1 Chapter 1 : The Emperor of Heaven is not worthy

"Indra, Emperor of Heaven!"

"You have offended the Trimurti. I curse you and all the gods!"

"Wealth, honor, luxury, divine power, everything you pride yourself on will leave you, and you will lose your rule over the three realms!"

A thunderous roar shook the heavens.

Boom!

Black clouds churned, and thunder rolled like a serpent in floodwaters, foretelling the terror of this curse.

Swish!

Indra opened his eyes, awakened from his slumber, wearing a weary expression.

"Another nightmare!"

He surveyed the dim and desolate temple. The once magnificent temple lay in ruins, golden pillars turned to decayed wood, brilliant lamps now tarnished bronze, and even his shining divine armor reduced to tattered rags.

All this was due to the curse of the mendicant sage!

"Why am I so unlucky!"

"Of all the characters in Hindu mythology, why did I have to become Indra, the king of gods?"

"Indra... even a dog could pee on his head!!"

Indra propped his chin with one hand, sitting on a throne now covered with straw, feeling melancholic.

In Hindu mythology,

Brahma creates the world, Vishnu sustains it, and Shiva destroys it; together, they form the cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction, known as the Trimurti.

Indra and other gods are descendants of Brahma.

The mendicant sage is an incarnation of Shiva, the destroyer god, possessing powerful curse abilities.

The incident started when Shiva gifted the mendicant sage a garland of flowers, a symbol of auspiciousness.

Shiva told the sage to give the garland to the bravest deity. Thinking Indra deserved the title, the sage came to the heavenly realm to present it to him.

But finding the heavenly realm desolate and the gods indulging, the sage became furious.

He angrily sought out Indra.

Indra asked his mount, the white elephant, to catch the garland. But the elephant not only failed to catch it but also trampled on it accidentally.

Enraged, the sage cursed the gods to lose their wealth and power!

Indra's divine power gradually waned, and it was at this moment that he crossed over into this situation, merging with his character.

"The mendicant sage's curse is too strong. Now the gods have greatly weakened."

"The Asuras may attack the heavenly realm!"

"We need a plan!"

Indra frowned, pondering.

Finally, he pushed himself up from the straw-covered throne and walked out of the palace.

Woo~

The low trumpeting of an elephant resonated.

Airavata, the six-tusked white elephant, came forward. He knelt, extending his trunk to Indra's feet, indicating for him to climb on.

"My poor little elephant!"

"Forget it, you've been cursed too by the mendicant sage. You can't fly anymore. I'll ride you to the mortal realm later!"

Indra patted Airavata's trunk, sighing.

A mount that can't fly is better off left alone.

He feared falling from the heavens!

Airavata wagged his trunk, eyes watery, nodding in understanding.

Indra nodded, then looked into the distance, through endless space, toward the distant heavens, and flew towards the Sun Temple.

He decided to seek Surya, the Sun God!

His good friend!

At the beginning of creation, Brahma first produced six great sages, followed by the birth of Daksha and Aditi. Daksha and Aditi bore fifty daughters.

The eldest daughter of Daksha, Aditi, and the second daughter, Danu, was married to the same person.

That person was one of the six great sages, Kashyapa Muni.

The eldest and second daughters bore many Asuras; the third daughter bore many gods.

Indra and Surya are the sons of Kashyapa Muni and Aditi.

Whoosh!

Indra's divine power is greatly diminished now, but fortunately, all the gods are in the heavenly realm. He finally reached the Sun Temple before his power completely drained.

The Sun Temple shines the brightest in the heavenly realm, but now it was pitch black, like a house made of coal.

Many attendants of Surya, the gods, sat under the palace eaves like beggars.

Indra swept his eyes and entered the Sun Temple.

"Indra, you're here!" 

Indra looked up to see a figure as black as coal sitting on a stone throne. He was tall, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot, his features indistinguishable, far from his former handsome appearance.

Surya, the Sun God!

Hmm!

This is an eclipse.

When there's a cosmic anomaly, the radiant body of the Sun God Surya turns black, becoming a small black figure.

Indra wasn't surprised.

But...

Indra looked at Surya, who sat firmly, with a slight frown.

"Even if I'm not the King of the Gods, I'm still your brother. Aren't you going to stand up to talk?"

Indra asked.

Surya remained silent for a while before replying.

"I forgot how to walk."

At the words, Indra was momentarily speechless. It wasn't a problem; this guy works every day, spreading light to the mortal world on his Sun chariot. He can't possibly walk.

"I have to drive the chariot now, and it's tiring. What do you want?"

Surya complained.

"Now the gods are cursed, losing their divine power, weak. The Asuras will likely attack the heavenly realm!"

Indra said solemnly.

The Asuras and the gods are both children of Kashyapa Muni.

But the Asuras live in the barren underworld and have always resented the gods' residence in the prosperous heavenly realm. Now that the gods are weakened, the Asuras will surely make their move and lead their army into the heavenly realm.

Surya's expression changed, panic evident on his black face.

"What should we do?"

"We don't even have the strength to lift weapons now. If the Asuras attack, won't we be completely defeated?"

Surya panicked.

Indra raised an eyebrow.

He wasn't particularly interested in the position of King of the Gods.

Mainly, he didn't want to end up as a prisoner. It wouldn't be good if the Asuras killed him!

The famous churning of the Ocean of Milk hasn't begun in Hindu mythology, the nectar of immortality hasn't been obtained by the gods yet, and without drinking it, the gods won't be immortal.

If they die now, it will be real death!

"I have a plan!"

Indra's face tightened as he pointed at Surya, contemplating.

"Let's engage in asceticism, together! We'll share the hardship!"

"Asceticism? That's a plan!"

Surya nodded.

In this world, suffering is limited.

If gods and Asuras endure far beyond the limit, great merit will be earned, and powerful ascetic power will be born. This power is enough to shake the world and cause imbalance.

Gods must bestow blessings on ascetics, granting them great power, to calm this ascetic power and maintain the world's balance.

This blessing comes from the laws of the world

 and can even surpass the power of the gods themselves.

At this moment, Indra raised his hand, pointing towards the realm of Brahma.

"From now on, I, Indra, will undergo asceticism with Surya. I, Indra, will not drink alcohol, sit on a throne, wear magnificent divine clothes, dwell in a splendid temple, squander wealth, revel in luxury, or ride a mount!"

"I won't covet the position. Whoever wants the title of King of the Gods, I'll give it to him."

Indra spoke solemnly.

Surya stood up abruptly, his eyes widening in shock as he looked at Indra.

He's playing big!

"You're crazy! This is the position of King of the Gods. You're doing asceticism like this!"

Surya staggered to his feet, gaping in amazement.

Indra couldn't help but chuckle.

The King of the Gods!

Even a dog doesn't want it!

(End of this chapter)