Shakra's energy erupted.
Dozens of Soul Beasts surged into existence around him, their forms coalescing from pure soul force. Though none of them matched Ragnarok in raw power, each was still imnsely strong-more than enough to threaten even soone like Cain.
Yet instead of eting them head-on...
Cain moved.
His eyes glowed with golden light as his body blurred across the battlefield, weaving from one direction to another. He did not strike recklessly, nor did he attempt to overwhelm his enemies.
He was buying ti.
Waiting.
Waiting for the Nirvana Crown Prince to recover.
That realization only infuriated the Eternal Soul King.
Shakra's expression darkened as he waved his hand repeatedly, commanding the Soul Beasts with increasing urgency. They shifted formations seamlessly-encirclents, layered assaults, predictive traps-each one designed to corner and eliminate a King-tier opponent.
Against anyone else....
It would have worked.
But the Red King was different.
Again and again, Cain slipped through their grasp.
It was as if he could see through their movents before they even happened-predicting every trajectory, every convergence point, always finding the one path that led him safely through.
Shakra's frown deepened.
He could increase the pressure.
If he joined the battle directly, his physical capabilities-those of a Half-Step Fourth Realm master-would rival even the strongest On Beasts.
That, plus his horde of Soul Beasts, was enough to kill anyone. It was, in fact, the power he used to kill his uncle and take control over the Soul Eternal Kingdom millions of years ago.
But he hesitated.
The clash with the Nirvana Crown Prince had left him grievously wounded. His body was damaged, his energy unstable, and worst of all...
He had no clear understanding of Cain's true limits.
That uncertainty held him back.
So instead, he continued directing the Soul Beasts into a relentless assault, pushing them harder and harder, forcing them into a frenzied rampage across the battlefield.
At the sa ti, he drew out his own healing treasures.
Unlike the ones Cain had used, these were of a far higher grade. Their energy flowed into his body, nding his injuries, stabilizing his aura. Cain noticed.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he caught sight of the Eternal Soul King recovering.
But he had no ti to dwell on it.
A massive maw snapped toward him-re inches away from closing around his body. At the sa ti, razor-sharp claws descended from above, while a third Soul Beast lashed upward with a barbed tail. Golden light flared around Cain.
He chose his path instantly.
He dashed upward.
"CRACK!"
"ARGH!"
A Soul Beast roared in agony as Cain shattered its claws mid-motion. Without pausing, he used that montum to propel himself forward
Straight toward Shakra.
The shift was imdiate.
No longer was Cain simply evading.
Now-
He was advancing.
Shakra's eyes sharpened as he raised both hands, his Ancestor Eye blazing with power. The Soul Beasts responded instantly, their forms expanding, their strength increasing, their movents accelerating to new heights.
They converged on Cain.
Faster.
Stronger.
Deadlier.
Cain clenched his fists.
The White Mantle surged.
The Quietus Force intensified.
As the Soul Beasts approached, their movents slowed-subtly, but decisively. Every step they took into Cain's vicinity beca heavier, their speed diminished under the oppressive influence of the white
flas.
And when Cain struck-
The flas spread.
They clung to the Soul Beasts, forcing them into montary stasis. It lasted only seconds, but that was enough.
Step by step-
Cain pushed forward.
Closer.
Closer.
Toward the Eternal Soul King.
A flicker of concern appeared in Shakra's eyes.
He could feel it.
The growing montum.
The inevitability of Cain's advance.
"I need more ti," Shakra thought, his expression tightening. "Once
I'm healed, I can face him head-on... and surpass him. Then my Soul
Beasts will tear him apart."
His Ancestor Eye flared brighter.
The Soul Beasts roared, their attacks growing increasingly ferocious
as they threw everything they had at Cain.
For a mont-
It worked. Cain had just sent one of them flying with a brutal kick when-
Sothing appeared in front of him.
A massive, flaming horn.
Ragnarok.
Its enormous body should have been impossible to conceal-but as a
Soul Beast, it could dissolve into pure soul force and reform instantly.
It had ambushed him.
The horn drove forward.
The Quietus Force slowed it--but not enough.
Too fast.
Too powerful.
Cain had no choice.
He raised both hands and caught the horn head-on.
The impact shook the battlefield.
He held it.
But barely.
His speed was monstrous. His strikes carried the force of a Half-Step
Fourth Realm.
But his raw physical strength...
Was not on that sa level.
Slowly-
Relentlessly- Ragnarok pushed him back.
And it didn't stop there.
The other Soul Beasts closed in from all sides, their attacks
converging as they sought to overwhelm him while he was pinned.
For the first ti-
True danger descended upon Cain.
His life hung in the balance.
"Even wounded... the power of a Realm Ruler is terrifying," he
muttered.
His eyes flashed scarlet.
The Wings of Chaos began to flare, power surging through him—
But before he could unleash them fully-
He felt it.
A shift.
A presence. And a smile ford on his lips.
At that exact mont- The Wings of Chaos spread wide.
And from within them-
A figure erged. The Nirvana Crown Prince.
His eyes burned with power, his aura blazing as he roared-
"Nirvana Supernova!"
A massive explosion of rebirth flas erupted from his body,
sweeping across the battlefield in a wave of incandescent destruction. Ragnarok was blasted away.
The surrounding Soul Beasts were hurled back, their formations
shattered instantly.
Cain felt the pressure vanish.
He was free.
His eyes ignited with purpose as he turned toward Shakra.
This ti-
There would be no delay.
Apollo's Burst activated at full power.
The Flow surged through his body as he aligned himself with the
Endless River, borrowing its motion.
His speed exploded.
In a single instant- He vanished.
And reappeared-
Right before the Eternal Soul King.
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