God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 209: Vampiric Star.

Cain let out a gasp of air as he stared at the damage his {Infernal Wings} had just taken.

Staring back into the sea of lava, a pair of red burning eyes stared back at him with hunger and malice.

The number of eyes multiplied quickly, filling up his field of vision.

***

Magma Demon: Level 30 (Elite).

Strength: 500

Agility: 500

Defense: 100

Magic: 400

HP: 40,000/40,000

MP: 4,000/4,000.

Skills: Lava Ball, Flame Claws, Magma Diving, Fire Resistance.

***

As the number of eyes continued to increase, Cain knew he had to make a move fast. Without any hesitation, he didn't fight against the current anymore.

Jetstreams of mana burst through the soles of his feet as he rushed to the center of the volcano. Despite his mana being depleted more rapidly, it was necessary, as his life was currently in grave danger...

'20? No... More than that.' Cain thought to himself as he counted the number of eyes that followed him. Individually, their numbers weren't enough to defeat him, but the sum of their respective powers coupled with his current situation was enough for him to panic.

He couldn't afford to waste any mana dealing with them...

Dashing through the lava, Cain dodged the rain of fireballs that pursued him. Despite his attempts to dodge, his {Infernal Wings} kept taking damage.

'Damn it!'

Cain thought to himself as he poured more mana through his legs. Because his physical stats were locked, his body had reverted back to the body of a regular human.

Every ebb of mana that flowed through his body caused him immense pain and put his body through intense amounts of stress.

Veins throbbed on his legs as he pushed his body to the edge. Staring through the lava, he realized that he still had a long way to go. The journey to the bottom would take him at least a few more minutes with the speed he was traveling at.

'Think!' His mind worked in overdrive, Cain continued to think as he dodged the hail of flames that the {Magma Demons} spat at him. He was unable to see their true forms through the sea of lava, but he knew that should he let them catch up, his protection would be torn to shreds in the blink of an eye, and he would be burnt to ashes a second later.

Cain's mind drifted back to what he had read within the [Records of Akasha II]...

***

"The secrets of magic work with the soul. Mana obeys the soul. It is a symbiotic relationship in which the soul feeds off the energy of creation. The soul and spirit are the anchors of reality that bind the psyche and reality. To control the world, one must simply impose one's will on it..."

***

He had read that line of words, yet didn't seem to understand it as it seemed simple, yet cryptic at the same time.

Controlling the world by imposing your will...

"How? What am I supposed to do?!" After all the trouble he had gone through, Cain was finally on the brink of breaking. He had gone through so much, yet he hadn't gotten a single moment to rest and gather his thoughts.

He had no power...

He had no will...

He couldn't control the world, so the world was about to devour him...

The seed of hopelessness he had been trying so hard to fight had begun to sprout in his heart, but he didn't care at all.

'Forget it. I'm tired...' Cain said to himself as he closed his eyes.

However, at this moment, for some reason, an image seemed to fill his mind. He didn't know why, but this image became clearer by the second.

Suddenly, it was all he could see...

His mind was suddenly hit with a sensation he couldn't quite understand.

'W-what is this?'

Before his eyes was the image of a group of people standing before him. These faces looked familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

The beings standing before him ranged from humanoid creatures to beings as grand as entire mountain ranges. The figures of Susan, Hunter, Dan, Steve, Sue, Jenny, Manny, and the others were also there, and they all stared at him in anticipation.

'Ha... A man can't even die in peace.' A smile appeared on his face. He finally understood what he had felt...

Suddenly, he stopped dodging all together. He stared back at the numerous eyes within the sea of lava. His descent also slowed down. The {Magma Demons} took this as a sign to begin their real attacks. Diving through the magma, they took this as their chance to launch their melee attacks.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Claws slammed against the {Infernal Wings}, pushing him further down. Cain had completely given up on evading and had decided to tank all the hits. Since their melee attacks were more powerful than their ranged attacks, Cain's mana was draining even faster...

