"Its time....." Lakshmi looked at Parvati as they gave each other a profound smile before closing their eyes.

"Narayan!" Mahadev opened his eyes from his intense tap.

"She will put an end to Madana and the black magic she's been using to conquer DevLok and Indradev's devgan." Kanha spoke, still in Yog Nidra.

"What now! This mere representation of your mild powers won't stop me from doing what I'm about to." Madana hissed, getting up.

The calm aspect of the two Shaktis in front of her sight exasperated her to every bits.

She weakly got up, Lakshmi's sudden shot of energy on her had made her weak. She wasn't ready to accept Mahalakshmi's grand superiority from the very start. Her auspiciousness, her beauty, her Narayan and the fact that Shri was the Trilok Kalyani kept eating her.
To impress her was a great task and Madana knew, to grab a hold on the DevLok, she needed Kalyani's favour but her self consuming pride and constant envy for her always diverted Madana.
She had then turned towards Parvati, to gain her favour in this matter.
Bholenath's other half was too innocent to accept her severe penance and give her those boons.

She wanted to overpower Lakshmi through Parvati. But the sight in front of her had rather crushed all her manoeuvre.
There stood the heavenly entities of Lakshmi and Parvati, with closed eyes and their delicately painted hands resting in the bhairava mudra.

Mahadevi and Adi Shakti's strength and potency were combining. Madana's Kaal was nearing her. Devi Durga's eternal form was being unfolded to put an end to this sinful enchantress.

"Devi Durga! Looks like Mahalakshmi's sole power was not enough to stop me that she felt the need to bring Simhavahini in front of me.
Such is my power, Vaikunth Samragyi!" Madana mocked, nearing the composed stature of Devi Durga.

"I can see Kaal standing near you." She stated, applying the sacrificial soot on her forehead.

"Kaal maybe standing close to me, but he's looking at you, Madana!" Devi opened her eyes, a small smile studded on her, still mild face.

"I'm still giving you a chance to purify your misdeeds by surrendering yourself at my feet." She continued. Mahishasur Mardani had still not taken her vishwa roop, hoping to spare the other woman by giving her a chance to improve.

"Mahalakshmi! You can't even touch a single strand of my hair, let alone fight me!
Those Lotuses growing in the grimy mud, which you always sport in your hands and that pot of wealth, symbolizing your auspiciousness would not help even a bit while fighting my magical astra and shashtras.
D

urga Devi!
Has the complete resemblance and entire power of my Mata Parvati, but it failed!

You know why? Because universe decided to give her the heart and soul of Lakshmi." She laughed.

"And what about your Narayan? Didn't he come forth to rescue his Swamini like he always does.
The entire world knows you by the name of Lakshmi-Narayan,no no, not because of your immense love and devotion towards each other but because Mahalakshmi, you don't have any separate entity except this.

Jagat Kalyani, Trilok Swamini, Vishnupriya, where is your place? At his feet, not beside him.
You beingn called as Narayan's Shakti just shows that he is the weakest of all, nothing else!" She kept sneering at her, but the moment she ridiculed Narayan,
Durga's eyes turned red in rage.

"ENOUGH MADANA!" She shouted, fiercely looking at her.

"I do not attack on an unarmed opponent. Pick up your weapon, I'm challenging you for a war." Durga took a deep breath.

"Which weapon would you like yourself to get killed by?" Madana laughed producing high flames of fire around as Durga kept quiet.

"You can't even make out the real Madana through my illusions!
Fight them before facing me, Durge!" She hissed, making her eight illusions surround Durga while she hid behind her Yajna Kund.

"You were right Madana! Mahalakshmi and Parvati had to combine their energies to awaken me, because one weapon is not enough to end someone so wicked and immoral like you.
Therefore, Ashtabhujadari Shri Durga Devi will bring an end to all your sins." Her now furrowed eyebrows brought forth the her irate anger.

