Bukhari, now fully aware of Shivam's presence, began to laugh—a deep, guttural sound that echoed through the blood-soaked chamber.
The dark patterns on his body glowed ominously, and he raised his hands once more, summoning dark energy.
The ritual had granted him power beyond human comprehension, but Shivam's fury was a force of nature in its own right.
Shivam stood exposed, his heart pounding with a mix of rage and fear.
The demonic symbols on Bukhari's body pulsed with a malevolent glow, and the room seemed to hum with dark power.
The clone's guns were still trained on the now-vanished statue, but their targets had shifted.
Shivam knew that the real fight was just beginning, and Bukhari was far more dangerous than he had anticipated.
This bastard Bukhari stood there, smiling mockingly at Shivam, as if daring him to make his next move.
He neither spoke nor moved, simply remaining seated where he had been conducting the demonic ritual.
With a deliberate and almost casual air, he began pouring blood from a skull, chanting the ritual's dark verses without a hint of concern that Shivam might once again interfere.
Shivam realized that his arrival had disrupted the ritual, triggering something within Bukhari that forced him to continue at all costs. Despite the holes in his body, Bukhari was still alive, using his remaining dark energies to protect the ritual and its core—the demonic idol. Shivam could see that Bukhari was in a trance-like chanting state, unable to do anything but recite the demonic verses.
Shivam realized that Bukhari was in a trance-like state, chanting demonic verses continuously. This chanting rendered Bukhari unable to speak or take direct action against Shivam.
Shivma saw this as an opportunity to use against Bukhari because he knew Bukhari would continue with his ritual and he had less time.
He noticed that the ritual had resumed, and he felt compelled to put an end to it as soon as possible because he knew the babies would be sacrificed in this demonic ritual.
Seeing this, Shivam commanded all of the clones to direct fire at the target while dashing towards the half head bodies to confront them.
While he and a few of his clones would try to stop the ritual, with intelligence of their own, one of his clones attempted to shoot at the ritual spot.
However, the bullet was intercepted mid-air by one of the headless bodies wielding a dark energy mace that had materialized from thin air.
The mace shattered the bullet into pieces effortlessly.
One after another, all nine headless girls, drenched in blood, manifested different weapons from thin air.
These weapons gleamed ominously, clearly more powerful than mere steel.
Meanwhile, the heads of these bodies, previously encircling the ritual sanctum, moved under the influence of an unknown dark force.
They levitated a few meters forward, as if they were going to control their bodies from behind, watching every move Shivam made.
Seeing this, Shivam understood one crucial detail: the gir heads eyes were controlling their bodies, serving as the guardians of the demonic ritual to prevent any interference.
The headless bodies, bathed in blood and wielding dark energy weapons, were nothing more than extensions of the heads' will.
Every action of the opponent is seen and countered by all the heads commands.
The heads' scarlet eyes were wide open, all focused solely on Shivam, as if he were the only threat to the ritual.
It became clear to Shivam that his clones weren't perceived as significant threats by these girls heads.
"These heads are the key," Shivam thought, his eyes narrowing with determination.
"If I take them out, the bodies will surely fall."
Shivam took a deep breath, calming his emotions.
The "Chakra Killing Intent" that had been emanating from his body, triggered by the sight of the ritual room, gradually dissipated.
As he focused on his next move, the intense aura of intent dissolved back into him, vanishing as if it had never existed.
With his mind now clear, Shivam could concentrate fully on his next steps.
He knew the importance of maintaining control and clarity to deduce a plan.
Shivam had a hunch that the heads' eerie gaze and their control over the bodies indicated they were manipulating their bodies like puppets.
Observing this, he deduced that the heads were the key to stopping the headless bodies.
He realized that Bukhari, in his disdain, had likely mistaken his clones for mere puppets without souls, not knowing they were chakra-made clones with 100 % independent intelligence which is copied from Shivam himself.
"Bukhari underestimated us," Shivam thought, a dark smile forming on his face.
"He didn't realize these are not just puppets but clones with their own intelligence."
He suddenly realized that he had forgotten their ability to think independently. He and a few of his clones were communicating telepathically, creating a tangled web of thoughts that disrupted his focus. Frustrated, he severed the telepathic link and commanded all the puppets to cease their incessant chatter.
Some of the clones were left clueless, uncertain of their next move, while others suggested pushing forward blindly. Shivam, disheartened by their lack of insight, found himself questioning his own intelligence. He decided to allow only a select few clones to continue thinking.
Then, Clone Strong proposed a theory that sparked a glimmer of hope within Shivam. It was a brilliant, foolproof plan, but its success hinged on testing Clone Strong's suggestion. Determined, Shivam knew he had to see if the theory would hold up under scrutiny.
