God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

He had been here for close to a month. During this time, he had become acquainted with most of the beastmen, including those in Floki, Malcolm, and Galip's camps. Although they weren't going to be cooperating, that didn't mean they were enemies...

They were just going to be using different methods to survive, even though he thought it was a waste. Still, he couldn't trust them. That was the main reason for his refusal to cooperate. He didn't want to take any chances. Although he was confident in his strength, he wasn't stupid. Just by looking into the cunning and conniving eyes of the three leaders, he knew they had no good intentions.

'Still, having them throw away the lives of all these people still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.'

He wasn't a savior. However, he didn't want to sit by and watch so many lives be wasted. That was throwing resources away! He couldn't have that happening...

'Ha... I'll deal with that later. But first...'

White light and sparks appeared on his hands, and two terrifying, yet awe-inspiring weapons manifested into reality.

They were called the {Hand of Midas}. They were a product of his {Divine Essence of Metallurgy} and {Magic Craftsman} skills, as well as his {Sorcerer's Mind} title. By making use of his intellect, deep understanding of basic runes and magic circles, as well as his control over the metal element, he was able to bring this creation to life.

For a Tier 0 being, this was already very impressive. Most Tier 0 beings had no idea of crafting, blacksmithing, and weapon making. The only thing they desired, was strength.

There were exceptions to the rule, but a majority of Tier 0 and even Tier 1 beings didn't pay any attention to their weapons, armor, and tools, mostly because the system provided all these things in the form of rewards for slaying powerful beasts and devils, as well as purchases made from the system shop.

Gripping the handles of his weapons, he pointed the muzzle of the firearm in his right hand at one of the flying abominations.

He wanted to test the range of his weapons. He knew just how powerful each one was. What he wanted to do right now, was test the mana consumption, range, and special effects of his magic weapons.

Placing his index finger on the trigger, he squeezed hard. Within the chamber, a magic circle engraved onto a {Forx Stone} glowed with magical light. In the chamber, a one-inch, golden bullet manifested into existence. The moment it appeared, it shot out of the muzzle with a speed that would put a warhead to shame.

RING!

A loud, ear-splitting noise spread far and wide with Cain at its epicenter. It wasn't a bang because there was no explosion. Rather, it was the sound of the air being forcibly displaced by a very small object traveling at unimaginable speeds.

Far away in the distance, one of the flying aether beasts was unaware of its impending death. It caught a golden flash from the corner of its eye. However, that was all it could see before its kind was filled with darkness. As it fell into the cold embrace of death, it couldn't even register why or how it had died.

Meanwhile, standing on the cliff, Cain stared wide-eyed at the firearm with the smoking muzzle in his hands. The body of the weapon was glowing with distinct shades of neon green and amber.

'The recoil is almost negligible because of the {Orcan}. There is no overheating because of the {Magmanite}. Simply incredible...'

Cain had created the chassis of the weapon using an alloy made of {Orcan} and {Magmanite}, as well as small traces of {Black Tungsten}. The {Magmanite} made it so that the weapon wasn't damaged by the heated internals, as well as the heat produced by the friction of the bullet and the inner linings.

The {Orcan} on the other hand was responsible for reducing the recoil as much as possible. It was a universal law that momentum in one direction would create momentum that is equal in magnitude in the opposite direction. The presence of {Orcan} made it so that this momentum was reduced as much as possible.

If Cain didn't have this miraculous metal at hand, he would still be able to manage. However, the normal beastmen would be unable to handle it. Their arms would become dislocated after a single shot...

A satisfied laugh escaped his lips as he placed it back into his {Armament Armory}. Almost at the same time, the mass of shadows behind him came alive, and a dainty figure with beautiful white hair emerged from them. Turning around, Cain waved at Evangeline,

"What's up?"

Evangeline had an unmoving expression as she walked up to him. In her hands were two blood-soaked daggers.

"It's starting..."

Cain shrugged, "I thought so as well..."

Staring at the daggers, Cain couldn't help but ask,

"What have you really been up to?"

Rolling her eyes, She shot Cain a hateful glare,

"Do you think I've been idle all this while? If I wasn't here, this entire mountain would either be empty or filled with corpses."

