The Last Sacrifice of Kalinga: Crushing the Goddess's Harem

Chapter 1: The Scaffold of Kalinga

"Wake up, you trash!" 

A heavy, leather-booted kick slammed into Aristha’s ribs. He gasped, the wind knocked out of him as he rolled onto his side. The metallic, rusted scent of dried blood filled his nose, mixed with the stench of sweat and cheap alcohol. 

"Ow! What the hell?" Aristha groaned, rubbing his side. "Who kicks someone while they're sleeping?!"

"Just shut up and die quietly," a hollow, raspy voice whispered right next to him. "It’s easier that way."

Aristha blinked through the grime and sweat stinging his eyes. Instead of his cozy bedroom ceiling, he was staring at rough, dark wooden planks stained with deep crimson patches. 

"Wait... wood? Chains?" He tried to move his hands, but a loud, heavy metallic clank cut through the air. Thick iron bindings pinned his wrists to the wooden block. "Why am I chained up? Who are you?"

"Are you really going to act like you've lost your memory now?" The woman beside him let out a weak, dry laugh. 

Aristha turned his head. Even matted with dirt and dried blood, her long black hair couldn't hide her striking, sharp features. She wore tattered royal silk, her dark eyes completely hollow, staring blankly down at a large wicker basket sitting beneath the edge of the platform.

"Wait. No way," Aristha muttered, his heart hammering against his ribs. "You're... Ni Luh Putu Gayatri?"

"Who else would be lying on an execution scaffold next to you?" she whispered, her voice devoid of any hope. "Just accept it, Aristha. We lost. Today, we pay."

"We lost? Execution?" Aristha's mind raced. He looked at his own hands—they were rough, calloused, and definitely not his own. "This is... Kalinga? The public plaza?"

"Yes, you idiot," she sighed, closing her eyes. "Our execution. Enjoy the view while you still have a head to look with."

"No, no, no! This is impossible!" Aristha yanked desperately against the heavy iron chains. The metal bit into his skin, but the locks didn't budge. "I was just reading... my sister's favorite w******l before I passed out. The Saga of the Divine Sword. I'm Aristha? The throwaway extra who dies in the very first chapter just to show how cruel the royal family is?!"

"Shut up!" a guard barked, slamming the shaft of his spear onto the wooden planks right next to Aristha's ear. "No talking on the scaffold, traitor scum!"

"Look up there," Aristha whispered, completely ignoring the guard as he stared at the towering stone balcony overlooking the plaza. "Is that..."

"Citizens of Kalinga!" a booming, arrogant voice echoed across the crowded square, amplified by spiritual energy. 

"Ah," Gayatri murmured, her eyes opening just a fraction. "Your favorite prince has arrived."

"Anak Agung Gede Rama," Aristha hissed, recognizing the handsome, gold-clad man waving to the cheering crowd. "And the girl next to him... that's the Holy Maiden, Sita?"

"Yes. The golden couple," Gayatri spat, a brief, venomous flash of hatred crossing her pale face before fading back into apathy. "The ones who framed us. The ones who get to live happily ever after while we rot."

"Rama!" Aristha shouted toward the balcony, his voice straining. "Hey! You got the wrong guy! I'm just an extra! I didn't do anything!"

"Save your breath," Gayatri said, her head dropping back onto the block. "The crowd can't hear you over their own screaming. They want a show."

"Behold the end of the traitors!" Prince Rama shouted from above, raising a hand clad in glowing golden armor. "Today, we purge the poison from our great kingdom! Let their blood wash away the sins of the past!"

"Kill them! Cut off their heads!" the crowd below roared, throwing rotten vegetables and small stones toward the stage. 

"Man, these background characters have absolutely no chill," Aristha muttered, a cold sweat dripping down his temple. "Hey, Gayatri. How much time do we actually have?"

"About a minute," she said quietly. "The executioner just picked up his weapon."

"A minute? No, no, no! I just got here! I can't die in chapter one!" Aristha pulled frantically at his chains, his mind screaming. "There has to be a cheat! A system! Come on! Status! Open menu! Golden finger, help me out here!"

"What are you babbling about?" Gayatri frowned, looking at him as if he had truly lost his mind. "Are you praying to the gods? Save it. They aren't listening."

`[System: Checking host soul compatibility...]`

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed directly inside Aristha's head. A translucent golden screen flickered into his vision, hovering just inches from his nose.

"Yes! I knew it!" Aristha let out a frantic laugh. "I'm the main character! I have a cheat!"

"He's definitely gone mad," Gayatri muttered, turning her head away. "At least he won't feel the blade."

`[System: Taksu System successfully initialized. Current Level: 1.]`

`[System: Warning. Host is currently in a 'Fatal Crisis' state. Escaping physical bindings is required.]`

"No kidding, System!" Aristha yelled in his mind. "How do I break these chains? Give me a strength buff! Super speed! Anything!"

`[System: Current spiritual energy (Prana) is zero. Cannot perform any system actions.]`

"Zero? You've got to be kidding me!" Aristha stared at the screen in disbelief. "Then how do I get energy?!"

