God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 407: Violence isn't always the Answer.

A few minutes before a turbulent earthquake hit the central island...

Standing at the top of a once magnificent, now dilapidated building, Vincent stared down at the group standing in the distance with narrowed eyes,

His eyes took on a strange glow, and a strange rune resembling a sniper scope appeared, replacing his iris.

He had activated his Devil Eye ability.

'Hmm... Doesn't look like they plan on killing them anytime soon... Oh?'

Slightly taken aback, Vincent observed something that took him slightly by surprise. A few seconds later, a cheeky grin appeared on his face,

"That crazy bastard. Haha!"

Blaze who stood next to him couldn't help but frown at the seemingly insane outburst,

"What's gotten into you?"

Even Sue turned to him as she seemed interested.

Vincent cleared his throat, "There'been a change of plans..."

Blaze's brow shot up, while Sue couldn't help but roll her eyes,

"What is it this time? You aren't going to chicken out, are you?"

Vincent chortled, "My dear lady, I'm simply trying to suggest a better course of action to take."

He then turned back, "Thank god I took those lip reading classes seriously..."

David who was also listening in couldn't help but exclaim,

"Lip reading? What do you mean?"

Vincent pointed, "Our boy, Steve right there is trying to pass on a message. Well, I think I've gotten the just of it though."

Sue's eyes lit up, "Really? What did he say?"

Vincent licked his lips and spoke with a sly look in his eyes,

"He said he will be making a move very soon. He said the moment something changes, we should let the cannons loose!" Vincent exclaimed excitedly.

"More fighting?" Manny couldn't help but chime in, looking incredibly excited already.

Vincent's face became indifferent, "No fighting for you."

Clearing his throat, his fatty cheeky jiggled,

"In any case, we just need to stay on our toes. The moment we see a signal, there's no holding back."

Sue nodded, "As long as my brother and that buffoon's lives aren't put in danger, I'm fine with it."

Blaze's frown deepened, "The thing is... can we trust him?"

Vincent shook his head, "No we can't. The fact remains that we still can't trust each other. Regardless of what we've gone through, we are still a ragtag group of randoms regardless of how you put it."

Blaze wanted to say something but eventually just sighed,

"That's... true, I guess."

Vincent grinned, "However, that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. Besides, I'm very sure he wants his ass saved as well. There's no way he'll do something stupid. At least, I hope he won't..."

Blaze couldn't help but chuckle, "Then we can just hope and pray for the best. If he acts out, I'll stick a spear down his spine."

David cleared his throat, "No infighting, please..."

Vincent shrugged, 'Now, we wait... C'mon, Steve. Don't keep us waiting too long.'

***

'Great Celestial Beings on high, please let someone be looking this way!'

Steve pleaded and begged for his prayers to be answered as he mouthed off words in the direction of the tall building Blaze, Vincent, and the rest were on...

'They should probably have caught on. If it's that guy, then there's no doubt about it.' Having been part of the underworld himself, Steve knew exactly who Vincent was.

Although he tried to hide it, Vincent could be house the fact that he was not only capable but also very observant of Steve. He had also heard plenty of rumors about him even before the Apocalypse.

'If he can't do even this little bit, then I'll kill him once I die.'

Steve calmed himself down and stared at the two comrades beside him...

Remembering the 'suggestion' he had given to them all those days ago, Steve couldn't help but feel put for them.

'Remember. You have to act like you aren't scared of death. Act as crazy as possible. We can't have them suspecting a thing...'

The only reason Li and Stan had behaved so bravely against Roselle and Kai, the reason they hadn't baked down even when faced with Leah's intimidating gaze, was because he had told them that the success of their escape play lay in how good of a performance they could display.

Although they had seemed hesitant at first, it was obvious that they were now lost in their roles as even until now, they continued glaring at the backs of the Beastwomen with white-hot stares.

'So scary...'

The chains that were used to bind them were quite similar to the ones that had bound Hunter. Except this one couldn't affect the mind as well.

Since he was currently bound and shackled, Steve had decided to do what he was known to do best...

'Sometimes, violence isn't always the answer...'

He stared at the pink-haired girl, feeling a bit of anticipation. If he was being honest, he was rather curious to see how she would fare when forced to confront the reality of things.

'She doesn't seem weak-willed though.'

Thinking back, a smile almost appeared on Steve's face.

Almost...

Suddenly, the pink-haired girl with the long bunny ears, Sisi, suddenly turned to Leah.

"Uhm... Leah."

The feline-like Beastwoman turned to her and gave her a benevolent smile,

"What is it, Sisi?"

It was obvious from the way they interacted, that Leah, the obvious head of the Beastwomen, treated her rather well, like a little sister. The others also seemed to feel the same way as their gazes all softened every time they looked at her.

It also didn't help that her head looked like a blob of cotton candy...

