Lakshmi's form was all fury and rage. She grew more radiant and terrifying. Her eyes blazed like molten gold. It was both breathtaking and utterly terrifying at the same time. 

The Devatas exchanged fearful glances and began quivering in their presence This was going to be worse than hell...

The weapons reached their full height in her hand and she roared. She took one step and it scorched the ground beneath her. Trails of fire spread like veins of molten lava and the very air was set ablaze. Trees withered and turned to ash, the rivers boiled and evaporated into clouds of steam, and mountains crumbled to dust under her gaze. Every creature that came into her path dissolved into nothingness, consumed by the force of her presence until no trace of them remained. 

It was as if the hellfire had descended on everything.

"Look at what she has become," murmured Indra as he watched, horrified. "If she continues like this, the world itself will be consumed."

Devi Parvati clutched her hands together. "Bhrata Narayan, please, only you can reach her. She will listen to you," she pleaded, her voice trembling.

"Yes Prabhu, have mercy on us, only you can stop Devi Verra Lakshmi" The other devtas chimed in.

"Prabhu Narayan, please interrupt before we all are consumed by her wrath."

Narayan stood silent, as he watched his wife blaze with the intensity of a thousand suns. "This is the fire of a mother's love," he said quietly. "Who am I to quench it? I cannot interfere. Her grief has ignited a power within her that I cannot quell."

Devatas felt a chill run through them as they realized he would not intervene

Veera Lakshmi took yet another step and the skies darkened, the sun and moon obscured by the black clouds that swirled around her. Thunder cracked, lightning flashed, and the Devatas watched in horror, powerless against the force that was devouring their world.

One by one, the Devatas fell to their knees, their faces etched with terror and helplessness. They had faced battles, they had fought demons, but nothing had prepared them for the wrath of the divine mother. 

"Prabhu Narayan," they cried, voices filled with despair. "Have mercy on us! Have mercy on the world!"

Narayan just folded his arms behind his back, unmoved even as the Devatas trembled and the pleas grew louder. 

"Where is your sense of duty, Narayan? Will you stand by and watch as the very heavens fall?" Mahadev asked sharply.

Narayan's eyes flashed, and he turned to Mahadev, "I am doing my duty. You just cannot see it. This is her rightful anger, and I will not stand in its way. The heavens tremble and the earth quakes, for it has been brought to this."

"If you will not intervene, Narayan, then I am left with no other choice."

Narayan met his gaze. "Understand this, Mahadev—what you're about to do will only deepen her rage. 

Mahadev's jaw clenched, but he lifted his trident, signaling the ganas to advance once more.

 "AAKRAMAN!" Mahadev's voice thundered, and his loyal ganas surged forward.

"Think again Mahadev, you are sending them to their deaths. They do not stand a chance against her wrath." Narayan cautioned.

Mahadev's grip on his trident tightened but he did not retract his command.

Lakshmi snapped her head towards the army coming at her. She raised her foremost arm in one swift motion and the Sudarshan Chakra gleamed in her hand. She spun it with a flick of her wrist, and it left her finger,cutting through the front line of ganas like a hot knife through butter. The devas gasped as the power of her wrath was unleashed.

The ganas faltered, some turning to Mahadev but Mahadev gave them no reprieve. "Do not stop!" he commanded. "She is but one, and we are many."

"One or many, it will make no difference," Narayan murmured.

"If you will not help, Narayan, then at least do not stand there mocking those who do." Mahadev snapped at him.

"I am marveling—at the irony unfolding before us. How the Preserver has become the Destroyer, and the great Destroyer has taken it upon himself to preserve."

"I am forced to do this if you won't do your part! Your wife is destroying everything!"

"And who, Mahadev, brought her to this edge?...It was You! You don't see your own faults and are hiding behind your so called "duties"!"

"How dare—"

"Mahadev! Mahadev...death is upon us!" Nandi shouted, his trembling hand pointing towards the battlefield.

The Devatas turned in horror, their eyes widening as they took in the impossible sight before them. Lakshmi had multiplied herself, each of her forms radiating the same furious power.She had split into countless forms, enough that every Gana now faced her alone, surrounded by her wrathful avatars.

