As Pratap fell from his horse, a brief moment of respite settled over the chaos of battle. In that fleeting moment, he took hold of himself, feeling the hilt of the sword still in his right hand, his gaze locking onto the shield lying nearby, and a spear a little distance away, stabbed into the dead archer's body.
"Finish him."
As the words of the enemies echoed in his ears, the fuel of adrenaline rushed through his veins.
Pratap swiftly grabbed the shield and attempted to rise to his feet. Before he could fully steady himself, three swords lunged forward in a downward strike aimed at the same position, intending to end his life.
Pratap raised his shield just in time, listening to his instinct. The impact of three swords sent a jolt of force through his left arm, and with his knee bent under the weight of the attack, he tried to brace himself.
Seizing the brief opportunity presented by the gap, he unleashed a wide horizontal slash with his sword, cleaving through the midsection of all three attackers. They fell backward as lifeless corpses as he finally set his feet to take the proper stance.
"He's just one man! All attack at once."
But that was a short break of peace, as more swords from different angles approached his body, keeping him busy in his place as he engaged in a fierce melee, blocking and parrying to fend off the attacks.
"You buffoons, give me your swords."
Shahid Armani fumed with anger at the sight of his prey still safe and sound toying with the foot soldiers as if they are new trainees. He slapped two of his nearby comrades and snatched their talwars, who didn't dare to defy him given his bigger size.
He shouted, turning to Pratap with chilling confidence, "Kid, your head is mine. Try to play with me, if you can."
With his massive arms outstretched wide, clutching both talwars like a towering tidal wave poised to engulf anything in its path, Shahid Armani advanced with a menacing glare. The Mughal soldiers cleared a path, allowing him to charge directly towards Pratap.
As Shahid Armani charged forward with reckless abandon and arrogant bravado, Pratap countered with swift and calculated precision. In a split-second decision, he launched his sword towards the towering giant with a flick of his wrist.
'Thud!'
The blade found its mark with a satisfying thud, burying itself deep into the flesh of the oncoming warrior. As Shahid Armani staggered back, clutching at the sword lodged in his neck, Pratap wasted no time.
With his hand now free, he rolled towards the fallen archer, his shield held protectively in front of him. Dodging and deflecting the incoming attacks, he reached the archer's body and retrieved the spear, feeling its familiar weight in his hand.
With a deft twist of his wrist, Pratap spun the spear in a deadly arc, skewering the nearest Mughal soldiers as he continued to deflect the incoming attacks with his shield.
""He's unstoppable! I can't get close!"
"Ya Allah(by the gods), he's a demon! We're doomed!"
The sight of their comrades falling before them sent a wave of terror through the enemy ranks, causing them to instinctively step back, giving Pratap a momentary needed space.
"For Mewar!"
"Prince, hang on, we are coming."
"Fu#k this bastards"
On the contrary, the moral of the rajput knight was on peak as they struggled to cut the defenses of reinforced line formation of mughals and tried desperately to reach at the assistance of its prince.
While pratap was stilled caged with little space among the mughals ranks as they halted him and tied his movement even though they couldn't get him which made the battle bend a little in favour of mughals.
They waited for the prince to exhaust his power and fall in their trap but they didn't know that from the beginning it was them who was in trap of the prince.
"For Rajputana!"
"Kill them all!"
Amidst the clash of steel and the cries of battle, chaos erupted on the left flank of the Mughal formation. From the concealment of the outer slopes, a new unit of cavalry, led by Pratap's cousin Veerendra, burst onto the scene.
With swift and decisive strikes, they cut through the unprepared Mughal soldiers like a knife cutting pre-positioned vegetables on a chopping board with ease, leaving chaos and confusion in their wake.
"Enemy attack"
"Need reinforcement, left flank is falling."
The sudden onslaught caught the attention of the Mughal commander, Taqdeer Shah, who had been overseeing the battle from his horse behind the formation.
"We cannot falter now! Show no fear!"
"To the left! Reinforce the flank! Do not let them break through!" he ordered over the noise of clashing swords and screams of pain.
Sending half of his infantry forces to rush to the aid of the attacked flank, Taqdeer Shah believed he had the situation under control.
"For the Prince!"
But then suddenly, another ally of Pratap, Balwindar, distinguished by the turban he wore, launched a surprise attack from the rear on the right side. He ordered some of the units to rescue the prisoners while he pressed the depleting central forces from the right side.
Taqdeer Shah felt helpless as he saw his cowardly commander trying to escape and pathetically getting caught while the prisoners they painstakingly caught and gathered were being rescued.
With enemy forces now assaulting from three sides, Taqdeer Shah felt a surge of panic clutch at his heart. He understood that he had been played, and now, without decisive action, his forces would be overwhelmed and defeated.
As he observed the chaos unfolding, he realized that victory depended on breaking the resolve of Pratap's forces. He understood that as long as they fought with unyielding determination, defeat is certain. His gaze settled on Pratap himself, who fought with a ferocity that bordered on the supernatural.
'I need to raise moral, No, I need to break their moral, we can still win.'
He turned to his last remaining subedar(officer rank) after a quick decision and ordered, "Separate and send half of the central forces to block the right flanking of cavalry.
The subedar tried to resist and give credible argue but he got suppressed by Taqdeer Shah's authority.
He pointed at Pratap with his sword as he got ready for one swift charge. "He's mine! Stand back and watch as I make an example of him," he declared.
