The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2488: The power of a cornered beast

At first glance, those five treasures seemed almost laughably weak. They emitted no pressure, no aura, not even the faintest ripple of energy. To any ordinary eye, they were nothing more than fragments of broken relics.

Yet as he focused on them, Intu’s eyes widened with shock and horror.

"How did you get those!?"

The Soul Cursing King could not restrain his scream. His voice tore through the void, laced with disbelief and a tremor of fear he could not suppress.

Cain did not answer.

Behind his mask, a silent smile formed as the five pieces flashed toward his arms. Two fragments fused over his left arm, three over his right, sealing around his forearms and hands like living armor. They had seemed inert before—mere scraps of ancient metal. But the instant they connected, their true nature awakened.

"BOOOOOOMMMM!"

A torrent of bright purple plasma erupted from the fragments and flooded through Cain’s body. It did not clash with his existing powers; it merged with them. The scarlet might of the Power of Chaos roared in response. The golden force of The Flow shimmered and expanded. The white essence of his Ancestor Power surged like a tidal wave.

The energies intertwined, harmonized, and then exploded outward in a storm of overwhelming force.

"Hahahaha! Amazing!"

Cain could not stop the laughter that burst from his lips. The power granted by just five fragments of the Sacred Treasure was staggering. His physical capabilities rose sharply, every fiber of muscle tightening with explosive strength. The armor encasing his arms felt almost indestructible, as though no force in existence could shatter it.

Just five fragments.

A thrill shot through his heart.

How incredible would it be if he completed the entire Sacred Treasure?

The thought ignited a spark of burning ambition within him—but he forced it aside. This was neither the time nor the place for dreams of the future.

His eyes blazed as he turned toward the figure hovering in the sky.

The golden flames of Apollo’s Burst still bathed his body. With a single step, he shot forward like a falling star, so fast that space seemed unable to register his movement. In less than a blink, he appeared before the Soul Cursing King.

Intu’s heart and soul churned with confusion.

Those were undeniably fragments of a Sacred Treasure—most likely belonging to the Ninth Realm. How had Cain gathered them so quickly? And why would the arrogant, conceited Dark Blood King ever allow such relics to fall into another’s hands?

None of it made sense.

But there was no time to ponder mysteries.

Forcing his Ancestor Power to its limit, Intu expanded the pressure around his body. Space thickened. Time seemed to drag. Everything that entered his domain slowed under crushing resistance.

Everything—except Cain.

Even slowed, Cain’s fist was too fast to evade. Intu raised his bastard sword just in time.

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

Two explosions echoed through the firmament.

The first came as Cain’s right fist collided with the blade, shockwaves fracturing the air. The second followed instantly—his left fist slamming into Intu’s ribs.

Intu clenched his teeth as he felt bone crack beneath the impact.

Cain had always been fast. But now, empowered by the fragments of the Sacred Treasure, his blows were no longer merely swift—they were crushing. Devastating.

And the damage did not end there.

White plasma seeped into the wound, flooding torn tissue and spreading deeper. It reached Intu’s right lung and froze it from within.

"Dammit!"

The Soul Cursing King roared in fury and pain. Forcing his body to respond, he swung his sword with all his strength, generating a massive shockwave that rippled in every direction and hurled Cain backward.

But Cain pushed forward almost instantly.

He was overwhelming the Soul Cursing King—but Apollo’s Burst consumed his energy with every passing second. The golden flames were both blessing and burden. He had to finish this quickly.

"ARRRGHH!"

With a defiant roar, Cain pierced through the lingering shockwave and flashed toward Intu again.

The Soul Cursing King swung his sword at the incoming Red King, but Cain moved with the power of The Flow. He slipped around the attack like a butterfly weaving through a storm, evading the blade by mere fractions before driving a full-powered punch into Intu’s solar plexus.

Immediately, the grotesque muscles of the Soul Cursing King contracted violently. The air was forced from his single functioning lung. He felt as though he were suffocating.

Then the Quietus Force took hold.

The muscles froze in that contracted state, locking his body in suffocating rigidity.

Overgods did not need air to survive—but they needed it to recover, to draw energy from the world around them, to properly harness their strength. With his breathing crippled, Intu’s ability to regulate his power shattered.

Cain smiled faintly.

The fragments of the Sacred Treasure allowed him to pierce the defenses of a Limit Alpha Omega Overgod with terrifying ease.

And he did not stop.

His left hook smashed into Intu’s temple, snapping the Soul Cursing King’s head sideways and sending his brain rattling against his skull. Intu could barely form a coherent thought as he saw Cain’s right fist rising again, wrapped in purple plasma and ancient power, ready to shatter his jaw.

Death loomed before him—close enough to taste.

Desperation drove him to madness.

"BOOM!"

The Ancestor Eye embedded in Intu’s forehead shattered.

It exploded into fragments, unleashing a catastrophic wave of pressure and force at point-blank range.

The blast struck Cain directly.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his own internal organs as he was hurled through the air, body tumbling violently.

The Soul Cursing King did not hesitate.

Continuing the exchange never crossed his mind. Pride meant nothing in the face of annihilation.

He turned and fled.

Shooting in the opposite direction, he accelerated faster and faster, pouring every ounce of power into escape. He needed distance. He needed time. If he could reach far enough, his ability to communicate with the rest of the world would return, and he could contact the Eternal Soul King.

Cain regained control of his body several seconds later. His entire frame trembled. Blood streamed from his mouth, staining the golden flames around him.

The power of a cornered beast was truly terrifying.

His gaze sharpened as he locked onto the fleeing figure in the distance.

Intu had already covered vast ground. Even with Apollo’s Burst granting him overwhelming speed, Cain knew he would not reach him in time.

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then his eyes began to glow—not with rage, but with cold determination.

Two words escaped his lips, quiet and absolute.

"Asura Form."