God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The change in terrain, the survivability of the warriors, the state of morale, the capabilities of the enemies...

One must be able to grasp all of that at once and create an action, or produce a suitable reaction to every change on the battlefield.

"Close the shields! Don\'t let them get close! Spears, out!" Cain spoke, his voice travelling directly into the ears of all the people present.

Most of them managed to make adjustments in time, while those who didn\'t quickly became victims and were torn to death.

Once everyone was huddled together, it was only a matter of fortifications...

Without needing to chant, Cain summonwd {Wilted Tear} and cast a spell. A layer of golden energy comprising of numerous magic circles encased itself around the shields, the magic circles rotating at a constant rate.

This was a new application of {Golden Halo}. This way, their overall defenses were greatly boosted.

Although he would have liked to help more, this was all he could do if he wanted to preserve his energy for the big guns.

Switching {Wilted Tear} with {Maelstrom}, he quickly took aim and began firing into the battalion of {Redscale Soldiers}, sniping those standing above the crowd.

Due to their numbers and the limited amount of space, most of the {Redscale Soldiers} couldn\'t attack them with their small numbers. This meant they were sitting ducks ripe for the picking.

Sucking in a deep breath, Cain pulled back on the bowstring. Every time, an arrow of condensed water elemental energy would form, firing into the army of red.

These creatures possessed incredible defenses, but ultimately, they were still Tierless. How could they stop the intentions of a Tier 1 being.

As such, Cain, helped by Ignis, was able to maintain the status quo on this side of the battlefield.

A strange feeling gripped at him all of a sudden.

Cain frowned, \'Something isn\'t right.\'

The battle was supposed to be harder than this. From a moment ago, he could tell that these creatures weren\'t attacking them with all they had.

"Everyone, spread out. Shields, barrel through!" Sensing something off, Cain was overcome with a sense of urgency.

As though to prove his worries right, a sudden feeling of danger enveloped him from behind.

Without even waiting to register what it might be, a layer of tar-like substance poured out from the depths of his being and onto his arms, radiating a malevolent energy. It was lined with streaks of dark-violet veins, making them look as though they absolutely couldn\'t belong to a human.

Dismissing {Wilted Tear}, he summoned the {Scale of the Abyssal Flame} and swung backward.

Piercing through the backs of three Beastmen before reaching him was a javelin made of bone.

Smashing forward with his weapon, Cain managed to shear it cleanly in two at the dead center.

"Fuck!" His face turned dark.

"Behind us!" Someone yelled like a banshee.

Cain yelled through gritted teeth, "Don\'t panic! Focus on clearing a path through, all of you!"

Without waiting for them to say anything, he charged forward.

The trees lining the forest shook and rustled as a whole horde of {Redscale Soldiers} poured out, charging at their rear side.

Cain scowled, \'I didn\'t even notice.\'

As it turned out, these creatures had managed to encircle them completely before they even suspected it.

They had lulled them into a false sense of security for a brief moment, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike.

"Fuck."

Although it was a bitter pill to swallow, Cain had to admit that he had almost fallen victim to the scheme.

But, it wasn\'t cause for too much concern...

"Fallen Stars of Orion."

Switching the {Scale of the Abyssal Flame} with {Platinum Genesis}, Cain chanted the name of a spell.

Sparkling into existence, forty-nine hiltless star-tipped blades spawned all around him, rotating at different altitudes and speeds.

Cain accelerated from zero to a hundred in less than a few seconds, racing straight for the {Redscale Soldiers} charging at them.

One of the reasons he wasn\'t very worried, was his confidence in himself and his abilities.

Tilting his blade slightly, such that it rested at an inclined angle, Cain slashed forward. The Demon Matter coating his arms flowed from his arms into the hilt of the blade, turning the silver coloured blade black with hints of crimson lightning flowing off of it.

Activating the skill attached to the weapon, {Mana Blade EX}, Cain released a crescent of condensed mana and cutting intent into the horde.

The crescent slashed forward, cutting through three mutant creatures all at once. Their bodily fluids sprayed out in all directions, drenching their nearby compatriots. Despite the ghastly scene, the rest paid it no mind and dashed forward.

Grittimg his teeth, Cain let out a muffled roar as his muscles and veins bulged. His hands turned into a blur as he sent crescent blade after crescent blade flying.

Many of the {Redscale Soldiers} were cut to pieces, but a lot of them managed to survive, dashing at Cain with their claws and blades appendages stretched.

One of them managed to get close enough to lunge forward, stabbing at him. Cain parried with the flat side of his blade. Pulling the creature closer, he tossed it over his shoulder and slammed it into the ground.

