Cain did not have ti to process what had just happened.
The mont Deniel's body went still, the Chaos Wing tore free from the corpse and turned toward him.
A surge of instinctive danger exploded in Cain's mind.
Without hesitation, his entire body ignited with blazing flas as he pushed himself to the absolute limit. Apollo Burst erupted to its highest level, his heartbeat thundered like a war drum as the Fourth Realm Asura Form surged to its peak. At the sa ti, he seized control of the Endless River of the Flow, drawing upon its montum to propel himself forward.
He ran.
Faster than he ever had before.
The land blurred beneath him as he tore across the continent, carving through canyons and shattering mountains in his wake. Entire regions were left in ruins as he forced his body beyond its limits.
But it wasn't enough.
The Chaos Wing followed.
It moved with a speed that defied reason, as if it were slipping through ti itself. No matter how far Cain traveled, it remained behind him-closing the distance with terrifying inevitability. "Damn it!"
Cain clenched his teeth, pushing even harder.
His muscles scread. His blood burned. His vision blurred.
Still-
It was useless.
In less than a minute, the Chaos Wing was already upon him.
Realizing escape was impossible, Cain turned.
Golden light burst from his eyes, so intense it caused them to bleed as he summoned the Thirty-Three Petal Golden Lotus once more. The strain on his soul was imnse, far greater than before, but he forced it into existence anyway.
The radiant construct enveloped him, forming a defense capable of resisting even Fourth Realm attacks.
Or so it should have.
The Chaos Wing did not slow.
It pierced through the lotus.
It cut through the Sacred Armor.
And then-
It impaled Cain's chest.
Pain exploded through his body.
But it lasted only a fraction of a second.
In the next instant, the Chaos Wing dissolved into liquid-like energy and sank into his flesh. Dark power spread rapidly, forming a massive seal within his body.
It took shape as a sphere of darkness, with countless tendrils extending outward, embedding themselves into every corner of his being.
"What... is this?"
Cain's expression twisted with anger and confusion.
But before he could analyze it further-
His entire body trembled.
His soul quavered.
Shock filled his eyes as the Universe Matrix manifested around him.
Chains erged from the seal, extending outward and connecting
directly to the Matrix itself.
It lasted only an instant.
Then it vanished.
Everything returned to normal.
But Cain did not move.
His eyes were wide.
Filled with shock.
And sothing far worse.
Fear.
Golden light erupted from his gaze as his soul and Primordial Essence attempted to leave his body, trembling before stabilizing once more. There was no damage-but that didn't matter.
He understood what had happened.
"GODDAMMIT!"
His roar shook the surrounding forest, filled with a raw, almost feral
rage.
The seal...
It had bound him to the Universe Matrix of Paradise.
Which ant-
He was trapped.
He could no longer enter the Endless River with his soul and
Primordial Essence.
He could not return ho!
The killing intent radiating from Cain reached terrifying levels. For a
mont, his gaze drifted toward the deeper realms, his thoughts spiraling into violence.
"I was so close... so damn close!"
The rage was overwhelming.
For a fleeting instant, he even considered storming the Sacred
Kingdom itself and slaughtering everything in his path.
But slowly-
His rationality returned.
Taking a deep breath, Cain forced himself to calm down.
The first thing he did was return to Deniel's corpse.
There was little left of the man. The Chaos Wing had consud most
of his essence. However, not everything had been taken. Cain retrieved his spatial ring and the remnants of his golden armor.
Though damaged by Excalibur, the armor was still a Half-Step Fourth Realm treasure-valuable beyond asure.
After collecting what he could, Cain left imdiately.
Despite his victory, the battle had been exhausting. Combined with
the energy he had spent trying to escape the Chaos Wing, he was
now severely drained.
Another confrontation would be dangerous.
It didn't take long before he found a suitable hiding place-a poisonous forest where even Alpha Oga Overgods would struggle
to endure.
Toxic mists filled the air.
But for Cain, it was no obstacle.
Null Eternum froze the toxins before they could reach him.
Ensuring he was alone, Cain sat down and focused inward.
His attention turned to the seal embedded in his chest.
It pulsed faintly.
Alive.
His expression darkened.
The power of Null Eternum had no effect on it.
When he attempted to use his Power of Chaos, the result was the
sa.
He could feel it clearly.
He wasn't strong enough to break it.
"What can I do...?"
Cain clenched his teeth.
He had to remove the seal.
Not only to return ho-but because whoever had placed it there
would eventually co for him.
And that existence...
Would be far stronger than Deniel.
As he searched for a solution, a face appeared in his mind.
A familiar one.
So similar to his own-yet always carrying a calm, almost playful smile,
as if the entire universe were nothing more than a chessboard.
His brother.
The mory surfaced because of one thing.
The Flow.
His brother's ability to unravel reality using the Flow was unparalleled.
Even as an Early Alpha Oga Overgod, he had nearly killed the Limit
Alpha Oga Ancient One with a single shot.
Cain had achieved similar feats.
But that level of precision... that level of unraveling...
It was sothing else entirely.
Yet-
A spark ignited in his eyes.
"If he can do it... so can I."
Without wasting another second, Cain closed his eyes.
He turned his awareness inward, diving deep into the structure of the
seal.
Fortunately, because it had been ford using the Power of Chaos, he could analyze it quickly. Its structure, its connections, its purpose-he began to understand them all.
But understanding was only the first step.
Breaking it-
That was sothing else entirely.
Cain remained still.
One day passed.
Then another.
Seven days went by in absolute silence.
Not a single movent.
Not a single breath wasted.
Then-
His eyes opened.
Golden light burst forth from them, illuminating the poisonous forest
like a rising sun.
And in the next instant-
The seal began to tremble.
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