The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order Chapter 2681: Beyond the Apex (I)
Previously on The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order...
When Meylin saw the Incarnation turn around, she immediately followed its gaze.
Her eyes struggled to pierce the burning purple plasma that still covered the ruins of the continent. The energy was so dense that even her perception, strengthened by the Flow, could barely see through it.
Fortunately, the flames began to fade.
Slowly, the terrifying radiance receded, revealing the devastation left behind.
The beam had scorched the earth to its very foundation. The ground had melted into a sea of glowing glass, while every vertical structure across the continent had been completely annihilated. Mountains, cities, formations, and ancient buildings had all disappeared.
There was absolutely nothing left.
Nothing...
Except for a golden lotus.
Thirty-three enormous leaves surrounded the center of the flower, each one glowing with a gentle radiance that stood in stark contrast to the destruction surrounding it.
Inside the lotus were two figures.
One of them was the Arch-Nephilim.
More than half of his body had been scorched. Flesh had been burned away, bone was exposed, and portions of his armor had melted under the overwhelming power of the Samsara Force. His condition was so terrible that he could barely stand, much less perform any advanced technique involving the Flow.
The one responsible for that miracle was an imposing figure standing beside him.
Silver stars floated around its head like a majestic crown, illuminating the interior of the Golden Lotus.
The second figure was none other than the Primordial Body of the Scarlet King.
When the purple beam had engulfed the Arch-Nephilim, the damage had been so overwhelming that the body had been almost completely crippled. There had been no time to defend against it, and even the extraordinary durability of the Arch-Nephilim had been insufficient.
But at the very last instant, Cain had used the Flow to connect his True Name with his Primordial Body.
Through that connection, he had forcibly summoned the Primordial Body from the stronghold.
The process had consumed an enormous amount of life force, but it had succeeded.
The Primordial Body had reached the Arch-Nephilim in time, rescued it from the center of the beam, and wrapped both bodies inside the Golden Lotus moments before the Samsara Force detonated.
When Meylin realized Cain was still alive, her heart skipped a beat.
The joy that surged through her chest at seeing the man she loved still breathing was immense.
But that happiness lasted only for a moment.
Her eyes quickly focused on the two bodies, and concern replaced her joy.
The Arch-Nephilim Body was practically broken.
As for the Primordial Body, it had not yet fully recovered from its previous battle. Although it showed no obvious external injuries, Meylin could perceive the weakness hidden beneath its surface.
It was far from capable of unleashing its full power.
"If only he could recover..."
Meylin murmured those words before suddenly freezing.
She slowly sighed and shook her head.
"No..."
Her gaze shifted toward the Incarnation of the Samsara Lord.
"Even if both of them were at their peak, it still wouldn’t be enough to defeat him."
Meylin could not deny the overwhelming power of the entity before her.
The Incarnation was simply too monstrous.
It carried the essence of an existence whose power stood beyond the boundaries of the Third Realm. Its martial mastery alone was enough to make even Fourth Realm life forms feel despair.
But instead of fear, battle will slowly began to burn within Meylin’s eyes.
"Time."
Her voice became firm.
"As long as he has enough time, Cain will rise to a level where even the power of the Samsara Lord will eventually break beneath his might."
Unwavering faith burned within the heart of the True Depravita of Hope.
Meylin did not merely believe Cain could become stronger.
She believed it with every fiber of her existence.
She believed that, given enough time, Cain would surpass anything.
Even a summit as unfathomable as the Samsara Lord.
And she was ready to give him that time.
Meylin’s figure shifted.
She was about to move when she suddenly felt a gaze.
Her body froze.
Turning around, she saw the two figures inside the Golden Lotus staring at her.
Their gazes were sharp and determined.
Yet after only a moment, that sharpness softened into a gentle smile.
Both figures opened their mouths.
No sound emerged.
Yet the words echoed directly inside Meylin’s mind.
"I got this."
Three simple words.
That was all.
But they were enough.
The confidence carried within those words was absolute.
There was no hesitation.
No fear.
No doubt.
For some reason, Meylin suddenly felt that everything would be fine.
The tension that had been weighing down her soul finally disappeared.
Her shoulders relaxed.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Then her legs finally gave out.
She collapsed onto the ground.
Her stubbornness had been the only thing keeping her standing until that moment. Now, she finally allowed herself to rest.
Her eyes slowly closed.
A peaceful smile remained on her face.
Cain looked at her for a moment.
A small smile appeared on his lips.
Then he turned toward the void.
The smiles on the faces of both bodies widened as they turned toward one another.
"I wanted to do this in a smoother and more careful way."
Cain’s voice echoed between the two bodies.
"Even if the Primordial Essence that gave birth to us is the same, we were forged under different laws and systems of power."
His ultimate goal had always been the fusion of his multiple bodies.
But Cain had never deluded himself into thinking that accomplishing such a feat would be easy.
Bringing his bodies into the same universe had only been the beginning.
Fusing two bodies that had evolved through completely different paths was an extraordinarily complicated process.
His brother had extensive experience with such matters, and even then, it had taken him an enormous amount of time to fuse his Neo-Angel and Primordial Paths into a single existence.
Cain was attempting something even more complicated.
His Arch-Nephilim Body was already the fusion of two distinct paths.
Now he intended to merge it with his Primordial Body.
The implications were terrifying.
"CRACK!"
Before Cain could continue thinking about the dangers of the process, a fist suddenly burst through the Golden Lotus.
The Incarnation had inherited the Samsara Lord’s battle instincts.
And those instincts did not wait for an opponent to prepare.
The moment it sensed an opportunity, it attacked.
A single punch shattered one of the lotus leaves.
The next instant, its right hand transformed into a razor-sharp blade.
The blade swept forward, aiming to cut the necks of both bodies in a single motion.
Instead of fear, both bodies smiled.
A fierce and almost reckless smile.
"Necessity is the mother of invention."
The words had barely left Cain’s mouth when the Arch-Nephilim Body and Primordial Body turned toward each other.
Then they moved.
Both figures unleashed every ounce of power remaining within their bodies as they collided.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"