The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order Chapter 2463 Shakra, ruler of the Eternal Soul Realm

"Ancestor Art: White Mantle."

Aerion barely had time to absorb the Scarlet King's declaration before the region near Cain started to warp unnaturally.

The Stasis Force Field pulled inward, squeezing the Eternum Flame encircling his form. The shift occurred in an instant. Within a mere instant, the white blaze solidified into a thick cloak of glowing plasma that clung to Cain like an extra layer of skin. Aerion's eyes grew wide in shock.

As he covered the last stretch, he sensed it—his velocity was diminishing.

Not sufficient to halt him. Not sufficient to let him retreat or dodge.

But sufficient.

Precisely sufficient for the Scarlet King to act.

Cain's left hand shifted.

His index and middle fingers darted ahead and gently pressed against Aerion's advancing fist.

The instant they connected, the devastating power driving Aerion's blow disappeared.

It didn't fade away.

It didn't burst out.

It got rerouted.

The full surge of force, impetus, and packed energy surged up Cain's limb and pooled in his right hand.

The Scarlet King let go of his sword's grip.

All his built-up might focused into one spot.

His right hand thrust ahead.

It wasn't a fist strike.

It wasn't a stabbing lunge.

It was merely a press.

A soft contact on Aerion's torso.

Yet for the Royal Blutlinie agent, that one press signaled the conclusion.

The power surged straight into his frame.

Into his core.

For the tiniest sliver of time—

It ceased.

For ordinary fighters, such a break would prove hazardous.

For a being holding Asura Form at Aerion's stage, it spelled doom.

A heart pounding like a dying sun abruptly froze. The brutal halt triggered a nightmarish rebound inside.

Blood erupted from Aerion's eyes, nostrils, lips, and ears.

Every blood vessel in his form started to burst.

The scene blurred into crimson.

Before he could even register the event, a powerful boot crashed into his features.

The blow hurled him over the field. His frame ripped through the ground then smashed into a far-off peak, rocks and debris erupting on collision.

Cain observed the shattered form from a distance, his gaze icy and analytical.

As an expert in Asura Form, he knew its key flaw. An abrupt shift from peak heart rhythm to total stop posed greater peril than any outside hit.

It didn't just harm.

It ravaged the frame from the inside.

Suddenly, Cain's eyes flickered.

A grave look spread over his features.

Without delay, he surged ahead and stood before the scarcely aware Aerion. The Blade of the End of Time reshaped in his grasp, Eternum Flame flaring along its blade as he readied the finishing strike.

But right as he neared—

A tremendous soul energy burst forth.

Space grew dim.

A huge, foreboding shape appeared over Aerion's form. It was the image of a stern-faced individual, his aura immense and suffocating. His eyes gleamed with far-off glow, as if linked to a mind well beyond the conflict.

"I am Shakra, ruler of the Eternal Soul Realm."

Every syllable bore heavy force. The crushing soul aura made the atmosphere quiver, and even Cain halted, his stare intensifying as he evaluated the manifestation.

"You have won. Take the treasures and leave my warrior. Let him return home."

Then the image's tone turned icier, its command turning unyielding.

"If you continue your attack, you will be the first I kill when the war begins."

The Eternum Flame locked his body and essence in place, pausing the disastrous inner breakdown from the rebound. Aerion hung in limbo, neither living nor deceased, but trapped in total stillness.

Cain hadn't moved from kindness.

He just required the foe subdued.

And this proved the quickest way.

With a flick of his wrist, Cain enclosed Aerion within a space relic.

In the following instant, he fused with the Blood Avatar, pulling back some life essence and mental energy. Without lingering, he sped from the field, swiftly widening the gap.

His aura dimmed.

His trace dissolved.

After venturing into a secluded area, he entered a hidden cavern and masked his location entirely.

Only after verifying no pursuers trailed him and no threats loomed close did Cain at last unwind.

Then—

"Znnnn-"

A profound, ripping noise resounded within his frame.

A huge gash abruptly formed over his torso, exactly where his protection had cracked before. Blood sprayed out in heavy flows.

The harm he'd held back at last surfaced.

Through Null Eternum, Cain had postponed the hurt from Aerion's last assault. But postponed harm wasn't gone harm.

Now, he needed to confront it.

The gash proved far worse than anticipated. His sight blurred, and his form almost buckled as the stored damage hit simultaneously.

It demanded every bit of his resolve to stay alert. Right away, Cain linked to the Ocean of the Blood Sun via the Power of Chaos, absorbing maximum life force. Luckily, though grave, the hurts were solely corporeal.

None of Aerion's blows had touched his spirit.

No alien power remained in the gashes.

There was no taint.

No ethereal harm. Just devastating physical ruin.

Still, the mending dragged on.

It required a full day of nonstop repair before the flow ceased and his state steadied.

Finally, Cain breathed out long.

The peril had receded.

For the moment.