God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 225: Light, Blood and Darkness (1).

On the Eastern Island, in a building ravaged by the elements and missing an entire floor, some of the most powerful beings in the vicinity gathered around a table with various goals and intentions...

"We have to kill him!"

Francis had a mad look burning in his eyes as he stood before Rollo, Guy, and Idris. All three had varying expressions as well.

From contempt to contemplation, to downright indifference.

"Oi, boss... I think we should go hunting for this guy. Although Francis is useless, no regular human should.be able to face him." The salacious Idris said with a cruel smile.

He looked as cunning and deadly as ever, maybe even more so. If there was one thing that was common about everyone who possessed a system, it would be their tendency for growth.

In a few days, adding a few levels and stats wasn't impossible depending on the risks the individual took. For someone as crazy as Idris, every day was a good opportunity to gain more power.

"Dan and Hunter of the Tainted Dogs are with him," Rollo said casually, causing Guy and Idris to give him a strange look. Flinching a bit, Idris wore a frown,

"They might have been threats in the past, but the playing field is now leveled. What do you think, Boss?"

Guy was the only one that hadn't spoken. Hearing what Idris had to say, his brows squeezed then relaxed before he turned to Rollo,

"How many men did we lose?"

"We didn't lose any men, Boss. The leader that Francis fought seems to be against spilling blood unnecessarily." Rollo said.

"Francis, what were you able to gather from your fight against him?" Guy had an unreadable expression on his face as he leaned back against his table. The eerie lighting and backdrop of the grey clouds and dark sea that leaked in from the open windows cast shadows all around the room.

Surrounded by these shadows, Guy was like a denizen of the night itself, born from nightmares and the impurities of the world.

With just a glance, any slightly sentient being would be able to tell that the machinations cooking up within his head were nothing short of vile, and unpleasant...

Fear quickly set into Francis' heart...

He had been a part of the underworld for more than a few years, and he knew that nothing good ever came from Guy having that sort of expression on his face.

However, he had gone this far already. He certainly wasn't going to give up now, damn the consequences...

He would have his revenge against that bastard desecrating his dead body and leaving him without a grave.

"While he is strong, I was still capable of holding against him for some time. I could also tell that his aura is far weaker than yours, Boss." A deceitful gleam passed through Francis' eyes.

"Rollo?"

Hesitating for a bit, Rollo eventually spoke,

"While they are strong, Hunter is someone I can handle. I'll defeat him with enough time."

Sensing Rollo's confidence, a smile made its way onto Guy's face...

"Someone as strong as I am, but unwilling to dispatch the weak is still weak. Call the rest out, we are going hunting..." Guy said calmly.

"Yes, Boss!"

"Yes, Boss!"

Rollo stared into Guy's calm and calculating eyes and knew this wasn't a decision he had taken based on just battle lust. He had calculated, measured, and weighed out all his options.

'Is there a reason for all this? Why does he want to conquer the world so quickly? What help will slaughter do for us?' Rollo thought to himself.

Feeling a stare burning through him, Rollo turned to stare at Guy who wore a small smile.

"Boss?"

"Rollo, you might not know this so let me tell you now." Despite his expression, the tone of his voice was completely serious, forcing Francis and Idris to snap out of their inner monologue and pay attention.

"Right now, up till this very moment, every single enemy we have faced has all been nothing but maggots in the face of the evil that is to come. That is why I am so eager to amass as much power, strength, and numbers as possible before true darkness falls upon us." The smile on his face gradually shifted to a deep deep look of gloom.

'Seems like he is fighting something much more than I can imagine.' Rollo thought to himself as he started at Guy who usually wouldn't have such an inexplicable expression twisting his features.

"Right now, we have a decent amount of time, at least from what I know. However, this period of grace will not last for long. Once the next rain of God Ash falls, true darkness and evil will fall. If we aren't prepared, it will consume us."

Realizing just how serious it was from his words, Rollo knew things were serious.

Hence, he could only respond accordingly...

"I will do your bidding, Boss. It is a battle you want, then it is a battle you shall have." A sinister sanguine light burned within Rollo's eyes as he bowed on a knee to Guy.

"Good... Then let's head out. I'm tired of staying in this stiffy place anyways..." Guy said with a smile.

***

'You've got to be kidding me!'

In a slightly lit room decorated with a huge mahogany desk, a small chandelier, and a portrait of a bleeding naked man tied to a tree with a noose around his neck, his eyes being gorged out a pitch black raven, and a halo around his head, two men faced each other, one with a strange smile and the other with a dark glare.

Starting at Lukas with eyes that seemed incapable of believing what his ears had just heard, Luke's heart was filled with turmoil.

"You heard me very well. The next time God Ash falls upon this world if a majority of us fail to reach the first tier, then it's all over. We will all be doomed..." Lukas said, this time a little bit more seriously.

"The devils and mutant beasts are strong, but they aren't so strong that we would be that helpless before them, right?" Luke said, still unwilling to believe.

