God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

His eyes snapping open, Cain gradually came back to life.

He needed a few minutes to come back to come back, as his mind, and thoughts had died alongside his body. It would take a few minutes for him to get himself back. Especially after passing through the horrific experiences entrapped within the Levónt.

Shaking his head to dispell the fog, Cain slowly sat up.

This wasn't the first, or even second time he hsd found himself waking up in an unfamiliar environment, so he wasn't fazed at all.

A small, barely furnished room.

In the room was the bed he was currently laying up on, a side cabinet that was covered in dried up blood, and a set of curtains covering the only window on the room.

There was also a wardrobe beside the bed.

Cain was curious. Would there be clothes within it for him to wear.

Taking his sweet time, he calmly got off the bed. Wincing, he placed his hand on his carefully bandaged side.

That was how bad the damage was. Normally, he should have been all healed up by now.

However, it would seem that creatures of higher Tiers and grades were capable of worsening any injuries they've dealt to their target. Sort of like the poisonous saliva of a deadly creature infusing itself into the blood of its prey.

The pray would be forced to bear excruciating agony, until finally, it died.

Then the malicious creature would sniff its rotting corpse out and consume it.

Cain sighed.

Even if that was the case, a liver shot was bound to be painful. The damage was internal, so that was another angle.

Fighting the pain back, Cain walked towards the wardrobe and opened it up.

'Nice.'

Sure enough, there was a few articles of male clothing within the wardrobe. Considering the fact that he was completely naked, Cain would do anything to put some clothes on his back.

He absolutely didn't want to have to wear any armor as well, so this was a good find.

Throwing on a black, sleeveless short, as well as a pair of black cargo pants, Cain finally let out a sigh of relief. Falling back onto the bed, he let out a sigh...

His mind churned,

'I'm probably within the dome. Meaning we somehow managed to make it.'

His eyes narrowed, 'It was probably Evangeline... That woman is usually up to no good, but at least she's dependable in cases like this.'

Cain let out another sigh. Then he closed his eyes.

'Eye of Clairvoyance.'

He didn't need to keep his eyes open to use this ability. The mana in the air surged for a bit as the skill activated.

'Interesting...' Cain thought to himself.

As it would turn out, the range and effectiveness of his ability has reduced.

He frowned, 'Why?'

There could be no other explanation...

A certain something was suppressing his power. He didn't know exactly what it was, but he did have a guess, though jumping to conclusions would do him no good.

'I'll know soon enough.'

He slowly opened his eyes at the same time, the doorknob twisted.

A group of people stepped into the room.

And none of them were familiar faces...

A woman dressed in what seemed to be military gear stepped in, her gait oozing with ill concealed arrogance and a slight sprinkle of disdain towards the common man.

Her left eye was covered with an eye patch, and a red bandana was tied over her hair to prevent it from falling over her face.

She stared straight into his eyes,

"You awake, huh?"

Cain stayed silent, not sure how to respond.

The lady frowned, "Have you gone deaf and dumb or something, or do you not understand my words?"

Cain sighed, "Neither."

He turned to the other people that had stepped into the room. Their faces were covered with masks that covered their noses and mouths, but their eyes could be seen.

They were also dressed in strange, military-looking apparel. However, it was a bit different from what he had seen before.

The military uniforms seemed to have been altered in a few places. It was also not the same one he knew the military personnel of the city used.

Not only that, but each of these men were geared with top grade equipment.

With one look, Cain could tell that the rifles they held in their hands were top quality good stuff; probably more than powerful enough to blow the heads off a Level 90 creature with layers of scales and tough hide.

Lucia snorted, "Now that you are breathing, you'll need to follow us. Seeing as you are already dressed, there will be no further delay."

Cain frowned, "Where are the rest of my men?"

Lucia raised her chin at him,

"Your questions will be answered as long as you are willing to comply. If you do not take orders..."

Her lips lifted to form a wicked grin,

"I have been authorized to use force." With the slightest movements, she signalled to the rest of her men, prompting them to turn the safety on their rifles off and point them straight at him without any hesitation whatsoever.

'Well isn't this a goddamn great situation.'

Although he didn't like the way things were going, Cain decided it wasn't worth it to make a fuss.

