Meanwhile, at the Signature Bridge, tension was palpable on both sides.
The leader of the Delhi Wars declared, "I am the soon-to-be new king of Delhi. Kneel before me, and I will spare your lives."
Tripathi, who hadn't expected there to be a leader among the Delhi Wars, responded, "And if we don't kneel?"
The Delhi Wars leader laughed and said, "Do you really want to lose your life?" In less than half a second, he was next to Tripathi, ready to grab his neck when Shrikant and Hinisa punched him. The leader blocked Shrikant's punch but was pushed back slightly by Hinisa's punch.
The Delhi Wars leader said, "Impressive, you have extraordinary warriors. I didn't expect that."
He proposed, "Alright, let's have a competition. The winner takes Delhi."
Since both sides had hostages, they couldn't start firing, though Tripathi's men had more weapons.
Tripathi said, "I don't think you're the leader. Tell me who the real leader is; I want to hear 'yes' from him."
Tripathi tried to call Abhimanyu, but his phone was out of reach.
Shrikant said, "You're not worthy of meeting the leader yet."
The Delhi Wars leader retorted, "Is that so? Let's see." He launched an attack on Shrikant, forming a black energy ball in his hand and trying to strike Shrikant, who dodged it with his agile body. Shrikant's eyes suddenly turned green, resembling a snake's, and he spat venom from his mouth. The leader dodged and ran to the other side.
Everyone present was stunned by this display.
Hinisa made some signs with her hands, creating a purple magic circle in the air, and launched several poisonous arrows at the Delhi Wars leader.
The leader's eyes turned black, his hair darkened further, and black eagle wings sprouted from his back. He flew up, dodging the arrows and venom attacks.
The leader laughed and said, "Ichchadhari naag, huh? I didn't expect to find you here."
Shrikant replied, "I didn't expect to find a demon here."
The leader said, "I'm no ordinary demon." His wings, eyes, and hair began to glow red at the edges.
He grabbed Shrikant and Hinisa by their necks. Both struggled and transformed into snakes.
The leader said, "Two demonic snake souls, impressive. You'll make good slaves." He was about to kill them when a powerful demon energy slash came at him. He threw Shrikant and Hinisa away, drew his sword, and blocked the slash. It diverted to the Yamuna River, drying up a section of it before water flowed back in.
Abhimanyu landed on the bridge on his knees, causing slight cracks in the ground.
Looking at the cracks, he said, "I need to work on my landing."
Abhimanyu appeared normal, wearing his demon mask and black robe.
The Delhi Wars leader, still in the air, asked, "Who are you?"
Abhimanyu noticed the hostages hadn't been exchanged yet and asked, "Why haven't the hostages been exchanged yet?"
Ignoring him, the leader attacked Abhimanyu. Darkness enveloped Abhimanyu, and in less than a blink, the leader was near him. Abhimanyu's eyes turned black, collapsing their infinite death illusion.
The leader said in surprise, "You're a demon."
Abhimanyu said nothing and, in less than a blink, appeared next to the leader, wielding Rudra's sword. He attacked, but the leader blocked every strike.
The leader launched a demonic energy kick at Abhimanyu, sending him flying. He then hurled several energy balls at Abhimanyu, who dodged them, but the balls hit the Delhi Wars members, causing chaos among their ranks. Drishti, Himani, and Rashika were also in danger, but Abhimanyu protected them. Shrikant and Hinisa advanced to protect them, but then several members of the Delhi Wars sprouted black wings and attacked Shrikant and Hinisa. Tripathi and his men retreated with the hostages, while Kapil Mehta ran towards the Delhi Wars to save Rashika, Drishti, and Himani.
Shrikant told Hinisa, "Take them away. I'll handle these demons." He transformed into a massive snake, throwing venom balls at the demons, melting them on contact.
Some demons approached Hinisa, who created a purple magic circle, launching poisonous arrows that kept the demons at bay. One or two arrows hit their targets.
