Rishi could do nothing but watch as ash appeared to start the chant to summon an astra. He didn't know which one, and depending on that, this could turn out to be lethal for everyone here.
Despite the stab wounds, Ash did not move or falter; he just stood his ground. The three men facing him were in pure shock as he resisted their combined strength.
"Are you even human?" One of the assailants groaned as he was trying to muster all his strength to push Ash down, but they couldn't.
He let out a small smile and talked low enough for all of them to hear, "So you have chosen death."
With that, he started a chant that was now audible to Rishi too, and he raised the rod up into the sky.
"garjanasya parakramaha,
uddayanena baghi agacchati,
Vidyutjwaalah Ratrau Paaram,
atra avatarantu."
Thunder crackled in the sky above them, and a bolt of lightning descended to the earth and to the rod that Ash was holding.
Rishi was watching in pure awe as the spectacle unfolded before him, his mouth agape.
The rod took on a glowing electric blue hue and cracked with energy. One of the three men tried to take the dagger out of his torso, but they couldn't.
He just looked at the man trying to pull it out and smiled benevolently. "Gotcha." He said it in a voice that sounded excited and quivering, despite blood oozing out from the stab wounds.
He pointed the rod at the man's now petrified face, and he tried to back away, but before he could even take another step, a bolt of lightning connected, and his body was instantly charred, and he crumbled to the ground in a pile of ashes.
The other two men now started to run, and Ash pointed his rod at them too, taking aim. He then threw the rod in their direction, high above them.
"What the fuck was that?" One of the escaping henchmen asked the other as they ran as fast as their legs could carry them.
At that exact moment, both of them saw the glowing blue stick in the sky above them.
Ash, at that exact moment, brought his hand down and out followed a burst of lightning from the skies, vaporizing the two remaining men into nothingness.
Rishi was just in shock as he bore witness first-hand to the power of Ashwatthama, the legendary warrior.
He turned back and started to walk towards Rishi while pulling out the knives that had been embedded in him. Despite him pulling out each knife with relative ease and his walk slightly faltering at every step, he didn't stop as blood oozed out from each wound. Rishi was now scared, not knowing what Ash would probably do to him.
He gently picked him up and propped him up against a wall for support.
"Are you doing okay, my friend?"
"Y-yeah..." Rishi's eyes faded to black as he had started to lose a little bit too much blood. Ash, realizing this, immediately panicked and started to head to the hospital, with Rishi in his arms.
Back in the hospital, Ananya continued to fiddle with the mysterious package that was given to her by the nurse.
"Okay, I have to leave now, love. I have other things to attend to." The nurse said that and hurriedly left.
Ananya was still holding the warm package that was handed to her by Angelina De Silva, and Thiruvikraman was racing back to 412 to stop the nurse from contacting Ananya.
Turning on his heel, Thiruvikraman hastened down the corridor, his steps purposeful as he reached for his walkie-talkie.
"Control, this is Inspector Thiruvikraman. I need immediate backup at Apollo Hospital. We have a potential kidnapping and a murder. Repeat, potential kidnapping and murder."
A voice replied amidst the crackling static. "Copy that. Backup is on the way, stat."
As he turned the corridor to Room 412, he saw the nurse he met during his trip to the vending machine slowly getting out of Room 412.
"Hey! Stop right there! Once the nurse saw him, she bolted away, but Thiruvikraman knew she would do that. So he instead took a shortcut and cut off her escape path to the fire exit stairs.
He successfully beat the nurse to the exit and was there before her.
Seeing her path blocked, the nurse skidded to a halt and glanced around frantically, searching for another escape route. Thiruvikraman approached cautiously, his hand on his holster. "There's nowhere to go," he warned sternly. The nurse's breaths came out in rapid gasps as she weighed her options.
Then, with unexpected agility, she made a swift turn and lunged towards an open doorway leading to a storage room. Thiruvikraman reacted instantly, lunging forward to catch her, but he only managed to grab a handful of her scrubs as she slipped away and disappeared into the storage room, the door slamming shut behind her.
Thiruvikraman cursed under his breath, frustration and urgency coursing through him. He knew he couldn't waste any more time. He glanced at his walkie-talkie, waiting for updates from his backup team. He needed to make sure they had the hospital surrounded to prevent her escape.
Meanwhile, outside the hospital, Ash and Rishi had finally arrived. Ash's wounds were visible, blood staining his clothes, yet his determination remained unshaken. He gently lowered Rishi to the ground, his concern for his friend evident in his eyes. "Stay with me, Rishi," he murmured, his voice tinged with worry.
As they entered the hospital, the ground beneath them rumbled ominously. Ananya, still holding the mysterious package, felt a shiver run down her spine as an eerie sense of foreboding washed over her.
She tore open one of the side layers and was overcome with horror as she heard beeps come from the box now.
*Beep. Beep. Beep.*
It was a bomb.
In the storage room, the nurse's heart raced as she caught her breath. She knew she couldn't stay there for long; she needed to find a way to escape. She glanced around, her eyes falling on a ventilation shaft high on the wall. Without hesitation, she pulled a nearby chair beneath the shaft and began to climb, desperation fueling her movements.
Back in Room 412, the tension escalated. Ananya needed to find a way to put it away, and her eyes darted back and forth throughout the room, and she spotted something she could use.
"Yes! I can use this!" She muttered to herself as she sprang into action.
Thiruvikraman was racing back up to room 412 to check on Ananya and her father. As he turned the corridor, a deafening explosion sent him flying back, splintering doors and window frames. His ears were ringing from the sound of the blast, which was so powerful it sent shockwaves throughout the hospital.
Ash, after admitting Rishi to the ER, arrived at the scene just in time to witness the aftermath.
"Just what have we gotten ourselves into?" Ash asked himself as he spots the unconscious Ananya, lying on the floor.
His eyes widened as he dove over to her "Ananya!"