The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2106: Strength vs speed

Cain had no idea of the ordeal Meylin had endured.

Their True Names remained bound, a sacred tether allowing their powers to intertwine across worlds. Yet, within the Sacred Dimension, even that bond was silenced. The dimension’s laws were ancient and absolute — not even True Names could pierce its isolation. And even if Cain somehow sensed her peril, he could not have come to her aid. He was, after all, far from free himself.

"BOOOOOOM!"

An explosion of dark scarlet flames roared through the chamber, consuming everything in light and heat. Cain’s sword cleaved into the crystalline floor, sending fractures racing across the ground like veins of molten glass.

He frowned, eyes narrowing. His strike had missed.

A blur of white darted through the air — his enemy, moving at a speed that defied comprehension. Cain’s perception stretched to its limit, his awareness spreading like ripples through the chamber, and still, all he could see was a streak of light flickering around him.

Just as Cain had devoted his Neo-Demon’s body to transcend the limits of strength, this opponent had devoted himself to the art of speed — and he had succeeded.

The Flow could guide Cain’s instincts, helping him predict trajectories and impulses, but prediction meant little if his eyes couldn’t follow.

Cain exhaled slowly, golden energy flaring within his irises as he tracked the white blur.

Then — a whisper of motion behind him.

He pivoted instantly, the edge of a crimson sword grazing his neck, carving a shallow line across his skin. Had he reacted even a fraction slower, his throat would have been severed.

Before he could retaliate, another flash came — a strike to the shoulder. Cain twisted away, the sword slicing the air where his flesh had been an instant before.

Each exchange grew faster, deadlier.

The Neo-Demon’s gaze sharpened. He drew in a deep breath and suddenly fell to the ground, dropped to one knee, pressing one hand against the ground while the other remained open and ready. His weapon — Sky Devourer — vanished into golden mist.

The white figure did not approach, continuing to flash in the distance.𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Cain’s stillness was unsettling — clearly a trap. The swordsman circled him warily, crimson energy crackling from his blade. He watched the Neo-Demon in silence, searching for intent.

But there was nothing. No opening, no emotion.

At last, the swordsman lunged again — a blur of white light, moving faster than sound. It was clear that a trap was waiting for him, but he would face it head-on; his sword flashed forward in less than a heartbeat.

Cain’s eyes opened. A faint smile crossed his face.

The moment the sword neared his back, the ground beneath his hand blazed with power.

A surge of condensed Neo-Demon Aura erupted outward, igniting in a catastrophic explosion. The blast devoured both fighters, swallowing them in a storm of purple fire and ash.

For an instant, nothing existed but destruction.

Then, a figure burst from the inferno — armor cracked, cape torn, blade still glowing with sacred heat.

The one that Cain had been fighting all this time was no other than the Crimson Exarch’s companion — Ikari.

Cain’s explosion had disrupted the very vibration of atoms — the secret key behind Ikari’s impossible speed. His body, momentarily stripped of momentum, flickered like a candle in the wind.

And in that instant, a massive hand seized his leg.

"Got you."

Cain’s voice was low, rough, and edged with dark amusement.

His entire body was still wreathed in flame, giving him a fearsome appearance. His muscles bulged as he twisted, swinging Ikari like a ragdoll.

"BOOM!"

The impact shattered the crystal floor, launching shards into the air. Blood splattered across the ground.

Cain didn’t stop.

He lifted Ikari again and slammed him down once more.

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

Each strike sent shockwaves racing through the chamber. The floor cracked open, the air screamed, and Ikari’s bones groaned beneath the relentless assault.

But even as his body broke, his eyes did not falter.

They blazed with cold determination — unyielding, sharp enough to cut through pain itself.

On the seventh slam, as Cain lifted him once more, Ikari’s blade moved.

A single arc of crimson light.

Cain swung his hand down, his grip tight, yet the impact he expected never came. He looked down — the only thing in his grasp was a severed leg.

His instincts screamed danger.

Cain leapt to the side an instant before a red sword pierced the space where his head had been. Even so, the weapon still caught him — sliding between his neck and shoulder, plunging deep into his chest.

The blade vibrated violently, slicing muscle and bone alike. His ribcage cracked. His lung filled with blood. Each pulse of that sword shredded the flesh around it, turning everything around its edge into a churning mass of destruction.

Ikari’s teeth clenched. He drove the weapon deeper, the glow of his eyes blazing brighter. His blood trickled down the blade, mingling with Cain’s.

But before he could strike the final inch — before the sword could pierce the Neo-Demon’s lung— a massive tail whipped him.

"CRACK!"

It struck Ikari square in the back, sending him flying.

He refused to let go of his weapon. The blade tore free from Cain’s body as he was hurled through the air, ripping through flesh and leaving a smoking wound in its wake.

Ikari crashed into the crystalline wall with earth-shattering force. The wall fractured around him like glass. Blood splattered from his mouth, yet even now, he twisted mid-air and landed on one knee, sword in hand, ready to continue.

His left leg was gone. His armor was shattered. His body trembled with internal damage — but his eyes remained sharp, cold, unwavering.

Cain straightened slowly, exhaling through gritted teeth. His right arm hung limply at his side, blood soaking the floor beneath him.

At first glance, the injury seemed simple — but he knew better. The sword’s vibration had pulverized everything: bone, muscle, tendons. His entire shoulder and the tissues around it had been annihilated from within.

He could normally heal quickly — his Depravita Aura and the Scarlet Throne made him nearly immortal — but regenerating bones and muscles and making them from zero was very different. It would take time. Time he did not have.

Still, his gaze never wavered.

Ikari’s calm mirrored his own. Both warriors stood, battered and bleeding, yet neither showed the faintest hint of retreat.

Two embodiments of resolve — strength and speed — locked in undying symmetry.