Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

The gentle breeze brushed the lush and tall trees as it passed. The sun rays filtered through the canopy of the green forest. The forest was like a mat of green stretched across the horizon. The Empire had many such vast and lush forests.

In the middle of this vast forest was a small building made of wood and vines grew around the house. Moss was trekking up the wooden walls of the building. It barely stretched across a few meters and by the looks of it, it had one rather spacious room.

It was surrounded by tall trees and was blending in with nature. It was hard to spot from afar due to the vines and moss covering.

Masked men surrounded the building. There were a few on the tall trees looking out into the distance from all sides. Two masked men wearing black clothes with red highlights stood near the door. They gripped their spears and stood attentively, looking around and scanning their surroundings.

This place was the meeting place of the Yamaduts.

Two men were walking towards the door through the forest.

"Hey!! I got a cool story this time. Listen to it, brother." A masked man said. He was dressed similarly to the other masked people but the discerning feature was his earrings dangling with a blue gemstone.

"You bastard!! It's like the fifth time. How annoying! " The other masked man with a green gemstone earring pushed him off. "Let's get to the place before the leader gets angry."

The guards saluted and let them enter once they saw the gemstone.

Upon entering, they found three others already seated.

"You are finally here, Vishasura and Kaalasura." A tall muscular man with a dangling orange gemstone earring asked.

"Brother Mahasura, listen to me. This guy doesn't want to listen to my story in the Qutb Palace." He pointed at Vishasura.

Vishasura rolled his eyes and took a seat.

Mahasura was stuck with Kaalasura yapping about the assassination in the Qutb palace and his fight with the crown prince.

Vishasura shifted his gaze to the man reading a book. His earring had a purple gemstone. He was a rather lanky individual compared to the rest.

"Brother Narakasura. Hope you are doing well."

He glanced up from the book and nodded. "I am doing well. The days are boring with no real work. You seemed to have fun with Kaalasura."

Vishasura chuckled. "It was fun, doing some missions in the Sultanate but it was too easy."

"I see, good for you."

The other one had his legs on the table and leaned back into his chair, snoring. He was sleeping. His yellow gemstone dangled.

"Get up," Vishasura slammed the desk.

The man jolted awake and fell back. "Who the he—Oh, it's brother Vishasura."

"Hope you are doing well, Chhyasura."

"I am fine. This is the first meeting in so long. I finished all my work to come."

"I see." He nodded. "Where is the leader?"

"Hm.. He should be here any moment."

The Yamaduts were commanded by Rakhtasura but under him were the Pancharakshas, the best of the best in the group. They were strictly selected on the basis of merit in their respective fields.

Rakhtasura personally tested each one of them before giving them the position. The test for it was known to be one of the most brutal, even among Yamadut's standards. The five people that survived got the title of Pancharakshas with discerning earrings and masks with subtle differences.

The Yamaduts are trained to notice such differences, while the others would find it difficult to discern the difference between a normal Yamadut and a Pancharaksha.

Vishasura was the one that was responsible for leading the massacre of Jalgoan. Warfare wasn't his strong suit. As his name suggests, he was an expert in poison, but due to the limited use of poisons, he became a jack of all trades. He only uses poison when he was in danger or needs to slowly kill a target.

"So. Brother Mahasura. The crown prince tried to..." Kaalasura said.

He was a master of assassination and infiltration. He acts carefree and like a dumb teenager most of the time but when the mission was entrusted, he becomes a different person and completes it at all costs.

"Yea, yea," responded Mahasura. The man was a powerhouse, with a tall, imposing figure and the strength that rivals the Rakhtasura. He was well-versed in warfare and strategic missions during the battle.

Despite his imposing stature, he was a very calm and calculated individual among the group.

"So after that... I jumped around the chambers and clashed..."

"Annoying, Can you stop! Kaalasura. This is the 3rd time you said that story." Narakasura said,

"Huh? Brother. You are always cold to me. Why…." He began.

"You are very annoying these days. Don't provoke me again with your measly act." He said it with a cold gaze.

Narakasura was a master of psychological warfare. He excelled in interrogation, torture, and destroying his targets mentally to the point of no return. He was truly capable of showing his targets hell on earth. Thus earning him the name of Narakasura.

These were the Pancharakshas, one of the strongest people in the Empire and the Yamaduts. Their excellence was unmatched, with not even a single blemish in their track record. Each one of their targets was killed or neutralized without fail.

The current mission in the Qutb just used the strength of 2 of them. Vishasura and Kaalasura. Vishasura wasn't even the best pick. He was picked due to the lack of time but yet he didn't fail his job and came out successful.

"Hmm.. You have all gathered." A sudden voice pierced through the room.

It was Rakhtasura.

No one was surprised of his sudden arrival. They were used to his stealth.

He sat down on the host's chair.

"I have called you guys to discuss the possible future missions for us."

Rakhtasura was the leader who controlled these strong people. He was the strongest among them. An unmatched existence that didn't know defeat to this day.

His blood-red gemstone glittered under the sparse light.

"Let's begin the meeting."