The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2627: Cain’s new weapon (III)

It took all of Cain’s strength just to remain conscious, and even then, if not for the power of the Everstrife Empyrean World coursing endlessly through his body and soul, there was no telling how much damage the awakening of such a terrifying Chimera Will would have inflicted upon his Lucid Dream and Ego Eternal Path of Power.

Several minutes passed before Cain’s eyes regained focus.

When they finally did, awe and delight burned within them as he gazed at the monstrous eldritch fiend now residing inside his mind.

Its sheer presence distorted the entire Lucid Dream.

Psychic storms spread endlessly across the mental realm while entire landscapes twisted beneath the pressure radiating from the Chimera Will. Even space itself trembled around the creature, as though reality struggled to endure its existence.

”Its raw power surpasses the Peak Alpha Omega Overgod Rank,” Cain muttered, his voice solemn. ”Perhaps it has even crossed the Limit and touched the boundaries beyond the Third Realm.”

Yet alongside the delight in his heart, there was also caution.

Cain could clearly see the bloodlust and desire for freedom burning within the scarlet-golden eye of the Chimera Will.

”If not for the evolution of the Primarch of Conquest, it would have shattered my mental defenses without much trouble and crippled me.”

The creature’s power was terrifying.

And despite recognizing that danger, Cain still intended to make it even stronger.

After all, he could already feel the changes occurring within his Ego Eternal Path of Power. Endless psychic energy surged through the Lucid Dream, continuously refining and evolving his willpower while pushing it closer and closer toward the barrier of the Fourth Realm.

The principles and laws of the Ego Eternal Path of Power had long been engraved into the very fabric of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe. Through that path, the warriors of the Six Sacred Races could achieve all kinds of miraculous transformations. Their brains could evolve into unique psychic dimensions, their egos could manifest as spiritual embodiments of their will, and their minds could grow to terrifying heights.

Yet despite all of that power, the Ego Eternal Path of Power had limitations.

Following it normally could only bring one’s willpower to the Limit of the Third Realm.

There were exceptions, of course.

Monsters like Cain could surpass those boundaries and reach the Half-Step Fourth Realm through unique forms of empowerment such as True Names or divine blessings. Yet even then, that was the absolute limit.

Reaching the true Fourth Realm through the Ego Eternal Path of Power alone was impossible.

In fact, even evolving a single aspect of one’s existence into the Fourth Realm through ordinary paths was nearly impossible unless one cultivated a path belonging to a Supreme Race. As for paths capable of evolving one’s entire existence into the Fourth Realm, those were privileges reserved only for Apex Races.

Cain was not arrogant enough to declare the Chimera Will system an Apex Path.

However, it could unquestionably grant the Ego Eternal Path of Power a boost powerful enough to push one’s willpower into the next realm while also granting access to terrifying unique abilities capable of changing the tide of battle completely.

And Cain knew very well that his current strength was still far from enough if he truly wished to destroy the Tenth Empyrean World.

Sharpness flashed through the Scarlet King’s eyes as he took the next step.

Since his Chimera Will possessed two cores, he needed to maintain perfect balance between them. If one side became too powerful compared to the other, it could dominate the fusion entirely, devouring or destroying the weaker wills.

There was another problem as well.

The Will Beasts fused into the Chimera Will needed to possess compatibility with at least one of the two cores.

Fortunately, the war against the Root had flooded the Scarlet Throne with countless putrefying abominations, many of them former Champions of the Root. Feeding Robuke’s side of the Chimera Will would not be difficult at all.

Legion’s side, however, required Sky Demons and beings born from negative emotions. Before obtaining the Coffin of Life and Death, Cain would have lacked enough of those entities to proceed.

But now things had changed.

Taking a deep breath, Cain extended his will into the Scarlet Throne.

Less than three seconds later, two new Will Beasts appeared inside the Lucid Dream.

One resembled a grotesque abomination covered in bulging, rotting muscles and crimson tendrils. The other was a specter forged entirely from darkness, despair, and negative emotions.

