Cain clenched his teeth, fury rising from the pit of his soul. The mory of that last instant before losing consciousness still burned behind his eye. The golden projectile, the sting of the ambush, and the cold certainty of who had fired it.
"Brother."
The word hissed through his lips like venom. A dangerous light flickered in his eyes as he whispered it, sharp with pain and recognition. There was no denying the connection between him and the Crimson Exarch. They were indeed born from the sa fundantal particles, and he would not play ntal gymnastics to hide the truth. Yet, that connection made nothing to diminish the rage coiling inside him.
Cain hated interference. He hated anyone daring to touch the threads of his destiny.
But anger could wait. For now, sothing far more urgent demanded his attention, his heart.
He sat cross-legged by the edge of the lake and sent his
consciousness inward. The world around him dimd as his focus tunneled into his chest, into the pulsing core of his Neo-Demon Path. There, he saw it: an intricate field of strange blue runes orbiting his Neo-Demon Core, weaving themselves around it like a net of divine logic. They pulsed faintly, harmonizing and then clashing with the dark purple essence of his core.
For a mont, awe overca him. The craftsmanship of the blue net was beyond comprehension, precise, layered, multidinsional. Whatever his brother had done, it wasn't crude sabotage. It was a transformation.
But then he noticed the flaw.
The pattern was unstable. The runes weren't aligning perfectly-they
vibrated with growing tension, threatening to rupture the Neo-Demon Core's structure before the fusion was completed.
"Supercomputer Assistant," Cain said aloud within his mind. "Can I expel the blue runes?"
The Alpha-Oga Overgod Innate Ability acted with imnse speed and precision, analyzing the phenonon inside his heart before giving an asnwer.
"Fusion process already in progress. Irreversible. Attempting to remove runes will accelerate instability and result in total collapse of the host core."
Cain frowned. If he interfered, the Neo-Demon Core would implode. His other option was to destroy his body and soul himself, then resurrect through his True Na, but doing so might erase his Neo-Demon Core entirely. And without it, could he even return as a Neo-Demon?
He couldn't take that risk.
"Is there a way to stabilize the process?" he asked. "Prevent catastrophic failure?"
"Host may slow fusion by channeling all available energy and soul force into containnt. This will improve Core endurance probability by seventy-four percent. However, the host will be left severely weakened during the stabilization period."
A deep frown creased Cain's brow. To pour every drop of his Soul Dinsion into containnt would be dangerous. And he had too many enemies who would leap at even a whisper of weakness. "How long would stabilization take?"
"Estimated duration: eleven to twenty-one years."
Cain went silent for several seconds. Twenty-one years of weakness- a long exile from the battlefield. Yet he had already spent more than a decade wandering the Crimson World, and it was ti to return to
the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe.
At last, he nodded. "Do it."
"Confird. Initiating energy redirection."
A surge of power rippled through his body. The Supercomputer Assistant seized control of his entire energy pool and the spirit might of his Black Hole within. Every particle of force was redirected inward, flooding the Neo-Demon Core.
Slowly, the chaotic vibration inside his heart began to subside, which was very good news. The blue runes rged deeper into the crimson light, their violent pulse softening.
The agony faded to a steady throb. Cain exhaled sharply, sweat dripping from his brow, a faint smile crossing his lips.
Stabilized, barely.
He flexed his hand, testing his strength. His physical power remained,
though his aura was drained. The Flow still coursed through his veins, allowing the use of the Crimson Light and abilities like Divergence and
Redirection, but that was it.
He could still fight, at least to the level of a Middle Archdeity, a shocking feat for soone so damaged. But if word reached the Freedom Path that he was weakened, they would send armies to tear
him apart.
He had just slain an Alpha-Oga Overgod, after all. There would never be a better chance for his enemies to strike.
Cain steadied his breath and let The Flow expand within him, weaving it into his aura. The currents of his energy folded back upon themselves, cloaking his true condition. To the outside world, he would appear unreadable, making people think he was hiding his imnse power after defeating Braldy, when in reality, he was concealing his weakness. No one could afford to gamble on which. Then he raised his head, sensing the distance.
"Co," he whispered.
Fifteen minutes later, the sky shimred. A figure cut through the clouds like a cot, descending toward the lake. Her arrival carried
power and worry.
ylin.
The True Depravita of Origin Sin landed beside him, her dark hair rippling in the still air. Her eye sharpened as they fell upon him. Through the bond they shared, she imdiately sensed it: the hollow echo in his core, the faint fracture beneath his surface.
She scanned the surroundings instinctively, every motion calculated. When she was certain no threat lingered, she turned back to him, her expression torn between confusion and fear.
"What happened?" she demanded, her voice tight.
Cain sighed, a rare sound from him. "It's... complicated."
He recounted everything from the mont he left the Sacred
Dinsion of the Red King.
ylin listened without interruption, her face gradually shifting from concern to disbelief, to an overwhelming shock.
When he finished, she stared at him, wide-eyed. "You're saying you killed an Alpha-Oga Overgod Neo-Angel?"
Her tone carried both awe and incredulity. ylin believed that Cain was the most talented life form in the universe, but even then, such a
feat was incredible.
Even a normal Alpha-Oga Overgod was extrely difficult to defeat, and Neo-Angels were mbers of a Supre Race. Killing one was sothing not even the generals from the Demon King had been able to achieve.
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