Chapter 1760: Catching the sword mid-swing
The Star Man attempted to pull back, but it was too late. Meylinâs sword struck him with relentless force, slicing through his face, and destroying his right eye in a flash of radiant power. The blade didnât stop there; it plunged into his chest, cutting through bone and muscle alike, its deadly edge driving deep into his core.
A scream of pure agony tore from the Star Manâs throat. The wound wasnât just physicalâit burned with a strange, insidious force that began invading his soul, corrupting it, gnawing at the very essence of his being. His aura wavered, distorted by the unfamiliar, invasive energy.
âYou biââ
His curse was cut off as Cain, resembling a comet of red flames, crashed down from the sky like an avenging god. The Neo-Demon tackled the Star Man mid-air, both hurtling toward the earth.
âBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!â
They smashed into the ground with catastrophic force. The impact sent a tidal wave of red flames surging outward, igniting the forest in an inferno of destruction. Trees were instantly vaporized, the earth split open in violent fractures, and the entire region shook as if assaulted by an earthquake. The shockwaves rippled for miles, a devastating echo of their clash.
âUltimate Dragon Soul!â
The ground was still quaking when Bahamut appeared above the crater, his body glowing with draconic flames and ancient power. A phantom manifestation of himselfâan incandescent incarnation of his dragon soulâerupted from his chest and plunged into the crater, detonating with a blinding explosion.
âBOOOOOOMMMMM!â
The blast tore through the battlefield, obliterating what remained of the terrain. Bahamut knew the attack would likely affect Cain as well, but he had no doubt the Neo-Demon could handle it. Cain wasnât someone who needed to be coddled or protectedâhe was a force of nature, forged in the fires of destruction.
For several moments, all was chaosâflames roaring, the ground trembling, the air itself thick with cosmic radiation so potent that it would annihilate anyone below the Prime Deity rank.
Then, slowly, a figure rose from the smoke and flame.
It was Cain.
His body was riddled with woundsâflesh torn, bone crackedâbut his red flames surged, regenerating damaged tissue with terrifying speed. He stood tall, towering, his breathing ragged but steady, as though the carnage had only fueled his resolve.
Without wasting a moment, Cain appeared beside Meylin. His eyes darkened as they locked onto the gaping wound in her chest.
As a Depravita, Meylin possessed an immortal bodyâno wound was truly fatal as long as her energy reserves held. But even for someone like her, this injury was grave. The Star Manâs spear had pierced her heart, making it far harder to heal. It was consuming an absurd amount of her energy to repair the damage.
Still, Cain felt a surge of relief when Meylin nodded at him, a soft but determined smile on her lips. The hole in her chest had already begun to close, her body knitting itself back together.
But there was no time to savor that relief.
The energy in the crater began to settle, revealing the Star Man.
Meylinâs slash had left a deep gash across his face, the right side ruined, his eye destroyed. Cainâs tackle had scorched his flesh, ripping deep trenches across his chest. Bahamutâs attack had left burn marks seared into his skin, evidence of the immense heat he had endured.
And yetâdespite all this damageâthe Star Man stood tall, his grip unshaken on the Firmament Spear.
His expression was stone-cold, his single remaining eye burning with unyielding determination. The sheer will emanating from him was a force in itself, a testament to a being who would not falter, no matter how many times he was struck down.
Cain and Meylin exchanged a glance, their eyes narrowing. This man would fight until his last breathâuntil there was nothing left of him but dust.
Neither of them knew why such a powerful being would pursue them with such relentless fury, but in the end, it didnât matter. Survival was the only priority.
Energy flared between them, their auras surging as they dove back into the fray.
âBOOOOOOOOMMMMM!â
Explosions tore across the sky, the battlefield engulfed in a chaotic storm of red flames, rainbow starlight, and golden essence. The sheer force of their battle seemed capable of collapsing the heavens themselves. Each clash grew more violent, the shockwaves spreading further, igniting the air with bursts of cosmic radiation. It wasnât long before the fight reached its climax.
âFalling Heaven!â
The Star Man roared, his voice laced with fury and resolve. The energy within his Firmament Spear ignited in a kaleidoscope of colorâhis soul force and life force burning together in a final surge. The spear blazed brighter than a sun as he thrust it toward Cain.
Cain felt the pressure, the weight of the attack crashing down like a cosmic judgment. He knew instinctively that dodging or blocking it conventionally was impossible. But there was no fear in his heart. He inhaled deeply, steadying his mind, finding a moment of absolute tranquility within the storm.
As the spear descended, Cain extended his left handâtwo fingers held together in a simple, deliberate gesture.
And when the unstoppable spear met his middle and index finger, it simply⊠stopped.
The weapon, which seemed capable of piercing through an entire continent, lost all momentum the moment it touched the Neo-Demonâs hand. The Star Manâs eye widened in utter disbelief, his mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
But Cain wasnât finished.
The energy from the spear coursed through Cainâs body, channeling downward, surging into his right hand. Cain smiled darkly, a single word escaping his lips.
âRedirection.â
He released all the stolen energy in an instant, reversing it back into the Star Manâs chest like a point-blank cannon blast. The Star Man was hurled backward, crashing into the earth like a meteor.
âBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!â
The already ruined forest was utterly annihilated. Craters stretched for miles, trees obliterated, the ground scorched into molten rock. The air itself shimmered with heat, twisted by the lingering force of the explosion.
And yet⊠the Star Man still breathed.
His body lay broken, and mangled, but life still burned in his remaining eye. His resilience was monstrous, a testament to his terrifying willpower.
But it wasnât over.
Meylin flashed downward, her sword raised high, golden light erupting from its edge. Her entire aura blazed with the final embers of her power, and she swung with lethal precision, aiming to end it once and for all. In her mind, she could already see the Star Manâs head rolling across the shattered ground.
But just as her blade descended, a new figure materialized between themâsilent, swift, and unexpected.
A bare hand extended, catching the sword mid-swing.