The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order Chapter 2389 The death of the Scarlet King (II)

"He transferred the killing mark of his soul to mine!"

Realization hit Cain like a bolt from the blue, causing his eyes to bulge in shock. The consequences filled him with dread, transforming the entire predicament into a dire crisis in an instant.

Should he venture beyond this barrier, the Universe Will would unleash a force so immense it could wipe him from existence entirely. This wasn't mere danger—it was an absolute inevitability.

"What should I do...?"

Cain understood he needed to move quickly, with no time left on his side. His life force ebbed away at an alarming pace, every tick of the clock dragging him nearer to certain doom. "Dammit... dammit... dammit!"

In rage, the Scarlet King let out a mighty bellow. Confined within a shattered metropolis, cut off from all allies, with a lethal tempest brewing beyond, and his years slipping by so rapidly that this ruin could easily serve as his final resting place.

No battle prowess or sheer might could resolve this soul-deep affliction. Without a swift resolution, the Scarlet King faced the grim reality of perishing from sheer senescence.

"Anark..."

The name emerged in his thoughts without warning. The True Primordial had once slipped into a suspended state enduring eons—his form preserved while consciousness and essence endured.

Such a method could potentially halt the erosion of his vitality. At minimum, it would buy him time to seek a lasting fix.

Yet exiting this enclosure posed the real challenge.

The furious thunder overhead hammered home the Universe Will's fierce intent to end him. The second he crossed the threshold, cataclysmic trials would pummel him—and Cain wasn't sure if his endurance could hold against them.

"Ao... and Aioro..."

Two additional names rose to the forefront.

These two essentially represented the essence and vitality of the Everstrife Empyrean World. If any force could protect him from the Universe Will's wrath, it would surely be theirs.

Still, that demanded breaching the barrier first.

"And supposing I break free... I haven't a clue about my location. Or the path back to the Everstrife Empyrean World."

A chilling anger ignited in Cain's gaze as he comprehended the depth of Sozing's parting plot.

Trapped within the dome, his form and spirit decayed relentlessly as his life span leaked away. The Universe Will loomed, poised to obliterate him upon any exit. His Dreamwalker gifts lay bound, blocking flight via his True Name. And the cruelest blow—he couldn't tell if those powers would revive at all.

The burden felt overwhelming.

For an instant, the cosmos's full gravity seemed to bear down on him, on the verge of pulverizing him utterly, and with the thunder echoing outside, that sensation rang true.

Yet soon, Cain's gaze hardened with determination.

Determination melted his terror like flames devouring frost.

"This is tough," he said to himself with icy resolve. "But I'll manage. I'll discover a path forward."

Cain had confronted abominations defying comprehension. He had weathered ordeals that would demolish weaker souls irreparably. Repeatedly, he had prevailed through a detached, calculating intellect.

This trial would prove the same.

Turning his focus inward, Cain examined the decay of his life force with merciless accuracy.

"The decline is easing as it advances," he determined. "Like this... I've got seven days until my vitality runs dry."

Seven days.

That span would suffice.

Wasting no further moments, Cain settled into a cultivation stance and started his practice. He ingested all the artifacts in his possession

without a second thought.

Artifacts that would leave Alpha-Omega Overgods green with jealousy were swallowed in sequence. Cain displayed no sentiment, no awe—merely stark pragmatism. Potent surges of might flooded his being as he rebuilt his vigor.

With sufficient essence amassed, he called forth the Scarlet Throne and absorbed Sozing's remains.

Lacking a soul, the flesh offered only pure life force—but in this moment, even that proved invaluable.

Six hours elapsed.

As Cain's eyes fluttered open once more, his might had surged back to a point where he felt assured of enduring the Universe Will's opening onslaughts.

He caught a glimpse of his image.

The view caused his jaw to clench.

His appearance now neared that of a man in his fifties.

No more delays could be afforded.

Cain advanced to the dome's apex and hammered it with colossal might. Vast fissures raced across its face—and this time, the mending lagged behind.

"He spoke the truth, then," Cain grumbled. "With Sozing gone,

the dome stands vulnerable to destruction."

His eyes flared with intensity as he kept assaulting the barrier, halting only when a fragile shell separated him from the furious

bolts overhead.

The Chaos Wings unfurled.

Drawing on his utmost reserves, Cain pushed a slender strand of mental energy through the fissures and past the

dome.

"BOOOOM!"

It endured barely a heartbeat before thunder erased it.

Yet that brief instant sufficed.

Cain's eyes sparkled with insight.

"The essence of life and genesis dominates here... Nothing like it has ever crossed my path. And still—"

His breathing hitched.

"It rings with familiarity."

Delving deeper into the sensation, enlightenment dawned abruptly. A realm concealed at the core of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe emerged from his recollections.

A realm where genesis itself took shape.

A domain of his original emergence... and subsequent exclusion.

"I'm within the World Forge."

A broad grin lit Cain's features.

Should this indeed be the World Forge, then fleeing it and arriving at the

Everstrife Empyrean World wouldn't pose much hurdle.

"Provided I navigate past the Universe Will's tempests, I ought

to..." Cain couldn't complete the thought.

A wave of vertigo overwhelmed his awareness, paired with an insidious dread.

"What's going on...? Where am I...?"

His mind splintered. His senses fogged. Then, as suddenly, clarity returned sharply.

Cain's eyes focused anew.

And then they expanded in terror. Something was unfurling within his consciousness.