Chapter 61: Shrikant

The boy said, "Brother Shrikant, I was just watching for a while. I've been stacking boxes in the truck properly."

Shrikant asked, "Who is this boy? Do you know anything about him?"

The boy replied, "I don't know, but I know everyone calls him the Black Demon, and he's really good at gaming and cracking jokes. That's all I know."

Shrikant inquired, "Well, if I wanted to meet him, how could I?"

The boy said, "Next Sunday, there will be an eSports competition in Mumbai where many teams will participate. He'll be there too. If you're lucky enough to attend the event, you might get a chance to meet him."

Shrikant smiled at this and immediately told the boy, "I need to urgently go somewhere. Tell the head that I'm feeling unwell." With that, he quickly left. He was wearing a blue cap and pants and a red T-shirt with 'A to Z' written on it. He swiftly left and rode his delivery bike on the highway. After about 4 hours of riding, he reached a village temple situated amidst a traditional-style house. The man went there and told another man that he had found him. He showed the man a screenshot of Abhimanyu's photo he had taken. After seeing the photo, the man said, "I think this is the one whose image Gurumaa had created for us. Alright, we need to inform Gurumaa about this as soon as possible."

Far away, on a snowy mountain, there was a hut where snow was falling. Under a tree, an old woman, perhaps 60 years old with white hair, was meditating and chanting mantras.

Suddenly, a man arrived and said, "Guruma, he has been found. He'll be in front of you soon."

On the other side, a man was sitting in a palace on a chariot, being served by many girls. Suddenly, a parrot flew in, and the man transformed into a different person and said, "Maharaja, he has been found."

Hearing this, the Maharaja asked, "So soon? How? Have his powers awakened?"

The man replied, "No, but we found out about him beforehand, and Gurumaa also knows about it."

The Maharaja said, "Good, his powers haven't awakened yet. Finish him off as soon as possible before he becomes a threat to us."

The man said, "As you command, Maharaja."

On the other hand, Abhimanyu was roaming in a mall with Karishma when Karishma received a mission.

When Karishma informed Abhimanyu about the mission, he insisted on joining it, and Karishma agreed.

Abhimanyu and Karishma were assigned a case to find a guy who had committed a murder and fled.

Karishma received a detailed file about the case after some time.

A guy named Anand and his friend named Kunal were celebrating a girl named Hema's birthday at a small club. All three were very close friends who often went to their college for their friendship. But suddenly, at the party, Kunal stabbed Anand, and then he also attacked Hema and fled. Hema survived, but Anand died.

Abhimanyu said, "What a strange case! Why did Kunal do this, and why hasn't the police been able to find him?"

Karishma replied, "Some policemen went to search for Kunal, but he managed to escape by attacking them. Nearly 5 constables and one inspector were killed, all stabbed. There were also gunshots fired in the area, indicating that they shot at him, but it had no effect. Perhaps he wasn't even injured because there were no traces of blood."

Abhimanyu: Where is he right now?

Karishma: He was seen near the slums by the Yamuna river half an hour ago.

Abhimanyu: Let's go and say hello then. Do you need to wear a disguise?

Karishma: I don't think it's necessary. Let's just go.

After a while, a guy wearing a black mask and a hoodie, carrying cup noodles and drinks, went into a hut. But inside the hut, Abhimanyu and Karishma were already seated.

Abhimanyu: Hey, how are you?

Kunal: Who are you guys?

Abhimanyu: We're just students. We were feeling hungry, so we came here. But there's nothing here. Hey, do you have any food? That would be great.

Kunal put down his stuff and said, "Quietly leave from here, or I don't even know what will happen to you."

Abhimanyu: Seriously, who scares off guests like this when they come home?

Suddenly, Kunal's eyes turned black, and he said, "I told you to leave. This is my home!" Saying this, he struck Abhimanyu's chest with the palm of his hand, breaking the wall and falling outside.

Abhimanyu: Hey, this isn't good. His eyes turned black all of a sudden. Abhimanyu quickly approached Kunal and kicked him hard, sending him flying.

