The golden hues of the rising sun cast a soft glow across the sky. On the terrace of a small house in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. Arjun lay sprawled on a couch, watching the clouds drift lazily above. A peaceful smile curved his lips.
"Six months…" he whispered to himself. "Six months since everything changed. From receiving Mahadev's blessing and the Divine System, to witnessing the multiverse, to being enlightened by Lord Krishna…" He exhaled, content. "The world's quieter now. Ever since Kaalvakra's defeat, attacks have slowed down. Especially here, in India. It's been… peaceful."
Just as he let the breeze wash over him, a familiar digital chime echoed in his mind.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Time to end the holidays. Host, return to duty.]
Arjun groaned, stretching and rising. "It's been a while, System. What now?"
[A new team member has been detected. Location: New York City, USA.]
His eyes widened. "America? An international recruit? Finally expanding the team globally?"
[Technically, he's Indian-American. Born in the U.S. Father Indian. Mother American.]
"Oh, so he's a guy?" Arjun asked.
[Yes, Host.]
"But are we sure he's actually a guy? I mean… it's America," Arjun teased.
[What do you mean, Host? Not all Americans are confusing. There are still men and women in America.]
Arjun chuckled, scratching his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
[Also, hey Author, do you want to get cancelled?]
Arjun raised an eyebrow and joined in. "Yeah! Author, are you trying to get us cancelled? At least finish the story first!"
Author: "Relax! It was a joke. Only comedians get cancelled in India. Not internationally!"
Everyone nodded.
Later, Arjun approached Kavya and Reyansh. "Alright team, vacation's over. Pack your bags. We're going to New York."
Their expressions shifted from calm to absolute shock.
"America?! Why?!" Kavya exclaimed.
"Partly vacation," Arjun replied with a wink. "Mostly to help. New York's been hit with a lot of attacks lately."
The scene transitioned to bustling streets of New York City. Kavya stared in awe at the towering skyscrapers. Arjun sipped orange juice with casual ease. Reyansh, however, clutched his stomach.
"This flight was the worst! Why did you pick it?" Reyansh complained.
"We spent too much money these past months enjoying life. We're lucky we even got that flight," Arjun said.
"Lucky?" Reyansh looked at their rusted, rickety old plane nearby. "That thing looked ready to fall apart."
Arjun gave a sheepish grin. "At least we made it in one piece."
Kavya crossed her arms. "Do we even have money to rent a room for one night?"
Arjun's confident smile faltered. "Ah… I may have… forgotten that part."
Kavya sighed heavily.
"But I have a plan," Arjun added quickly.
Moments later, the trio stood in the back of a busy restaurant. The manager beamed at them.
"Those customers were amazing! Rich, kind, and generous. They even tipped you well!"
Cut to Arjun, Kavya, and Reyansh enjoying a meal.
"Great idea, right?" Arjun said proudly. "We earned enough for food and lodging for a week!"
Kavya narrowed her eyes. "If we hadn't gotten the money, I swear I'd have beaten you up."
Arjun smiled nervously.
They arrived at a rundown, budget hotel. Paint peeled from the walls and the air smelled faintly of mildew.
"Well… it's not great, but it's shelter," Arjun offered.
Kavya shook her head. "If we didn't have money, why come here?"
"To save people," Arjun said seriously. "We're Earth's protectors, remember?"
She sighed again. "You're impossible to understand. How many secrets do you have?"
Arjun simply laughed.
That night, under the moonlight, Kavya gazed at Arjun as he slept peacefully. A soft smile touched her lips. Then she turned to the sky, silent and thoughtful.
Morning broke. On the streets of New York, Reyansh stretched while Arjun scanned the System interface.
"Where's our new teammate? When will we get to him?" Arjun asked.
[Soon. System replied.]
Suddenly, the sky turned blood red. A violent crack tore open the sky above New York.
Thousands of monstrous, flying ant-like creatures swarmed out. Their wings buzzed like a cursed symphony.
The trio stared in horror.
Kavya unsheathed her dual blades.
Reyansh readied his spear.
Arjun summoned his lightning-forged sword.
From the rift descended a massive, humanoid ant monster. Midnight black in color, its armored body gleamed like obsidian. Gigantic wings spread wide, horns curved atop its head.
"That must be the Celestial General," Arjun muttered. "The leader of this army."
"You two help the civilians. I'll take him," he ordered.
Kavya and Reyansh nodded and dashed into action.
Arjun charged straight through the swarm, slicing through beasts with divine precision.
The General clapped mockingly. "Impressive. I am Balokeru, one of the strongest Celestial Generals. And I will reduce this city to ash."
With blinding speed, he closed the distance, striking Arjun with razor-sharp claws. Arjun blocked the attack but was hurled back by its force.
He staggered, stunned. But Balokeru was relentless—launching a barrage of rapid strikes. Arjun barely managed to defend himself.
Wounded and gasping, Arjun watched in horror as Balokeru powered up.
A glowing beam—Hyper Cannon—fired from his mouth, exploding into the earth.
A massive crater formed.
Kavya and Reyansh screamed, "Arjun!"
From the smoke above, Balokeru hovered, smirking.
Kavya, furious, cut down dozens of ant monsters and lunged at him.
Reyansh joined in.
Balokeru evaded every strike, using only minimal effort. With a pulse of dark aura, he blasted both away. Then he appeared behind Reyansh, claws raised.
But before they could land, Arjun—bloodied but alive—kicked Balokeru mid-air, sending him crashing into a building.
The demon quickly recovered, shocked.
Despite his wounds, Arjun stood firm. His eyes burned with fury.
Arjun and Kavya coordinated flawlessly, slashing in perfect unison. Their strikes forced Balokeru back.
"Let's finish this!" Arjun shouted.
Their blades glowed—Lightning Sword Slash and Thunder Blade Strike—and hit Balokeru head-on.
A powerful blast erupted.
As the dust cleared, Balokeru stood motionless.
Kavya, Arjun, and Reyansh stared.
Then… Balokeru opened his eyes.
A chilling aura surged from him.
"Hahahaha! It's been centuries since I enjoyed myself this much!" he roared.
He vanished in a blink, reappearing behind Arjun and Kavya. Grabbing their heads, he smashed them together.
Reyansh lunged in anger, but Balokeru intercepted and sent him flying.
The trio collapsed, bloodied, gasping.
"You were entertaining," Balokeru sneered. "Now I'll end it quickly."
Arjun sees the surroundings. The ADS—American Defense Squad—arrived, pushing back the swarm with heavy artillery.
Still, chaos reigned.
Balokeru summoned a dark purple orb.
Arjun, battered and broken, whispered, "System… Level me up. Use all my points. Now."
[Acknowledged. Leveling up… leveling up done. Current - Soul Gaurdian Level Normal]
Balokeru hurled the orb.
Arjun, eyes shut, caught it with his bare hand.
Balokeru's jaw dropped.
Golden energy flared from Arjun's body.
He opened his eyes—golden light blazing.
He crushed the orb effortlessly.
Arjun spoke coldly: "Playtime is over. Now… let's end this."
With a thunderous roar, he launched himself forward—Vajra Fist.
Balokeru met him head-on.
Their fists collided.
A deafening explosion shook the city.
Dust clouded everything.
Kavya and Reyansh shielded their eyes, trembling.
Everyone is waiting and seeing as the dust slowly settled...
To be continued...
Author: so I know it's too late. But I am busy lately but I will try to upload regularly. And also if anyone get hurt with my jokes then sorry it's just all are jokes so don't take them to heart and if you will then it's your choice.