Meanwhile he kept firing at Tung, but the fastest warrior kept on cutting the arrows with his sword. Tung was close to Nirmay but couldn’t move forward because of the withdrawn pikes and therefore, he stepped down and charged at Nirmay on foot.
Nirmay asked his spearmen to stop Tung but Tung was too quick for them. Besides, his troops also joined him by now and easily annihilated Nirmay’s spearmen. Because of the close proximity, Nirmay took out his sword and jumped out of the chariot and walked like a hero for a duel with Tung, but the heroism did not last long. Nirmay was no match for Tung’s skills and in no time, Tung poked his sword inside Nirmay’s neck. Nirmay died painfully. But there was no respite for Tung as he saw another warrior approaching; it was Jivraj riding towards him with a spear in his hand. His half army had hammered Tung’s unit while the other blocked Kinnosh from interfering. The moment he was close to Tung, Jivraj jumped off his horse and walked towards Tung for a duel.
Jivraj wore a silver-plated brass armour and held a round shield and a six feet long spear. His shield was attached to his left shoulder with a harness for support and easy movement. He gripped his shield firmly and held his spear in his right hand. He knew that the only vulnerable points that were required to be protected were his neck, shoulders, thighs and knees.
Tung on the other hand wore his typical crocodile armour so as to stay light while fighting. They both took positions and faced each other. Tung was the first one to charge, but he was careful, as he had seen Jivraj’s skills in the past. He knew that Jivraj was a skilled and clever warrior and any wrong movement might prove to be fatal. The fight was a treat to watch, both were equally matched, Tung showed speed but Jivraj kept up his defensive strategy using his shield and spear to push and hurt Tung. He didn’t give Tung much space; neither fell into his trap, nor gave him any opportunity to attack making all of Tung’s strategies of attacking, futile. The battle was intense and the two scored the same for the first twenty minutes but things turned around. Tung in a desperate attempt to find a way, quickly started striking at Jivraj, who on the other hand protected himself well predicting Tung’s movements.
The constant attacks made Jivraj extra defensive, this gave Tung an opportunity. He in his trademark style somersaulted behind Jivraj so as to slash his neck from behind, but Jivraj saw it coming and in a flash turned around to the other side swaying his shield with force and speed at Tung. The impact was a shocker for Tung, his face was smashed by the shield. He was hurt and started bleeding profusely. Jivraj wasted no time and struck him again and again with the shield and then gored him with his spear. The stab was fatal and the fastest man lay motionless.
Once Tung was dead, his troops were easy to kill, many deserted the battle and ran away, few were chased and massacred. As Jivraj and his army wiped out the division, a messenger came up to him with the news and said, “General Jivraj! Jairudh has killed Apykarych, the great emperor wants you to intervene, and figure out a way to kill Jairudh.”
“Jairudh is too dangerous, he possesses many divinely powered arrows and is probably the only one who can cause trouble to the emperor, defeating him face to face would be difficult, we will have to figure out a way,” Jivraj went silent after saying these words. He closed his eyes and hatched a plan, “Remove the helmets and armours of these dead alliance soldiers,” instructed Jivraj to his men.
Simultaneously, at the same time, Agastya was making his mark; he fought a fierce battle with Samund and after a long battle which lasted for an hour, Agastya was able to slay Samund.
***Jairudh Vs Jivraj***
Jairudh was massacring enemies all around, firing arrows one after another killing soldiers and mounted units. He was causing a lot of trouble and was slowly clearing the way to reach Taraksh. As he moved slowly in between the crowd, he did not realize that Jivraj and his men had sneaked and merged themselves with Jairudh’s forces. They wore helmets and the uniform of Tung’s slain soldiers.
Jivraj kept his face down to avoid recognition; by now he had realized that Jairudh was impossible to stop, therefore, he had planned to assault him with a sneak attack. He waited and charged forward at the first opportunity. He jumped on his chariot, directing his spear at Jairudh.