Still holding the hand, he dragged it across the ground and threw it at a group of rushing {Redscale Soldiers}, sending them toppling to the ground.

He had managed to stop their momentum for now, but it was only a matter of time before he was pushed back.

Cain\'s eyes narrowed. He was prepared to bring out the big guns if necessary. Besides, he knew for a fact that there was possibly a much stronger creature still hiding in the forest.

For one, the bone javelin that had been shot at him possessed far too much power for it to have been flung by a normal creature.

For what it is worth, Cain prided himself in having extraordinary physical stats. But even he was rather shaking by the javelin. Had it not been for the three lives that had been sacrificed, he might have been in serious trouble with that one.

His left eye immediately took on a white shade,

\'Eye of Clairvoyance.\'

Using {Fallen Stars of Orion} to shuttle from place to place, he cut through the tide of Mutant Creatures. With this ability, it was impossible for them to lock him in place. To do so, they would have to simultaneously lock down, or destroy all forty-nine blades summoned, which was rather easier said than done.

As such, the battle continued on three ends, with Blade and Manny, alongside half of their forces fighting on the right wing of the battlefield, and Ignis fighting on the left with the other half. Cain was right behind, trying to prevent them from being completely encircled.

\'Still no luck. Just where is that bastard?!\'

Even after using his {Eye of Clairvoyance} to search his vicinity, Cain was unable to locate the creature that was attacking him. Leaving it be could have terrible consequences after all.

If it wanted to pick them off one by one, it would have no problems doing so. To prevent that, Cain had to locate and dispose of it as fast as possible.

Cain\'s pupils suddenly contacted. With the help of {Eye of Clairvoyance}, he was able to sense the slight distortions in airflow before it was too late.

"Oh, no you don\'t!"

Shuttling through the {Fallen Stars of Orion}, he switched places with one of the speeding blades just in time to cut down a bone spear aimed at the forehead of one of the Beastmen fighters. Falling to his buttocks, the man scrambled backwards.

Cain was pushed back a few meters, his hands trembling from the force transmitted through the javelin.

"Son of a bitch!" Cain cursed quietly.

Glancing down at the man who looked as though he had just seen ever single ancestor in his lineage for a split second, Cain couldn\'t help but be worried,

"Are you okay?"

"I... I... am... good."

Shaking his head, Cain turned to face the direction the attack came from.

\'Now that I know the general direction, perhaps I might be able to pinpoint its exact location.\'

Then it hit him...

He had no way of launching an attack so far out.

His range was incredible for a swordsman, perhaps even too incredible. However, most of his spells didn\'t have a range as wide as his {Eye of Clairvoyance}. The only exception to this was the {Heavenly Blue Lightning} spell.

If he wanted to end this charade, he would have to bring the fight closer.

\'How do I get him to come out?\'

There were numerous ways to do that. For one, he could try provoking it. From what he could tell, this thing probably has human emotions. Their sense of camaraderie was far from optimal, but that didn\'t mean if was absent. The fact that they were capable of coordinating joint attacks was impressive.

This meant they were far from mindless beasts.

And so, perhaps they could been goaded, provoked...

\'But what should I do? I\'ve killed hundreds of them by now and he has yet to make a move...\'

Lost in the slaughter, Cain allowed his mind to drift. Stabbing through three {Redscale Soldiers} at once, he paused for a moment.

\'Redscale Soldiers... Insects... Ants... They do look like ants in a way. They even act like them. If so, what behavioral patterns can I exploit here?

For one, they don\'t seem to be against sacrificing their lives. Could it be that they are being controlled?\'

Cain dodged a blades forearm headed for his neck with a timely flip. Extending his arm, a hiltless blade flew into his grasp. Twisting his body midair, he plunged the blade into the eye socket of a {Redscale Soldier} turning its brain into mush.

Realization hit him suddenly...

\'All ants live in a colony, and in their nests, the thing they will all try to protect, in the evemt of an invasion...\'

A nasty grin split across his face...

"The Queen, huh..."

Dodging back, Cain\'s movements suddenly changed. He abruptly turned around, and ran.

He ran towards one of the entrances to the huge catacomb-like structure these {Redscale Soldiers} were building.

As of on que, a terrifying presence revealed itself and shot out of the forest like a missile.

Cain\'s grin became even wider,

"Got you."

Forcing his body to a halt, he snapped back like a freshly released bowstring and swung his sword.

A loud clang rang through the battlefield as both creatures engaged one another for the first time in the battle.

Staring at the absolute monstrosity of a creature staring down at him with rage filled eyes, Cain found it hard to suppress his grin.

"Why so shy? Let\'s have a little talk, shall we?"