God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

'So tired...'

With a sigh, he started his blade into the ground and lowered himself to one knee...

"Are you alright?" Hunter walked over to him and asked. He was covered in wounds and his huge, beastly eyes had a look of tiredness in them.

Cain nodded, "I'm fine. Just trying to catch my breath."

After fighting for so long, it was only natural that they became exhausted. Since his mana pool had been filled back up, Cain deactivated the water enchantment of {Burning Spirit} and activated the Blood enchantment, increasing his rate of stamina regeneration.

"They are too many. If this keeps up, we will get overrun in a few minutes..." Hunter said. Floki and Galip had stepped up to help hold their ground whilst being supported by Susan, Ignis, and Jenny. They fought so Cain and Hunter could have some time to breathe...

Cain's face couldn't be seen, as he was not only wearing the helmet of his armor, but he was using the Rakshasa at the moment. However, it was obvious to anyone who stared at him that his mood wasn't very good.

Cain shook his head, "As long as we can hold out for another hour, the beastmen would have gained enough distance. I thought they would have given chase, but they don't seem interested for some reason. It's almost as though they are bent on keeping us here."

Hunter nodded in agreement, "I thought so too."

Cain sighed as he stood back to his feet, "But we don't intend on going anywhere, so that works for us as well."

Even though things were going according to plan, Cain couldn't help but have a sickening feeling of something going wrong. However, he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

Shaking his head, Hunter chanted in a deep, guttural voice. A few magic circles appeared beside him, and numerous wolf summons appeared from them.

"My summons would be able to assist them for now. We should focus on delivering as much stamina as possible." Hunter said.

Cain nodded. With the blood enchantment of {Burning Spirit}, he could greatly reduce the amount of time needed to recover lost stamina. Plus, he was also using {Blood Regeneration} to recover some lost HP and stamina as well.

Cain stared into the sea of red, his mind filled with various thoughts...

This was the life he had come to live. Every day, it was one battlefield after the other. His life was constantly dangling over the edge. Although he had managed to stay alive even after engaging in so many battles, he did not doubt that this was in no small part due to luck.

If he wasn't so lucky, he would have been killed by Og-solath, or he would have died at the hands of the {Lythoran Wyrms}.

It excited him, having to engage in so many battles just so he could become more powerful. He was currently a Level 99 Tier 0 being. However, his power was very close to that of a Tier 1 being. His skills, spells, and abilities weren't something that any run-of-the-mill Tier 0 could achieve.

The frigid winds of the fragmented lands blew against his skin.

"The scent of blood is heavy," Hunter said.

Cain was silent for a while. He thought hard before he spoke up,

"When we get back... to Urbus, I want to sleep."

Hunter paused, then turned to look at Cain. Then, he let out a loose laugh,

"Sure. No one is going to be stopping you."

Cain chuckled as well. Then, his face hardened,

"Something's not right..."

Hunter paused before taking a huge sniff of air. He had transformed from a giant wolf back into his beastman form. However, his senses were still as powerful.

His eyes widened. Simultaneously, Cain activated {Eye of Clairvoyance}. His eyes widened as well...

Both of them slowly lifted their heads and gazed up. There, standing above the battlefield and looking down, was Stingè.

Hunter snorted, "The general has arrived..."

Cain's blade produced a crisp ring as it cut through the air. Looking with the {Eye of Clairvoyance}, he wasn't able to judge how much energy Stingè was giving off.

Staring down at the struggling beings beneath him, Stingè looked completely uninterested. However, the moment he locked eyes with Cain, his deadpan expression turned into a nasty, wicked grin.

For what felt like an eternity, Cain felt his soul freeze in place. It was a surreal feeling. He had felt it many times in the past, but it had never felt so close.

It was the feeling of imminent death...

"Move!"

BANG!

Both he and Hunter dove out of the way. A huge explosion that shook the entire battlefield rang out.

Everybody was thrown off their feet...

Cain and Hunter dashed backwards as fast as they could.

