The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 562: From bad to worse

”BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!”

That attack was the most powerful the Soul King had unleashed so far, so massive that it nearly divided the battlefield in half, pushing everybody away and temporarily halting all the other battles.

The warriors from the Solis Clan, Kraken Clan, Zanginis Clan, and Umbra Clan did not immediately rejoin the fray after being thrust away by that blast. Instead, they turned to the core of the explosion.

There was no clear winner between the two sides, so if the Soul King emerged victorious, it would tip the balance towards the Umbra Clan and Kraken Clan warriors.

Dread appeared on Zamuel and Loreʼs faces as they saw the attack had landed point blank on Cain. On the other hand, Talon was able to finally relax, sure that there was no way Cain could have survived that.

As the energy dispersed, everybody saw Cainʼs blood falling to the ground. However, shock set in as they saw the broadsword embedded in his chest, the weapon having shattered his left sternum and leaving a deep cut.

The wound on Cainʼs body was severe but far from what such an attack should have inflicted. The reason for that was the glowing blood vessels that seemed to burn energy.

”Astral Blood Ability!”

The Soul King couldnʼt help but be shocked to see Cain using such a powerful ability, exponentially enhancing his defenses and turning a deadly attack into only a deep wound.

A bad situation could always become worse. In the next second, Cainʼs eyes burst with red light, using all his strength to move his wounded left arm and grab the Soul Kingʼs wrist as he charged all his power into Slaughter.

The Soul King felt the immense power in the blade, but his last attack had unleashed too much power, leaving him to endure the backlash. Therefore, he could not rid himself of Cainʼs grip fast enough.

”Dimensional Rend!”

Cain shouted as Slaughter rose with all his strength, and under everybodyʼs sight, space began to tear apart. Furthermore, all the Bloodthirsty Seals exploded, infusing their power into the cut in space-time.

The Soul King used all his strength to try to move away, but he could not escape before the tear in space burst, unleashing a spatial storm charged with an ocean of Blood Energy that engulfed him.

”BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!”

The spatial storm and Blood Energy flooded the route, and while its main target was the Soul King, it engulfed everybody from both sides.

Zamuel and Lore were not the exceptions. The duo had faced very hard battles and were riddled with injuries, but they did not lose focus. They took the chance of the Dimensional Rend explosion to command the warriors from the Solis Clan and Zanginis Clan back, taking a defensive formation. At the same time, they waited for the explosive energies to cool down.

The Umbra Clan and Kraken Clan warriors did the same, with Talon and Robert adopting defensive stances along with the rest, trying to assess the condition of the battlefield.

Finally, two more figures emerged from the epicenter of the blast.

Cain landed among the group of the Solis Clan and Zanginis Clan, his face pale with a gaping cut on his chest that reached his ribs. The left side of his body was badly wounded, and his lung had collapsed.

The Soul King also retreated with his warriors, and his condition was even worse as he had lost his right arm, his right leg mangled beyond recognition, and his entire body riddled with deep and bloody wounds.

Clearly, taking the Dimensional Rend head-on, which the Bloodthirsty Runes enhanced, had done immense damage to the Soul Kingʼs battle vessels.

Silence reigned as both groups looked at each other. Cainʼs wounds were not as severe as the Soul Kingʼs, but he still lost a significant part of his battle power. While the Solis Clan and Zanginis Clan could win the battle, it would be a Pyrrhic victory, and many would die, so no side was happy about the current situation.

Still, Zamuel, Lore, and all the other warriors stared at the Umbra Clan and Kraken Clan with killing intent and resolution. Some might die, but they were warriors, and death was acceptable, especially if they could rid the empire of such an immense threat.

Cain was having a hard time regulating his breathing. He had redirected the power of his Alter-Ego into Radiance of Life to mend his injuries, but he was still severely wounded. Nevertheless, his eyes were resolute as he stood straight and glanced at the Soul King with pure killing intent.

The Soul King failed to regulate his breathing, and the damage he received was simply too much, even for a battle vessel with the vitality and constitution of a Peak Apotheosis Realm Master. His already unstable life force was rapidly losing control, worsening his condition. Continuing to clash with Cain meant the chances of victory were next to null.

For the Soul King to infiltrate the Astral Bloodline Realm undetected by the True Titans of the Deus Behemoth Empire, he had been forced to fuse a piece of his soul in this continent with the soul sea of Norkuo. This meant that if the battle vessel were to shatter, the piece of his soul would crumble and fade, breaking his control over the members of the Kraken Clan.

”Ahhhh, I will admit it, you are a true monster. Had you reached the Divine Ranks, even if my true body was here, I could do nothing but run away.”

The members of the Umbra Clan, Solis Clan, and Zanginis Clan were surprised to hear the Soul Kingʼs words as the assessment of Cainʼs power was mind-blowing.

There was a massive difference between the Early and Late Stages in the Divine Ascension Rank, and a True Titan like the Soul King was at an even higher stage, yet it seemed Cain could reach the absolute Peak of Aether upon surpassing the Apotheosis Realm. That was a level of talent that was truly unheard of.

Although those words should have made Cain feel good, his instincts began to scream louder and louder as if the danger was just about to start. It was at this point that the Soul Kingʼs soul force burst, and screams emerged from behind him.

”¡AHHHHHHH!”

The members of the Kraken Clan began to scream in pain, grabbing their heads due to the agony that seemed to have woken them up from their stasis as dark blue fire bathed their bodies.

Cain, Zamuel, and Loreʼs eyes widened as they saw how, amidst the screams, the members of the Kraken Clan began to grow larger, and their energy pools grew in intensity and purity.

The transformation was not aesthetic at all, and in some cases, you could see bones breaking through the skin due to the fast growth, with their blood vessels growing thicker to the point that they resembled worms moving beneath their skin. Despite their eerie appearance, every one of them was growing more powerful by the second, and their transformation didnʼt take long to be completed.

Robert had always been tall, but after the transformation by the dark blue flames, he was now almost three meters tall. His muscles had grown exponentially, as had the density of the bronze exoskeleton covering his flesh. Bone spikes were breaking through his hands, making his fists more dangerous.

Cainʼs calm expression couldnʼt help but break under such a sight. The power between both groups was nearly even, and he had pushed the balance in favor of the Solis Clan and Zanginis Clan by delivering that Dimensional Rend point-blank on the Soul King, but things changed once more.

Each member of the Kraken Clan had grown at least 50% more powerful. Of course, such an immense upgrade came at a horrible cost, and Cain doubted they would be able to survive for long, but they only needed to endure this fight, and that would be enough.

”I did not want to lose such valuable chess pieces, but you left me no other choice. Now your fate is sealed, and you can do nothing to escape my scythe.”

The Soul Kingʼs voice was eerily cold, and there was no smile on his face or excitement. It was as if everything was already over, and there was no need for unnecessary emotions.

Zamuel and Lore stared at Cain, unable to hide their distress, as their current situation was truly awful. They had already crossed blades with their enemies and understood their power.

Now that they had grown much more powerful and would deploy suicide attacks without regard for their lives, there was no chance of victory. Even if they gave it their all, at most, they could kill a few members of the Kraken Clan and Umbra Clan, but that was all.

Cain was not naive and understood their situation and just how low their chances of survival were unless something changed. His Ego Wave burst with power as the Force of Order shut down all unnecessary thoughts and emotions, allowing his mind to work faster than ever, trying to find a way out of this precarious situation.