The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2271: Leonidas’ defeat

The Heart of the Root trembled without pause, quaking beneath the force of the colossal battle unfolding within its depths. Vast tides of vitality and core essence were being consumed every instant—either to rebuild the shattered layers or to reforge the wounded Champions and High Lords.

Yet none of that damage compared to what erupted from the clash between the Scarlet King and the Guardian of the Root. Cain was fighting with no restraint from the very beginning, caring nothing for collateral destruction. Why would he? The more devastation the Heart of the Root suffered, the better his chances became.

In the Sixth Layer, one of the Thrones of Ruin—among the mightiest Runic War Avatars—was locked in lone combat against a Champion of the Root. The Throne of Ruin towered like a gargantuan, four-armed demon crowned with three heads, while the Champion of the Root manifested as a colossal humanoid forged of muscle, bone, and corrupting fury.

Even at full power, a Champion of the Root stood at the absolute limit of the ArchDeity Rank, carrying a Gift of the Root itself. That the Runic War Avatar could hold it back alone was staggering, yet reasonable once one understood the core guiding its power.

Inside the Runic War Avatar burned the will of the greatest Runic Master under the Scarlet King—the Sky Sovereign—sharing control seamlessly with Rylanor and Magnus, the sons of the Scarlet King, carrying his Primordial Inheritance and connection to the Flow.

Their eyes glowed in unison as they channeled the forces of World Strength and the Flow into the Throne of Ruin. But even with all that might, the strain of the battle was beginning to show.

In terms of raw strength, they matched the Champion, an amazing feat. But unlike their foe, their wounds did not regenerate, nor did their energy replenish endlessly from the Heart of the Root. Any mistake, any failure could lead to a devastating loss.

Without warning, Magnus’s eyes sharpened, blazing with unprecedented intensity as a silent command surged through the Avatar. The Throne of Ruin exploded with power, burning a massive portion of their remaining energy into a single blow that hurled the Champion of the Root violently to the side.

For a heartbeat, confusion flickered across the Sky Sovereign and Rylanor. The attack had consumed far too much, yet inflicted almost no meaningful damage. But the answer came immediately.

The sky above the Champion of the Root shattered like glass as the Scarlet King descended upon it like a falling star, colliding with such power that the Champion’s body cratered into the ground.

It felt as though an entire world had slammed into its chest, obliterating its internal organs in an instant. Before regeneration could even begin, Cain burst into the sky, the ptneeice of his drive so immense that it tore the chest of the Champion of the Root open.

Cain had not even meant to target the Champion directly—he simply did not have the luxury of caring. Yet the raw magnitude of force behind his movements was so overwhelming that even glancing contact inflicted catastrophic wounds.

The Sky Sovereign and Rylanor understood Magnus’s intent immediately, and without losing even a fraction of a second, they launched themselves forward like meteors, attacking the fallen Champion of the Root with everything they had, determined to prevent it from rising no matter how frantically the Heart of the Root tried to mend it.

Cain did not witness their efforts. His gaze was locked solely upon the Guardian of the Root. Grabbing the abomination by the head, he dragged it across the sky of the Seventh Layer before driving it into a towering spire.

The Scarlet King unleashed a barrage of blows, each punch carrying enough force to shatter moons, each one infused with the corrosive annihilation of Nihility and Entropy along with the Samsara Seal’s Death Energy, scouring the monster’s ego and essence in a frantic attempt to harm its core so thoroughly that it could not be regenerated.

The High Lords battling in the Seventh Layer felt the Guardian’s agony and panic erupted in their minds. They understood better than anyone the overwhelming importance of the Guardian. If it fell—if its core essence was destroyed—there would be no being left capable of protecting the decapitated head from the Scarlet King.

Realizing the danger, every High Lord ignited their essence, burning their own existence to empower themselves, ready to die if that was the price required to allow the Heart of the Root to fulfil its purpose.

Their desperation pushed impossible pressure onto the generals and powerhouses of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe, forcing them far past their natural limits. Soldiers and deities alike shattered their barriers, burning every last thread of potential in their veins. Yet all the determination in the world meant little when one’s body could no longer withstand the burden.

Bael was the first to fall, blasted into the distance and buried beneath collapsing mountains of flesh and bones, leaving Leonidas alone to face the High Lord.

The old warrior unleashed every ounce of might his Late ArchDeity cultivation base could muster, burning life and soul alike through Liberación Total.

Even weakened, the High Lord remained a terror beyond what his realm should have been able to resist. Its decaying force crashed against Leonidas like an ocean of annihilation, and he was struck down, sent crashing into the ground with earth-splitting force.

A horrifying pain shot through his ribs, and blood poured from his mouth, yet the agony in his broken body was nothing compared to what he saw next.

The High Lord surged past him, tearing through the air with speed born of desperation, racing toward the Scarlet King’s exposed back.

Leonidas’s heart froze.

Even if the High Lord could not truly severely injure the Scarlet King, even a heartbeat of distraction in Cain’s battle against the Guardian would be catastrophic. Any interruption—any delay, no matter how small—could become the difference between victory and irrevocable defeat.