He nodded after a few seconds,

"Alright."

Saying that, he stood from the bed.

Eying the tall man– boy standing before her, Lucia cleared her throat lightly. Although she hated to admit it, she couldn't deny how good looking he was. If not for the scar across his eye and cheek, she didn't doubt for a moment it would be hard to resist him.

Still, she had to keep up a front. After all, this wasn't her first rodeo. Not all villains were ugly after all. Some of them hid a dagger behind a bright smile.

Saying nothing more, she proceeded to step out of the room.

Following behind her, Cain found his mind drifting away.

'That battle... could have gone a lot differently.'

His mind spun...

'Positioning, timing, and energy control. I thought my control was pretty impressive, but it turns out I've been looking at it all wrong.'

Upon stepping out of the room, Cain briefly observed his surroundings.

'A dormitory? No, a hotel!'

From what he could see, the overall layout and decor, it was not very difficult to see what this building once was. Perhaps a once bustling place of business, with numerous customers coming in by the hour to perform various activities.

However, its purpose had been changed completely. Cain could also easily imagine how other buildings had been changed as well.

He hadn't seen much, but from what he could see already, he had gotten a basic idea of what was going on.

'Still, ut wouldn't hurt to observe a bit more.' And so, he held back any judgment calls he was about to make for the moment.

I'm the mean time, his mind raced back to his most recent defeat.

Trying to put it into perspective; his way of utilizing energy, was like swimming in an ocean with his human arms and legs. It was possible, but not very efficient.

The Devil, Inixth on the other hand, was a fish. The water was its natural habitat; the air it breathed in and out.

'Could it perhaps be a natural advantage?'

From what he could tell, the Devils would only get more and more difficult to deal with as time went by. This was one reason they had to be exterminated as quickly as possible.

However, in these beginning stages, they made use of their superior numbers to overwhelm.

There was no way to win...

Even then, it was getting obvious, the disparity in potential.

Cain's eyes blazed,

'Then there's its technique. Its fighting style. It is far more complicated than anything I've ever seen. But he used it with finesse, like it was a mere action.

So far, Cain had come to realize that whole he had prioritized simplicity in some areas, that wasn't going to cut it moving forward. He had to up his game if he wanted to make progress.

He could have as many skills, spells and abilities as he wanted, with the power to back it up even.

However, of it came down to a swordfight or a brawl, would hw come out on top? These were the things he needed to think about.

He let out a sigh, his pace never reducing. Hearing the cranky woman walking before him click her tongue, Cain suppressed a chuckle.

They walked for a while before stepping out of the hotel.

Looking around, CIn was greeted with a novel, yet nostalgic sight.

All around him, were people. Normal people, without a lock of mana in them.

They walked around, each with different expressions on their faces. In some places, he could see the men donning military apparel walk by, but the majority of people here, in the buildings nearby as well, were regular civilians. They were dressed in tattered clothing, and their eyes were a bit dull.

Many of them looked malnutritioned, and the air was heavy with hopelessness and despair. Clearly, the dome surrounding them wasn't enough to give them security.

Cain was amazed.

And this was just a small portion of this large human settlement...

Lucia glared at him,

"Walk."

Cain silently complied.

While walking he looked around.

While there were people gazing at him from the windows, there were also people seated on the sides of the road.

There weren't a lot of buildings nearby, so it was only natural for many people not to have a place to dwell.

As such, the streets were not in the best of conditions. The rancid stench of human filth worked his way into his nose, causing Cain to frown and wrinkle his brows.

For some reason, the glorious radiance of the giant moon in the sky didn't reach this place.

As such, it was covered in a chilling darkness that was somewhat fought away by magic lamps and lanterns.

The air was a bit arid, and looking around, Cain could see that many buildings were stuck in golden sand.

It was like stepping into a city undergoing desertification. It was a shocking sight.

The humans, their skin pale, and their lips cracked, followed him with their gaze.

Clearly, it was very obvious that those who had survived the initial horror, but weren't granted the power to fend for themselves were forced to live a terrible life in this place.

Cain sighed. He could already think of all the reasons why this place was like this. Still, he had to see for himself.

'Hopefully, I'll find some answers soon.'