The shine surrounding her potrayed Shri and Parvati's combined Shakti.
Her strong arms held eight different weapons.
She was loaded with Mahalakshmi's auspiciousness and Parvati's mother-like aura as the protecter and nurturer of the good.
Her forehead was full of turmeric, signifying Parvati's ever radiating glow and serene composure in contrast to the bright red kumkum, previously covering Mahalakshmi's frons depicting her anger.
She nimbly bore the crescent moon bindi on her forehead, represnting how one's mind and soul keeps fluctuating like the phases of moon.

Imagine her as Shri Durga Devi. I've finally started finding better pictures, yayy.

Her strong and penetrating glare intensely observed Madana's eight illusions, imprudently surrounding the warrior goddess.

As calculative as she could be, Durga confidentally raised all her eight weapons at once, launching them in different directions as she slaughtered
all the illusions in a single go.

The weapons appeared back in her hands, with droplets of blood dripping down from each of them, as Durga advanced towards the Agni Kund where Madana had kept herself hiding.

"My illusions! My Maya! You killed all of them Durge, you shall pay for it!" Madana shouted, getting up as she grabbed her weapon made out of the skulls and bones of all the sacrifices she had made till now.

Madana radpidly jerked her cinder and ember in the agni kund as elusive black flames emerged, in an attempt to stop Durga from her further actions.

"These petty tricks have no effect on me Madana.
The one who is as pure as the driven snow, the one who gracefully imparts the Shaktis of Mahadevi and Parvati can never fail to achieve what she aims for the greater good.
My aim is to put an end to your pride, an end to your sinful culture. My aim is to put an end to your existence!" Durga's voice echoed, separating Madana's astra from her grip as she stumbled on the ground.

"No matter who in this entire universe had given you a boon, The death of the woman who herself insults another woman is certain.
For someone who questions Mahalakshmi's spirituality, her power, invites their own death.
The one who uses Parvati's powers for such abject reason, that too, to kill an innocent child, shall definately come to an end.
There shall and will be the destructive end of a person who question's Narayan's capacity and insults Shri's place in this tangible as well as non-material world!" She screamed, putting all her force as she stuck and pierced the holy Trishul into Madana's chest as a loud scream escaped her lips, before her soul left the material world, as per what Vidhata had written in her fate.

Kanha finally opened his eyes, coming out of his Yog Nidra as he saw Narad, helplessly standing in front of him.

"Narayan! Narayan! Prabhu!....."

"Prabhu, Devi Durga's aim to kill Madana is now successful. Mahishasur Mardhini has left for her abode.
But―" Narad hastily joined his hands.

"But what Devarshi?" Kanha gave a small smile, getting up from his seat.

"But my Mata Lakshmi, Prabhu! She has still not acquired her original form. The same rage is still running through Devi Mahalakshmi's body.
Even Devi Parvati is not able to pacify her boiling blood, Prabhu! Come with me before her krodh does the unthinkable." Narad explained as Kanha calmed him down, agreeing to accompany him.

"Mahalakshmi! Enough now! Madana is dead. So is her power.
Come back to your original self Sakhi, calm down to Shri's human form." Parvati tried pulling Mahalakshmi behind, as the latter still kept repeatedly piercing the Trishul in Madana's lifeless body.

"No Devi! She summoned powers to kill my child! She won't be spared!" Mahalakshmi snapped back, continuing her actions.

"Devi! Even though Madana had done the task of incarnating and summoning Mahakali, this terrible conspiracy was actually deviced by Gandhar Naresh Shakuni and Yuvraj Duryodhan. Therefore, please calm down Hey Mahalakshmi, my dear Shri , take the form of Dhriti and end this atmosphere of gloom." Parvati sighed in relief as Mahalakshmi turned, facing her.
Shakti thought she had successfully cooled down her boiling blood, but she was wrong.

"Who deviced this disgraceful ploy, devi?" Mahalakshmi blankly looked at Parvati as her Sakhi took sometime before realizing what her innocence, in an attempt to stop Mahalakshmi, had actually done.

"Bhrata Narayan! You need to intervene this now." Parvati closed her eyes.

