God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 389: Returning through the Rift (3).

They stood there for a few minutes in silence. A quiet understanding was formed between the two.

Cain suddenly spoke, "How are the rest of your men doing?"

Hunter shrugged, his face becoming an indifferent blanket again,

"Somehow, we managed to lose only a few men. Floki and Galip were injured quite heavily, but with Susan around, we don't have to worry too much as long as no limbs were lost."

Cain frowned, "Those guys... I'll need you to–"

Hunter suddenly interrupted, "I think if you need to say anything to the lot of them, you'll have to do it yourself."

Cain raised a brow, "And why is that?"

Hunter chuckled lightly, "Let's just say it would be way more efficient."

Seeing that Cain was still looking at him with a questioning look, Hunter cleared his throat and spoke seriously,

"Humans remember..."

Cain's eyes glazed over as a wave of confusion hit him hard,

"What the hell?"

Hunter shrugged, "It's true. Just because some time has passed, doesn't mean these guys will forget the things you've done for them. You restored their lost lives and limbs, you rescued them from a hopeless situation... You've given them a chance to live. I think..."

"Either way, I don't think they will ignore what you have to say. It will probably be way more effective for you to do it than me."

Cain's fell silent and thought about it,

'He's right. If I play my cards right, they might see me as something more than a regular human. Their savior...'

If it was a few months ago, when the apocalypse had just begun, Cain would have never even thought of having lofty dreams and ambitions.

He would have spat in the face and kicked in the balls anyone who told him he would have these thoughts eventually.

'An army, huh...'

The foundations an army is built on are discipline, respect, and faith...

If soldiers didn't believe in their lord, they would easily lose morale when the battle was tough. However, if they had enough faith in their lord, they could be convinced to do anything.

'And what gives them faith...'

... is overwhelming power. The soldiers of a small kingdom would never stand a chance against the army of a large empire because the faith they had in their respective principalities was not even comparable.

Belief in being led towards an overwhelming victory versus Belief in being led towards certain death...

'I have shown them that I have the power. However, that isn't enough. I need something more. I need to give them faith. Faith that I can provide them with the power their hearts desire so much.'

In their current situation, and even on Urbus, those without strength would be forced to either rely on those with strength, or they could die.

Since the latter option wasn't one many would readily choose, the majority floated towards the former. However, there was a third option.

Seizing power for themselves...

A smile appeared on Cain's face,

"Hehe... I plan on making an army out of these guys."

"An army, you say... These guys will only be good for fodder as it is." Hunter said.

An evil smile appeared on Cain's face as he walked towards the company of Beastmen...

The floating landmass they had occupied was bigger than the one Susan and the other girls were on. Still, it was a bit too small to be classified as a medium-sized floating landmass.

There were pires of red stone scattered on the landmass which the beastmen used to rest. It would also obscure them from the sight of avial Aether Beasts.

"Look! Hunter is back!" One of the beastmen whispered to his comrade.

"He's with Cain as well!"

"He's actually alright?! I heard he went off alone to fight the Demon."

"Did you see him in the battle?! He shot down the entire swarm of flying Aether Beasts!"

"He's an absolute Demon!"

"Not only does he have hearing powers, he is also extremely powerful! I doubt Floki can stand a chance..."

The eyes of these men burned with a fervent flame. With his perception so high, Cain could hear the whispers of these men. A resolute look appeared in his eyes.

Cain walked over to Floki and Galip who were seated on slabs of red stone.

"Glad to see you both aren't dead," Cain said calmly.

Floki hesitated for a second before taking his hand and shaking it,

"I didn't think we would survive as well. Good thing we had Miss. Susan." He said with a bitter look on his face.

Cain chuckled, "You should go extend your gratitude later."

Floki nodded but didn't say anything else. He was too busy studying Cain.

'Somehow this guy has managed to become even more menacing. Just what happened?!'

Even Galip had an ugly look on his face as he stared at Cain,

Cain turned to the shady-looking beastman,

"And you..."

Galio swallowed a mouthful of saliva and forced a smile onto his face,

"Oyayaya... Cain, let's just let bygones be bygones, no? We are comrades now, after all. Right?"

