Chapter 2690: Facing the Originals

Cain’s eyes glowed brighter and brighter.

He could see it.

The opening.

The way forward.

The path to victory.

With the assistance of the Emperor of Conquest—the entity born of the willpower of trillions of life forms, bound together by the Power of Chaos—Cain had begun to dominate the battle. Their perfect coordination had pushed the Incarnation of the Samsara Lord into an increasingly desperate situation.

Even in a two-versus-one battle, however, the Incarnation demonstrated an incredible level of combat skill.

It dodged one lethal attack after another, moving with an instinctive precision that bordered on perfection. Every time Cain or the Emperor of Conquest created what should have been an unavoidable opening, the Incarnation somehow found a way to escape.

But that was all it could do.

Survive.

It could avoid death, but it could no longer launch a meaningful counterattack against the flawless teamwork of the two monsters standing before it.

Meanwhile, the wounds across its body continued to grow increasingly severe.

Dark scarlet flames flowed through every injury inflicted by Tyranus Gungnir, devouring its flesh and corroding the Samsara Force attempting to heal it. Its movements were gradually becoming slower, and the amount of Samsara Force it could unleash was visibly diminishing.

Cain saw the opportunity.

The Emperor of Conquest struck first.

Its enormous fist slammed directly into the Incarnation’s chest.

"BOOM!"

Several ribs cracked simultaneously as the impact sent the Incarnation rolling through the void. Its body flew backward before violently colliding with the Universal Wall.

"BOOOOOOM!"

The wall trembled beneath the impact.

Blood emerged from the Incarnation’s mouth.

Before it could even recover, two enormous claws suddenly appeared around its body.

The Emperor of Conquest had caught it.

Its scarlet chains wrapped around the Incarnation as its two massive claws tightened.

"CRACK! CRACK!"

Bones fractured beneath the tremendous pressure.

The Incarnation struggled, but its body was firmly restrained.

Yet that was far from the worst of its situation.

Its head remained outside the Emperor’s grasp.

Not because the Emperor had failed to capture it.

Because someone else was targeting it.

Cain.

The entire body of the Scarlet King became engulfed in dark plasma. His black forehead eye radiated increasingly terrifying power as Entropy, Nihility, and Quietus converged within Tyranus Gungnir.

The enormous halberd trembled.

Its power became increasingly concentrated.

The destructive force that had previously been spread throughout the weapon was being compressed into a single point, becoming purer and more terrifying with every passing moment.

Cain did not hesitate.

He lunged forward.

His figure became a streak of dark scarlet light as he aimed directly for the exposed head of the Incarnation.

The intent was obvious.

He was going to erase its soul and spirit from existence.

The Samsara Eye on the Incarnation’s forehead widened.

The halberd was already there.

Only centimeters remained.

The battle was about to end.

Then— ℯℓ.

The Samsara Eye released a light so immense that the entire battlefield was swallowed by its brilliance.

"BOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Cain’s vision was instantly blinded.

Even the Emperor of Conquest staggered beneath the overwhelming radiance.

A terrifying pulse of power erupted outward.

Cain and the Emperor were blasted away simultaneously.

The Scarlet King immediately regained control over his body, twisting through the void before stabilizing himself. The Emperor of Conquest did the same, and the two quickly moved toward one another.

The Emperor raised its enormous cape, positioning it between Cain and the fading blast while both focused on the purple radiance ahead.

Cain clenched his grip around Tyranus Gungnir.

Frustration appeared in his eyes.

’I was so close.’

"Boy, do not lose focus."

Apex’s voice echoed inside Cain’s mind.

"Even the weakest Fourth Realm life form is an existence that has surpassed the limits of the universe and risen above worlds filled with corpses. Even if that thing is only an Incarnation, it clearly possesses numerous trump cards."

Apex’s voice became solemn.

"You are doing well, but everything can change in a single second. Do not lose focus."

It was extremely rare for Apex to offer advice in the middle of a battle.

But this was a special circumstance.

Cain was facing the most dangerous and unique enemy of his life.

A single misstep could mean death, and this time even Apex might be powerless to reverse the outcome.

Fortunately, the System Spirit’s warning allowed Cain to regain his calm.

His eyes narrowed.

