God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Cain hesitated...

The suggestion was indeed very tempting.

'It would certainly be a challenge, that's for sure.'

Then he shook his head, 'But it will also be incredibly dangerous, perhaps more dangerous than I have ever encountered.'

He was in a fix.

On one hand, he wanted to make the attempt. On the other hand, the level of danger would drastically increase not just for him, but for the others as well.

If.he took his by himself, the others would have to take theirs without him.

Sensing the hesitation in his eyes, Steve raised a brow. He leaned forward and picked him in his chest,

"You better not be thinking about something foolish. If you believe we won't be able to handle the trial without you, then I'd hate to break it to you pal, but you'd be wrong. Isn't that right, Vince..."

Vincent glared at Steve with mirth in his eyes, then sighed,n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"As much as I'd love to disagree with him, if that truly is what is holding you back, then I suggest you get those stupid thoughts out of your head."

He tapped the pistol holstered on his waist them grinned,

"If I were you, I'd worry about the unfortunate Devils that would be on the receiving end of my muzzle."

Cain chuckled.

'they definitely can pull their own weights.'

How worries were grossly unfounded.

Then he shrugged.

His presence seemed to straighten up a bit as he turned to Steve,

"By the way, you still haven't told me what level you are..."

Although he couldn't always check it with the {Eye of General Observation}, Cain figured he rather would simply just ask.

Steve paused for a moment, his eyes briefly scanning the air.

Then he turned to Cain,

"Level 179."

Cain nodded, "I see."

Then he suddenly clapped his hands,

"Then that's all the more reason you should head out with me."

Steve frowned, "What? I thought you just agreed to..."

Cain nodded, calmly stroking the little strands of hair below his chin,

"Sure, I agreed I would not make you challenge the second trial with me. But that doesn't mean we wouldn't level up together."

Vincent massaged his temples,

"Are you kidding me? We just got back..."

Cain rolled his eyes and glanced back at Vincent,

"You saw the cove, so you know the reason why..."

Vincent grumbled, "Of course I know..."

Steve calmly waved his hand, "Hey, no leaving me out!"

Cain grinned at him,

"When I fought with the {Blood Skyrays} in the cove, I noticed that such territory is too big for just this small herd of mutant creatures. The cove also extends rather deep, I doubt it can be called a cove anymore."

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Steve frowned, "I see. With it so close to the ship, I can see why you would want to clear it out before something really frightening decides to crawl out."

Cain nodded, "If there is some abhorrent, evil beast lurking in there, it's best we deal with it inside the cove."

Steve placed his index finger on his chin, then nodded,

"I couldn't agree more. However, there is a slight problem here..."

Cain smiled, although his smiled seemed more sinister than anything else. Steve shivered lightly.

"Well, that is one of the reasons I came to you. Perhaps you can use my blood to create some type of antidote for the toxin, to prevent its effects."

Steve was silent for a while, his index finger still resting on his chin. He slowly moved his head and turned to face the droplet of blood.

Despite all this time, the blood had yet to clot, although the intensity of its crimson hue had died down a bit.

He muttered to himself, his eyes glowing with a strange, mystical radiance,

"You know what? It might actually work... {Blood Lily Bismuth} can be used a s a base for the compound and we can work our way up from there."

His eyes slit up, "I'd have to conduct many experiments to see what magic herbs do not react violently with your blood to see some real results."

He turned to Cain, his eyes a bit feverish,

"Is it okay if we start now?!"

***

"Damn, five liters of blood?! Not even a super human would be able to survive that." Vincent couldn't help but say incredulously.

Cain shrugged, "I don't mind it. Although I do feel a bit dizzy."

All he had to do was eat some mutant beast meat and he would recover nicely.

In the end, Steve had agreed to it to it as long as he could create an antidote in a day's time.

'Then a few others will be able to accompany us.'

If he wished to clear out the entire nest, then some firepower would be appreciated.

Getting the others to how with him wouldn't be very difficult too. After all, there was much for them to gain in leveling up, and little to lose, if the factor of losing their lives wasn't an option to consider.

Getting back to Gwendolyn wasn't a talk task, and they arrived less than an hour later.

The ship was crawling with Beastmen and Lightslayers, some of them making rounds around the deck, some of them leaving the ship to go hunting for mutant creatures on the shore.

Cain noticed that their numbers had been on a decline recently.

That was because most of them had decided that staying at Valestorm and Redscale Island was far safer than remaining on the ship where danger flew in the sky, swam within the waves, and was just waiting to shoot out of the ground at any moment.

The ones that did remain were all battle hardy individuals with a rough side about them.

'A rather reliable disposition in these times...'

Those who did not fear death were either foolish, courageous, or both.

He turned to Vincent,

"I plan on going back a few hours from now. Steve said he'll get the others on Redscale to come, so it's up to you to inform the others in Valestorm."

Vincent frowned, "What? Why me?"

Cain smiled and patted his shoulder,

"You ask too many questions. Now, go..."

With a sigh, Vincent headed towards the {Spatial Gate}.

Once the sharpshooter had disappeared from sight, Cain stretched his arms above his head.

Quite frankly, he did enjoy the peace and quiet. A calm serene day was a pleasant one.

However, those days made him feel uneasy, perhaps because he had already become so accustomed to the violence and bloodshed...

He sighed.

His mind drifted off a bit.

He couldn't help but remember Khan.

'An ember, huh...'

The portion of the world he now knew was completely cut off from the rest of Urbus. He had no idea what was going on on the distant continents.

Had they already been conquered by the Devils?

Had they beaten the Devils back?

Was there an evil greater than the Devils brewing beyond the horizons he could see?

They say a prepared mind need not fear, but Cain truly doubted it. After all, there was only so much one could prepare for.

'How exhausting...'

But interesting...

Forget thinking about tomorrow, even their fate today was uncertain. And that was what made it so exciting, in a twisted way.

As much as he didn't want to die, dancin on the thin line that was the edge of the abyss was just far too exhilarating to give up.

'A world were the strong live and the weak die. A brutal, unforgiving world. Those with the illusion of grandeur and heroism are brought down to earth by the cruel reality of blood and steel. A world of mad beasts and Devils...'

He stared at the dark sky overhead.

There was no beauty left in this world, no salvation, no respite, and no warmth

Only darkness, and the subtle silver grace of the resplendent moon hanging overhead.

He gently looked around. Most of these people weren't even paying him any mind. Instead, they went about their business, their hearts focused only on survival.

They hunted the mutant creatures for their meat and Mana shards. In turn, they were hunted for their flesh and souls by the beasts as well. At the end of the day, the winner would consume all that the defeated was.

He smiled softly to himself...

He had just become even more sure that he had no illusions of grandeur in him. He did not desire to rule over any one.

'Humans are like a wild bonfire. Trying to contain it will lead to the flames and its embers dying out, or a glorious conflagration that spreads without limit or constraints. A truly frightening thing.'

The only limit to growth was the size of its container. People like General Arltzwalt who's dreams and aspirations for the future were built on the foundations of having hegemony over the humans of the new era would have to find out the hard way.

So he would not be a ruler. That was not what he desired.

Instead, he would become a Messiah.

A being of liberation, one with the power to break away the fate of certain doom.

Not a hero.

He was not a hero.

He grinned,

'An egotistical, self-proclaimed savior!'