Hinisa slowly moved towards Kapil Mehta, leading the three women away and handing them over to the other side. Seeing this, the Delhi Wars leader made some signs with his hands, creating a magic circle in the air, and sent several black demonic spirits towards Kapil and Tripathi.
When Abhimanyu tried to intercept, the leader blocked his way.
Abhimanyu summoned Ramika, a powerful demonic spirit he had strengthened with various dark techniques, who confronted the demonic spirits. She opened her mouth, sucking them in and absorbing them, becoming even more powerful.
Abhimanyu called her back, and she returned to the ring.
The leader laughed, "You're no ordinary demon. Who are you?"
Abhimanyu replied, "That's none of your concern."
Pointing his sword at Abhimanyu, the leader said, "Whatever you are, you're a traitor to the demon clan and the demon lord. Your punishment will be severe."
Abhimanyu laughed and said, "Your demon lord is nothing compared to me."
The leader said, "How dare you?" He surrounded Abhimanyu with a red energy barrier.
Abhimanyu tried to punch through it but failed. He then switched to his demon sword and used his technique to shatter the shield.
Seeing the black space katana, the leader exclaimed, "That's the Black Space! It's been missing for years, and only the demon lord can wield that technique. Who are you?"
Abhimanyu replied, "You just said only the demon lord can use it, yet you're still asking who I am."
The leader said, "You're just a pretender who can't fully utilize the Black Space's power." He made a sign with his hand and chanted a mantra, causing a large black magic circle to form under the bridge.
Seeing this, Abhimanyu shouted at Shrikant, "Get out of there!"
Shrikant quickly moved out of the circle.
Everyone caught in the circle was being pulled down by black hands emerging from the ground. All the demon fighters and ordinary gang members began sinking into the ground.
Seeing this, everyone screamed and was then pulled underground, and black smoke started rising from that spot. The smoke reached the leader of the Delhi Wars, surrounded him, and when it cleared, his wings had turned red with a black outline. His eyes and hair also changed similarly.
The leader of the Delhi Wars said, "Now you can't escape from me."
Abhimanyu said, "You're not the only one who can level up." Suddenly, Abhimanyu's eyes turned black with a red outline, his hair changed into similar pattern. He than said, "Your fate has brought you here today." He started walking with a reddish-black aura surrounding him.
Abhimanyu's eyes suddenly gleamed, and darkness enveloped the leader of the Delhi Wars.
At that moment, a powerful demon sitting on a throne was watching him.
Seeing this, the leader of the Delhi Wars said, "Demon Lord, you are the Demon Lord!"
In a demonic voice, Abhimanyu said, "It seems you don't know how to respect the Demon Lord."
Then the leader of the Delhi Wars bowed before him.
But Abhimanyu separated his head from his body, and this also happened in reality, causing the demon to fall to the ground.
Abhimanyu put his body into a ring.
Those standing on both sides of the pool couldn't see anything special because the place was not visible from a distance since the leader of the Delhi Wars had started the ritual.
Abhimanyu then stood there and announced, "I have no interest in the rivalry between you gangsters, but it was not right to involve innocent people and take them hostage in this matter. I warn the Delhi Wars and Tripathi gang that this should not happen again. The Delhi Wars will stay in their old territory, and the Tripathi gang in theirs. However, everyone will follow my rules." Abhimanyu then listed all his rules. His voice wasn't very loud, but with the help of a technique, he made his voice reach everyone present there. After explaining all the rules, Abhimanyu said, "Since the Delhi Wars started all this, they will bear the cost of repairing this bridge and will give 20 crore each to Tripathi and Kapil Mehta. If this doesn't happen, remember what the Black Demon can do." Saying this, he jumped into the air and disappeared. He flew at such a speed that no one could understand anything.
Tripathi knew who the Black Demon was, and Shrikant and Hinisa also knew, but no one else did.
Drishti, Himani, and Rashika were still confused about what had happened there, and Himani had no idea about the martial world; to her, it was like something out of a movie.
