Chapter 150: Chapter 148: Instead Of Support Met With Mockery...
(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
Guys I hope you put more comments and power stones... Which will encourage me...
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After Several Days...
Several days passed after the night that would later become a whispered legend among spirits, wandering ascetics, and those unfortunate enough to witness divine judgement.
The cursed tantra clans had completely vanished from public view.
Their settlements remained hidden deep within the forests.
None of them dared speak openly about what had happened.
Not because they feared others would mock them.
But because even remembering that night caused their collars to burn faintly around their necks.
Meanwhile, beyond those forests, five men remained blissfully unaware of the disaster that had unfolded.
The very men who had started it all.
King Rudrasena of Kalingavara.
King Mahipala of Velanadu.
King Virendra Varma of Suryagarh.
King Somakeshi of Ananthapura.
And King Pratapaditya of Nandivana.
Once again, they gathered at their secret meeting place.
A secluded hunting lodge built near the borders where all five kingdoms met.
Few people knew of its existence.
Fewer still knew the true purpose behind these gatherings.
The lodge sat hidden among dense woods and rocky hills.
Several trusted guards stood watch around the perimeter.
No outsiders were permitted anywhere near the location.
Inside, the five rulers sat around a large circular table.
Food and wine had been laid out.
Yet none of them paid much attention to it.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Their focus remained fixed on the matter that had consumed them for months.
Revenge.
King Rudrasena slammed his cup upon the table.
-THUD.
His expression darkened just thinking about that day.
"That man. No that brat!"
Nobody needed clarification.
Everyone knew who he meant.
King Devaratha of Trivenivrata.
King Mahipala snorted in anger.
"I still remember that day."
His jaw tightened.
"He made fools of us before an entire royal assembly."
The others nodded hearing his word.
The memory remained fresh despite the passing months.
The humiliation.
The rejection.
The way their plans had been exposed and dismissed.
The way Devara had looked at them.
Not with fear. Not with concern.
But with complete confidence.
The memory still burned.
King Somakeshi folded his arms.
"I hope the tantrics have good news."
Virendra Varma nodded they have been patiently waiting for good news all this days.
"They should."
"The first phase supposedly succeeded."
"The infiltrators managed to enter Trivenivrata."
King Pratapaditya leaned back in his chair.
A cruel smile appeared on his face.
"If the rituals work..."
He paused. Then slowly clenched his fist.
"His prosperity will crumble."
The others visibly approved.
For the next several minutes they discussed possibilities.
Crop failures.
Political unrest.
Economic decline.
Misfortune.
Anything that could damage Devara’s kingdom.
Anything that could tarnish his reputation.
Anything that could force him to experience the humiliation they had suffered.
The bitterness inside them had only grown stronger over time.
Then Rudrasena suddenly laughed.
"-HAHAHA!!!"
"Imagine his face."
The others looked toward him.
"When things begin falling apart."
King Mahipala smirked just imagining it.
-Smirk!
"Perhaps he’ll finally understand what it feels like."
The mood around the table improved considerably.
The kings began imagining future victories.
Future revenge. Future satisfaction.
Not one of them considered the possibility that everything had already gone catastrophically wrong.
Outside, the afternoon sun slowly moved across the sky.
Hours passed...
Eventually one of the guards entered the lodge.
The five kings immediately straightened.
Finally.
News.
The guard bowed.
"My lords."
Rudrasena leaned forward.
"Have they arrived?"
The guard hesitated. Only briefly.
"Yes."
The kings exchanged satisfied looks.
"...."
"...."
"...."
King Mahipala grinned happily.
"Excellent."
"Send them in."
At long last, they would hear how much damage had been inflicted upon Trivenivrata.
At long last, they would receive confirmation that their plans had succeeded.
The guard bowed and stepped aside.
The kings turned toward the entrance.
Expecting to see the familiar elders.
Tall men.
Intimidating men.