But Jairudh had sensed an ambush and immediately moved aside; nevertheless Jivraj’s spear penetrated Jairudh’s right shoulder, near the arm. The spear remained lodged inside his shoulder. In desperation, Jairudh used his head and repeatedly smashed it against the face of Jivraj and then pushed him out of his chariot using his left hand.
At the same time, Jivraj signalled his battalion to attack Jairudh’s men. As most of them wore the alliance’s uniform, a few soldiers thought it was a rebellion and only a few understood that it was the enemy, leading to immense confusion.
Meanwhile, inside the chariot, Jairudh was in pain, the spear had penetrated his shoulder through and through and remained deeply wedged within. He could not string a bow because the injury and had no other option but to take out his sword and use it with his weaker left hand.
Jairudh hacked the front side of the inserted spear with his sword for free hand moment, he then stepped out of his chariot to face Jivraj, who was ready with his sword drawn, to take on and finish the mighty Jairudh. An epic battle was about to begin; both the warriors were extremely skilled and strong. Jairudh, no doubt possessed far superior abilities compared to Jivraj, but he was wounded and was using his weaker hand to fight off Jivraj. Jivraj held his shield up in front and slowly moved forward in a defensive style, concealing his sword behind his shield. But Jairudh was exceptionally skilful, he didn’t require seeing Jivraj’s’ hand, he could predict movements looking at the eyes of the enemy. Jivraj kept moving forward then again backward and was using his shield to push Jairudh and poke his sword at him the moment he felt he had an opportunity. The fight continued for some time, Jairudh showcased some great skills; he was fighting like a god, moving, jumping, curving in the air, but at the same time was getting weaker because of heavy blood loss. He felt dizzy but still kept fighting like a true hero. The battle between the two was so intense and mesmerizing that friends and foes made a circle and started watching the legendary battle between the two. Jairudh knew he had to do something fast, he thought of teleporting a divinely powered arrow and hurling it at Jivraj but the seafarer didn’t give him any time to chant the relevant mantras.
Jairudh thought of a plan, he first used his foot and kicked Jivraj’s shield, so as to make him lose his balance, he then ran away from Jivraj towards the chariot murmuring a few mantras. Jivraj knew that he was trying to teleport a powerful weapon, he immediately took out a dagger from his ankle guard and threw it at Jairudh, who by now had teleported a new weapon, unseen before. It was a spear but had the fletching of an arrow. As the dagger made his way for Jairudh, the mighty warrior threw his mighty spear at Jivraj, the spear moved much faster than the dagger.
Jivraj tried to protect himself with his shield, but the spear pierced through the shield and penetrated his skull. Jivraj’s face could not be seen as it was hidden behind the shield but his body could be seen shuddering in pain.
But Jivraj did some more damage before dying, his dagger impaled through the unguarded knee of Jairudh, Jairudh couldn’t stand after this impact, he collapsed down as he was badly wounded and exhausted because of heavy blood loss. Soon he was picked up by his soldiers and was taken away to the medic.
After this duel, the battle was stalled for a while; Taraksh now just had Agastya and Daksh on his side. Out of the two, Daksh was definitely not the best of his warriors. On the other side, it was only Nismibh, Kinnosh and Lakha who were in a position to fight, Jairudh was injured.
After a few hours and after some repositioning Taraksh, Agastya and Daksh were again ready for the battle. But to the aggressor’s surprise, the alliance raised a white flag along with a black one, meaning they wanted to discuss and negotiate something.
Taraksh thought that this meant surrender and accepted negotiation, he had lost
too many of his great warriors and generals and wanted it to end quickly. Nismibh and Kinnosh both moved forward in their chariot. There were bodies everywhere, the chariots crushed bones as it moved to the centre, the smell of blood and the screeching of vultures in the sky, made the battle field look like hell on earth. Taraksh and Daksh also moved to the centre, Agastya held the reserve, in case a charge was required.
“What do you want? Surrender and be our slaves or else die in hell,” roared Taraksh to Nismibh, in his heavy-set commanding voice.
“I am not here to surrender, remember we had a duel in the arena. I guess it is unfinished. I challenge you for a duel, if I die we will be your slaves, otherwise your army will surrender to us,” replied Nismibh.
