Chapter 170 Ambush Part :2

Chapter 170 Ambush Part :2

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, a forest near Madikeri.

The first cannonball toward Vijay was about to be fired as the fuse was lit. Vijay, running at full speed, felt the danger instantaneously and ordered, "Dodge right." He was the first one to swiftly dodge to the right, and the guards followed suit. However, there were still three casualties as they could not dodge quickly enough.

"Dodge left."

"Swish."

"Dodge right."

"Swish."

This video game-like operation continued for a few more rounds as more people were blasted apart, turning into mist . Some were unable to properly grasp the timing of the dodge, while others tripped on something while dodging. Vijay also realized that his soldiers were getting decimated, and they couldn't dodge as well as he could. But he had no other choice. By the time the reinforcements arrived, he was sure that he would have no chance to escape with his wife.

Naveen felt scared as he saw Vijay, along with his soldiers, still continuing to come forward with all their might. Panicking, Naveen snatched the bow from the assassin next to him, swiftly nocked an arrow, and fired as Vijay approached the arrow's firing range.

* Swish *

The arrow streaked through the air, aimed at Vijay's skull in a deadly trajectory. However, sensing the malicious intent of Naveen, Vijay swiftly dodged to the side. Tragically, his guard captain, positioned right behind him, couldn't evade the projectile fast enough, and the arrow struck him squarely in the throat.

"Chief!!" Two distinct sounds rang out from behind Vijay, but he didn't have the time to identify the voices. Reacting quickly, he ordered, "Shields!" The guards swiftly grabbed the wooden shields from their backs, attempting to absorb the impending arrows. Despite their efforts to evade the projectiles, not everyone was successful.

The shields proved effective only if the guards could accurately predict the direction of the arrows. Moreover, they slowed down the charge. As casualties increased, multiple arrows struck individuals simultaneously, leaving them defenceless. The guards attempted to come closer together, forming a protective barrier to shield those inside the formation. Death was not their primary concern, knowing that their families were already taken care of by His Majesty. They were content, knowing their children would receive proper care until adulthood.

Unable to come to terms with the current situation, he also unsheathed his Talwar and ran forward, determined to hack Vijay to death.

As Vijay closed in, he swung his sword towards Naveen's neck, intending to sever it in the first swing. Naveen on the other hand, was skilled in swordsmanship and it was one of the reasons for his success in the secret service, quickly ducked down, avoiding the blow. Seizing the opportunity, Naveen thrust his sword towards Vijay's torso. Sensing the danger, Vijay swiftly twisted his body in a split second, avoiding the fatal thrust.

Both parties distanced themselves for a few feet, and their eyes were filled with mutual hatred. It didn't take long for them to re-engage. This time, Vijay waited for the attack, and Naveen didn't disappoint. He thrust the sword towards Vijay's chest, but Vijay moved to the side and swung at Naveen's wrist, slicing it clean off.

However, as Vijay almost let go of his guard, Naveen had a grin on his face which turned into a smile. 'Not good,' Vijay thought as Naveen drew a blade from his waist, stabbing towards Vijay's head. Vijay's senses went into overdrive as the knife came dangerously close to his face. He could practically feel the Yama Pasha's (God of Death's rope) presence slithering before him.

Using all his reflexes, Vijay managed to narrowly avoid the blow. However, the corner of his shoulder was not left unharmed, as the skin was torn off. Fortunately, it was not a severe injury, as only the skin was torn.

The next moment, Vijay grabbed hold of Naveen's hand with one hand and pulled him forward, while holding the Talwar with the other. Vijay thrust the Talwar into Naveen's heart, and Naveen lost his life just like that, with disbelief on his face and a hint of loss. Unfortunately, Naveen died without knowing who actually killed his family.

Looking around, Vijay found that there were only Ten of his guards remaining alive, and a captive, as the rest of his guards had died. He felt sad for them but also relieved that he was alive. He quickly met up with Kavya; fortunately, she was relatively unharmed. Kavya was startled at first after seeing Vijay drenched in blood, but upon realizing it was not his, she burst into tears and ran forward to hug him. Vijay also hugged her with relief on his face, ignoring the blood he painted Kavya with. Vijay was very thankful that Kavya was alright. Vijay became angry again as he remembered that he and Kavya could have almost died, potentially leaving the Empire in chaos and destroying the Bharata dream forever. Vijay felt restless and could not wait any longer.

After today, Vijay decided to make reforms at any cost. Let the Blood flow if that is what it needs.

Soon, the reinforcements also arrived, but Vijay did not go with them. Instead, he wrote a letter to Logananda about his instructions. He also wrote a separate letter to Uncle Ravi.

Vijay wants to pull out all the dark elements in the empire right here and now, this is a dangerous task as a lot of things could go wrong at any moment.

"Spread the rumours of my death among the elites," Vijay chose to take a gamble for long-term peace. Throughout the empire, the death of Vijay Devaraya would be known to the higher-ups of all the departments. As for the people, no one will actively spread the news in order to keep a relatively stable environment. But the elite of the society will definitely know, as they, without a doubt, have a channel for information within the government.

Vijay tended to his injuries and ordered for his men to make a camp for the night. Early in the morning, Vijay moved to one of the secret castles in the Empire built by his family.

P.S. Is it too much gore, or is it okay? Are similar chapters needed?