The fake saint's robes twisted like serpent skin as he stepped down from the raised platform, his eyes now burning pits of madness. Dark whispers flowed from his lips in some cursed dialect, and his followers surged forward — knives hidden under robes, spiked batons, and crude weapons drawn.
The courtyard cracked under the weight of rising conflict.
Arjun stepped forward calmly, pulling his police shirt from his vest with one hand, revealing a faint glowing imprint burned into his chest — a mark of Hanuman, etched in blazing saffron.
The air shifted.
Like a drumbeat heard in the chest, not the ears, a pulse of divine force rippled outward.
It was not just light.It was not just heat.It was faith made manifest — a blessing shaped by discipline, courage, and unbreakable will.
A celestial wind erupted from Arjun's stance, swirling in a circular radius, brushing away dust and malice. Every glint of steel pointed at him felt dull. Every eye that looked upon him saw not a man, but a warrior chosen by the gods.
Bajrang Blessing – Tier 1 Activated
– Passive Strength Bonus (Lv.1)– Enhanced Reaction Speed– Fear Immunity Aura (10m radius)– Divine Pressure: Demoralizes lesser foes– Celestial Strike (1/Day): Unarmed attack empowered by the strength of ten men
Hanuman sees your resolve. The wind itself moves with your stride.
The fake saint froze.
So did his followers.
But the stillness shattered in seconds.
"Kill him!" he shrieked, voice cracking like glass. "Faith is mine to command!"
The crowd panicked — some survivors screamed and scattered, while others dropped to their knees, praying aloud in desperation.
But Arjun was already moving.
His first strike came down like a meteor. A follower who lunged with a curved blade was lifted off his feet with a thunderous punch — bones cracked, weapon skittered across stone.
Varun burst into action, flames blooming at his fingertips. His system-enhanced instincts activated traps prepared from scrap shops nearby. A rusted gas cylinder — rigged with a salvaged lighter and rigged nails — exploded in a ring of fire and shrapnel, sending attackers sprawling.
Dhani, silent and fluid, weaved blue threads of water and wind, shielding refugees while simultaneously knocking a bat-wielding zealot unconscious with a whip of freezing mist.
"Split the field!" Arjun barked. "Protect the innocents!"
Varun nodded, fire already trailing his boots as he darted to the left side of the courtyard, deflecting attacks and igniting his enemies' weapons mid-strike. He moved like a dancer in flames, unpredictable and fierce.
A particularly large devotee — muscles like sacks of flour and a barbed mace in hand — bore down on Dhani.
But Dhani's eyes shimmered.
His left hand moved, and suddenly the moisture from the air solidified into jagged ice stakes that launched forward and pinned the brute's legs to the ground.
The mute boy gave no shout of triumph — only calm, perfect silence.
Arjun surged forward toward the fake saint, who now retreated toward the holy kitchen where he had imprisoned the mute boy earlier.
But Arjun's divine speed made distance irrelevant.
He appeared before the false holy man in a heartbeat, eyes glowing like coal.
"You twisted this sacred place," he growled. "Now it rejects you."
"NO!" the saint roared. "I am divine! I made order in chaos!"
He raised a dark relic — a corrupted relic, pulsing with unholy energy. He thrust it forward, aiming to smite Arjun with whatever last curse he had stored.
But Arjun's Celestial Strike was already rising.
With a roar that seemed to echo in the heavens, his palm slammed forward — not just flesh, but divine fury guided by the god of strength and loyalty.
The relic shattered into a thousand fragments, the curse rebounding and burning the saint's own hand.
He crumpled with a scream, unconscious — stripped of power, stripped of lies.
Battle Won – Sanctuary Reclaimed
– Divine Favor Increased
– Reputation +400 (Local Sanctum)
– Mission: Cleanse the Corrupted Complete
– Skill Proficiency Updated
– Hanuman's Interest: Deepened
Varun and Dhani returned to Arjun's side. Bloodied but alive. The crowd — seeing the truth, feeling the shift — fell silent, not in fear, but in awe.
For the first time since the apocalypse began… there was hope.
Not because of divine protection alone — but because the people had seen what it meant to rise, fight, and reclaim faith from tyranny.
The courtyard of the Gurudwara was no longer a sanctum.
It was a battlefield drenched in truth.
Smoldering lanterns flickered where once quiet prayers had echoed. The holy banners, torn in the chaos, fluttered like wounded birds. And beneath the shadow of the Nishan Sahib, the false saint finally lay defeated — bloodied, broken, and stripped of sanctity.
Around him, his sycophants wept, pleaded, and trembled — their holy garb stained by acts that no gods would ever bless.
