Chapter 147: The Fierce Battle
Cain dismissed the notion of him being the true Leader of the "Smile Organization" instantly and without the slightest hesitation.
Yes, the grand summoning technique—crafted by a cosmic entity of a higher order like the God of War—could falter and suffer an anomaly... That was plausible. After all, the God of War was a being whose power surpassed both Cain and Lucy combined! Yet his deeply rooted personal memories could never lie to him. In his view, this wasn’t denial; such a possibility was utterly ruled out and rejected by all rational standards.
In his past life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary prisoner—a miserable inmate constantly surrounded by perils lurking on every side, residing in a volatile environment where everyone sought to assassinate him or stab him in the dark... He had seen it in their eyes. To this day, he still couldn’t fathom why!
Cain recalled with vivid detail those sharp glances, dripping with suspicion and hatred, cast upon him by the other inmates in that dark, desolate prison—the very same prison they had broken into previously.
Though, upon deeper reflection and scrutinizing the details of that era: How could a simple, ordinary inmate be allowed to possess a smartphone inside his locked cell?! Furthermore, by a suspicious coincidence, he couldn’t remember the exact charge or crime that had landed him behind those bars!
Still... how could he allow himself to doubt the memories he had personally lived and suffered through?! In the end, he was merely a cowardly, terrified prisoner who possessed no means of power, far too weak to withstand any direct threat. How could a pathetic creature of that description be the terrifying "Leader of the Smile Organization" who made the people of Earth tremble?!
This was nothing more than ludicrous nonsense and unbridled, baseless fantasy!
As for Lucy, her mind was boiling.
She had completely lost her rational judgment, unable in these boiling moments to assemble magical data or think in a sound, methodical manner... Everything she imagined and saw before her was not her beloved husband Cain at all, but that "vile Leader" of the Smile Organization who dared to insult her!
In fact, due to the thick haze blinding her insight, she failed to notice that the absolute capabilities manifested in the "Transcendent State," that legendary sword imbued with the Chaos Element, and that unique sovereign aura were the exclusive domain of her husband Cain alone—powers no other entity in existence could imitate or possess!
She didn’t bother to think or conduct a simple assessment of the situation... Everything dominating her mind and seizing her soul was the total eradication of this bastard, wiping him from existence!
Despite suffering a severe drain on her mana reserves and abilities due to the grueling sequence of grand techniques she had unleashed throughout the day—compounded by her internal injuries and nosebleed—she made a decisive resolve to fight with every ounce of power she possessed, holding nothing in reserve!
Lucy spoke in a deep, spine-chilling tone:
"[Call of the Abyss... Infinity!]"
At that critical juncture, pitch-black tattoos spread across Lucy’s body. In the blink of an eye, they formed over her smooth shoulders, extending in terrifying patterns to her neck before stretching ominously toward her back!
And behind her, within the vast white void...
A colossal dimensional rift split open like a profound chasm in a giant mountain! From within that tear, a terrifying giant hand emerged, enveloped in an aura of dense, absolute blackness that swallowed every ray of light passing nearby!
Before long, another hand of the same monstrous proportions burst forth, gripping the edges of space and climbing through the boundaries!
Suddenly... the gruesome face of a monster peered out, bearing two massive faces fused together through the skull and brain, with a single gigantic eye blazing with a dark glow positioned dead-center on their conjoined forehead!
A deep magical circle formed within the monster’s eye, on the verge of discharging a devastating beam of surging destructive energy... But Cain did not stand idly by to await his doom or observe the attack without a response!
In that exact second, a brilliant golden aura flared up, enveloping Cain’s shadow body like an impregnable shield before soaring into the white domain with astonishing size! Erected within space stood a giant knight forged entirely from Cain’s supreme golden aura!
That legendary knight raised its immensely long sword, gripping the hilt with both hands in an offensive stance reminiscent of a baseball batter anticipating an incoming ball with absolute focus!
SWOOOOOOSH!
The dark energy beam erupted from the monster’s eye like a searing laser line slicing across the dimension!
In that same split second... Cain’s golden knight raised its massive blade and struck the incoming beam with cutting force, deflecting its trajectory and ricocheting it far off into space! The knight capitalized on that moment to move at overwhelming speed—despite its colossal build defying swift movement—sweeping a mighty arc with its sword toward the monster before it!
However, the monster, having dragged itself fully out of the dimensional rift this time, spread its massive palms and caught the sharp edge of the incoming golden blade!
GRRRRRRRRRRRR!
The beast from the depths of the abyss let out a deafening, gruesome roar, belching a repulsive, toxic black aura... The shriek resembled the dying screech of disintegrating souls fading into nothingness!
In a lightning-fast reaction, the knight released its main grip on the hilt with one hand, driving a crushing, direct punch straight into the monster’s hideous face!
DACKKKKKK!
Under the blunt force of that direct golden strike, the monster’s face caved in completely, its skull compressing before it collapsed downward, plunging back into the deep abyss!
Yet... what Cain hadn’t factored into this escalating confrontation!
Was the opening of multiple other gates and dimensions across the white space around them, unleashing dozens of identical monsters of the same ghastly appearance and absolute hideousness, while Lucy stood at a distance without engaging in direct combat!
Not quite... She was manipulating her private spiritual world encompassing them, commanding it to impose the maximum possible gravity upon the golden knight to restrict its movement, all while channeling her hidden power to open those dimensional gates out of Cain’s line of sight, trapping him and his giant avatar dead-center with no path of escape!
The shadow muscles on Cain’s face twitched, displaying signs of intense irritation and distress...
Up until this moment, he had been trying to match Lucy’s supreme powers and control the battle without causing her any real harm... But the telepathic link between him and Lucy had severed completely the moment they entered this isolated spiritual realm, leaving him unable to project his voice or thoughts to her!
In this complex, perilous predicament... he was left with no choice but to unleash a fraction of his full power—even if it meant being a little harsh on her and inflicting slight harm to bring her back to her senses!