God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 511: Sailing to the Horizon.

Cain's eyelids fluttered open...

The warmth beneath him almost caused him to let out a moan of satisfaction.

'Where am I?'

From the looks of it, he was in a barely furnished room, a cabin, on Gwendolyn.

But he couldn't remember how he had gotten here. What he could remember though...

Was that strange conversation with the Demon of Sorcery, Azazel.

Cain sat up, slowly. The weakness from having drained himself hadn't faded completely. It lingered at the back of his mind and in his bones like a bad memory.

He sighed. In the dim lighting of the cabin, he could see quite well. Stretching his palm open, he willed forth his power.

An inky black bubbling orb of Devil Essence poured forth, accompanied by tiny streaks and flashes of red lightning. It felt physical, almost like a solid object when he summoned it.

Cain narrowed his eyes, 'This truly doesn't feel like Devil Essence anymore. Well, it does, but doesn't at the same time. It's corruptive properties are gone. Not only that, but it doesn't seem as sinister anymore.'

That got him thinking... What exactly is Devil Essence?

It was strange...

In the universe, there was mana, soul energy, Ki, and Devil Essence. The first three were found in many creatures, and came in many types and variations.

Devil Essence in the other hand was a constant. It was neither here nor there. Sure, it could be used to achieve different effects, but there was truly only one form it could take.

But that had been proven false right now...

'If it isn't Devil Essence anymore, what should I call it?'

Studying the new energy from, he could tell there were more than few changes;

The nature of a Devil, is to be corrupted and to corrupt. The Essence of a Devil is what carries said corruption. Devil Essence in its raw state is almost like a miasma that affects the surrounding environment of a Devil. Like a mutagen...

The effects it has on living and non-living matter varies, but the one constant is now negatively it influencing and perverts them.

When it comes to attack potency, no other form of energy can compare.

This is mainly because it can also corrupt and erode other forms of energy. A true Devil can disintegrate a mana barrier by unleashing its Devil Essence fueled presence only.

Applying it to weapons or magical attacks also increases the effect and potency.

However, when it comes to defense, it is absolutely terrible. This is why Devils are born with innately powerful bodies. Their hard exoskeleton allows them to make use of their Devil Essence defensively.

Cain tried piercing through this orb of Devil Essence with a bullet of mana formed in his hand.

To his surprise, the bullet was torn apart and swallowed by the mana, leaving no trace.

He paled,

'This energy does not corrode. Rather, it devours.'

This was a rather frightening observation.

He was sure there were many other strange things about this energy that he had yet to discover.

"For now, I'll call it... Demon Matter."

Nodding to himself at his wonderful naming sense, Cain dismissed the energy blob and checked through his status screen.

***

Name: {Cain Lenosi}

Level: 104.

Strength: 12,074.

Agility: 13,434.

Stamina: 4,000/9,289.

Vitality: 9,727.

Defense: 9,115.

Control: 807.2..

Perception: 821.4.

HP: 50,000/130,200.

MP: 140,000/140,000.

Magic: 17,012.

Ki: 401,790.

Spirit: 10,100.

Resistance: Poison- 90%. Fire- 140%. Lightning- 50%. Ice- 90%.

Skills: Burning Spirit, Burst Step, Divine Essense of Metallurgy, Blood Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Intermediate Seal, Devil Eye: Eye of Clairvoyance, Elemental Body, Spirit Sense, Black Dragon of the Crimson Sky, Gravity Defying, Nexus Tether, Golden Wyrm: Asura, Beginner Mage, Neophyte Blacksmith, Red Shift.

Spells: Infernal Celestial Arts: {Flame Orbs, Imploding Star, Vampiric Star}, Infernal Wings, Wind Weaver, Summon: Soul Deity of Darkness, Blue Lightning, Spatial Jump, Golden Halo, Falling Stars of Orion, Frozen Paths, Frost Temple, Poison Arrows, Flames of Darkness.

Abilities: Elemental Vault, Ki Fire, Fiend Counter.

Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer's Mind, Blessed by Mana, Pioneer, Devil Hunter, Loved by the Spirits.

Free attribute points: 10,060.

System Points: 3,771,800.

{Inventory}. {Shop}

***

Cain let out a deep breath.

'Nothing seems out of order.'

Which was a good thing. While he hadn't fully recovered, he wasn't any worse than before.

In fact, his mana pool seemed up have increased by a fair amount.

'Could overexerting myself actually be a good thing?' While stats do increase of you physically train them up, it was still unsure if magic worked the same way.

He stood up from the bed and looked down at himself. He was already dressed in fresh linen clothing that could be purchased from the system. A simple long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black trousers.

Thinking about the process that would it would have taken for him to be clothed right now, a slight blush crept up his cheeks. He sighed, wondering who it was that had changed him into these new clothes.

'Whoever it is, I can only offer them my gratitude.'

Summoning only the boots of his armor, he walked out of the cabin.

The moment he stepped out, he was greeted with a familiar face.

"Haru..."

The talkative Beastman that he had had assist him in crafting weapons and ammunition.

"B-boss?! You're awake?!" His eyes went wide as he stared at Cain. Then an excited sparkle appeared.

"This is great news! I'll go tell Hunter!"

Before he could run off, Cain put his hands on his shoulders, stopping him in place.

'Where the hell are you running off to?! How old do you think you are?'

Cain cleared his throat, "What happened after I fell unconscious, and how long have I been out?"

