Chapter 1659: Turning off the city lights

The Golden Star King, Makiela, and Arman were utterly astonished by Cain’s immense power and seemingly boundless energy pool. They had long known “The Monster” was formidable and dangerous; thus, outright victory wasn’t even part of their initial expectation.

Still, they had expected that their coordinated assault would at least force Cain down, weakening his momentum and giving them a strategic advantage. Yet not only had Cain matched their combined strike, but he had also completely broken free from their suppression, surging into the skies above.

The eyes of the trio sharpened as they instinctively glanced toward the distance, anticipating immediate action from the powerhouses of the Gu Sect. Pation, Lancer, and Karter’s formidable energies were clearly raging in the distance, ready to explode into action at any moment.

However, to the surprise of the Golden Star Kingdom’s trio, the Gu Sect warriors remained unmoving, merely observing the situation from afar.

A flash of confusion crossed the faces of the Golden Star King, Makiela, and Arman. But they quickly suppressed their uncertainty. If the Gu Sect decided to remain idle, leaving Cain to fight alone, it was clearly beneficial for them.

Without allowing the strange behavior of their enemies to distract them further, they quickly redirected their attention skyward, tracking Cain’s rapidly rising figure.

Cain ascended swiftly, his silhouette growing smaller as he reached higher into the sky. Then, in a sudden, decisive movement, he sharply reversed his course.

Like a crimson meteor forged from storm light and deadly intent, he dived straight downward, rapidly gathering momentum and increasing his destructive potential. The energy spiraling around the Shooting Star Dragon Halberd swelled continuously, roaring into a blazing storm of raw power.

Realizing the danger, the Golden Star King acted immediately. He extended his palm toward Cain, signaling to the immense golden castle at the center of the city.

Instantly, the castle ignited like a second sun, its walls blazing brilliantly. A heartbeat later, a magnificent beam of pure destructive force burst forth, shaking earth and sky. This energy cannon attack possessed enough raw might to crush an Astral Rebirth Prima Deity.

However, just as the dazzling golden beam was about to collide with Cain’s descending form, something inexplicable happened—it vanished!

Shock and horror filled the expressions of the Golden Star King, Makiela, and Arman. Their city’s mightiest offensive weapon had mysteriously disappeared upon mere contact with Cain’s casually extended index and middle fingers.

Tragically for the trio, when they had previously questioned Marlin about Cain’s capabilities, she had concealed the truth to protect her wounded pride. The former Prima Deity had downplayed Cain’s true strength, and now, in this critical moment, her omission proved disastrously misleading.

The tremendous golden energy crackled through Cain’s fingers, coursing rapidly along his arm, into his stomach, and finally surging powerfully toward his opposite limb. A small, cold smile appeared on Cain’s lips as he uttered a single word.

“Redirection.”

With that quiet declaration, all the tremendous energy absorbed from the golden beam surged back.

“Look out!” shouted the Golden Star King urgently.

Makiela and Arman quickly scattered, easily evading the redirected blast. But they soon realized, to their dread, that they had never been Cain’s real targets.

A deafening explosion rang out—

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!”

The redirected energy struck directly onto the city’s protective force field, triggering an explosion so fierce it caused tremors throughout the region. The entire force field flickered and cracked under the tremendous pressure of the impact.

“Impossible!” the Golden Star King muttered in disbelief. He watched in horror as the massive barrier, though immediately beginning to regenerate, revealed multiple cracks and vulnerabilities.

Cain, however, didn’t hesitate. His figure blurred as he shot downward, passing effortlessly by the trio, his intentions clear: breach the city.

“Stop him at all costs!” roared the Golden Star King, frantically chasing after Cain. Despite his desperate efforts, he was simply not fast enough.

Arman, however, quickly utilized his mastery over space to teleport directly in Cain’s path. Although his strength alone might not be enough to fully stop Cain, he could certainly slow him down.

However, just as Arman’s sword began to rise, Cain’s Dark Moon Eye flared. Reality seemed to pause for Arman, his reactions momentarily frozen, delayed by a mere fraction of a second—yet enough for Cain to slip past unhindered.

Now mere moments away from breaching the weakened force field, Cain saw countless streams of golden light manifesting around him, winding and wrapping themselves around his body like ethereal chains. Cain didn’t even need to glance back to recognize Makiela’s power attempting to restrain him.

“Not bad,” Cain acknowledged with genuine amusement, “but unfortunately for you, my very flesh embodies the Sundering Concept!”

Crimson flames erupted violently from Cain’s body, effortlessly shattering Makiela’s sealing power before it could fully take hold. Free from all constraints, Cain swung his halberd downward with every ounce of his strength, targeting the weakest point of the force field.

“RUMBLE!”

The entire Golden Star Kingdom shook violently as Cain’s weapon pierced through, shattering a large hole directly in the protective shield. A broad, cold smile spread across Cain’s face as he succeeded. But even as his smile appeared, the force field swiftly reorganized itself, abandoning the damaged outer circle entirely to reinforce the inner sectors, thus isolating the city’s core at the expense of its outer inhabitants.

Cain’s eyes narrowed sharply as he quickly understood the ruthless strategy of the Golden Star King: sacrificing the outer districts to preserve the city’s heart and core power.

“Merciless indeed. Smart move,” Cain remarked coldly, “but it won’t be enough.”

Cain genuinely respected the cold-hearted logic behind the Golden Star King’s decision, but it was too little too late.

If he wished, a single attack could flood the now-unprotected outer ring with scarlet flames, eradicating everyone below Divine Transcendence instantly. Yet Cain had a better plan.

Before the trio could approach him, Cain appeared suddenly next to one of the outer ring’s energy towers. Without hesitation, he placed his palm upon it.

In the blink of an eye, every energy tower across the city lit up in unison, followed immediately by the central castle—the nexus of the city’s magical formation—glowing brilliantly.

Under the astonished gazes of all, the countless runic formations and magical matrices flashed brightly for a brief moment before abruptly going dark.

The Golden Star King stared in horror, completely unable to comprehend what had happened.

Logic dictated it should have been impossible for Cain to disable their carefully protected and intricately designed energy formations with just a single touch, yet reality refused to cooperate with reason.