God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Cain stared in shock at the huge devil that had, shockingly, just come to life. Although its eyes were opened, it still didn't make any attempts at movement. Its jaws were still raised to the heavens in its seemingly eternal outrage.

Although he was shocked, what took him by surprise, were the stats of the devil.

'It has nearly double the stats of a Hulking Behemoth! Despite being so huge, it has 800 agility points!' Cain made silent measurements in his heart.

"Haha. Looks like we've finally found what's gonna kill us. So great..." Vincent said, tears falling like a waterfall from his eyes.

Picking at his ears with his index fingers, Manny said to the weeping Vincent, "Tch! Stop crying, you sissy. What's there to be so scared of?"

"Who you calling a sissy?! Have you even seen that thing? It's ten times bigger than us with stats I'm sure none of us can compare to." All the tears building up in Vincent's eyes were instantly replaced with exaggerated anger.

"It's just a bit bigger than the rest. Nothing I can't cut down with my blades..." Manny said, a dangerous light flashing in his hands as he twirled his sinister blades in them.

Ignoring the two, Jenny spoke to Cain softly, "This is all happening so fast. Can we really keep them safe?"

"I made a promise to you, so be rest assured. What we need to do right now is make appropriate preparations." Cain stated indifferently.

"That doesn't mean we don't have real concerns to face. I've never faced any mutant or devil with stats in the thousands before. Looks like this is going to be our toughest fight yet." Jenny said to Cain, her eyes still locked onto the gigantic tower of what appeared to be mass destruction looming over them in the distance.

"If the devils are truly gathering to launch an attack, then we also need to make preparations. Let's go back and-"

"Not so fast..." Evangeline, who had been quiet up to this moment, said in her signature cold voice.

Cain turned his gaze to the extremely beautiful yet violent woman who had him knocked out just a few seconds ago with nary a change in his facial expression.

Facing Cain directly, Evangeline spoke up, "I will not be joining you on your suicide mission as there are some more important things I need to take care of right now." Still speaking in one breath, in the next, she had disappeared right back into the shadows of the very dark forest.

"Did she just bail on us?!" Vincent said with an unbelieving look on his face.

"Seems like it," Manny responded with an equally confused expression as well.

'Damn! So scary...' Unbeknownst to the oblivious duo, Cain was the main recipient of the incredible pressure the cold Evangeline poured out.

'I wonder what she wants this time...' Cain thought to himself.

Cain could understand that he had been knocked out by this violent lady due to his momentary impulsiveness, but what he hadn't expected was for her to disappear all of a sudden when they needed all the help they could get at such a crucial moment.

'Ruby.'

'Please, do not let me be bait again.' The Crimson Demon Bear nearly ran off into the forest again.

Fortunately, Cain wasn't that cruel...

'Relax... There is no need for that. I will need your help for this next bit...' Cain said as he edited and made a few mental changes to his plan.

"Vincent, I need you to run back and inform the others, particularly Hunter and David of the current situation. Here's a little something for your troubles..." Cain said as he tossed a few shiny objects toward the greedy fatty.

For some people, words were enough, but for others, money was all they needed to move mountains and split oceans.

Vincent fell into the latter category...

The dim illumination streaked onto the surface of the glittering gems, causing his attention to be captured by their delicate radiance.

All the anger and anxiety on his face seemed to be but a mere illusion at that moment as they all seemed to be washed away as soon as he lay his eyes on his target...

Like the faceless man he was, Vincent's expression changes faster than a chameleon's skin, "Sir, yes sir!"

With a speed that seemed to be unmatched by his less-than-athletic physique, he bolted right off into the distance.

"Jenny, I need you to gather all the people under your care right now. Make sure to keep them someplace they can be easily transported." Cain said to Jenny in all seriousness.

"Sure... You better not fail me" The devilish beauty said icily.

"What do you plan to do?" Manny asked Cain who kept walking with Ruby quietly strutting by his side once he had sent the rest off.

"If we have all our forces concentrated in one place, it will be easier to defend against these devils," Cain said without paying too much attention.

"I see... So what is your real plan." Manny said again, this time, with a devious smile on his lips.

Cain paused for a brief second before he resumed his walk.

Letting out a soft chuckle, he spoke without the air of seriousness he had on before, "Well, if those devils are planning to attack us, then they will surely want us boxed into a single place before they can take us all out in one strike. To avoid that, we simply need to spread out, no?" Cain said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And how is that going to help?" Manny couldn't help but ask.