Haru smiled warmly,

"After the battle, we were able to escape, although the Western island was completely destroyed."

"After that, we went back to the central island to pick up everyone we left back there. Then we took a detour to the Eastern Island, and then the North. Apparently, there are some people that were left on the Eastern island, so the ship sailed there."

Cain frowned...

'I didn't order any of that?'

Then he thought about it some more. According to the description of the ship, it followed its owners desires. Meaning if he wanted to die, the ship would find a way to make that happen.

'Could it be...'

That the ship had read his desires while he had been unconscious? That had to be the case.

"Hmm... Alright then." Cain said as he let him go.

Haru straightened his clothes.

"You've been out for five days in total."

Cain's brows shot up, "Five days?!"

Haru nodded, "Right now, the ship has been floating in the same spot for the past two days. No one knows why, and the rest of the higher-ups refuse to say anything. A few people are worried that we might have been caught by a large Sea creature again."

Cain was a bit amused by this,

"Is that so..."

Haru nodded vigorously, "It is! Apparently, ut is shaped like a giant worm, and has been following under the ship for some time. I haven't seen it, but a few people swear they have!"

'Could it be who I think it is?'

Seeing no need to correct the misunderstanding, Cain simply chuckled and moved on. Haru followed right behind him.

"You waking up is wonderful news. Everyone has been worried sick."

Cain was a bit surprised, "Everyone? Who do you mean by everyone?"

Haru gave him a strange look, "Boss, you saved the lives of us all. It would be strange if we weren't worried about your well-being. Especially after all that."

Cain hummed, but didn't say more.

Then, Haru continued, his tone a bit dark,

"However, there are a few people saying you might be a Devil disguised as a human."

Cain stopped in his tracks.

Haru waved his hands wildly, "Of course, I would never believe such obvious lies, Boss! Those spreading such rumors can only be senseless fools that are jealous because they are weak."

Cain shook his head, a small smile on the corner of his lips,

"That's alright. No need to explain further. How far did you think we've sailed from the Central Island?"

Haru thought about it for a while,

"Considering we passed by the Central Island three days ago, and we've spend two days stuck here... I have no clue."

Feeling the urge to smack him in the face, Cain sighed and continued to walk forward.

Eventually, they arrived on the rather lively deck...

There were a bunch of people on there, a mixture of those that they had brought from the Northern Island, the Beastmen from the Central Island, as well as those from the Eastern and Western Islands.

Most of them attended to vital repairs that needed to be done on the ship, while iyher assisted.

"Tie that up and take this to the-"

Hunter and Steve stood there, giving out instructions and observing.

Hunter, midway through a sentence, spotted two people arrive on the deck. Turning around, he stared at Cain who stared back at him with a slight smile on his face.

"You look good for someone that was bedridden for five days." Hunter said after a few seconds of silence.

Cain chuckled, "What did you expect I'd look like?"

Steve took a step forward, a sly smile on his face, "Like a corpse or something..."

Cain snorted, "Forget about all that. Where's everyone else?"

Hunter spoke up, "Exploring the ship."

Steve laughed, "This ship is absolutely massive. There are so many facilities and rooms as well. There's an alchemist workshop, a magic workshop, and even Training grounds. Vince has been pulling his own hairs out over why he had to make such a trade. Haha!"

Cain let out a wry laugh.

"We've been exploring the ship over the past two days, but we haven't uncovered all its secrets yet. There's one thing for sure though... We have no idea where the engine room is. How does this thing run?"

Cain shook his head, "I don't know. I'd have to ask it."

Steve and Hunter exchanged weird glances.

Cain laughed, "Enough of that..." He said as he walked towards the railing on the deck.

Leaning against it, he let out a sigh.

"You seem different somehow." Steve said, staring at his back with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Hm? How so?" Cain said, turning around.

The wind played with strands of his long hair, whipping them against his cheeks and neck.

Steve hesitated, "Like you've found something."

Hunter nodded as well, "Did you meet n angel oflr something when you fell unconscious?"

Cain let out a loud laugh, drawing the attention of everyone on the deck. Most hadn't noticed him until this moment.

Excited whispering floated amongst the crowd as they stared at him, strange emotions in their eyes.

Admiration... Appreciation... Cain couldn't tell.

He turned back to face the ocean,

"I can't say I've truly found something. Maybe I have, but I'm just not aware yet. Who knows..."

His eyes became a bit solemn, "

What I do know, is that I've never felt as I have now. Surviving with you guys, constantly living on the edge of the knife, battling against fearsome and terrifying creatures everyday. Who would have thought we'd get to do all this in our lifetimes?"

Steve chuckled, "That's very... romantic, I guess..."

Cain shook his head, "I mean it. I don't usually care about others, but I'd rather sacrifice my life than love it any other way."

Steve and Hunter were a bit stumped.

Steve scratched his head, "What the hell are you saying, always so serious..."

Cain chuckled, "You're right. Enough with the serious talk."

Spinning in his heels, he spotted a wide smile,

"Then how about this... Tonight, let's celebrate!"

Hunter frowned, "I don't do well at events."

Cain ignored him, "We can eat and drink until we faint, or something. Who cares. Let's just throw one big celebration!"

Steve laughed, "And what will we be celebrating?"

Cain spoke with a grin, "What else?"

He turned and stared into the horizon, where the grey sky met the dark sea,

"Let's celebrate our terrible fates, and our uncertain futures..."