The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2277: The end of an Empyrean World (II)

"RUMBLE!"

The tremors grew more and more powerful as the Heart of the Root continued its relentless advance, its vast tendrils already reaching into the upper atmosphere of the Abyssalcrown Empyrean World. The entire firmament shook under its approach, as though the cosmos itself recoiled from the malignant presence forcing its way downward.

Cain clenched his teeth as he pushed against the monstrous mass, refusing to yield even as every fiber of his body trembled. His mind and soul stretched thinner and thinner, drawn toward a breaking point he could almost feel taking shape behind his eyes.

Yet he refused to crumble. He couldn’t. Every moment he endured meant tens of millions of lives saved—and tens of millions of souls that the Heart of the Root would not assimilate into its grotesque, ever-growing form.

"If only I could channel the strength of the Abyssalcrown Empyrean World..." Cain cursed inwardly, knowing even as the thought arose that it was impossible.

He had not been born in the Abyssalcrown Empyrean World; he possessed no inherent connection to it as he did to the Everstrife Empyrean World. The Power of Chaos could not synchronize with an entire world—at least not at this stage—so both he and Anark had no choice but to rely solely on their own strength.

And the Heart of the Root showed no mercy.

Its advance grew heavier with every passing heartbeat, pressing forward with a force like endless barrages of falling moons. Tendrils the size of mountain ranges lashed out, not only aiming at the Empyrean World below but also striking the bodies of the True Primordials themselves.

Cain and Anark refused to allow distraction. They endured the whips of rotten flesh and pushed back with everything they possessed. Their bodies, reinforced by immeasurable physical endurance, withstood the blows—but their minds and souls could not escape the assault that came next.

"ARRGHRHRG!"

It was as if two titanic voices roared at once, merging into a single psychic wave that crashed into them with brutal, invisible force. Soundless yet deafening, the spiritual shock tore through the void.

Anark endured through sheer will and the reinforcement granted by the Tribulation Enhancement. But Cain—already straining at his limits—felt the scream pierce straight through his mental defenses. Pain lanced into his mind, his vision shuddering. His eyes flickered, the light within them sputtered—

—and then went out.

His Chaos Wings shattered into fragments of dissipating power as he plunged into unconsciousness.

Anark’s eyes widened. Without Cain’s support, the pressure of the massive world-sized tumor became far too great. The Heart of the Root lurched downward, falling toward the Abyssalcrown Empyrean World with catastrophic momentum.

"Damn it!"

The True Primordial of the Void roared in rage and frustration. He shrank back to his normal size, grabbed Cain’s lethargic form, and shot away from the collapsing front. His voice thundered through the void.

"Move out!"

Leonidas and the rest of the ArchDeities heard him. Complicated expressions filled their faces—frustration, helplessness, sorrow. Countless people remained on the world below, but there was no time left to save them. Swallowing their grief, they obeyed, withdrawing from the Abyssalcrown Empyrean World with grim resolve.

As they reached the void beside Anark, they watched the inevitable unfold.

The Heart of the Root crashed into the Empyrean World.

A sickening vibration rippled through creation as the corrupted mass expanded across the surface like a mantle of rot and decay. The Empyrean World attempted to resist, but without a vessel capable of properly wielding its power, it could not halt the Heart of the Root’s advance.

What followed was a scene of breathtaking terror.

Waves of decay washed across the once-majestic world. Lush continents withered into dust. Oceans boiled into blackened vapor. Sky-piercing mountain ranges crumbled into rotted slurry. The Empyrean World—beautiful, ancient, powerful—was smothered beneath an all-consuming shroud of corruption.

The ArchDeities could only watch.

Their hearts tightened in anguish. Though they had saved over seventy-five percent of the population, trillions still perished, swallowed without mercy by the spreading abomination.

And things were only growing worse.

Once the Heart of the Root seized the entire surface, it began to thrive. Energy surged through it—chaotic, wild, unrestrained. A burning radiance gathered, building in intensity until it erupted outward in a colossal inferno. A massive wall of fire and writhing flesh formed, stretching through the scorched atmosphere. Countless eyes, mouths, and tendrils twisted within the blazing mass, giving it a horrifying semblance of life.

The fiery wall wrapped the entire Empyrean World, and even repelled the faint influence of the Universe Will.

Anark’s frown deepened. Matters had escalated far beyond what even he expected. Before, the Heart of the Root—powerful as it was—would have needed a long time to reach the deeper layers of the Abyssalcrown Empyrean World, giving them time to recover and respond.

But now, with this new form...

The world was truly doomed.

Anark could sense the power radiating from the burning wall, and he knew with absolute certainty that even at full peak, he could not breach it.

"Move into the small worlds around the Empyrean World," he commanded, voice grim. "Take the people out. Do not get near that fiery wall."

There was nothing more they could do for the Abyssalcrown Empyrean World. Yet the myriad of small worlds orbiting around it remained at extreme risk. They could not relocate the worlds themselves, but they could save their populations.

Leonidas and the other ArchDeities nodded and immediately spread out.

Though all those worlds were surrounded by Crystal Walls, the minds and souls of the powerful could pierce the barriers. One by one, they began extracting the inhabitants, moving tirelessly from world to world.

Meanwhile, Anark kept his gaze fixed on the corrupted Empyrean World, analyzing every shift in its aura, every fluctuation of its power. He remained alert for any abrupt movement, any new threat. At the same time, he channeled life force and spiritual energy into Cain’s unconscious body, stabilizing his condition with meticulous care.

However, while Cain would recover, the Abyssalcrown Empyrean World had already been lost.