Cain glared at him for a few seconds before letting out a snort,

"Sure."

Then he turned back to Floki,

"Gather your men. I have an important announcement to make."

Floki raised a brow, "What do you..."

Cain interrupted, "Don't ask too many questions..."

Floki let out a sigh after a few seconds of staying silent,

"Fine."

***

Standing in front of the confused Beastmen, Cain took in a deep breath. The air was suffused with a rowdy chatter, as the beastmen discussed amongst themselves. A powerful voice came from beside him,

"Quiet!" Hunter barked out causing the entire company of beastmen to fall completely silent.

Standing to his right was Hubter, while Floki and Galio were on his left side, staring at the beastmen with complicated expressions.

Once there was finally decorum, Cain cleared his throat and spoke up,

"Stingè has been defeated..."

There was a brief second of silence before the entire company exploded with loud cheers.

Cain let out a sigh, 'Thank goodness I activated {Sigil of Darkness}. These idiots nearly brought down the wrath of the entire fragmented lands on our heads!'

The beastmen jubilated, with some even falling to the ground and breaking down in tears.

The defeat of Stingè was good news. Great news in fact. The wicked Demon that had tortured them for so long had finally been driven away. Why wouldn't they be happy...

Cain allowed them to jubilate for a while longer before clearing his throat. As though they had been programmed, all the beastmen fell silent and stared at Cain with a furious passion burning in their eyes.

Seeing this, Cain felt a bit uncomfortable. Still, he continued,

"Now that the army of {Blood Abominations} and their general have been defeated, we can go back home."

Cain paused for a second before saying in a low voice,

"However, with the way the lot of you are, there's no doubt most of you will lose your lives should we embark on the journey as is..."

A grim silence, so silent that actual silence descended on the company of beastmen. There was no denying Cain's words. They were simply too weak.

Floki frowned, 'What is he getting at?'

Galip had a grim look in his eyes, 'What is this bastard planning?'

A smirk tugged at the corners of Cain's lips.

"Which is why I will present the lot of you with an opportunity. A once-in-a-lifetime chance... To have power you can call your own."

Cain had decided to take a huge gamble. If he wanted to root himself within the hearts of these beastmen, he would have to provide them with what they needed.

Whispers flew across the company of beastmen as they tried to understand what Cain was saying...

"There is a limit to how power good equipment can give you. Rather than giving you a blade, I'll give you the power to wield that blade." Cain said.

When Cain had first received his Ki Plundering Technique, he had been informed by the system that it was possible for him to purchase different Ki Plundering Techniques so long as he had ample system points.

During that time, he had lacked the system points. But now, he was swimming in an excess of system points.

As such, he had decided to purchase a few good quality Ki Plundering Techniques for these beastmen. If they couldn't use mana, then they would have to find an alternative.

Combining Ki with their already good physical qualities would greatly increase their strength and survivability in both the long and short run.

The best thing about this was that if he managed to get his hands on stronger Ki Plundering Techniques, he would be able to raise an army of insanely strong minions. Who wouldn't want that?

Although they were confused, their eyes burned with passion...

"Strength, huh..."

"I'll do anything to be stronger than I am now."

"Power... Power... I want power!"

"I want power as well!"

"Me too!"

Cain grinned, "Get ready, boys... It's time to learn a thing or two."

***

A/N: Special Mass release of chapters incoming!!!! Just like last month, special chapters will be released till the end of the month. If we can meet the goal by the end of the month, I plan to release an extra chapter every day for the first ten days.

Conditions: GIFTS!

Yes, people... Your gifts and active use of coins motivate me to write more and more of this book I'll seem to enjoy so much. So... Here's how we are gonna do it

Gifts worth 1000 coins: 3 extra chapters.

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I really appreciate the continuous support. From the bottom of my heart. These gifts go a long way. Cheers!

P.S: Gifts higher than 5000 will also be factored in depending on if I have the time or not. For gifts below 1000, I'll try to sum up collective gifts to make it up. If it doesn't reach the mark, I'll still release an extra chapter by the end of the month.