God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Calmly playing with a curved dagger, Evangeline hummed as she muttered in a low voice,

"That certainly is risky. But then again, leaving them all to die would be a waste."

Cain nodded, his brows furrowed,

"There are plenty things to consider, chief amongst them being the distance between the two encampments. Making the journey isn't going to be as easy."

"Not only would we have to watch our for the hordes of Devils marching through the city, but there's also the random dens of Aether Creatures spawning everywhere." Evangeline said.

Then she sighed with a hesitant look on her delicate features,

"I've seen how much has changed our there over the past few months, and I will be honest, it isn't pretty."

She flipped the dagger in her hand, balancing the sharp tip on the tip of her index finger,

"The least of our worries are the new zombie variants. Some can shoot balls of liquid fire from their mouths, others are a walking ball of rot. They are evolving quickly, each one more gruesome and disturbing than the next."

Cain smiled grimly,

"I expected that much."

Evangeline gave him a small smile,

"The Devils and Aether Beasts are even worse. If you really want to see this through,then you have to know the potential dangers we will face."

Cain raised a brow,

"You plan on coming with?"

Evangeline shrugged, "What, you want me to stay here?"

Cain nodded seriously, "Quite frankly, I do. I plan on waiting for Hunter, Steve and the rest to ascend to the second Tier before attempting it. When the time comes, I'd like you to stay behind and keep an eye on things while we are gone."

Evangeline fell silent, her lips pursed in displeasure.

Cain fought back the urge to chuckle,

'So even she can feel dissatisfied.'

The {Shadow World} was paradox. It didn't really exist in the physical realm, but was rather a sub-realm of the physical world.

There were more than a few distinguishable characteristics that differed between the two.

One was the lack of any sort of ambient temperature changes.

It was always cold.

Below the freezing point cold in this place.

There were no winds, and if course, there was no sky up above.

In this world, there exists only shadows, shadows and shadows.

Evangeline leaned forward twirling the dagger between her fingers. The blade floated like a leaf, dancing between her dainty white fingers like it was being carried by the wind.

But there was no wind in a world of shadows...

"If you say so then. However, it's gonna cost you."

Cain grimaced,

"At this rate, you are going to take all my mana cores."

She shrugged, "You keep asking me for favors, so it's only right."

Cain chuckled dryly,

"Then how about I ask anotjer person. I'm sure you won't mind."

She snorted, "Who fi you think, in all fo Valestorm, has anything remotely similar to my handy plethora of skills and abilities?"

Cain thought about it.

In terms of espionage and secrecy, the only other person that came to mind, was Jenny.

But comparing they would be a stretch as although his favorite sniper was stealthy, she was nowhere near as good as Evangeline.

"Alright, fine."

Evangeline smiled smugly.

"Consider it done."

Cain nodded, "You probably would prefer working alone, but Susan and Jenny will also be staying behind to assist you."

Her mood suddenly shifted. Cain watched with trepidation as her demeanor calmed, beyond the point of being chilly, to outright frigid.

"And what is it that you are playing at?"

"Can down. You are over reacting—"

After spending some time reassuring her he had no ulterior motives, their conversation moved forward to the various topics from the state of the Golden Asura, to the internal conflicts within Valestorm.

Cain didn't know how long they had spoken, but he was able to glean a few rather insightful things.

For one, the Golden Asura he had created was a rather loose organization, it it could even be called that.

The part of Valestorm Gilead has given to them was rather run down as no construction work had been done there yet.

Although ilthe buildings were not infested with random Aether Creatures, that didn't mean living within them was comfortable. Still, it was better than sleeping under the dark, cold sky.

Luckily, he didn't personally need to do anything about this.

Getting building materials from the former Sandsea wasn't very difficult. But it was dangerous. Fortunately, most of the remnant creatures within that area were no match for the fighters and Hunters hardened by the cruelty of this new era.

The construction was going relatively smoothly.

'It might all be for nothing. This place might veyer well be completely destroyed by what is coming.'

Cain sighed and shook his head. He would rather not harbor such negative thoughts for now.

Cain lay down, resting his back on the flowing shadows.

Evangeline sat right next to him in silence.

It was not an awkward silence. Rather, it was a silence born from comfort and serenity.

It was soft and warm. A stark contrast to this cold world.

It gave him ample opportunity to dwell on his thoughts.

He closed his eyes.

And quietly circulated the Sunflame though his being.

But that wasn't the only thing he did.

He also gently activated his Ki plundering technique, pulling in vital energy to suffuse his body, strengthening it from the inside out.

Acquiring strength wasn't something that just happened. He not only needed constant improvement, he also needed to train and accumulate the power he already had, increasing their potency gradually.

To deal with the pestilence that was the Devils, he could not rely only on the power of his stats and magic.

He realized early on that the more weapons and skills and spells and abilities in his repertoire, the better he could respond to situations and calamity.

If one was not enough, then two could definitely get the job done. And if that didn't cut it, he would keep using everything he had until it was finally enough or he broke.

In his battle with the {Frost Sylph}, he had completely exhausted his reserves of Sunfire. Gathering that much took time, so he was going to make the most of his.

'Which reminds me... It has been a while since I paid a visit into the {Gate of Stars}.'

He frowned.

The {Gate of Stars} was a glorified portal into the spirit realm. One that could only be accessed by a spirit being.

It was a rather helpful tool as it allowed his spirit to travel to and fro.

While it wasn't exactly risk free, it was still very convenient.

And the rewards were rather wonderful.

Each 'Star' he encountered was packed full of high density, high purity mana that was impossible to encounter in most places in the physical world.

The mana he managed to siphon from each one was an individual trump card.

Raising the output and power of a spell or skill at crucial moments in a battle was incredibly useful, especially in a close battle where neither side had the advantage.

It has been incredibly useful to him.

Cain thought about it for a moment.

Then he stood up.

He turned to Evangeline, buts he stopped him before he could say anything,

"You have something important to do? Go along."

Cain nodded then raised a brow.

At some point, she had gone from wearing a light black tunic to being completely decked out in leather and plate armor.

The armor set was rather stylish with touches of violet and crimson accents that complimented her snow white skin and Ruby red eyes perfectly.

It was designed for comfort, durability and protection, with the glossy metallic plates situated at vital areas to protect organs and sensitive parts.

Turning to him, she smiled,

"Even if I can't make the journey with you, I am your best bet in scoping out the best path, right?"

Cain frowned, "That is dangerous."

She slowly stood up, her lithe body moving like a serpent.

Every move she made was slow yet quick, seductive, but deadly.

As wicked as poison, as sweet as nectar.

'Dangerous...'

Gently placing her dagger into its sheath, she walked forward and tapped his cheek,

"We all have to do our part. The burden of the world doesn't have to solely fall on your shoulders. You aren't a savior."

Cain frowned.

Her smile was tender, but cold,

"That being said, for some reason, you always seem to come out alive despite it all."

Cain let out a mirthful chuckle,

"I guess I'm lucky."

Or he truly couldn't die.

In that sense, he was just like a Devil.

Her crimson eyes wavered, almost like she was looking for something. Searching through his eyes into the depths of his soul.

Then she sighed,

"Be safe."

With that, she walked away into the shadows.

Cain hesitated for a while,

"You too."