Opening his pain-clouded eyes within the depths of the spike-filled pit, Rostam beheld the sneering face of his half-brother Shaghad looking down upon him. In that moment of agonizing clarity, the Champion realized the depth of the betrayal. He warned the traitor that his son Faramarz would surely exact a merciless retribution, but Shaghad merely gloated, proclaiming that fate had finally caught up with the invincible hero and that no longer would Kabul bow or pay tribute to Zabulistan.
Soon, the hypocritical King of Kabul arrived, offering hollow tears and promising to fetch doctors to heal the hero. Rostam rebuffed his deceitful words with disdain, knowing his hour had arrived. He reflected on the inescapable nature of mortality, recalling how even Jamshid, crowned with royal glory, was sawn in two by Zahhak, and how immortal kings like Fereydun, Kay Qobad, and the innocent Siyavash had all surrendered to the cold earth. Death was the ultimate equalizer for all lions of Iran.
Yet, the hero's fiery spirit burned bright even as his physical life ebbed away. Rostam devised a final strategy. He asked Shaghad to string his mighty bow and lay it before him alongside two arrows, claiming he needed to defend his broken body from prowling wild beasts. Deceived by Rostam's bloody state, Shaghad strung the bow with a mocking laugh and set it down. But as soon as Rostam took hold of the weapon, Shaghad was struck with terror and fled behind a massive, ancient plane tree whose trunk was hollow.
Rostam, gathering the very last reserve of his legendary strength, drew the bowstring back to his ear. With a thunderous release, the arrow flew straight through the trunk of the plane tree, pinning the treacherous Shaghad to the wood inside. As Shaghad groaned and died, Rostam turned his gaze toward the heavens. He praised Yazdan, the Divine Almighty, expressing profound gratitude that he had been granted the strength to enact righteous vengeance upon his murderer before his breath departed. With those faithful words, the great spirit of Rostam left his body, while in a neighboring pit, his brother Zavareh also succumbed, leaving the realm in devastating mourning.