God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 369: If I Die... (1).

"That sword was made for me a long time ago by a skilled dwarven blacksmith. However, I outgrew it and decided to do away with it. Who would have thought I'd come across it once again in my life? Could this be fate?"

Cain grinned with bloodied teeth,

"What? Do you want your sword back? Here, take it!"

Cain's muscles tensed as he shifted all his weight to his back foot. Twisting his hips, he let the {Hand of Stingè} fly like a bullet. He didn't have any strong attachments to the sword, so he wasn't averse to letting it go. He had also thrown it mostly out of spite and his frustrations.

Fighting someone like Stingè was not just draining physically, but emotionally as well. It was different from when he faced beings like Og-solath and Lyx. Before the Primordial Devils, he felt like an ant. If they had wanted to kill him, it should have been as effortless as breathing.

Against beings like that, there was no reason to fight...

Battling with Stingè was completely different. He could tell that he was being suppressed. However, the suppression wasn't absolute. Just enough for him to curse his unlucky stars...

The blade cut through the air at a high speed but was caught by a barehanded Stingè, who carefully examined the runes on the blade.

A smile appeared on Stingè's face,

"To think I would see you again." It was obvious the weapon held sentimental value to him.

Stingè removed his eyes from the blade and turned his attention back to Hunter and Cain. There was now a sly grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Tell you what..." Stingè began.

Cain's body was on fire as he tried to fight the Devil Essence corruption with {Golden Body}. Although the skill was suppressing it, that was only temporary.

'This is bad...' If he lost his mind now, there would be no more hope. Since they were separated from Susan, Ignis, and the others, they had no idea if they were still alive, or if they had been overwhelmed and captured by the {Blood Abomination}.

As such, he couldn't pay much attention to Stingè's words...

"Since you brought this thing back to me, I'll give you an opportunity."

Cain heaved, trying to catch his breath. However, he still managed to answer between gasps...

"An... opportunity...?"

Stingè grinned, "I will sever your limbs using this blade. However, if you manage to hold out till the hour runs out, you get to live and go back to your planet. If not, I'll take you back as a sacrificial lamb."

Cain went silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh. There was no way he could survive that long in his state.

"Rest. I'll take over from here." Hunter suddenly said as he took two steps to the front and blocked Cain's stooping body with his.

Stingè's grin widened, "That favor doesn't extend to you, Ragnarok Beast."

Hunter shrugged as he adjusted the gauntlets on his hands. The silver claws glinted sharply, a dangerous and austere aura floating around them.

Then he activated a skill,

"Feral Savagery."

His body began undergoing a series of transformations. His claws and fangs grew longer. His eyes turned blood-red and began glowing ominously. His body also became smaller, his height reducing greatly. He became more slender and lithe as well. This was a different transformation that the previous one.

If that one increased his overall power, this one was specifically targeted to boost his movement and attack speed.

Hunter had managed to do without too many serious injuries during their battle because of his summoner skills. When it came to maneuverability and evasion, his skill set just happened to fit the category perfectly.

"I don't need any favors from an arrogant bastard like you. Besides, I don't need them."

"Oh? You look very confident. That isn't usually a good thing." Stingè said nonchalantly as he brandished the {Hand of Stingè}.

Hunter sneered, "You might be a Tier 1, but you aren't invincible. More stats don't equate to victory."

A silent wind drifted across the battlefield. Cain stared at Hunter's huge back, his face contorted in a painful grin.

"Nice one!"

Hunter turned around and snarled at Cain,

'Stop spectating and drink some damn potions, damn it!'

Cain snickered painfully through the mental link.

Turning his focus back to Stingè, Hunter continued,

"There isn't that much of a difference between Tiers 0 and 1. You have more stats, and your spells and skills are more powerful, but that's all it amounts to. You aren't unbeatable..."

Stingè was silent for a while before he burst out laughing,

"You have certainly done your research. Yes, the difference between a Tier 0 and a Tier 1 isn't very great. However..."