The Mughal soldiers quickly changed position and made way for their acting commander, knowing this charge would decide their fate.
Pratap stood resolute on the battlefield, his grip firm on his spear as he braced for the imminent clash. He knew well the challenge ahead of confronting a mounted adversary required not just skill, but also nerve.
He recalled his childhood training sessions taught by his father who was himself a great warrior as this was something he never encountered before.
As Taqdeer Shah thundered toward him atop his steed, Pratap's mind raced, calculating the perfect moment to act. In a split-second maneuver, he deftly sidesteps the charging beast, narrowly avoiding its thundering hooves and the follow-up thrust from the rider.
Seizing the opportunity, he swings his spear in a sweeping arc, targeting the vulnerable flank of the horse.
The spear connected with a resounding impact as it slashes deep into the hind legs of the charging beast. With a startled whinny, the horse stumbles and falls, its rider thrown from the saddle and crashes to the ground in a cloud of dust.
With a quick glance around, he spotted a mughal talwar lying nearby, discarded by a fallen enemy. Without a moment's delay, he retrieved the weapon as he readied himself for the next phase of the battle.
Taqdeer Shah's face contorted with fury at the sight of Pratap's defiance. "Is this how the so-called Rajputs fights? Like a coward, hiding behind his spear!" he roared, as he cleaned himself from dust and took the scimitar from the hands of his follower.
Pratap met Taqdeer Shah's enraged gaze with a cool defiance of his own. "Charging against an unarmed man? I expected more from a knight of your stature," he retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
The insult struck deep at Taqdeer Shah's pride as a reputed knight from mughal cavalry, and he snarled in response. "You dare to mock me, boy? You'll learn the price of your insolence soon enough when I will cut off your head," he spat, his grip tightening on his scimitar.
Pratap's lips curled into a wicked smile at the Mughal commander's threat. "Real warriors don't waste their breath on empty threats. We play with enemies' heads by the age of ten," he taunted, his eyes glinting with mischief.
As the tension crackled between them, Pratap's smile widened into a devilish grin. "You still think you can outmatch me? Looks like you're underestimating the son of Mewar!"
He signalled him like a offering to a dog, "Come, I give you the chance of first strike." he declared boldly with confidence.
With a swift dash and horizontal slice, Taqdeer Shah aimed for Pratap's midsection, but the prince deftly parried the blow and countered with a vertical slice aimed at his opponent's shoulder. Taqdeer Shah blocked the attack with a well-timed block, but before he could counter, Pratap feinted with a diagonal slice, forcing the Mughal warrior to retreat.
Undeterred, Taqdeer Shah pressed his assault, launching a flurry of strikes in quick succession. Pratap responded with lightning-fast reflexes, blocking each blow with expert precision. Sensing an opportunity, Taqdeer Shah attempted a forward slice, but Pratap anticipated the move and sidestepped, delivering a powerful backward slice that caught his opponent off guard.
As the battle continued, Pratap seized the momentum, launching a series of devastating strikes. He delivered a circular slice, spinning on his heel to catch Taqdeer Shah off balance, followed by a fierce chop that sent the Mughal warrior staggering backwards.
With a final thrust of his sword, Pratap delivered the decisive blow, driving his talwar through Taqdeer Shah's defenses and into his chest.
As the Mughal commander staggered backwards and fell to his knees, his eyes wide with disbelief, Pratap raised his sword high with a glint of triumph in his eyes and brought his sword down in a sweeping arc, beheading Taqdeer Shah in one swift motion
The battlefield fell silent, save for the sound of Pratap's heavy breaths and the sickening thud of Taqdeer Shah's head hitting the ground.
"He killed the commander! Run for your lives!"
"I can't believe it! The commander is dead!"
"We're finished! Retreat! Retreat!"
With Taqdeer Shah's head lying defeated at his feet, Pratap let out a primal roar, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
"No mercy!" he bellowed, his words a rallying cry to his forces. "Finish them all!" His command cut through the air like a thunderclap, igniting a fire in the hearts of his followers. With renewed vigor, they surged forward, hacking down the remaining retreating Mughal forces with relentless brutality.
Few moments later.
Pratap felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, but he fought to maintain his composure, steadying himself with the hilt of his sword as he took deep breaths to calm his spinning head. With a sense of relief, he watched as his forces liberated all the villagers, driving out the remaining Mughals as far as they could.
Suddenly, a group of village women approached, their faces etched with gratitude as they expressed their thanks to the prince. Pratap acknowledged their gratitude with a simple namaste, his expression composed despite the chaos that had unfolded around him.
But the calm was short-lived as Balwindar appeared, leading a figure who bore the unmistakable marks of a severe beating. It was none other than Mir Kafur, the real commander of the defeated Mughal Mujahidin unit. He pleaded for his life, offering anything in return for mercy.
Pratap's response was single question. "Where is your base?"
Mir Kafur, with his face resembling that of a red potato, stuttered out his reply in fear.
"Cha.. Chandanpur village.... in borders of Rewari kingdom."
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Again my heartfelt gratitude to WolfHunter5292 for new 6 GT tickets . It feels worth it to work harder after getting such immense response. Thank you very much!
The same goes to my favourite readers who are constantly supporting me timely with their hard saved precious stones even when I am not uploading. I wish to give a hug to each all.
Also, I will add the pics on formation of battle on chapter's comments for better understanding, make sure to check it after 12 hours of publish.
Thank you guys. :)