Against The True Gods-Chapter 178: Oath of Defiance

Caine looked like a perfect mirror of the woman bound next to the man, and the man himself bore an uncanny resemblance to Zao.

He didn't utter a word. Hands clasped behind his back, he remained still, watching the scene unfold with unwavering focus.

BANG!

The military woman wielded a whip formed of condensed qi, its energy rippling through the air as it crashed against the chained figures.

The sound of tearing flesh, splattering blood, and cracking bones filled the tribunal, echoing like a brutal symphony.

Laughter erupted from the countless figures seated in the towering galleries above, their cheers growing louder with every lash of the whip. And the harder they laughed, the more vicious the strikes became.

Yet, despite the sheer agony they endured, neither of the two victims uttered a sound. The woman curled inward as much as she could, shielding her belly with what little strength she had left. Meanwhile, the man shifted subtly, trying to redirect the military woman's fury onto himself, drawing her attention away from his companion.

But it didn't matter. No matter how he positioned himself, no matter how much pain he invited, the woman in uniform continued her assault, her strikes unwavering as she aimed directly for the bloodied woman's stomach.

Again, and again, and again.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The violence was merciless. The cruelty, relentless.

Above the tribunals, high upon the thrones that hovered above the common crowd, sat dozens of figures. Some watched in apathy, others in amusement. Yet amidst them, one entity stood out.

A woman reclined lazily in her seat, a glass of shimmering ambrosia resting in her delicate fingers. Her flowing black hair resembled a river of endless stars, glistening with the radiance of entire universes, while her translucent skin, like reflective glass, allowed glimpses of an inferno of golden flames burning beneath its surface.

Her eyes, a mesmerizing emerald, shimmered with mischief. She wore revealing white robes, each fold seeming to shift and change like liquid light, complementing the majestic crown of white fire hovering above her head.

Her lips curved into a smile as she observed the unfolding brutality, swirling the contents of her glass in idle amusement. But then, suddenly, she frowned.

***

Caine had undergone countless trials to forge his Dao Hearts. To him, they were the culmination of a lifetime of work, of pain, of mastery. But even now, he didn't fully understand their depths.

Individually, no other Dao Heart could surpass his. At best, they could be matched.

But together?

Together, they stood in a league above all else.

And for the first time, as he burned the sight before him into the very fabric of his existence, the true power of his Dao Hearts was revealed.

It lasted for nothing more than an instant, and yet, all present heard it—the soft, synchronized thump of his hearts.

Caine took a step forward.

CRACK!

Every single being in the tribunals froze.

The fabric of time itself trembled.

Above them, in the void beyond, the sky split apart. Jagged arcs of tribulation lightning gathered, crackling with such potency that even these unfathomable entities felt their hearts shudder in fear.

But the lightning went unnoticed, for down below, amidst the blood and agony of the pit, something far more terrifying had occurred.

A fourth figure had appeared.

A young man, drenched in blood, his body trembling, his breaths labored. And yet, despite his pitiful state, there was something… wrong about him.

An eerie serenity clung to him, an unnatural stillness that defied all reason.

Suddenly, chains appeared in his hands—long, golden metallic chains, etched with scarlet runes, glowing with an ominous light.

Caine had received many gifts from Fate after his Trial. These chains were one of them—

The Chains of Damnation.

His gaze panned across the tribunals, sweeping over each and every entity present.

Then, his face slowly lifted, locking onto the woman seated high above, the one who had frowned.

The Chains of Damnation slithered like living things, wrapping around his forearms, burning and fusing into the very fabric of his existence.

His aspects trembled, reshaping, reforging.

And as the chains melted into him, transforming into black runic tattoos seared upon his skin, he lifted a single finger—pointing straight at the woman above.

"With the Heavens as my witness," his voice rang out, steady and absolute.

"With the Hells as my Nemesis," he continued, his tone unshaken.

"And with Fate as my vessel…"

The woman bound in chains stirred. Her weary, beaten body shuddered as unease bloomed within her, an inexplicable dread gnawing at her soul.

She pulled at her restraints, heedless of the fresh wounds opening on her wrists. Tears, unbidden and unexplained, spilled from her crimson eyes.

The man beside her reacted the same, struggling against his bindings, feeling something coming, something they couldn't name.

But before either could free themselves—

Their chains shattered.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

The bindings vanished in an instant, their bodies whisked away into the void through a spatial tear.

And as they disappeared, Caine turned his gaze forward and uttered the final words of his oath.

"…I solemnly swear to the Daos of Heaven and Earth, the Laws of Existence, and the Greater Gods…"

"…to [———————]…"

His last words did not echo.

His lips moved, but the air refused to carry his voice, as if existence itself rejected what he had spoken.

But none needed to hear it.

They already knew.

The woman above knew.

Caine grinned.

And suddenly, the vision, instead of fading, fractured.

Cracks split through reality like shattered glass, light bleeding through the broken edges of the world.

His grin widened.

Blood poured from his wounds in waves, staining the ground beneath him.

"I'm coming."

And the vision shattered.

***

Caine's body, broken and battered, slammed across the ground of an endless white expanse. He skidded violently, blood trailing behind him, staining the purity of what could only be described as a holy land.

His momentum only halted when he crashed into what felt like a metal wall.

Immediately, he keeled over, vomiting mouthfuls of blood.

He didn't understand what had happened.

He felt like he was dying, yet his hearts thumped with indescribable joy.

A stark contrast.

A contradiction he couldn't comprehend.

He had felt something deep within himself take the reins—something ancient, something monstrous, something inevitable.

A while later, he rolled onto his back, his chest heaving, his body drenched in sweat.

He needed rest, even if only for a moment.

But before he could even close his eyes, a voice pierced through the silence.

"You managed to remember all the Visions. How impressive."