MY GAME BEGINS Episode 4 / Chapter 4: The Truth, Atonement, and Redemption Part 9: The Power of Truth, Andhra Vallabha — Part 3

MY GAME BEGINS

Episode 4 / Chapter 4: The Truth, Atonement, and Redemption

Part 9: The Power of Truth, Andhra Vallabha — Part 3

The heavy, agonizing atmosphere following Srinivasulu’s confession was abruptly shattered.

The Shadow Lord growled in annoyance, his dark armor clanking as he stepped forward.

"If your pathetic emotional drama is finally over, it's time I end this, Srinivasulu, once and for all!"

With a brutal, fluid motion, the Shadow Lord lunged forward and clamped his heavy, iron-like gauntlet around Srinivasulu’s neck.

Lifting the boy effortlessly into the air, he violently hurled him across the cracked concrete.

Srinivasulu crashed hard against the ground, tumbling through dust and rubble before coming to a painful halt.

Aira’s eyes widened in sheer shock.

Jin, Kaito, and Rose stood completely frozen, stunned by the sudden violence.

Coughing and clutching his bruised chest, Srinivasulu slowly forced himself back onto his feet.

He wiped a streak of blood from his lip, his trembling legs stabilizing as he stared directly into the burning crimson eyes beneath the Shadow Lord’s helm.

"You gave me your word..." Srinivasulu’s voice rasped out, filled with quiet determination. "You promised that if I stepped forward and confessed the truth, you would let my friends go. Leave my friends out of this!"

The Shadow Lord threw his head back and laughed—a harsh, mocking sound that echoed off the dark barrier.

"Friends? You still dare to call them your friends? Look at them, you fool! The very second they realized you weren't their precious Ren, they started looking at you like an enemy! Have you not noticed?"

Srinivasulu slowly turned his head to look at Aira, Rose, Kaito, and Jin.

The four heroes stood silent, their faces a storm of unreadable emotions, paralyzed by shock and hurt.

None of them spoke a word.

The Shadow Lord sneered, leaning in closer.

"You are so desperately eager to sacrifice your life to save theirs... but do any of them have the slightest desire to save yours?"

Srinivasulu swallowed hard, looking back at the Shadow Lord.

His eyes burned with unwavering conviction.

"They have every right to be angry with me!" Srinivasulu declared, his voice echoing across the battlefield. "It is not a mistake for them to hate me! Whether they accept me as their friend or not... whether they forgive me or cast me aside... to me, they will forever be my friends!"

Jin, Kaito, Rose, and Aira gasped softly, their eyes widening in disbelief.

"The time I spent with them..." Srinivasulu continued, tears welling in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at them, "every conversation, every laugh, every shared meal, every moment we fought side by side... all of it was REAL! That bond is genuine! Nobody can ever deny that—not even them!"

Aira, Jin, Kaito, and Rose stared at him, their hearts hammering against their ribs.

The absolute sincerity in Srinivasulu’s voice struck them like thunder, and tears began to silently overflow and roll down their cheeks.

Srinivasulu turned back to the Shadow Lord, hardening his posture.

"So keep your word! Let them go!"

"Keep my word?" The Shadow Lord grinned maliciously beneath his helm. "Did you forget who we are? We are Demons! Demons of the Demon realm! We don't know the meaning of keeping a promise! Now... DIE!"

Before Srinivasulu could react, the Shadow Lord lunged forward, delivering a brutal barrage of fists.

A devastating right hook slammed into Srinivasulu’s jaw, followed instantly by a crushing left strike to his ribs, and finally, a terrifyingly heavy punch directly to his sternum.

CRACK!

Srinivasulu spat out a mouthful of crimson blood and collapsed heavily onto his knees, slumped face-first at the Shadow Lord’s feet.

"Stop it!" Aira’s voice tore through the air in a desperate scream. "Leave him alone! Let Srinivasulu go!"

Jin looked at Rose and Kaito, seeing the sudden spark of protective fury in their eyes.

