The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2669: Meylin vs Nito (I)

Meylin sat high in the sky above the core of the Ouroboros Stronghold.

Her eyes were closed, and her breathing remained slow and steady. Starlight flames surrounded her figure, rising in gentle waves before taking the shape of an enormous lotus flower. Each petal shimmered with silver-blue radiance, while streams of golden light flowed between them like rivers.

Those golden streams carried the power of the Flow.

At the center of the lotus sat Meylin, her hair drifting around her as if she were submerged beneath an invisible ocean. The Flame of Hope overflowed from her body, growing stronger with every passing second. Its radiance spread through the sky, descended across the Ouroboros Stronghold, and reached every warrior stationed within its walls.

The warriors of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe Alliance felt the flame wash over their minds and souls. Their fear faded. Their worries weakened. The exhaustion that had accumulated after months of war disappeared.

The Flame of Hope did not merely strengthen their bodies.

It nourished their souls.

It sharpened their minds, reinforced their willpower, and reminded them why they continued to fight. Every soldier who felt Meylin’s power understood that they were not alone. They had allies beside them. They had people worth protecting.

They had hope.

For the warriors of the Ouroboros Stronghold, Meylin had become a beacon of inspiration.

Yet while the True Depravita of Hope gave courage to thousands, she struggled to calm her own heart.

The war had pushed her further than she had ever imagined possible. Her unwavering desire to grow stronger, combined with the divine opportunity granted by the Coffin of Life and Death, had brought her to the brink of the Fourth Realm.

She was close.

Very close.

If she took that final step, she would transcend the limits of the Third Realm and become a life form capable of standing among the true monsters of the universe. She would become something no Depravita had ever achieved, at least not according to the records of the Crimson World.

With that rising power came a deeper understanding of reality.

Meylin’s perception had expanded beyond the present. She could sense fragments of the future, faint ripples moving through the river of time.

And those ripples filled her with dread.

Something was coming.

Something incredibly dangerous.

Something she did not know if she could face alone.

Slowly, Meylin opened her eyes.

Her gaze moved toward the location where Cain’s Primordial Body rested.

Most of its wounds had already healed thanks to the terrifying vitality contained within Cain’s bloodline. However, without Cain’s will and ego, the body could not wield the full strength of the Scarlet King.

”Ah...”

A deep sigh escaped Meylin’s lips.

The pressure on her shoulders felt overwhelming.

This was the first time she had taken command of a war capable of deciding the fate of an entire universe. Cain had always stood at the center of the battlefield. He had always been the one to make the difficult decisions. He had always carried the burden of leading others into battle.

Now that responsibility belonged to her.

For the first time, Meylin truly understood how suffocating that burden could be.

Yet the deeper the pressure became, the more admiration appeared in her eyes as she thought about Cain.

”How did he do it?” Meylin murmured. ”How did he carry this burden for so long?”

Her eyes softened.

”I never saw doubt in his heart. I never saw hesitation. He was always resolute, as if he knew everything would work out in the end.”

A small smile appeared on Meylin’s face.

Then she shook her head.

”No... that is not true.”

Cain was not immune to fear.

He was not incapable of doubt.

No one could remain unaffected by the pressure of leading others, especially when the lives of friends, family, comrades, and entire worlds rested on their shoulders.

Cain had simply learned how to hide it.

A leader could not allow those following him to see uncertainty.

If the leader hesitated, the soldiers would hesitate.

If the leader doubted, the army would doubt.

A leader had to stand firm even when their heart was trembling. They had to show absolute confidence so those following them could fight without fear.

”And now,” Meylin whispered, ”that duty is mine.”

The moment those words left her mouth, her eyes sharpened.

She turned toward the distant horizon.

Her instincts screamed.

A weapon appeared in her hand.

Longinus.

The sword radiated a terrifying pressure as golden and starlight flames wrapped around its surface. The weapon resonated with Meylin’s soul, releasing a powerful chime that echoed across the Ouroboros Stronghold.

”They are coming.”

The next instant, alarms echoed through the fortress.

The sensors of the Ouroboros Stronghold had detected the arrival of the Curse Eaters at the border of their territory.

Powerful auras exploded across the stronghold.

One after another, the warriors of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe Alliance released their strength. Their battle intent surged into the sky, shaking the clouds and causing the laws around the fortress to tremble.

The power gathered within the stronghold was monstrous.

It was far greater than the force that had once been needed to crush the first wave of the Heart of the Root. The warriors had grown stronger through countless battles. They had pushed their foundations to the limit, strengthened their souls, and deepened their connection with the unique weapons they wielded.

Majestic weapons appeared in their hands.

Swords, spears, axes, bows, chains, and countless other treasures began to shine. The energy radiating from them grew more intense until massive chimeric phantoms appeared in the sky.

Each phantom carried a different power.

Some resembled ancient beasts. Others resembled divine warriors, celestial dragons, monstrous serpents, or beings born from storms and flames. Their presence bent reality, filling the battlefield with colors both beautiful and terrifying.

Meylin nodded softly as she watched the army gather.

Then she raised her hand.

The entire Ouroboros Stronghold trembled.

From its core, a massive Ouroboros emerged.

The serpent was enormous, its body coiling around the fortress as it released a roar that shook the heavens.

The Ouroboros moved beside Meylin.

A massive light engulfed them.

In the next instant, Meylin, the Ouroboros, and the army of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe Alliance vanished from the stronghold.

They reappeared at the front lines.

The sudden flash of light blinded many warriors for a moment, but their minds and souls never stopped perceiving the enemy.

The battlefield fell silent.

Then the Ouroboros roared.

”ROOOOAAAAARRRR!”

That roar became the signal.

The warriors of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe Alliance unleashed their power as they lunged toward the Curse Eaters of the Tenth Empyrean World.

”BOOOOOOOOM!”

The sky and earth were engulfed in a myriad of magnificent and terrifying colors.

Golden flames clashed against dark curses. Divine weapons collided with monstrous claws. The ground split apart as powerful life forms rushed toward one another, each side determined to crush the other.

The war had begun.

Yet amid the countless warriors rushing into battle, two figures remained still.

Meylin tightened her grip around Longinus.

Her eyes were locked on Nito.

The Curse Eater stood above his army, surrounded by waves of dark Samsara Energy. His face was slowly peeling away as if it were a mask, revealing something else beneath it.

Something colder.

Something older.

Meylin’s instincts screamed.

Her soul trembled.

She could feel it with absolute certainty.

”He is stronger than me,” Meylin thought.

Her grip around Longinus tightened.

”Much stronger.”