God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chaos is a very abstract concept...

A state of disorderliness, one that deviates continuously from the norm. However, the norm is a state indentified and defined by the observer.

To some observers, Chaos might very well be the norm. A being used to bloodshed and death might see peace and happiness as chaos.

Still, Steve could come to terms with the fact that the chaos around him was true chaos.

Right now, himself, alongside Ignis, Blaze, Manny, Vincent, Sue, Stan, and Li were surrounded from all sides by the Crimson Warriors and Lightslayers.

Cain had gone off to do his own thing, while Susan, Evangeline and Jenny has gone off as well. Now, they were going to face off against everyone else.

Alt6 their numbers were superior to each group, they could be overwhelmed if both groups came at them together.

Still, he wasn't too worried about that. What he was worried about were the potential casualties...

Ignis in the other hand didn't seem to care.

She wore the {Alabaster Gauntlets}, and was dressed in a mix of leather and plate armor.

She stared Rollo straight in the eye. He stared back, his face as expressive as a boulder.

"What? You want vengeance?"

Ignis gritted her teeth. Steve shot her a look,

"What is he talking about?"

Ignis sighed, "He's David's killer."

Steve's pupils dilated, "Is that so..."

Zue on the side of the Lightslayers frowned at them,

"Who are you fools, and where did you come from? Can't you see we are busy?"

Francis snorted, "What an arrogant dickhead?"

Zue's face darkened, "What did you say?!"

Chloe who was usually quiet, suddenly spoke up. Her voice was surprisingly rustic, possessing a hint of a matured allure to it, quite difficult to pair with her pure and innocent external features.

"Zue... Calm down, please." She said with a difficult expression.

Zue had a look on infatuation in his eyes, "I am calm. But I can't tolerate such an affront. We should get rid of them quickly.

Chloe shook her head, "Don't be too hasty. Besides..." She said, her enigmatic eyes turning to Steve and the others.

"I'm a bit curious."

Sensing her gaze, Steve smiled confidently at her.

"Such a fine lady... Truly, we don't plan on being hostile with you. Our true enemies are those bloody idiots. I think we should work together and throw them to the depths of the ocean. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and what not..."

Chloe smiled, "It would seem that way."

Rollo suddenly spoke out, "If you want to fight us, why waste so much time. Get on with it!"

Drawing his great sword, he took a stance,

"However, do not expect me to be merciful."

Li suddenly spoke up languidly, cleaning his ear with his pinky,

"Don't worry. We'll get to you in a minute. Why so eager?"

Idris snorted, "This is embarrassing. Enough. Show these fools the wrath of the Blood God!"

The Crimson Warriors charged forward. A mutuat agreement to handle the Crimson warriors first was reached between the Lightslayers and... whatever they were called.

Steve's mind churned calmly,

'Empty provocations. Subtle threats to dig deeper, seeing who will reveal their hand first.'

Steve's cunning was truly frightening. He suddenly had a thought, and his eyes drifted over to Vincent who had a wide grin on his face.

Just before the battle commenced, Cain had handed him the {Hand of Midas}, a weapon that would shine beautifully in the hands of an experienced marksman.

He seemed itchy to use it. However, he hadn't lost his head. His eyes were scanning his surroundings carefully, wary of any potential ambushes.

Steve's mind relaxed. As long as there was someone on the lookout, he felt they wouldn't have to be worried about any potential ambushes.

And so, he was ready to let loose fully,

His hands began to move immediately, drawing numerous sigils and runes into the air, the arcane characters floating mid air,

"Ah... How exciting this is! I can finally let loose properly!" He exclaimed.

The moment Rollo made a move, Ignis was already bearing down on him. The {Alabaster Gauntlets} in her hands glowed brightly as she brought them down.

A huge Sonic boom followed as her hand shot out.

Rollo skillfully swung his blade sideways to counter the brutal blow, but was knocked back immediately.

The shockwave produced launched everyone away from them.

'Damn...' For a moment, Ignis forgot her rage and stared at her new weapons. They were suprisingly very incredible.

