Chapter 369 - 337: King’s Shadow Guards... Naagas...

(A/N):

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The creatures finally began their descent.

One after another, they folded their leathery wings and plunged toward the temple like dark arrows falling from the heavens, their claws extended and their mouths opening wide as they prepared to tear apart anyone who stood between them and Devara.

Their leader descended at the center of the formation, convinced that the king remained completely unaware of the danger approaching him.

The sight of dozens of monstrous beings diving toward the temple was impossible for the citizens below to miss, and within moments, people standing in the streets began pointing toward the sky.

"Look!"

"They are attacking the temple!"

"Protect the king!"

Panic began spreading through the nearby crowd.

Mothers pulled their children closer, merchants abandoned their stalls, soldiers reached for their weapons, and several citizens instinctively began running toward the temple, even though they knew they would never reach it in time.

The creatures were already almost upon their target.

Then the earth beside the temple moved.

A tremendous rustling erupted from within the forest, followed by the sound of something enormous forcing its way through the trees.

Branches snapped, leaves scattered through the air, and the ground trembled beneath the weight of whatever was approaching.

Before anyone could understand what was happening, a gigantic serpent erupted from the forest.

Its scales were deep emerald green, its enormous body thick enough to crush a stone tower, and its head alone was large enough to swallow an elephant whole.

Its jaws opened, revealing rows of enormous curved fangs, and before the descending creature could even react, the serpent lunged upward and BIT DOWN.

The attacking creature disappeared almost entirely between its jaws.

A second serpent emerged from another section of the forest, its scales shining with a brilliant crimson hue.

It raised its massive body into the air and struck another creature from below, its jaws clamping around the attacker’s torso before dragging it violently downward.

Then a third serpent appeared.

This one was blue, its scales reflecting the moonlight like polished sapphire.

It coiled around one of the flying creatures before it could change direction, crushing its wings against its body and dragging it toward the forest.

And finally, the fourth serpent emerged.

Its scales were black with streaks of golden patterns running across its enormous body, and its eyes glowed with a cold, intelligent light.

It opened its jaws and swallowed one of the creatures whole before slowly lowering its head.

For several seconds, the entire kingdom fell silent.

Then someone in the crowd shouted,

"NAAGAS!"

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The fear that had spread through the citizens vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.

Instead of screaming, the people began cheering.

"THE NAAGAS!"

"They came out!"

"Look at them!"

"They are protecting the king!"

Children climbed onto walls and rooftops to get a better view while adults gathered in the streets, pointing toward the enormous serpents with excitement.

Even the soldiers who had been preparing to defend the temple lowered their weapons, because they knew exactly who had appeared.

These were not ordinary serpents.

They were the Naagas.

When Devara had first established his kingdom, several Naaga clans had quietly followed him and settled within his territory.

They had never demanded palaces, positions or public recognition.

Instead, they had chosen to live among the forests, rivers, underground caverns and hidden places of the kingdom, disguising their true identities and blending into ordinary society whenever they ventured into the cities.

Only a select few had ever revealed their true nature to people they trusted.

But there was one thing every citizen of the kingdom knew.

The Naagas answered directly to King Devara.

They were his eyes in places where ordinary guards could never reach.

They were his ears in the shadows.

And when danger approached the king, they became his unseen shield.

For years, the citizens had heard stories about these mysterious guardians.

Some had seen strange figures disappearing into forests at night.

Others had noticed suspicious strangers who seemed to know far too much about threats approaching the kingdom.

There were even merchants who had later discovered that the quiet person who had helped them escape bandits on a lonely road had actually been a Naaga in disguise.

But rarely had anyone witnessed them openly reveal themselves.

Today, however, there was no reason for them to remain hidden.

The creatures in the sky had declared themselves enemies of their king.

And the Naagas had answered.

The four enormous serpents rose together, their massive bodies towering above the trees as they stared toward the remaining attackers.

Their tongues flickered through the air, tasting the scent of fear, while their enormous eyes remained fixed upon the creatures still hovering above the temple.

The remaining attackers suddenly realized what they were facing.

Their formation broke apart.

One attempted to flee.

A golden-black Naaga launched itself upward.

Its jaws opened.

CRUNCH!

The creature vanished between its fangs.

The crowd erupted.

"LONG LIVE THE NAAGAS!"

"PROTECTORS OF THE KING!"

"DEVARA MAHARAJA KI JAI!"

The cheering rolled through the streets and reached the temple itself.

Yet through all of it, Devara remained seated before the sacred fire, completely immersed in his penance.

His eyes remained closed.

His breathing remained steady.

He did not move.

He did not need to.

His kingdom had already answered the threat for him.

And surrounding his temple, four colossal Naagas coiled beneath the night sky, watching the remaining creatures with the unmistakable patience of guardians who had spent years protecting their king from the shadows.

For the citizens, this was not merely an attack being stopped.

It was the first time many of them had witnessed the legends guarding their kingdom step into the light.