He suspected that the girls' heads, with their wide-open eyes, were controlling the bodies and possibly had the ability to see through illusions, just like Bukhari.
He needed to test this theory to plan his next move.
As all the eyes of the girls heads were looming on him, Shivam moved to test the theory.
Shivam blended into the group of his clones, using his illusion goggles to alter his appearance to that of a regular clone.
Simultaneously, one of his clones transformed into a perfect likeness of Shivam—an ordinary-looking 26-year-old youth—and stepped forward with a waist bag and a weapon, drawing attention.
As Shivam observed from within the group of clones, he carefully watched the reaction of the girls' heads.
The heads turned in confusion as Shivam shuffled through the group of his clones, but when they spotted his clone, their gaze shifted to the clone that resembled Shivam.
Their unblinking gaze followed the decoy as it moved forward, seemingly unaware of Shivam's true location.
"Interesting," Shivam thought.
"It looks like they can't see through the disguise; they couldn't see his current location."
Shivam swiftly put his plan into action, aiming to eliminate all the headless bodies along with Bukhari himself. He named his clone, the perfect replica of himself, "Copy."
"Copy," with an authoritative gesture, pointed at the headless bodies, mimicking Shivam's command perfectly.
In response, 15 clones broke away from the larger group of 28 clones, dashing forward with precision-carrying weapons and a waist bag.
It appeared as though these clones were under Copy's direct control, seamlessly executing the real Shivam's strategy.
Among the fifteen clones that dashed forward, five were mere illusions, and even the waist bags they appeared to carry were fabricated by the RIG Replication Illusion Goggles.
Copy's commanding gesture sent these fifteen clones into action.
The seamless integration of real and illusory clones, each with illusionary waist bags, added to the deception.
The headless bodies couldn't discern the real threat, falling prey to Shivam's meticulously crafted ruse.
Seeing that Shivam had commanded his puppets to dash forward, the five headless bodies of the girls moved forward to take down the puppets sent by Shivam.
Seeing that they were nearly 5 meters away from intercepting the headless bodies, Shivam and his "Copy," along with a group of clones as well, moved forward.
The front clones, possessing strength two to three times that of an ordinary human, mirrored Shivam's own capabilities.
Knowing the formidable power of the headless bodies, Shivam devised a strategy.
He instructed his clones to confront the enemies in pairs, understanding that these bodies, under Bukhari's control, posed a significant threat.
"Form pairs!" Shivam commanded.
The clones moved into formation, mixing in illusionary clones to further confuse their opponents.
The illusory clones would disrupt the headless bodies' judgment, buying precious moments in the chaotic battle that unfolded.
Shivam didn't make a large amount of clones that would alert the heads that something wasn't right.
Copy moved forward, taking large steps carefully, with Shivam of 18 following his command.
Shivam observed the battle intently.
Despite being paired, his clones struggled to take down the headless bodies.
He deduced that the headless bodies possessed the strength of five ordinary humans, judging by the way their powerful swings caused his clones to struggle even when combining their own strength.
The fake clones, created from illusion, moved with the speed and agility of Shivam's imagination, far outpacing the headless bodies and disrupting their judgment in combat.
These illusory clones provided critical support, deftly evading attacks and distracting the headless bodies, allowing the real clones to avoid fatal blows.
Because of his illusionary goggles with AI function, he was able to effortlessly build every projection that was being processed in Shivam's head to create the illusion around him, all thanks to the AI feature, which made the illusion clear and working without straining Shivam's mind.
Only vital energy was being absorbed from him, which was abundant within.
Six of Shivam's clones had been destroyed due to their lower agility.
To strengthen his forces, Shivam quickly summoned ten more clones—seven illusions and three real.
These newly joined clones immediately engaged the enemy, adding to the chaotic and confusing melee.
Shivam anticipated that a few of his clones would be destroyed, reverting into seeds.
He understood that this would give the girls' heads a false sense of security, making them believe that Shivam and his puppets were not a significant threat.
Seeing that the bodies were being easily destroyed by their swing of weapons, only a few of the clones were agile enough to evade their attacks, and the heads didn't get suspicious.
The agile, illusory clones continued to hinder the headless bodies, cleverly reducing any suspicion of unnatural elements in the confrontation.
As the clones were being destroyed by the physical smashes of the headless bodies' weapons, it was nearly impossible for the enemies to discern that there were fake clones in the real ones.
Shivam's strategy was working flawlessly.
The headless bodies, overwhelmed by the combined assault of real and fake clones, couldn't differentiate between them.
Amidst the chaos, Shivam observed the battlefield with a sharp eye, ensuring the balance of real and illusory clones was maintained.
This careful orchestration kept the headless bodies off-guard, setting the stage perfectly for the next phase of his plan.
Now, nineteen clones faced the headless bodies.
