God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

However, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. In the valley, there weren't a lot of hiding spots as it was mostly a plain field that stretched through the mountains.

The reason he stopped was because of the overwhelming bloodlust that washed over him...

To his surprise and dismay, he realized that he was completely surrounded.

Cain was absolutely flabbergasted...

The jarring sounds of goblins howling bloody murder, and the Trolls clashing their onyx weapons against each other made him question what was going on.

His mind began to spin frantically...

How? When?

He didn't notice that the Chaos creatures were planning this even though he had been observing them for so long.

'This isn't right... There is something I don't know.'

He knew that the senses of these creatures were outstanding, and their ability to hunt and set traps was quite terrifying.

Then his line of thinking went even further. The Trolls were masters of earth manipulation, so wouldn't it be normal for them to be able to sense tremors and vibrations through the earth?

The {Sigil of Darkness} altered sight and sound, but it didn't do anything against the vibrations caused by clashes in battle.

Cain had no idea if his line of thinking was right but if it was, then he gave these murderous creatures far less credit than they deserved.

They had not only used this to their advantage, but they were also ruthless enough to use the lives of their kinsmen to buy enough time to properly surround him.

Since four groups had come down from the mountain, he was now surrounded by at least six hundred {Chaos Goblins} and {Elite Chaos Goblins}, thirty normal {Chaos Trolls}, and a few special Two-headed and Three-headed {Chaos Trolls}.

Cain let out a small laugh, "I've been had."

He had not taken into account that these creatures could use their abilities with such versatility. In other words, he had grown a bit complacent.

'It doesn't matter in the end. I was still going to have to kill you all anyway. Having a few hundred more of you coming at me at once isn't that big of a deal...'

A grin formed on his face as he summoned the helmet of his armor back onto his head. The purple fog that surrounded him because of the passive ability of the {Hand of Stingè} had yet to fade away. As such, his mind was still being affected by it. His bloodlust was growing steadily...

Cain spotted a few Two-headed {Chaos Trolls} at the forefront of the crowd. Although they were strong, they weren't beyond his capabilities. On the other hand, the Three-headed {Chaos Troll} who was very clearly the leader of the combined assault was a total mystery. He reasoned that it was probably the orchestrator of this ambush. The extra head probably meant it was smarter than its counterparts.

Since their bodies were so big, having an extra head didn't make it look incredibly weird. If anything, Cain felt that it looked strangely like a few images of ancient gods and idols worshiped by the humans of the old era back on Urbus.

Its bulky physique was even more intimidating than the other Chaos creatures. It had a large battle axe on its back, and a long throwing spear in its hand as it gazed at him with the eyes on one head. Cain could see the cold intelligence amidst the savagery within its eyes.

Cain watched as the creatures riled themselves up. The {Chaos Goblins} grasped their throwing spears and javelins tight as they prepared to perforate him.

The {Chaos Trolls} had their hands placed on the ground as they prepared to activate their abilities.

If one looked at it objectively, he was finished. Things weren't looking good for him at all. He knew this as well...

But his heart was throbbing with excitement...

He didn't know why...

He had no clue...

But he wanted to run wild. He had always felt like he was shackled for a long time. His childhood had further cemented that fact. Even after encountering his master and having that life-changing moment, he was still under so many limitations. He was bound...

He was not free...

When the apocalypse happened, he suddenly felt one of the chains that bound him, snap. The world he had known had come to an end, and instead of feeling dread, or loss, he felt unfettered.

He was a bad person. He knew that...

But he didn't care. Because being able to let the demons in his heart out was the most exhilarating feeling he had ever experienced.

"Gaarrrh!" A roar burst out of his lungs, stunning the creatures that surrounded him.

In the wild, prey could feel it when a predator was looking their way. It was something embedded in their genes, something their ancestors had configured into them so they could have a chance at life.

Even the Three-headed {Chaos Troll} seemed startled. However, it let out a menacing growl, causing the other creatures to snap out of their reverie and glance at Cain with fear and anger.

As apex predators, they didn't like feeling intimidated...

However, Cain could care less. He was completely drunk on this feeling of euphoria within his self-realization.

'This is it... This is the true me.'

He had finally figured it out after a long while of self-searching. He wasn't someone who cared about the opinions of others, nor was he someone with a particularly strict moral code. He only cared about the things he felt in his heart. Depending on the contents of his heart at the moment, he could be a saint or a devil.

