God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 274: The Full Story.

Cain thought he heard the system clear its throat...

{The story begins eons ago, long before the Thousand Millenium long war that shook the universe, just after the universe came into being, the Nomad created the first beings, The Primordial Devils, within the greater void which hadn't been split apart at the time...}

Cain's heart fell when he heard this. He had almost forgotten that the creature he had been casually speaking to was a creature that was almost as old as time itself. Not only that, it was also an incredible and dangerous creature that sought pure destruction. Somehow, he had forgotten all that as he conversed with the Primordial devil. He had even decided to accept his quest.

'So scary...'

Maybe because it could sense Cain's inserted mental state, the system paused for a while. Once he had calmed down, the system continued...

{During the battles between the Celestials and the Devils, the universe was broken apart and repaired countless times. This led to it continuously expanding for eons. As such, various strange places and oddities popped up all the time due to the intense battles}.

The system paused for a brief second...

{There are four major planes of existence. The Physical Plane, the Spiritual Plane, the Aether Plane, and the Abyssal Plane.

The physical plane, the plane where all of this, our entire existence is placed within, The Spiritual Plane, the plane in which all forms of energy reside, the Aether plane, home to all the strange creatures and beings of summoning, and the Abyssal Plane, the plane linking all these planes together, as well as the birthplace of the devils also known as the greater void...}

{After the destruction of the Devil Mountain and the creation of the Aether Plane, the lesser devil races were indeed driven into the Aether Plane. However, just like how every place within the Physical Plane isn't the same, it is the same for places within and around the Aether Realm}.

{In a bid to outsmart their pursuers, the rest of the devil army didn't enter the Aether Realm as originally planned. Instead, led by the Primordial Devil of Death, they tried to set up an ambush}.

Cain listened with intrigue. Up till now, he hadn't spotted any discrepancies. However, what the system said next shocked him.

{However, the new denizens of the Aether, the lesser devils that had shed off a portion of their devil nature, would never allow the devils to step foot in the Aether}.

{At that time, the strongest lesser devils, the Primogenitors of the Aether beast race, were in much better shape than the Primordial devils. However, they would never be able to defeat them in a fight. So they did the smartest thing they could at that time}.

{All Aether Primogenitors worked together and used the instability of the newly formed Aether plane to lead the devils into a strange dimension. When they realized they had been tricked, they tried to fight back and escape, but it was too late. They were already cornered by the Celestial Army}.

{The story you have heard up to this point has been true. All except one part. Your actual location you are not in the Aether Realm}.

Cain sucked in a deep breath...

'I knew it!' He had figured the Primordial devil had been at least, partially untruthful about this part. However, he had no idea why it would hide this bit of information from him.

{The host and the members of his team came to a conclusion based on your deductions. And while your deductions aren't right, they aren't too far from the truth}.

'So if my memory serves me right, the devils weren't chased into the Aether Realm, but rather, into a strange dimension that is completely different to the Aether Realm, but still very close by, such that the creatures here have been affected by its energy. Is that what you are saying?'

{Replying to host: Affirmative...}

Cain was stupefied, 'But I thought you said you couldn't tell me where I was.'

{Replying to host: Affirmative. I simply revealed where the devils had been chased to. If you made any other insights, then it would be thanks to your personal observations}.

Cain blinked. Then he smiled...

'I see...'

Cain lay there for a few more seconds, thinking about what he had just learned.

'But why? Why hide something so insignificant from me?' Cain thought.

He had no idea why the devil would be truthful about other things but would lie over that small little detail.

'Could it be that there is something special about this dimension? So many questions, so little answers...'

Cain let the cool wind within the cave tickle his body before he finally stood up. It was time to move. The {Dark Soul} had spotted something interesting.

He had enough rest. He was no longer being assaulted by hunger. He had recovered his Ki and mana as well. He was in top-notch shape.

Cain summoned a golden chain that promptly wrapped itself around his left arm. Stepping closer to the edge of the cave, he pushed against the ledge.

