As the dust settled from the devastation, Akhil emerged from the smoke, his body fully healed, and the red ball mark that had been binding him was gone. His once battered form now radiated an aura of unyielding strength. The soul, hovering ominously in front of him, couldn't believe what it was seeing.
"How are you still standing after those wounds?" the soul demanded, its voice tinged with disbelief.
Akhil didn't respond. He continued to walk slowly, but purposefully, towards the soul. His eyes were locked on his opponent, filled with a determination that seemed to shake the very air around them.
Desperate, the soul lashed out, cutting through Akhil's body with a swift and deadly strike. But to the soul's horror, the wounds on Akhil's body closed almost as quickly as they appeared, the flesh knitting itself back together in an instant.
"What… What are you?" the soul stammered, panic seeping into its voice as it witnessed the impossible.
Akhil paused, looking at the soul with an almost serene calmness. "My body is surrounded by a time-reverse aura," he said, his voice steady and confident. "You can't kill me."
The soul recoiled in shock, realizing that Akhil was wielding a power beyond anything it had encountered before—a god's siddhi, a force capable of bending the very fabric of time itself. The soul, once so certain of its victory, now faced a being that could not be defeated by mere physical attacks.
Akhil took another step forward, his presence alone forcing the soul to retreat. Every move he made was deliberate, calculated, as if he had already foreseen the outcome of this battle. The soul, now trembling with fear, lashed out with more frantic attacks, but each strike was rendered futile by Akhil's godly power.
The landscape around them was silent, save for the sound of Akhil's footsteps and the soul's frantic attempts to destroy him. But it was clear now—Akhil had ascended beyond the mortal limits, tapping into a power that placed him on par with the gods themselves. The soul, no longer the fearsome entity it once was, was now faced with its greatest nightmare: a warrior who could not be stopped, a being who had mastered the flow of time itself.
As Akhil drew closer, the soul knew its end was near. The balance of power had shifted irrevocably, and there was no escape from the fate that now awaited it at the hands of a god.
As Akhil drew closer to the soul, the tension in the air was palpable. The soul, once so confident in its power, was now trembling with fear, unable to comprehend the force it was facing. Akhil reached out, his hand glowing with a subtle, yet overwhelming energy.
The moment his fingertips made contact with the soul, there was a blinding flash of light. In an instant, the soul was obliterated, disintegrating into nothingness as if it had never existed. The power that had once terrified and dominated was now gone, reduced to mere particles in the wind.
Everyone around Akhil—Old Man Kapil, Kofi, Henry, and Misaki—stood frozen in shock. The silence was deafening, as they tried to process what they had just witnessed. The soul that had pushed them to the brink of defeat, the soul that had seemed invincible, had been destroyed with a mere touch.
Akhil, his expression calm and resolute, turned to face his companions. The aura of godly power still surrounded him, making it clear that he had tapped into something far beyond their understanding. Yet, despite the immense power he wielded, there was no arrogance in his demeanor—only a quiet determination.
Old Man Kapil, still recovering from his exhausting battle, could only stare in awe. "Akhil... what have you become?" he muttered, barely able to find his voice.
Kofi and Henry exchanged glances, both equally stunned. They had seen Akhil's growth, but this... this was beyond anything they could have imagined. Misaki, who had feared for her daughter's life just moments before, now looked at Akhil with a mixture of gratitude and disbelief.
Akhil remained silent, the weight of what had just happened settling in. He had destroyed the soul, saved his friends, and perhaps even changed the course of their journey. But with this newfound power came a realization—there was no turning back. He had crossed a threshold, and whatever lay ahead would demand even greater strength and resolve.
But the victory was short-lived. Just as everyone began to breathe a sigh of relief, Akhil suddenly winced in pain. His body flickered, and before anyone could react, he vanished into thin air, leaving only a faint shimmer where he once stood.
"Akhil!" Kofi shouted, rushing to the spot where his friend had just been. But there was nothing—no trace, no sign of where he had gone.
Old Man Kapil, still weary from the fight, struggled to his feet. "What happened? Where did he go?"
Henry clenched his fists, scanning the area as if expecting Akhil to reappear at any moment. "This isn't right... That power he used—it must have been too much for him."
Misaki, holding her daughter close, could only watch in confusion and fear. "Is he... is he gone for good?"
The silence that followed was heavy with uncertainty. The soul had been destroyed, but at what cost? Akhil's newfound power had come with a dangerous price, one that had now whisked him away to who knew where.
Old Man Kapil, sensing the gravity of the situation, steadied himself. "We can't lose hope. Akhil may have vanished, but he's not gone. We have to find him."
The group, still reeling from the sudden turn of events, knew they had no choice but to continue onward, now with the added mission of finding and saving their lost friend. The battle had ended, but their journey was far from over.