Chapter 14: Chapter 13: The Fall of the False Buddha
The battlefield lay quiet, save for the distant murmur of the crowd. Surya's presence, calm yet commanding, filled the air as he approached the defeated False Buddha, whose robes were now tattered and stained, a far cry from the image of divinity he once projected. The False Buddha knelt on the ground, his eyes darting between Surya and the faces of the people who had once worshipped him. His pride, his power, all lay in ruins.
Surya, holding his staff loosely by his side, walked slowly towards him, his every step deliberate. The sun above seemed to part the clouds, casting a warm glow on him as if nature itself acknowledged his presence. He stopped just before the False Buddha, looking down with a mixture of pity and resolve.
"Power can deceive even the most steadfast of minds," Surya began, his voice soft yet penetrating. "You sought to transcend Samsara, but all you did was deepen your entanglement in its illusions. You are not the first to fall for such lies, nor will you be the last. But there is still time for you to repent. Admit your wrongs, cast aside this facade, and do good with the strength you still possess."
The False Buddha looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of shame and longing. No one had ever spoken to him this way, not with this blend of truth and compassion. For the first time, the man behind the title felt vulnerable. Surya extended his hand, offering him a way out not just of his defeat, but of his very delusions.
"You are strong, stronger than you know," Surya continued. "But true strength lies in the courage to admit one's mistakes and to make amends. Take my hand, and let us walk a different path."
The False Buddha hesitated, staring at Surya's outstretched hand. It was an alien feeling—to be offered a second chance, to be seen not as a villain but as a lost soul. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he reached out, his fingers trembling as they edged closer to Surya's.
But before their hands could meet, a chilling wind swept across the courtyard, and a deep, grueling voice echoed through the air, resonating with malice and ancient fury. The False Buddha's eyes widened in terror as his body convulsed, dark tendrils of shadow curling around him like serpents. His face contorted as something monstrous began to take hold.
"It cannot be…" Li Wei muttered, his voice quivering. His sister clutched her sword, eyes wide with horror as they watched the transformation unfold.
From within the False Buddha's form emerged a grotesque figure—a Rakshasa of immense power, its many arms clawing at the air as it tore free. The demon Ravana, known throughout the ancient texts for his cunning and unquenchable thirst for power, stood before them in all his horrific glory. His skin was dark as night, his ten heads each adorned with crowns of skulls, and his twenty arms bristling with weapons from every era of conquest. His eyes, fiery and malignant, glared with the hatred of a thousand lifetimes.
Surya's expression darkened as he recognized the ancient enemy. Ravana, the scourge of the enlightened, the demon king who defied the heavens and sought to conquer the cycle of rebirth itself.
Li Wei's voice trembled as he turned to his sister, "That… that's Ravana, the Demon King who defied the gods! He tricked even the most powerful into serving his twisted ambitions!"
His sister nodded, her face pale. "He's the one who waged war against the heavens, believing he could break free from the cycle of Samsara and claim Nirvana by force. But he was condemned, bound to the darkest realms for eternity."
Ravana's laughter echoed, a guttural sound that shook the earth. "You fool," he sneered at the False Buddha, his voice dripping with contempt. "You believed I could grant you Nirvana? You, who wallowed in arrogance and greed? You were nothing more than a pawn—a useful idiot for my schemes."
Surya's voice cut through the air like a blade. "I warned you of the path you tread, but you were blinded by your desires. Ravana's presence in you was no coincidence. Such arrogance, pride, and falsehoods were a beacon for a demon like him."
Ravana's many eyes focused on Surya, burning with a hatred that spanned millennia. "You dare speak to me of arrogance, boy? I have defied gods and mocked the very fabric of creation. I lured this human with the promise of power beyond his wildest dreams, and he took it eagerly. He thought he could conquer Samsara, but now he is just a vessel—a weak, pathetic shell."
Surya's grip tightened on his staff, his aura blazing brighter. "Without a vessel, you are nothing but a hollow shadow, clinging to false promises. Return to where you belong, Ravana—the Realm of Hell, to suffer the fate you earned."
Ravana roared, his monstrous form expanding, claws and fangs bared in defiance. But Surya, with a single powerful slam of his staff, summoned a vortex of radiant light that began to pull the demon in, as if the very sun had opened to devour him. Ravana struggled, his many arms flailing against the pull, but it was futile. Surya's power was absolute, a force that not even the greatest of demons could withstand.
"You will not imprison me again!" Ravana screamed, his voice growing desperate as he felt himself being consumed. "I am Ravana, King of the Rakshasas! I cannot be defeated by a mere mortal!"
But as he met Surya's eyes, Ravana's defiance faltered. What he saw was not the gaze of a mere human but something far beyond—a being that had transcended the cycle of life and death, a force that surpassed Samsara. Surya's calm, unyielding stare revealed the truth that Ravana had spent lifetimes denying.
"You are no ordinary man," Ravana whispered, his tone tinged with awe and terror. "You… you are—"
Before he could finish, the vortex swallowed him whole, dragging the demon back to the abyss from which he came. The light dissipated, and the courtyard fell silent once more.
The people of the land erupted into cheers, voices raised in awe and gratitude, but Surya raised his hand, silencing them. His expression was solemn, his gaze fixed on the spot where the False Buddha had once knelt.
"This is no victory to celebrate," Surya said, his voice heavy with the weight of truth. "The story of the False Buddha is a sad one—a man who was deceived, who let his own flaws lead him into darkness. Now, he has no choice but to suffer the fate he invited upon himself."
The crowd fell quiet, humbled by Surya's words. He turned to them, his presence radiating both strength and compassion. "Let this be a lesson to all. Power without purpose, ambition without humility—it will only lead to ruin. Seek truth, not illusions. Seek liberation, not domination."
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