The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2391: The death of the Scarlet King (IV)

”I need to return to them.”

Cain clenched his teeth, his eyes burning with determination. Without wasting a single second, he returned to his cultivation.

The following days passed in a relentless blur. Cain used every moment of sanity he retained to focus on recovery, pouring everything he had into stabilizing his power and restoring his strength. Unfortunately, the older he became, the more frequently the curse acted. Each episode stole away his ability to reason, tearing his thoughts apart and leaving him wandering without purpose.

The only silver lining was that those periods granted his mind and soul a strange state of tranquility. After all, one could not worry about anything if there was nothing left in the mind to worry with.

Even so, the curse slowed his progress far more than expected.

Finally, on the sixth day, Cain succeeded.

His power surged back to its peak—his strength equal to, or perhaps even surpassing, what he had wielded during the battle with the Curse Eater. His aura stabilized, dense and terrifying, carrying the authority of a true Primordial.

Yet the Scarlet King’s appearance told a completely different story.

Just a week ago, Cain had been a young man in the prime of his life, his face flawless and his presence overwhelming. Now, he looked like a man in his eighties. Deep wrinkles marked his skin, his hair had turned gray, and the weight of time clung to his body.

”Luckily, old age hasn’t affected my battle power yet,” Cain muttered, his voice rough. ”But that will change soon.”

Taking a deep breath, he gazed toward the dimension beyond the dome.

”It’s now or never.”

Like a scarlet shooting star, Cain shot upward. He reached the ceiling of the dome and shattered a hole straight through it, plunging into the darkness beyond.

Instantly, massive arcs of yellow lightning surged toward him, the power of the Universe Will raging in his direction, eager to kill him, as it considered the Scarlet King one of the entities that had defied its rules eons ago.

This time, Cain was prepared.

His hands glowed with golden lightning as he activated Diverge, sending the strongest arcs flying away from his path. The remaining lightning crashed into his body, but Cain endured it with sheer durability.

Even a body capable of putting late Alpha-Omega Overgod armor to shame burned under the crushing might of the Universe Will when it targeted something marked for destruction. Still, the Scarlet King clenched his teeth and continued forward.

Every step he took was a step closer to salvation.

Closer to his family.

Closer to his friends.

He would not let anything stand in his way.

The lightning grew faster and more erratic, striking from every direction and carrying wildly shifting frequencies. Soon, it became too chaotic for Cain to analyze and neutralize using the Flow.

”ARGHHH!”

Cain roared as he bathed his arms in Zero-State Force and began blasting the lightning head-on. Raw force clashed against cosmic authority as explosions ripped through the darkness.

”BOOM!” ”BOOM!” ”BOOM!”

Shockwaves of Zero-State Force surged in all directions as Cain forced his way forward. Blood scattered into the void as the lightning tore into him, while purple flames constantly regenerated his ruined flesh.

The entire journey became an agonizing trial.

Still, Cain did not slow down—not even for a second.

He ignored the pain.

He ignored the agony.

All that mattered was reaching the other side.

”BOOOOM!”

A bolt of lightning slammed directly into his face, burning away half of it in an instant. Yet even then, a smile crept across Cain’s lips.

He could feel it.

The boundary of the dimension.

”A few more seconds,” Cain thought. ”And I’ll be out of the World Forge and back in the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe.”

The moment that thought crossed his mind, his eyes shook.

Then the sharpness vanished.

Focus drained from his gaze, replaced by confusion and disorientation.

He no longer understood what was happening.

”BOOM!”

The Universe Will did not care.

Yellow lightning erupted from every direction, crashing into Cain’s body without mercy. Screams of agony tore from his throat as his confusion deepened. He didn’t know why he was being attacked. He didn’t know what he had done wrong.

He only knew pain.

Panicking, Cain looked around desperately, searching for somewhere—anywhere—to escape. His gaze locked onto the dark city below.

Without understanding why, he fled.

He flashed back toward the dark city, away from the edge of the dimension, lightning continuing to tear into his body. His condition worsened with every second, but just before he completely broke, Cain crossed the threshold.

The dome sealed behind him.

The lightning vanished.

Cain collapsed onto the ground, his body trembling violently. He stared at the raging sky above, breathing heavily, his eyes filled with distress.

Slowly, clarity returned.

The confusion faded.

What replaced it was rage.

Frustration.

Horror.

”DAMMIT!”

Cain slammed his fists into the ground, the impact sending cracks racing through the metal beneath him. His roar echoed across the dark city.

”I was so damn close!”

His heart pounded wildly as despair threatened to overwhelm him.

That had been his chance.

His only chance.

There was no way he could recover enough strength to face the Universe Will again—not before old age eroded his existence entirely.

”I... lost.”

Cain’s breathing grew heavier, more erratic, his thoughts spiraling as he searched desperately for another path.

There was none.

”I’m going to die.”

As a Dreamwalker, the fear of death had not threatened Cain for a very long time. Even before that, he had been prepared to face it.

But this wasn’t just about him.

If he perished here, Leonidas would die.

Amon would die.

Abel would die.

The Scarlet Stars would fade, their power extinguished.

The Nine Empyrean Suns Alliance would be left alone to face the World of the Root.

And that was a battle they would not win.

Cain lowered his head, his fists trembling as the weight of that realization crushed down on him.