Cain stood alone in the council hall.
Once he was certain that no one remained nearby and that the formation he had deployed prevented any form of spying, an awkward smile slowly appeared on his face.
He leaned back slightly on the throne.
He had always been a prideful man, but this sort of behavior-acting as if everyone and everything in the world were beneath him-was not truly his style.
Yet recently, it had begun to co naturally.
Ever since he started embracing the identity and persona of the Red King, sothing inside him had shifted.
After all, the figure he was impersonating was no ordinary being. That entity had been powerful enough to create a Fourth Realm Sacred Dinsion within the Crimson World itself.
The aura, the presence, the absolute confidence-those traits had begun to seep into Cain's own behavior.
"Although I must admit... it is truly relaxing," Cain murmured quietly.
"I know there are still countless trials and challenges ahead before I can bring my plan to completion, but right now... it feels as if everything will turn out fine."
For once, Cain allowed himself to relax.
He rarely permitted himself such monts.
He had already analyzed every step of his plan countless tis, preparing for every possible variable and danger he could foresee.
At this point, there was very little left for him to do except wait and
observe how events unfolded.
And so he waited.
An entire day passed with Cain sitting calmly within the castle.
Not a single person dared approach or disturb him.
Even the most powerful Royal Blutlinie warriors kept their distance. Until finally-
A terrifying aura descended upon the stronghold.
The imnse pressure arrived like a falling star, so overwhelming that the entire fortress trembled. Even the surrounding volcanoes rumbled as if reacting to the arrival of a supre entity.
Then, without warning or hesitation, a figure descended from the sky.
He pierced straight through the cocoon of karmic threads Cain had woven around the hall and appeared across the hall.
The man's eyes resembled those of a divine bird of legend.
Behind him, radiant wings burned with flas of rebirth.
His aura was unlike anything else in the realm-a perfect hybrid of two supre bloodlines.
The majestic power of the On Beast race.
And the supre nobility of the Royal Blutlinie race.
The Nirvana Crown Prince had arrived.
He stared at the Red King with eyes filled with murderous intent.
When he had first heard of the Red King's existence and witnessed reports of his terrifying power, the Crown Prince's initial thought had been simple.
This could be a useful pawn.
Soone strong enough to influence the war between kingdoms.
Soone he could manipulate to advance his own ambitions.
If the Red King proved useful, the Crown Prince had even considered allowing him to remain as a subordinate.
But now-
The so-called pawn had marched directly into his fortress.
Humiliated his soldiers.
Sat on his throne.
The ssage could not have been clearer.
This was not submission.
This was defiance.
"You are in my seat."
The mont those words left his mouth, the Nirvana Crown Prince's
fiery aura exploded outward.
Flas of rebirth surged through the chamber like a raging storm, blasting toward the Red King with terrifying power.
Cain's eyes glowed with golden light.
Instantly, the thirty-three-petaled golden lotus manifested once.
more around him.
The entire hall was engulfed in flas.
Walls lted.
Stone vaporized.
Furniture turned to ash.
Everything inside the chamber was annihilated by the Crown Prince's
terrifying fire.
Everything-
Except the golden lotus.
And the Red King calmly sitting on the throne within it.
The Nirvana Crown Prince clenched his teeth.
His flas intensified as he poured more power into the attack, sending wave after wave of rebirth fire crashing against the golden
cocoon.
Outside the castle, the warriors of the Immortal Nirvana Kingdom could see the phenonon clearly.
A colossal vortex of rebirth flas had ford around the fortress.
The sight forced countless soldiers to retreat in fear. Complex expressions appeared on the faces of Kyra and the other Royal Blutlinie leaders.
The Nirvana Crown Prince was widely recognized as the second strongest being in the Seventh Realm, surpassed only by the Immortal
Nirvana King himself.
So even believed the Crown Prince would soon surpass his father.
Yet despite his overwhelming power and reputation...
None of them felt confident watching him battle the Red King.
That mysterious entity was simply too terrifying.
Even if the Crown Prince ultimately won, the injuries he might suffer could end their entire campaign within the Eighth Realm.
While worry filled the hearts of the warriors outside the castle, Cain
himself remained completely calm.
His eyes were peaceful.
Even while surrounded by the raging inferno, he showed no sign of
distress.
Everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.
"CRACK."
Small fractures began appearing across the golden lotus.
The relentless inferno was finally pushing the defensive technique beyond its limits.
A smile appeared on the Nirvana Crown Princ fac
Streams of rebirth fla began slipping through the cracks, slithering
across the lotus petals and reaching toward the Red King.
His flas were among the most dangerous forces in existence.
They were not rely destructive.
They were persistent.
Once ignited, they were almost impossible to extinguish.
Cain remained still.
One thin stream of rebirth fla touched his hand.
Instantly, his flesh ignited.
At first the fire was small.
But it grew stronger and stronger, feeding upon life while bringing
death in return.
The fla darkened as it expanded, transforming into an ominous
black fire that seed endless.
Cain calmly observed the destruction of his own flesh.
The skin of his hand lted.
Muscle burned away.
Yet no panic appeared on his face.
Instead-
A flash of enlightennt appeared in his eyes.
Scarlet radiance flowed from his body and entered the burning fla.
It did not attempt to extinguish it.
Instead, it tried to control it.
The Nirvana Crown Prince sneered.
"Hmph."
"My rebirth flas embody so of the highest laws governing the
concepts of life and death. Trying to seize control of them only
reveals your ignorance-"
He stopped speaking.
The violent black flas burning Cain's hand suddenly beca calm.
The principles within the fire twisted.
Death began transforming into life.
The burning flesh regenerated.
Within seconds, Cain's entire hand had fully recovered.
"...Impossible."
That was the only word the Nirvana Crown Prince could utter.
Even if the Red King possessed a deeper understanding of life and death, it should have taken years-perhaps decades-to comprehend the principles behind his rebirth flas fully. Yet the Red King had done it in seconds.
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