God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Some ate and grazed in the green fields, while others invaded human dwelling to feed off their filth and trash.

Some were beautiful little creatures... And others are simply just pests.

The question, Cain had to ask himself, was at what stage does a regular past stop being a pest, but a problem?

It was strange...

Staring at this huge creature with the mottled fur and disgusting pus leaking from the blisters on its flesh, he was filled with such trepidation and disgust.

However, these feelings didn't come from fear. Instead, they came from the overwhelming urge to kill. Like seeing a nasty, flying bug, and having the urge to smack it into pieces.

That was how he felt.

'I really do hate rodents, huh...'

The {Blister Rats Fiend}, as Cain could now tell the beast was called, was quite large. Very similar to its smaller counterparts, it had black fur, with many blisters popping out of its body.

Its face was twisted into a wicked snarling expression, hunger and madness filling its eyes. A rabid creature to the core.

It was different from the smaller ones because it was incredibly robust. It also looked more healthy, as far as rat standards go at least.

Its fur possessed a strange sheen that made it look dangerous, and the swirling of mana above it was a telling signed that the beast had more than enough energy to spare.

It's viciously hungry expression told Cain that this beast has come to him not only to avenge its dead kin, but to eat him as well.

Taking a step back, Cain calmly analyzed the situation. To kill the rat wouldn't be much of an issue at all.

However, he not only needed to get rid of it quickly, he also needed it to be done with minimal damage to the surrounding area.

Summoning {Platinum Genesis}, he lunged forward. The rat lunged forward as well. The size of a fully grown tiger, the rat was truly a ferocious beast.

However, it was no match for the enhanced human.

Dodging its serated claws, Cain came up from behind and hacked at the creature's shoulders.

To his surprise, the tough hide was not damaged at all.

Dodging again, Cain slowly backed away. However,bthe rat was indeed swift. It turned into a blur as it launched itself at him.

Cain rolled to the side, barely making it out of the way. A golden sword appeared floating behind him, and with the speed of a bullet, it shot forward, smashing towards the rat'a head.

The creature dodged to the side, before retreating away.

Cain frowned.

Its eyes radiating infinite malice, it let out a loud shriek. Its body morphed within the darkness, and a terrifying mist oozed out.

Cain's pupils dilated. The damned creature was planning on doing something terrible.

While Cain was curious, he also didn't have the liberty to be so. And so, without hesitation, he summoned another golden blade.

With unnatural precision, the blade flew, puncturing the eye and then, the brain of the creature, killing it on the spot.

The malevolent aura faded away like a storm clouds dispersed by the sunlight.

Sheathing his blade, Cain walked up to the beast.

"To think its fur would be completely undamaged by a strike from {Platinum Genesis}. Impressive..."

Now that he was done clearing the entire place out, Cain got rid of the last of the corpses.

***

Setting the Magic Square in place and activating it, Cain felt the weight on his body multiply by several times.

The feeling was always odd. It was something that directly ignored his defenses by simply increasing mass, and multiplying the weight acting on said mass, creating a multiple-fold increment in pressure he would be forced to endure.

With a deep breath, he poured as much mana as he could into the Magic Square, until his body was barely holding up, before stopping.

Then, under these circumstances, Cain began exercising.

A few hours later, he collapsed to the ground, his body covered in sweat.

'So exhausted...'

The strain his body had undergone managed to wake him up. His thoughts were clear, and his movements had become defined.

Still, he would need a bit of rest before he could see these changes.

Staring at the dark sky overhead, Cain sucked in the cool air.

His mind wandered.

Were the others doing okay? They were in this mess because of him. Even if he had a plan, and that plan was most likely to succeed, it still didn't matter because he had put their lives in danger.

He sighed, 'I'll apologize later.'

For now, the apologies could wait. For now, he had other things to worry about.

Getting up to his feet, Cain checked round the building one more time before getting to work.

Upon stepping into the building, the first floor was a wide, empty space without much. On the opposite end was a receptionist area, but it was in disrepair after all this time of neglect.

Still, that didn't matter. What Cain was concerned about, was the empty space before him.

'Drawing a magic circle from here to here will take a lot of time, about two weeks minimum. Not only that, but it might take a lot of resources I don't have on hand.'

There were numerous ways to draw magic circles. One common way was using mana. However, Cain currently had his mana efficacy halved at the very least.

Using his own mana was a bad idea.

So he had another idea. He could use a catalyst.

A catalyst is a material that while it might not possess a lot of mana itself, allows for a more convenient flow of it.

Mana is like blood, and a magic circle a network of blood vessels. For the spell to be activated, there had to be circulation of mana through the various parts of the magic circle, from the power source, all the way to its nexus and outer region.

This phenomena is called Mana Resonance. By using a catalyst, one can call upon more power. In this case, the catalyst can be used to make up for his lack of efficacy.

And what was the best and most abundant catalyst available?

Devils Blood...

The blood of a devil, besides carrying a terrifying amount of Devil Essence, is also rich in mana retaining properties. At the grade and Tier of the Devil increases, this property also becomes greater, such that Fiend Steel soaked in the blood of these high-tier Devils is used to imprison literal gods.

'The main problem is finding an excuse to leave here and getting my hands on some. It also has to be the high quality stuff...'

To leave the dome, all he had to do was agree to Arltzwalt's terms. As long as he did that, he could simply ask to periodically leave the dome.

'But that might seem to suspicious. Plus, even if that's the case, I know what the old bastard wants. He's definitely not going to let it go with just a promise.'

That plan was just too risky. Too many variables involved. So there was only one thing he could do;

Wait and see...

'But that's too passive. We might not have the liberty to do so.'

Cain scratched that out as well. Being passive wasn't a bad thing, but in this case, it could very well be the thing that did him in. He couldn't afford to be passive now.

He sighed. With those thoughts still on his mind, he walked towards the entrance of the building.

Before he could leave, however, tej space around him contorted and distorted heavily.

He walked through the entrance, but his body didn't come out from the other side. Instead, he vanished into thin air...

...And reappeared in the room he had disappeared from.

'As I expected, no one seems suspicious at all.'

Looking around with {Eye of Clairvoyance}, Cain could easily see that the guards were still out and about their business, not at all panicked. Meaning they had no idea the person they were supposed to guard had not been there for a decent number of hours now.

Relaxing onto the bed, Cain closed his eyes. This was one of the only times he got to rest, so he planned on making use of it to the fullest.

Waking up to the sound of the door opening, Cain already had a weapon in hand. Seeing a familiar face open the door, he quickly relaxed.

"What are you doing here..."

Before he could properly get the words out, an unfamiliar face also walked in, prompting his to tense back up.

Cain frowned at Lucia, "Who the hell is this, and why did you bring him here? Planning to murder me in my sleep?"

Lucia rolled her eyes and glared at him,

"If I could kill you in your sleep, I would. Unfortunately, now's not the time. This is Boulder, the leader of our Hunting squad. He'd like to have a few words with you."