God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Pride...

An attribute of conceit.

The mother of ego.

A glorious killer, some might call it.

And its only justification, was possession of something desired by all;

The ability to stand over everything.

Any being with power of others was destined to find their hearts infested with this thing in due time.

And it will faster and grow...

Until it was controlled.

Or it consumed the creature whole.

Carrion had always been above others.

Even before the apocalypse.

As the heir to the Ravenwood family, he had been destined for great things.

Then the world had been destroyed.

Their industries and ports were razed to the ground and the rest of his family was either torn apart, or succumbed to the devilish corruption.

In just a few days, everything that had been built crumbled to the ground.

Madness. Despair. Hatred, Fury.

They burned within him, consuming him slowly.

But that was when he realized.

He was one of the lucky ones that had been blessed with access to the system.

He could accumulate the power he needed to revive the Ravenwood house.

The glory of his family wasn't dead so long as he was alive!

But that wasn't all.

'Why stop there?' He thought to himself.

Instead of settling at reviving his household, he might as well become powerful enough to rule the world.

There were no laws, nor was there any government to stop him.

As long as he became powerful enough, he could become the law. He could become the government the people bowed to.

With veins flowing with pride, he had decided that was his destiny.

So why...

Why?

Why?!

WHY?!

'Why am I lying at this bastard's feet?!'

The mansion he had for himself in this post-apocalyptic world had been reduced to smoldering rubble in a split second.

There was nothing left.

Suze had her entire chest blasted open, her organs spilled onto the ground and her glassy eyes wide open staring at the dark sky.

He had also suffered grievous wounds himself.

His left had hand been turned to mush mixed in with the scrap metal his sword had become.

The pain shot into his brain like bullets, making him wish for death.

Bloody saliva pouring out of his mouth, he stared up with bloodshot eyes,

"You bastard!" He roared.

He looked around the courtyard.

The sounds of battle reaching his ears told him that his men were being slaughtered brutally. If they weren't, then the battle should have been over a long time ago.

"Damn it." Arde groaned as he pushed his way out of the rubble.

He had managed to protect himself, Lily and Micah at just the last moment.

If he had been even a second late, their fates could have been different.

He called out,

"Lord Carrion are you alive?!"

Carrion hoarsely called out,

"I—"

Before the words could escape from his throat, something slammed into his face, causing him to see black.

He let out a scream as he tumbled to the side, blood streaming down his head.

Cain coldly declared,

"He won't be alive for long."

Arde finally managed to stand up. His swimming vision cleared and the dust and smoke no longer bared him from seeing the destruction that has been wrought.

He shook,

'What is this?'

He looked at Cain.

Like a being of terror, he stood over Carrion, his blade stabbed into the ground beside him. His gauntleted fists were covered in blood

Carrion lay in a bloody heap on the ground, clutching the side of his face.

Arde slowly calmed his breath. He made a hand seal with the hand hidden away from Cain's line of sight.

"Cain, please stop." Arde pleaded calmly.

Cain didn't spare him a glance,

"Why would I?" He said calmly.

"I am simply cleansing the world of a tumor."

Arde shook his head,

"I have met many cold-blooded killers in my life. I have witnessed cruel murders, plenty of which I myself am guilty of."

He winced, forming another hand sign subtly as he spoke,

"I can tell you are not a killer, Cain. You've spared two lives already, haven't you?"

Underneath his visor, Cain frowned,

'{Soul Sever} has worn out already?'

From an observer's point of view, Cain had indeed killed both Micah and Suze.

However, that was not quite accurate.

Although he had wounded them badly, almost to the point of death even, he had not outright killed them. Instead, just before launching the near fatal attack, he had activated {Soul Sever}, forcing their souls out of their bodies.

This way, it appeared as though he had killed them..

Why did he do this?

He wasn't too sure himself.

However...

"Looks like I've been caught. However, make no mistake. The reason they aren't dead yet, is because they didn't swing the swords themselves. That is why I am willing to show mercy."

He nudged Carrion with his feet.

"But not this one. This one is guilty for all the sins and more. Leaving something like him to fester would be a terrible fate to mankind's future in this world." Cain said coldly.

Arde frowned, "And who are you to decide that?! Perhaps I misjudged you, Cain."