Taking a deep breath, Lukas didn't know what to say to make the man before him believe he was being truthful. Sure, he lied a lot and was a master manipulator, but this time, just this time when he was being completely honest, his target didn't seem to trust him at all.

His mood completely soured, and his smile melted away...

"Take it, or leave it. All I just said is truth. Mutant beasts? Devils? Do you really believe it is so easy to kill true mutant beasts and devils? With every rise in tier, these creatures become immensely powerful, and the advantage we think we have will be completely negated."

"At tier 0, the system favors the weak, in other words, us. Ordinarily, we shouldn't even be able to put a scratch on the carapace of a {Hulking Behemoth}, but thanks to the restrictions they face upon invading the planet, we can take them on. The mutant beasts are limited in their growth as well before tier 1, But the system's grace can only last for so long."

Heaving a sigh, a worried smile made its way onto Lukas' face,

"At tier 0, we have an advantage, but starting from tier 1, this advantage is gone. Completely..."

'Completely gone?! That means the devils and mutant beasts will possess access to their true powers. This... This is nothing short of bad news.' Luke gritted his teeth as he thought.

Thinking of all the people unable to even live without depending on others, a shiver raced up his spine...

'Idiot... I can tell he is probably thinking about some nonsense. Worry about yourself first.' Lukas sneered internally but kept the benevolent facade up.

"So what do we do now? What preparations do we have to make?" Luke said.

Rubbing his hands together excitedly, Lukas responded with the most obvious answer,

"Kill everything that moves and breathes that isn't human."

'Okay, maybe we can kill a few humans as well...'

"We'll need to amass as much power as possible before the day of reckoning comes. Till then, I want you to carry my men along and sweep the entire Osland clean of everything that even remotely resembles a mutant beast."

Falling silent, Luke closed his eyes as though he was pondering deeply. Rolling his eyes internally, Lukas waited for his decision. After a minute had passed, Lukas couldn't help but feel a bit of frustration building up.

'Is... Is this guy really a battle god of death? Doesn't really look like one.' Lukas couldn't help but think.

"Alright, let's do it. Let's work together to stop this impending darkness." Luke said as he extended his hand.

A smile wormed its way onto the deceitful angel's face,

"It would be my pleasure..."

***

'Master!'

Cain was immediately assaulted by a loud voice that filled up his eardrums. At the same time, his body was racked with pain as a large furry figure slammed into his body.

'Damn it! I've been had!'

'Master! Where did you go?! Why did you leave without telling me? Did you miss me?! Was...'

Cain was immediately bombarded with questions from the mutant beast. She looked a lot larger since the last time he saw her.

'Master, Ruby has been eating a lot of fish since you left. They are quite tasty, and they make Riby filled with power!'

Hearing the mutant beast speak to him through telepathy put a warm smile on his face. For about a month, the only beings he had talked to were an insane demon and a beautiful lava monster that wanted to kill him.

All things being considered he was quite starved for a normal conversation. Rubbing her pristine fur, Cain responded,

'What have you been up to? You look so much bigger!' Cain said.

'Ruby has no clue as well. I have been feeling quite strong and active these days.' Ruby said to Cain, jumping around to prove her point.

Seeing this, Cain frowned...

He quickly focused on Ruby to take her information,

***

{Crimson Demon Bear}: Level 75 (special).

Strength: 2,000.

Agility: 1,200.

Defense: 300.

Mana: 500.

HP: 48,000/48,000.

MP: 20,000/20,000.

Skills: Destructive stomp, Bloodlust, Blood Berserk, Blood Armor, Ripping Charge, Extensive Blood Claws.

***

'Level 75?! What?! How?! Why?!' Cain felt his eyes pop out of their sockets.

'Ruby... Just how much fish have you eaten?!'

Before Ruby could answer, a pleasant voice with a slight hoarseness diffused into Cain's ears, forcing his heart to nearly stop.

Turning around, he could see the bright hair and the piercing eyes of Susan, the image immediately burning into his irises. With the grey skies and black sea acting as a background, she looked even more stunning than usual.

'Damn! Is this one of those legendary 'Unable to speak or move' moments?'

Shaking his head, Cain opened his mouth, intending to speak, but Susan immediately cut him off,

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say." Her voice sounded incredibly cold, and frigid, making Cain's heart sink.

'Could it be because I was gone too long? It wasn't my fault, dammnit! I was swallowed by a large whale mutant creature, then transported to the planet of a mad demon who kept me captive!'

Although Cain wanted to explain, he ended up just remaining silent...

"What you did was incredibly reckless, stupid, and immature, so I only have one thing to say to you..."

A feeling of melancholy and Deja Vu hit Cain immediately. He remembered how Susan would usually berate him for arriving late to class and other things. His heart fluttered a bit at such distant, yet fond memories.

A sunny smile that seemed to light up the whole world around him made its way onto Susan's face,

"Welcome back..."

A little bit dumbfounded, but filled with relief Cain couldn't help but let out a small, helpless chuckle.

'What an angel!'