God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

They both stared at one another for some time...

The flow of time seemed to halt for a moment.

Blaze sighed, "Fine. I give up. However, don't expect me to partake in this... I'd rather not point my weapon at my fellow man unnecessarily."

Cain sneered, but didn't say anything on that,

"Fine. You don't need to participate."

With that, he turned away to leave.

Attached to a wall by the shaft of a spear, Vincent tugged on it weakly,

"Damn it. This damned guy was trying to kill me. I know it!" Vincent said as he shot Cain a dirty glance. Cain returned it proudly. Walking up to Vincent, he helped the slightly chubby marksman pull the spear out of his chest, eliciting a loud scream.

"Fuck!" Vincent explained once the spear was finally out.

Cain threw the spear to the ground,

"So tell me. Why did you go along with this?"

Vincent snorted, "I just wanted to see what you were made of. Luckily, you didn't disappoint. Expected nothing less from the boss."

Cain's eyes narrowed, "Cut the bullshit, Vince. Were you trying to kill me?"

Sensing the slight hostility in Cain's tone, Vincent quickly analysed the situation.

He stared straight at Cain,

"I truly mean you no harm. While you might not fully trust me, I can tell you one thing. I ain't no snake!"

'Spoken like a true snake!' While Cain didn't fully believe him, he decided to let it slide for now. There was no use in getting rid of him. If he did, he might even incure public ire.

When the fight came to an end, the people surrounding them immediately burst into loud chatter.

"Scary... Absolutely scary. They aren't human anymore. Not like I have the right to speak anyway..." One Beastman said with a sigh.

"I feel you man. We've been turned into monsters, and yet I feel like I am staring at true monsters after what I just saw."

The fight had been incredible. While they hadn't made use of a great extent of their power, holding back the majority, it was enough to inflict the fear of God in these people.

Seeing the looks of wonder, awe, and fear in their eyes, Cain sighed to himself and walked away.

His voice echoed out, "Alright. That's enough entertainment for one day. Let's get back to work."

The moment those words left his mouth, the Beastmen and women all scarmboed away to engag6in their respective tasks. After what they had just witnessed, they would rather not be the target of such a monster's ire. Alth6they weren't being treated bad, they didn't want to see what would happen if they overstepped.

Soon, rumors would spread about the true power of the ones who now controlled this portion of the world. They were true monsters capable of splitting the earth in one blow, and crushing all the bones in a man to dust with another.

While this made them fearful, it also increased their admiration, as well as gratitude. After all, desipe being so powerful, Cain and the others hadn't so much as forcibly enforced rules and law on them. For theost part, they were free to do what they wanted to.

However, when it came to matters that involved the whole, everyone was required to do their part. With how tough the times were getting, no one would complain.

Still, there was no doubt hearts harboring dark thoughts would exist in this strange situation...

Cain was unbothered as he walked away. He was covered in blood and injuries, but he felt more alive than ever. His natural healing factor had reduced greatly after the fight. He had used up too much Ki at once.

While Ki could enhance base stats, that wasn't its main function. Its main function was enhancing physique. Something like physique was a bit hard to explain. It was less the quantity of stays,and more the quality of the being itself.

Regardless of how many strength points Cain possessed, he would never have the muscle mass of a gorrila. Should a gorrila with the same strength points as he had clash fists with him, his fists would explode into a cloud of blood and bone fragments.

However, his Ki enhanced his physique, slowing improving its quality until it transcended that of what was possible for a human.

Right now, he had just reached the threshold. There was so much more to discover. His breakthrough was made possible due to many things.

One of them was the earlier battle. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to understand the essence of the energy in him. Another factor was the earlier visit into the {Gate of Stars}. The mystical gate drew him closer to the very source of energy itself.

Cain was very pleased with the results. Still, he had paid a decent price. Manny, Blaze, and Vibcebt hadn't held back at all, so it would take some time for him to heal up.