Abhimanyu: There's a demonic presence inside him.

Suddenly, a black shadow emerged from Kunal.

Abhimanyu quickly captured the shadow in his fist and handed Kunal over to the police.

Arjun said, "What are these demons doing on Earth? This one seems like a free demon."

After a while, Abhimanyu was in his room and went into his ring. Then Arjun took control of Abhimanyu's body and asked the demonic spirit, "What are you doing on Earth?"

The demon hesitated and said, "Our current king is searching for a saurmani, and some demons have been sent to find that saurmani. Besides that, I don't know anything else. I only possessed that person because I sensed a killing intent in him. It wasn't my fault. He loved that girl, and she became his girlfriend, but she was sleeping with another guy. He found out about it and wanted to kill them both, so he had a knife ready."

Abhimanyu's hair suddenly turned white, and his eyes turned golden. A white sword appeared in his hand, and he immediately attacked the demonic spirit with his sword, causing it to vanish into thin air.

Arjun said, "We need to find that saurmani as soon as possible. If the demon king gets hold of it, he will become the most powerful being in all three realms."

Abhimanyu asked, "How powerful is this saurmani, about which that demon spoke, and how did it can grant so much powers?"

Arjun replied, "The old sage didn't know much about the saurmani, but I've heard that when Maya died, her body turned into a gem and after some time it get lost somewhere and its current whereabouts are unknown."

Abhimanyu asked Maya if she felt anything about it.

Maya said, "My soul is completely separate from my body now, so I don't know. But the story of the gem seems plausible because when I died, if my body became that gem, it would indeed be the most powerful object. After the fight with Nina, the snake's power didn't return, and you couldn't use it either. But now, you don't need to worry. Your body has become very powerful, and now I can attack through your body without any worries."

For the next two days, Abhimanyu continued with his daily life, and on the third day, he had his first eSports match in which he participated. Then there were matches continuously for three days, and he made it to the list of India's top 100 players. After that, he set off for the competition in Mumbai.

On the other hand, Shrikant had arranged for an audience ticket to the eSports center through a lottery.

Sitting in the truck, Shrikant watched the matches of all the eSports players, among whom a Mumbai gamers' team emerged victorious. The competition between the top players' teams was scheduled for the next day, and Shrikant was eager to meet Abhimanyu in tomorrow's eSports match. However, he had no way of meeting him lately as he was working night shifts. Shrikant was delivering some boxes in a truck, which included cans of Amrit Jal, to various malls and shops. Accompanying him was a guard named Shanti, who was peacefully driving the truck.

As Shrikant drove the truck along a deserted road, a man signaled them to stop by raising his hand. Shrikant halted the truck, and suddenly, about 20 to 25 local goons surrounded the truck from all sides.

The guard stepped out of the truck and asked, "Do you even know whose truck you are trying to rob?"

The goons replied, "We know. This is Pathan's truck, but we don't care about the owner. We're only interested in the goods inside. There's worth millions of rupees of merchandise in this truck, and we can quietly disappear for a while after looting it."

The guard retorted, "If you can loot it."

Instantly, the goons launched a coordinated attack on the guard. Despite knocking down five of them, the guard was eventually struck on the head with a rod, and then, all the goons started beating him mercilessly.

Seeing this, Shrikant rushed out and kicked one of the attackers away, but soon, the other goons turned their attention towards him. Displaying some martial arts skills, Shrikant fended off the attackers with a series of kicks and punches, incapacitating them.

Impressed by his bravery, the guard said, "You're very courageous. You should work in our special security team. Why are you doing a delivery boy's job here?"

Shrikant replied, "I haven't found any other job."

The guard explained, "Only special individuals are hired there."

Just then, a car pulled over, and some people stepped out and remarked how Shrikant had defeated all the goons single-handedly.

One of them said, "Isn't he just a delivery man?"

The guard corrected him, "He's a skilled fighter."

The man nodded and said, "Alright, let's deliver these cans first."