The fake clones, with their superior agility, disturbed the perception of the five headless bodies, making them vulnerable to attacks from the real clones.
Witnessing this, the remaining five headless bodies dashed forward to join the fray.
Seeing the surge, Shivam and all his clones also moved forward in normal steps, ready for the next phase.
Just as the other five headless bodies were about to join the battle, all the clones, except those actively distracting the headless bodies, performed an unexpected maneuver that puzzled their opponents and strained their minds.
The not-in-combat state clones, including Shivam, began throwing balls from their waist bags.
One after another, these were fake balls created from illusion, bouncing erratically in the direction of the battle.
The headless bodies, not wanting anything to disrupt their ritual, were caught off guard by this sudden barrage.
The room was too big—a minimum of 100 meters—which was easily able to distract the headless bodies, and all this was possible due to goggles of illusion.
The five headless bodies that were just about to enter the fray quickly turned their attention to the balls, slashing at them with precise strikes.
These headless bodies did not want these balls to reach the ritual because they were unsure of the reaction it would have on the ritual.
Their focus shifted away from the real threat, creating an opening in their defense.
Shivam's mind was pushed to its limit, but thanks to the RIG AI system, he remained at ease.
The entire scene was a product of his imagination, projected through his goggles, while the AI seamlessly implemented his thoughts.
Although the AI had an auto function, Shivam needed to command it constantly to ensure flawless execution.
Shivam's strategic gamble paid off.
The distraction caused by the bouncing balls disrupted the headless bodies' concentration, giving Shivam and his clones a critical advantage.
The battlefield became a chaotic flurry of movement, with the headless bodies struggling to maintain their composure amidst the unexpected change.
Shivam made his final move, a decisive gamble to end the confrontation once and for all.
With a burst of energy, he activated Chakra Embodiment, enhancing both his agility and clarity of thought. His movements tripled in speed, surging with more power than Clone Strong.
Shivam's vision, now glowing with a brilliant blue light brimming with chakra energy, sharpened to a razor's edge. His strength was pushed to its limit when, with chakra influencing his vision, he saw a completely different scene unfold before him, one that left him baffled. Yet, determined not to disrupt his flow of action, he took a deep breath, calming his mind, and continued with unwavering resolve.
He and his clone, Strong, dashed forward with unparalleled speed.
As Shivam sprinted, he threw a single "Sleeping ball" towards the ceiling above the ritual area, carefully ensuring it wouldn't immediately draw the attention of the girls' heads, who were preoccupied with the bouncing illusionary balls.
The illusionary balls continued their chaotic dance, distracting the girls headless bodies and drawing their attacks away from the real threat.
The heads, seeing the balls evading attacks and assuming they posed no immediate danger to the ritual, underestimated Shivam's true intentions.
They didn't expect the sleeping ball to veer off towards the ritual area, considering it just another distraction.
As the heads were about to command one of their headless bodies to intercept the "Sleeping ball" thrown by Shivam, a thin film appeared over their eyes, obstructing their vision.
Panic set in as their control over the headless bodies faltered; without their sight, they couldn't command their puppets.
The dark energy that allowed the bodies to float and move became erratic, further throwing them into disarray.
The heads flailed, trying desperately to regain control, but their vision remained blocked, as if they had gone blind.
All the girls heads started to panic while moving left and right with the help of the dark energy produced from their necks to float and move to see, but to their dismay, they weren't able to remove the obstruction in front of their eyes, as if they had gotten blind.
They started to panic, but to their dismay, one after the other started to lose consciousness after a blow on their heads, experiencing the connection of their heads getting loose.
The last one was just about to alarm the ritual master, but the last head as well was knocked to sleep.
All this happened because the heads were wearing illusory dark glasses, an illusion created by Shivam, who had a smile on his face.
As the girls heads were knocked down to sleep by the "Sleeping Ball," the headless bodies, controlled by the heads, began to fall like puppets.
This entire sequence of events from battle to sleep unfolded in just a few minutes.
Meanwhile, Bukhari, engrossed in chanting the ritual and pouring blood from the skull, remained oblivious to the downfall of his ritual guardians.
Seizing the opportunity, Shivam quickly assessed whether the bodies under the influence of the ritual and Bukhari could be stored in his holographic space.
To his surprise and relief, he found that he could. Without wasting any time, Shivam moved all the heads and bodies into his holographic space.
Shivam didn't want these bodies to fall under Bukhari's control again, nor did he believe they should be harmed.
Shivam also transferred the animal bodies to the holographic space.
He intended to give a cremation libation to the girls' bodies and the animals as well, according to the Hindu ritual, but only after he had exacted his revenge.
With the heads and bodies safely contained, Shivam turned his focus back to Bukhari, ready to confront the mastermind behind the ritual.
**