Cain frowned. Seeing his obvious confusion, Evangeline explained,

"So the first attack has already begun?" He said with furrowed brows.

"It began a week ago. A group of them tried to kidnap two of the patrol guards from the snake guy's camp..."

Unsurprisingly, Stingè's plan wasn't to kill all the beastmen. Rather, he wanted to recapture them with as little losses as possible. To him, they weren't living, breathing creatures. Rather, they were precious resources.

"Still, this could work in our favor. If he doesn't plan to outright kill them all, we have the upper hand."

Evangeline nodded, "The guy you are looking for isn't there. I couldn't find anyone that fits the description."

Cain smiled darkly, "Doesn't matter. I have a feeling he'll show up eventually."

Evangeline stared at him deeply, "What's the plan?"

Cain shook his head, "There is no plan. Once he shows up, we will have to buy time for the beastmen to escape."

Evangeline nodded in understanding, "In other words, you want us to die..."

Cain laughed, "Not necessarily..."

She stared at him, her eyes alit with wild flames,

"Doesn't matter. I'll kill him if it comes to that."

Cain was amused but didn't say anything. Judging from her expression, he could tell she was being serious. Still, he couldn't have her be reckless.

"Relax. We just need to keep him tied down for as long as possible. With the six of us, it shouldn't be too difficult. I think..."

Evangeline snorted as she dismissed her weapons and stretched her lithe, slender body. Cain watched with a slightly captivated expression as she did this. Although she was wearing armor, her body shape was still impeccably defined. Her skin was pale, and her white hair and ruby-red eyes added a layer of mystery to her already beautiful features.

It would have been strange if he didn't stare...

"What are you looking at?"

Hearing those words, Cain immediately broke out of his reverie. A look of panic passed across his face, but he buried it as fast as he possibly could. Still, that didn't escape Evangeline's watchful eyes. Her eyes narrowed as she immediately became guarded.

An awkward air hung between them for a while, neither knowing what to say to break the ice.

Cleaning his throat, Cain took two steps back,

"I'll go inform the others. Keep an eye on the {Blood Abominations} and inform me of any changes if they arise..."

Without waiting for a reply, he took another step and fell down the cliff. Performing an aerial flip, he grabbed a protruding rock. He was wearing the {Abhorrent Devil-Enchanted Gloves}, so he didn't need to worry about falling to his death.

Left alone at the top of the cliff, Evangeline had a strange expression on her face. She had gotten thousands of similar stares in the past. However this time, it felt different for some reason.

She let out a tired sigh as she disappeared into the shadows, 'I must be losing my mind...'

Cain continued down the mountain in this fashion until he got to the foot of the mountain. Stepping into the hole, he was back within the cave system...

'What was that all about anyway, dumbass...'

Reprimanding himself in his head, he walked forward with a gloomy expression. Soon, he found who he was looking for.

He walked over to Hunter who was weighing a huge tower shield,

"This is truly remarkable. Although it is quite heavy, those musclebrains should do just fine."

Cain had made a set of heavy tower shields using {Heavy Black Iron} for when they charged into the army of {Blood Abominations}.

The shields were very heavy, so heavy, that they would cause even Cain a big of effort to use normally. However, Cain had found a way around this problem with the power of elemental magic and one of the special mana stones he had found, the {Forx Stone}. He engraved a magic circle that allowed the weight reduction of the shield for the user into the stone.

He also engraved an additional magic circle that increased the speed of the shield user the more enemies were bashed to death by the shields. However, this came with a disadvantage, as the longer the shield was in use, the more the first enchantment would wear off, and the heavier the shield would become...

However, Cain wasn't here to talk about the shields.

"Hunter, get your men ready."

Hunter frowned as he dismissed the shield,

"Are the {Blood Abominations} attacking yet?"

Cain shook his head, "Not yet. However, it hurts nobody to be prepared."

Hunter nodded in understanding, then turned on his heels. Cain let out a sigh as Hunter turned down a bend in the corridor.

Gazing at the dark ceiling, numerous thoughts ran through his mind. A tingle ran through his spine,

'It has begun...'