The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order Chapter 2388 The death of the Scarlet King (I)

Cain ground his teeth together and lifted his fists, bracing for yet another clash. Though utterly drained and severely injured, none of that mattered. He had faced fights like this before, after exhausting every bit of his power, and just as in those previous struggles, triumph would be his at any cost!

"No need for that. There won't be any more combat."

That voice didn't originate from the massive phantom overhead, but rather from Sozing's own spirit.

The ghostly form of the Immortal Knight floated over the destroyed city, a subtle grin playing on his lips as he scanned the broken avenues below, then shifted his focus to the Scarlet King.

"This spot was supposed to serve as our fortress," Sozing stated evenly. "A base for an upcoming conquest through the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe. Nobody from the Third Realm ought to have breached it... yet we got awfully damn near."

Real delight tinged his tone, bordering on satisfaction, while he took in the widespread ruin. Still, Cain stayed on high alert, not easing up in the slightest. His posture held steady, senses pushed to the max, seizing every instant to regain any strength possible.

Sozing observed this and merely gave a casual shrug.

"Carry on however you like. The fight has ended," he went on. "I arrived ready to perish, yet also set to overcome you. Victory could have come either by wiping you out directly... or through my defeat and triggering my ultimate measure."

At those words, Sozing directed his stare at the enormous Reaper-shaped entity towering overhead, his expression icy and unrelenting, poised to carry out its purpose.

"I genuinely desired a straight-up victory over you," he confessed, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "But I guess the remainder falls to Kazo."

Determination and achievement gleamed in the Immortal Knight's ethereal gaze as he glanced back at Cain with a brilliant smile.

"Should an afterlife exist," Sozing murmured gently, "I wish we cross paths once more. This has been the greatest thrill in a billion years for me."

Cain's gut instincts blared warnings more intensely than ever.

This wasn't the typical alert of imminent battle, but a profound, instinctual dread—one signaling he stood on the brink of utter disaster. Every part of him screamed to escape.

The Scarlet King retreated one step.

Yet prior to a second move, Sozing's voice rang out once more—this time bellowing with all the remaining force in his dissolving soul, his last declaration booming through the shadowed metropolis.

"Kazo, King of Death! Claim our souls as offerings—and guarantee the downfall of the foe from the Tenth Empyrean World!"

"BOOOOM!"

In under a second, the King of Death pulverized the trio of souls—Sozing, Bako, and Hako—within his gigantic grasp. Their core shattered effortlessly.

As Kazo spread his fingers once more, a shadowy dagger lay nestled there.

Without advancing an inch or showing any motion, the King of Death drove the weapon ahead.

In that instant, time within the shadowed city halted.

The dagger materialized right in front of Cain's torso.

His eyes bulged wide. His spirit bellowed in resistance.

Yet evasion proved impossible.

All he could do was witness the dagger's point penetrate his chest. Indescribable torment erupted across his entire form.

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This wasn't bodily suffering—it felt like his soul itself was being warped, crumpled, and pulverized from the inside.

"DING!"

A chime like a bell resounded while the dagger plunged further.

Cain parted his lips, yet silence followed.

"DING!"

Yet another chime rang out. The dagger had embedded halfway.

The Scarlet King's gaze filled with crimson. He balled his hands so tightly that blood trickled from his grip.

"DING!"

The last chime reverberated.

The dagger fully disappeared into Cain's form. Moments after, the hilt broke apart into shards, and the weapon dissolved from within the

Scarlet King's frame.

The King of Death let go, shut his eyes, and dissolved—signaling the Curse Eaters' conclusion.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Noise flooded back into the shadowed city as Cain howled with all his might.

His frame convulsed wildly on the fractured earth, thrashing like a fish flopping on dry shore, as excruciating torment tore through him without mercy. This suffering eclipsed every ordeal he'd known—agony so total it nearly broke his resolve completely.

Cain had endured unspeakable terrors many times over, but

this stood apart.

This torment struck at the heart of his essence.

Were it not for his latest transformation—and the profound stabilizing force of

his True Name—his sense of self and spirit would have disintegrated utterly,

obliterated by the anguish.

Minutes dragged on.

Gradually, kindly, the torment started to ebb.

Once it fully receded, Cain sprawled still on the broken terrain, soaked in icy perspiration. His form twitched now and then, echoes

of suffering coursing through.

A few more minutes elapsed before he could stand.

The instant he rose, Cain sensed something terribly amiss.

The initial clue stood out clearly.

He lifted his hand—and went rigid.

It appeared aged.

With a scowl, Cain summoned a tiny mirror. Seeing his image, his eyes flared in disbelief.

He appeared around forty years old.

As a True Primordial, his life spanned eternity. His appearance should have stayed forever young.

But now, he sensed it—his lifespan flickering, draining in a manner utterly unlike standard vitality.

And differing from his life force, this depletion seemed irreversible.

"What has he done to me...?"

Cain shifted his sight to Sozing's remains far off.

Drawing in a deep breath, he turned his awareness inside and probed his spirit.

Terror widened his eyes.

The King of Death's dagger had stabbed the innermost part of his soul— the most profound, untainted part of his being—and corrupted it in a manner Cain couldn't fathom.

"THUMP!"

A abrupt glow pulsed overhead the barrier.

Cain's head jerked up as enlightenment hit him like a bolt.

The rumbling outside the barrier no longer aimed at the Immortal

Knight from the Tenth Empyrean World.

Now, it targeted him.