After delivering the cans, everyone returned to the A to Z warehouses. Special security had been deployed to transport the Amrit Jal, with a jeep following the truck. However, some goons had intercepted the guards on the way, leaving only the truck to move ahead. Thus, Shrikant had to face the attackers alone. Later, Sumit Kumar, the head of the special security, offered Shrikant a job in his team, which Shrikant accepted.

Sumit assured him, "Don't worry about it. We value our employees' rest and relaxation just like any other MNC. You just need to inform before taking time off."

Shrikant agreed to join the security team and was provided with a new suit as a dress code. That night, Sumit instructed him to rest, as they had to go somewhere the next day at 9 a.m.

The next morning, Shrikant arrived at the A to Z main office in his black suit as instructed, where many guards in black uniforms were gathered. He reported to Sumit, who informed him that they had to go to somewhere. They all boarded four cars, with only two guards in one car, including Shrikant, who was driving. Sumit sat beside him, and the car was empty, much like the other cars with guards.

Shrikant drove the car to a luxurious villa near a serene shore, where a beautiful girl was coming out. She was dressed in a long gown like a lady emperor. This was Nina Watson, the CEO of Singh Empire, whose influence now extended throughout India, though her underworld dominance was mainly in Maharashtra, Goa, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. Abhimanyu, on the other hand, had control in Mexico and Brazil, but he wasn't heavily involved there; his minions handled most of the work. Abhimanyu was the true dominator, but his identity as such remained a secret. There is no clue to connect Abhimanyu to the dominator, the connection is jasmine but now one knows Jasmine true face. In Jasmine's flower group, all the girls wore skin masks over their faces, only Abhimanyu, knew their real faces.

Shrikant was mesmerized by Nina; he had heard a lot about her and even heard rumors that she was a shape-shifting serpent who could transform, so he was quite intrigued by Nina. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Shrikant worked at A to Z only for Nina.

Sumit stepped out and opened the door for Nina. After Nina got in, Sumit closed the door and returned to his seat, instructing Shrikant to drive towards the airport.

Nina commented, "You're late. This shouldn't happen again."

Sumit apologized, knowing Nina's ruthless nature. He had even seen Nina in her serpent form.

Meanwhile, Shrikant kept trying to steal glances at Nina through the mirror.

Nina warned him, "Focus on your driving, or you might go blind."

Shrikant apologized and began concentrating solely on driving.

Sumit glanced at Shrikant, wondering why he couldn't keep his eyes under control.

After a while, everyone reached the airport and waited for someone to arrive.

On the other hand, a flight landed at Mumbai airport, with Abhimanyu, Ammy, Vāyu, Samarth, Sanjay, Manish, and Ravi stepping out. These three were the backup team of Agrasen Lions.

As Abhimanyu stepped out with his friends, he saw a man holding an Agrasen Lions plate. He said, "That's the guy eSports sent to pick us up."

Vāyu acknowledged him with a wave, and they all headed outside. After placing their belongings in the trunk, they decided to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who would sit in the front. Abhimanyu won and took the front seat.

When Abhimanyu opened the front gate of the car, he looked back and saw four luxurious cars parked there. Ignoring them, he sat in the front seat and they set off.

Sumit instructed Shrikant to keep an eye on them. Shrikant was excited to meet Abhimanyu, but he now had to tail someone he didn't understand why. He knew they were all connected to the underworld, but he couldn't figure out what their business was with Abhimanyu and the other kids. Nevertheless, he began tailing them, and now four cars were trailing Abhimanyu's car from quite a distance.

They had traveled quite far from the airport when suddenly, a truck came speeding from the right and rammed into Abhimanyu's car. The car flipped and crashed into the left wall. Abhimanyu's car was severely damaged, and everyone inside was unconscious. Abhimanyu's hair turned white, and his eyes turned golden. He immediately started healing his friends, but the driver and Ammy remained unconscious.

Abhimanyu checked the driver's heartbeat and breath, only to find that he had passed away. When he checked Ammy's pulse, he realized that Ammy's heartbeat had also stopped. This sight terrified Abhimanyu, and he kept shaking Ammy, pleading for him to wake up. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he began to cry.

