God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Walking through the corridors of the cave, Cain was able to witness true terror and panic firsthand. Their expressions told him all he needed to know. They absolutely didn't want to get captured again. Some of them had looks that told They would rather die than get captured again. And Cain couldn't blame them.

Still, they were men. Regardless of how watered-down their manliness was, they wouldn't fall into pandemonium just yet. Rather, they were looking for even the slightest ray of hope to cling onto. Cain had no idea what they had been through. However, he did know that it wasn't pretty at all.

'They want to fight, but can't.'

It was a sad thing to witness. Cain felt a deep urge in his chest. An urge to see these men battle and fight for their right to live. A vibrant flame coiled around his heart within his chest like a slithering serpent.

Very soon, Cain arrived at a predetermined meeting room. There, Susan, Jenny, and Ignis were getting prepared for battle. Jenny sported two {Magnum GT-01} magic weapons holstered at the side of her belt.

Out of all of them, these weapons weapons suited her the most. Cain had made a few twinks to the set he had given her, allowing her to draw mana from her mana pool just like he could. This way, she would have no need for the special magazines given to the beastmen marksmen.

Plus, although both weapons were a rank lower than her rifle, they were still much more convenient to use in terms of damage output and mana consumption.

She would also be able to materialize the bullets much faster than with her rifle, albeit with less damage. The other girls had different weapons they tended to, but they all stopped in their tracks the moment they noticed Cain.

"It's time, huh..."

Cain nodded, "Let's go."

"Wait!" Ignis yelled out all of a sudden.

Cain paused in his tracks. Folding her hands, Ignis stared straight into his eyes,

"The moment things start going south, I'm gone."

Since the day they had established a [Body and Soul] contract between one another, Ignis had made it crystal clear that she had no intentions of giving her life for him or his ideals.

Cain nodded his head absentmindedly as he walked out. Susan threw her a fed-up glance as she also walked out.

"Hmph! So arrogant!" Ignis seethed, while Jenny let out a few silent chuckles...

***

Cain stood before a crowd of over two hundred beastmen of various shapes and sizes.

Some were big, and some were small. Some had tails, while some had scales. However, what every single one of them had in common was the will to live.

They all had hope, as well as faith. Faith in the god that had given them these powers, and faith in his apostle that he had sent to deliver them.

'What a headache...'

He had already been briefed by Jenny and Susan on what to and what not to say, so at least he wasn't going in blind. Still, he had never been good with crowds...

Cleaning his throat, he began,

"As you all know, we have been surrounded by the {Blood Abomination} army, which is being led by Stingè, your former captor."

Some of the beastmen shivered, while others gritted their teeth to hold their fear back.

Cain took in their reactions, but continued nonetheless,

"The previous you would have been capable of doing nothing but waiting to be recaptured, facing the exact same fate you dread so much."

"But now... Now, I give you the tools you will need to fight for your lives. If you want your freedom, all you need to do is grab it with your own hands."

The crowd exploded into roars of excitement. Cain was taken aback by this. He had no idea that a single speech he hadn't put much thought into would affect their morale so much.

Jenny gave him an approving nod, "Well done."

Hunter nodded as well, "You placed no expectations on yourself, while at the same time, making it known that you will provide your support. Not bad..."

Even Ignis dropped a compliment, "Could have been better..."

Rolling his eyes, Cain cleared his throat. The crowd immediately quieted down, waiting for Cain to speak,

"You all are divided into four groups. He tanks, marksmen, sword and spearmen, and scouts. Every one of you has a role to play. Our success depends on you all. Tanks, you all take on as much damage as possible."

The larger beastmen carrying the heavy tower shields let out loud battle cries.

These beastmen were the strongest and most enduring of them all. They were covered in thick leather armor that was engraved in runes. Shockingly, it turned out that Susan was very well-versed in making light armor. As long as she had materials readily available, she could craft decent armor for the beastmen to use.

Cain was been taken aback by this revelation...

"Marksmen, you lot are the main are the spearhead. Tanks, protect them with your life..." The marksmen were located at the center of the group, surrounded by the melee fighters and

Another round of earth-shaking battle cries rose to the skies...

Cain then addressed the last group of beastmen present,

"Sword and Spearmen... You have one job only. Cut them down as fast as you can..."