Tripathi apologized to Kapil Mehta, saying, "I'm sorry, we failed to properly guard your family."
Kapil replied, "No problem, it's all because of my past deeds. By the way, that was the Black Demon, right? What's his connection with you?"
Tripathi said, "Some secrets are better kept as secrets."
Himani thought in surprise, "Black Demon, but that's Abhimanyu's gaming name."
Tripathi said, "I'm sorry, Miss Himani, you also suffered because of our mistake."
Himani asked, "Who are you?"
Tripathi replied, "I'm also part of the development project happening in your colony. To protect everyone, I had stationed some of my men there, and they thought you had some connection with our gang. But don't worry, I'll handle everything. One of my gang members will drop you home."
Himani said, "No need for that, I'll go by myself." Saying this, she left. Kapil and his family also left. Tripathi then went to deal with the Delhi Wars. After some time, funds were transferred to the Delhi government and the damage control department, and the repair work started, which was given to Tripathi's construction company.
Abhimanyu temporarily spared the Delhi Wars gang. After dealing with Tripathi and getting the money, the police arrested the members and leaders of the Delhi Wars because there were many criminal charges against them and bounties on their heads.
Soon, the news of the arrest of all the mafia leaders of the Delhi Wars spread across the media, causing a stir in Delhi. The arrests were reported in a sensational manner, stating that the police had caught them through a secret operation. This kept the Black Demon's and Tripathi's names out of the news.
On the other hand, when Himani reached home, Himanshu was waiting for her.
Himanshu asked, "Mom, where did you go, leaving the restaurant open and your phone there?"
Himani hugged Himanshu and said, "Sorry, son, it won't happen again. Now get fresh, I'll set the table."
Both of them sat at the table for dinner and watched the news.
Himani thought, "There wasn't a single trace of the police there. Considering how dangerous those people were, I don't think the police could have done anything. Does the government know about such powerful people?"
Himani decided to stay home. She wasn't in the mood to open her restaurant that day.
On the other hand, Abhimanyu emerged from his ring. He had absorbed the body and blood of the Delhi Wars leader, making him even more powerful. While Maya was skilled in medicine, Arjun's demonic skills were equally effective, though his methods were different.
After coming out, he sat in his living room watching the news.
Currently, Karishma, Tina, and Jasmine lived with Abhimanyu. Riya had become busy with her work after completing the training of Aakash and Bhawna.
Aakash and Bhawna were now busy with Bureau work, so they rarely stayed at Abhimanyu's house.
In the meantime, Tina had recruited new soldiers in Bharatpur who maintained the palace. Dhruv now lived in Bharatpur, training many orphaned children and continuing his own training.
Tina still wanted to learn more from Abhimanyu, so she stayed with him while managing her clan efficiently.
Ammy was living with her family, and Jin Song had successfully shifted his main branch to Dehradun to easily access many herbs. Besides, he hadn't abandoned the South Korean market. This move was part of Jin Song's business expansion plan and also a way to hide from the demon clan.
Abhimanyu watched the news about what had happened in Delhi. The blast was very close to his old school, Agrasen. The news reported it as a terrorist attack. The government and intelligence agencies didn't know about demons or Naglok, so they thought it was a terrorist attack. Many people had died, and all departments, including the Intelligence Bureau, were investigating the attack. Nothing significant was recorded at the Signature Bridge; according to them, it was just a martial arts fight.
Karishma then came over to Abhimanyu and started watching the news.
Karishma said, "This blast has made everyone very busy."
Abhimanyu checked the time; it was now half-past eight at night.
As he looked at his phone, Tripathi called.
Tripathi said, "Boss, you were right. Brijesh was the one who involved Mrs. Himani in all this. He was part of the Delhi Wars and was funding them."
Abhimanyu asked, "To get her to sign the stamp paper?"
Tripathi replied, "He wants to open a five-star restaurant in the development project area. Since he couldn't become part of the development project, he wanted to use this method to improve his reputation in high society."