“Do you think you have a chance boy? Have you forgotten your beating in the arena? I accept,” answered Taraksh. He was too confident and why wouldn’t he be, he was indeed the strongest man on earth.
“If you are so strong then let’s fight man to man, without armour, with only our maces and arms. Let’s fight like real men,” said Nismibh.
“Listen! You imbecile, I know what you want. You want me to remove this armour. I don’t require this armour to beat and kill weaklings like you. This armour was for the twins. I think you have forgotten, I am Taraksh, the strongest in the world. Do you really think that you can defeat me? You are a fool. I will crush you in minutes and then will cut your head and display it alongside your friends’ heads at the gates of Mahaverna. I accept your challenge,” replied the Emperor.
A huge circle was made, soldiers became spectators, they were about to see the collision of the two strongest men in the entire universe.
***Taraksh Vs Nismibh***
The two warriors drank water, removed their armours, picked up their maces and walked like two giant elephants towards each other. The whole battle field was silent as they confronted each other. Both of them moved around in circles and then started striking each other. One attacked, the other blocked, the sound of clashing metal echoed across the battlefield.
Taraksh was too strong for Nismibh; his strikes were giving shudders to Nismibh. But Nismibh held his nerves and gave his everything to the fight and thus kept surviving. In order to escape constant heavy strikes, he started playing defensive and started dodging and moving back and forth. He tried to conserve his energy as much as he could, a lesson he had learned during his duel with Oniata.
On one occasion, in the intensity of the fight, the two went closer to the gathered crowd, near Nismibh’s chariot. Taraksh swung his mace at Nismibh but the strong warrior moved away, causing the mace to strike the wheel of his chariot. The impact was so enormous that the chariot broke into pieces. This was the strength the two mighty warriors possessed and were displaying in the duel.
The fight was going nowhere, Nismibh though mostly defensive also managed to attack Taraksh time and again, whenever he saw an opportunity. But the biggest achievement for Nismibh was that he was able to conserve his stamina. He seemed to be in a better shape as compared to the King, things would have been different ten years ago. Taraksh was now in his forties and was tiring. In order to finish off Nismibh quickly, the legend started putting extra energy into his strikes, this sudden extra power confused Nismibh and on one occasion, the strike made him lose his mace. Taraksh wasted no time, he lifted his mace and tried to smash his rival’s head, but Nismibh moved back and pulled the mace towards him. He then immediately wrapped his right leg around Taraksh’s arm and used his body weight to pull the King down. Once down, Nismibh started twisting the King’s right wrist and forearm using a wrestling arm-lock manoeuvre. Taraksh was in pain and was unable to hold on to his mace. In order to escape from the deadly lock, the King used all his power and pulled his arm back from Nismibh’s grip. He then stood on his knees and pounced at Nismibh who was still on the ground, and tried to strangulate the federation’s strong man, but then again Nismibh used a wrestling grappling manoeuvre and locked Taraksh’s head and neck using his legs and pressed on. In order to free himself, Taraksh lifted Nismibh in the air and slammed him down with force. Nismibh was in pain but was quick to react, he instantly entangled Taraksh down using his legs and in no time grabbed his ankle and began twisting it with all his strength. Taraksh was in trouble, though he managed to push Nismibh back, his hand and ankle were damaged.
The two then quickly stood back up on the ground and held each other’s hands and started to push each other. Taraksh proved stronger, pushed Nismibh to a considerable distance but then there was a sudden halt. Nismibh used the ground and his foot to apply a break and then he started pushing Taraksh back, it was astonishing, Taraksh had finally met his match, but as he did that Taraksh ducked and lifted Nismibh and slammed him down on to the ground, he then locked his arms around the neck of Nismibh and started strangulating him. Taraksh was a strong man and Nismibh tried his best to break his grip but was unable to do so. He had to do something else and fast in order to survive. He used his inner strength and freed himself from the deadly grasp. The moment he got free, he immediately bent down a little, grabbed the King via his legs, lifted him up and then slammed him back down on his knee. The impact was so great that for the first time Taraksh’s soldiers saw him screaming in pain.
