The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2392: The death of the Scarlet King (V)

"There must be something I can do... something that takes me out of this place..."

Cain’s eyes burned as he used everything he had to search for a way out, but no answer came. The worst part was that every second that went by without him finding a way through this ordeal, his situation became exponentially worse.

Every moment that passed without a solution made him older, his lifespan shortening at an alarming rate.

And finally, as the seventh day arrived, the Scarlet King collapsed to the ground, his legs no longer able to endure the weight of his own body.

Age had begun to take its toll on his physical capabilities and energy. His strength was fading rapidly, and surviving a journey through the World Forge under the brutal rampage of the Universe Will had become impossible.

"I... lost."

Cain’s voice trembled as emptiness swallowed his thoughts. Every path, every idea, every desperate possibility was consumed by an overwhelming darkness that threatened to devour him whole.

"BOY!"

Just as everything seemed lost, as hope shattered completely, the voice of the System Spirit echoed within his mind, striking him with a force that jolted him back to reality.

Apex could feel the eyes peering through the cracks in the massive gate behind him, their pressure suffocating, warning him that he should not intervene.

The intent was clear. If Cain could not find the asnwer on his own, he should die alone.

However, the System Spirit’s gaze remained firm as he spoke.

"Your body may not be able to leave this place," Apex said calmly, "but your Primordial Essence—the very core of your soul—can."

Cain’s breath caught.

"It can leave this place," Apex continued, "and in the process, cleanse itself of every curse and mark."

Cain’s eyes widened in shock. He had been searching desperately for a way to escape, but this... this was more than that. It was a path not only to survival, but also to purification.

"How?" Cain asked, his voice trembling as he grasped at the chance to live. To return. To not abandon his family and friends to their fate.

The piercing gaze behind the gate intensified, pressing down with silent fury, but Apex showed no hesitation.

"The Flow," Apex said. "Merge your Primordial Essence with it. Become one with the current that connects all things in the universe."

"BOOOOOM!"

The gate rang violently as a heavy blow landed from the other side, the chins of purple fire and white and black lightning rattling as if they might snap at any moment. Still, Apex remained unmoved.

"I can sense that you have already made contact with it," he continued. "I know it sounds suicidal—and to be honest, your chances are not good. Only beings at the Fourth Realm are meant to survive this."

Apex paused for a fraction of a second.

"But you will have to become the exception."

Every word burned itself into Cain’s mind.

His hands shook as memories surfaced—of the Eighth Ring of the Scarlet King’s Sacred Dimension, of that endless current that had once consumed him completely, eroding his existence until nothing remained. The only reason he survived then was the Mark of the Red King, and he no longer had it.

Even now, after his ego had reached the final rank of the Third Realm, the mere thought of returning to that state filled him with dread.

It felt like suicide.

The Scarlet King stared at the ceiling for several seconds.

Then he laughed.

A wide, reckless smile spread across his aged face.

"I’m going to die if I don’t do anything," he muttered. "So... fuck it."

Cain forced his elderly body upright and assumed a meditative position, slowly closing his eyes. The knowledge, insight, and understanding required for the process were engraved into his True Name. He knew exactly how to begin.

Whether he would survive it was another matter entirely.

Darkness blanketed the starless city.

Then, small streams of golden light began to manifest.

At first, there were only a few. Then more appeared. And more.

Soon, the entire city shone like a radiant constellation as countless golden currents converged toward the old man at its center. The light did not merely surround Cain—it entered him, merging with his very existence.

The streams began to rise into the air.

Cain’s physical body remained behind as a humanoid figure, forged from the purest and deepest essence of the Scarlet King, emerged from within. His Primordial Essence ascended, lifted by the power of the Flow itself.

Cain’s eyes widened as he witnessed his true form rising.

He felt his essence connect to a realm without fear, without worry, without dread. A place where all things were connected—where every being in the universe was part of a vast, endless pulse.

This was a feeling of connection that surpassed even the Power of Chaos!

But before he could begin to process the overwhelming nature of that force, both he and the golden glow vanished from the dark city, returning to a dimension beyond the physical plane of existence.

What remained behind was an old body.

Though it lacked consciousness and ego, it was still terrifyingly strong. Its heart continued to beat steadily. And rather than withering, it began to rejuvenate.

Now that the fragment of Cain carrying the curses and killing marks was gone, the body was finally free to heal properly.

Deep within the soul dimension, Apex allowed himself a small smile as he watched the body recover. Cain would need a vessel to return to, after all.

Yet worry soon replaced that smile.

Merging with the Flow would indeed purge all curses and marks from Cain’s soul—and make him even stronger than before. But the process was unimaginably dangerous. Even a divine prodigy with overwhelming willpower like Cain could perish within it.

"Aah... good luck, boy," Apex sighed softly.

With that, he closed his eyes and waited, ignoring the furious gaze glaring through the cracks in the gate behind him—eyes filled with wrath at his defiance.