The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2387: Metallic moon

"BOOOOOOM!"

Sozing was embedded deep into the ground while Cain was blasted into the distance, his body rolling violently through the streets until he nearly reached the edge of the dome. The air around him ignited as he slid to a stop, burning from the immense acceleration still raging through his cells.

The Scarlet King stood still for only a heartbeat.

Then he forcibly shut Asura Form down, using the last remnants of power from the Samsara Runic Set to stabilize his internal organs. The fissures across his heart and the burst blood vessels began to close due to the purple flames that raged inside of him.

"Puack!"

Even with the help of his Samsara Immortal Body, a fountain of blood burst from his mouth as he attempted to rise. His breathing was ragged, every inhale scraping painfully through his chest, and crushing exhaustion weighed down on him like a mountain. Still, the Scarlet King did not dare lower his guard.

His gaze remained fixed on the massive crater where the Immortal Knight had been buried.

Taking a slow, steady breath, Cain began walking toward the hole. His fists glowed faintly with residual power, his posture tense and prepared to deliver a final strike.

Suddenly, the ground trembled.

The dark city shook violently as an earthquake erupted beneath Cain’s feet. Before he could determine its cause, a dark sphere erupted from the crater and blasted into the sky of the dome. In the blink of an eye, it released an overwhelming gravitational pull.

The artificial sun born from Redirection was consumed instantly.

Broken buildings followed, ripped from their foundations and dragged screaming into the sky. Yet no one felt the pull more violently than Cain.

His body was launched upward in a flash, smashing through twisted masses of metal and molten plasma that rapidly fused around a growing dark core. The Scarlet King struggled to rise, straining every muscle to resist.

Cain felt his instincts screaming in danger, so he needed to escape immediately, but before he could make a move, more shattered structures crashed down upon him, burying his body beneath countless tons of wreckage.

At that same moment, Sozing rose from the crater.

Half of his body was obliterated—his left arm pulverized, his chest shattered, part of his face gone—yet he still lifted his right hand. Blood poured from every orifice and wound as he continued channeling power into the celestial mass above, drawing more and more strength into it.

The gravity intensified as entire buildings rose into the air.

The Immortal Knight’s body trembled violently as he pushed the technique further, compressing and condensing the growing mass until, at last, a new metallic moon formed inside the dome.

The Immortal Knight staggered, barely able to remain standing. His breathing was labored, his vision blurred, yet a smile slowly spread across his ruined face.

He had used this technique once before—during the Great War billions of years ago—to imprison one of the enemy’s generals, an entity that had nearly destroyed an entire Empyrean World.

"CRACK!"

The smile froze.

Cracks appeared along the surface of the metallic moon.

"Impossible!" Sozing shouted.

The fractures spread rapidly, growing larger and deeper. Then weapons began emerging from within the moon—blades, spears, and constructs blasting outward in every direction. At first there were only a few, but more followed, shattering massive chunks of metal until the entire structure ruptured.

The metallic moon exploded.

From within emerged the Scarlet King.

Behind him, the Gate of Babylon stood fully manifested.

Cain’s gaze locked onto Sozing as the countless portals merged into one, giving birth to a singular Chaos Weapon. The spear radiated innumerable forces, its presence distorting the air around it. As Cain grasped it, his aura detonated outward in a violent surge.

"ZNNNNNN—"

The Scarlet King launched forward, spear flashing with terrifying speed.

Sozing poured everything he had left into one final repulsive wave, releasing it just as Cain closed the distance. The force erupted between them, warping space itself.

Yet the repulsion failed to overwhelm the Scarlet King.

Cain gritted his teeth and pushed forward through the crushing pressure, advancing centimeter by centimeter. His muscles screamed, blood streaming from his eyes and mouth as he forced his body onward.

Sozing roared, pouring more strength into the technique, but his power was exhausted. His body trembled violently, on the verge of collapse.

The spear continued advancing.

Then—

"ZZNNN!"

The sound of tearing flesh echoed across the ruins as the spear pierced straight through Sozing’s body—through his heart.

"ARGHHHH!"

Cain released a final roar as he unleashed all his remaining strength, driving both the spear and the Immortal Knight through the city. Buildings and streets were obliterated in their path as they tore through the ground.

The next second, Cain collapsed.

He struck the ground hard, barely able to draw breath as Resurrección deactivated, returning him to his normal form. His body trembled uncontrollably, every muscle screaming in protest.

After a truly intense battle, he had finally reached his limit.

It took several seconds before he managed to sit upright. His vision blurred as he looked toward the distant building where the Immortal Knight of the Tenth Empyrean World was impaled.

Sozing no longer moved.

All traces of his soul and presence faded rapidly.

"I need to use the throne before he—"

Cain froze.

A new presence appeared.

Cold terror flooded his veins.

His eyes snapped upward as a phantom alien entity manifested above Sozing’s body—an abomination with five heads. Four of them were lifeless, their eyes dark and hollow, but the one in the center still burned with awareness.

"There weren’t four..." Cain whispered. "There were five?"

The phantom form collapsed inward until only the central head remained—an entity resembling a lord of death, its obsidian skin gleaming as a wide, twisted grin spread across its face.

Under Cain’s horrified gaze, the entity placed its hand upon Sozing’s head.

In the next instant, it tore out the Immortal Knight’s soul—along with the souls of Bako and Hako.