The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 1761: The Lord of Ages

Meylin’s eyes widened in disbelief. Though she didn’t possess the brute power of Cain, her attacks—amplified by the Core Sin of Pride—were driven by an unrelenting force, a hunger that cut through even Prima Deity armor as if it were paper. Yet that hand—withered, frail, and unassuming—had caught her blade as if it were nothing but a toy.

It didn’t stop there.

The recoil of the block struck her instantly, a shockwave of energy so dense it ruptured her internal organs and sent her flying backward, blasting through the sky like a ragdoll. Blood splattered the air.

Cain reacted in a flash. He caught Meylin mid-air, placing her behind him, and shielding her with his body. His gaze sharpened, locking onto the figure who had intervened—the one who had saved the Star Man’s life.

It was an old man—frail yet terrifying. His form was a deceptive shell, concealing an ocean of power beneath withered skin and hollow bones. He radiated an oppressive, haunting aura that seemed to carry the weight of eternity itself. His body was thin, almost skeletal, with dark, leathery skin stretched tight over protruding bones. Glowing crimson lines and ancient runes pulsed across his chest and limbs, while faint red light coursed through the barely visible veins beneath his aged skin, as if molten lava replaced his blood.

His eyes—sunken deep within hollow sockets—glowed a searing red, burning with quiet rage and an agony so ancient it felt like the echoes of dying stars. Despite his frail appearance, his gaze held the unyielding will of a cosmic predator—a being who had watched empires rise and fall, a force that would not be caged by time.

Massive black chains, etched with ancient patterns and glowing faintly with crimson energy, coiled around him like living serpents. They wrapped his arms, slithered across his torso, and dragged behind him.

Around him swirled a sinister red-black aura, filled with flickering embers and tendrils of cosmic power, creating the impression of a dying star collapsing into an unstoppable force of destruction. He was a paradox—frailty and devastation entwined, decay and might fused into one terrifying whole.

Cain clenched his fists, his expression darkening as he whispered the name that had been burned into the Sun Lord’s memories.

“The Lord of Ages.”

Recognition sent a cold spike through Cain’s spine. The Lord of Ages was no ordinary figure—he was an ArchDeity, a ruler of the Second Realm of the Crimson World, the sovereign of a vast dominion known as the Eternal Kingdom of Tartarus. This was a being who stood at the apex of the Second Realm’s hierarchy, a force few dared to provoke.

And yet… here he was.

Cain’s mind raced, struggling to comprehend how things had escalated to this point. He knew that his unification of the First Realm would make him enemies—divine patrons of fallen factions would inevitably seek revenge. But the Lord of Ages? He was not one of those patrons, nor was he the type to move for the petty grievances of Prima Deities.

No, this situation was far more complex—there were deeper forces at play, hidden powers moving against him. Cain had his suspicions, but there was no time to dwell on them now.

Survival came first.

The Lord of Ages cast his gaze over Cain, Meylin, and Bahamut—an expression of mild annoyance flickering across his ancient face. Then he turned toward the Star Man, who lay wounded yet unbroken.

“Ahhh… how bothersome,” the ArchDeity muttered with a voice like the grinding of millennia-old stones. His tone was dismissive, as if swatting away insects.

With a single gesture, he raised his hand to the sky.

Instantly, a myriad of chains erupted from his body, streaking toward the heavens at impossible speeds. Each chain carried momentum and force that seemed to defy the boundary of what was possible.

“Run! Now!” Cain’s voice boomed like thunder in Meylin and Bahamut’s minds. “Third Gear!”

Even before the last word echoed, Cain’s eyes ignited with absolute hatred. His heart detonated with power as he launched himself forward, ready to face the ArchDeity’s onslaught head-on.

He knew that even if his body and soul were obliterated, his True Name would ensure his survival—he would return to the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe.

But that return would come at a heavy price.

He would lose everything he had built in the Crimson World—his Neo-Demon Path, his cultivation foundation, the very legacy he had forged with blood and fire. It would be a reset, a devastating loss.

Yet there was no other path.

Behind him, Meylin and Bahamut clenched their fists and claws so tightly that blood began to drip from their palms. A deep, bitter frustration welled in their hearts, but they were not naive. They understood the stakes. They knew Cain was buying them precious seconds to escape—seconds they could not afford to waste.

They prepared to flee, muscles coiled, energy surging.

But then—

“Hmph.”

A sneer echoed across the sky, carrying a divine might that seemed to stretch across the cosmos.

“CRACK!”

With a sound like the shattering of worlds, a wave of multicolored cosmic power erupted, colliding with the Lord of Ages’ chains and shattering them instantly. The broken chains disintegrated into sparks of crimson light as the force surged forward, slamming into the ancient monster and forcing him back. A trail of dark blood dripped from the corner of the ArchDeity’s mouth.

The Lord of Ages frowned, his ancient eyes narrowing in cautious recognition.

Cain, Meylin, and Bahamut turned their gazes upward—and saw her.

She was a celestial sovereign, an embodiment of cosmic majesty and power. Gleaming silver armor, etched with intricate cosmic sigils, adorned her figure, radiating an aura of serene yet terrifying authority. Her luminous white hair flowed like a river of starlight, cascading around her shoulders in a celestial dance.

A crown of horn-like spires blazed atop her head, radiating brilliant blue energy, as if she wore the condensed light of a thousand stars.

Her piercing blue eyes—glowing like twin galaxies—radiated an ageless wisdom and an unshakable resolve. Within their depths burned the fierce, unrelenting will of a guardian who had witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations. She was a force of balance, of creation and destruction intertwined.

Spectral dragons coiled around her, roaring in silent fury, their scales shimmering like liquid crystal. Celestial auras swirled at her feet, and the very air around her shimmered with particles of starstuff, as if the universe itself bent to her presence.

She stood as an embodiment of divine grace and unyielding might, a protector and an executioner in equal measure—destined to command with absolute authority.

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