Still, a small smile hung on his face.

Suddenly, healing light washed over him. Looking up, the smile on his face turned a bit wider. Susan was standing before him with her magic staffs in her right hand, staring at him with pursed lips and a blank expression.

He tried to say something, but he couldn't, as the next moment, the top of the staff, adorned with a magic gem crashed down on his head.

Everyone still present winced at the crisp sound it made.

Cain hissed as he glared at her, "What was that for?!"

Still healing him, Susan snorted,

"That was for putting yourself and them in dabger for no reason. There should be no infighting."

Cain felt wronged. They were clearly the ones that started it.

Susan's stare deepened, "You could avoided the provocations. You don't need to prove anything. Not to me, them, or anyone else..."

Cain was a bit taken aback. Suddenly, a teasing smile appeared on his lips,

"When did I try proving anything to you."

Susan smiled, "Do you want to get hit again?"

"No ma'am."

Susan nodded approvingly, "That's good. In that case..."

She turned her glare to Steve who was stillseated on the railing of a nearby building, stared down at her.

Feeling her intense stare, Steve quickly appeared beside her.

"Congratulations on your win, Boss Cain. Madame..." Steve courteously greeted.

Susan glared at him, "Cut the rubbish. Tell him everything while I go heal the other fools." With that, she walked towards Vincent, Manny and Blaze, who had less that excited faces watching her approach with a menacing smile.

Saying a silent prayer for the three rascals, Steve turned to face Cain who still had a strange look on his face.

"They've started."

Cain nodded when he heard that, "That's good. Then we should move now.*

Steve shook his head, "The Beast Horde is too powerful. If we go now, there will be casualties."

Cain paused, "What about the Blood Warriors?"

Steve seemed a bit confused, "They've made contact with the island. However, they don't seem intent on doing anything just yet. Perhaps they plan on letting the Lightslayers tire out first."

Cain nodded, "They might be immortal on there, but that doesn't mean they have unlimited stamina."

"Indeed. That's why I think we should also wait it ou-"

"Let's move now."

Steve seemed a bit taken aback, "What? But..."

Cain shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face,

"Stevie boy... I admit that you are smart, you truly are only seeing a portion of the picture right now. Remember... The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Steve rolled his eyes, "What, we are making friends now?"

Cain nodded eagerly, "Yes. Besides, humans are a very valuable resource. We can't have too many of them dying now, can we?"

Steve nodded thoughtfully, "Well, you do have a point on that."

Cain's smile turned a bit savage, "Still, it's always good to seperate the weed from what it useful. How many beasts are we talking, and what is their average power level?"

"More than ten thousand for sure... As for their average power level, I can't be too sure. Only a portion of them are attacking right now, and it seems as though something intelligent is controlling them."

Cain raised a brow, "Intelligent?"

Steve nodded, his expression a bit grave,

"Things are progressing quite fast now. We need a solid plan to take care of things."

The gears in Cain's head began spinning quickly as he tried formulating a plan.

'Hunter, Can you hear me?'

For some reason, Hunter was able to keep the mental link open at all times. The white wolf was always summoned, so the moment he reached out with his mind, Hunter would always hear him.

'Yeah...' Hunter replied, as curt as always.

Cain smiled, 'Relay this message to everyone. When I say everyone, I mean everyone.'

There was a pause on the line...

'This... While I'm glad you think so highly of me, I do not have the mental capacity to communicate with so many people at once.' Hunter said all at once.

Cain rolled his eyes, 'Just relay it to a few people and have them pass it on. Tell them all to gather before the rift in an hour.'

'Roger that.'

Cain nodded in satisfaction.

Steve was curious, "What are you planning?"

Cain beckoned to him, "Some wars arewon with guole, others with pure firepower. This one is one of them..."

Steve seemed to understand, "We aren't very high on manpower right now though."

Cain shook his head, "You'll understand in a few minutes."