Chapter 2084 Moving in secrecy
The instant the trio appeared, their eyes sharpened and their bodies moved on instinct. Cold focus replaced disorientation as they fell into battle stances, scanning every direction at once.
Though dizziness and nausea still clouded their minds from the dimensional passage, they could not afford even a heartbeat of weakness. The Third Realm was no place to relax. With their luck, they might have materialized in the middle of a battlefield-or worse, inside an enemy fortress.
But for once, destiny seemed to grant them mercy.
No explosions greeted their arrival. No divine auras clashed in the sky. They had landed upon the quiet shore of a small silver river,
surrounded by low grass and towering stone ridges that reflected the faint golden light of the Third Realm's sky.
Still, none of them let their guard down.
Cain, Meylin, and the Enlightened One immediately unleashed waves of psychic perception, flooding the landscape with invisible threads of awareness. They probed every shadow, every breath of wind, every ripple in the river's flow.
No traps. No life signatures beyond the occasional drifting energy beast in the distance.
For now, it was peaceful.
Yet none of them were naïve enough to believe the entire Third Realm would be the same. Even without counting the forces of the Freedom Path, the realm itself was a labyrinth of volatile phenomena-living storms, sentient flame seas, and beasts that had endured for eons.
They would have to tread carefully.
Cain exchanged a look with Meylin before turning his attention to the Enlightened One, whose calm expression betrayed nothing. Both the Neo-Demon and the True Depravita were strangers here; knowledge of the Third Realm was scarce even among the higher orders.
Zarazel had never visited this place, nor any of the ArchDeities they knew. The only one among them who had ventured here before-and lived-was the Enlightened One himself, and that was a long time ago, so a lot could have changed.
The Enlightened One's gaze drifted across the horizon before he replied.
"It will still be more than a year until the Red King's Sacred Dimension opens," he said. "We cannot afford to remain idle until then. I believe our best course of action is to locate the Life Path's stronghold. Their protection will give us stability-and through them, we can learn the current condition of the Third Realm."
Cain and Meylin both nodded. Neither was arrogant enough to think they could wander unscathed through the Third Realm. If they encountered a Freedom Path battalion, even they might struggle. And if they met a Neo-Angel... they would be lucky if they only lost their bodies and souls.
With their plan set, the trio cloaked their auras, veiling themselves completely from detection. Golden light shimmered briefly in their eyes as they invoked The Flow, synchronizing their awareness to the pulse of the world.
Then, in silence, they began their march toward the Void Beyond the Realm-the region where, according to all logic, the headquarters of the Life Path should stand.
Their journey through the crimson plains was swift but tense. After only a few hours, the trio sensed powerful energy surges ahead- divine signatures clashing in rhythmic bursts.
A battlefield.
From afar, they could see two opposing forces locked in combat. Each side was led by an ArchDeity, commanding dozens of Prime Deities
who fought with devastating precision.
Cain, Meylin, and the Enlightened One immediately concealed themselves behind a ridge of black crystal. Their auras sank into nothingness as they observed the fight from the shadows.
Rushing in blindly would be foolish. For all they knew, this could be a staged confrontation-bait meant to lure opportunists into an
ambush.
They waited.
Their senses spread outward once more, The Flow expanding across the battlefield like ripples in a still lake. Every motion, every vibration, every breath of energy was catalogued and analyzed.
No hidden enemies. No concealed formations. The fight was genuine.
Only then did they turn their full attention to the battle itself-and it wasn't hard to tell which side belonged to whom.
"In the name of the Demon King-For Life!"
"In the name of the Ancient One-For Freedom!"
The chants echoed across the plain, divine will clashing with divine conviction.
The Freedom Path ArchDeity stood at the frontlines, his body entirely metallic. His flesh and blood had been replaced by interlocking circuits that pulsed with liquid silver. His eyes glowed a sterile blue as he drove his fist into the chest of a Life Path ArchDeity, shattering
divine armor and bone alike.
His killing intent surged; victory seemed certain.
But then, something flickered in his vision.
Before he could react, two blades of light burst from behind him-one
piercing through his chest, the other through his skull. His body trembled as psychic power invaded his soul, freezing every thought in
place.
Above, scarlet gates materialized in the sky.
The metallic ArchDeity was wrenched upward, body and soul torn apart as he was devoured by the Scarlet Throne.
An existence that had survived millions of years ended in less than a
heartbeat.
The truth was simple-the Freedom Path ArchDeity wasn't weak. His mistake was emotional. He had allowed anger to dominate his mind, and in that fleeting lapse of focus, Meylin triggered Negative Teleportation, allowing her to take the man by surprise. It had been a perfect fusion of timing, deception, and precision-helped by a bit of
luck.
As the gates of the Scarlet Throne faded, Cain and the Enlightened One descended like thunder.
Their combined power tore through the ranks of the enemy Prime Deities, annihilating them before they could even cry out.
When the dust settled, silence reigned.
The surviving Life Path ArchDeity and his remaining soldiers stood
frozen in disbelief.
Just moments ago, they had been on the edge of defeat. And now- out of nowhere-three unknown figures had intervened and obliterated their foes in an instant.
They were only three, yet the power they displayed eclipsed entire
legions.
The ArchDeity stepped forward, awe and gratitude warring across his
face. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a
single word, Cain's eyes glowed gold.
Waves of spiritual energy erupted from him, invisible but absolute, washing over every survivor on the field.
It was important that no one knew that they were here, at least until
they met with the highest ups of the Life Path. Their identities were too sensitive, and their mission even more so.