At that moment, Maya mentioned that Ammy's consciousness was still in his body and could exit at any time and blend into the environment. She advised immediately surrounding Ammy with an energy shield, slightly stronger than a normal defense shield. Acting on Maya's advice, Abhimanyu created a protective barrier around Ammy using his ring.

Abhimanyu then promptly healed the others, but they remained unconscious, their wounds fully healed.

Exiting the vehicle, Abhimanyu noticed that Maya and the other guards inside the truck were engaged in combat with just two individuals, but they were unable to defeat them.

A while ago, when the truck collided with Abhimanyu's car, Nina and the others had arrived at the scene. Two men from the truck had jumped out, brandishing swords. As they advanced toward Abhimanyu's car, the guards drew their guns and opened fire, but the two men deflected all the bullets with their swords, astonishing everyone. Impressed by their strength, Nina instructed everyone to engage in combat. Nina and Sumit retrieved swords from their vehicles and confronted the assailants. Nina attempted to strike one of them, but he managed to block her attack. The other assailant then targeted Nina, but Sumit intervened, blocking his strike. A fierce sword fight ensued between them, both proving to be incredibly powerful. After a skirmish, Sumit's sword suddenly broke, and one of the assailants landed a blow on Sumit's chest.

Seeing this, Shrikant stepped forward, assuming a martial arts stance.

Sumit exclaimed, "What are you doing? This isn't your typical martial arts fight. They're armed with swords."

Shrikant didn't say anything to him, and suddenly, the man slashed at Shrikant, but he managed to dodge it. The man continued to slash at him, but his attacks were ineffective. Then, the man's eyes suddenly turned snake-like, and he emitted a hissing sound, causing Shrikant to step back. The man then delivered another slash, causing Shrikant to double over, blood dripping from his chest.

Just then, Abhimanyu emerged from his car and witnessed the scene. Abhimanyu immediately went to the man who had attacked Shrikant and kicked him, causing him to fall forward. Abhimanyu's eyes were bloodshot, and he was visibly enraged.

The man got back on his feet, and suddenly, he transformed into a large snake and struck Abhimanyu with his tail, sending him tumbling forward. Nina, who was also engaged in combat, noticed her attacker's eyes change and assumed a similar snake-like appearance. She emitted a loud hiss, surprising both attackers. Nina transformed fully into a large snake, while the assailants assumed a hybrid form, half-human and half-snake.

Nina immediately grabbed one of the men with her tail and flung him against the truck, causing him to collide with it. She then approached the other man quickly, transforming fully into a snake. She threw a ball of fire at him, which hit him directly, causing him to collide with the truck as well. Although the man hit by the fireball didn't get up, the other man quickly recovered and began running towards Nina. He transformed back into a human and launched a spiritual punch at her, knocking her back. Nina's eyes also turned snake-like, and she emitted a hissing sound. Both assailants were now perplexed. Nina suddenly transformed into a large snake, matching their form.

Nina grabbed one of the men with her tail and flung him away, but the other attacker continued to evade her. He had formed an energy ball in his hand and was continuously attacking Nina. Suddenly, Shrikant intervened, delivering a kick to the man, sending him flying backward. Shrikant's eyes also turned snake-like, and he emitted a powerful roar, surprising everyone, including Abhimanyu and Nina.

Abhimanyu was about to go to Nina's aid when he saw Shrikant knock the man away. Surprisingly, Shrikant's eyes had also suddenly turned snake-like.

Abhimanyu wondered how Nina had encountered another snake. He asked in his mind, "Where did you find another snake, and who are these people?"

Shrikant asked, "What are you all doing here, and why are you killing innocent people?"

The man chuckled and replied, "That boy isn't normal; we've been ordered to kill him."

Shrikant asked, "Who gave you the order? Who wants him dead?"

The man laughed again, "We won't tell you even after we're dead." Saying so, both he and his partner continued their powerful attacks on Shrikant and Nina.