God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 146: Islands.

'It's been a while since I saw the ocean...' Cain also had an incredulous look on his face as he gazed at what he could only deem as impossible in his mind.

What he was staring at shocked him to his core as he never expected it to happen...

"Well..." Steve turned to stare at Cain with unbelief in his eyes.

"At least this isn't the worst that could happen..." He said with a twitching smile.

"You think?" Cain couldn't help rolling his eyes at Steve's optimism.

Separated from them by a large body of water, was the central region, alongside a portion of the forest that surrounded it. A portion of the forest had been left behind where Cain and the others currently were.

"But how is this even possible? The school has been split in two?!" Li couldn't help but exclaim out loud.

"Correction... Four. Look there." Hunter said coldly as he pointed his index finger into the distance. Separated by a huge body of water from the central region were the western and eastern parts of the school. Just like the Northern region where Cain and the others were, they had become much bigger than they originally were and had turned into individual Islands...

"One word... Terraforming. This world is going under terrifying changes, and those who can't keep up will perish alongside the old world" Cain said.

This was true, as the region of the three other parts of the school was separated from the central region and wasn't made of broken rocks and soil. Instead, it looked exactly like a beach with coarse sand and gravel that should have taken years to form. Instead, it had only taken seven days or less...

Activating {Eye of Clairvoyance}, he was able to increase in vision by multiple times, but he still wasn't able to see what was going on on the Island. This was because the specialty of the {Eye of Clairvoyance} wasn't to boost his sight but to make him see that which was hidden, the true mysteries of the world hidden beneath the veil.

The boosted sight was just a bonus...

"What now?" Someone in the group asked silently, obviously waiting for Cain's thoughts.

"For now, we do everything that needs to be done here. Let's focus on gathering all the ingredients for the health potions. Then we will discuss a solid plan before we do anything." Cain said as he turned back and walked into the forest behind them.

Before leaving, Cain passed in his steps, and without turning back, he said,

"Everyone, you are free to do your own thing for today. Focus more on combing out this entire Island as well as finding Hernia and Valerian."

The way he spoke was a mix of authority and cordiality. With his words, none of the felt as though he was addressing his lessers, but more like he was communicating with equals. Hence, none of the others felt any sort of way at all...

"Hehe... There's something I've been meaning to do, so I'll be on my merry way." Seeing this opportunity for alone time, Vincent turned his heels and scurried away as fast as his plump body could allow him.

"I also have some business to attend to..." Steve said as he also floated away.

"I wanna go train... I have some techniques to perfect." With his blades resting diagonally across his shoulders, Manny wandered off into the forest as well.

"We are going off together. Since we are all out of HP regen potions, it would be wise to act as a group to reduce the risk..." Jenny said as she, Stan, Sue, and Li also broke away to scan the Northern region of the school now turned Northern Island.

The only people left were Cain, Hunter, David, Blaze, and Susan...

"I'll stay and be on the lookout. I'll inform you all if anything changes." Hunter said to Cain.

"Sure..." Cain gave Hunter a look of understanding before turning to Susan who stood beside him with a calm expression.

"I'll be on the move as well besides the herbs we need for the HP potions, I also need to look for some special magic herbs as well..." Susan said indifferently.

"Is that so..."

"I'll stay with him just in case..." Blaze said as he stabbed the sharp end of his spear into the ground, leaned against the shaft, and proceeded to close his eyes.

"I'll stay as well," David said to Cain with a nod.

"Fine... If you see any changes, let me and the rest know as quickly as you can." Cain said before turning his back fully and entering the forest before him

'In the meanwhile, there is a certain someone I need to see...' Cain's eyes shone with a dangerous light as he activated his {Eye of Clairvoyance}.

"Blink..."

A spatial tear was activated before him and his body was sucked in...

He appeared 1000 meters above the Northern region of the school he was on, or Northern Island as he now preferred to call it...

Doing a quick search of the Island, the corner of his lips were raised a bit as he sighted his target.

"Gottcha..."

He let his body be carried by gravity as he traced a diagonal trajectory to his target...

Like a missile, he blazed his path to the ground. Just before hitting the ground, a blast of mana escaped from beneath the soles of his feet. Stepping unto the air, he was able to redirect the force of his fall in another direction. Activating {Burst Step} again, he stomped against the air to gain some stability before finally landing as softly as a feather with his knees only slightly bent...

Cain raised his head to look at the individual sitting before him...

Hair as white as freely fallen snow, and skin as pale as porcelain...

Behind her was the shriveled corpse of the {Broodmother}. Once a devil with a great future and potential so grand, she would have been able to swallow all life on Urbus had she been given the time. Now, she lay on the ground, completely devoid of all life.

And her undertaker was busy using her as a backrest whilst devouring her essence...

"I found you..." Cain said as he started straight at Evangeline.

"I wasn't hiding..." Evangeline responded in her signature raspy, yet angelic voice without moving a muscle.

Cain didn't refuse her rebuttal but instead drew his blades and approached her.

"You want a fight?" Evangeline said, causing Cain to stop in his tracks.

"Depends..." Cain said with a shrug.