"Everywhere I turn... it's her," one of the Ganas whispered, terror-stricken. His weapon slipped from his hand.

The army of Ganas spread out over the entire realm, which took yugas to form. And how long did it take for them to be wiped out?

Not even five seconds. All gone in an instant. 

It became a sea of bodies and the white snowy land of Kailash turned crimson.

With no one to challenge her, no one left to stand in her path, Lakshmi advanced toward Svargalok, and into the capital city of Amaravati.

"Oh my throne!"Indra cried, "My city! How could it come to this?" His eyes burned with tears as he watched his city—his legacy—be torn apart in moments. "What have I done? What have we all done? I never thought it would reach this point."

"Indradev, no one could have foreseen the extent of her wrath," another Agnidev said. " Devi Lakshmi is not herself. Her grief has driven her to this point. We are all to blame for the pain she has endured."

The great city of Amravati was now unrecognizable, consumed by fire and ash.

Indra collapsed to his knees, his head hung low in defeat. "I have failed... my city, my people, the heavens... everyone."

"This is not the time for self-pity, Indradev." Mahadev said.

"What has been lost cannot be restored in a moment." Narayan said.

Indra up at them both. "What can be done now? Is there any hope of stopping her? Or is this the end of it all?"

"This annihilation can only be stopped when Lakshmi has claimed what she has set out for...her child." Narayan said.

 "Mahadev, please tell us. Where is the child? Tell us where he has gone... Where can we find him.Only you can save us from this"

"Do not ask me, Indra. It is not for me to reveal the path to the child. I have made a promise" He glanced towards Narayan, as if seeking his counsel.

"Is your promise, is your integrity more important that this universe Mahadev?" Narayan asked him in an icy voice.

"My promises are sacred, Narayan," he said"I gave my word, and my word binds me, regardless of the cost. This is not a matter of choice for me."

"But Mahadev, the heavens are falling, the realms are burning! Can you still cling to a promise when the very fabric of existence is at risk?' Indradev cried.

"We just need to engage her till her anger calms itself. Ganas prepare to fight again!" Mahadev commanded." Narayan shook his head.

"But Prabhu, we don't have the army anymore!"

"SHRUKRACHARYA! I COMMAND YOU TO APPEAR BEFORE ME!" Mahadev proclaimed.

The rakshas guru appeared before him. 

"Mahadev, you called for me?" Shukracharya asked

"I need your army, Shukracharya. The Ganas are no more, but your forces still stand, do they not? Summon them, and we shall fight alongside you to hold back Lakshmi's destruction."

"You want me to fight against my sister?"

"This is no time for familial ties, Shukracharya.  I do not ask this lightly, but you must help us now. Your army is our last hope." 

"You ask me to raise my hand against her, against a force of such power and fury? Her rage is not born of malice, but of a mother's love. You may not understand this, but I do."

"Intentions are worthless before the consequences!" Mahadev snapped.

"Very well. If this is the path you have chosen, then I shall not refuse. But know this, Mahadev:  If you ask me to raise my forces against her, I will do so, but it will be on your head."

Mahadev nodded tersely.

Shukracharya raised his hands, and from the shadows, his army began to stir. The fierce and untamed Rakshasas appeared in their full glory.

They advanced with their weapons gleaming their battle cries rang out. They surrounded the wrathful goddess from all sides. Lakshmi let out a roar.

In the blink of an eye,her power erupted. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a torrent of force crashing through the Rakshasas. Their bodies were torn and the blood sprayed across the battlefield. 

Each Rakshasa, no matter how mighty, was met with the same brutal end. Weapons were shattered. Armour crumpled like paper. Not a single one could even reach her, let alone strike.

The Devatas and even Mahadev watched with horror as the Rakshasas fell like wheat before a scythe. Only Narayan remained calm like he was expecting it all.

Shukracharya's face twisted in frustration and regret. What face will he show to his sister now? His gaze shifted to Mahadev, anger boiling in his chest.

"You asked me to fight against her, and now look what you've cost us," Shukracharya muttered bitterly.

"It was inevitable. Her wrath is not blind destruction—it is justice. When the heart of a mother is pushed too far, there is no force that can stop her." Narayan said calmly.

