The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (147)
Soon after Pancasona had departed, Rahwana lost all his power and fell to the ground. He looked helpless and exhausted. His body shrank back to what he had been.
"Who are you?" asked Rahwana.
"You need not ask who I am. I have come to avenge the lives of those who died at your hands.”
The reproach immediately caused the remaining legions of the Maespati army erupt in cheers of joy, glorifying the name of their king. Their hope was restored.
Rahwana realized he was facing Prabu Arjunasasrabahu.
"Here you are, the King of Maespati that I have been seeking. If only you had arrived earlier to meet me, there wouldn’t be so many fallen victims. I want to know if you are indeed the powerful king of kings as is exalted everywhere," Rahwana challenged in a loud voice.
"Let us fight, Rahwana, if you truly do not value your own life," said Prabu Arjunasasrabahu.
Also read:
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (146)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (145)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (144)
Prabu Arjunasasrabahu and Rahwana readied to fight. The battle between the soldiers of Alengka and Maespati came to a halt once again. They were eager to witness which of the two would emerge as the most powerful.
The two giants approached each other, their steps making the earth swell. The hills trembled as they shouted in fury. They launched attacks on each other and no one could predict who would emerge as the victor. Prabu Arjunasasrabahu took the first opportunity to slam Rahwana down into the ground, hard. But as soon as he kissed the earth, Rahwana was immediately back on his feet. It dismayed the Maespati king, though it turned out that he could easily lift Rahwana, the enormous giant. He threw Rahwana high into the air and the giant crashed down to earth. Everyone thought Rahwana was dead, but thanks to his Pancasona magic, he was still alive and unscathed.
Prabu Arjunasasrabahu once again exerted his power by lifting Rahwana's body, then smashing him into a nearby mountain. The giant hit the rocks and appeared to fall apart. But it turned out that he remained intact, and as soon as he hit the ground, Rahwana attacked his enemy fiercely. Prabu Arjunasasrabahu lifted Rahwana into the air before hurling him down. As the giant crashed onto the ground, he launched another attack, stomping on it with all his might. Rahwana groaned in pain and his body fell apart. But it happened again: The dismembered limbs reattached instantly and Rahwana came back to life.
Hey, Arjunasasrabahu, even as a mighty giant you can't beat me. How on earth are you going to fight me as a small creature?
The two giants continued their fierce battle as if it would never end. The following exchange saw them battling with weapons. Rahwana spat sharp daggers from his mouth. Prabu Arjunasasrabahu brandished swords, no less blazing, from his palms. The daggers and swords clashed, leaving them all shattered to disappear without a trace. They later launched their maces at each other. Thousands of maces swirled into the air, light flashing as they clashed and fell into pieces.
If this continued, when would the battle between these two giants ever end?
As Prabu Arjunasasrabahu was starting to lose his wits about how to defeat Rahwana, it suddenly came to him that he had to forgo being a giant and revert back into an ordinary human being. So, in front of Rahwana, who remained as a huge and towering giant, he became a small creature, one that could certainly be trampled to death.
"Hey, Arjunasasrabahu, even as a mighty giant you can't beat me. How on earth are you going to fight me as a small creature?" Rahwana snapped.
“I want to fight you as a knight, not as a giant. Even if I am to die, I will die a warrior. I don't want to die a giant," said Prabu Arjunasasrabahu. He spoke out of his remorse that as a giant, he had caused the deaths of so many people, including those he loved. His enormous form had wrought disaster. He felt he had to forfeit that form, hoping that by becoming a human being, he could atone for his guilt, even if he had to die.
"You underestimate me, Arjunasasrabahu! You will have it, if you really want to die a knight!” Rahwana growled angrily. He lifted his foot to stamp out the small creature beneath him.
In that moment, Prabu Arjunasasrabahu realized this mighty giant could be defeated only by dismantling his inner power. He knew how to make that power diminish on its own. So, Prabu Arjunasasrabahu was on guard,a his Nagarante weapon at the ready. It was actually his least powerful weapon, because it could be wielded only when he was in his human form. The weapon would not work if he tried to use it in his giant form. He now turned to it to destroy Rahwana. As Rahwana moved to stomp on him, he released Nagarante.
It shot out as a flying chain that chased after Rahwana to entangle him. The giant tried to dodge it, but the chain grabbed his body. He tried to flee it, but the chain continued to chase him. Even when he flew into the air, the chain flew after him like a dragon. It caught him. Rahwana shook it off and thought he was free from the crazy chain. In fact, it was still around to entangle him once more. The chain played with Rahwana, letting him go one moment, only to capture him yet again. Wherever Rahwana flew, it followed like a dragon, its eyes following Rahwana’s every move.
Also read:
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (143)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (142)
Why didn't the dragon chain wrap tightly around Rahwana so he could no longer move, wondered those watching from below, observing how the chain seemed content to merely keep Rahwana at bay. It then showed how Rahwana would be defeated. He was growing exhausted from the chain chasing him persistently.
His body weakened, even though it was not injured at all. He doubted whether he could keep up his strength as his body grew fatigued. He thought even if he did live, he would not survive for long from extreme weariness. Or, what was the point of living through exhaustion? Losing confidence, he felt the powerful Pancasona spell desert him.
Indeed, Pancasona would only remain with someone who wanted to live. Pancasona would leave, either temporarily or forever, if its vessel lost all hope of living due to boredom or exhaustion.
Soon after Pancasona had departed, Rahwana lost all his power and fell to the ground. He looked helpless and exhausted. His body shrank back to what he had been, because he was no longer able to hold on to his supernatural power. His body was imprisoned by the power of the Nagarante chain, which bound him so tightly he could no longer move.
This article was translated by Musthofid.