Men whose presence alone commanded respect.
Instead...
Nobody entered immediately.
For a moment there was only silence.
Then small footsteps could be heard.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The kings frowned.
"...."
"...."
"...."
A few seconds later, five figures entered the chamber.
The room fell completely silent.
Mahipala blinked caught off guard.
Virendra frowned at the sight before him.
Somakeshi leaned forward slightly.
Rudrasena’s mouth slowly opened.
Even the servants standing near the walls looked confused.
Before them stood five individuals who barely reached the height of a three or four-year-old child.
For several moments, nobody recognized them.
Their long robes dragged behind them.
Their beards were so large that they nearly touched the floor.
Some of the beards were actually longer than their owners’ entire bodies.
Their ears were pointed.
Their faces looked older, yet their bodies looked like those of children.
The sight was so strange that the kings genuinely didn’t know how to react.
For nearly a full minute, nobody spoke.
Finally, Mahipala broke the silence.
"Where are the clan leaders?"
The five small figures exchanged looks.
"...."
"...."
"...."
One of them stepped forward.
His beard almost got tangled around his feet.
After regaining his balance, he folded his hands.
His voice emerged.
And even that caused another round of confusion.
His voice was no longer deep and commanding.
Instead, it sounded oddly youthful.
Almost childlike.
"I am Elder Vamadeva."
The room froze hearing the declaration.
The kings stared at them.
The elder continued.
"And these are the leaders of the remaining four clans."
Silence. Absolute silence.
Then Virendra slowly stood up.
"No."
The elder nodded his head.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Mahipala stared at them.
"...."
Then looked at Rudrasena.
Then back at the elder.
Then at the other four.
The realization slowly began sinking in.
The five tiny figures before them were indeed the clan leaders.
The very same men who had left months ago with great confidence.
The very same men who had spoken of powerful rituals.
The very same men who had promised results.
Only now...
They looked like children pretending to be elders.
The kings tried their best to remain serious.
They truly did.
Then Pratapaditya made the mistake of looking at one elder whose beard was nearly twice his height.
A strange noise escaped him.
A snort.
He quickly covered his mouth.
"...."
The elder immediately narrowed his eyes.
Unfortunately that only made things worse.
Because now the elder looked like an angry grandfather trapped inside a child’s body.
Virendra turned his face away.
His shoulders began shaking.
Mahipala bit his lip.
Somakeshi pressed a hand against his forehead.
Rudrasena desperately tried maintaining composure.
The effort lasted less than ten seconds.
Then he burst out laughing.
A loud laugh echoed throughout the chamber.
The others immediately followed.
Within moments the entire room was filled with laughter.
The kings laughed until tears appeared in their eyes.
Several servants hurriedly looked away.
A few were clearly struggling not to laugh themselves.
The clan leaders stood motionless.
Their expressions darkening further and further.
Finally, after several minutes, Rudrasena managed to regain enough control to speak.
"W-wait."
He wiped tears from his eyes.
"Explain."
The elder took a deep breath.
Then slowly explained everything.
The ritual. The disaster.
The appearance of Mahakali.
The judgment.
The curse.
The endless thirst.
The transformation.
As the explanation continued, the kings listened.
Or at least they tried.
Unfortunately, every time one of the elders spoke in his new voice, another king started laughing.
The situation became increasingly unbearable.
Finally, after hearing the entire story, King Mahipala leaned back in his chair.
For a moment the kings appeared sympathetic.
For a brief moment.
Then King Mahipala spoke.
"So let me understand this correctly."
The elder remained silent.
"...."
"You gathered hundreds of practitioners."
The elder nodded his head.
"You spent months preparing rituals."
Another nod.
"You tried to curse Devaratha."
The elder nodded again.
Mahipala folded his arms.
"And somehow..."
A grin appeared on his face.
"...you managed to curse yourselves instead."
The chamber exploded with laughter again.
The elder closed his eyes.
