The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2256: The Red King and the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe’s powerhouses

Radagon and the remaining powerhouses of the Root watched in silence as the Red King rose through the layers of the Heart of the Root, showing no interest whatsoever in their reaction or desires.

Though Radagon and the rest of the powerhouses could sense that he likely could not continue fighting much longer, none of them dared to pursue.

Whether they wished to admit it, fear held them in place. As long as the abomination left the Heart of the Root, that was all that mattered. Besides, they had far more pressing concerns: the damage inflicted upon the sixth layer had reached cataclysmic levels, and the entire structure seemed ready to collapse, threatening to drag a significant part of the seventh and even the fifth layers down with it.

While the powerhouses of the Root struggled to stabilize the destruction tearing through the Heart of the Root—and tried desperately to erase the nightmare of the Red King from their minds—another scene was unfolding outside the Golden Hall.

Every major powerhouse of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe had gathered, their attention drawn by the overwhelming, world-shaking battle that had erupted within the Heart of the Root. The devastation radiating outward had reached such an intensity that Cipher and the others returned from their Empyrean Worlds, determined to understand what exactly had happened.

Confusion colored every face. The absence of the Scarlet King offered a clue, yet it raised far more questions than answers.

The idea that Cain had infiltrated the Heart of the Root was not unthinkable—they all knew he was not satisfied with the purely defensive strategy they had chosen, and his strange powers made such infiltration possible. And yet, the battle that unfolded defied understanding.

The Scarlet King was strong, perhaps the strongest among them after Anark. None of them liked acknowledging it, but it was true. Still, even he should not possess the might to make the entire Heart of the Root tremble on such a catastrophic scale.

Although they could not see what was happening, the showaves coursing through the Heart of the Root reached a level achievable only if every powerhouse of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe was fighting, not just one.

Cipher, Arkam, and the others kept glancing toward Anark, silently hoping for answers. But the True Primordial of the Void said nothing. The truth was that, even if he wanted, he had no answers to give. Anark was also shaken by the sudden, inexplicable turn of events.

The notion that Cain might have been deceived or trapped was reasonable—this was the domain of their greatest enemy, after all. No certainty existed in a place capable of cruising through the Emptiness itself. Yet the magnitude of the battle made no sense. Cain was simply not powerful enough to unleash a destruction of that level, even if his life depended on it.

Anark repeatedly examined the drop of Cain’s soul-blood, using it to track his life force. It remained strong—far stronger than expected. At times, the True Primordial even sensed Cain’s essence surging upward at an alarming rate, growing in ways that contradicted all logic. With each surge, Anark’s confusion deepened.

Speculation grew louder and wilder among the gathered powerhouses. That confusion persisted until at last the uppermost layer of the Heart of the Root split apart, carved open as though by a cosmic blade, and a single figure emerged.

Everyone froze.

Cain rose from the world-sized tumor, floating upward through the rift. But within moments, they sensed something profoundly different about him. His body remained the same, and his aura recognizable, yet the consciousness radiating from his eyes was not.

It was older—immeasurably old. Colder and absolute. It carried the weight of a universal force capable of existing through endless eons without ever fading.

Before they could even process what they were witnessing, the Red King swung the Zero-State Spear, tearing open a portal. A heartbeat later, he stood directly before the assembled powerhouses of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe.

Seeing him from afar had been one thing. Standing in his presence was another.

The hearts and souls of every powerhouse trembled as a suffocating pressure washed over them. The Red King was not attacking them—he displayed no hostility at all—yet it made no difference.

Even if a tornado does not move toward you, its presence alone forces the body to shiver. They were witnessing a force so far beyond their understanding that their instinctive fear was unavoidable.

The only ones who remained somewhat composed were the Prima Deities from Aether. They remembered a similar presence—long ago, in their battle against Dark Sky.

It had been ages since this entity manifested. Even when the Scarlet King nearly lost everything at the hands of the Imperium of Time, this presence had not appeared. But now it returned once more. And judging from the state of the Heart of the Root, it had not been a gentle manifestation.

Silence stretched as the Red King looked over them. His gaze swept across the assembled powerhouses without interest, yet it lingered on Anark for a moment.

"At least one of you is above average." He nodded slightly—and that was all.

The next second, he closed his eyes. His Resurrección dissolved. The plasma wings evaporated. The overwhelming, dominating presence began to recede like a fading cosmic storm.

No one dared move.

Finally, he opened his eyes again. This time, the presence behind them had changed. The light of the Scarlet King returned.

Cain showed nothing but calm and composure. He glanced at the powerhouses, who were clearly shaken by the sudden turn of events, then turned his attention toward the Heart of the Root in the distance, still trembling violently due to the destruction it had just endured.

Without uttering a single word—without offering an explanation, a reassurance, or even an acknowledgment—Cain moved forward, the powerhouses moving away from his path.

The Scarlet King walked into the Golden Hall, crossed the threshold of the portal, and left for the Everstrife Empyrean World.