God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 659: Fine Line Between Proficiency and Brute Force.

'What does it take to kill a god?'

Was it pure strength, or was it incredible cunning?

Cain wasn't too sure about the first one, and he definitely knew he couldn't outsmart his way out of this one. The best he could do was buy himself some time as he was doing now.

He had teleported deep into the mountains where he had fainted after fighting for so long before he was caught my Azazel and taken into his underground forge and workshop.

The mountain range was wide, spanning several kilometers. The mountains themselves were huge, some of them remnants of active volcanoes, ash still littering their caps.

With {Dark Cloak} activated, the probability of him being spotted by the inhabitants of this world, and his pursuant, was less.

Cain calmed his beating heart,

'Spells like {Supernova} and {Heavenly Blue Lightning} are powerful, but the chances of them meeting their mark is low. Even worse, as a Celestial, it is all but expected for him to possess incredible resistance to the elements. They might not work.'

Cain frowned, 'The best choice I can make it to land a good attack in with as much Demon Matter as I have.'

Demon Matter was the most effective energy source he possessed, mostly because there was nothing like it in all of existence, so he doubted Balangol would have a way to negate its effects.

If that was the case, then it all came down to quantity.

If the quality of the energy was enough, then he would need a ton of it if he wanted to overpower a literal god. There was no other way to go about it.

However, what would be the consequences of unleashing that sort of power from his body?

'I could die...'

But it was still a fate better than being killed. At least he would die on his own terms.

'But how do I raise the amount of Demon Matter I have in such a short time?'

Demon Matter was a strange mutation of Devil Essence that only he could access.

During the battle with Kaelin, he had recovered all his energy, including his Demon Matter, thanks to that star of radiant energy.

He opened his status screen and scrolled down to a certain corner he didn't really visit all too much.

Most of the time, thanks to his own incredibly deep pools of mana and Ki, he didn't need to worry about his energy costs all that much, so he didn't care to monitor it.

Now, he had no other choice, as mana and Ki weren't going to cut it here.

***

{Fiend Counter: 100/100}.

***

'The amount of Demon Matter I currently have is hundred units. Just enough to coat an entire army.'

Cain frowned, 'It's not nearly enough. I need ten times as much to even stand a chance.'

Things were looking bleak.

He expected Balangol to find him any moment from now.

If he didn't figure something out, he was done.

'Come on, think! How can I raise the amount of Demon Matter I have?'

A voice suddenly whispered into his ear,

"Embrace your Demon nature."

He spun around, his hands already balled up, ready to pull his sword out of his inventory.

He frowned and whispered,

"Azazel?"

The voice wormed into his mind again,

"Embrace your true self."

Cain raised a brow, "My true self?"

No matter where he looked, he couldn't see or sense the Demon. However, he could hear him very clearly in his mind.

Azazel chuckled,

"Cain, what do you think a Demon is?"

Cain paused for a moment, "Now isn't the time for a lecture, is it?"

Azazel sighed. When he spoke, his words were mixed with mirth,

"Demons are nature's personal abominations. The Devils are abominations created my the Nomad, but you... And me, we are freaks of nature. Beings that shouldn't exist."

Azazel chuckled,

"Any creature with a hint of Devilish bloodline is considered a Demon. Although we aren't Devils, we aren't very far off either. However, there is something that makes us stand out."

Cain felt the earth beneath his feet rumble.

The mountains shook, and tenebrous lightning struck from the muddy skies overhead.

"What is goin on?!"

"Listen we'll, Cain. Your power is something special. So special, in fact, that it can reach the heart of beings that death should not be able to defeat. If you want to win this battle, you need to embrace it."

Azazel's words resounded in his mind,

"Remember, you are not a human anymore. You are a Demon. You might have been born one, but your blood has been tainted with the scourge of the Devils. In the future, it might be hard for you, but today, it is what will save your life."

Cain was silent for a moment, then he looked up at the sky,

"This Demon Matter, can you use it as well?"