He focused entirely on the purple radiance ahead.

He waited.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait long.

Three figures gradually emerged from within the fading light.

The central figure was the Incarnation of the Samsara Lord.

Its wounds were still present, but there was one major difference.

The Samsara Eye on its forehead was bleeding.

Its once-brilliant purple light had become noticeably dimmer.

The cost of whatever ability it had just used was clearly immense.

But whatever it had paid, it had considered the price worthwhile.

Cain’s expression became solemn.

On the right side of the Incarnation stood a younger version of itself.

He appeared to be no older than his twenties.

His right eye radiated an intense vitality, while his left eye contained the power of destruction. In the center of his forehead was another strange eye, its circular pattern seemingly born from the convergence of life and destruction.

Cain immediately noticed that the powers contained within those eyes appeared to be an earlier, weaker manifestation of the abilities possessed by the Incarnation itself.

Then Cain looked toward the other side.

An older version stood there.

An elderly man standing at the twilight of his life.

He possessed the same three eyes as the Incarnation, but unlike the younger version, there was almost no light remaining within them.

Their power had been exhausted.

What remained was little more than an empty shell.

Yet an aura of death flowed through every iota of his existence.

Cain could not help but frown.

The Incarnation of the Samsara Lord had brought two new entities into existence.

At first glance, neither appeared particularly powerful.

But Cain’s instincts were screaming at him.

There was much more to these two beings than the naked eye could perceive.

Despite the confusion, there was no fear in Cain’s heart.

Fear was doubt.

And doubt could mean death.

Worry, however, was different.

Worry allowed the body and mind to prepare for the unknown.

And as that sensation passed through Cain’s heart, his gaze unconsciously shifted toward the older Incarnation.

Their eyes met.

For a single instant, Cain felt something.

A connection.

Something was forming between them.

"Dammit!"

The Scarlet King immediately recognized the danger.

But it was already too late.

That single strand of worry was all the older Incarnation needed.

Its figure vanished.

The next instant, it appeared directly between Cain and the Emperor of Conquest.

"A Depravita!?" Cain roared as he turned around, only to see a palm already coming toward him.

His eyes widened as he stared into that single, wrinkled hand. Cain had mastered a force that surpassed even the concept of an ending, yet the decay contained within that palm still made his soul tremble. Without hesitation, he raised Tyranus Gungnir, positioning the halberd between himself and the incoming attack.

There was no massive explosion when the palm struck. In fact, the attack carried almost no physical might at all. Yet the instant it made contact, the power of death contained within it spread beyond the weapon and began expanding across Cain’s body. Darkness crawled over his arm like an unstoppable disease, rapidly advancing toward his shoulder and head, threatening to consume everything in its path.

Before the darkness could reach his heart, the Emperor of Conquest acted.

Its massive claw crashed into the Depravita Incarnation, tearing through its body and blasting the ancient entity into countless fragments.

Unfortunately, before either Cain or the Emperor could even take a breath, another threat was already upon them.

A pressure like a cosmic wave descended upon the battlefield.

Cain and the Emperor turned toward its source, only to see the younger Incarnation already standing before them.

Its appearance had changed completely. Bone armor now covered its body, forming a brutal shell around its limbs and torso, while enormous spikes protruded from its elbows and knees. Across its body, twelve dark stars burned with ominous radiance, each one containing an immense concentration of power.

"Neo-Demon!"

Cain immediately recognized the aura.

It was unmistakably that of a Neo-Demon, yet, just like the Depravita Incarnation, its aura felt purer and far more powerful than anything Cain had ever encountered. It was as though he were looking at the ultimate expression of the Neo-Demon Race—the original form from which all others had descended.

The Emperor of Conquest reacted instantly, its massive claw sweeping toward the Neo-Demon Incarnation with enough force to shatter a world.

The claw was almost as large as the Incarnation itself, yet the younger being merely smiled before throwing forward its right fist.

The claw and fist collided.

Reality shattered around them.

Both figures were blasted backward.

"What monstrous physical might!"

Cain could not help but roar those words as he watched the Neo-Demon Incarnation twist its body, dispersing the recoil with effortless precision. It then extended its left hand toward Cain.

The twelve Astral Black Holes within its body began to glow.

"Apocalypse Blast!"