His grip tightened around his staff.
Virendra laughed so hard he nearly fell from his chair.
Pratapaditya pointed toward them.
"You call yourselves masters?"
Another round of laughter.
Rudrasena shook his head.
"No, truly."
His voice dripped with mock sympathy.
"How poor were your tantric skills to achieve such a result?"
The clan leaders remained silent.
Inside, however, anger slowly began building.
King Mahipala leaned forward.
His arrogance completely unchecked.
"Tell me honestly."
The elder looked at him.
The king smirked back.
-Smirk!
"Are you even qualified anymore to call yourselves tantra masters?"
The words landed heavily.
The laughter around the room grew quieter.
Yet the damage was already done.
The elder’s face darkened.
Not from embarrassment. From anger.
Virendra joined in.
"I’ve seen village fortune tellers achieve better results."
Somakeshi laughed joining the banter.
"My stable workers would probably perform a more successful ritual."
Pratapaditya added with a grin,
"At least they wouldn’t end up shrinking."
The kings laughed once more.
Every insult added another layer to the wound.
The clan leaders had already suffered divine judgment.
They had already lost their pride.
They had already paid a terrible price.
Yet the men responsible for funding the entire disaster sat before them laughing.
Mocking.
Belittling.
Treating their suffering as entertainment.
The elder slowly looked around the table.
One by one.
At Rudrasena.
At Mahipala.
At Virendra.
At Somakeshi.
At Pratapaditya.
Then something strange happened.
His anger slowly disappeared.
Not because he forgave them.
Because he finally understood something.
These kings were exactly like the clan leaders had been.
Arrogant.
Greedy.
Blind.
The same arrogance that had led the clans toward destruction still lived inside the rulers before him.
The difference was simple.
The clan leaders had already received their lesson.
The kings had not.
The elder lowered his eyes.
For the first time since arriving, he felt something other than anger.
Pity.
Deep pity.
Because after standing before Mahakali herself... After feeling her rage... After witnessing divine judgment...
The laughter of kings suddenly felt very small.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, a troubling thought appeared.
If these men continued down this path...
Who knew what kind of lesson destiny was preparing for them?
The laughter continued for several more moments.
The five kings seemed unable to stop themselves.
Every time they looked at the former clan leaders, another joke escaped.
Another insult.
Another mocking comment.
What began as amusement had slowly become something uglier.
Disrespect.
The five clan leaders remained standing in silence.
At first they endured it.
Then they tolerated it.
Then they simply watched.
Because the more the kings spoke, the more obvious it became that they didn’t truly believe what had happened.
Not completely.
They had heard the story.
They had heard about Mahakali.
They had heard about Karichathan.
They had heard about the curse.
Yet somewhere in their hearts they still treated it as an exaggeration.
As though the clan leaders had simply failed a ritual and invented a grand tale to hide their incompetence.
The pity in the elders’ eyes only seemed to irritate the kings further.
Mahipala slammed his cup onto the table.
"What is that look?"
The elder blinked calmly looking at them.
Mahipala leaned forward.
"Why are you looking at us like that?"
None of the clan leaders answered.
That silence somehow felt more insulting than any words.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Virendra frowned feeling offended.
"You fail your ritual."
"You return cursed."
"And now you look at us as if we should feel sorry for you?"
The elder slowly closed his eyes.
Not because he was ashamed.
Because he was struggling to remain calm.
The kings failed to notice. Or perhaps they didn’t care.
King Pratapaditya grabbed a goblet of wine.
"You know what I think?"
Nobody answered.
"I think you’ve become frightened."
He smirked mockingly at the five clan leaders before him.
"A little divine illusion."
"A little fear."
"And suddenly every shadow becomes a goddess."
The other kings laughed along with him.
"-Hahahaha!!!"
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(Author note:)
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Don’t forget to review guys...
Guys I have a new fic which named: Karuppan: King of Openings.