`[System: The Taksu System can siphon and absorb spiritual energy from nearby high-grade antiques, sacred weapons, or spiritual relics. Please locate a source.]`

"A source? Where am I going to find an antique on an execution block?!" Aristha’s eyes darted frantically around the bare wooden platform. 

Heavy, slow footsteps creaked on the wooden stage. A giant of a man, wearing a dark leather mask that covered his entire face except for his eyes, stepped onto the platform. In his hands, he carried a long, wavy dagger. The blade shimmered with an eerie, dark purple light that seemed to swallow the morning sun.

"The executioner's blade," Gayatri whispered, her body trembling slightly. "The Naga Sastra. A royal relic. He's using it so we can't even reincarnate."

"A royal relic?!" Aristha's eyes locked onto the glowing wavy dagger. "System! Is that a high-grade weapon?"

`[System: Scan complete. Target: 'Naga Sastra Keris'. Grade: Earth-Rank Spiritual Relic. Energy level: Extremely High. Do you wish to absorb?]`

"Yes! Absolutely! Do it now!" Aristha shouted in his mind.

`[System: Target must be within a one-meter radius to initiate 'Taksu Siphon'. Current distance: Three meters.]`

"Three meters? That means I have to let him get closer!" Aristha swallowed hard, staring at the massive executioner. "He's literally coming to cut my head off!"

"Are you ready, boy?" the executioner growled, his voice deep and muffled behind the leather mask. He stopped right in front of Aristha, raising the glowing keris high above his shoulder.

"Wait! Hold on a second!" Aristha yelled, staring up at him.

"Any last words, trash?" the executioner sneered, adjusting his grip on the hilt.

"Yeah, actually," Aristha said, forcing a nervous, trembling grin. "Can you... step a bit closer? I think my neck is at a weird angle. I don't want you to miss and make it messy."

The executioner blinked behind his mask. "I don't miss, kid."

"No, seriously, look," Aristha insisted, stretching his neck out as far as the chains would allow. "The iron collar is pinching me. Just come a bit closer and check the alignment. Let a dying guy have some dignity."

"You're a weird one," the executioner grunted. But he took a heavy step forward, positioning himself directly over Aristha, the glowing purple blade hovering just inches from Aristha's neck.

`[System: Target is now within 0.8 meters. Spiritual energy absorption is available.]`

"Do it! Drain that thing dry!" Aristha screamed in his mind.

`[System: Beginning absorption of 'Naga Sastra' spiritual energy...]`

Suddenly, the vibrant purple glow on the wavy dagger began to flicker. 

"What the...?" the executioner muttered, staring down at his weapon. "Why is the blade turning gray?"

"Hey, what's taking so long?" Prince Rama shouted from the balcony, leaning over the railing with a frown. "Executioner! Swing the blade already!"

"My Prince, the relic... it's losing its power!" the executioner shouted back, panic creeping into his muffled voice. "It's getting incredibly heavy!"

"What do you mean it's losing power? It's an Earth-Rank relic!" Rama roared, his face twisting in anger. "Just cut his head off!"

"I... I can't!" the executioner yelled, trying to force his arms down. But the dagger felt as though it were made of solid lead, dragging his hands toward the floor. "It's draining my own energy!"

`[System: Siphoning... 50%... 80%... 100%.]`

`[System: Siphon complete. Acquired 5,000 Prana points. Upgrading host's physical body to 'Spiritual Apprentice' realm.]`

A sudden surge of violent heat exploded in Aristha's chest. The weakness in his limbs vanished, replaced by a raw, thrumming power that made his veins burn.

"Oh, baby," Aristha grinned, his eyes glowing with a faint crimson light. "That is the stuff."

"Aristha?" Gayatri whispered, staring at him in utter shock. "What is that light coming from you?"

"Hey, Gayatri," Aristha said, his voice now steady and remarkably calm. "Do you still want to die today?"

"What?" she blinked, her voice shaking. "Of course not, but—"

"Then hold on tight," Aristha laughed. "System! Force release!"

`[System: Activating 'Taksu Aura: Crimson Shockwave'. Cost: 1,000 Prana.]`

BOOM!

A violent, blinding crimson shockwave erupted from Aristha's body. 

The heavy iron chains binding his wrists shattered into a hundred jagged shards, flying outward like shrapnel. 

"Argh!" the executioner screamed as the blast sent his massive body flying backward off the stage, the now-powerless Naga Sastra keris snapping cleanly in half as it clattered onto the stone floor.

"What is happening down there?!" Prince Rama screamed from the balcony, shielding his eyes from the blinding red light. "Guards! Secure the platform! Don't let them escape!"

The entire plaza erupted into absolute chaos. Dust, debris, and red smoke billowed everywhere, completely obscuring the platform from the crowd's view. 

"My head..." Gayatri groaned, her weak, unchained body collapsing sideways.

Aristha caught her before she could hit the hard wooden planks. He scooped her up in his arms, his newly enhanced muscles carrying her weight with ease. 

"I told you," Aristha whispered, looking down at her wide, bewildered eyes as he stepped toward the edge of the smoke-filled platform. "We're not dying in chapter one."

With a grin, he leaped off the scaffold and dove directly into the screaming, panicked crowd.