The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2338: The Ancient One’s ultimatum

Although he had been taken by surprise, the Ancient One’s eyes sharpened instantly. He raised a single hand and caught Ragnarök head-on. The arc of power—an attack capable of cleaving a Middle Alpha–Omega Overgod in half—was halted by nothing more than his open palm. The sheer display of strength was shocking.

Ripples of reality-shattering light exploded outward in all directions, making the sky tremble and the earth shake, yet none of it managed to overwhelm the Ancient One. His figure stood firm at the center of the chaos, unmoved.

But Cain was far from finished.

Before the first arc of light had even faded, Cain had already appeared behind the Ancient One. His heartbeat thundered as a supernova as he triggered Asura Form to the highest level his body could endure.

Muscles swelling as life force and soul power surged through his body. Without hesitation, the Scarlet Kig slashed straight toward the Ancient One’s neck.

Unfortunately for Cain, Sky Devourer never landed.

The Ancient One blocked the blade with his free palm.

Cain’s eyes widened as the impact sent a chilling sensation through him. It felt as though his sword had struck absolute emptiness—a vacuum devoid of space-time itself, an unreachable void that could not be crossed.

Yet Cain did not hesitate.

His gaze hardened as he placed his hand atop Sky Devourer’s blade and spoke a single word.

"Ragnarök."

The Ancient One’s eyes widened in genuine shock as Cain triggered his Chaos Art for the second time.

"BOOOOM!"

A new explosion tore through reality. Now, the Ancient One faced two reality-sundering arcs of light, attacking from opposite directions. Each carried the full Power of Chaos and the might of the Matrix of Origin Island, overwhelming even the Ancient One’s Power of Negation.

Even so, the Ancient One was a monster beyond reason—one capable of confronting Cain’s strongest attack with his physical body alone.

But fate chose the worst possible moment.

As the Ancient One strained against the converging arcs, his body suddenly trembled. A burning pain erupted from his chest, precisely where the sword of the Leader of the Masked Race had cut him earlier. That wound flared violently, disrupting his strength and control at the critical instant.

His arms buckled due to the backlash, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Before the Ancient One could recover, the two reality-sundering arcs surged forward, tearing through his defenses and engulfing his body in a blinding explosion of light that shot straight into the sky, making space itself tremble.

A colossal and majestic cross of radiance burned with glorious intensity, the power of the laws and rules of the world embedded in it. It seemed as if its radiance would last for hours, yet after only a few seconds, it shuddered violently before being torn apart by a shockwave that erupted from within.

The Ancient One emerged from the light, eyes sharp and icy. Countless cuts covered his body—some shallow, others following the deep wounds left by the Leader of the Masked Race, reopening them and driving the damage far deeper than before.

Burning rage arose in the heart of the Ancient One at the idea that an Early Alpha Omega Overgod could damage him this way.

Yet there was no time to dwell on it.

A scarlet meteor descended from the sky, carrying enough momentum to shatter a world.

The Ancient One’s gaze hardened as he raised his hand—not to endure this time, but to push back.

A repulsive force infused with pure Power of Negation erupted outward, colliding directly with the descending Sky Devourer. Cain clenched his teeth as he felt the force attempt not only to repel him, but to shatter his very existence.

His eyes burned brighter as the Wings of Chaos pulsed violently, channeling the power of the universe itself through his blade.

"Hmph." The Ancient One sneered, clearly irritated by Cain’s resilience.

The Power of Negation activated again—this time upon himself.

To Cain’s shock, the Ancient One vanished in the next instant, the inertia of his sword strike driving him downward like a comet. Before Cain could regain control, a palm slammed into his back.

The next second, an overwhelmingly violent repulsive force erupted.

Cain felt his spine shatter and the back of his skull crack as he was blasted straight into the ground, carving a massive crater into the earth.

Agonizing pain assaulted him. Though the Depravita Aura repaired his body in a heartbeat, his limbs barely responded.

Gritting his teeth, Cain forced himself to rise, lifting his weapon with sheer willpower as he searched desperately for the Ancient One.

"BOOOM!"

Before he could even locate him, a blow struck Cain’s stomach. The impact made it feel as though his body were tearing itself apart. As he was about to be launched skyward, a hand seized his leg and slammed him back into the ground with crushing force.

Every bone in his skeleton trembled as the Scarlet King spat mouthfuls of blood.

The damage was so severe that his consciousness began to blur.

But Cain refused to give up.

Twisting his body, he hurled a kick with his free leg. Unfortunately, it never came close to the Ancient One’s head.

The Ancient One released Cain’s leg, only to grab his face and smash him into the ground again. The Scarlet King felt as though the weight of the entire world pressed down upon his skull, so immense that it seemed ready to shatter at any second.

Even with the Depravita Aura, that kind of pressure would be fatal.

Worse still, the force carried a powerful sealing energy, suppressing Cain’s ability to fight back, keeping him down.

The Ancient One stared down at him coldly, not even an iota of mercy in his eyes.

"I will tell you once," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Submit, and you will not only survive, but rule by my side."

His eyes hardened further.

"But if you continue to refuse, I assure you—I will erase your True Name here and now."