God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Susan sat in a well decorated room with no windows. The room had a door, but it was oversaturated with enchantments meant to keep her locked in. She had been here almost since the beginning of the Trial.

She wore a long, flowing, pristine priest robe. She was the symbol of inaction as she sat there, meditating. Suddenly, her eyes flickered open.

She stared towards the door,

"Finally..."

Her eyes began to glow as cracks began to appear on the door. The enchantments all around the room were summoned to repress any form of magic, but with sheer ability and volume, she was trying to overpower it.

If it had been any other person, they would exhaust themselves ten times over, and they still would be unable to do this.

Susan continued this for a few seconds until the magic circles couldn't handle it anymore. Cracks raced along the floor and ceiling stretching out to the door before it finally exploded in a shower of sawdust.

The two Templars that had been standing guard outside the room were taken completely by surprise. Susan ruthlessly summoned a bow of pure light and drew the bowstring back, firing two arrows in the blink of an eye.

The arrows lodged themselves into their hearts and detonated, mercifully ending their lives in the blink of an eye.

Susan's face was sullen as she walked out, summoning the Light Guarding along the way. Thanks to Jenny and the others causing chaos on the down floor, she finally found the opportunity she had been looking for.

She had finally escaped, but escaping that was far from her true goal. She could have gotten out of that room the moment they put her in there, but she had to bid her time. She wasn't powerful enough to fight through so many Templars by herself.

She also knew Cain would never leave her in potential danger, so they would be forced to engage the temple forces. She used this as the opportunity she needed to break free and accomplish her real goal.

Realizing the urgency of the situation, she hurried her steps...

***

Hunter stared down at the blood soaked ground. Since they had arrived at the Temple of the Blood Moon, it had been a non-stop blood shedding festival.

He had stopped counting how many people he had cut down. Right now, they had just killed off all the Templars on the ground floor and were about to ascend onto the second floor.

Leah looked at him and shrugged. She was also covered head to toe in blood.

"Let's go." Hunter said coldly.

He had chosen a completely different approach from Jenny. Instead of splitting up his team, he played on their strengths and quickly eliminated all the Templars on the ground floor.

The moment they stepped into the second floor, they were surrounded by another batch of Templars.

Roselle looked around as she drew her blades again,

"We can't keep going like this. Our stamina is limited."

Hunter nodded, "We aren't going to fight here. Instead, we'll push straight through."

"What if they start attacking us from behind?" Lin Lin said skeptically.

Hunter growled, "You don't need to worry about that."

He could sense that these Templars were a cut above the ones they had faced on the ground floor. If they wasted their time fighting them, it would only be to their own detriment.

"Seeing them slowly walk forward, the Templars instinctively took a step back. These people who had appeared from nowhere had began killing their brothers and sisters like they were cutting grass.

They had seen it all. They weren't going to be able to stand against them. Best they would be able to do, would be to buy some time.

Hunter took their moment of hesitation and capitalized on it.

The floor beneath his feet cracked as he charged into the front lines, transforming midway.

Most Templars didn't even know what happened before the lights turned off. They died, very brutally, but very quickly...

The other Beastwomen cut down the Templars as well. They focused their efforts on the center of the small army as they pushed forward. Sisi was their to deploy barriers, so they weren't in danger of getting hit and killed.

Wails of misery, pain and fear echoed within the halls as the Templars tried to fight back. Although they felt fear, every single one of them were devoted to the gods, the Celestial Beings they worshipped. As such, they were determined to stop them, even at the cost of their lives.

Hunter tore through the crowd with savage brutality. His mind, on the other hand, was very calm.

He had sent White to go in and scout the Temple before hand so as not to be caught by a surprise. He was also trying to locate the altar they were meant to destroy.

Unintended, he came across a small cell. The bars of the cell were covered in restrictive runes. The enchantments worked in such a way, that whatever being was placed within the cell would be unable to use any form of energy.

