The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2009: The Dark Trees from the Crimson World

"Remember—work in teams. I doubt Azazel will risk moving deep into my territory to attack you, but if he does, only by working together will you be able to overcome his Eternity Breaker. Worst-case scenario, use the Samsara Portals spread across the continents to retreat into the Samsara Arsenal and regroup."

At the mere mention of Eternity Breaker, all three ArchDeities adopted solemn expressions. Even now, the memory of that terrifying ability haunted them. To their eyes, Azazel did move at all; he had simply vanished from one place and reappeared in another mid-strike, as if bypassing the flow of time itself. No warning, no signal, no gap in his rhythm. It was impossible to predict, defend, and much less to counterattack.

Only Cain, pushing his body to the absolute brink with Ninth Gear and moving faster than the flow of time, could even begin to track his motions. That was something none of them could replicate, and they understood keenly the weight of Cain’s warning: without teamwork, facing the True Depravita meant death.

Cain nodded, satisfied at their seriousness. His voice deepened, resonant with command.

"Your mission is vital. I need the Scarlet Intercontinental Formation in full operation, but even more important—I need the Scarlet Path spread to every man, woman, and child in those territories. That is the only way the Crescent Moon Project will succeed."

He let those words hang heavy.

Killing a True Depravita was no ordinary feat. Cain knew it better than anyone. You could pierce their hearts, cut off their heads, even shatter their brains—and still they would regenerate. Unless their energy reserves were drained past the point of recovery, they would never truly die. That was difficult enough against any Depravita, but Azazel was no ordinary one. He was not only monstrously powerful, he was recovering, reclaiming the cultivation base he had once sacrificed to force his way into the Everstrife Empyrean World. With every passing day, his strength grew closer to its peak.

Cain’s solution was the Crescent Moon Project. By spreading his domain across the Everstrife World in the form of a vast crescent, he would create a net so wide that even if Azazel escaped defeat in battle, he could only run so far before being caught in the Scarlet King’s binding domain. Once trapped, his end would be sealed. Of course, this was only one of the project’s purposes. The rest Cain kept buried in his heart, unspoken.

"While you are securing territory and expanding the Formation," Cain continued, "I will march into the domains of Juda and Gilgamesh."

Bael’s lips curled into a feral smile. "Are you going to kill them, King?" He sounded almost eager, his nature that of a warrior who preferred to strike first and never ask questions later.

Amon, however, frowned. "Attacking them could be dangerous, my King. We have no idea what defenses they might have prepared."

Leonidas, ever the seasoned strategist, nodded gravely. "Amon is right. As much as removing them would benefit us, if you were to fall into a coma from injuries, none of us could stand against Azazel in your stead."

Cain acknowledged their wisdom with a nod. "If I can kill them without risk, I will. But the reward does not outweigh the risk. What I want is information—their headquarters, their hidden base. We must know the home of our enemies to plan our next moves once we’ve consolidated control and expanded the Formation."

The trio understood immediately. Tracking an enemy’s stronghold was perilous, especially one who seemed to know as much about the First Era as Azazel. Any number of ancient dimensions, secret fortresses, or forgotten relic-domains could serve as his base of operations. Yet if anyone could unravel that mystery, it was Cain.

With their missions set, Leonidas, Amon, and Bael saluted and departed the Scarlet Crown, streaking into the distance like falling stars.

Cain lingered a moment, then his aura shifted. The Star of Origin on his forehead flared with light, and his body began to vibrate. In the next heartbeat, his form dissolved into air itself. He had become one with the wind—invisible to the eye, intangible even to most psychic scans. To Azazel’s sharp senses, this trick would never hold at close range, but in the vastness of the high skies it was enough.

Weeks passed as Cain traversed the heavens, riding the flows of wind and void. Finally, he reached the continent where Juda’s Heaven was built—the Radiant Soul Continent.

Cain’s original plan was subtle reconnaissance. He intended to silently scan the continent, probing for clues with his psychic senses. But the moment his gaze fell upon the land, his expression hardened.

There, in the continent’s heart, rose a massive dark tree, larger than any mountain, its roots stretching like veins across the land. Its colossal trunk pierced the clouds, its crown blotting out the sun. The sight sent a chill through him.

"The Dark Trees..." Cain muttered. Naturally, his first thought was of the trees the Demon King had once given him and Meylin—the ones they had used to fuse continents in the Crimson World. But as he studied this new growth, he realized its nature was different.

"These trees do not devour the world’s origin," Cain whispered, eyes narrowing. "They feed on ambient energy, growing stronger while acting as beacons of power—yet without harming the world’s core. Brilliant."

He could not help but begrudgingly admire Azazel’s cunning. If the alien had tampered with the world’s origin, the World Will itself would have risen in wrath against him. But by only altering the ambient flow, reshaping energy rather than destroying it, he escaped notice—his trees functioning like a continent-spanning formation.

"I build formations," Cain growled softly, clenching his fists. "And he plants trees."

A surge of killing intent rose in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to unleash his flames, to burn that monstrous tree to ash and erase its roots from the Radiant Soul Continent. His aura shivered with suppressed violence, but he held himself back.