The two creatures immediately struggled violently after arriving, trying desperately to break free.

Yet their resistance was meaningless.

Chains forged from Cain’s willpower bound them completely before he forced them directly into the Chimera Will.

The effect was immediate.

The pressure radiating from the Chimera Will surged drastically as two additional wills merged into its existence. The scarlet-golden eye on its forehead glowed brighter while the psychic pressure flooding the Lucid Dream intensified continuously.

Yet Cain did not stop.

Another Root abomination appeared.

Then another Sky Demon.

One after another, Cain continued feeding the Chimera Will.

”RUMBLE!”

The entire Lucid Dream began to tremble violently.

Mountains collapsed. Oceans rose into the sky. Cracks spread across the psychic dimension itself while blood started leaking from Cain’s eyes under the terrifying pressure.

Even though the Chimera Will remained restrained by the power of the Primarch of Conquest, Cain could feel the creature’s claws digging deeper and deeper into the walls of his mind, desperately trying to escape.

Its hunger only continued growing.

Minutes passed before Cain finally managed to adapt to the pressure once more.

A solemn expression appeared on his face as realization dawned upon him.

He could not continue strengthening the Chimera Will.

Not for now.

If he pushed further, the creature’s power would surpass the endurance of his Lucid Dream entirely. The psychic realm, along with Cain’s own brain, could collapse beneath the strain.

Under normal circumstances, Cain would simply wait for his Lucid Dream to evolve naturally and adapt to the increased pressure.

But this time was different.

The next step for the Lucid Dream was the Fourth Realm.

And reaching the Fourth Realm was not something one could achieve merely by waiting.

At this point, all the others following the newly created path of the Chimera Will would attempt to harmonize with the entity they had forged. They would try to bond with it and, through that connection, help the myriad of wills within the Chimera Will achieve balance and unity.

That bond between warrior and Chimera Will allowed them to erase the animosity between one another, preventing the Chimera Will from constantly trying to break free. More importantly, it enabled the warrior to continue strengthening the entity until the day they could finally utter its true name and unleash its full might.

However, Cain knew that was not a path he could follow.

First of all, the Chimera Will he had created was unlike any forged by the other warriors of the Nine Empyrean Suns Alliance. Even though the egos of Robuke and Legion had been shattered into pieces, deep within the very core of their Primordial Essences, the two still loathed Cain with every fiber of their existence.

Their time within the Scarlet Throne had not erased that hatred.

And it never would.

There was no possibility of harmony between them.

Fortunately, Cain had never intended to seek harmony in the first place.

He would conquer it instead.

Taking a deep breath, Cain stepped fully into the Lucid Dream and appeared directly before the colossal Chimera Will. The creature towered above him like a nightmare born from the darkest corners of existence itself.

He could feel its foul breath washing over him.

The overwhelming rage and killing intent radiating from the entity were enough to crush weaker souls instantly. It was a will to destroy unlike anything Cain had felt before, rivaling even the monstrous pressure emitted by the Sacred Kings of Chaos and Order.

Yet there was no fear in Cain’s heart.

His eyes remained calm and unwavering as he slowly raised his hand and placed a single finger against the center of the Chimera Will’s forehead, directly beneath its scarlet-golden eye.

The instant contact was made—

”RUMBLE!”

The entire Lucid Dream began to tremble violently.

Psychic storms exploded across the mental realm as endless waves of madness, fury, corruption, and despair surged toward Cain in an attempt to overwhelm his consciousness.

What was happening was a clash of wills.

In order to conquer the Chimera Will, Cain had to clash head-on with it and show his superiority. That meant putting himself in real danger, allowing the entity to break him if he failed to endure.

The Chimera Will roared furiously.

Its countless arms shook against the chains binding it while its wings spread wide enough to eclipse the sky itself. The hatred burning within the creature erupted like an apocalyptic tide, determined to destroy the man standing before it.

But Cain did not move.

His finger remained firmly pressed against the Chimera Will’s forehead as scarlet light slowly began to spread from his body.