The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2433: Fourth Realm in Paradise

A solemn expression appeared in Cain’s eyes as he gazed at the wounds spreading across his body.

They were not very deep and posed no real threat, but Cain knew better.

The name of his Ancestor Power was Null Eternum.

A power that granted access to the force standing as the absolute antithesis of the Big Bang.

Not creation.

Not expansion.

But the end.

The force that emerges at the final moment of existence—when the last particle ceases to vibrate, when motion collapses, when the universe reaches a state of absolute stillness.

No more change.

No more vibration.

No more resistance.

No more becoming.

Everything simply stops.

That was the Quietus Power.

It was a terrifying authority, one that did not merely destroy but erased the very possibility of action. Even when Cain did not actively channel it, Null Eternum generated an invisible force field around his body, drastically diminishing the rate at which time flowed within its influence.

This was not a targeted effect.

It did not single out enemies.

It affected reality itself.

That was why the two kings had failed to notice anything wrong at the beginning of their battle. Their thoughts, instincts, and perceptions were slowed alongside their bodies, making the distortion imperceptible from within. And that was also why there was no true way to counter it—only endure it.

To completely negate the effect, one would need a power capable of overexciting the particles that composed reality itself.

In its purest form, Null Eternum manifested as the Eternum Flame—the white fire that Cain had unleashed moments earlier.

That flame carried the Quietus Power to its highest operational level. Every strike Cain delivered while wielding it infused his opponent with stillness, locking their particles in place and severing their connection to the flow of time itself. That was why Eonar and Lortar remained suspended in the air, frozen even after losing consciousness.

And that was not its only function.

Null Eternum also possessed a formidable defensive aspect.

By delaying causality itself, Cain could intercept attacks with his bare flesh—even weapons that had reached the limits of the Third Realm. In that suspended state, damage simply... did not occur.

At least not immediately.

Cain exhaled slowly as he watched another cut open along his forearm.

He was not indestructible.

He was delaying damage.

And while that was extraordinarily powerful, it was also dangerously deceptive.

There was a limit to how long causality could be postponed. If a battle dragged on too long, every suppressed wound would manifest simultaneously—and that backlash could be fatal.

"It has limitations," Cain murmured, his eyes glowing faintly as he observed the white flames coursing through his hand. "But this power... is truly astonishing."

His gaze sharpened as a thought took hold.

"If I could fuse this with my Primordial Body’s Zero-State Power..." His lips curved into a faint smile. "Just what could I create?"

The mere idea sent a tremor of excitement through his heart.

Still, Cain did not allow himself to be distracted. There was work to be done.

His attention shifted to the frozen figures of Eonar and Lortar.

When Cain focused on the Aztorus King, a faint frown appeared on his face.

"The sword burned more than half of his soul," Cain noted calmly. "There’s little left for me to work on."

He turned to the Kalous King, and a small, satisfied smile appeared.

"Fortunately, this one’s soul is intact. I’ll gain far more from him."

Without wasting another second, Cain placed his palms against their heads.

His eyes ignited with brilliant golden-scarlet light as the Power of Chaos surged forth, intertwining with the Flow. He pierced through flesh, thought, and resistance, diving directly into their souls and memories.

Midway through the process, Eonar’s eyes twitched.

Then the light vanished from them entirely.

His soul finally collapsed, unable to endure the intrusion any longer.

Cain did not react.

Lortar’s soul, however, resisted until the very end.

That resistance granted Cain access to the complete memories of one of the five kings who ruled the Dark Blood Realm.

Yet as Cain absorbed the information, his expression grew increasingly grave.

The more he learned about Paradise, the heavier the weight on his mind became.

When the process ended, Cain withdrew his hands slowly. His face held a complicated expression as he began to organize what he had learned.

"Paradise is divided into nine realms," Cain muttered. "Much like the Crimson World... but the hierarchy is inverted."

Here, the highest realm was the weakest.

And the lowest was the most dangerous.

The deeper one descended, the stronger the Omen Beasts became and the more terrifying the phenomena grew. Some entities were so powerful that they could annihilate entire kingdoms—kingdoms led by Alpha–Omega Overgods—in a single day.

Cain clenched his fist as he reached the most critical revelation.

"And the deepest realms..." His voice lowered. "They are dominated by entities of the Fourth Realm."

The Fourth Realm.

To Cain, it was a power shrouded in myth.

He had only ever witnessed it through the memories of The Root, in the form of the Ancestor of the Root, an existence so vast that it could crush entire universes without assistance.

If beings of that caliber truly existed in Paradise...

They could destroy him effortlessly.

Worse still, they might peer into his memories.

"If they learn about the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe..." Cain’s eyes darkened. "A Fourth Realm entity could cross whatever physical barriers separate our universes and either enslave or annihilate everything I care about."

Paradise was no longer merely dangerous.

It was existentially threatening—not only to Cain, but to his people.

"I need to grow stronger," Cain said quietly. "I need the power to swim upstream and leave this place."

Determination crystallized in his gaze. The urgency for power was no longer theoretical—it was absolute.

After finishing his review of the memories, Cain released a slow breath.

"I would have preferred more detailed information," he admitted. "But the Kalous Kingdom was young—less than ten million years old."

His eyes gleamed with predatory intent.

"If I want to truly understand Paradise in its entirety..." A faint smile formed. "Then I must devour the Dark Blood Kingdom."

The strongest of the five.

A kingdom said to have endured for over a billion years.

Cain was certain they possessed the knowledge, secrets, and resources required to elevate his Primordial Essence to the level he needed.