Chapter : 9; Killing Zakir Hussain
In the midst of the chaotic battle between the remaining Yadu guards and the Mughal forces, blood and steel clashed under a sky. The Mughals, despite lacking a strong light cavalry, overwhelmed the Yadu kingdom's forces through sheer numbers. For every Mughal soldier that fell, another took his place, pressing the defenders to their limits.
Ayush and Zakir Hussain's duel raged like a storm within the battlefield. Their swords clanged with the sound of thunder, each strike fueled by hatred and vengeance.
With a sudden burst of strength, Ayush delivered a powerful punch to Zakir's jaw. The Mughal general staggered back, crashing to the ground with a grunt of pain. Dust and blood smeared his face, but Zakir was no simple enemy. If he were weak, he wouldn't have earned the title of general or been entrusted to hunt down Ayush from the mughals.
Spitting blood, Zakir pushed himself back to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury. "You're strong, boy, at such young age.." he groaned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "But strength alone won't save you..today even if your god come down."
"I think your mother should have died?, Instead of being with your mother..you are here." Zakir teased Ayush.
"Hehe… Look at this! Do you know what this is? This is the antidote for the poison, that my assassination gave her. Unfortunately for you, she may have been already dead and now the antidote, it's in my hands."
Ayush calmly looked at the antidote in Zakir's hand and paused for a moment. Earlier, he had only thought of killing this bastard, but now, he had to get the antidote first, then torture this guy to death and peirce his heart with his sword.
"Give me the antidote…!" Ayush said slowly, his eyes locked onto Zakir.
"Oh… little boy… you're about the same age as Emperor Akbar," Zakir sneered. "Unfortunately for you, he has a vast Mughal empire to support him, while your kingdom is already destroyed. I must say, the difference in luck between you two is truly remarkable, one is ruling, and the other is running like a dog."
Ayush's grip tightened around his sword, but Zakir continued with a smirk.
"Hey… you haven't even told me whether that bitch is alive or dead." Zakir's eyes gleamed with sadistic amusement.
"Since you want the antidote… come and take it."
Without warning, Zakir lunged forward, his sword slashing through the air with lethal speed.
Swish!
Ayush barely dodged the attack, but the blade grazed his shoulder, slicing through his tunic and searing his skin with pain. Before he could recover, Zakir struck again, this time aiming for his left arm.
Slash!
The blade cut into Ayush's upper arm, and pain shot through his body. Gritting his teeth, Ayush clenched his injured arm tightly while raising his sword with his right hand and slashing toward Zakir's chest.
Clang!
Their swords collided in a flash of sparks. Zakir pressed forward, trying to overpower Ayush with sheer strength. Sweat dripped down Ayush's forehead as their blades locked together, neither giving an inch.
"Boy… we've been chasing you for weeks…" Zakir sneered, leaning closer as their swords strained against each other.
"Do you really think… you can defeat me?"
Ayush's muscles burned with the effort of holding his ground, but his resolve hardened. With a fierce shout, he pushed back with all his strength, breaking the deadlock. As Zakir stumbled slightly, Ayush drove his knee into the Mughal general's abdomen, forcing the air from his lungs.
"You should've stayed in your empire!" Ayush snarled. "Since you've chased me this far—be prepared to be buried here forever, bastard!"
Before Zakir could recover, Ayush slashed his sword with lightning speed, aiming for his opponent's arm.
Slash!
"AAARGH!"
Zakir screamed in agony as Ayush's blade sliced deep into his arm. The only thing preventing his limb from being severed entirely was the steel armor covering his shoulder—but even that was bent and broken, offering little protection. Blood gushed from the deep wound, staining the ground beneath them.
Ayush didn't hesitate. Pivoting swiftly, he brought his sword down toward Zakir's leg—
Swish!
The blade struck with precision, cutting deep into Zakir's thigh and nearly crippling him. The Mughal general collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain as blood soaked into the earth beneath him. His breath came in ragged gasps, but his eyes still burned with hatred.
Ayush stood over him, chest heaving, blood dripping from his wounds as he raised his sword once more.
"This… is for my mother," Ayush growled, his voice cold and resolute.
Zakir's eyes widened as Ayush's blade descended.
And with that blade, Ayush ended the life of Zakir.
"Ding!"
Congratulations, host, for killing a general of the Mughals, earning 500 points. Since it's your first time killing a general, you are awarded the blueprint for making a Kar-98 sniper rifle (reduced version) and a Desert Eagle pistol, with one reloaded magazine + three magazines (9 bullets each).
He ignored the system notification and focused on the main task at hand.
Ayush searched Zakir's body and finally took out the antidote, placing it into the system storage.
However, just as Ayush killed Zakir, his eyes suddenly focused on a man standing on a tree branch, wearing armor and smiling.
When Ayush clearly saw his face, his eyes turned red with anger.
Damn...!
For a second, Ayush felt as if he had lost control over his own body. As for why, it was obvious. This man was responsible for everything: Ayush's endless struggles and even his father's imprisonment.
His name was Ahmad. As for his full name, Ayush scanned through the data eyes and found: Ahmad Sheikh.
Staring at him, Ayush pulled his bloody sword from Zakir's corpse and shouted.
"Ahmad Sheikh... Looks like you're living a great life, huh?" Ayush wiped Zakir's blood from his face as he spoke, gritting his teeth.
Obviously, after killing Zakir and seeing Ahmad, Ayush's mood had worsened.
Ahmad Sheikh, one of the five major commanders of the Mughal Army, responsible for the expansion in the Bengal region. Currently 48 years old, he had served under Humayun, Akbar's father, who had personally entrusted him with Akbar's care. Ahmad was considered a trump card in Akbar's hand.
Ahmad jumped down from the tree, and on his back was something resembling a spear, but not quite. Finally, he pulled the object out from his back.
Ayush, who wanted to fight him with swords, suddenly looked at the gun Ahmad was holding.
The gun was curved at the bottom, with a long, thin barrel in the front. It was very decorative, as if the crafter had done some intricate carvings on it. If you named it, you could call it an Indian matchlock or toradar.
Seeing the toradar, Ayush was confused for a while because he didn't remember guns being used at this time.
Ahmad noticed the dazzled expression on Ayush's face, and a smug look appeared as he said.
"Your father is now imprisoned in his own Gorakhpur home."
"It's sad, he may not be able to see his son die, but don't worry. Your head will definitely be gifted to your father."
"I didn't expect that you'd be able to kill Zakir. I have to say, you really have one of the two warrior bloodlines of this region. But I really wanted to kill that bastard with my own hands. Since you've killed him, I have to give you a reward."
"And the reward is, your death. Look…this is a reward personally given by the Emperor himself."
"Now, go and die—"
Bang...!
"Your Highness, Prince ...…no...!"
Vikram, who was cutting down the Mughal soldiers, looked toward Ayush, who had just been shot by Ahmad.
However, from Ayush's perspective, the moment felt entirely different because his mind was distracted by two pieces of information Ahmad had revealed.
First, seeing the gun confused Ayush because he didn't remember guns existing in the sixteenth century, or at least the school history books had never mentioned them.
(the gun was made in china, between 10th-12th century.)
Second, the news that his father was still alive.
Although Ayush had speculated that his father might still be alive, hearing it directly from Ahmad's mouth was something different.
[End Of the Chapter.]