CHAPTER 403: BREAKTHROUGH

A rough, ancient pedestal of weathered stone stood at the centre of the cavern. It had a small, inconspicuous stone on it, but from that stone emanated a pure aura of Chaos.

It emitted a non-violent energy that overpowered everything. The ground hummed, the cavern walls shook slightly, and even the air appeared to sag under its weight.

Compared to this essence, all other laws—fire, water, lightning, even space itself—were reduced to fragile shadows.

Apollo’s gaze locked on the stone, his pupils narrowing as if staring into the source of creation itself.

"What is this?" He felt a bit shocked and confused. Even the guardian beside him, who lived for ten thousand years, didn’t understand what kind of stone this was.

Both of them tried to take a step closer—but the instant they did, the pressure surged, magnifying by thousands, no—tens of thousands of times.

The cave groaned, fissures spreading along the ground as if the world itself could not bear the weight of the force. The power of Chaos pressed down from every direction, a primal will that made even the concept of movement feel like defiance against the origin of creation itself.

The guardian froze in place, his body trembling violently. His expression twisted with disbelief as he realised the truth—

Whether it was his spirit, his divine essence, or the rules he had mastered, everything... was rendered meaningless.

It was as though the moment Chaos descended, all accomplishments, all cultivation, all power, returned to dust before the beginning of the universe.

Meanwhile, Apollo’s body shuddered under the same pressure, yet the faint glimmer of the Eternal Sword Rule flickered around him. It was the only force in existence that did not bow to Chaos, and though his breathing grew heavy and his steps slow, he remained able to move forward—one step at a time.

He steadily continued to move forward, as his eternal sword rule was like a bright light within the darkness, clearing his path.

After dozens of steps with all his might, he finally reached the mysterious stone that was releasing the power of chaos.

"Hmm, let’s see what this is."

He exhaled slowly, then lifted his hand. The air itself quivered, the cave trembling as if unwilling to witness what would happen next.

The instant his fingertips brushed the stone—

BOOM!

An eruption tore through the chamber. The stone flared, releasing endless waves of pure chaotic energy. It struck like the birth of a universe, flooding every corner of the cavern.

The guardian was thrown back violently, his body slamming against the cave wall. His divine essence unravelled the moment it tried to resist; even his spirit groaned as though it would collapse.

The pressure did not stop there. It surged outward—beyond the cave, beyond the mountain, beyond the island itself.

The entire island shook as if it would split apart. Seas raged against the cliffs, forests bent like blades of grass before a storm, and the sky above cracked with phantom lightning.

At the centre of it all stood Apollo, his palm still on the stone; his figure was small compared to the storm of chaos, yet the Eternal Sword’s silent aura wrapped him like an unyielding pillar.

[Ding... energy source detected...]

"What!"

Before he could even react, a mysterious force surged from deep within him—not from his soul, nor from his divine essence, but something more primal and mysterious, buried in the depths of his existence.

It erupted outward like a black hole awakened, a silent, terrifying hunger that bent the very air around him.

The chaotic energy that had filled the cavern—the same power that had rendered even gods powerless—was suddenly dragged toward him. The currents of chaos, wild and untamable, now twisted like streams of light being pulled into a devouring void.

. The guardian stared in disbelief, his body still pinned to the cave wall.

Yet the truth unfolded before his eyes—every strand of the chaotic aura, every ripple of primordial force, was being drawn into Apollo, vanishing into that unfathomable vortex.

The stone’s glow dimmed, cracks spreading across its surface, while Apollo stood at the centre, his figure wrapped in a storm of collapsing chaos. His skin burnt with incandescent lines of energy, his veins glowing as if his body were becoming a vessel large enough to hold an entire universe.

The cave thundered, the island roared, and the seas beyond howled.

But within Apollo’s chest, there was only silence—the silence of a black hole devouring creation itself.

Not only Apollo’s aura also started to change as he seemed to be suddenly enlightened by the pure chaos power. His Eternal Sword Rule seemed to be agitated, as slowly there was a hint of chaos that seemed to merge with his increasing its power and evolving toward the more perfect rule.

It also started a breakthrough which he didn’t achieve for longtime because of its difficulty. From the middle stage of the first layer to the peak of the first layer in a matter of minutes.

The power of chaos surged into him, endless and domineering, yet instead of tearing him apart, it began to entwine with the Eternal Sword Rule—the culmination of countless laws, his swordsmanship, and the indomitable will that had carried him across every trial.

At first, it was like oil and fire, clashing violently within his body. Yet as his will pressed down, the eternal sharpness of his sword intent cut through the madness of chaos, carving a path of order within disorder.

Then—

BOOM!

A deafening shockwave tore through the cavern. The aura radiating from Apollo was no longer just a rule nor just chaos—it was a new, terrifying fusion.

The second layer of the Eternal Sword Rule shattered open, and a blade-like radiance erupted skyward. Even though they stood deep underground, its sharp brilliance pierced through stone, earth, and sky, stabbing into the heavens above the island.

The sea trembled. Clouds were split apart. Space itself let out faint cracks under the weight of the aura.

Far beyond the island, across Rion itself, ancient formations stirred. The runic seal that suppressed the world—an eternal barrier that even gods feared—quivered as if sensing the emergence of something that should not exist.