God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 445: Might of Lord Crimson.

Firearms were once called the king of weapons. A bullet fired from a gun carried extraordinary force. However, what made these bullets lethal was their extremely small surface area.

They were many times more lethal than arrows shot from bows, or other projectile weapons, mostly because of their penetrative potential. Depending on the strength of the firearm and the potency of the gunpowder in the firearm, a bullet could even blow through a very thick sheet of metal.

In this case, when magic became involved, the need for things like gunpowder vanished. Instead, Cain made use of the magical properties of numerous magical ores and stones to simulate the thrust of a bullet.

Faced with something so sinister, the guards fell like flies. Swimming through the crowd, their swords couldn't touch him. Instead, his bullets always found their mark, either maiming them or outright just killing them.

Vivane grit her teeth, "Fall back! Provide support! Vulture, Shade... Let's go!"

Vivane issued a string of commands, causing the foot soldiers to fall back, while she, the enigmatic Vulture, and the assassin lurking in the dark moved forward to engage Cain.

At this moment, Steve was finally done with his series of chants. Because of the danger Cain presented, the others were forced to ignore Steve, as he was of little consequence.

They would soon come to regret this...

Steve pointed a finger towards Vulture from afar. As a fellow magician, Vulture could feel the sudden change in the mana flow patterns around him.

At that moment, he knew he had made a fatal error.

Steve's voice rumbled forward, "Hexagram Seal Battery."

A magic circle enclosed in a six-sided polygon suddenly appeared underneath Vulture. In a second, the magic circle turned into a six-sided cell with glowing blue walls.

Wide eyes moved to look at Vulture who tried pounding on the walls, only to be repelled back.

"Break it!" Vivane and the others rushed to help their companion, but they were foiled by Cain spitting a torrent of bullets their way, each one extremely lethal.

Vulture tried casting a spell from behind the seal but was unsuccessful.

Steve let out a sinister laugh, "Now, let the real magic show begin."

From the beginning, Cain was really only stalling for time. The real attack was Steve.

From the skies, down to the ground, numerous magic circles appeared. It was a trap. All of it had been real from the start.

As this realization sunk in, Vivane felt heat rise to her face. She glared at Cain and his inhumane eyes.

"You wretched Devil-thrall!"

Cain shrugged, "Calling me names isn't going to solve your problems, is it?"

The scale of the attack that came afterward was nothing short of cataclysmic. Balls of fire and shards of ice came falling from the sky. Pillars of earth rose from the ground and impaled their bodies. The wind became their enemy, slicing through armor, flesh, and bone, and the dark corners where the shadows resided engulfed the living, sniffing out their lives, and then spitting out their carcasses.

Cain felt a shiver run down his spine. The destructiveness of this spell was no less than his {Heavenly Blue Lightning Spell}. One could even argue it was far more lethal.

Yet, Steve didn't look to have broken a sweat. Just like that, a whole quarter of the guards were gone.

"Not bad, right? Didn't use a lick of my own mana too!" Steve grinned, pointing at the unconscious Vulture.

Cain said nothing. The remaining guards and their remaining three commanders regrouped and launched another attack.

Cain rushed forward as well. Steve threw buff spells at him, and attack spells at the enemies to support him. Cain switched his guns out for {Platinum Genesis}. The edge of the blade flashed under the silver moonlight.

Although the guns were more effective, he felt more at ease with a trusty sword in his hands.

The night was dark and cold, but his eyes even more so. Any who stared into his inhumane eyes would think they were looking at a soul-devouring Devil.

Cain dove into the flock, blade singing. The three commanders tried their best but were pushed back after just a single exchange.

Still, there was no hesitation in their eyes as they rushed forward again. Swords clashed and blows were exchanged as both sides engaged in primal combat.

Cain had felt himself improving in his skill with the blade. He could also tell that his breakthrough with Ki manipulation was also near. However, these three were too weak to give him the push he needed.

Suddenly, a feeling of overwhelming danger rushed over him...

Cain's eyes shot wide open. As he spread out his senses. {Eye of Clairvoyance} came in handy. With a kick, he sent T'jane flying. The edge of his blade burned with an ethereal blue energy, which quickly turned into silver flames.

Cain gathered as much as he could and swung it at the incoming threat.

BANG!

A very loud and clear explosion rang out. The silver flames were no flames but were in fact, a stream of mana concentrated to the edge of the blade, in other words {Mana Blade EX}. It was far more powerful than a normal mana blade too, and could be used for mid-range attacks as well.

