Vir’s time in his mindscape had taught him many things. Patience, the preciousness of life and the time he was blessed with… the value of silence.

  Sometimes, silence spoke louder than words ever could. And so, he simply stood, watching the allied Kinjal-Altani army a hundred thousand strong.

  It was a combination few would have thought possible, and even fewer motivators as powerful as a common enemy.

  Vir might have been overjoyed at the sight of ancient enemies making up, but he knew this was not true unity. It was merely a co-opting of the Altani forces under Andros’s rule.

  Powerful as the Altani were, their bureaucracy had always hindered them, stabilizing the country in times of crisis but also rendering them unable to act when they ought to. It was why no S-class magic had been deployed thus far, but it was also why Andros had been able to swoop in and force their compliance.

  The delicate system of checks and balances was gone, and now Andros led an army of a hundred thousand.

  Luckily, Samar Patag was not the only thing Maiya had grown over the past year.

  Ash Gates appeared and Asura flooded through by the thousands.

  His small corps of Asura warriors had multiplied in size as the vaunted elite Asura’s reputation spread across the realm like wildfire. Demons of all clans flocked to enlist, from Bairan giants to Panav healers and even Iksana Ghaels.

  Maiya and Cirayus had taken the rigorous prana acclimatization program Vir had devised and refined it into a full-fledged military training regimen that every fresh recruit was required to undergo, even support staff who didn’t join the vaunted Asuras.

  Vir’s military strategy relied heavily on monopolizing the Ash, and he was glad to see Maiya, Cirayus, and Balagra expand upon it, founding bases all over the Ashen Realm.

  Yet numbers alone would not win this war, and Vir refused to wage a conventional campaign. Any extended war risked the same threat of city destruction that had long paralyzed his forces, and Vir was no different.

  He would not risk the destruction of a city. That his enemy was only too happy to erase the lives of so many spoke not only to Andros’ ruthless pragmatism, but his utter lack of soul as well.

  To Andros, people were nothing more than tools to be used. Pieces to be played and discarded when they outlived their usefulness.

  No, Vir would not risk the lives of innocents playing this madman’s game.

  To restore order in the Human Realm, this operation had to be swift. Andros’s army had to be dismantled so quickly that his foe had no time to react.

  If Vir did this right, Andros would be dead well before news of his regime’s collapse ever reached him.

  Vir watched as his thirty thousand demons filtered through the dozen gates Ashani created, surrounding the larger army.

  Though his smaller force looked comically spread out encircling the larger one, by now, the human realm understood the true power of his Asura elites. Though outnumbered three to one, each Asura fought with the might of a hundred warriors. Even Kin’jal troops whose Balar Rank measured in the hundreds couldn’t compare.

  Uneasy glances passed between the Altani mejai and Balarian Warriors. Their doubt was warranted. Should a battle break out, there would be a heavy price to pay.

  Vir simply stood there, his Crown Chakra wide open, his ten arms and four faces gazing upon the assembled army. His aura radiated so powerfully and his prana cycled so fiercely that the soldiers nearest him had retreated several hundred yards, leaving a wide circle of emptiness.

  He made no move, standing as stiff as a statue, which only unsettled his foes more.

  Finally, when the tension reached its breaking point, Vir spoke.

  “Many of you thought me dead.” His voice boomed, amplified by a tablet. “Many of you thought it impossible to recover from the wounds I suffered. You were right. For I did not recover. I died… and was reborn. Stronger than ever before.

  “Hear me now. I do not need an army to destroy you. I do not need thirty thousand Asura to end you. I alone am enough. As you well know, my mere presence is enough to kill you.

  “Understand this—you do not stand in the presence of a warrior, or a human, or a demon. You stand in the presence of a god. And should you incur my wrath, not one of you will live to tell the tale.

  “However, I am merciful. Lay down your arms. When the sun sets on this day, Imperator Andros will be dead. Empress Ira will rule Kin’jal, and there will be no more war. No more expansion of Kin’jal territory. This is the way of things.

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  “Now, you may fight a futile battle and die pointless deaths. Or you may go home to your families and end this senseless fighting. The decision is yours. You have five minutes before my forces advance. Spend them wisely.”

  Vir cut the prana to the tablet and watched as the enemy faltered before him. Whispers rippled through the ranks, and it wasn’t long before the first—an Altani mejai—threw down his talwar and fell to his knees.

  As was often the case, it took but one brave soul for the masses to follow. One after another, the Altani dropped their arms, and Vir was not surprised it was they who had surrendered first.

  The Altani had never shared Andros’s vision, marching only under orders from their High Council. This was not their war. They craved neither conquest nor expansion, and Vir suspected many were only too happy to seize an opportunity to give up while saving face.

  While Andros would be broken and Kin’jal rebuilt, the Altani were perfect as they were—ideal stewards of the new order. He would see to it that their internal politics were smoothed out so such a situation never arose again. No power should ever be capable of twisting their hand.

  The Balarian warriors, left with little choice after seeing their Altani counterparts surrender, threw down their weapons as well.

