God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

A strange look passed through Li's eyes as he looked around him...

Currently, he was seated in the mess hall of the ship. Himself, Sue, Stan, Old Man Ling, and Maya, alongside the people who had received Levron's blessings, had come here to get something to eat.

However...

A frown appeared on Stan's face,

"Something isn't right..."

Li shook his head, "Tell me about it." His gaze narrowed,

"These guys are looking at us funny. I don't like it one bit."

There was a saying, that one's gaze carried intent. Those who constantly towed the fine line between life and death were more susceptible to this feeling.

A gaze that carried ill intentions, that makes the hair at the back of your neck stand, a chill race down your spine...

"Things were bound to turn out this way." Sue shook her head, shoveling a huge chunk of meat into her mouth and chewing.

A group of people dressed in white garments sat on a table opposite theirs. They stared at them, with absolutely no intentions of being covert. These people dressed in white were call the Preachers, a group of Lightslayers that had formed after the original had disbanded due to the absence of Lukas.

They tried to say silent, and quietly finish their meals in peace. But things didn't seem to be going on that direction at all.

Li suddenly felt a shadow fall over him. Staring up, he made eye contact with a burly man with a buzz cut standing above him with a solemn look on his face.

Behind him was the large handle of what seemed to be a great sword.

"You... You are part of the hunting team, right?" The man spoke, a bit of righteous indignation in his voice.

Stan and Sue quickly exchanged glances, almost as though they could already smell something wrong.

Li flashed a toothy grin, "I am. What do you want?"

The man's frown deepened, "I just wanted to ask you a few questions, that's all."

The mess hall was big enough to hold about five hundred people at a time, and currently, it was full.

Oddly enough, despite the huge number of people, it was oddly quiet. Everyone held their breaths as they watched this altercation take place.

Some had expressions of confusion, while others had grins of scorn and ill will, clearly waiting for something to happen.

Floki, who also happened to be in the mess hall merely glanced at scene before diving back into his meal.

A Beastman seated close to him turned yo him curiously,

"Boss, what the hell do you think those stuck up pricks are trying to do, pick a fight?"

Floki stared at the Beastmen at the table. They were the ones that had continued to remain loyal to him all this while.

He thought about it for a bit before answering in a deep, but low tone,

"It's much more complicated that simply picking a fight. Right now, any excessive show of aggression from Li and the others will be a bad look. They are simply trying to see how far they can push the line. Although I think this is a stupid way to do it."

Brutè, the Beastman with long, canine teeth grinned,

"Am I right? They might have the blessings of a god, but that means little when it comes to these guys."

These men had fought with Floki for a long time, and they had survived. Each of them was a veteran in their own way. This meant they had most likely seen Cain and the others in action as well.

Clearly, they already knew they weren't to be taken lightly...

Floki frowned, "For now, we watch. We don't interfere."

Brutè nodded, a sly grin playing on his lips.

Meanwhile, Li fell silent for a few seconds before answering,

"I don't mind you asking questions, but you'll have to ask them after I'm done with my meal. Okay?"

The man growled as he slammed an open palm on the table,

"What the hell are you saying?! So the lives of all these people is worth less than a meal to you?! Is that what you are saying, huh?!"

Li raised a brow, the smile on his face turning a bit wider,

"Ho... You are making quite the claim here, Mister exorcist. Why would you think that?" Li said, his words obviously mocking.

The man sneered, "Isn't it obvious? For more than a month now, we have been sailing to God knows where. We also haven't seen this 'Captain' of ours for so long. Why is that? Could it be that you all also don't know where we are going?! Is this 'Captain' dead, or does he even exist?

Are we marooned at sea?!"

"Yeah... Freaking bastards are trying to kill us all."

"We demand some answers. We have a right to know!"

"You all are the only ones allowed to leave the ship and hunt! Why can't we as well?!"

Various complaints flew at Li from every angle.

He scratched his head, "This... How should I say this..."

The man with the buzz cut crossed his arms, a grin stretched across his face,

"Anyhow you like."

