The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2108: Desert of Falling Suns

The gate that stood before Cain and Alita was unlike any they had seen before.

It towered high above them, vast and ancient, carved from crystalline layers that shimmered like frozen lightning. Through its translucent surface, they could glimpse the world beyond — an extensive and desolate desert, glowing under a sunless horizon. The sight alone was enough to confirm what they already sensed: this was the end of the First Ring.

Unlike the gates they had passed before, this one was far more complex. Dozens of glowing nexus points pulsed within its structure, not one but thirty-three in total, each radiating its own unstable pattern of energy. The circuits were misaligned — fragmented frequencies that had to be repaired and harmonized before the gate could respond.

Cain stepped closer, his golden eyes narrowing as he studied the runic geometry. Every layer of the design echoed something he had encountered along the way — every challenge, every resonance, every fragment of understanding from the Crystal Maze.

A knowing light flickered in his gaze.

"If you had simply forced your way through the previous trials," he said quietly, "this gate would be impossible to cross. You need at least a basic grasp of the Synchronization Aspect of The Flow to even begin."

His tone was calm, almost instructive, and Alita nodded in agreement. "You’re right. If I hadn’t learned what you taught me about resonance and rhythm, I wouldn’t even know where to start."

The woman stared at the gate, feeling the pulse of its fragmented energy. Each nexus sang its own discordant song, clashing and colliding like a broken choir. Even with her newly gained understanding of The Flow, she could sense that this was no ordinary puzzle. Alone, it might take her days, weeks, maybe even months to align the frequencies correctly.

But she was not alone.

Cain took a slow breath, placing his hand on the gate. Immediately, the crystalline surface rippled beneath his touch, and a deep, ancient voice echoed in both their minds — vast, timeless, and heavy with cosmic authority. It was the same that appeared when he entered the first ring.

"Solve the Gate of Thirty-Three Songs to enter the Second of the Nine Rings — the Desert of Falling Suns."

The name carried weight. Even before seeing it, Cain could feel the solemn power it implied. But he did not allow his mind to wander. There was no point in thinking about the dangers ahead until they had solved the challenge before them.

"You take the upper left quadrant," he instructed. "I’ll handle the rest and guide your synchronization as well."

Alita nodded without hesitation. Her golden eyes flared, and the lotus on her forehead trembled with light. She extended her consciousness into the structure of the gate, feeling the pulse of its broken currents.

Their minds stretched outward, sinking into the web of frequencies. Together, they synchronized with the thirty-three chaotic energy threads, seeking the correct rhythm and resonance. The gate pulsed in response — a living mechanism that demanded perfect harmony.

Cain’s task was far heavier. He carried more than five times Alita’s load, manipulating dozens of currents at once while subtly guiding her through her own synchronization.

It would have been far easier to do it alone.

But Cain welcomed the challenge. The strain, the resistance — this was exactly the kind of pressure that would push his mastery of Synchronization to its absolute limit.

Minutes turned into hours.

His breathing slowed, his mind stretched thin. Every nerve in his body burned as his energy fluctuated to match the thirty-three vibrating patterns. His golden eyes grew bloodshot, his veins glowing faintly beneath his skin. The strain threatened to tear his consciousness apart.

And yet, he endured.

Alita felt it too — the mental pull, the rising tension of keeping the energy stable — but Cain’s voice anchored her. Even in the storm of resonance, his will guided hers like an unshakable pillar.

"Focus," he said softly. "Let the rhythm guide you. Don’t force it — align with it. Anchor your soul in what you have learn."

Time lost all meaning.

After fourteen endless hours, the chaotic symphony of frequencies began to shift. The threads of light converged toward the core, singing in unison for the first time. The gate trembled, its glow deepening to a radiant gold.

And then — silence.

The thirty-three songs merged into one perfect tone, pure and infinite. Its sound reached not just their ears but their souls, washing over them, refining them, making them stronger and purer.

The crystal gate began to open as a rush of power surged through both of them.

Alita’s eyes widened as she felt the transformation within her soul — the golden lotus on her forehead bloomed, a second petal unfolding, shimmering with new life. She gasped as energy flooded her body, and a thrill of wonder passed through her.

Then she noticed Cain.

The lotus in his brow blazed with radiance so bright that the chamber itself seemed to bow before it. A fourth petal unfolded, its light spilling into every corner of the world around them.

The Neo-Demon exhaled slowly, his expression calm yet filled with quiet triumph.

"I see it now," he murmured. "Instinct and talent alone were never enough. To reach true mastery, I needed to understand the core — the fundamental principles that make it possible."

Power pulsed from his aura, deep and resonant. He could feel the difference — not just strength, but clarity. He had reached a new threshold, one that allowed him to anticipate and counter even the movements of those standing at the Alpha–Omega Overgod threshold.

Only the limits of his soul’s power remained to be overcome.

But Cain did not linger on the feeling. He turned his attention to the gate, now fully open, and to the world that awaited beyond.

The sight that greeted them stole their breath.

A desert stretched endlessly beneath a sky of molten gold. But this was no ordinary wasteland. The horizon shimmered as though aflame, the light folding in impossible angles. The ground beneath their feet was made of fine, silken sand that moved like liquid, rippling with each step.

Above, colossal walls of sandstorm spiraled like divine serpents, twisting and uncoiling in the distance. There was no sun — and yet, everything burned with eternal brilliance.

This was the Desert of Falling Suns.

The moment their eyes focused on the desert, both Cain and Alita felt it — the subtle pulse beneath the chaos.

The Flow was here too, vast and omnipresent. But unlike in the Crystal Maze, it was different — wild, contradictory, constantly splitting and rejoining.

Cain’s eyes gleamed. "Divergence," he whispered. "That’s the lesson of this place."

A thin, translucent mantle of raw energy unfolded across his skin — a barrier without form or element, vibrating with perfect neutrality. It was power in its purest state, neither destruction nor creation, and exactly what he needed to express the might of the second aspect of The Flow, Divergence.

Alita watched, then mirrored his actions, wrapping herself in the same subtle veil.

He knew better than she did how to approach new teachings of The Flow, and she trusted his skills enough to follow his rhythm.

The two shared a glance before stepping into the burning sands.