And at the heart of it all, stood three.
— Arjun, who burned with the silent fury of divine justice.— Varun, whose hands crackled with leftover fire and chemical traces.— Dhani, quiet as always, but with eyes that now held storm-like resolve.
The survivors were silent. But their silence was no longer fear. It was witness.
As the battle settled, Arjun remained still, eyes never leaving the crumpled form of the false saint.
And then, the world stilled.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
The ground trembled subtly — not under boots, but under will. A soft orange glow radiated from Arjun's chest, where the faint imprint of a mace and fire sigil burned like an unseen tattoo.
A notification flickered into his sight — silent but profound.
System Notification – Divine Alignment Confirmed✦ Hanuman's Witness Has Chosen His Path ✦
You have been offered a Divine Class: Veer-Shaastra (Warrior of Oath)
– Class Bonus: +2 Strength, +2 Endurance, +1 Awareness per level– Class Activation Bonus: +10 Strength, +5 Endurance, +5 Awareness– Class Skill Tree: Bhaktirath Combat, Sanctum Warden, Oathbreaker Slayer– Passive Perk: Unyielding Duty – You do not falter in sacred combat.– Divine Favor: Tier 1 Hanuman Path
Class Accepted.
The strength hit him like a second heartbeat. He exhaled — his breath steaming in the air though the night wasn't cold. His feet felt grounded not just on stone, but on purpose.
He wasn't just surviving now. He was called.
While the system chimed within Arjun's senses, Varun moved through the courtyard, gathering survivors, tying up fleeing cultists, and checking for traps.
In the langar hall, Dhani led a few brave ones to open the locked storerooms. They found enough hidden rations to feed everyone for weeks.
And behind a false wall — two bodies.
The two watchmen Arjun had trusted.
Their throats slit.
Arjun stood over them, fists clenched, then looked up toward the Nishan Sahib again.
"Today, truth stands," he whispered. "Tomorrow… we make it walk."
Main Quest Complete – "Expose the Heretic"
✔ False Saint Revealed✔ Supplies Liberated✔ Survivors Reclaimed Control✔ Divine Trial Passed
✦ Divine Favor Increased: +2 Hanuman✦ Class Path Activated✦ Class-Leveling Bonuses Enabled✦ Skill Tree Access Granted✦ Fast Travel (Zone Linked) Unlocked
✦ Arjun Rathore – Veer-Shaastra – Tier 1 Class Warrior
• Level: 8 → 9• +5 Stat Points per level (×1 = +5)• +1 Skill Point per level (×1 = +1)• Class Bonus on Level 9: +2 Strength, +2 Endurance, +1 Awareness• Total New Stats: – +7 Strength (Now: 19) – +7 Endurance (Now: 17) – +2 Awareness (Now: 12) – Skill Chosen: Sanctified Counter – Delivers holy retaliation when struck.
✦ Varun Tyagi – Pyro-Crafter (Unbound Mage-Class)
• Level: 7 → 8• +5 Stat Points• +1 Skill Point• Class Trait: Fire Improvisation (All crafted fire weapons gain +15% damage)
• Stat Allocation – +2 Instinct (Now: 14) – +2 Agility (Now: 13) – +1 Awareness (Now: 10) – Skill Chosen: Fire Bait Trap – Delayed burst ignition with AOE effect.
✦ Dhani – Elemental Channeler (Silent Warden)
• Level: 6 → 7• +5 Stat Points• +1 Skill Point• Class Trait: Spirit Veins (Element control via emotion surge)
• Stat Allocation – +2 Willpower (Now: 15) – +2 Awareness (Now: 12) – +1 Magical Affinity (Now: 10) – Skill Chosen: Aqua Snare – Restricts enemy movement with binding water limbs.
Later that night, Arjun and Varun stood at the center of the open courtyard again — this time with every survivor present.
The fake saint was dragged out, shackled.
Arjun's voice thundered like the conch of war:
"This is the man who locked away food while children cried for it.This is the man who gagged the mute boy and called it holy obedience.This is the man who made people bow, not in faith — but in fear."
Someone wept in the crowd. Another cursed under their breath.
Arjun lifted his hand — the divine aura sparking faintly around his limbs.
A woman stepped forward and spat at the false saint's feet.
Another raised her hand and shouted, "Truth has returned!"
Final Notice: Sanctuary Reputation: MAXIMUMYou may now appoint leadership, assign security roles, and link this sanctuary to others.
That night, under the watchful silence of Hanuman's spirit and the faint stars above Delhi's torn sky, Arjun returned to the temple sanctum.
He didn't pray.
He promised.
And Hanuman answered with silence, the kind only warriors understand.