Mahadev clenched his jaw. He turned to Narayan, but the words were stuck in his throat. There was nothing left to say.

"Only her child can quell her rage." Narayan reminded him again.

"Then......" 

Mahadev looked at Ganesh. "Ganesh, she considers you her child too."

Everyone turned to the elephant-headed god.  

"I will go to her." Ganesh stepped forward.

"No, Mahadev He cannot go to her!" Devi Parvati cried out. "Why must we bring him into this madness?"

"It is the only way Devi."

"She will consume him! She will destroy everything in her path, including him!"

"Mata" Ganesh said softly, "I will not let her rage consume the world, nor will I let it consume me. Maa Lakshmi is not my enemy. She is a mother. And she considers me her son. She will not harm me. I will return, Mata. I promise you. But I must go. Aagya de." He joined her hand and left.

 They all watched as Ganesh walked into the heart of the storm.The earth trembled beneath his feet, but his mind was clear. He knew what he had to do. He stepped in front of Veera Lakshmi.

"Maa, it is I, Ganesh, your son. Please, calm your heart, Maa. Let us speak, for the world cannot survive without your grace."

Lakshmi's ferocious avatar halted in her tracks. Her eyes filled with uncontainable fire, locked onto him.

"You... you dare to stand before me in this madness?Get out...GO AWAY!!"

Ganesh didn't flinch.

"Maa, I am here, your child, your love. You are not alone. Please calm down."

There was a long silence as she continued to look at him. She tilted her head and looked at him and then at the Devatas, Mahadev and Parvati who were watching it all with bated breath. She turned to him fully. 

"Please maa, drop your weapons, I am your son Ganesh."

"I recognise you alright putr. But how dare you stand before me and ask me to calm down. Have you come here to stop me? Vighn harta ho na tum Ganesh, phir mere marg main Vighn kyu ban rahe ho? You, the remover of obstacles, are now standing in the very path I have chosen. Are you now the one who would oppose me?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me, how will you oppose me?Will you raise a weapon against the one you call your mother?"

"No maa. I will not and I know that you won't either. I trust you maa. Trust you that you will not harm but love me as I sit at your feet and drop your weapons."

Ganesh went and sat near her feet, touching his forehead to them. Lakshmi narrowed her eyes looking down and lowered her weapons. 

"You are right. I will not raise my weapons against you,nor will I harm you."

The Devatas breath a sigh of relief as devi lakshmi reached down and rested her hand on Ganesh's head.

In an instant she turned back to her former self and knelt in front of him. The gods started celebrating. They were saved.....

"Tell me Ganesh, if your mother is kind, does that mean you will take advantage of her kindness?"

Ganesh's heart pounded in his chest as he looked up into her eyes and saw cold rage simmering in them. He felt a shiver go up his spine. He had never seen his maa like this.

Lakshmi turned her gaze towards the gods. "How very brave of you all, to use my kindness against me. To remind me that this compassion I hold—this worthless thing, as you've so shown me—is nothing but a weakness now. A sin." Her voice was calm and dangerous, laced with a cold fury.

The gods exchanged uneasy glances. They could deal with a mindless raging goddess. But they didn't know what to do with the cold fury of the same goddess. It was very chilling...

"Do you think I am here to simply grant mercy, to shield you from consequences, no matter how you twist and exploit my love?"

The gods remained silent.

"Answer me! Do you truly believe that you may call upon me to heal, forgive, and restore, without end, while you push my boundaries to the breaking point?" She shouted at them.

The gods could hardly look at her. 

"No behen, we never meant to do it. Believe me." Mahadev implored to her.

"But that's what you did Mahadev and don't you dare call me your sister."

"Don't say that...."

"Any mortal is a better brother than you are Mahadev! Tell me ....where was your sense of dharma, of your precious, when you condemned my innocent son to ashes? Without cause, without sin. It was the first time that anyone bore punishment without cause, and it was because of your wrath, your failure."

Mahadev's shoulders sagged, but she continued, relentless.

"It was you who had given up on this world, it was you who had turned away from your responsibilities and when my son sought to bring only some happiness to you, in your anger you burnt him away like he was nothing! You distured the Karma Chakra in an instant!'

