Chapter 9

 Chapter 9: Aakhri Jung (आखिरी जंग, “The Final Battle”)

Posted on May 30, 2025, at 10:00 PM IST

Mandir ke khandaron mein barish ka shor ab ek maut ka geet ban chuka tha. Sirf do log bache the—Commandant Vikram Rathore aur Priya—aur unke samne Nagin, jo ab bhi apni ek aankh se gusse se chamak rahi thi. Energy core ab tez dhadak raha tha, uski hari roshni mandir ke har kone ko roshan kar rahi thi. C4 explosives core ke charon taraf lage hue the, aur Vikram ke haath mein detonator ek aakhri ummeed ki tarah tha. Yeh jung ab ant tak pahunch chuki thi—ya toh Nagin khatam hogi, ya team.

Vikram ne Priya ki taraf dekha, uski aankhon mein ek thanda faisla. “Priya, jab main is detonator ko dabaoonga, core overload hoga. Tumhein yahan se nikalna hoga—abhi.” Priya ne sar hilaya, par uski awaaz mein ek bechaini thi. “Sir, aap mere saath nahi chalenge?” Vikram ne ek halki si muskaan di, jo barish ke shor mein khoyi gayi. “Koi toh is shaitan ko rokega, Priya. Yeh meri zimmedari hai.”

Nagin ne apni phunkaar ke saath ek teekha hamla kiya, uski dum Vikram ki taraf badhi, par Priya ne apni sniper rifle se ek goli uski dum par maari, usse ek pal ke liye rok diya. Nagin ki cheekh mandir mein goonji, uska zakhmi jism ab bhi core ki taraf badh raha tha. “Priya, bhaag!” Vikram ne chillaya, aur usne detonator daba diya.

Ek zor daar dhamaka hua, aur core ke aaspaas ka area ek hari roshni se bhar gaya. Dhamake ne Nagin ke jism ko peeche dhakel diya, uska ek panja poori tarah se jal gaya, aur uski cloaking tech puri tarah se band ho gayi. Core ab ek khatarnaak overload mein tha, uski roshni itni tez thi ki Priya ki aankhein band ho gayi. Par Vikram ka sacrifice aakhri tha—Nagin ne apni bachi hui taakat se usse apni dum mein lapet liya aur uske jism ko mandir ki diwar par patak diya. Vikram ka jism toot gaya, uska khoon core par chhitar gaya, aur uski aakhri saans barish ke saath khatam ho gayi.

“Sir!” Priya ne chillaya, par ab waqt nahi tha. Core ka overload ab ruk nahi sakta tha. Nagin, jo ab bhi zinda thi, Priya ki taraf badhi, uski ek aankh ab bhi chamak rahi thi. Priya ne apni sniper rifle uthayi aur ek aakhri goli chhodi—goli sidhe Nagin ki bachi hui aankh mein lagi, usse poori tarah andha kar diya. Nagin ki cheekh ek bhayanak siskari mein badal gayi, aur woh core ki taraf gir gayi.

Core ka overload ab apne charam par tha. Hari roshni ek teekhe surge mein badal gayi, aur Nagin ka jism usmein jhulne laga. Uska jism pighalne laga—uski saanp jaisi chamdi, hari-chandi zehar, aur insaani chehra sab ek saath ek puddle mein badal gaya, jo core ke aaspaas phail gaya. Uski aakhri cheekh mandir ke khandaron mein goonji, par woh ab khatam thi.

Mandir ab tootne laga tha—core ka vinash pura structure barbaad kar raha tha. Priya ne apni rifle phenki aur bhaagti hui mandir ke bahar ki taraf daudi. Diwaron se patthar gir rahe the, aur barish ke saath mandir ka pura structure dhwast ho gaya. Priya ne aakhri pal mein ek ped ke peeche chhupkar apni jaan bachayi, aur mandir ke tootne ki awaaz jungle mein goonjti rahi. Nagin ki aakhri siskari ab bhi uske kaano mein thi, jaise koi bhayanak yaad.

Priya akeli thi, par jung khatam ho chuki thi—ya shayad abhi shuru hui thi?