His body shot off, achieving a horizontal glide as he activated {Wind Weaver}. Landing in front of a cave entrance located diagonal to the cave he was at initially, he slowly walked in. His eyes were like pools of darkness as he traced his steps.

With the ability granted to him by the {Dark Soul}, there were no problems for him within the dark cave. His mind was heavy with thoughts, but his body was light.

He moved quickly and eventually after some time of passing through twisting and turning cave systems, he arrived at the spot where the {Dark Soul} was hidden.

Cain stared at the scene before him with a baffled expression. The scene before him was puzzling, yet terrifying. Within the cave system, there was a huge, hollow cavern with numerous stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

The place was as long as four football fields and as wide as two. There were countless 'stars' shimmering in the walls and roof of the cave. However, Cain couldn't tell what they were exactly.

'Metal ores? Gems?'

Whatever they were, there was a literal see of them on the roof. And on the ground, there were monsters. Lots and lots of monsters.

A literal ocean of them. Cain had never seen so many living beings congregated in one place. The entire place had been transformed into a strange biome for the creatures. All Cain could see were {Chaos Goblins} and creatures that were larger and much more menacing.

'Good job...' Cain said to the {Dark Soul} who stared at him with clueless eyes. If the {Dark Soul} was a physical creature, Cain would have felt compelled to give it a pat on the head as it really was like a dog, following him everywhere and sniffing out danger for him.

'Now then, it is best I avoid this place as much as possible.'

Seeing the {Chaos Goblins} and the other larger creatures go about their daily activities, eating, sleeping, and copulating, he had a strange feeling wash over him.

'I guess I'm the invader now.'

Cain said as he turned around. He was about to leave the cave system when he felt something strange. A pulse of energy surged forward and washed over the entire place.

Cain paused as a deep, manic energy seeped into his body. His eyes widened as he noiselessly fell to the ground. Cold sweat broke out on his back and forehead as he tried to contain his breathing.

Within the cavern, it was another story entirely. The creatures within roared in celebration as they bathed in the energy coursing through the air.

Cain had never felt something so oppressive in his life. Even the power he had felt from Azazel seemed like child splay before this thing.

Cain immediately came to a realization...

'Damn it!'

What he just felt was most likely what he had come here searching for. He was sure of it...

'That means...'

Cain almost gave up hope and turned around. There was no way he would survive a fight with these many creatures. Besides, he had no idea what the other, much bigger creatures were like. From what he could observe about the hierarchy within the cavern, despite being fewer in number, the larger creatures were deeply feared by the smaller ones. However, there was still a considerable amount of them.

Cain couldn't help but let out a groan.

'This is not good. Can I maybe find another way to the heart?'

Cain sat on the ground as he went through the thoughts in his head. He didn't want to make any rash decisions during this critical step. If he made the wrong move, his bones would be used to make weapons for the terrible {Chaos Goblins} and their cohort.

'The best thing to do will be to wait and see.'

Cain had found this place by trailing the {Chaos Goblins} he had defeated, so he still had his eyes on them all this while. And that was when he saw them do something strange. When they arrived in the cavern, they headed further down its length before they arrived at the other end.

Cain strained his eyes a little to see what they were doing and was shocked to see a throne made of chiseled obsidian, skulls, and bones.

'How the hell did I miss that?!'

Cain shook his head. Seated upon the throne was a creature that was a bit shorter than the huge creatures that lived in the cavern alongside the {Chaos Goblins}. However, this creature was much more intimidating...

This creature was more muscular, and it was clad in the fur of a dead Aether beast. Cain could see the light of subtle intelligence burning in its eyes. There were numerous female {Chaos Goblins} as well as female versions of the large creatures. Some were licking its body and grinding their body parts against it.

However, the creature looked completely disinterested as it stared at the group of {Chaos Goblins} that had just arrived before it.

'It's a Chief... They have an intelligent Chief.' Cain murmured to himself with a grimace.

His situation had just turned around for the worse...