However, their latest opponent was not a simple figure at all.

From the darkness, a crimson gauntlet stretched forward... And wrapped itself around the incoming blade of light.

At first, Cain wanted to question the owner's sanity. However, he soon realized he was horribly mistaken. The beam of light refused to move even an inch forward, trapped within the fingers of the crimson gauntlet until it finally died away.

"This is what you lot are losing too? Looks like the Guard Commanders are getting soft."

"Lord Crimson!"

"Lord Crimson!"

The shadows parted to reveal a figure covered in a crimson full-body armor. The armor wasn't too bulky, fitting to its owner's figure like a well-carved sculpture, much like the {Heart of Stingè}.

Cain was surprised, 'Stopping a Mana Blade with a single hand... This guy...'

The two men stared at one another for a while before Lord Crimson began speaking, his voice light and airy, nothing like one would expect from such a threatening figure,

"Hmm... You look strong. Don't you think it is unnecessary to throw your life away for a fight that isn't yours?"

Cain snorted, "Thanks, but I chose my battles. Besides, you lot are the ones that pushed me this far."

Lord Crimson sighed, "Perhaps... But this is where it ends. The Silver King is already getting displeased by your antics."

Cain stood tall, "I don't give a damn about you or your Silver King."

Talking wasn't going to solve anything. Cain knew he had already gone past that point. Perhaps negotiation would have still been on the table if he hadn't killed so many. But the damage had already been done.

Lord Crimson nodded, "You are exceptional. Before we begin, I'd like to know your name."

Lightning crackled to life around Cain,

"Cain. Call me Cain."

From the moment he had appeared, Cain knew he and Steve didn't have what it took to take this Lord Crimson on. The only way they could stand a chance against him, was if they had all the others with them.

Cain could feel it. This human was even stronger than Stingè was...

The fear he had discarded in the beginning came back faster than he would have liked.

'{Spatial Jump} still has a few minutes of cooldown left. I can take him for a few minutes.'

Cain took a deep breath. The Lightning Enchantment of {Burning Spirit} was so powerful because although it plunged his control to the depths of hell, it dramatically increased his attack speed. Just what he needed.

Lord Crimson took a step forward, then disappeared from view. Cain's right eye burned with a dark flame as the two irises began to spin even faster within the sclera.

Lord Crimson was moving too fast for him to register. So instead of following that speed, he could use the {Eye of Uncertainty} to determine his future position by factoring in his current position, speed, and acceleration.

BANG!

The sound of the clash created a shockwave that splintered the stone beneath their feet like it was made of rotten wood.

Cain was launched backward like a rag doll, blood leaking from his nose and mouth, while his hands looked to have been broken.

Despite his string vitality, his wounds seemed sluggish to heal.

"That is an ability I possess called {Heart Stealer}. Any wound dealt by me experiences a ninety percent decrease in regeneration."

'I see...' Cain struggled to rise to his feet.

'I messed up.' A torrent of blood poured out of his mouth again. He had severely underestimated his opponent. The difference between their strengths was like the difference between a pond and a sea.

"To think you would be able to block my strike. It has been years since that happened. Even more surprising is that you lived afterward." Lord Crimson spoke calmly and unrushed.

He took a step forward, then disappeared again.

'Crap.' Cain made to move again, but his injuries made it impossible for him to move.

Fortunately for him, he was saved by a semi-circular shield of light. Although the shield held for only a second. However, that was just the time Caunnneeded to get out of there.

Cain dashed towards Steve who wore a grim expression. Now that they knew what they were going to deal with, it was time to go.

"Leaving so soon after unjust got here? That would be deemed very rude according to the Royal Conduct."

Lord Crimson made a move again, appearing behind Cain and smashing his fist towards Cain's escaping back.

Cain let out a growl as he poured out all his mana...

Wings with feathers of fire blossomed into reality around him, while spinning halos of light enveloped the wings. Cain activated every defensive spell he had.

But they were smashed apart by Lord Crimson with a single blow.

Still, that gave Cain and Steve the chance they needed.

"Overdraw!"

"Spatial Jump!"

Steve cast a spell on Cain. It was a spell that allowed one to cast a spell again, regardless of whether the spell's cooldown hadn't expired or if one was lacking the mana to activate the spell.

Cain chose that moment to activate {Spatial Jump} again.

The cromson gauntlet kept falling, eventually smashing into the ground, leaving an enormous crated.

The two heretics were nowhere to be found...