Chapter 2706: Fixing the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe (II)

"I found you."

As soon as Cain uttered those words, his figure vanished from the periphery of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe. A moment later, he appeared beside a vast asteroid field drifting through the void.

To a Third Realm Life Form, the place would have seemed unremarkable. It would have appeared to be nothing more than a collection of lifeless rocks floating silently through space, completely devoid of anything worth noticing.

Cain, however, saw the truth.

His scarlet eyes narrowed as his perception pierced through the layers of concealment surrounding the asteroid field, revealing an almost endless stream of runes that flooded the entire region. Countless formations overlapped one another, woven together so intricately that even a Fourth Realm Life Form could not casually decipher them.

"Impressive."

The Scarlet King could not help but nod in genuine respect.

The work the Tenth Empyrean World had done here was extraordinary. These sealing runes did far more than conceal the existence of the asteroid field. They had been constructed with numerous failsafes, each connected to the others through an intricate network of spatial and temporal principles.

"If someone interferes with these runes incorrectly, the entire asteroid field will be transferred into a series of hidden dimensions."

Cain's eyes moved across the formation as he continued analyzing it.

"Once that happens, even a Fourth Realm Life Form would have to spend years searching for the fragments, only for them to self-destruct at the last minute."

It was clear that whatever was hidden here was something Nito had expected to remain undiscovered, at least until he and his people successfully took control of the entire Nine Empyrean Suns Universe.

Cain's expression became slightly solemn.

He was not a Runemaster.

Although he had acquired various abilities from the souls of beings he had devoured and assimilated through the Scarlet Throne, his understanding of runic formations had not reached the level necessary to unravel something of this complexity.

Cain frowned.

If he wanted to understand and safely dismantle the formation through conventional means, he would need to spend years developing his Runic Mastery. Normally, such a realization would have forced him to retreat and reconsider his approach.

But then a flash of light crossed his eyes.

The frustration vanished.

A wide smile slowly appeared on the Scarlet King's face.

"Why would I need to unravel it…"

His Omega Horizon Eye began to glow.

"…when I can simply make it as if it had never existed?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Cain raised his index finger.

A tiny seed of dark plasma slowly formed at its tip.

It was so small that it appeared almost insignificant compared to the enormous asteroid field before him, yet reality itself began trembling around it. Space-time twisted and distorted as if instinctively trying to flee from the tiny black seed.

Cain gently flicked his finger.

The seed shot forward.

It crossed the void and embedded itself directly into the enormous runic formation.

Instantly, the countless runes began to flare.

One failsafe after another activated. Spatial laws surged, temporal principles twisted, and hidden dimensions began preparing to open. The entire formation reacted as though an enemy had invaded its territory.

But none of it mattered.

The dark seed did not destroy the runes.

It erased them.

The formation began disappearing from reality itself, its physical existence being removed from space-time while its connection to causality was simultaneously severed. The runes were not broken, suppressed, or even annihilated in the conventional sense.

They simply ceased to have ever existed.

There was no way for the formation to activate a countermeasure against the power of the Scarlet King because there was no longer a formation capable of responding.

That was the terrifying nature of Omega Horizon.

It might not possess the extraordinary restorative properties of Samsara Force, making it useless when Cain needed to accelerate the recovery of his damaged body and soul, but when it came to the annihilation of form, existence, and meaning, there was perhaps no greater power in the known multiverse.

The Fourth Realm runic formation flickered for a final heartbeat.

Then it vanished.

The countless seals were consumed by oblivion, leaving not even the slightest trace that they had ever been present.

Cain smiled.

A new asteroid appeared within the ring, indistinguishable from all the others.

Except Cain could see there was something hidden inside it.

He slowly raised his hand and clenched his fist.

The asteroid shattered.

Fragments of stone and metal scattered through the void, revealing a humanoid figure within its core. The moment the seal was removed, the figure was dragged through space by an invisible force and appeared directly before Cain.

Although it had been a very long time since he had last seen her, there was no chance Cain could have forgotten one of the greatest enemies he had faced throughout his life.

His expression became cold.

"Hello, Mikela."

The figure before him was the Warlock of the Root.

After Cain had destroyed the Worlds of the Root and killed Robuke, the Monster of the Root, Mikela and the remaining forces of the Root had escaped alongside Nito and the Curse Eaters. Most of those who fled with them had eventually suffered a fate worse than death.

The Curse Eaters had transformed them into monstrous weapons of war, a massive monster stripped of identity and turned into a tool for the battles raging within the Fallen Empyrean World.

All of them had been sacrificed for the war.

All except Mikela.

Of course, Nito had not spared her out of kindness.

The holder of the Samsara Eye had kept the Warlock of the Root alive because her power served a far more important purpose.

Mikela had become the core sustaining the seal that kept the Universe Will of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe asleep.

Cain stared at the entity before him and saw no light remaining in her eyes.

"I suppose this was the extent of Nito's mercy."

The Curse Eaters needed Mikela's power, but they did not need her mind. They could not risk allowing her to regain her independence, develop her own plans, or eventually realize that the Root's ambitions within the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe would never be fulfilled.

So they had twisted her soul.

They had shattered her ego, destroyed her ability to think independently, and reduced her consciousness to little more than a living mechanism for sustaining the seal.

Essentially, they had lobotomized her.

Cain looked at Mikela without pity.

Had he been the one deciding her fate, he would have granted her an even worse ending.

"Once I erase her existence, the Universe Will should awaken."

It would take no more than a wave of his hand to restore the Universe Will to its former might.

Yet just as Cain was about to act, he stopped, and a meaningful light crossed through his eyes.

"Her power might be useful in the future."

Cain's thoughts immediately turned toward the enemies he would eventually have to face.

There were countless powerful beings throughout the multiverse who could summon the will of their respective realms or universes to empower themselves. Against such opponents, the ability to sever their connection with their home could become a decisive advantage.

Mikela's power might provide him with a way to interfere with that connection.

It was not something he could afford to waste.

The next moment, a massive figure appeared behind the Scarlet King.

The Emperor of Conquest.

The independent Alter-Ego of Cain stared at Mikela with an expression that combined disdain and hunger. His narrow red eyes carried cold brutality.

Cain did not need to explain anything.

He simply gave a single command.

The Emperor of Conquest stepped forward.

His enormous hand seized the Warlock of the Root. Under Cain's indifferent gaze, the Emperor of Conquest opened his mouth and swallowed Mikela whole.

Devouring a life form through the Scarlet Throne allowed Cain to quickly assimilate the entity's will and flesh, but some of its deeper spiritual essence would inevitably be lost.

Allowing the Emperor of Conquest to devour the Warlock of the Root, on the other hand, would take considerably longer. However, in exchange for that patience, Cain would eventually gain a complete understanding of her existence—body, soul, will, memories, and even the deepest secrets hidden within her essence.

That was precisely what he needed if he wanted to understand the power the Root had granted Mikela, the ability that had allowed her to put an entire Universe Will into a deep slumber.

Cain closed his eyes as his perception followed the Warlock of the Root's existence breaking apart within the black-hole-like dimension that formed the Emperor of Conquest's stomach.

"RUMBLE!"

It did not take long.

The moment Mikela's existence finally shattered, the universe began to tremble.

At first, the disturbance was faint, almost imperceptible, but it rapidly grew stronger until the entire void was overwhelmed by a magnificent golden radiance.

The Universe Matrix manifested in all its splendor.

Across the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe, countless sentient life forms raised their heads toward the golden light.

Even the weakest among them could feel it.

The Universe Will had awakened.