Nismibh wasted no time; he ran for his mace and started showering blows on Taraksh. He battered him badly, Nismibh used so much of strength and power in his strikes that he felt depleted of all his energy. He was exhausted, he moved back and sat on the ground and looked oblivious. On the other hand, Taraksh remained lying there, badly beaten and battered, but he was one great warrior and though half dead, he stood back up on his feet. Nismibh respected the courage of the enemy, but he had to finish this task, he had to kill his enemy, he had to kill the evil, he picked up his mace and using all his strength, jumped up and smashed the head of Taraksh.
This was it; the greatest warrior of his time collapsed to the ground, the great King was dead. Nismibh was victorious.
The Mahaverna army was devastated and they started laying their arms down in surrender. The war was over and confusion was everywhere. Agastya and Daksh were the only remaining generals. Daksh knew that it was best to admit defeat and so he did, he surrendered and handed over the armour to Nismibh. Agastya on the other hand slithered away. He rode in an unknown direction as he knew the alliance army would be marching on Mahaverna.
Nismibh stood tall like a lion with pride, Jairudh, though badly injured, congratulated the strong man. They both embraced and Jairudh beamed through his pain, “You did it!”
“Indeed I did!” laughed out Nismibh, after which both of them climbed on a chariot and Nismibh announced.
“Great warriors of Mahaverna! We have defeated the evil King Taraksh who has just given bereavement and despair to all. But now things will change. We will bring back peace and happiness.
As per the duel agreement, you all will show you allegiance to me and to your new King. Behold your new King, the greatest archer in the world, the legendary – Jairudh. Hail to the new King! Hail to JAIRUDH!”
The announcement was supported by most of the soldiers of the Mahaverna’s army. Those who didn’t quite agree had to agree, because others did. They were soldiers and wanted a king or a leader to follow and this was the accepted norm of that time.
Once Nismibh finished with his announcement, Jairudh followed it with his speech. He spoke slowly but purposefully, “Listen! Everyone! I am Jairudh, your new King. Taraksh, the so called great emperor died because of his arrogance and false pride. He never hesitated sacrificing you in order to feed his conceit. He literally wiped out half his army, so that he could have one more piece of land. But now things will change, I will reform the evil ways. Your ranks will remain the same and your salaries will be doubled. I will introduce various retirement benefits and other facilities for you my soldiers, for your well- being. Things will get better under my leadership. But before that, we will have to march for one last time; we have to march to MAHAVERNA to establ
ish a new world order.” This announcement made the army immediately loyal to Jairudh. They cheered and started chanting his name. The new King then looked at his strong friend and continued, “And further, Nismibh, the most powerful man in the universe, the slayer of Taraksh, will be your prime minister. Nismibh, please prepare the army for the March,” concluded the mighty Jairudh, winking at his friend.
Jairudh then went inside the conference camp along with the golden armour to discuss the details with the league leaders. He was surprised to see a few leaders unhappy with the decision of him being the new king of Mahaverna. It was King Palash who looked incensed, he glanced at Jairudh and didn’t hesitate to give Jairudh a piece of his mind, “I don’t understand, Taraksh is dead, you people did your part and we will pay you for the services rendered, but it is the league who will decide the fate of Mahaverna, not you.”
“What do you mean? What payment are you talking about? We are no mercenaries. We are citizens of Mahaverna and we will decide what is best for Mahaverna,” declared Jairudh.
“But you are not of royal blood, you are a soldier. We will pay you all enough to live lavishly for the rest your lives. You will be wealthy but leave Mahaverna to us. Don’t indulge in politics, leave that work to us,” responded Palash.
“I am not required to take advice from you; the fate of Mahaverna will be decided by the new King of Mahaverna and that will be me,” elucidated Jairudh.
Palash nodded his head in disagreement, looked at Kinnosh and said, “Didn’t I tell you? We are just making another Taraksh?”
Vedic Warriors Page 17