Cruel Sun

With each move, Aryan's spear became a blazing extension of his will. He parried strikes with precision, sending waves of heat energy rippling through his adversaries. His agility and reflexes allowed him to dance through the battlefield. 

Of course, a lot of soldiers decided to stop him. But unfortunately, all their weapons melted where they got too close to him. So the formidable archers couldn't do anything against Aryan. 

To add to the fray, Aryan also summoned the wooden golem to wreak havoc on the battlefield. 

When Bhallabh Udrabhan and Ranveer Vangam , who had just managed to disarm the flaming tornado saw this, they simply decided to ignore the golem and encircled Aryan himself. 

Bhallabh Udrabhan and Ranveer Vangam weren't ordinary warriors. Although they were not relatively as strong as Paundraka, they were also powerful Athirathis. 

After surrounding Aryan from opposite sides, Bhallabh Udrabhan and Ranveer Vangam both aimed their bows at Aryan and launched different Astras. 

Facing the incoming attacks, Aryan directly activated the Eighth form: Pollen Garden and a barrier appeared around him, shielding against the attacks. 

Aryan was aware of the threat they posed as two vs one so he decided to finish this battle as soon as possible.

As his power continued to increase with the rising sun, he decided it was time to utilize his newly acquired abilities.

Just when the barrier was about to break apart into pieces, the Sun finally reached its peak and Aryan also entered his strongest state : The One. 

All his attributes surpassed S level and immense strength coursed through his body. 

"It's time we end this farce. "

With a hand gesture, he summoned two miniature suns in each of his hands. 

And the moment the barrier broke, he hurled the two sons at Bhallabh Udrabhan and Ranveer Vangam respectively. 

"Cruel Sun! "

Then..... 

* Boom * * Boom * 

There was no then. Those two explosions marked the end of the battle as in the absence of any leader, the allied army admitted it's defeat and surrendered. 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Two days later, 

Although King Chitrangad stayed behind at the army camp to deal with some matters, Aryan returned back to Rajapura along with Bhanumati. 

And finally it was the day that Aryan had been dreading all along, the day when Bhanumati confronted him about the truth. 

"Yes, my real name is Aryan and I belong to a Brahmin family living in a small village on the outskirts of Kalinga. 

After my parents died, I decided to venture into the outside world, with no particular aim. But after experiencing a few encounters, I decided to do something big. 

And for that I had to go to Rajpura, the capital of Kalinga, more specifically the Royal Palace. I was planning to rob the Royal treasury. "

After talking till here, Aryan paused slightly to observe Bhanumati's reaction but side from some surprise, there was no anger or disgust like he had expected. 

With mixed feelings of guilt and relief, Aryan continued telling his story. 

"Just when I was wondering about how to gain access inside the palace, I happened to meet you who was being persecuted by Shubh Udrabhan at that time. I immediately took this as a chance and won your trust. 

What happened next is history. My plan worked extremely well. I gathered the necessary information and also found out about the tunnels from you when you inadvertently mentioned about them one time, thus successfully gaining access to the treasury. 

Subsequently I stole the treasury's key during the banquet to deceive everyone and later killed Shubh Udrabhan that night to cause chaos. 

My plan had worked perfectly and I successfully managed to rob the treasury. But... "

"But what? "

Bhanumati asked, hoping to hear what she wanted. 

She didn't even know what she wanted to hear but deep down, she actually needed a reason to forgive Aryan. Before she knew it, she had fallen in love with this liar. 

"But.... it was supposed to stop there. According to the plan, I should have left the palace and run away with the the loot. 

But at the end of the day, I couldn't do it. I didn't want to separate from you. And more importantly, I was cursing myself for creating a catastrophe for your kingdom or mostly because I hurt you and broke your trust. 

Thus I decided to stay here, at least until my real identity is exposed. I wanted to help you and Kalinga come out of this trouble that I am partly responsible for, before leaving for good. Unfortunately, I still couldn't bear to leave you, hoping that maybe, just maybe, you know.... May be, you would forgive me and... "

Before he could continue, Aryan was surprised to discover that his lips were sealed by Bhanumati with her own lips. 

In that unexpected moment, as their lips met, time seemed to stand still for Aryan and Bhanumati. It was a kiss filled with both forgiveness and understanding, a silent admission of their feelings for each other. It was a kiss that bridged the gap between Aryan's past deceptions and the sincerity of his present actions.

When their lips finally parted, Bhanumati looked into Aryan's eyes, her own filled with a mixture of emotions. "Aryan, I may not fully understand all the reasons behind your actions, but I can see the good you've done for Kalinga and for me. You've changed the course of our destiny."

"More importantly, I have also fallen in love with you and couldn't bear to part with you. You know, I really wanted to hate you for what you did. But, I, haha, just like you, at the end of the day I couldn't do it either."

"Bhanumati, you..."

Aryan couldn't help but feel a swell of gratitude and relief. "Thank you, Bhanumati. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I promise to make amends for my past and love you with all of my my heart. "

Bhanumati smiled warmly, her hand gently caressing Aryan's cheek. "Actions speak louder than words, and you've shown your commitment. That means more to me than anything else."

..... 

Over the next few days, Aryan and Bhanumati worked closely together to restore order to Kalinga after the chaos caused by Paundraka's invasion and their own internal struggles. Slowly, the people of Kalinga began to see Aryan not as a mere outsider but as someone who had risked his life for their kingdom.

During this time, Aryan shared his knowledge of the stolen treasure's location with Bhanumati, and together they devised a plan to return it secretly, ensuring the stability of Kalinga's economy and reputation. 

They staged an elaborate plan in which Aryan found out about the location of the treasure from the mouth of a minister, the traitor in the Kalinga empire, saying that it was the plan of Paundraka and Bhallabh Udrabhan, in which Shubh was chosen as a sacrifice. 

Anyway, they needed a scapegoat and this traitor was just right for this job. Not to mention, every other name who was said to be involved in this matter is already dead, so no one doubted Aryan and Bhanumati's story.

Of course, later Aryan killed that traitor minister himself in front of everyone in the court, under the guise of setting an example, thus tying the last loose end.

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