Skull Lord's eyes widened as he took in the treasures Cain revealed. His gaze lingered for a fraction longer on the dagger, and a faint ripple crossed his aura as recognition set in. He could feel it clearly-this weapon was no less formidable than his own Sun-Pierce Sword, a treasure forged to wound even Alpha-Oga Overgods.
He stepped closer to Cain, a complicated expression forming on his bone face.
"With your accumulated rit and these artifacts," Skull Lord said slowly, "you indeed possess access to everything stored within the Life Path's treasury. Unfortunately... there is nothing there capable of satisfying your requirents."
Cain exhaled softly. He had expected this answer. His body,
reinforced by his body refinent technique, already stood at the absolute limit of the Early Alpha-Oga Overgod tier. Any further enhancent would require sothing extraordinary-sothing that transcended conventional treasures.
Just as Cain was about to abandon the thought, Skull Lord raised a hand. Space rippled, and a crystal heart appeared in his palm.
Cain's eyes widened instantly.
The heart was translucent and radiant, its surface pulsing with a deep, primal rhythm. Within it flowed a familiar yet overwhelming presence-an echo of the World Matrix itself. The sheer pressure radiating from it made Cain's blood stir.
"This," Skull Lord said, his voice heavy with significance, "is a Tyrant Heart."
Cain focused intently.
"It allows its bearer to channel the power of the World Matrix directly
into their physical body," Skull Lord continued. "Through it, one may cultivate the World-Thread Tyrant Codex. The technique is brutally demanding. It requires patience, endurance, and absolute control. But at its peak... your physical strength alone would allow you to shatter Late Alpha-Oga Overgods with your bare hands."
For the first ti in a long while, Cain was genuinely shaken by a treasure. It was exactly what he needed, sothing perfect for him, and that could allow his Neo-Demon Body to reach the absolute peak of the food chain in the Crimson World.
Naturally, he wanted it. Yet he did not act impulsively. He t Skull Lord's gaze, knowing full well that such a relic would never be given freely.
Skull Lord nodded, acknowledging Cain's restraint.
"Due to my racial heritage, I cannot exploit this Tyrant Heart to its full potential," he said. "I have long sought to exchange it for an artifact of equivalent value, but such an opportunity has yet to present itself, and I need power now. Therefore, I propose the following trade."
He paused briefly before stating his terms.
"The dagger. The armor. All of your accumulated rit points. And ten Alpha-Oga Origin Power Cores."
Cain's eyes twitched.
The price was staggering-nearly eighty percent of his total wealth.
For a mont, silence stretched between them.
Then Cain smiled faintly.
Wealth ant nothing to the dead.
If he wished to survive the coming storm-to face beings like the Ancient One, Crowley, and whatever lay on the Fifth Realm and beyond-he needed strength, and he needed it fast.
He nodded.
Without hesitation, Cain waved his hand. The treasures flowed toward Skull Lord, who accepted them with a solemn nod and released the Tyrant Heart into Cain's grasp.
The instant it touched his palm, Cain sent his consciousness inward.
A torrent of knowledge flooded his mind.
The structure of the World-Thread Tyrant Codex unfolded before him-pathways, cycles, compression techniques, and principles that redefined the relationship between flesh and cosmic law. Within seconds, understanding blood.
Cain's smile widened.
Without wasting a mont, he poured his soul force into the Tyrant Heart.
The crystal trembled violently, then dissolved into radiant streams of energy that pierced through Cain's flesh and blood. It positioned itself before his natural heart, pulsing once-twice-and then fused seamlessly with his body.
Because the Codex resided within the Tyrant Heart itself, its foundational knowledge was imprinted directly onto Cain's soul and
physique.
Yet there was a problem.
The Codex could channel the power of the World Matrix-but it could not summon it.
Normally, a cultivator would need to fully comprehend an Omnic
Truth or remain near soone who was doing it to trigger the Matrix. This was why Skull Lord had described the technique as arduous and
ti-consuming.
For others.
Not for Cain.
He inhaled deeply.
His back trembled as the Wings of Chaos manifested, unfurling in a storm of scarlet plasma. In the next instant, they fused with the fabric of reality itself, their power surging outward.
The space around him began to quake.
Under Skull Lord's shocked gaze-and the stunned attention of every powerhouse within the Heart of Sin-the World Matrix manifested. Golden threads descended from the void, interweaving with reality like the veins of creation itself.
A power that defied comprehension filled the chamber.
Cain smiled, but there was no ti to savor the mont.
Maintaining the Power of Chaos placed imnse strain upon his soul. Though he avoided triggering a Chaos Art-and thus a catastrophic backlash-he could only sustain this state briefly before exhaustion
set in.
Still, that was enough.
The golden threads of the World Matrix wove directly into Cain's muscles, tendons, and bone lattice. His physical structure began to evolve beyond biology-each fiber transforming into a conduit for cosmic law, inscribed with the foundational rules of the Crimson
World.
No one dared interrupt him.
The strain radiating from Cain's soul made it painfully clear that even
for him, this was no trivial feat.
Ten minutes passed.
A thin line of blood trickled from Cain's nose.
With a long exhale, he calmly deactivated the Chaos Wings. The
World Matrix vanished instantly, the golden threads retreating into
the void.
Silence followed.
Cain looked down at his arms and clenched his fists. Power surged beneath his skin-raw, controlled, and terrifying.
A small, exhilarated smile curved his lips.
"At this rate," he said quietly, "I will complete the first level within a
week."
Of course, such speed was only possible because his body already stood at the Early Alpha-Oga Overgod rank. Still, the implications were staggering.
The second level of the World-Thread Tyrant Codex promised strength sufficient to tear Middle Alpha-Oga Overgods apart with his hands, and if things went according to plan, he would reach it
very soon.
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