Abhimanyu said, "I want to see his company crash."
Tripathi said, "It will be done, Boss."
Karishma asked, "You were talking about Himanshu's family, right? What exactly are you going to do?"
Abhimanyu said, "Just watch." At that moment, Jasmine arrived with Hinisa and Shrikant.
Abhimanyu asked them, "Are you both okay? No serious injuries?"
Shrikant said, "We're fine, Boss."
Hinisa asked, "Boss, what was all that at the bridge?"
Ignoring Hinisa, Abhimanyu told Jasmine, "In a little while, Sharma Foods' stock price will drop to almost nothing. At that moment, you must buy it at any cost."
Jasmine replied, "It will be done, Boss."
Abhimanyu then asked Shrikant and Hinisa, "Are you planning to stay here?"
Shrikant said, "If you permit us to."
Abhimanyu said, "Okay, there are plenty of rooms here anyway."
Brijesh sat in his secretary's apartment, watching the news about what had happened on the bridge. He had been trying to connect with the leader of the Delhi Wars, but while he hadn't received their call, he had certainly heard the news of their arrest, which made him extremely angry.
His secretary approached him and asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look so worried?"
Brijesh replied, "That damned Himani is refusing to sign the stamp paper."
The secretary said, "Is that all? Just ruin her restaurant's business, spread bad rumors about her in the market, and get the food department to raid her place. After that, she'll have no choice but to give up the restaurant."
Brijesh, pleased, said, "What a great idea, darling! Why didn't you suggest this earlier?" Saying this, he pulled his secretary close and started kissing her. As they became more intimate, Brijesh began to move his hand forward to remove her clothes.
Just then, Brijesh's phone rang.
When Brijesh answered the phone, it was his manager, Mohit.
Mohit said, "Boss, our company's stock prices are falling, and there are many bad reviews on our page saying that many people got food poisoning from eating our food. On top of that, there's a raid by the food testing department, and the income tax department is about to raid all your properties. News about your tax evasion and various other crimes is coming out, along with news about your personal crimes, assaults, and scandals."
Brijesh immediately went to the living room and turned on the television to watch the news, which was reporting on his scams, tax evasion, and the presence of chemicals in food and vegetables. There was also news about mixing cocaine in the food to get people addicted to it.
Mohit continued, "And boss, all our partners have broken off all deals with us and are now asking for the money we owe them. Additionally, there have been raids on your other small businesses as well."
Brijesh asked, "This must be the work of an enemy."
Mohit said, "Boss, one of our partners said this is all happening on Tripathi's orders. I found out that Tripathi also informed the income tax and food departments and spread these things in the media."
Brijesh, hearing this, got very angry and said, "Alright," and hung up the phone.
Brijesh told his secretary, "That Himani has turned my own trick against me."
He then called several people to burn all the documents and contacted a few politicians to help him handle the situation. He ordered them to dispose of all the food in the restaurant and burn the cocaine as well. Within a short time, he managed to control the situation. However, the investigation into his crimes was still ongoing, and he needed to save his stocks. When he opened the stock market to sell them, a few people bought all the stocks at dirt-cheap prices, including The Singh Empire, which bought 10%.
In reality, the other buyers were also Abhimanyu's agents, ensuring that Sharma Foods could rebound in the stock market. Abhimanyu, through Jasmine, Tripathi, and other associates, bought enough shares to own 55% of the company.
Abhimanyu's plan from the start was to take control of the company, not to destroy it. Within a short time, the company stabilized, although the legal cases were still ongoing.
The next day, Abhimanyu had a day off and spent a considerable amount of time training inside his ring. Around 10 o'clock, he came out.
As Abhimanyu emerged, Jasmine informed him, "Brijesh has called a meeting of all the shareholders of Sharma Foods."
Abhimanyu asked, "What time?"
Jasmine replied, "At 12 o'clock."
Abhimanyu said, "Alright, let's send him a gift."