God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Evangeline continued, "Apparently, they are a strange type of beast that lives within oceans. The system explained that it had been lying beneath the oceans, dormant for centuries. However, with the influx of God Ash on Urbus and the surge of mana density, it was only natural it would awaken."

Cain rubbed his face, "That\'s quite the revelation..."

Evangeline nodded in agreement. Then a small smile formed on her face, "However, even though it is incredibly powerful, as it was just waking up after who knows how many years of slumber, it was incredibly weak. That didn\'t mean it was easy to kill. Far from that..."

Her face gradually fell back to its expressionless state, "That thing almost killed me. It also didn\'t help that my {Blood Manipulation} was close to useless underwater, so I had to rely on my other skills."

Cain stared at her a bit perplexed, \'Why is she telling me all these things?\'

They weren\'t close, and yet she was revealing all these things to him without hesitation.

Thinking for a bit, Caib realized he had also done the same. Apart from leaving out a few details, he had basically told her what he had experienced during his adventures.

\'This is quite the... ordeal.\'

Cain shook his head. His expression became excited,

"So how did you defeat it?"

Evangeline raised an eyebrow, "Hm? Oh, I allowed it to swallow me, mixed its blood with mine, and then turned it into a sack of bodily fluids..."

Cain took in a sharp inhale, \'Damn... She\'s insane.\'

"Anyway, that is how I obtained an affinity with the water element."

Seeing that she had stopped speaking, Cain understood she had narrated all she was comfortable with sharing.

However, there was still something he was curious about,

"Before you came in here, what was happening at the entrance of the chasm?"

Although he had avoided thinking about it, Cain couldn\'t deny that he was a bit worried for Steve, Manny, and Vincent. He couldn\'t help but imagine how those insane partially beast girls would be happy to offer them as sacrifices to their \'Lord\'.

Evangeline stared at the ceiling for a while before snapping her finger,

"If you are worried about that lanky guy, then you can rest assured. He is either right or already dead, depending on the time dilation between our world and this one."

\'That doesn\'t sound comforting at all...\'

Cain breathed out a heavy sigh...

"So what does do now?"

Evangeline looked at him as though he had just said the funniest thing in the world.

"We? You certainly have your goals, but I came here with goals in mind as well."

Hearing the cold tone in her voice, Cain was but with a reality check,

"I see... And may I ask what that is?"

The cold expression on her face eased a little,

"Plunder..."

Cain wasn\'t confused this time...

\'The Aether beasts have unholy amounts of rigorous Ki in their bodies. This means this place is literally heaven for people who need large amounts of Ki. I wonder why she needs it...\'

Cain needed Ki because he would starve to death without it. If he wasn\'t mistaken, then Evangeline, who also drew upon the mysterious life energy possessed something similar as well.

\'However, she could also mean it another way. Perhaps there is some treasure hidden away at the center of this strange land...\'

Cain couldn\'t be sure. However, he realized he had to strike when the iron was hot...

"Well, I reckon you will need a lot of help if you want your plans to end well. This place is not very forgiving..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cain sensed something wash over him. Staring into Evangeline\'s gem-like eyes all he could see, was pride. Stubborn arrogance even that was based on the strength she had single-handedly achieved on her own.

"Don\'t worry. I\'m confident."

Hearing that, Cain could only nod his head and back off.

\'It doesn\'t matter anyway.\'

Cain didn\'t know when it happened, but seeing the pride burning within the eyes of the girl seated before him filled him with an indescribable emotion. He hadn\'t felt that way in a long time. He could sense it. If they both fought right now, he would undoubtedly lose. This didn\'t stem from the fact that she saved him...

Her gait, the density of her Ki, her aura, the oppressiveness of her mana, everything screamed just how dangerous she could be...

\'Shadow, Blood and Water. Does she possess other elemental attributes, I wonder...\'

He didn\'t want to be left behind. He wanted to be proud of his strength as well. Ever since he arrived in this strange place, he had been humbled left, right, and center. There was no shortage of creatures that could devour him in a single bite.

Only after risking life and limb was he able to come out victorious...

"However, a temporary alliance doesn\'t seem bad at all. You are quite powerful and I think you and I will make a decent team."