In unison, the three of them roared, "LET HIM GO!"

They surged forward to pull the Shadow Lord off Srinivasulu, but their dark shadow reflections instantly leaped into their paths, blocking them with raised weapons.

Jin, Kaito, and Rose were forced into violent clashes once again, desperately fighting their doppelgängers while the Shadow Lord continued to rain merciless strikes down upon the defenseless Srinivasulu.

Aira, consumed by rage and grief, tried to rush the Shadow Lord herself.

"STOP IT!" she shrieked, but her own dark Empress reflection materialized directly in front of her, swinging a dark spear and completely blocking her path.

Srinivasulu lay on his knees, his vision blurring as life drained from his body.

The Shadow Lord looked down at the battered youth, sneering.

"Any last words, worm? Any final wishes?"

With the last ounce of his fading strength, Srinivasulu slowly lifted his trembling right hand into the air, reaching out toward Aira, Rose, Kaito, and Jin.

Aira watched his outstretched, bloodied hand, and fresh torrents of tears poured down her face.

"What a pathetic fool," the Shadow Lord muttered in disgust.

With a dismissive backhand, the Shadow Lord delivered a brutally sharp slap across Srinivasulu’s face.

The impact echoed like a whip cracking through the night, knocking Srinivasulu completely unconscious.

His arm dropped limp, and he crumpled onto the cold pavement, motionless.

"NO!!!" Aira screamed in utter horror.

Jin, Kaito, and Rose watched in shocked silence, their eyes wide with dread.

The Shadow Lord turned around slowly, unsheathing his dark katana with a sharp metallic slide.

He looked at the four trembling guardians and snorted in contempt.

"What happened to all of you? Suddenly oozing love for this fraud? Did his sappy little speech melt your foolish human hearts?"

The Shadow Lord chuckled, resting the flat of his katana casually against his shoulder.

"You human fools! I actually intended to slice his head off with my blade, but the weakling couldn't even survive a single slap from me! I am 'One Slap Man'! You can exercise for six months or a lifetime, and you still won't match my power, you useless weaklings!"

He gestured mockingly toward Srinivasulu’s still body.

"Well, this imposter is dead now. So tell me... how should I execute the rest of you? Should I slaughter you one by one, or kill you all at once?"

Aira, Rose, Kaito, and Jin stared at Srinivasulu’s lifeless form, weeping in silent agony.

The Shadow Lord threw his head back, savoring their despair.

"Yes! Keep crying! The more you weep, the more delicious your suffering tastes to me!"

Suddenly, the weeping stopped.

The grief on the faces of Jin, Kaito, Rose, and Aira melted away in an instant, replaced by utter awe and divine astonishment.

Noticing the abrupt shift in their expressions, the Shadow Lord’s brow furrowed in confusion.

"What are you staring at...?"

He turned around—and froze.

Floating in the air directly above the unconscious Srinivasulu were five divine cards, radiating an unearthly, blinding light:

The Swetha Varaha Murthy Form Card — Bestowed by Tirupati Adi Varaha Swamy.

The Ugra Swaroopa Narasimha Form Card — Bestowed by Ahobilam Narasimha Swamy.

The Andhra Vallabha Form Card — Bestowed by Srikakulam Andhra Maha Vishnu.

The Parasurameswara Form Card — Bestowed by Gudimallam Parasurameswara Swamy.

The Divine Hunter Card — Bestowed directly by Supreme Lord Venkateshwara Himself.

The five divine cards began revolving in a brilliant, sacred circle around Srinivasulu’s body, illuminating the entire crimson barrier with blinding celestial light.

High above in the heavens, watching the scene unfold from the clouds, Devarshi Narada smiled gently and declared:

"Did I not tell you, Srinivasulu? The moment you accept and embrace the absolute truth, you move closer to Lord Venkateshwara Himself. Today, your phase of atonement is complete! The divine grace of the Almighty has returned to you!"