"Shakuni and Duryodhan shall have the strikingly same fate as that of Madana." Mahalakshmi took a deep breath in  equanimity, ready to punish the ones who had dared to put their wicked gaze on her child.

"What happened Munivar?" Kanha asked, as Narad suddenly stopped in front of the cave.

"Narayan! Narayan!
I've already seen my Mata's Rudravtar, Prabhu and now I have no courage to face her ferocity once again." Narad worriedly stuttered as Kanha sighed, walking in.

"Lakshmi! Priye...... Stop it." Kanha calmly spoke, standing in front of her, blocking her way.

"Get out of my way, Narayan!" She exclaimed, still advancing with her weapons.

"Bhrata! She won't recognize you. Get aside Bhratashree!" Parvati anxiously spoke, pulling him aside.

"No Gauri! My Priya must be stopped, otherwise she would take no time to go against destiny to end what she wants to." Kanha shook his head, walking behind her.

"Lakshmi.........." He softly kept a hand on her shoulder.

"I said move aside......" She turned around pointing her sword towards him as he gave his usual smile.

"Move......" She repeated, but this time she did not scream or shout, she rather spoke it as soft as her heart would let it out.

"What if I didn't move aside?" Kanha raised his brow.

"Kanha......" She slowly let out, returning to her human form as her guilt ridden face made her drop her weapons.

"I-I raised a weapon on-on you....." She cried as Kanha tightly held her.

"It's alright Priya. Afterall, aren't I a lucky man that Mahalakshmi raised a weapon on me, but didn't harm me at all?" Kanha chuckled, wiping her tears as she welcomed herself in his warm embrace.

"I won't leave Mamashree and Bhrata Duryodhan. How, how could they do this? You should've not stopped me Kanha. They were plotting to kill our child." She sobbed.

"Priye.....
The pitcher of their sins is not yet fully filled. There's more to come. And there's more for you to face." He carassed her.

"Wait.... Gauri? Gauri! Where did she go? She was here, wasn't she? She was right here talking and trying to stop me." Dhriti tried finding her.

"Narayan! Narayan! Pranam Mate.
That's what we call destiny. Devi Parvati was not meant to meet you yet.
See how beautifully the fates are turned―
She was Mahakali when you were in your human form. But when she returned back to her original form, Mahadevi Mahalakshmi's krodh prevented you from recognizing her.

Mate, do you remember, Prajapati telling you both that the two of you are not mean to reunite with each other so soon? This is what he was talking about. Its destiny's game, Mate." Narad explained as a smile crept on Kanha's face.

"Let's not forget the fact that Devarshi was afraid of facing Mahalakshmi." Kanha and other two laughed as they walked out of the cave.

"Priya? What happened now? What's bothering you?" Kanha smiled, looking at her as she gently kept a hand on her belly.

"Nothing Kanha..... Its just..... Um it was a pretty exhausting day." She pulled a smiling face as the three of them disappeared to their respective Palace and abode.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Gauri....." Dhriti thought, forcefully shutting her eyes.

"He was the same person who cursed Lakshman." She replied.

"Rishi Durvasa?
What does he have against me Sakhi?" Dhriti kept changing her sides.

"Nothing against you my dear Shri, but he surely keeps testing your devotees their faith in you and the one who fails it, faces his wrath." Gauri corrected.

"But why her?" Dhriti took a deep breath.

"Siya's biggest devotee, she was. That too at such a tender age. I'm sure Devraj Indra would've told him about the 'possible' threat of his Indrasan being snatched away in the form of your Vardan to her." Gauri sarcastically remarked.

"Don't know why, but I feel Indradev would get the returns of all his vanity laden deeds from her. And I would be the proudest person that time." Dhriti smiled.

"You sure would be. But you know what? I'm the proudest person today to see your unparallel strength. I thought my Jagat Kalyani would never take this form. But she did, and not to mention, somewhere it suits you the best.
Those weapons, your kumkum filled forehead, those deep green bangles and that traditional sari." Gauri giggled as Dhriti finally let her body have some peaceful rest.

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xx.