"BOOM!"
A violent blast echoed across Origin Island as Cain landed directly in front of the Eternity Gate. Cracks spread beneath his feet, obsidian energy rippling outward. His eyes were cold and sharp as he blocked the open gate.
The one responsible for opening it stood calmly before him.
The Crimson Exarch.
The man wore a faint smile as his gaze t Cain's. Despite his injuries and exhaustion, there was no fear in his eyes-only resolve.
"Brother," the Crimson Exarch said quietly, his voice carrying an unsettling calm. "Do we really need to do this?"
A aningful light flickered within his gaze as he continued.
"After all, if not for , you would have died."
Cain stared at him in silence for a long mont before nodding.
"Yes. That is true," Cain replied. "Your actions triggered an evolution that granted the power to survive this ordeal. And that is the only reason I do not kill you for interfering with my destiny."
The coldness in Cain's voice was terrifying. As he uttered those final words, the air itself trembled, distorted by the killing intent he was forcibly containing.
"We are even, brother," Cain continued. "And I will not let you cross this gate."
Imdiately, Cain's aura surged. Obsidian energy gathered in his palm, forming a dense sphere that pulsed violently. At any mont, it could be released-more than enough to reduce the wounded Crimson Exarch to dust.
The Crimson Exarch studied Cain for a mont, then shook his head
with a soft smile.
"Behind that portal," he said, "we will find knowledge regarding our past and our origin. Knowledge you might find very interesting."
He paused before adding calmly, "Besides, unlike the Ancient One, I do not care about sothing as small-minded as unifying the universe. You do not have to worry about that."
Cain could tell he was telling the truth.
His gaze shifted briefly toward the Eternity Gate, drawn by the imnse pressure and mystery beyond it. After a mont, he nodded.
"I know," Cain said quietly. "There, I will find many answers."
Then he turned back to the Crimson Exarch, a smile full of conviction and unwavering resolve forming on his face.
"However, right now, there are things more important than secrets. I will find those answers in due ti. But until then, I will kill anyone who tries to cross this gate-whether it is the Ancient One... or even you, brother."
The Crimson Exarch released a long sigh and slowly sat down on the ground. His body was utterly exhausted, his energy nearly depleted. He glanced toward the massive moon of shadows and countless eyes that enveloped the Ancient One, and disdain flickered across his face. "The Ancient One and I both want to cross that gate," he said. "But do you know the difference between him and , brother?"
Cain felt his body tense as the Crimson Exarch lifted his gaze. The determination burning in his eyes was frightening-so absolute it felt capable of tearing through the limits of the universe itself.
"When I aim for sothing," the Crimson Exarch continued calmly, "I am willing to burn everything to get it."
As his final words echoed, his body began to glow.
Cracks ford across his skin, spreading rapidly like shattered glass. Cain's eyes widened, but before he could react, the Crimson Exarch's body and soul detonated violently.
Golden flas erupted across the top of the pyramid, surging outward in a devastating wave of self-destruction.
Cain's Wings of Chaos folded around him instantly, shielding his body from the explosion. The golden flas roared past him, scorching the
air and shaking reality itself.
Within the inferno, Cain's eyes glowed with a bright, scarlet light as he detected a presence moving.
Sothing flashed forward at a speed even he could not match.
It was not a body.
Not even a soul.
It was sothing far more granular, far more fundantal- sothing almost impossible to perceive.
"True Na," Cain realized instantly.
Despite all his power, Cain could not stop it.
The True Na of the Crimson Exarch slipped through the Eternity
Gate and vanished beyond it.
"Dammit!" Cain cursed inwardly.
His wings unfolded violently, blasting away the remaining golden
flas as he turned fully toward the Eternity Gate. For a brief
mont, he considered chasing after him.
But he stopped.
He had no idea what lay beyond the gate, nor whether his True Na
could leave. There was a real chance he could be trapped on the
other side for centuries.
That would be a death sentence for the Nine Empyrean Suns
Universe.
Cain was certain the World of the Root would attack long before then.
"RUMBLE!"
There was no ti to think further.
The mont the Crimson Exarch crossed the gate, Origin Island began to tremble violently. An overwhelming force spread outward, latching onto every warrior of the Nine Realms of the Crimson World.
Their ti on the island was coming to an end.
"AGHRRRGHH!"
A scream of pure hatred and madness echoed as the massive moon sealing the Ancient One began to convulse. A face manifested above it, twisted with rage beyond reason.
The Ancient One had reached a breaking point.
Not only had he failed to cross the Eternity Gate, but the Crimson Exarch had succeeded-using him as a distraction to achieve his goal. If that was not humiliation beyond asure, then nothing was.
Fuelled by that rage, the massive shadow moon began to move, forcing itself forward in a final, desperate attempt to cross the Eternity Gate.
"Dammit!" Cain shouted.
He turned his back to the gate, planting his feet firmly as obsidian energy surged violently into his hands. He forced more and more power into the attack, ignoring the strain on his body.
Then he unleashed it.
"BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!"
A catastrophic blast of obsidian energy erupted as Cain's attack
slamd into the shadow moon. Fragnts of darkness were incinerated by the second, annihilated by the destructive force. Yet the Ancient One's rage drove him forward regardless.
He simply could not accept that everything he had planned and sched for over billions of years would be stolen and used by soone else.
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