"I'm not saying it will, but it might as well reduce our casualties. We might even be able to reverse the situation." Cain said in absolute confidence.

"What makes you so sure?" Manny asked, a burning fire slowly forming in his eyes.

"I've come to realize that battle is just like a game," Cain said as he let his heavy {Devil's Broken Claw} fall into his hands.

"The amount of advantage you have greatly depends on how much you know about your enemies," Cain said as he swung his blade at a nearby tree.

The tree was instantly split in two, the cut as clean as the edge of a mirror, leaving Manny baffled at the sheer level of control it took to execute such an attack.

"Nice one!" Manny praised, giving Cain a thumbs up.

"Hehe... Thanks." Cain couldn't help but laugh at Manny's, particularly childish outburst.

'What a crazy guy...'

"So what do you plan on doing now?" Manny asked.

"For now, all we need to do is wait for the devils to make the first move before we decide where to go from here. By slowing down, we will be able to buy some time for the others to get those who don't have access to the system to safety." Cain responded.

'Wait a minute... Master, I thought you said I won't be bait anymore!' Ruby froze in fear when she heard what Cain had to say.

Just because she was a mutant beast didn't mean she didn't have intellect. With the arrival of the mana, even pants that had undergone enough mutations along the right path could even acquire human-like intelligence and develop the ability to engage in communication with other species.

For a mutant like Ruby that already had these qualifications, understanding Cain's underlying message was a piece of cake.

'Of course not, Ruby. You aren't going to be bait. We are!' Cain could barely hold back his laughter as he saw the quick change of expression the {Crimson Demon Bear} beside his was going through.

"Hahaha! I like the way you think!" Manny couldn't help but applaud in joy.

***

CRACK! CRACK!

Steve sat in silence as he continuously gathered the magical elements.

After everyone had left, he remained seated where he was without even attempting to move. Beside him was Susan, whose eyes glowed with a mysterious golden glow.

"The entire forest is crawling with those devils right now. Making it out alive will be a true test of fate and luck..." Susan said in a dreary voice.

"Tsk! Tsk! One shouldn't wish for an I'll omen." Steve who had his eyes shut responded light-heartedly.

"I know you can see what I see. We both know how this will end if certain things aren't done." There was an air of mystery around each word she said.

"I do understand your words, but it will do us no good to dwell on them, as the future is not set in stone. If your lovebird doesn't dance on the stage fate has set for him, we are all doomed." Steve said without a change of expression.

The light radiating from her eyes seemed to dull a bit...

"The light element by default grants one the ability to see what others cannot. It is a mystical element that cannot be understood by normal minds. Saying anything to him can cause the future to change for better or worse, so it is best to keep shut and wait." Seeing her fall quiet, Steve said a few more 'comforting' words.

"I know all that!" Susan said, smacking Steve right on the head with the handle of the bow sitting on her thighs.

"Ouch!"

"While I might not be able to change the future, I'll do what I can now." The beautiful radiance disappeared from her eyes completely after she said that.

Standing up, she turned to gaze at the devil-infested forest they were all about to plunge into, their lives and fates on the line.

"Haha! That's the spirit! We can't change the future, so might as well live while we can!" Steve said with a wild chuckle.

Turning her palms to face the sky, Susan activated a skill that could only be described as out of this world...

"Light Manipulation: Second order, Lighthouse."

Immediately, a unique magic circle with a rune in the shape of an inverted wing at its center appeared above her head.

The magic circle expanded until it became even bigger than the gymnasium building before it vanished into thin air.

'Damn! And I thought that Cain was a monster. Her magic power is even higher than his!' Steve couldn't help but lament his fate of encountering freakish people wherever he turned...

"From the looks of it, he seems to still be in the forest alongside Manny. David and Blaze are also in the forest, but they are together, so there is no need for concern. I can't seem to find Evangeline's signal, and Hunter's is as weak as a dying candle. The rest seem to be in good shape..."

"Hmmm... Is tha-"

'Ahhhhh!!! So scary! Can she track all of us down?!' Steve couldn't help but panic inwardly. Staring at the seemingly innocent expression on Susan's sun-kissed face, he couldn't help but back away slowly as he felt a shiver run through his spine once again.