Li cleared his throat, "Well, to those who want to leave the ship, you are free to do so. In fact, be my guest. However, let it be known here and now that your remains, even if found, shall not be delivered to your families."

He then turned to the crowd, ignoring the ashen look on the man's face,

"To those that want answers, you weren't forced into this ship. If you don't like the way things are run, you can get your sorry asses off as well. We work our asses off for you all to rot away here and hide from danger, and yet you have the guts to demand answers? Even dogs have more decency..." Li answered, scorn evident in every syllable he spoke.

All the Lightslayer Preachers sitting on the table opposite stood up. The bald one at the head of the group, holding onto a mage's staff spoke, a bit of suppressed anger in his voice,

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, gentlemen. If I'm not mistaken, then you are saying that we should leave this vessel if we simply ask for answers, or we do not agree with the way things currently are. Don't you think that is unfair and unreasonable?"

Li stood up from his seat, a sneer hanging for him lips,

"Really? You think so? Oh, gosh... Why? Why on earth would you think that?"

The bald mage gritted his teeth,

"Do you think we are fools?! Take us out into the middle of the ocean and strand us here. Then, giving us no other choice, we deliver our souls and corpses into the jaws of the malevolent sea gods. Isn't that right?!"

By now, a good number of people were already agitated.

Li frowned, his eyes a bit narrowed, 'So this is what this is about?'

Even now, Sue and Stan had not yet engaged. Yet, both could tell where this was going.

It was obviously a staged confrontation. And a multifaceted one at that...

These ones doing the public display were the lackies, while the ones pulling the strings might not even be in the mess hall at the moment.

But that wasn't the point. Whoever it was that was trying to get answers from them was trying to grasp where exactly they stood.

It was no news to them that the Celestials fought for resources. And the most precious of them all, were living souls.

Celestials, especially those that had yet to be reborn, valued the lives of sentient creatures. The more of them they could pull under their banner, the more Divinity they would accumulate, and the faster they would be able to dive back into the circle of rebirth.

Because of this, it wasn't abnormal to see two or more Celestials, perhaps even entire pantheons, go to war, simple because they desire rebirth.

"From the info, most of the opposing Lightslayer were locked up, right? Where did these guys come from?" Stan asked.

Sue rolled her eyes, "Insolent fools is what they are. Perhaps they thought that of they could bid their time, then their patience would pay off. Tsk..."

Stan couldn't quite understand what she meant. Seeing the confused expression on his face, Sue sighed,

"Basically, these guys are trying to test, iush our limits. So far, my big brother is handling it very well. However, they will most likely up the ante soon."

Indeed, just as the words had come out of her mouth, the sound of ringing steel filled the entire mess hall.

They turned to face a scene that had escalated from zero to a hundred in a matter of seconds.

Li stood still, his hands crossed before him, an arrogant smile on his face. And resting just an inch from his neck, was the tip of a sharp blade.

"You think you're a hotshot just because you have access to the system? I'll prove you wrong right here, right now... I, Humelick Rhodes, challenge you to a duel!"

The man with the buzz cut, who had now identified himself as Rhodes, stared Li down with a menacing glare, his hands twitching.

Stan was speechless, "What the hell did he say to him in such a short time?"

Sue snorted, "Classic provocation tactics. It's obvious this is what they wanted from the start. But..."

She turned to face the crowd. Many didn't seem to see that. Instead, they were all excited for what was to come.

Would Li reject such a blatant bait, or would bite?

Even she didn't know what-

"Ha! Because you say so, i should agree? Fine. I accept on one condition. If I win... You'll have to jump overboard in nothing but your undies.

If you agree, then it's a deal." Li said, looking quite proud of himself.

Sue let out a tired sigh, "Stupid..."

"Heh... Then if I win, I get to reform this entire hunting squad." Rhodes said with a sneer.

Li responded with a chuckle.

Of course, he wasn't dumb. He knew that this man had approached him with ulterior motives. Hell, even a bat would be able to see that.

However, what he did know, was that he couldn't reject it. Not just because of his own ego and confidence that he wouldn't lose, but because someone had just whispered a few words directly into his mind that made him giggle with joy.