Although she looked hesitant to speak, Sisi seemed to steel her resolve as she spoke in a tiny voice,

"R-remember what I told you before? About... angel?"

Leah let out a tired sigh, "Sisi, I understand where you are coming from. And yes, while it is okay to doubt, I believe Angel came here with good intentions."

Sisi gritted her teeth, "But... but I know what I saw. That thing was not human."

A frighteningly chilly expression settled on Leah's face,

"Sisi..."

However, the long-haired girl didn't back down,

"Big sis Leah, there is a high chance that there is something on the island that is affecting everyone. You have to believe me."

"Enough. I can't listen to any more of this." Leah said with a sigh. She stared deep into Sisi's soul,

"You need focus. Now is not the time for this. We can discuss it later."

Sisi bit her lower lip, unsure of what to do...

'Just as I thought, huh...' Although he had put out some faith, Steve had known from the get-go that destroying the enchantment on the Beastwomen wasn't going to be so easy that a few words could solve it.

At some point during the first three days of their stay, Sisi, the bunny-eared had visited them in the brig.

'Please, help me snap them out of it' She had said, the moment she had entered the room holding them.

'She might be weak-willed, but she's got guts.' Steve had a rather high-low assessment of her.

But now was not the time for assessments...

'According to what Sisi said, the thing that is controlling them should be with this crazy lady.' Steve thought as he stared nonchalantly at Leah's back, careful not to leak even a strand of killing goal.

His goal wasn't overly complicated. The moment Sisi lowered her barrier was the moment the others attacked as well. But after that, it will be a simple sneak-and-grab hit-and-run mission.

Just as Steve was about to conclude on what to do,

The ground shook...

The stalemate that had just been created, was quickly broken with the introduction of a single variable...

***

Riding through the last stretch of void, their speed was truly insane. The air surrounding them was as turbulent as the eye of a storm. The moment they passed through the curtain of light;

A dim scattering of sunlight hit Cain's face. Although it was faint, he could still feel the subtle warmth.

Just like that, they had arrived back on Urbus. Just like that, they were home...

Cain would have forced himself to cry had it been any other day. However, now was seriously not the time as he observed his surroundings.

The Astral Avatar had soared into the air, carrying hundreds of semi-conscious Beastmen. Cain's first thought was to release them. However, he scraped it when he remembered the furious hell that had crashed them.

That was when he noticed a group standing close to the Rift. He hadn't noticed them at first, as they had been traveling incredibly fast. However, now that he had ascended into the sky and was looking down from above, he could clearly see a few dumbfounded faces.

'Steve, Li, and Stan... Are being held by the Beastwomen. Nothing out of my expectations. Still, they will be in great danger if they keep staying there.'

Just as he was about to shout out a word or two of warning, the barrier suddenly vanished without a trace.

He heard a voice call out to him from the side. It was Evangeline,

"Prepare yourself. It's coming."

The moment she said that Cain felt an indescribably heavy sensation press down on his chest.

The people within the barrier were smacked away by an immense pressure that came out of the Rift behind them. That pressure wasn't what destroyed the barrier though...

"Hahaha! We did it!"

Wiping blood away from his face, Steve stared at a strange living plant that had woven itself to form a bracelet. Standing before him coldly and glaring at him with eyes that could kill was Leah.

Standing beside his was Li and Stan. Although they both looked battered, they wore nasty, conductive grins on their faces as well.

Starting at Leah with a loose smile, Steve squeezed down on the plan again,

"What? Surprised?"

Ignoring him, the woman turned to the pink-haired girl who was by their side with a pale, disbelieving expression.

"Sisi, you betrayed us..."

The pink-haired girl's face was pale, but she firmly glared back at the fuming Beastwomen.

"I tried to tell you multiple times, but you wouldn't listen. This is for your own good."

Steve nodded, "Spoke like a true friend, Miss Sisi."

Without turning to face him, "You promised that you wouldn't harm any of them."

Although he wanted to say he lied, Steve held himself back. There was a reason why even now, the others that were still standing at a distance had not attacked yet.

Instead, he stared up at the sky, "Well, I don't know what that thing is, so I figured we could save our fighting for later till we've figured it out."

Lin Lin threw them a dark look as she sneered, "If you think I'm not going to scrape your scalp off in the next-"

Before she could complete her words, a shrill howl that pierced the sky erupted from just behind them.

Frightened, the Beastwomen turned around to see hundreds of strange, terrifying creatures walk out of the Rift.

Still starting up, a grin formed at the corners of Steve's lips,

"Tch! I expected many things, but this entrance has to be top-tier, right?"

Indeed, riding in on the back of a draconic creature had grabbed the attention of everyone. However, that attention was short-lived as hundreds of {Abyssal Realm Walkers} began crawling into their world...

Cain let out a sigh, 'Let's end this once and for all.'

With that, the battle could finally come to an end...