was already ours since the beginning of time. We have just reclaimed our ancestral lands and nothing much. Being the overlords of Pataal isn't a proud thing, it may be for other races, but for us Asuras, it's only natural. We have a much bigger and stronger threat in front of us. The Devas and the biased Trimurtis. Now we have lost our weakness card and the other races must have once again become wary of us, thankfully the Samudra Manthan is just around the corner. If the saying about the Amrita is true then this will be our best and probably the last chance, we have lost the strength we have been building up till now and have even been pushed backward. Our city is in ruins and its numbers are dwindling, if we miss this chance, we may soon face the risk of going into extinction-like numbers. " Andhaka spoke solemnly while standing on the high podium constructed specially by his instructions.

The people present here were also quite familiar with the situation they were in and nodded in affirmation of their king's words.

" The Amrita may or may not be as magical as they say but this is the chance we have to take..... it's a little crazy betting our future over it but no one gets stronger without any hardships......So We All Must Sharpen Our Swords And Heal Our Emotional And Physical Wounds..... And Get Ready For The Upcoming War. "

~~~~~~

While the beacon of war has been lightened up at many places in the three realms, there was no particular change in the scenery at Mount Kailash.

The dreamy layer of snow still covered the large and majestic range of mountains.

As the heavenly abode of the Lord Shiva and the dream destination for thousands and hundreds of pious devotees and Shiva followers, Kailash was a place where many powerful and knowledgeable people gathered but even after waiting here for hundreds of years, some people weren't even able to get a glimpse of their Lord and God.

After the normal meeting point of Kailash, there is located the holy and mystical city of Shambala, also known as the Land of Radiant Spirits and THE LAND OF GODS.

A city that is only accessible by those of pure heart, those who have gained enlightenment, it didn't matter if one was a normal person, some god, or even a high-class god, the city of Shambala is inaccessible to them until they have successfully gained enlightenment.

Thus adding more awe and mysticism to the stories and myths related to the story. Some said it was just a scam, some said it was a city inhabited by a different race of people, some speculated it to be a city exclusive for god-class beings only, and many more myths involving the city went around the three realms.

The closest guess to it was, it's one of the many names, THE LAND OF GODS. Shambala was a city full of gods in service of The Trimurti Shiva.

It was inhabited by the Ganas, a group of gods and other mythical beings only devoted to serving their lord. The fierce army of Shiva, The undefeated Ganas.

But currently, the look on the faces of these undefeated and invincible Ganas wasn't so good.

" What should we do Prince Kartikeya? " one of the figures spoke while sitting in a large meeting room made of ice and beautiful hand-carved furniture.

The figure had a hideous tattoo covering his face and hands while two large visible to-eye fangs protruded out of his mouth.

" Lord Kirtimukha. Father hasn't given any reaction about this topic. Instead, he has been a little cold and uncomfortable whenever the topic of Asuras was talked about by my mother and me. Since Father doesn't intend to do anything, there is nothing we can do. " Kartikeya, the one and only son of the Destructor Shiva and his wife Parvati, spoke while sitting on the central chair of the meeting room.

" Well, that's true. We are only a defensive force, attacking other people without any big reason is not something we do. " a voice rose from Kartikeya's left side. It was a handsome and sunny young man in normal warrior clothing.

" Yes. I also agree with what Lord Jai says. We didn't have any need to have this meeting at all, it doesn't matter what we think. If our lord commands, only then we will step into battle. " Nandi, the carrier of Shiva spoke with a firm smile on his face.

Kartikeya looked at Nandi and Jai with frostiness hidden deep beneath his eyes.

He is the God of war in the Hindu pantheon. Arguably the strongest person of his age and had a bright future ahead of him, this is what he has been listening to for two to three hundred years. He wasn't so small anymore, he was already around three hundred years old but still treated like a child by everyone on Kailash and Shambala.

When being appointed the leader of the Ganas, he had thought that it was gonna be all war and fighting, but in reality, it was all just sitting around and doing nothing.

This position was more like a trap designed by his father to constrict him from making trouble.

Even though he wasn't a fan of death and cruelty but as the god of war, he was obviously very hungry for battle. If given a choice that, either live in absolute luxury for a thousand years or battle a dangerous enemy for a thousand years, he will undoubtedly choose the second option.

It was in his nature, he wanted people to fight with him, but being the son of Shiva, it was very hard to make people fight him seriously.

' should I go to the Asura realm secretly? '

Kartikeya thought with a smile but then shook his head instantly in denial. Although this was a very plausible option but the situation in the Pataal is very tense and delicate at the moment, just a slight action by him can draw a pot of criticism and punishment from his father.

He was hungry for battle but it didn't mean that he was that insensible.

" hush, thankfully Samudra Manthan is close. I hope it comes as soon as possible. " Kartikeya didn't even bother hiding his true thoughts and spoke with a sigh.

Being a god was very boring and being a godly young master was even more boring.

~~~~~~~~~

" Nergal ?!?! Do you realize what you are saying? If the Trimurti catch you... You can forget about coming back to the underworld for a few hundred or maybe a thousand years. " Ereshkigal spoke while sternly staring at her husband.

" I know, but... The temptation around this matter is quite great. I had talked deeply to Anu about it and from what he understands... That Amrita has quite a good chance to make a high god like me to go into that super god category.If I miss this chance....who knows when I can get a similar chance in the future. " Nergal spoke in a firm tone while staring at his lions playing in the garden in front of him.

" And... Do you think I will be the single god who is coveting the Amrita. No matter how hard it is for us to accept that, but the truth is that the Indian pantheon is the strongest, and who won't have eyes on the treasure of The strongest pantheon? " Nergal spoke with a sly smile. He isn't some fool to think that only he was greedy for this treasure, many people in this world are more eager for Amrita than he is.

Still no matter what it was risky, offending the Hindu Pantheon was probably the last thing somebody wanted to do in today's world.

" but don't the Trimurti know that? Especially Shiva. Even Anu doesn't dare to say that he can fight Shiva equally. So what will you do if Shiva personally takes acting? " Ereskigal spoke with some concern.

"This is the risk I have will have to take to get this opportunity. " Nergal spoke with firmness and decisiveness in his voice.

To get big rewards...one has to take big risks.