The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2164: Back into the Second Realm (II)

The Third Realm was in chaos.

For the first time in decades, the balance between the great factions was shattered. The armies of the Life Path surged forward with unrestrained might, sweeping across the vast landmasses with unstoppable momentum. Fortress after fortress of the Freedom Path fell before their advance.

The ArchDeities of the Freedom Path were powerful, each one capable of holding their own against the ArchDeities of Life, and under normal circumstances, the war would have settled into one of those long, grinding stalemates that could last for decades.

But everything changed the moment Tiramisu, the True Depravita of Primal Fury, stepped onto the battlefield.

No one could restrain her.

She became the spearpoint of the Life Path’s assault, cutting through lines and breaking citadels with the precision of a god forged for war. Wherever she moved, the armies followed, her fury burning brighter than the suns that hung over the Third Realm.

The warriors of the Freedom Path called out desperately the name of Bradley, the Alpha-Omega Overgod Neo-Angel.

But he never came.

And the headquarters of the Freedom Path in the Void Beyond the Realm remained sealed. The truth none of them knew was that Bradley was gone, his body and soul annihilated. Until he resurrected using his True Name, there was nothing he could do.

And the one who had slain him was deep within the Heart of Sin, alongside Meylin and the Enlightened One.

Four months had passed since the events within the Sacred Dimension of the Red King. Now, the trio stood before the Heart’s pulsing core, preparing to return to the Second Realm, where their Divine Kingdoms awaited.

Ordinarily, they would have been forced to wait another seven years for the interdimensional barrier to weaken naturally. But with the immense energy stored within the Heart of Sin, they could carve their path home ahead of time.

The three exchanged silent nods.

Then the Heart of Sin stirred.

Dark light enveloped them, wrapping their forms in a cocoon of shadow as the Life Path headquarters trembled under the surge. A beam of condensed energy burst forth, tearing through the void and striking the barrier between realms.

Reality screamed.

Space rippled and cracked. Waves of force rolled through the void, shaking the very fabric of existence. Finally, a rift appeared, a narrow tear of shimmering light amidst the black expanse.

In that instant, the cocoon containing the Neo-Demon, the True Depravita, and the Enlightened One shot forward like a comet, slipping through the breach just as it began to close.

Behind them, the Heart of Sin dimmed. Its once-blinding glow waned, its power spent. The protective barriers surrounding the Life Path’s stronghold weakened, but it mattered little. The armies were still pressing their advantage, and no enemy dared approach their domain.

Crossing realms was agony—light, sound, and gravity tearing in every direction—but the trio was smiling.

They were going home.

And they were returning as conquerors.

Each of them had ascended beyond what they had once been.

The Enlightened One had finally grasped the true Aspect of Unity, transforming his understanding of The Flow into a weaponized principle. His mind and soul had reached a purity of enlightenment so profound that his cultivation advanced to the Late Archdeity Rank. He had already been able to fight Peak ArchDeities before; now, even he no longer knew the limits of his strength.

Meylin had awakened her fourth Origin Sin and solidified her Core Oniric Truth, mastering the aspect of Wrath. Her power had risen to the Middle ArchDeity Rank, already edging toward Late Stage. Through her bond with Cain and her own intuitive mastery of The Flow, her control nearly rivaled the Enlightened One’s.

And Cain had gained more than either of them.

His mastery of The Flow had reached an unprecedented height, surpassing Unity and touching upon the final threshold, the state of becoming one with the multiversal current itself. Though he had yet to achieve that transcendence, the knowledge was now his; the key was in his hands.

His bloodline had evolved as well. The Crimson Bloodline was even more powerful than his Primordial Body’s Alpha-Omega Overgod Bloodline. It had allowed him to slay the Neo-Angel.

Yet not everything was a triumph.

The Crimson Exarch’s meddling still haunted him, the strange blue runes embedded in his Neo-Demon Core, their purpose unknown, their power unstable. Were it not for that anomaly, Cain would already have gone on a rampage to seize new innate abilities and expand his might. But now, all he wanted was silence, time, and peace.

The universe, however, rarely granted such things.

Because the moment the trio emerged into the Second Realm, their smiles vanished.

They appeared in a wasteland.

Fire and smoke stretched to the horizon. Mountains had been reduced to molten craters; oceans boiled beneath crimson skies.

Meylin’s face hardened. The Enlightened One’s eyes widened in disbelief. Cain’s golden gaze swept across the horizon, expression tightening.

Before they could even speak, the sky itself shook.

Explosions echoed from above, vast enough to rip holes in space. Dozens of ArchDeities clashed across the firmament, their divine lights streaking like stars colliding.

And higher still—beyond the clouds and storms—two figures battled with such intensity that their power made all others seem insignificant.

Urin and Zarazel.

Once again, the Neo-Angel Urin was on the offensive, her wings blazing as she pressed the True Depravita back through the upper layers of reality.

The Enlightened One immediately began to circulate his energy. They were already being noticed. Dozens of divine senses had locked onto them.

Meylin flared her own energy in response, but she glanced at Cain with concern. "This is bad," she thought. "If Urin realizes how weak you are..."

She didn’t finish the thought. She didn’t have to.

Cain’s body was still stabilizing from the fusion within his heart. He couldn’t unleash a fraction of his true power. If Urin discovered that, she would not hesitate to strike with everything she had, using this chance to take the Neo-Demon once and for all.