Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Hampi, Vijayanagara Empire.

The morning sun rose high in the sky. The sky was clear as day. A warm glow fell on the battlefield. The seventh day of the battle was about to begin. Both armies were marching to the corpse-ridden battlefield.

Skeletal figures could be seen on the battlefield. The vultures and ravens consumed many of the decomposed bodies of the dead. Bhairava, as usual, donned his armor and sword while riding his horse.

The air of authority loomed over him. The man still held a confident gaze and looked over at the first prince's army.

Chandra sneered at the appearance of Bhairava.

"This persistent bastard!!. Why doesn't he just die?"

He smirked slightly, looking at Nakul standing close to him.

'Well, I don't have to do any work,' he thought.

Nakul was the one doing all the work, and Chandra was simply taking the credit for his work. Nakul didn't mind, and this boosted Chandra's image amongst the commanders.

He stayed on the backline as usual, heavily guarded by his bodyguards. He was confident of his victory. His mind was already planning ways to get rid of his sister from his way. Chandra witnessed the extent of his sister's power.

Her subordinate was able to easily take down one of the most powerful people in the Empire with precision. Bhairava was a powerful and influential person. To dismantle their plans and army with such ease was a huge feat.

'I have to get rid of these bastards!'

He had already made a list of the commanders and was cooking up a plan to kill Nakul once the fighting ended. It would also be the revenge of looking down on him. He didn't like the gaze of Nakul looking at him like he was the inferior one.

War horns interrupted Chandra's thoughts. The battle began with loud war cries from both sides. As the frontlines charged at each other, ending with a metallic thud. Cannons were nowhere to be found.

"Did he just abandon the cannons?" Chandra muttered.

Bhairava's army was being a lot more aggressive than usual.

Their lower numbers should have demoralized them. But somehow they had managed to keep the morale, and the soldiers moved like undead, slashing and killing anyone in their way.

This was unexpected as for the past few days. Chandra was on the offensive. Suddenly the momentum shifted. It was definitely odd.

Madhav led his cavalry unit and charged right into the ranks of their infantry, cleaving through the frontlines and causing massive amounts of casualties. Even the other commanders were fighting without taking care of their lives.

Cold sweat broke out in the ranks of Chandra's army. They witnessed the strength as the infantry pushed them back using all their might.

The tension was palpable as the enemy began to break through. The defensive structure of his army was falling apart quickly by the onslaught caused. The cavalry charges were getting significant casualties on both flanks. The enemy infantry broke the ranks of the frontlines.

"REGROUP!!" screamed a commander.

That scream was his last word as Bhairava impaled the commander in the chest. Blood splattered everywhere. The enemies still had traumatic experiences from the brutality caused by the second prince singlehandedly.

He was a menace to deal with. Normal commanders and veteran soldiers stood no chance facing him.

"MY SOLDIERS, WE SHALL NOT BOW TO THESE SCUM!!" roared Bhairava, cleaving through the ranks of infantry.

Chandra turned to Nakul with a sneer.

"What the hell are you doing??? You low-life bastard! Why is he winning?"

Nakul looked surprised as well. The sudden rise of Bhairava unnerved him.

"Reinforce the right flank." Nakul said, instructing a backline commander. Changes were made quickly to contain the charges.

They were still pushed to the eastern side. The barrage of arrows made it difficult for reinforcements to arrive fresh to the frontlines.

Nakul finally managed to get some control over the situation. Bhairava charged was quelled by the special unit he sent. The special unit had lost half of their men to Bhairava.

But for the price of half of the special unit. They made him retreat.

Nakul found something odd. The insider didn't provide him with any of the information regarding this charge. The radical changes were being made on the other side as well. Nakul was facing the experienced Vikrama.

He barely managed to keep him under control with the insider's information. Now he was feeling the real brunt of that man's shrewd plans. The moment he closes a gap, Vikrama opens a new one.

"That darn old man! We should have killed him first!" He muttered under his breath.

But this situation didn't explain the full story.

'Why were they fighting like this?'

Bhairava's army was under major disadvantages, while Chandra had sufficient numbers to bolster his army.

'Does he want to make this a do or die battle?'

Little did Nakul know. He was missing something obvious. Something that could change the landscape of the battle.

'Am I missing something?'

A shiver ran down his spine. His instincts screamed something ominous was about to occur.

He scanned the battlefield and noticed they were being pushed eastwards. His mind began to work overtime. The dots finally connected, but unfortunately it was too late. Nakul's worst fears came to life.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Limbs and bodies scattered in front of him like ragdolls. The bodies of the soldiers were dismembered by the sudden barrage of the explosions in the backline.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

More explosions occurred in the backline of Chandra's army. The support troops and archers were being decimated by the sudden explosion.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!!" screamed Chandra.

The eastern side of the battlefield had a long strip of forest area. Thousands of soldiers poured into the battlefield through the forest.

The explosions left Chandra with a disorganized army that was being mowed down by the fresh new soldiers that entered the battle.

Chandra's gaze fell upon a man seated on his horse, commanding the new army. The man was smiling sarcastically at him.

He recognized the man. His eyes slightly trembled.

"What are you doing here? Harsha!" He muttered in a shaky voice.

Prince Harsha Deva Raya, leading his army, had entered the battle for the throne.