Chapter 1746: Corrupting the Beast God

It didn’t take long for the Scarlet Reaper to consume the last remnants of the Blood Queen’s consciousness, dissolving her presence completely as it spiraled back into Cain’s True Name, leaving behind only echoes in the void.

Cain smiled—a wide, satisfied smile full of excitement.

This outcome had surpassed his expectations.

When he first proposed the duel, his goal had been relatively straightforward: defeat the Blood Princess and Wolf Titan, secure control over the Bloodmar Continent, and move on. But everything changed the moment Lilith and Lucius manifested their divine consciousness through the bodies of their champions.

Cain’s advantage was not just in power, but in preparation.

Thanks to the memories inherited from the Sun Lord, he had gained a deep understanding of Lilith’s tactics. He knew that she was likely to attempt soul manipulation. The Vampire Path had a powerful and ancient technique—Glamour—capable of influencing hearts, rewriting minds, and even enslaving divine beings under certain conditions.

Cain had foreseen it.

He had allowed himself to be immobilized, even permitting the soul invasion to reach his Black Hole—a risk that could’ve backfired catastrophically. But he had gambled, and it had paid off.

The Oniric Truth of Blood was extremely powerful, and Cain had already tested its uses. If there was even a chance he could devour and assimilate Lilith’s comprehension of it, then the risk was worth taking.

Even now, Cain could feel the Blood Queen’s insights flooding into his True Name—becoming an intrinsic, inseparable part of his very existence.

While the events within his Soul Dimension might have felt eternal, in reality, the entire exchange had lasted less than five seconds in the physical world.

Outside, Lucius, the Beast God, frowned. He could no longer sense Lilith’s presence. Her soul aura had vanished.

His instincts screamed at him that something was wrong, but it was too late.

Cain’s golden eyes regained their sharpness and focus. His soul burned with victory. The Neo-Demon broke free from Hercule’s grasp, spun around, and with a ferocious grin, seized the werewolf’s head with a single hand while the other choked him.

The Eye of Gluttony flared open on Cain’s forehead, its pupil burning with scarlet light.

“WHOOSH.”

A torrent of flames surged from the eye, flooding into Hercule’s skull and racing toward his Soul Dimension—aimed directly at the divine consciousness of Lucius.

Lucius’s instincts, however, were among the sharpest of all Prima Deities. Sensing the incoming threat, his consciousness abandoned Hercule’s soul and snapped back toward his divine origin in the Second Realm.

Cain’s eyes narrowed. He had expected a fast retreat—but even he was impressed by the Beast God’s reaction time.

Still, he wasn’t going to let Lucius go so easily.

As the divine presence flickered away into the void, Cain unleashed a final, silent beam of soul energy from the Eye of Gluttony. The beam moved faster than thought, latching onto Lucius’ essence just as it vanished beyond his reach.

“I consumed one… and planted a seed in the other. Not bad.”

Cain nodded softly, expression calm. Consuming the consciousness of a Prima Deity might have once been extraordinary, but for him, it was starting to feel mundane.

A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.

The dragons and saintesses of the Scarlet Crusade, alongside the stunned vampires and werewolves on the fortress walls, could only stare in disbelief.

They had all witnessed it.

Lilith’s consciousness had been marched into Cain’s soul and extinguished without a trace.

Lucius, the Beast God, had fled like a terrified child.

These were Prima Deities—beings who commanded the worship of trillions—defeated by one man.

And it wasn’t over.

Cain raised his hand, and his flames surged forth, flooding into the broken bodies of Tania and Hercule. The energy consumed them completely—flesh, blood, soul—until not even ash remained.

Cain glanced at the place where they had fallen and frowned.

Their black holes were shattered. Their soul cores had been severely damaged by serving as vessels for divine incarnations. There wasn’t much left to assimilate.

“I’m not surprised,” he said aloud, voice cold. “Holding the soul incarnation of Prima Deities was too much for them.”

There was no pity in his tone.

He had been prepared to kill them regardless.

With a shrug, Cain turned toward the towering Blood and Silver Moons Fortress. His voice rang out like divine thunder, laced with authority and deadly resolve.

“I’ve won the duel. Honor the agreement. Lay down your weapons, open your gates, and accept the rule of the Scarlet Crusade.”

The vampires and werewolves manning the walls exchanged glances. His words were not a suggestion—they were a decree.

According to the terms of the duel, Cain had claimed victory. The Blood Princess and the Wolf Titan were dead, their divine patrons repelled. The Scarlet Crusade was now entitled to plant the Dark Root at the heart of the continent.

But fear clouded their minds.

It was clear Cain had earned the hatred of the Blood Queen and the Beast God. If they accepted him now, they would be seen as traitors. Who could say what vengeance their divine patrons would enact later?

Sensing hesitation, Cain’s gaze turned icy.

“If you do not honor the duel,” he said, voice deep and terrifying, “I will march forward. I will break your walls. I will consume your souls. And I will not stop with just the warriors.”

The temperature seemed to drop across the entire continent.

“My flames will burn through your fortress,” Cain continued, “and every single life inside will be turned to ash. No one will be spared.”

That broke them.

The defenders turned to face the inner sanctum of the fortress. They weren’t just protecting soldiers. Inside the fortress were civilians—families, artisans, scholars, and the helpless. Up to now, the Scarlet Crusade had been brutal but restrained, never harming the innocent or the weak.

But the Scarlet King had made it clear.

That restraint was gone.

He would burn them all.

Terror surged through the hearts of vampires and werewolves alike. The divine vengeance of Lilith and Lucius might come eventually—but Cain was here now. And he was something much worse.

He was a cataclysm.