---

English Translation of Chapter 9: The Final Battle

The roar of the rain in the temple ruins had become a song of death. Only two remained—Commandant Vikram Rathore and Priya—facing the Nagin, who still glowed with rage through her one remaining eye. The energy core pulsed faster, its green light illuminating every corner of the temple. The C4 explosives were set around the core, and the detonator in Vikram’s hand was their last hope. This battle had reached its end—either the Nagin would die, or the team would.

Vikram looked at Priya, a cold resolve in his eyes. “Priya, when I press this detonator, the core will overload. You need to get out of here—now.” Priya nodded, but there was unease in her voice. “Sir, you’re not coming with me?” Vikram gave a faint smile, lost in the rain’s roar. “Someone has to stop this devil, Priya. This is my responsibility.”

The Nagin hissed and launched a sharp attack, her tail lunging toward Vikram, but Priya fired a shot from her sniper rifle, hitting the tail and stopping her for a moment. The Nagin’s scream echoed through the temple, her wounded body still advancing toward the core. “Priya, run!” Vikram shouted, and he pressed the detonator.

A massive explosion erupted, and the area around the core was engulfed in green light. The blast threw the Nagin back, burning off one of her claws completely and disabling her cloaking tech entirely. The core was now in a dangerous overload, its light so intense that Priya had to close her eyes. But Vikram’s sacrifice was final—the Nagin, with her remaining strength, wrapped him in her tail and slammed him against the temple wall. Vikram’s body broke, his blood splattering onto the core, and his last breath faded with the rain.

“Sir!” Priya screamed, but there was no time. The core’s overload was unstoppable. The Nagin, still alive, lunged toward Priya, her one eye still glowing. Priya raised her sniper rifle and fired one last shot—the bullet struck the Nagin’s remaining eye, blinding her completely. The Nagin’s scream turned into a horrific whimper, and she collapsed toward the core.

The core’s overload reached its peak. The green light turned into a sharp surge, and the Nagin’s body began to burn in it. Her body melted—her snake-like skin, green-silver venom, and human face all dissolved into a puddle that spread around the core. Her final scream echoed through the temple ruins, but she was finished.

The temple began to collapse—the core’s destruction was bringing down the entire structure. Priya dropped her rifle and ran toward the exit. Stones fell from the walls, and with the rain, the entire temple crumbled. In the last moment, Priya hid behind a tree to save herself, and the sound of the temple’s collapse echoed through the jungle. The Nagin’s final whimper still rang in her ears, like a haunting memory.

Priya was alone, but the battle was over—or perhaps it had just begun?

---

Notes for Chapter 9

• Sci-Fi Elements: The core’s overload and its effect on the Nagin’s bio-engineered body tie into the sci-fi horror of Operation Naga, showing the consequences of tampering with ancient energies and technology.
• Gore: The Nagin’s melting body and Vikram’s brutal death against the wall deliver the slasher horror intensity, with visceral imagery of blood and disintegration.
• Bollywood Aesthetic: Vikram’s sacrifice, the Nagin’s dramatic final scream, and the collapsing temple evoke the high-stakes drama of 1970s Bollywood horror, amplified by the storm.
• Foreshadowing: Priya’s escape and the lingering echo of the Nagin’s scream hint at the unresolved mystery, setting up the open ending in later chapters.

Plan for Chapter 10 (May 31, 2025)
Title: Jung Ka Ant (जंग का अंत, “The End of the Battle”)

• Priya escapes the jungle, battered and haunted by the mission, and reports to her superiors.
• The military covers up Operation Naga, labeling it a failed experiment, and Priya is ordered to stay silent.
• Strange green lights are spotted in the jungle by locals, hinting at another threat.
• The chapter ends with Priya staring at the jungle from a distance, wondering if the Nagin’s legacy truly ended.

I’ll post Chapter 10 tomorrow at 10:00 PM IST. Let me know if you’d like any adjustments to the tone, pacing, or specific elements (e.g., more gore, sci-fi details, or Bollywood drama) for the upcoming chapters, or if you’d like to refine the open ending in Chapter 12 further. The story is winding down, but the suspense lingers!