Still, this admiration lasted only for a moment, as in the next, she charged forward again. Plumes of flames shot out of the gauntlets towards Rollo again.

He calmly stabbed his blade into the surface of the water,

"Mass Infinity!"

A field of intense gravity was suddenly formed around Rollo. The flames were dispersed almost immediately, and Ignis was overcome with a heavy feeling, almost plunging into the cold embrace of the water.

Rollo charged forward, swinging his blade. If it landed, her head would roll.

Suddenly sensing something, Rollo drew his blade back and used the flat of it to deflect the incoming attack. However, the attack wasn't simple.

A barrage of various elemental spells flew at Rollo, giving him no time to gather his thousg6 as he constantly defended and deflected. Even the gravitational field around him was unable to meet up.

Ignis took this chance to charge in again. Squaring up, she deflected a blow from Rollo and caught his jaw in a clean left hook. Rollo was blasted off his feet, flying a few meters backwards.

Francis sensed the danger he was in, but couldn't do much, as he was currently facing off against three opponents himself.

Li was covered in runic tattoos, each one radiating intense light. In his hands, he bore a large saber that cleaved ferociously.

"Absolute Saber Art: Might of a Mountain!"

The saber glowed intensely as he shot forward.

In response, Francis snorted, "Blood Hedge!"

This magical attack was quite effective against melee fighters. Only a fool would rush headfirst into a wall of bloody spikes. However, Stan didn't seem intent on stopping.

A savage grin appeared on Francis's face,

"Die!"

Spike shot out of the Blood Hedge. Each one was about seven inches long, and about half an inch wide. They could do serious damage.

Stan grinned, "Diamond Shell."

His body was immediately covered with a coating of glowing crystal like matter. The {Blood Spikes} crashed into his harmlessly.

Waving his blade, Stan cut through the {Blood Hedge} with frightening ease.

Francis frowned. Li chose this moment to close in like a bullet. Through the gap frowned in the {Blood Hedge}, he shot a fist, glowing like a miniature star, forward,

"Sun God's Wrath: Pulse Plasma..."

"Blood Shield!"

The blood Shield exploded into bits, and Franco's was launched backwards.

Just as Francis was about to recover, the felt an overwhelming sense of danger grab his heart.

Unable to reach, the {Dust Devil} slashed his back with its blackened claws.

Sue shot him a disdainful glance,

"Just this bit of abilities and you dare be cocky?"

Blood dripped from Francis's back as he finally broke away from the {Dust Devil}. He wore a look of rage on his face,

"Fuckers! You dare fight fairly?!"

Sue snorted, "Fair? Such a stupid misconception. When you attacked our island, were you thinking about fair? Were you?!"

The {Dust Devil} turned into a stream of sand and shot at Francis. Sue shot numerous fireballs in his direction. With it being three against one, the odds were greay stacked against him. Overwhelmingly so in fact...

Still, Francis showed no sign of going down

In fact, he was getting more agressive and resilient over time.

Pushing wind against his feet, Li soun quickly in the air. His legs shot out, landing a kick on Francis's jaw.

Staggering backwards, Francis spat out a mouth6 of blood. But he remained in his feet, sending a barrage of {Blood Spikes} at him.

Zue had his time open, its pages flipping as he chanted spell after spell. Idris on the other hand moved rapidly, desperately trying to avoid death pressing in on him from both Blaze and Manny.

Blocking another blow from the spear user aimed at his throat with his dagger, Idris grimaced. The blow was filled with such strength, his hand trembled violently.

However, what made him the most frightened was the sword user. His blades were just too fast. He was already sporting numerous wounds all around his body, courtesy of the blades.

If nit for his quick reflexes, he might have been turned into noodles a long time ago.

Firing bullets from the rear, Vincent reveled in Idris' panicked expression as the bullets bit at his heels.

Chloe frowned, 'What is this?'

Since the battle started, she hadn't moved to engage. While the other Lightslayers had quickly found an opponent, she was the only one quietly observing.

And from what she could see, she could tell that the Crimson warriors were not fully engaged. It was almost as though they were waiting for something...