Cain nodded, "Indeed. You misjudged me. I am no killer. I take no joy in spilling human blood. But..."

He turned his head,

"But I am also this world's Messiah. I am it's savior. And that means I must also bear the burden of removing cancerous growths like this. Those with absurd dreams of self-fulfilment, just like this idiot, and the idiots before him, and the idiots after him..."

His eyes widened,

"I'll kill them all!"

He gripped the handle of the {Lonely Dragon} Warblade, prepared to finish it all.

"Do it now!"

Carrion's head snapped up as he roared out.

Cain immediately sensed something amiss.

However, it was already too late.

Arde made the final hand sign.

Cain felt the world around him rumble.

He looked down.

Eyes filled with hate, malice, fury, contentment, floating, and mirth.

They glared up at him.

Cain watched in amazement as all the wounds on Carrion's body were healed and the glow surrounded him intensified, turning a deep gold, the same color as his beautiful locks of hair.

Cain tried to move, but realized he couldn't move at all.

Arde let out a relieved sigh.

Carrion roared with laughter.

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! The plan worked as expected, Arde! Well done!"

Arde chuckled softly,

"It was indeed a close call, Lord Carrion. This one is a stubborn one."

Carrion turned back to Cain, and sneered,

"You think you're so strong, don't you? Unfortunately for you, countless beasts stronger than you are have been felled by me. Luckily, you aren't much smarter than a beast yourself."

Cain said nothing. Or rather, he couldn't.

"A spell of stagnancy. It freezes the body, spirit and soul completely and weakenes defenses drastically. Even the strongest of creatures can be felled if they are rendered unable to move." Suze muttered as she slowly rose to her feet.

Her torn chest was slowly being sewn back together with the burns on her skin healing quickly as well.

Glaring at Cain murderously, she grit her teeth,

"That hurt, bastard."

Carrion had a wide grin on his face. He truly was excited.

It didn't matter what methods he used, as long as he was victorious, then that's all that mattered.

"You walk into a trap so confidently? Who's the idiot now?" Carrion said mockingly.

Arde frowned and called out,

"Although we have him apprehended now, it is best to keep your distance."

Carrion cracked his neck,

"No. I'd like to have some fun with him first." He licked his lips, a vicious light flashing through his eyes.

"No, I want to cut him down first! I'll have both of his arms cut off!" Micah roared.

His arms had been miraculously restored. He had veins bulging on his head and back as he walked forward viciously.

Arde called him back, but his calls fell on deaf ears.

Carrion chuckled then turned back to face Cain,

"The last time we used this, it was on a powerful beast with the blood of a dragon. It was a powerful creature, but it could only be cut apart— slowly, whilst its heart still pumped blood. That is your fate."

Vicious, wicked killers they were.

There was no compassion in their hearts.

Cain felt his mind float away for a moment.

Killing beasts was never the same as killing another human.

Not only was it fundamentally different, it also felt different.

The feeling of his blade sinking in and cutting through the flesh and bones of a beast was different from when it took the life of a human.

The day he felt no difference was the day he had abandoned his humanity.

The people in front of him had long since abandoned theirs.

This was the true face of the what the world was turning into.

Of what the world had become.

He sighed.

The sound of something wet and heavy hitting the ground was heard.

Carrion felt something hot splash against his cheek.

He frowned, then turned to the side,

"What was tha—"

His eyes widened.

Cain calmly straightened his posture,

"I am many things. But a beast is not one of them. A trap made for a beast cannot hold me."

Then he sighed,

"I planned on showing mercy today. It has been used up."

He calmly raised his blade.

The world darkened, turning pitch black as he let the demonic energy within him fly unfettered.

Suze's headless body fell to the ground with a wet thud.

Arde felt all the blood in his body dry up.

His eyes widened till they almost popped out. A terrible fear filled him up. He could heal severed limbs, and even regrow entire organs with his magic. But he couldn't heal a severed head.

That means Suze was truly dead this time.

"How did you..."

Cain answered him, "Your spell is rather similar to my {Seal} skill. However, mine is far superior."

He turned to Carrion and smoke slowly and coldly,

"There was never a chance of your victory. Traps, trickery, deception, all of that matters none in the face of absolute power."

He paused for a moment, then shook his head,

"This has gone on for a while now. Let us end this..."