The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2455: The Power of Chaos and the Sacred Treasure’s fragments

After making sure that everyone understood he was not someone they could push around, the Scarlet King withdrew the power of Null Eternum, making the Quietus Force vanish from the hall.

Normally, Cain would have been much more severe when proving his might, but it would not be wise this time.

For all his confidence in his strength, the Scarlet King had yet to find a way to confront the Dark Blood King’s Ancestor Domain. Until he understood the full extent of that power, caution was necessary.

Fortunately for him, a wide smile appeared on the Dark Blood King’s face as he nodded.

"The Scarlet King is correct. The Kalos Kingdom and the Aztorus Kingdom both fell to his power. Any assistance they might have provided would pale in comparison to what he alone can offer."

Although the words sounded like praise, a sharp light soon emerged in the Dark Blood King’s eyes.

"Which is precisely why I will be watching you closely," he continued calmly. "You will need to prove that you are as effective as those two kingdoms would have been in the coming war."

Cain immediately understood the warning hidden behind the compliment. He met the king’s gaze and nodded with a serious expression.

With that matter settled, the Dark Blood King turned his attention back to the entire group.

"There will be an immense amount of bloodshed soon," he said. "But before the war begins, it is paramount that we recover the fragments scattered across the Dark Blood Realm."

As he spoke, a trace of frustration appeared on his face.

"The unfortunate part is that locating these fragments is an incredibly difficult task."

The Dark Blood King waved his hand. A moment later, a gauntlet appeared in his palm.

It looked old and worn, its surface covered in rust. At first glance, it seemed like nothing more than a discarded piece of ordinary equipment from a low-level warrior.

"Go ahead," he said. "Examine it with your consciousness and your souls."

The Heartcram King, Evernight Queen, and Scarlet King immediately extended their senses toward the gauntlet. However, none of them detected anything unusual. It felt completely mundane. If they had encountered it elsewhere, they would have dismissed it without a second thought.

The Dark Blood King then tossed the gauntlet toward the Heartcram King.

"Infuse it with the power of your Ancestor Drop."

Abrahman nodded. As he did so, a strange seal appeared over the gauntlet—a radiant symbol resembling a yin-yang sun.

"That," the Dark Blood King explained, "is the mark of a fragment of a Sacred Treasure. We cannot detect its uniqueness through sight or spiritual perception. Only by infusing it with Ancestor Power does the mark reveal itself."

A hint of exhaustion appeared in the Dark Blood King’s expression as he continued.

"It is only when two or more of the fragments of a Sacred Treasure are gathered and fused that their true power is revealed. Until then, they remain like this—indistinguishable from ordinary objects."

His gaze swept across the table.

"You may have already come into contact with one without realizing it."

"Why make it so complicated?" the Heartcram King asked as he passed the gauntlet to the Evernight Queen so she could observe the symbol for herself.

The Dark Blood King simply shook his head.

"Who knows? Some say the Ancestor placed great importance on destiny, making the fragments difficult to find so that only the ’right’ individual would gather them."

A faint, ambiguous smile appeared on his lips.

"Or perhaps it was simply the Ancestor’s twisted sense of humor."

"It is pointless to question the difficulty," the Evernight Queen said calmly. "We should focus our efforts, coordinate our forces, and assign our best logistical minds to the search."

She then handed the gauntlet to Cain.

The Scarlet King accepted it, his expression turning solemn. He examined it carefully with his consciousness, but detected nothing. Even when he tried to analyze it through the Flow, the result was the same—emptiness.

Just as he was about to return it, an idea surfaced in his mind.

"It wouldn’t hurt to try."

Shrugging slightly, his scarlet eyes glowed as he infused a trace of the Power of Chaos into the fragment.

The moment the energy made contact, his perception expanded violently.

His awareness traveled across vast distances, crossing countless kilometers in an instant, until it reached a remote shoreline in an unfamiliar region. There, half-buried beneath layers of sand, lay a shoulder guard.

It took every ounce of Cain’s control to keep his expression calm. The shock that surged through his mind was immense, but not a single hint of it appeared on his face.

Carefully, casually, he returned the gauntlet to the Dark Blood King.

Fortunately, no one seemed to notice anything unusual. The Dark Blood King stored the fragment away without suspicion.

"Our first objective," the king continued, "is to search every inch of the Dark Blood Realm for strange or unusual pieces of armor. At first glance, they will appear to be scrap, but they will react to Ancestor Power—and they are indestructible."

His eyes sharpened.

"It is essential that we secure all fragments within our realm. Once the war begins, the parts of the Sacred Treasure will enhance our strength and significantly increase our chances of success."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"The last time the Ancestor Tomb opened, we discovered six fragments. However, there is no guarantee that those were the only ones present. Spies from other realms may have infiltrated our territory and obtained fragments before we did."

His voice grew colder.

"The only way to be certain that all pieces have been gathered is to combine them and forge the complete Sacred Treasure."

At that point, the Dark Blood King turned toward General Fausto.

The bulky Royal Bloodline met the king’s gaze and glanced at all the kings. His presence was heavy and imposing, and when he spoke, his voice carried a sharp, commanding authority.

"For this operation," General Fausto said, "it is essential that all our forces act as one."