Among the five revolving cards, the Andhra Vallabha Card suddenly ignited with a breathtaking, golden radiance.

Without warning, Srinivasulu’s unconscious body began levitating off the ground, floating gracefully up into the center of the divine aura!

The Shadow Lord, Aira, Rose, Kaito, and Jin looked on, completely stunned and speechless.

The golden radiance flowed continuously into Srinivasulu’s body.

Every bruise, every cut, and every broken bone dissolved instantly under the divine light.

As the golden aura expanded, Srinivasulu’s physical form began to transform and grow immensely within the blinding light.

His height surged to a grand scale of eight feet three inches.

Radiant red silk garments materialized around his frame, adorned with majestic golden ornaments, precious gems, and a gleaming crown (Mukuta) that shone like a thousand suns.

Multiple divine arms manifested from his torso, each wielding celestial weapons of absolute destruction.

He stood bathed in supreme, cosmic splendor!

Jin, Kaito, Rose, Aira, and the Shadow Lord could only stare with wide, slack-jawed shock at the divine avatar standing before them.

In a voice that reverberated like thunder across the heavens and earth, the cosmic form of Srinivasulu proclaimed:

"Nēnu Telugu Reḍu!" (I am the First King of the Telugus!)

"Telugu vallabhuṇḍa nēnu!" (I am the Lord of the Telugus!)

"Nēnu Telugu kaṇḍa!" (I am the Telugu God!)

"Andhra Vallabha!"

BOOM!

The moment those sacred words were uttered, a towering, cosmic manifestation of Srikakulam Andhra Maha Vishnu materialized directly behind Srinivasulu.

The sheer weight of the divine presence sent a wave of terror through the Shadow Lord.

He staggered back four steps, his sword hand shaking violently.

Aira, Jin, Kaito, and Rose stood utterly mesmerized.

Never in their lives had they witnessed a power so pure, so ancient, and so incomprehensibly divine.

In his majestic Andhra Vallabha form, Srinivasulu stepped onto the ground.

He walked forward calmly toward the trembling Shadow Lord.

Without saying a word, Srinivasulu raised his hand and delivered a single, thunderous slap across the Shadow Lord’s face!

WHAM!

The impact launched the Shadow Lord across the sky like a cannonball.

He crashed straight through the concrete walls of an abandoned factory a few meters away.

The entire structural frame of the factory buckled, collapsing into a mountain of rubble directly on top of him!

Seeing the terrifying Shadow Lord swatted away like a fly, the grief on the faces of the four heroes turned into pure excitement.

Kaito burst out laughing, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Hey! What happened to Mr. 'One Slap Man'?! Got what you deserved, you arrogant bastard! Calling yourself One Slap Man!"

Jin grinned widely and held up his hand.

"Nice one!"

Jin and Kaito slammed their palms together in an enthusiastic high-five!

BOOM!

The mountain of factory debris exploded outward as the Shadow Lord punched his way out of the rubble, roaring in pure rage.

Resting his katana against his shoulder, he pointed furiously at Srinivasulu.

"KILL HIM! TEAR HIM TO PIECES!" the Shadow Lord screamed.

The entire Shadow Army—hundreds of dark beasts and shadow soldiers—surged forward in a frantic wave toward Andhra Vallabha Srinivasulu.

Srinivasulu simply continued walking forward at a calm, measured pace.

As the shadow beasts reached him, the divine aura surrounding his body incinerated them before they could even touch him.

One after another, the beasts burst into white ash!

Panic seized the remaining horde.

Seeing their comrades disintegrate by simply being near him, the dark beasts whimpered, falling over one another as they desperately tried to crawl backward in terror.

Seeing his army falter, the Shadow Lord barked orders at the shadow reflections of Aira, Rose, Kaito, and Jin:

"ATTACK HIM NOW!"

The shadow reflection of Aira lunged first, followed closely by Rose’s reflection, and then Kaito’s reflection.