Cain\'s eyebrows twitched. However, he forced down whatever he wanted to say,

"I agree. While I acknowledge that you might be strong, underestimating this place is still a bad idea."

Seeing that she was still staring at him, he continued,

"I can only assume that you didn\'t arrive here through that forest, right?" Cain asked.

Evangeline nodded, "Yes. I entered this valley from the other side."

Cain was not surprised. There was no way she could get through the forest that was being guarded by a Primordial Devil.

Once Cain finished explaining to her the circumstances surrounding the Garden of Self-Reflection and why he was even on the Evil Mountains, her porcelain-like face crumpled up in a frown,

"Another Tier one?!"

Seeing Cain\'s confused look, she gave him an exasperated stare,

"That Primordial devil, or whatnot isn\'t the main issue. If that thing wanted to kill you, it would have done so a long time ago. Only the heavens know what Tier that thing was at originally..."

"The things we should be most fearful of are the creature within the Evil Mountains and the Tier 1 creature that should be somewhere in these plains."

Cain frowned, "While I agree that they are a threat, I haven\'t encountered that Tier 1 creature since I have been here."

Evangeline shook her head, "Do you know how dangerous a Tier 1 creature is?"

Cain nodded seriously, "I know that quite well." His first-ever encounter with a Tier 1 was with the {Alabaster Leviathan}. Just remembering how massive and insane the beast was shook him to his core.

He had tried clashing with it, but the creature didn\'t even take him seriously. It simply opened its mouth and swallowed him.

"Since you know, then you must also know that trying to fight one that is not severely weakened is akin to suicide, right?"

Cain paid attention to her wording, "Weakened?"

Evangeline nodded, "After a long period of dormancy, a creature will start to lose its accumulated energy naturally to stay alive longer. This was the case for the {{Scylla\'s Spawn}. It had been dormant underwater for so long, that it lost almost all its power. If not, I would probably be dead now."

Cain clicked his tongue, "Then what do you suggest? The fact that the Chaos creatures run about here every day means there is no immediate danger."

Evangeline shook her head, "We aren\'t Chaos creatures. For all we know, the creature might have grown tired of eating them. There is no telling if it will become enticed by our delicious aroma."

Cain couldn\'t help but admit there was some sense in her words. However, there way no way he could agree to her suggestions.

"What you are trying to suggest is that if we are to ally, we can\'t keep ambushing the creatures in the plains."

"Correct..."

Cain\'s brows twitched, "Then what do you suggest we do? Fighting these creatures in their own domain is madness..." Cain said with a bit of scorn.

Evangeline threw a glance at him, "What? Are you intimidated by a few little goblins?"

Cain nearly threw up, "Oi!"

Shrugging, Evangeline continued, "That\'s just how it seems to me. Attacking them on the fields might be reasonable, but it is cowardly. And dangerous... Our best bet is to turn their home into their grave. With our combined powers, I know we can do it."

Cain shook his head, "Thats just being unreasonable! We need to be smart if we want to survive in this place. The creature\'s here aren\'t to be trifled with."

Evangeline shot back at him, "Aren\'t you thinking too highly of them?!"

Cain could hardly believe his ears, "Underestimating even an ant in this place could be your invitation to hell. I suggest you listen to me!"

"Hmph! You are just a spineless wimp!"

Perhaps it was because they had finally become a bit closer after the conversation they had just had, but the air of formality between them had disappeared completely. Well, Evangeline was not one to keep up appearances in the first place...

However, because they had become more acquainted with one another, their different personalities and how they approached problems were clashing. Cain had never disagreed so much with someone before in his life,

Eventually, Cain let out a tired sigh,

"If you are saying these things, it must mean you have a plan, don\'t you?"

Seeing Cain relent a bit brought a small smile to her face, "Of course I do. I wouldn\'t suggest something so foolhardy without a plan."

\'You know it is foolhardy, yet you still suggested it?!\' Cain sensed the wires in his brain becoming undone.

"The plan is simple. We don\'t need to kill all the Chaos creatures to access the secret within the mountain."

"I\'m listening..."

"So we have two choices. One, find another way, or two... Flush them out..."