God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

If mana was like a violent river filled with all sorts of rapids and even a waterfall, then Ki would be a maelstrom...

The violent bone-crushing energy raced into Cain's body and tore him apart. Previously, he had been able to absorb Ki with little to no issues asides from enduring a ridiculous amount of pain. But now, the energy was going through every point of his body and filling it up.

Unfortunately for him,

His body wasn't strong enough...

To gain the ability to control Ki, one must possess a strong body that could actually bear the strain and damage that came with using this sort of violent energy. The reason why exercise is a good way of accumulating Ki is that it allows the body to develop a natural acceptance of Ki and more naturally incorporate it into its system.

Although he had been conditioning his body with the weight of the {Heavy Armor}, it still wasn't enough to toughen him up to the point where he doesn't get killed by the mad rush of energy flowing within his body presently.

And because his body couldn't handle it, it was only natural that he would be destroyed...

The muscles, tendons, and skin on his body began to tear apart, and in some places, explode, turning him into a blood-drenched man. Despite all this, he endured and plundered even more Ki.

"No..." Susan's eyes enlarged quickly in her eye sockets when she saw the changes overcoming Cain.

"Stop!!!" Without even hesitating, she rushed over to Cain in an attempt to stop him from absorbing more Ki.

"It's okay... I'm fine." In a voice that could barely be recognized as human, Cain said to Susan.

"Stop it! You'll die if you don't!" Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes as she rushed even closer. At this point, a majority of Cain's body had been reduced to a bloody pulp. His face was completely disfigured, and the blood gathered around him was so hot, it bubbled on the ground like lava.

"It's okay..." Despite the conditions of his body, Cain's voice, despite being raspy and disfigured, was as calm as it could be. It was so calm, Susan was brought to a halt by it. Through her tear-filled eyes, she stared at Cain with marvel in her eyes.

'He's still fighting...' Susan thought in amazement.

Threads of blood rose out of the pool beneath him, getting into his body through the broken and torn prices of muscles and regenerating his body as it was being broken down. Cain had activated {Blood Regeneration}.

He was using the dense blood elemental mana from his blood to support his healing. Every time his body was destroyed, it would be rebuilt by him.

Destroy, Rebuild...

Destroy, Rebuild...

With every cycle of destruction and regeneration, the torn ligaments and muscles became stronger and stronger, like refined steel.

With every cycle of suffering, a more solid heart and mind were created...

Cain was in his own world as he bore through the mind-breaking pain of his body breaking down to the bone and regenerating it back with the blood that gathered beneath him.

'I'm running out of blood...' Despite his efforts, Cain still wasn't able to delay the natural order for too long. Although the blood elemental mana in his body was strong, it wasn't infinite and would get used up after a while...

'Not only have I taken too much Ki into my body at once, but the Ki and mana within me are also at heads.' If Cain still had a face, one would be able to see the bitter smile on it as he faced his greatest dilemma of the day.

Although Mana and Ki were from the same source, at the end of the day, they were still conflicting sources of power and didn't mix well...

And now, they were flowing through his body together...

Because he had used {Golden Blood} to activate the Ki within his body, the Ki was passing through the same pathways the mana in his body did. It was only natural the two energies clash with Cain's body on the battlefield.

Once again, his body broke down to the bone, but with the help of {Blood Regeneration}, he was able to restore it such that his organs were no longer attempting to spill onto the ground.

'I'm sure Ashur didn't sabotage me... There's something I am missing.' Despite his current state, oddly enough, Cain was at the peak of his concentration. Because of this, he was able to feel every single change that occurred in his body. He was able to feel how the Ki racing through him broke his muscles down and how the blood elemental energy rebuilt them.

He was able to feel the violent clash between his mana and Ki. The gentle mana was able to hold its own against the surging and violent Ki.

Because of this, he was able to notice a weird phenomenon that occurred within him...

Beside his normal heart, was his {Mana Heart}. This {Mana Heart} was a physical mutation that was induced upon him when he made a contract with Ruby. Because of this, he possessed the ability to directly absorb mana into his body anytime and every time.

'Will I be able to return all this mana into the {Mana Heart}?' Cain reasoned.

If he could temporarily store all the mana running through his body in his {Mana Heart}, he would be able to get his Ki to run more freely and complete the restructuring of his body once and for all. The mana in his body wouldn't escape, and he would be able to complete his objective.

Killing two birds with one stone...

Although this seemed like a good plan, it wasn't without its flaws. If his {Mana Heart} was unable to bear the immense volume of mana flowing within him, it could explode. If it did, it was surely going to take his regular heart with it, leaving him dead in an instant.

Not only was it incredibly risky, anyone with a decent knowledge of the behavior of mana would know it was even downright suicidal. The power of mana wasn't something that should be messed with so casually.

Despite all these, Cain realized he was without a choice...

*In a battle, especially one regarding greater powers, numbers are absolutely essential. And the only way to acquire genuine comrades is by being genuine yourself. Do not hesitate or waver during battle. Be ready to give up your life in battle to protect the lives of your comrades..."

He had to put his life on the line...

If he didn't, that means he wasn't genuine. He wasn't a hero nor was he a saint, but he knew exactly what priorities were. He realized that if he ever wanted to have the power to decide what to do with his life and how he wanted to see his fate, then he would need to make some sacrifices...

Since {Mana Heart} was a passive skill, he wasn't going to be able to do much about it from a skills perspective. That didn't mean he would be able to influence it physically.

Once again, his body was destroyed down to his bones. A majority of his skin and fleshy parts had turned into a pool of blood, leaving only his bones and organs intact. Due to his strong vitality, he would be able to survive like this for a few seconds, but nothing longer than that.

However, a few seconds were all he needed...

Cain raised a bony hand and jammed it straight into his ribcages. Just beside his heart, was a smaller, yet oddly luminous object that was attached to the rest of his organs with muscle fibers, ligaments as well as a few odd transparent veins.

This was Mana's heart...

It looked like the cross between a regular heart and a mana shard. A few parts of it looked crystalline, while others looked fleshy. It also beat periodically like a regular heart, only it pumped mana into his body rather than blood.

Cain grabbed onto it with his bony fingers and began applying pressure slowly.

'I need it to forcibly retract all the mana in my body...'

According to his elementary understanding of mana and mana-related creatures, when an organism blessed with mana was about to meet its end, all the mana spread out from within would aggregate back into its mana shard or core and condense within the gem to form the mana-rich environment present in the mana shard.

Normally, a mana shard or core only contained a little bit of a creature's mana with the rest scattered within its body. when the reaper comes to collect his dues, all the mana that the mana shard had gathered would return back to it.

What Cain was about to do was essentially that...

He was going to replicate the conditions of death and cause all the mana within his body to flow back into his {Mana Heart}.

He put his other hand into his chest and grabbed onto his real heart. Susan who watched all of this was sitting directly before him. Tears fell from her eyes like a waterfall, but she did nothing to stop him.

Cain looked up and stared at her through his hollow eyesockets. Stare was a strong word because his eyes had long since been destroyed by the violent clash between his Ki and mana.

But...

He could feel her presence as she stared straight at him. The odd sense of comfort he felt when she touched him came back, causing all his worry and anxiety to fade away.

Since he couldn't speak because of the absence of a throat, he just nodded his head and attempted to give her a smile with what little bit of face he had left.

'I bet I look really ugly right now...' This was the last thought Cain had as he squeezed down hard with both hands, ending his life...

BANG!