"And then," she added bitterly, "when you finally saw the horror of what you'd done you tried to redeem yourself by giving me a boon. And just when the boon is successful and the Karma Chakra was going to be corrected, you do this!  It is I, who upholds the cycles, Mahadev! Dharma, Kama, Artha and Moksha! And I will do anything to make it right! So don't blame me, Mahadev, for the consequences of your choices."

She turned back to Ganesh. 

" You came to me as my son, Ganesh. And I have always fulfilled your wishes.I have always given you my love and never denied you anything. So I will drop my weapons as you ask and grant you your wish this one time"

Her hands lowered. The weapons slipped from her grip and vanished into the air. 

The Devatas exhaled collectively. Relief washed over all. Murmurs of thanks and quiet sighs filled the air. The heavens finally felt safe once more.

But then...........

 Her voice came again and this time it chilled them to their very bones.

"I don't need any weapon to shred this universe to bits."

Raising her hand, Lakshmi summoned the Sudarshan Chakra to her fingertip. In an instant, it expanded, spiraling outward until it covered entire galaxies in its glow. 

Gracefully, she stepped and seated herself upon the enormous chakra, crossing her legs and joining her hands while the Sudarshan spun beneath her. She started chanting.....

"Anarth ho gaya Prabhu! Anarth ho gaya...." Narad Muni cried. "Mata Mahalakshmi is retracting her energy from the universe. If she withdraws her essence, creation itself will cease to exist!"

The Devgans looked in horror as Devi Lakshmi's eyes pooled with blood and started flowing like rivers of blood .The edges of the expanding universe started collapsing on itself as it began shrinking. It began to fold in on itself. Stars imploded and constellations vanished one by one into the spiraling pull of the Sudarshan Chakra.

Mahadev felt a crushing weight settle in his chest. "Narayan, kuch kijiye."

"Ab kuch nahi ho sakta Mahadev. Ab ye ant nishchit hai."

"But Prabhu Jagannath, You are the Lord of this universe, surely you have some means to reach Mata? To remind her of the love she once held for this universe?" Narad Muni said.

Narayan closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his face. "She is my Mayashakti," he murmured, "the breath of my own soul, the force of all creation. She must come to this decision herself, for I cannot wield the power of preservation without her. Her fury must be quenched by her own will."

"Devi," he whispered in his heart, "the choice rests in your hands alone."

"Dev, I have been pushed around enough, don't you agree?" came right from his heart. "I have given and given, without end. How long must I be endlessly forgiving, endlessly sustaining? It feels that my suffering all those eras was a waste. They have seen me cry tears of blood before, they all have seen me suffer. Why are they silent now, Narayan? I will tell you why. Because nobody cares about it. I don't matter right? Because, after all, what could Devi Lakshmi do? The kind, gentle caring counterpart of the lord. What will she do when it comes to the worst?They think that because I am compassionate, I can do nothing but endure. They assume that kindness is weakness, that I will always shelter them, no matter how they abuse my love or disregard my sacrifices.....

..... No Dev. Now I shall watch this world burn like it did to me. If my suffering meant nothing to them, if my forgiveness was their shield, then let them know the cost."

 Narayan knew the universe stood on the edge of annihilation. And still, he whispered, "The choice is yours, Devi. I will walk beside you through fire and ruin, through creation or destruction. Whatever you choose, I will stand beside you—always."

"Will you join me? I want to be close to you in the last moments." She asked him sweetly.

He smiled. "Of course."

In a split second he had joined her, wrapping his arms around her as the stars continued to collapse and the worlds continued to fade. The Sudarshan Chakra spun faster than ever now pulling entire galaxies into its whirling core. 

The words and pleas of the gods fell on deaf ears. The end had come...

Merging himself with his Lakshmi, Narayan whispered one last time, 

"In destruction or rebirth, Devi, we are one. Always."

*******

And that's how the universe ended.

So that's the end of this book. It was such a beautiful end wasn't it with the LakshmiNarayan and all?

Just joking.🤣😁

I have many plans for the upcoming chapters and so many events are remaining, I am not leaving. Don't worry.....I just couldn't not end this chapter here. It was a great place to end. So....Until next time!

❤️❤️✨✨