Filled with righteous indignation to avenge his father Abtin, Fereydun raised his head to the heavens and tightly girded his waist for battle. On the auspicious day of Khordad, beneath a world-brightening star, the young king set forth. A vast army gathered at his gates, accompanied by cart-hauling elephants and heavy buffaloes laden with provisions. At his side marched his brothers, Kiyanush and Purmayeh, acting as loyal and devoted lieutenants. Stage by stage, Fereydun advanced like a roaring wind—his mind set upon retribution and his heart aflame with justice. He directed his march toward the great Arvand River—known in the Pahlavi tongue as Arvand and in Arabic as the Tigris—until his vanguard reached the banks of the river at Baghdad, poised to strike at the heart of Zahhak's demonic realm.