And now, he was most definitely feeling like a devil that wanted the world to burn...

"Rakshasa!"

The energy boiling within his body settled onto the surface of his flesh and incorporated itself into his physique. A vast amount of his Ki and devil essence coalesced into a solid suit that encased him.

His eyes were filled with golden light, and his body was like an apparition from hell.

'I need speed...'

Bolts of lightning snaked around his body and were immediately engulfed with azure flames. The two skills activated simultaneously, boosting his speed past the realm of superhuman.

The {Hand of Stingè} in his hands trembled violently due to the sheer amount of energy pouring through them. The grey runes on the surface of the blade sucked the energy in greedily.

His thoughts and his actions reached a new level of synchronization. The Ki in his body surged forward like broken floodgates. His body was oversaturated with it.

His mind had also come into a strange state. It was calm but also filled with hundreds of thoughts running through all at once.

His body was finally adapting to his Ki. He was gaining new mastery over the violent energy in his body.

Suddenly, the {Hand of Stingè} in his hand transformed. The two blades melted into one. The two short curved blades turned into a single, absurdly long, and curved blade with a sharp edge.

Cain was a bit surprised because he had not expected something like this to happen. However, he had no time to dwell on his thoughts, as the situation quickly transformed.

The Chaos creatures were already rushing at him with full force. The Three-headed {Chaos Troll} led the charge, with others following closely behind. The sky was filled with a blanket of projectiles that descended upon him like divine judgment.

He took a deep breath...

Then spat out a few words...

"Abyssal Dragon Blade Technique: Hell's Nexus..."

The world suddenly lost its color. The charging creatures seemed to slow down, before eventually coming to a stop.

Even Cain himself seemed to be trapped within this paradox. However, the only thing that remained moving, was the ridiculous long blade.

Only it possessed colour...

Only it truly existed in this world...

It burned with a terrible red flame that radiated an insidious darkness. It was like the flames from the deepest reaches of the hell realms, threatening to divide the world and rip it asunder.

The thin line of concentrated energy stretched out...

Then color returned to the world, and the passing of time accelerated.

Silence spread across the battlefield. Then, the sound of bodies dropping to the ground echoed.

Dead...

All of them had been killed in a single strike. Including the Three-headed {Chaos Troll}. It was a complete massacre.

Cain fell to the ground and began to reach. Blood poured down his nose like a river as he fought back a wave of horrifying dizziness...

The power he had drawn upon was terrifying, but it had taken all his mental faculties. His mind and body had worked in overdrive during his moment of enlightenment. He had finally achieved great success in his understanding of Ki. However, he was completely drained as a result.

All the Ki in his body had been dragged away in one go. His body was instantly overcome with a wave of soul-chilling hunger.

He was also exhausted from drawing so much during such a short period.

However, regardless, the sweet sounds of victory echoing within his ears were more than enough compensation for whatever he was suffering. He could feel his stats rise by a significant number.

The headache assaulting him slowly began fading away. Only then did he sit up and begin to assess the damage he had caused.

What he saw caused him to go pale in surprise...

On the ground, there was a thin, yet long diagonal groove that was so deep, that he couldn't see just how deep it was. All the creatures around him had been cut into two halves. Every single one of them was dead.

Well, almost every single one of them...

The Three-headed {Chaos Troll} was still alive, albeit barely. The only reason it had survived was because it was so tall, the devastating attack had only managed to take its legs away. None of its internal organs had been damaged, so it was in fairly good condition. However, the pain assaulting it made it scream out in pain, shock, and disbelief...

"Damn it... I've got to go kill that one as well." Cain was completely exhausted and drained. However, the job wasn't over.

The enraged and despairing creature slammed its hands to the ground. It hadn't even performed in battle and it was already dead. The ground beneath its feet began changing. It was slowly being lifted from the ground as pieces of rocks moved to stem the bleeding.

Its energy surged forward violently, causing its wounds to bleed even more, even though the rocks were trying to stem the bleeding.

It seemed as though it was prepared to use its life to take Cain down at all costs...

'Not good...'

With the way he was feeling, there was no way he could fight the suicidal creature. However, did he have a choice in the matter?

Cain stared at the weapon in his hand. The grey runes on its body lost their glimmer and the weapon quickly materialized back into the two separate blades.

'Looks like I'll have to rely on you two again...'