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, making his eyes bulge in shock. The consequences were terrifying, turning the entire scenario into a total nightmare right away.

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

"What should I do...?"

Cain understood that immediate action was essential, and swiftness was key. He had run out of time completely. His remaining years were slipping away at an alarming pace, with every tick dragging him nearer to certain doom. "Dammit... dammit... dammit!"

In rage, the Scarlet King let out a mighty bellow. Confined within a ruined metropolis, cut off from all allies, facing a lethal tempest just beyond, and deteriorating rapidly enough that this spot could easily turn into his grave.

No battle prowess could resolve this crisis. Neither raw might nor supreme fighting skills could mend the damage inflicted on his soul. Without a quick resolution, the Scarlet King faced the grim reality of perishing from sheer senescence.

"Anark..."

The name appeared in his thoughts without warning. That ancient primordial entity had once slipped into a suspended state enduring eons—his form immobilized, yet his consciousness and essence fully alert.

Such a method could potentially let Cain endure the erosion of his vitality. At minimum, it would buy him time to discover a lasting fix.

Yet exiting this location posed the real challenge.

The furious thunder booming overhead vividly illustrated the Universe Will's intense desire for his demise. As soon as he crossed the dome's boundary, devastating calamities of world-ending scale would batter him—and Cain wasn't sure if he could endure such onslaughts.

"Ao... and Aioro..."

Two additional names emerged.

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

Still, achieving that demanded venturing out of the dome.

"And even if I manage to escape... I don't even know where I am. Or which direction leads back to the Everstrife Empyrean World."

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

Imprisoned within the dome, his form and spirit decayed steadily while his lifespan ebbed away. The Universe Will poised to obliterate him the very moment he emerged. His Dreamwalker abilities remained locked, preventing flight via his True Name. And the most dreadful part—he couldn't tell if those powers would ever revive.

The strain felt overwhelming.

For an instant, it seemed like the cosmos's entire burden bore down on his frame, on the verge of smashing him flat, and with the thunder echoing outside the dome, that sensation rang true.

Yet soon enough, Cain's gaze hardened with determination.

Determination melted his dread away, much like flames devouring frost.

"This is hard," he reminded himself in a steely voice. "But I can do this. I will find a way."

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

This challenge would prove the same.

Turning his attention inward, Cain examined the decline of his lifespan with unyielding accuracy.

"The aging is slowing as it progresses," he determined. "At this rate... I have seven days before my lifespan is fully consumed."

Seven days.

That duration sufficed.

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 capable of stirring jealousy in Alpha-Omega Overgods were swallowed successively. Cain displayed zero sentiment, zero awe—merely icy pragmatism. Surging torrents of might surged into him, replenishing his vigor.

After amassing sufficient essence, he called forth the Scarlet Throne and devoured Sozing's remains.

Lacking a soul, the corpse offered merely unrefined life force—but that alone was

invaluable at present.

Six hours elapsed.

As Cain's eyes fluttered open once more, his might had rebounded to a point where he felt assured of surviving the opening assaults from

the Universe Will.

He cast a look at his image.

The view caused his jaw to clench.

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

No additional delays could be afforded.

Cain advanced to the dome's apex and hammered it with immense might. Vast fissures spread like webs over its face—and in contrast to earlier, the mending proceeded slowly.

"So he was telling the truth," Cain grumbled. "Now that Sozing is dead,

the dome can be destroyed."

His gaze blazed intensely as he kept pounding the barrier, halting merely when a fragile barrier separated him from the furious

bolts raging overhead.

The Chaos Wings appeared.

Expending all his available force, Cain pushed a slender strand of his mental energy via the fissures and past the

dome.

"BOOOOM!"

It endured barely a heartbeat before thunderbolts annihilated it.

However, that brief instant proved sufficient.

Cain's eyes sparkled.

"The power of life and creation is overwhelming... I've never seen

anything like this. And yet-"

His breathing hitched.

"It feels familiar."

Delving deeper into his examination, insight dawned on him abruptly. A realm concealed deep within the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe rose to the forefront of his recollections.

A realm where the act of creation took shape.

A site where he had originally come into being... and subsequently been barred from.

"I'm inside the World Forge."

A broad grin lit up Cain's features.

Should this indeed be the World Forge, then breaking free and arriving at the

Everstrife Empyrean World wouldn't pose much trouble.

"As long as I found a way through the Universe Will's storms, I should

be able to..." Cain couldn't complete his words.

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

"What's happening...? Where am I...?"

His mind splintered. His senses grew hazy. Then, equally suddenly, clarity returned sharply.

Cain's eyes focused anew.

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