'These enchantments are very powerful. Just what the hell are ethey keeping in here?'

Through the eyes of the summoned wolf, he was able to see very clearly. However, the interior of the cell was very dark.

Suddenly, a voice, accompanied by the rattling of chains called out to him from the darkness,

"Are you going to just stand there all day?"

Hunter sighed...

He recognized this voice. He tried linking their minds together and was surprised to see that it actually worked.

"As a tiny wolf, there is nothing I can do to break you out." Hunter conveyed into Evangeline's mind.

Evangeline seemed a bit startled, as the chains rattled a bit louder than before.

Hunter frowned, 'Could it be that she doesn't know it's me?'

He had been briefed about the conditions of the two girls, Susan and Evangeline. Apparently, they had been recaptured by the Temples. They were supposed to have been placed under house arrest, but what he was seeing was straight up imprisonment.

"Ah... So it's you... That means Cain is nearby..." Evangeline finally said after some time.

Hunter spoke through their mental link,

"He is. However, he is incredibly busy, so he won't be able to come save you. I suggest you just sit tight until we finish the trial."

Hunter didn't have anything against Evangeline, but he didn't know the extent of her power. If she couldn't even escape all this time, then there was no doubt that she was weak.

Although the enchantments surrounding the cell weren't weak, they were only as powerful as the ones on the prison cells that had once held them.

"He's not coming?" Evangeline seemed both surprised and disappointed.

She sighed, "And I though he would come rescuee. What was the point of waiting in this smelly place all this time, anyway?"

Hunter frowned. What did she mean by that?

BOOM!

Hunter felt his heart fall to his feet as the metal bars of the cell came apart like twigs in a storm. Dressed in the robes of a Templar of the Blood Moon, Evangeline walked out, completely undisturbed, her eyes as calm as a lake. Staring at her, Hunter was once again taken aback by how beautiful she was.

Platinum hair, ruby eyes, porcelain skin, and an arrogant, yet pleasant expression on her face.

She stared straight at the place where the white wolf was, even though it was invincible,

"Hunter, was it? I remember you having this sort of ability..."

Hunter was speechless. At the same time, his body became cold. How had she seen through the invincibility of the White Wolf? That should have been impossible for a mere Tireless.

She shrugged, "It doesn't matter anyway." She seemed really disappointed that it wasn't Cain that had shown up to her rescue.

Hunter couldn't help but pray for Cain in his mind...

Hunter conveyed the mission to her.

Evangeline nodded, "It will be difficult for the lot of you to break through to the fifth floor in time. If my guess is correct, they might have already started the ceremony already."

Hunter couldn't help the ominous feeling rushing through him,

"Then we will have to rely on you."

Evangeline was imprisoned on the third floor. It would take a bit of time for them to break through the Templars on the second floor.

But to Evangeline, distance wasn't really a barrier. Thinking about the move Evangeline had pulled back then in the fragmented world, Hunter nearly slapped himself for being so forgetful.

Evangeline seemed lost in thought,

"I guess it would be best for me to stop it before it is too late. Cain might even appreciate me more if he finds out I did it singlehandedly." A sinister grin appeared on her face, causing the White Wolf to take a few steps backwards in fear.

She licked her red lips in anticipation, and excited light burning in her eyes as she murmured to herself,

"Ah, Cain... Now, you'll owe me so much. It's not my fault, but I'll have to bleed you dry."

Hunter said another silent prayer for Cain. He urged her,

"Quickly. I and the others will buy you some time."

Evangeline waved her hand, "No need. Just go at your own pace. These weaklings are no match for me. I don't even need to engage them."

Hunter sighed, 'Then why allow yourself to be captured in the first place?!'

The shadows around Evangeline came to life, and with a step, she dove through them, leaving the invincible White Wolf on the other side.

'Should I follow after her?'

Hunter thought for a while before commanding his summoned creature to follow her into the shadows...