Cain and ylin sifted through the entire list of enemies scattered across the Second Realm, their expressions darkening with every na they read. The Path of Freedom's forces were staggering-not rely in number, but in individual power.
Of the ArchDeities who had originally called the Second Realm their ho, three-fifths had pledged themselves to the Path of Freedom. And as if that weren't enough, the Ancient One had dispatched a great number of powerhouses from the higher realms as
reinforcents. What awaited them here was no scattered resistance -it was a storm of overwhelming might.
The more they studied, the heavier the silence between them grew. Yet beneath that weight of realization, there lingered a flicker of sothing else: embarrassnt.
They had been targeted by two very powerful Middle ArchDeities, but it was clear that in the eyes of the Ancient One, they were still far from being considered core threats. There were bigger prey, greater priorities. Compared to the towering figures of this war, Cain and ylin were dangerous, but not central.
They shared a brief glance, awkward smiles breaking across their lips. It seed they had overestimated their value in the Ancient One's calculations.
But sentint was useless. The duo quickly buried the thought and returned to their task. They were going to operate alone, and that ant choosing targets wisely. Their prey needed to be isolated- stationed in remote regions where reinforcents would not arrive in ti. Places where the terrain offered escape routes if the tide turned against them.
The nas piled higher, one after another. For long minutes they combed through the records, until suddenly Cain's eyes lit with a predatory gleam. Hunger flashed within them, his lips curling in
sothing between a smile and a snarl.
"Catherine... the Giant Slayer Puppetmaster."
He marked her na deep in his mind. If he could seal her essence into his Third Astral Black Hole, his strength would take a trendous leap forward.
Catherine was infamous-her cultivation base fearso, her Dream even more so. She commanded puppets of unfathomable might, warriors crafted of powerful enemies that had grown even the strongest in death, each capable of leveling kingdoms. Several ArchDeities of the Life Path had already fallen to her, their bodies and souls annihilated, forced to rebuild themselves from nothing within their Divine Kingdoms.
It would not be an easy hunt, but it would be necessary.
anwhile, ylin's eyes glowed faintly, her own hunger stirring. She too had found a na-a figure whose existence resonated with her Depravita Path and Dream. She did not voice it aloud yet, but Cain could feel her pulse quicken beside him. Their ambitions aligned.
When their target packages were complete, they shifted their focus to broader strategy. They studied the shifting tides of war, including troop movents, ambush points, and strongholds to avoid. The most dangerous zone, of course, was the Shining Castle, a fortress on the far edge of the Void Beyond the Realm.
It was the headquarters of the Path of Freedom. If it were destroyed, it would be a decisive victory for the Demon King's armies. But the fortress was virtually impregnable, layered in defenses older than eras -and worse still, it housed an Alpha-Oga Overgod, a figure capable of dueling the True Depravita of Fear.
Cain and ylin were many things, but they were not suicidal, and they would not get anywhere near it.
At last, after nearly an hour of planning, they looked at each other and nodded. The plan was simple but deadly effective: hunt ArchDeities in
isolation, devour their strength, grow stronger with each kill. And always, always keep their eyes fixed on their ultimate prey, waiting for them to make the slightest mistake.
Their minds set, they departed the Heart of Sin. Together they pierced into the landmass, masking their auras to perfection. If their killing spree was to last, it could not be loud. They would move like shadows, striking fast and vanishing before the Freedom Path realized what was happening.
An explosion echoed across the sky and earth, a detonation that sent shockwaves rippling for leagues. From the ruins of a dead city, a figure rose-a storm-forged titan, taller than mountains, forged of living tal and searing lightning. His every movent crackled with arcs of blue energy, the sheer weight of his presence bending the air around him.
His na was Jontar, a Middle ArchDeity. Yet his endurance was so legendary that he was ranked among the strongest defenders of the Second Realm. He had been part of a strike force that had destroyed the Eternal Kingdom of a Life Path ArchDeity.
The assault had been brutal, but successful-another bastion of the Life Path ground to ash. Yet the retreat had not gone as planned. The strike force splintered under pursuit, scattering across the land. For Jontar, the journey back should have been effortless. But his body told another story.
A massive wound split his chest, carved deep into lightning-tal flesh, seeping with dark energy and scarlet fla. Two more cuts wrapped his neck, burning with psychic venom that gnawed at his
mind.
And yet he stood. Towering. Enduring. His thunderous gaze fixed on the two figures before him: a scarlet draconic warrior cloaked in death essence, and a woman seated upon a blooming lotus, her aura like a symphony of sin.
Cain and ylin glowed like predators. Truthfully, they were impressed that Jontar managed to survive their dual ambush. Yet admiration did not dim their intent. Their weapons sang, energy bursting along the blades, lighting the battlefield crimson and black.
Jontar's voice rumbled like collapsing mountains.
"You dare..." His body shook with rage and thunder. "You dare strike a
storm born of the higher realms?"
Cain's draconic form curled, his wings folding before snapping outward with a roar as he tightened the grip around Sky Devourer.
There was no need for words, only action.
ylin marched forward inside her lotus. The scent of sin flowed
across Hell and Abyss, making the swords more and more deadly by
the second.
Together, the Neo-Demon and the True Depravita surged forward, weapons raised.
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