Despite all these, Cain had a calm expression on his face as he began formulating a plan...

'Even though these creatures seem powerful, the greatest enemy is still the heat coming from the lava. If I can find a way to get rid of it, then they will be easy pickings...'

With this thought in mind, Cain let his consciousness sink into his mind.

"To control the world, one must simply impose one's will on it..."

'I need to control the elements by projecting my will. Creating a magic circle now will take too much time, so I'll need to work with a preexisting magic circle.'

Cain immediately summoned the magic circles he had in mind. They were the {Flame Orb} and {Imploding Star} magic circles.

Fire element-based spells had various categories...

Ignition-type skills and spells...

Manipulation-type skills and spells...

Burn-type skills and spells, and;

Combustion-type skills and spells...

Within his mind, he was able to recreate and manipulate the runes and magic circles of his skills and spells to create new spells and skills, or alter his preexisting abilities.

While he thought this was normal, it was much greater than that. This ability could only be used by people who possessed the {Sorcerer's Mind} title.

Once he had the magic circles, he removed the limiter in the {Imploding Star} magic circle and combined the two magic circles together.

'This...' Cain stared at the finished product with wide eyes. Soon after, his eyes were filled with eagerness and excitement...

Closing his eyes, he willed his consciousness back into his body.

The onslaught against his defenses had continued, and the {Infernal Wings} were already on their last feathers.

Since they were closer now, Cain was able to have a good look at the creatures. They had scales covering their entire bodies, and hollow mouths that sucked the surrounding mana in. Their eyes were filled with violence, intelligence and a deep hunger, just like the {Lythoran Wyrms} he had faced before.

Thus, Cain knew they were just as dangerous...

Taking a deep breath, Cain immediately began to formulate the magic circle...

Powerful spells usually required an extra catalyst apart from a magic circle. Usually in the form of hand seals or chants or gestures for skills. Cain preferred using chants,

"Take form before me, all-consuming mother of celestial flames. Burn bright and steal the flames of life..."

It is said that within the vast universe, there are several strange phenomena. One of these strange phenomena is a certain type of celestial body that could eat away at the power of another with its own power. A symbiotic entity that could destroy another like itself...

"Vampiric Star..."

A small red dot immediately appeared above Cain's head. It was initially the size of a pin head. However, it quickly began to grow in size. In a second, it grew to the size of a soccer ball.

Meanwhile, the flames surrounding Cain began to become dimmer.

This is because the orb of energy floating above Cain was sucking the flames from the volcano away. And at an incredibly alarming rate...

Despite this, the size of the flame orb stabilized at this point. Despite this, it's consumption of the flames didn't decrease, instead gradually increasing over time.

The orb began to shine brighter and brighter, it's red glow becoming distinguishable within the flames of the lava. Because of this, an area devoid of flames was created around Cain. Seeing this, Cain knew this was the only chance he would get.

Immediately, he began casting another spell...

"Blue Lightning!" The black clouds of ash seemed to be capable of producing lightening as the most destructive force of nature borrowed through the lava and struck at the {Magma Demons that surrounded him.

Completely caught off guard by sudden change of events, all the surrounding creatures were immediately struck down.

***

{Congratulations to Host... You have killed ×40 Magma Demons...}

+100 to Strength.

+50 to Agility.

{You have created a new intermediate-level spell... Your spell, {Art of Fire} has been upgraded to a new form, the {Infernal Celestial Arts}. This spell currently consists of three different forms...}

{Your understanding of magic and the elements has increased tremendously...}

+500 to Magic.

{Infernal Celestial Arts}:

1st Form: Flame Orbs.

2nd Form: Imploding Star.

3rd Form: Vampiric Star.

***

Cain stared at his surroundings with a serene expression. His thoughts had become calm, and his eyes were filled with resolve.

The flames were no longer a problem for him.

They were now his weapons

Staring at the red sun floating above his head, Cain pondered on its secrets as he drifted deeper into the sea of magma...