  “I am pleased you have chosen reason,” Vir said. “Now follow my warriors through the Ash Gates. You will be kept safe, fed well, and sheltered while you are my prisoners. You have my word that no harm will come to you, nor will you endure any discomfort. Nor should you expect to be there long at all. On behalf of your families, your loved ones, and your friends, I thank you for making the right decision.”

  His words were the final nail in the coffin. Whatever fight the enemy had left winked out, and they threw down their weapons one after another, following his troops without resistance.

  On cue, Cirayus bounded through the Ash Gate, leaping high into the sky before landing lightly beside Vir on Kyren’s raised platform.

  “Sorry about handing this off to you,” Vir said. “I wish I could stay, but…”

  “Bah! You’ve more important places to be, lad. And only you would apologize for handing a commander a victory on a silver platter. I swear, as much as you’ve changed, some things will forever remain unchanged.”

  Vir gave his godfather a smirk. “Is that such a bad thing?”

  “Quite the opposite, lad. If I could only show the you of years ago what you’ve become, you would scarcely believe it. I scarcely believe it myself.”

  “I can’t imagine I would have,” Vir said with a chuckle. “Can you handle things from here?”

  “Do you even need to ask?”

  Vir cracked a smile. “I suppose not. I’ll be sending more troops your way, but between you and Maiya, I’m sure you can handle anything that might come up.”

  He could scarcely believe how much talent had gathered around him in just a few short years. Not long ago, Vir had been alone, separated from Maiya, and with no one to rely on. Now he had loyal friends he could trust with even the most sensitive of tasks. There was not a day that went by where he didn’t feel blessed.

  Bidding Cirayus goodbye, Vir stepped through an Ash Gate into the demon realm, where Ashani awaited.

  “Ashani,” Vir said, nodding to the goddess.

  “We’ll need a Gate to the major Kin’jal military garrisons. I take it that won’t be a problem, considering how much of the human realm you visited in my absence?”

  “No problem at all! And yes, it was wonderful,” Ashani replied brightly. “I saw so much! I even visited the city those Altani named after me. Can you believe it? A city! In my name! Though, of course, I went in disguise. It wouldn’t do to have everyone worshiping me, of course.”

  “No, we wouldn’t want that at all, would we?” Vir said with a chuckle. “How about we start north, and work our way south to Sonam?”

  “But of course,” Ashani said, creating a new Gate before them. “I had to ration my energy while you were away, but now that you’re back, I can create as many as you wish.”

  “Thank you,” Vir said, reaching out to stabilize the Gate so Ashani could follow. “Then let’s dismantle this army, one piece at a time.”

  Vir and Ashani swept across the Kin’jal Empire, jumping between cities faster than any mortal could hope to match. Garrisons fell like dominoes, not to bloodshed, but to the crushing weight of Vir’s presence.

  The human realm was no longer a stranger to demons or demonic magic, yet the number of beings who could open the Crown Chakra—let alone manifest such a clear avatar—could be counted on one hand.

  To behold Vir’s four faces and ten arms, his curling demon horns granted by Aspect of the Demon God, and the molten glow of his eyes was enough to bring even hardened soldiers to heel. Entire battalions bowed without a fight.

  No single demon, however mighty, could have stood against an army of a hundred thousand, and even with Vir’s recent advances, he would have struggled to take them out in any reasonable amount of time.

  But against scattered garrisons of three or five thousand? Resistance was suicide. His enemies weren’t chals—most didn’t dare lift their blades. Not when Ashani stood at his side.

  Despite her attempts at remaining anonymous, the goddess’s renown had only spread in the past year, and there wasn’t a soul alive who didn’t know her name.

  Even when soldiers doubted Vir’s assurances of safety, they trusted Ashani. The Altani treasured her, after all, and even the faction that opposed her did so only with great reluctance.

  Together, she and Vir appeared less like conquerors and more like forces of nature. And when the Altani half of the enemy army gave up, the Kinjal were never far behind in following suit.

  Exceptions remained, of course, but Balancer of Scales crushed them like ants under a boot.

  Within hours, the combined might of the entire Kin’jal-Altani army had been captured without a single drop of blood spilled.

  All that remained was the head of the snake. The one who had nearly killed Maiya and the princess.

  Andros.

  Vir returned briefly to the demon realm, preparing for the final act. He deactivated Aspect of the Demon God and closed his Crown Chakra to return to his normal form. Asserting such power in the presence of a friend would’ve been the height of disrespect.

  She had been indispensable in rebuilding Samar Patag, serving as Maiya’s right hand with quiet loyalty, her support when she faltered. And though he had not known her well, if Maiya called her a friend, then so would he.

  “Are you ready?” Vir asked softly.

  Ira’s lips went taut. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Vir said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Andros will never harm you again. Soon, he’ll never harm anyone.”

  Her resolve hardened. She gave a single, firm nod.

  “Then let’s finish this.”

  Vir turned to Ashani. At his signal, she spread her hands, and space ripped, forming a new Gate.

  On the other side, standing upon a raised dais two realms away, was Imperator Andros, his voice booming over the gathered host of nearly a hundred thousand. He spoke of unity and triumph, of the strength of the Altani–Kinjal alliance.

  Utterly unaware that his words were about to be drowned in a pool of his own blood…