"Ho? On what exactly?" Evangeline said as he snapped her eyes open. Her previously pure ruby eyes had been tainted with a deep black hue that seemed to suck all the color out of her surroundings. Cain could feel his heart begin to race and his strength begins to leave him as he gazed into her devil-black pupils.

Luckily, he wasn't one to back down from a challenge of power...

BOOM!

Concentrated Ki exploded out of his body like a ruptured fountain. The Ki in his body was just tyrannical to him, but it was devastating to everything else.

The Ki located the foreign energy that seeped into his body and completely obliterated it, leaving Evangeline who sat opposite him with wide eyes. His strength returned to him immediately after.

Evangeline had a frown on her face as she wiped a line of blood that rolled down the corner of her lips.

"Seems you've gotten even more powerful..." The look in her eyes instantly changed from one of indifference to a predatory one. A small smile pushed at the corner of her lips, revealing a very sharp canine.

In turn, her aura exploded out, with many times the pressure as before. However, Cain was mostly unaffected as he was able to stand his ground firmly with his Ki clashing against her energy. Through that, he was able to tell that the energy clashing against his wasn't mana, but another form of Ki he was unfamiliar with.

Seeing this, Evangeline let out a slight chuckle as she tapped her foot against the ground...

Her body disappeared in a split second...

'That Martial Technique!' Cain's eyes widened as all his muscles tensed up in anticipation.

When they had first clashed blades, he hadn't been expecting the attack, and as such, he was put down before he could register what was going on. But now, not only was he ready, but he was also stronger, faster, keener, and most importantly, much much more powerful.

And not only had his magical were been increasing, but his proficiency and skill with the blade had also reached levels unimaginable by the old him. He knew how to kill before, but what he could do now with a blade was much more than that...

Now, he could feel the blade becoming an extension of his body.

No fancy techniques... No overexertions...

No brute force... Perfect control...

He took a sharp draw of breath as he circulated the Ki running through his body. His senses heightened by {Eye of Clairvoyance} that was still activated heightened even further. His pupils widened beyond humanly possible and his already tense muscles tensed up even more.

"Abyssal Dragon Blade, First form: Dark Dragon Orbiting..."

The compression of all his previous knowledge plus the new ones he had gained in all his battles were condensed to produce a skill based on his new blade mastery skill, the {Abyssal Dragon Blade Mastery Tier 1}.

It utilized the energy that lay in his {Devil's Broken Claws} and the Ki flowing through him to create an attack with his two blades that revolved around him like a Dark Dragon offering him protection. It was a defensive technique and due to its limitations, it could only be activated with the {Devil's Broken Claws} or weapons that had been corrupted with devil essence.

It was a technique that tested his accuracy as well, as without him constantly following with his eyes, his blades would never be able to parry or block the attacks coming at him.

The blades and his body let out a roar as they swam all around him at full force, creating black streaks. Cain's pupils dilated as he searched for the incoming attack.

BANG!

His wide eyes jammed with the eyes of the unsuspecting Evangeline. The look of surprise on her face was incredible as she had never suspected Cain would be capable of blocking her attack.

However, with great agility, she spun around in mid-air and kicked against Cain's blades. She landed a few meters away from Cain and started at his in silence.

'I did it!' Despite having no changes in his facial expressions, Cain let out a shout of internal delight. What he had just done was completely experimental, and he had thought about it after his first bout with Evangeline.

"Seems I hold you in too low of a regard..." Evangeline said with a slight smile still on her face. In the blink of an eye, her menacing eyes and aura had disappeared. Her short serrated blades had also vanished and she plopped back down to the ground.

Cain had a slight smile squeeze the corners of his face, but he held it in with all his might.

"So?" Cain raised a brow at the sitting beauty.

"Ha..." Evangeline let out a long sigh as she relaxed her posture and gazed at Cain through her gem-like eyes.

"What do you want me to say? I was eyeing that thing since I knew it existed." She said with a slight pout.

Cain had an amused expression on his face as he said, "That doesn't mean you just abandon everyone mid-fight and run off..."

"She was hard to beat... Leaving her there would make the battle harder. I was doing you all a favor. You should be thanking me." Evangeline said with a smile that revealed her pearly white teeth.

Cain hadn't been expecting such a drastic change in character, causing him to be even more weary of the eccentric girl.

"That might be true... Still doesn't change the fact that you pissed off some people. I doubt anyone would accept you back after you did that." Cain said, a bit more seriously.

"Tch!" Despite acting willfully, Evangeline was incredibly smart and knew exactly what Cain was asking of her.

A light appeared in her hands briefly and was quickly replaced by an orb that looked like the entrance to hell itself.

"This is the devil orb of the {Broodmother}. It is useless to me, so you can have it. Go use it to settle whatever you need to settle..." After saying that, she tossed it at Cain, then leaned against the {Broodmother's} corpse and rested her head.

Cain plucked it out of the air and placed it into his inventory with a smile once he received the system prompt.

"If that is all, I will be taking my leave. I'll notify you of any changes if there are any. We will be leaving this place soon..."

"Hmph!"

With a chuckle, Cain activated {Blink} and vanished into the torn space...