Meanwhile, the guards surrounding the temple immediately tightened their security after the attack.

More soldiers arrived from the nearby barracks, taking positions along every entrance, while archers occupied the rooftops and watchtowers surrounding the temple grounds.

Patrols were doubled, and no one was permitted to approach the temple without being identified.

The soldiers understood that the creatures had not attacked randomly.

They had come specifically for their king, and until their intentions were fully understood, nobody was willing to take another chance.

The Naagas remained hidden among the surrounding trees and shadows, their enormous forms barely visible now, silently watching every movement around the temple while the royal guards established a second defensive perimeter.

Back at the royal palace, however, an entirely different battle was taking place.

Inside Gandhari’s chamber, the atmosphere remained intense as the royal physicians and attendants continued assisting her through the seemingly endless delivery.

Gandhari had already endured more pain than anyone could have imagined, yet she continued to hold on, determined to bring every one of her children safely into the world.

Her other wives remained around her, encouraging her whenever exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her, while Rajmata Satyavati continued holding her hand and refusing to leave her side.

Then the count reached thirty-five.

Another child had been safely delivered, but Gandhari barely had the strength to react.

Her body trembled beneath the exhaustion, her breathing becoming increasingly shallow as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

The physicians noticed immediately.

"Rajmata, she is becoming too weak," one of them warned.

Gandhari’s vision began to blur.

The voices around her seemed to drift farther away, and for a brief moment she felt herself slipping toward unconsciousness.

After enduring three and a half years of pregnancy, after carrying more children than any mortal woman should ever have been capable of carrying, her body was finally demanding that she stop.

Her fingers slowly loosened around Satyavati’s hand.

"Gandhari!"

Satyavati called urgently.

But before Gandhari could surrender to the darkness, a gentle warmth spread throughout the chamber.

Bhudevi had entered quietly and immediately understood what was happening.

She stepped closer to Gandhari and placed her hand upon her forehead.

"My child,"

Bhudevi whispered, her voice carrying the calm strength of the earth itself,

"you have carried them this far. You will not fall now. Draw upon the strength beneath you. Let the earth carry some of the burden your body has borne for so long."

A soft divine radiance spread from Bhudevi’s palm.

Gandhari’s breathing steadied.

The trembling in her arms slowly stopped.

Something deep within her awakened.

It was not simply physical strength.

It was willpower.

The kind of determination that came from knowing that thirty-five children were already waiting for their mother, while many more still remained to be born.

Gandhari slowly opened her eyes.

"I... won’t stop," she whispered.

Bhudevi smiled gently.

"Then hold on."

Gandhari tightened her grip around Satyavati’s hand once again.

"I will."

The physicians immediately resumed their work, while Gandhari gathered the strength that Bhudevi had placed within her.

Her body was exhausted, but her spirit had become steadier than before.

Outside the chamber, another development was taking place.

Ashwatthama had been standing with Bhishma and Karna near the temple when one of the guards hurried toward them.

The man’s expression was serious as he approached and lowered his voice.

"Prince Ashwatthama."

Ashwatthama turned toward him.

"The attack has been contained. The Naagas captured one of the creatures alive."

For a moment, Ashwatthama said nothing.

The guard continued.

"It was one of those that attempted to attack Maharaja Devara while he was performing his penance. The others were dealt with by the Naagas, but this one survived and is being held near the temple."

Something changed in Ashwatthama’s expression.

The concern that had been visible on his face moments earlier disappeared.

His eyes became cold.

His jaw tightened.

The hand resting beside his body slowly curled into a fist.

Karna noticed the change immediately.

"Ashwatthama..."

"I’ll handle this,"

Ashwatthama said quietly.

He turned away from the group.

Bhishma watched him carefully.

Ashwatthama was not merely angry and he was furious.

Someone had attempted to attack Devara while the king was completely vulnerable, and worse, they had done so while Gandhari was in the middle of giving birth to more than a hundred children.

Ashwatthama’s footsteps became faster as he left the group and headed toward the temple.

The soldiers stationed along the path immediately stepped aside when they saw him approaching. Nobody attempted to stop him.

Meanwhile, deep within the secured temple grounds, one of the surviving creatures was being held under the watch of several enormous Naagas.

The creature had been bound tightly by thick serpentine coils, its wings pinned against its body while one of the four colossal serpents watched it from only a few feet away.

Its breathing was frantic.

It had expected to ambush a king.

Instead, it had become the prisoner.

Then footsteps approached slow, heavy and deliberate.

The creature lifted its head.

Ashwatthama entered the clearing.

The Naagas immediately turned their enormous heads toward him.

Ashwatthama stopped before the captured creature and stared down at it.

His face remained completely expressionless.

That somehow made his anger far more frightening.

"You came here," he said quietly, "to attack my king."

The creature stared back at him.

Ashwatthama took another step forward.

"Now you’re going to tell me exactly why."

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(Author note:)

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