It took everything Cain had just to rise from the ground. His chest burned with unbearable intensity, and the wound carved into it was so deep that it had nearly sundered his heart in half. If not for the resilience granted by the Omnissiah Sacred Treasure and the regenerative power of his Rebirth Flas, that strike would have ended his life without question.
With every exchange, the truth beca clearer. True Fourth Realm life forms existed on an entirely different level. Cain had landed multiple attacks, each infused with the power of his Ancestor Force, Null Eternum, yet none had co close to paralyzing the Nightmare Sacred King's body or mind. The gap between them was not just vast—it was fundantal.
Despite his battered state and the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him, a spark of clarity ignited in Cain's mind. His scarlet eyes glowed with sudden enlightennt as he stared at the figure looming in the sky.
"Mutative adaptability."
His voice echoed across the fractured battlefield, steady despite the blood dripping from his lips. "That is the nature of your Ancestor Power."
For the briefest of monts, the Nightmare Sacred King's eyes widened. The reaction was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was enough. The killing intent that followed, however, was anything but restrained.
The nature of one's Ancestor Power was among the most guarded secrets for any high-level warrior. It was a decisive advantage, sothing that could determine victory or defeat in a single mont. To have it exposed so directly was both shocking and infuriating.
"I must admit, I am surprised," the Nightmare Sacred King said, his voice cold enough to freeze the air itself. Lightning in the surrounding sky slowed, then halted entirely, encased in layers of unnatural frost. "I grew curious about you after seeing that you could wield the Power of Chaos without ever setting foot in the Ancestor Tomb."
His gaze sharpened, filled with a calculating cruelty.
"A singularity like you could be of great value to my studies. Originally, I intended to capture you alive, but I can see now that you are not the kind of creature that can be caged." His lips curled beneath the tattered bandages. "Fortunately, even your corpse will suffice."
The six wings behind him spread wide once more, and the crimson pentagram manifested again, each wing acting as a focal point for its power. In the next instant, a dark sphere ford before him, surrounded by a faint gray halo.
The mont it appeared, the entire Ninth Realm trembled.
Gravity twisted unnaturally, bending and distorting as the sphere expanded. Space-ti itself seed to warp around it, unable to withstand the density of power being condensed within. No one felt its oppressive force more than Cain. Even before it was launched, the sphere locked onto him completely, binding his body in place and preventing even the slightest movent.
It was not rely an attack. It was a chanism designed to counter him specifically.
Cain could feel it clearly—the sphere was ant to bypass his defenses, neutralize his abilities, and crush him utterly.
His eyes narrowed as understanding dawned.
"Your power allows you to beco the nightmare of your enemies."
The words ford silently in his mind as the sphere reached its peak. It grew to the size of a teor, arcs of crimson lightning dancing across its surface as space-ti twisted violently around it.
"Die, ant!"
With a roar, the Nightmare Sacred King hurled the sphere forward. It shot through the sky like a falling star, tearing through reality itself as it descended toward Cain.
There was no escape.
His body remained bound, completely immobilized by the overwhelming force. He knew, with absolute certainty, that if the attack landed, he would die.
A twisted smile ford beneath the Sacred King's bandages as he anticipated his victory. Once Cain was gone, his remains would beco fuel for even greater power. With that, the Nightmare Sacred King would finally be able to advance his grand designs without interference from the other Sacred Kings of Chaos and Order.
Yet, just as the sphere was about to reach its target—
It vanished!
The Nightmare Sacred King froze.
"What…?"
Shock and disbelief flashed through his eyes. This was not sothing the Power of Chaos could accomplish, nor was it within the capabilities of Cain's known abilities. His Ancestor Power, tied to the Quietus Force, did not grant such effects.
Before he could process what had occurred, his gaze locked onto Cain's face.
A golden vortex had appeared in Cain's left eye.
The next instant, that eye burst.
Blood stread down his face as the organ collapsed under the strain, yet his expression did not waver. Slowly, his right eye opened, glowing with such intensity that it burned itself. At that mont, the instincts of the Nightmare Sacred King scread in warning.
But it was too late.
The energy he had unleashed—the very attack ant to annihilate Cain—reappeared directly before him.
Then it detonated.
The explosion was apocalyptic.
It resembled a supernova blooming within the sky of the Ninth Realm, an expanding inferno of destruction that illuminated everything in blinding light. Waves of fire and energy surged outward, consuming the heavens and the land below. The density of the blast was so imnse that entire portions of the realm were dragged into it, cities and islands alike vanishing into the expanding inferno.
The sky shattered.
The ground ruptured.
Reality itself seed to scream under the strain.
Several seconds passed before the flas began to recede.
From within the fading inferno, a figure erged.
The Nightmare Sacred King was barely recognizable. His wings were scorched and broken, several torn apart entirely. The bandages that once covered his body had been burned away to such an extent that they barely clung to him, revealing charred flesh beneath.
Even for a being of his level, the damage was catastrophic.
Yet he still lived.
His life force flickered with instability, but it remained present, defiant in the face of destruction.
And the battle was not over.
Before he could even steady himself, his instincts flared once more.
A presence appeared behind him.
The Nightmare Sacred King turned—
And saw Cain.
The Scarlet King stood there, battered and bleeding, one eye destroyed and the other scorched. His body pushed far beyond its limits, yet his soul burned with killing intent and determination as he shouted with all his strength.
"Ancestor Domain: Eternum Sun!"
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