A wicked, seemingly boundless gust of energy exploded out of the {Hand of Stingè}.

"However, that would only be true if you were dealing with an ordinary Tier 1. I can tell that you both are monsters even amongst the Tierless. However, just know that where there are monsters, there are monsters amongst monsters. Experience and feast your eyes on greatness in the flesh, human fools..."

The world trembled as Stingè took a step forward...

Hunter's eyes widened. His body tilted forward slightly before it disappeared. He made a high-speed beeline straight for Stingè.

Swinging the blade, a sharp wave of energy shot out at Hunter, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly tilting his body backwards, Hunter dodged cleanly. Hunter quickly closed the distance between them and delivered a high kick.

BOOM!

The force of the impact between Hunter and Stingè caused the top layer of the ground beside Stingè to be blown away.

Still midair, Hunter shifted quickly and delivered another flying kick. However, that was also blocked cleanly by Stingè without him moving an inch.

Suddenly, Hunter's feet exploded with a wave of Ki. For the third time, he delivered a spinning kick with his heel. This time, the force was so great, that Stingè took a step back.

A wild grin appeared on Hunter's face...

'He's strong, but not infallible. His arrogance won't allow him to take this fight seriously. I'll use that to my advantage.'

Landing on his hands, Hunter swept his legs wildly in the air, dealing a succession of rapid kicks. Stingè dodged them all, a grin on his face,

"Nuce. Very nice... Let's kick things up a notch, shall we?"

The blade in his hand was brandished wildly, aimed at Hunter's neck. The sword moved so quickly, that Hunter was caught completely by surprise. However, at the last second, the oath of the blade diverted and its edge was instead aimed at Hunter's left arm.

Hunter's arm came clean off. However, Stingè's eyes twinkled brightly when he noticed that there had been no resistance at all. Even if he could cut through flesh and bones like butter, he still knew the difference between cutting through a living being and nothing.

'Another clone? When did he switch out with one.'

Without looking, Stingè positioned the flat of the {Hand of Stingè} behind him, blocking a powerful blow from Hunter from behind.

Hunter frowned, 'Does he have eyes at the back of his head?'

Another high-speed swing was sent his way, but it only cut through the air as he had long since moved away.

Stingè turned around to stare at Hunter deeply,

"You weren't this good last time."

A bead of sweat rolled down Hunter's temple...

'Damn it! He wants to up the ante!'

Stingè seemed to be having the time of his life as the grin on his face stretched from ear to ear, making him look even more menacing.

"Let's take things further, then..."

Hunter's body moved before Stingè could finish his words. However, he still wasn't fast enough. The difference between their stats was just that great.

Hunter's body flew like a cannonball as Stingè's clenched fist slammed into his ribs. A sickening crunch rang out as more than a couple of his ribs snapped like twigs.

A stream of blood left Hunter's mouth as he flew backward. However, Stingè wasn't done. He ran following Hunter's trajectory, and before his momentum could die out, he punched him again. This time with twice as much force.

This time, Hunter blocked with his forearm. However, the thick bone was turned into splinters by the force of the blow. His face paled, Hunter tried his best to redirect the force.

Switching places with another summon he had placed a bit further away, he tried to catch his breath. Before he could take a single breath, an intense feeling of danger encroached on him.

Hunter gritted his teeth, 'He's become much faster and stronger than before. I can't face him head-on anymore.'

Muttering a chant under his breath, an immense amount of mana poured out of his body. A magic circle that slammed almost half the battlefield appeared on the ground,

"Grand Summoning: Cave Canem."

The magic circle appeared to be quite special. At its nexus, was an arrangement of runes that was very similar to that of a three-headed dog-like creature with fiery eyes. The magic circle itself was shaped like a huge gate.

Hunter's eyes glowed bright red as the smell of sulfur and burning flesh filled the air...