The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order - Chapter 1580

Chapter 1580: Zafira’s sacrifice
The moment Cain noticed the massive barrier enveloping the fortress, his expression showed neither anger nor frustration—only a broad smile of mockery curved his lips. From his vantage point, the Night Prince observed this ominous grin, and a sinking sense of doom washed over him as though he had made the gravest error of his life.

“What… is happening?” the Night Prince muttered, a shiver of disquiet gripping his heart. That unsettling feeling only grew stronger, an insidious dread tightening around his chest.

He did not have to wait long to understand its source.

“CRACK!”

A sharp sound echoed across the fortress as space itself fractured on the ground between the three towering spires, right at the stronghold’s energy core.

There appeared a young man with white hair and nebula-like eyes, hoisting a halberd that glowed with fearsome power—enhanced by life force and soul force, each swirling around him like a living storm. The energy around the weapon seemed to have been charged for several minutes and ready to burst.

The Night Prince’s eyes widened in sheer terror. Cain, who had seemed to be marching from afar, was now standing inside the fortress, exactly where the city’s power converged. In confusion, the Night Prince glanced back at the figure he had initially spotted outside only to see it flicker, then dissolved into a flurry of runes.

All sorts of thoughts crossed the Night Prince’s mind at that moment. It was clear now that Cain had infiltrated the city a long time ago, but then, what was the purpose of the rune doppelganger?

A flash of realization crossed the eyes of the Night Prince as he glanced at the force field encompassing the city.

“NOOOO!” he roared, his voice raw with terror, but it was too late.

Cain raised the Shooting Star Dragon Halberd high, channeling every ounce of power from his body, soul, and weapon. In a single, swift movement, he slammed the halberd into the ground and released all the power he had been charging inside the pocket dimension.

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!”

A titanic explosion erupted from the point of impact, sending shockwaves of heat and flame exploding in all directions. For an instant, the fortress’s interior was illuminated in a blinding flash as if a newborn sun had burst forth underground.

A colossal pillar of fire surged upward, consuming everything in its path. The air shimmered with unimaginable heat, reducing stone and crystal to molten slag.

Waves of raw destructive force rippled outward, collapsing buildings and rupturing the very soil beneath. Walls cracked and crumbled while the fortress’s elaborate runic inscriptions shattered under the onslaught.

The three massive towers, each laced with powerful energy conduits, took the brunt of the strike. Despite their formidable resilience, fissures spread along their surfaces, webs of glowing cracks zigzagging across their exteriors. Fountains of spark-like embers sprayed from the towers’ runic lines, a testament to their imminent collapse.

Inside the stronghold, Divine Transcendence Masters—stationed closest to the energy core—were hit first. Many never even screamed, their bodies incinerated in an instant. Those with peak-level defenses managed to survive but were hurtled through the air.

Further from the epicenter, Divine Transformation and Divine Ascension Masters attempted to defend themselves but found no escape. The barrier that had sealed the fortress reflected the destructive energies back inside, intensifying the furnace-like conditions. Wave after wave of flames and debris tore through the city. As for the Apotheosis Masters, not a single one of them managed to survive.

“CRACK!”

Finally, the force field itself shattered with a deafening crack, the towers’ energy flow failing all at once. The pent-up inferno blasted outward into the surrounding Dream Forest, setting the towering crystal trees ablaze. Their translucent trunks erupted in dancing flames, painting the once-majestic forest in colors of ruin.

Out of the roaring inferno, the Night Prince staggered upward, one arm gripping the badly burned form of Zafira. His energy manifested as a turbulent black starlight, swirling around them both—just strong enough to shield them from the brunt of the disaster at the epicenter.

Though the Night Prince himself escaped catastrophic harm, Zafira’s flesh was charred in multiple places, her once steady breath now ragged and uneven. Even so, the Prince spared no concern for her condition. The only emotion flickering in his eyes was unbridled fury—and a faint shimmer of desperation.

With a single, wide-eyed look, he took in the state of his fortress. Flames coiled through every alley and corridor, devouring the remnants of buildings. More than one thousand of the Divine Transcendence Masters—his mightiest warriors—were slain. Even the peak among them had sustained horrific wounds from the close-range blast.

Countless Divine Transformation Masters and Divine Ascension Masters lay dead, their bodies scattered across smoldering ruins. The force field meant to protect them had trapped the fiery explosion within, wiping out nearly eighty percent of his forces in a single strike.

For the Night Prince, decades of careful scheming—the slow amassing of manpower and the cultivation of loyal subordinates—had been destroyed in an instant. Anguish and hatred vied for dominance in his mind, threatening to overwhelm him. Yet he had no time to grieve as a new horror emerged from the center of the devastation.

Through the blazing embers and swirling ash, Cain strode forward, his entire figure engulfed in milky-white energy. Laws and Star Power pulsated around him, heightening the ferocious aura of killing intent that emanated from his gaze. He lifted his halberd once more, each movement rippling with unfathomable might.

Realizing the gravity of the next blow, the Night Prince’s eyes darkened with cold resolve. He glanced at Zafira—once an indispensable confidante—then shoved her forward, offering her as a living shield to delay Cain’s halberd.

The woman’s intellect and cunning had served him greatly over the years, but self-preservation now trumped any value she might hold.

A jolt of shock flashed in Zafira’s eyes as she careened through the air. Her gaze locked on the Night Prince, disbelieving betrayal etched across her face. In the next second, Cain’s weapon cleaved through her, silencing her anguish in a heartbeat.

Blood spattered the scorched air, and Cain continued his charge, intent on delivering the final blow to the Prince.