But as soon as each dark doppelgänger entered the radius of Andhra Vallabha’s divine light, they instantly dissolved into dust, crumbling into harmless piles of ash on the ground!

The Shadow Lord’s jaw dropped in absolute horror.

High above, Jin’s dark reflection—floating on a pitch-black storm cloud—grew enraged.

Gathering corrupted black electricity from the barrier, it fired a massive, deadly bolt of dark thunder aimed directly at Andhra Vallabha’s chest!

Seeing the dark lightning tearing through the air, Jin, Kaito, Rose, and Aira shouted in unison:

"LOOK OUT!"

The dark thunder slammed directly into Srinivasulu’s divine chest—and instantly vanished!

In its place, thousands of brilliant, fragrant flower petals fluttered softly down onto the ground.

Jin, Kaito, Rose, and Aira gasped in wonder.

The Shadow Lord stood frozen like a stone statue.

Unable to accept what had happened, Jin’s dark reflection charged down on its dark cloud, diving straight toward Srinivasulu.

Srinivasulu raised his right fist, tightening it as he uttered a sacred mantra:

"Om Andhra Maha Vishnu Namo Namaha!"

He delivered a single, swift punch straight into the chest of the dark Raijin reflection.

BOOM!

In an instant, the dark reflection disintegrated into nothingness, scattering into ash!

The faces of Aira, Rose, Kaito, and Jin lit up with triumphant joy, while the Shadow Lord tumbled backward onto the factory rubble in sheer terror.

Standing tall, Andhra Vallabha Srinivasulu prayed:

"May the divine, auspicious Sudarshana Chakra manifest!"

Instantly, the sacred Sudarshana Chakra materialized in the sky.

Expanding exponentially into a giant, spinning wheel of divine light, it swooped down upon the shadow army, slaughtering every single shadow beast in a glorious display of divine destruction (asura samharam).

Seeing his entire army annihilated, the Shadow Lord tried to flee into the distance!

However, Aira, Rose, Kaito, and Jin instantly leaped into his path, standing firm to block his escape!

Srinivasulu turned toward the spinning Sudarshana Chakra and prayed:

"Om Chakra Purusha Sudarshana Namo Namaha!"

Having eradicated the entire shadow army, the divine Sudarshana Chakra calmed down and vanished into the sky.

Andhra Vallabha Srinivasulu then turned his gaze toward the glowing, corrupted sun in the sky.

Extending his hand, a divine bow materialized in his grip.

Nocking a divine arrow, he aimed at the corrupted sun and released it.

BOOM!

The arrow struck the corrupted sun in midair, causing a massive cosmic explosion that completely destroyed it.

The dark barrier sealing the entire sector vanished instantly!

Aira, Rose, Kaito, and Jin cheered with joy, seeing the barrier destroyed.

Panic-stricken, the Shadow Lord tried to run away once again!

Instantly, Jin grabbed the Shadow Lord’s left shoulder while Kaito grabbed his right shoulder!

Kaito smirked.

"Where do you think you're running, fool?"

Jin grinned fiercely.

"You still have a big debt for earlier! How about you pay it up before you leave?!"

Together, Jin and Kaito threw the Shadow Lord violently across the ground, sending him sliding directly in front of Andhra Vallabha Srinivasulu!

Jin, Kaito, Rose, and Aira laughed with pride and excitement, admiring Srinivasulu in his divine form.

The Shadow Lord scrambled backward on his hands and knees, holding his katana horizontally in front of his face in sheer terror.

"Don't come near me! Don't come near me!" he stammered, stepping backward in fright as Srinivasulu approached.

However, as the Shadow Lord backed up, Jin, Kaito, Rose, and Aira stepped up behind him, completely blocking his path once again.

Cornered with nowhere left to turn, the Shadow Lord stood frozen, staring up helplessly at the majestic divine form of Andhra Vallabha Srinivasulu.

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(Episode 4 / Chapter 4: Part 9 — Part 3)