The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2663: Facing the Red King

A new force manifested within the Endless River.

It was not born from Order, yet it could stand against it. It carried the essence of Chaos, connection, bonds, and the countless wills that had gathered around Cain throughout his journey. The scarlet core floating between his hands released a soft glow, and the moment its light spread through the golden currents, it attempted to strip away the red core’s absolute control over the artificial Endless River.

Unfortunately for Cain, other than causing a faint tremor to ripple across the golden currents, the scarlet core failed to seize even the smallest thread of authority.

A long sigh escaped his lips.

"Although Chaos does not lose to Order in terms of quality, the quantity behind my scarlet core cannot compare with the red core left behind by the Red King."

The result was disappointing, but not truly surprising.

Cain did not underestimate his own achievements. He knew very well that he was a genius among geniuses, someone whose talent and will had allowed him to stand against monsters that had lived for eras. His experience in Paradise had proven that even when facing ancient Fourth Realm existences, he could still survive, adapt, and carve out a path forward.

However, the Red King was something else entirely.

The people of the Crimson World still remembered ancient events like the Great War, yet none of them knew anything concrete about the Red King. That alone implied that the man was older than the Great War, perhaps even as ancient as the Crimson World itself. Against such an existence, Cain had to maintain proper respect and accept that he was weaker.

At least for now.

Fortunately, it seemed that he did not need to take control of the artificial Endless River in order to pass the trial.

A few moments after the scarlet core stabilized, the white gate that would have led him out of the Sacred Dimension slowly faded away. In its place, a red gate manifested.

Then a voice echoed.

"Come."

It was only a single word.

Yet the will and authority contained within it caused Cain’s entire body to tremble.

His eyes shook as his muscles tensed, and for an instant, his body began moving on its own. His soul, mind, and flesh all responded to that command as though obedience were the most natural law in existence.

At the last possible moment, Cain clenched his teeth with all his strength and stopped himself from taking that step.

A flash of dread crossed his face as cold sweat covered his body.

He stared at the red gate with solemn eyes.

"A single word carried enough will to almost override my own."

Cain tightened his fists as he gained the faintest glimpse of the power belonging to the entity waiting for him in the Ninth Ring.

Even so, there was no room for retreat.

"I came here to obtain the power needed to end the war. I will not leave without it."

Determination burned in Cain’s eyes as he moved through the red gate.

The moment he crossed it, the golden radiance of the Endless River vanished.

In its place came darkness.

No.

Calling it darkness would be inaccurate.

Darkness was still something. It was still a concept, still a contrast to light, still a form that reality could recognize.

This was emptiness.

There was nothing.

No light.

No darkness.

No up or down.

No left or right.

No distance, no direction, no boundary, and no reference point from which existence could define itself.

Cain found himself plunged into a dimension where nothing existed, and the complete absence of information struck his mind like a hammer. For a moment, even his extraordinary perception faltered as his senses failed to grasp anything around him.

Fortunately, this was not the first time he had encountered something of this nature.

More than once, he had glimpsed the Emptiness between universes, so he immediately shut down his ordinary senses and relied solely on the power of his soul to understand the world around him.

A voice reached him.

"Good. You are almost ready to move through the Emptiness and leave the cradle."

Cain’s eyes narrowed as those words entered his mind.

He turned around.

There, calmly sitting within the absolute emptiness, was a figure wearing a red robe and a red mask. The only part of his body that remained visible was his pair of crimson eyes, and the moment Cain met that gaze, his soul shook.

"What immense power."

A solemn light appeared in Cain’s eyes.

"I cannot even glimpse the height of his might."

Cain did not dare lower his guard.

He remembered the Demon King’s warning. There was a chance that the Red King had created the Sacred Dimension not as an inheritance, but as a means to find a vessel for reincarnation. In front of such an entity, carelessness could mean more than death. It could mean the erasure of everything he was.

Before making any move, Cain activated the Flow and attempted to understand the emotions, thoughts, and intent of the being before him.

The moment he did, images suddenly exploded inside his mind.

He saw a young boy standing on a cliff, gazing down at a town where a massacre was taking place. Flames spread across the streets, blood painted the ground, and screams rose into the sky, yet the boy’s face remained empty.

There was no fear.

No sorrow.

No anger.

Not even when soldiers came to kill him.

Not even when he slaughtered those soldiers with his own hands.

Not even when he later butchered the kingdom responsible for the massacre.

The only thing capable of stirring emotion within his heart was the sight of the vast universe above him, and the desire to take it all for himself.

Just as the images were about to continue, Cain was violently pulled back to reality.

He grabbed his head as a wave of pain assaulted his mind.

Those memories felt alien and familiar at the same time, like echoes from a life that was not his yet had brushed against the deepest parts of his soul.

"What was that?"

The Red King stared at Cain for a moment before speaking in a calm tone.

"You looked into my eyes and attempted to understand my mind, but you are too weak for that. My will overrode yours for a second and triggered fragments of my memories."

There was no arrogance in his voice, only a cold statement of fact.

Then, after a brief pause, he added.

"I must admit, I am somewhat impressed. A normal Third Realm life form would have lost itself and become a copy of me in a matter of seconds."

Cain’s eyes sharpened.

The power of his soul and will erupted instantly.

The black blade gifted to him by the Demon King appeared in his grip as scarlet and golden light burned within his eyes.

It was painfully clear that the Red King stood on a level that Cain could not currently overcome, yet there was no fear in the Scarlet King’s heart.

If this entity intended to take his body, erase his mind, or transform him into a vessel, then Cain would fight with everything he had.

Even if the opponent was the Red King.

Even if the chance of victory was close to nothing.

There was no way he would simply stand still and allow someone else to claim his existence.