"What on the hell?!" Cain couldn't help but exclaim.

His eyes didn't want to believe it, but the reality couldn't be altered.

The entire battlefield was split into two uneven parts. Literally...

There was a huge chasm that separated them and a decent number of {Crimson Horned Blood Abominations} from the rest of the battlefield.

The change had happened so suddenly, nobody was able to react in time...

Cain looked up, and he could see clearly that Stingè was glaring down at him and Hunter.

"Cain!" Susan yelled from the other side of the chasm.

"I'm fine," Cain said as he rose to his feet.

Hunter sighed, "Well this complicates everything..."

Cain nodded, a bitter smile hidden under his helmet.

Then he turned to Susan, who was staring at him from the other side with a worried expression,

"We might not be able to make it in time. As soon as the cooldown for {Shadow Gate}is up, and it reopens, you all should pass through."

Susan's face turned ugly,

"What are you saying?!"

Cain didn't turn back to face her. He had said all he needed to,

"Hunter. I can't face that guy on my own."

Hunter let out a grim laugh,

"Me neither... His energy levels are off the charts. I can't gauge them at all."

Cain was sure Stingè was not a Tier 0 being. There was no way a Tier 0 being could be this powerful. Cain knew that the attack that had split the battlefield wasn't aimed at him. And yet, he had felt so much danger from it.

'Just what was that a track?! Could he be a Tier 1 or Tier 2 being?'

Despite the obvious danger they faced, Cain was very calm. There was no reason to panic now. He had accepted it. If he was to die here, he would definitely die. If fate had other plans for him, then he'd male it out. Somehow...

'He purposely cut us off from the others. He probably wants his army to defeat and capture them while he handles us...' Cain's eyes narrowed as he watched Stingè descend from the sky.

"I told you I'd be coming back for you. Fortunately for us, you delivered yourself right into my hands, spacing me all the extra trouble of having to go look for you myself." Stingè said with a smile on his face.

Cain smiled back, "Trust me. I deeply regret coming here."

"Well, you are here now. So you should forget about ever leaving. Even in death..."

Cain couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding from Stingè's words.

"Cut the crap, you Demon."

Stingè turned his head to face Hunter,

"You... I have no idea how you were about to escape. However, that shows just how much potential a creature with the Ragnarok bloodline possesses. You will become a fine meal for my mother."

Hunter snarled as sparks floated around his body,

"I'll send you to hell." No other words were needed to describe Hunter's hatred.

However, there was a secret mental link established between him and Cain.

'We have to be extra careful. That slash from earlier is what made me lose all my limbs the last time.'

Cain could tell that despite the tough front Hunter was putting on, deep down, he was extremely apprehensive and fearful of Stingè. And he had good reason to be.

Cain frowned, 'Do you know what type of attack it is?'

'Some sort of spatial attack. I'm not sure. I've only ever seen it being used once.'

'Is that so...' Cain thought, his heart heavy.

Cain cleared his throat,

"Demon Stingè. I wanted to ask. What sort of Demon are you?"

This was a question he needed to ask to satisfy his curiosity. He needed the answer straight from the source.

Stingè gave Cain a strange stare. Flapping his wings, he spoke with disdain in his voice,

"Know your place, fool. You should be worrying about other things, like how to retain your limbs."

Cain's eyes narrowed. A frigid chill ran up his spine as he felt danger wash over him. Just as he was about to move away, he realized that he couldn't.

'Eh?'

Much to his surprise, he realized that he didn't have any sensation other than pain in the lower part of his body, starting from his thighs.

With wide eyes, Cain's torso fell towards the ground.

"To think puny creatures like you would dare stand before me. So humorous..." Stingè said coldly.

Cain was beyond shocked,

'When? How?!'

Turning to the side, he saw that Hunter had managed to get out of the way. However, he had been greatly injured as well. The good news was that he hadn't lost any limbs like Cain.

Staring at his bleeding body, Cain let out a sigh,

'I'm screwed...'

***