The blades and spears Cain made for them were made from an alloy of {Black Tungsten} and {Stained Silver}. They were also enchanted with an {Arcanite} magic stone and a {Forx Stone}. Cain attached {Fire Ruby} magic stones to them as well to boost their attack damage, making the weapons perfect for cutting the {Blood Abominations} down as fast as possible.

The scouts had been outfitted properly. However, they were hidden away from sight. The main goal of these scouts was to provide them with information as the incoming battle progressed, and the situation inevitably changed...

With this, Cain had said all there was to say. Now, he would have to leave it to them and fate. They all stood at the foot of the mountain, starting at the dark ring of writhing beings that could start connecting at any moment.

Not too far away from them was the combined army of Malcolm, Galip, and Floki's camps. Together, they were almost three times the size of their camp.

As fate would have it, the three generals had taken what Cain had said into consideration. Either that or they feared that their men wouldn't stay loyal to them due to the seed of doubt Cain had sown...

Either way, the majority of their men were now outfitted with better armor and weapons, although it couldn't compare to what Cain had provided for his men. Cain could see the three generals discussing as they weren't too far away. If he wanted, he could also eavesdrop on their conversation.

However, he wasn't the least bit interested in what the cowards had to say...

Hunter moved closer to him and whispered in his ears,

"They might be plotting something."

Cain smiled and whispered back, "Don't worry. If they even think to strike at us from the shadows, they've fallen into the trap already. However, I doubt they will do something so stupid."

Hunter frowned slightly, "You are strong, Cain. However, do not underestimate any of those three. They might be scum, but they are strong scum. They won't be easy to deal with if they make their mind up..."

Cain nodded seriously, "I know that. Don't worry about it."

Seeing as Cain had already reassured him, he had no reason to doubt. Hence, he summoned a fierce-looking longbow from his inventory.

"Marksmen, focus on the aerial beasts once they begin to descend. Swordsmen..."

While Hunter barked orders at the beastmen, Cain went over all his weapons and equipment. He looked through his status screen and glanced at all his skills and spells...

'This fight is going to be rough...'

Even though they didn't plan on fighting the entire army, changes could arise at any moment during battle. Cain had absolutely no confidence he could confront so many aether beasts.

However, that would be if he was fighting alone. With the support of the others, it didn't look to impossible anymore. Still, he would rather avoid drawing the battle out any longer than it needed to be.

Floki, Galio, and Malcolm all stared at the ring of creatures that encircled them both on the land and above it. Since the {Blood Abominations} were on the islands that surrounded the one they were currently on, that meant the encirclement wasn't perfect.

However, the gaps in the circle were filled with the threat of inescapable death, as all that was in those gaps was empty space and a straight fall to the void beneath the floating landmasses.

"It will be difficult to make them bear the brunt of it. However, it isn't impossible." Malcolm said, his eyes flashing with a dark, sinister gleam.

Galip chuckled, "You know we can't have them dying too early."

Floki snorted, "Dying? Once they are captured, they won't be able to die even if they wanted to."

Galip let out a grating laugh. However, his eyes were consumed with seething hatred,

"Indeed. I want that man to suffer and yearn for death. I'll make sure of it."

"Do not worry. They will pay for this. We had to spend so many system points on useless armor because of him, so rest assured I'll make sure he gets what is deserved." Malcolm said with a small smile.

Galip snickered, "You really are a terribly conniving bastard. I'd hate to be your enemy one day."

Malcolm snorted coldly, "As long as you follow my plans, you don't need to worry about anything. Once we get back to Urbus and kill those bitches, it will be a straight road to world dominance with our abilities..."

Floki let out a breath of frosty air,

"Look up. The battle is about to begin."

All three men looked up to the sky. The swarm of flying aether creatures was becoming restless, like dark clouds before a storm...

***

Author's Note: What's up, everyone. It's your favorite author here!

So, I was thinking of doing something special this month since this is the first month of the year. Before the month runs out, I will be doing a special mass release.

For every 1000 coins worth of gifts, I will be posting three extra chapters. For example, if you gift this book a Dragon, I will be posting six extra chapters before the month runs out. However, the absolute limit I can get to is 5000 coins, which will equate to 15 extra chapters as I am not Superman.

So if you really like this book, and you are interested in reading more of it, SHOW SOME LOVE AND GIVE ME A MOTIVATIONAL PUSH!!! 🙂

Thank y'all for the timeless support. I'm looking forward to some positive feedback...