He heard Azazel's voice again,

"No. And I doubt there is any other being in this universe that can. I also believe this is not its finally state. I believe it can become much more fearsome."

Cain chuckled, "Is that so..."

His eyes turned hard and cold,

"Then I definitely cannot afford to die here."

He paused for a moment then asked,

"Where is Balangol?"

Azazel chuckled, "I threw him off your scent to buy you some time. You have at most ten more minutes before he finds you."

Cain's face paled,

"It is a Celestial we are dealing with here after all. Still, that's plenty time."

He then smiled wryly, "And here I was thinking you'd abandon me. You aren't such a heartless bastard after all."

Azazel guffawed,

"Make no meaning of it. This is all for my own purpose. It pays me nothing to see you die meaninglessly, although you might die today. It all lies in your hands in the end."

Cain chuckled, then inhaled deeply.

'Embeace my Demon nature, huh...'

The fact that he could no longer be considered human stung quite a bit. But he wasn't bothered all that much.

Hunter and the Beastmen had their physical appearances change so much, yet, in their hearts, they were human still. Nothing had truly changed.

He exhaled all the breath out of his lungs.

'Devil Wyrm.'

The Demon Matter slowly pervaded his body.

Demon Matter could be used in two ways. One to transform, and two to augment.

He could use it to augment a single part of his body, or even a weapon, or he could choose to transform into the {Devil Wyrm: Asura} form.

Cain chose the latter.

Slowly, his body began to change. Horns jutted out of his temples, and a large tail sprouted from his tail bone.

Claws grew as his fingernails elongated, and his canine teeth turned into sharp white fangs.

His skin turned from a healthy shade of tan to a series of deep black scales with crimson cracks running all over.

His eyes were like luminous fragments of a shattered star, and his hair flowed down his back luke a pitch-black river.

He looked every bit a Demon, although not as pretty as Azazel.

This form was majestic, and exuded a rich aura of tenebrous power, like a lonesome dragon soaring through crimson skies.

"Good. In this state, you should be able to create as much of that strange energy as you want." Azazel's voice said into his head.

Cain spoke, his voice hoarse, yet rumbling like thunder,

"It is difficult to stay like this without losing my mind. That's why I don't like using it that much."

The difference between the {Devil Wyrm: Asura} and that strange state that consumed him was not a lot. It was a thin line just waiting to be broken.

He still was yet to master this delicate balance, so making use of the power of the Devil Wyrm was a risk, mostly to himself.

When he lost himself to the power, it was like his entire being was consumed and he lost his identity.

He became not a man, but a rabid beast. To him, losing his wits was an extremely dangerous thing.

And yet, what made it even more frightening, was that he didn't lose his wits. Rather, his wits were transferred over to that being that took control over his body.

What he feared the most, was that that being would refuse to return ownership to his body's rightful owner one day.

It was even scarier than dying. At least he had died a couple times already...

Cain sighed internally and focused.

It was indeed as Azazel had said.

When he looked into his spirit, he could see it there; a massive ball of smoldering darkness constantly growing by slight increments.

If he had to guess, this would be the Demon Matter...

Since it was similar to Devil Essence, then the manner at which he could acquire more should be the same as well.

He had heard from the system so many times how Devil Essence was created.

It was an energy source that came from the Devil itself, fueled by itself own malice and evil soul.

An energy of corruption brought to life, its purpose only to rot and consume.

'Then Demon Matter should be similar.'

He thought back to that moment when he had discovered this strange energy.

'It doesn't just corrode. Rather, it devours. It devours all!'

The power of Devil Essence was based on corrosion and corruption.

Demon Matter on the other hand, was consumption.

It devoured other forms of energy and matter, turning it into Demon Matter as well.

There was silence in this world of smog and ash. The brown skies overhead was like a giant bowl of sandy water.

The humid atmosphere was perfect for some creatures, and absolutely horrendous for others.

It was a world, desolate, yet teeming with life.

Then the world shook...

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Deep underground, a certain demon wore a bright smile on his face.

Azazel chuckled,

"Looks like you finally figured it out. Things should get very interesting from here on out."