God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 812: Devil Tree (1).

"Hm... I guess that is valid." Steve said, lightly tapping his chin with his index finger.

Cain let out a tired sigh,

"I guess so. In the end, all she wants to do is protect those sworn to her. I get it."

Steve glanced at Cain walking at his side.

He couldn't help but chuckle,

"You don't seem like you do. See? Your face is all scrunched up."

The creases in his brows deepened,

"Is that so..."

He was tempted to let out another sigh, but he didn't.

In the end, their visit to the Redscale Colony had ended in failure.

Sure, he had gotten to learn quite a few things and get a measure of how fast the other creatures that populated this world were evolving and changing.

But he had failed to accomplish the main reason for his visit.

'What do I do now?'

What he believed theyr really needed the most now, were fighters.

He was powerful, but even he would be helpless in the face of a hundred thousand Devils.

'At this rate, we can only rely on the other settlements in the City.'

He had thought getting Anathe to fight with him would be far easier and more feasible.

Never had he expected the ant queen would be so stubborn.

However, her stubbornness was within reason.

Ignoring the deaths that would occur, such a thing would bring about chaos and could very well destabilize the foundations of the empire she was building.

Any one with half a brain would think about it critically and come to the same decision as the ant queen.

Cain bit his nails,

'What to do... What to do...'

'There is still a bit of time left. I have to think of something.'

They had arrived at the former school facility grounds.

Tej entire place had changed significantly over the past few weeks.

The buildings that had stood the test of time had been completely refurbished into warehouses.

Humans and Beastkin alike scurried to and fro, most of them with weaker physiques and incompatible for combat.

However, they fought their battles in their own way.

Synthesizing of new magics, magic circles, runes, alchemy, and even creating new magic items happened here.

Steve had turned it into a hub of sorcery, in a sense.

Cain couldn't help but shake his head,

"I'm beyond impressed with what you've done with the place."

Steve shrugged, "The Mutant Creatures in the forest don't come here, so no one's scared for their lives. Besides..."

A strange smile appeared in his face,

"This place was once a school, wasn't it. Why not continue on where we left off. As tribute to those who have fallen along the way."

Cain's mood shifted.

He smiled lightly.

Steve shrugged, "Alrit, enough of that."

He turned to Cain with a grin as he violently rubbed his palms together,

"What do you have for me? Magic literature? Pieces of ancient technology? A new [Record of Akasha] volume?!"

Cain shook his head,

"No. Well, not right now at the very least. But I'm willing to contribute what I have at the moment."

Steve's enthusiasm burned to death almost immediately.

He clicked his tongue,

"And what would that be?"

Cain's smile turned a bit mischievous,

"Let's go somewhere more... private."

***

"Cain, you fricking liar! To think you'd have so many good stuff on you. Where did you find this one?!" Steve said with a boisterous laugh as he flipped through a bundle of manuscripts Cain handed to him.

Cain chuckled, not wanting to reveal too much,

"That's what I have for now. But you can expect more in the future."

Steve nodded, then carefully placed them into his inventory. A fire still burning in his eyes, he began pulling out various books and tomes from his inventory as well as a few strange items and a magic brush.

"As thanks for giving me so many good things, I thought I'd share one of my findings with you as well."

He grinned at him,

"Are you curious? Would you like to see the secrets I hold."

Cain couldn't help but chuckle,

"No, I'm not that curious."

Steve's expression immediately soured,

"What?! What do those words mean?!"

Cain put his hands in defense,

"Alright, I'm a bit curious."

Steve's scrunched up face relaxed a bit,

"That's better."

Then he cleared his throat as he handed Cain a big black tome,

"Here, take a look at this."

Cain frowned and took the book.

Written on the leather back in an ancient language, were a string of words which translated to,

"Black: On the Roots of the Profane."

Cain raised a brow,

"What is this?"

Steve grinned. With narrowed eyes, he leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table between them.

His voice dropped low, and his demeanor changed, becoming more mysterious,

"Well, this is a codex containing rather important information. Information on the nature of the Devil race."

Cain's brows shot up. Then he relaxed,

"While that information is important, I don't believe it is very rare."

Steve chuckled then shook his head, lightly tapping the inky black surface of the book,

"What's in here is anything but common."

Cain frowned, feeling a bit impatient,

"Then what is it? Whatever could be so special that I haven't heard before?"

"Specifically, the codex draws a tree. A tree of all possible evolutions of Devils. If that was all, then we wouldn't be here today. The tree begins at the very roots of the Devil race. Their origins. The Primordial Devils themselves, all the way down to the lowest gnats and imps."

Cain was surprised. He looked down at the book again.

The material used to make the black cover of the book was tough. He wouldn't be able to make a single tear on it even if he tried his hardest.

Clearly, it was of no normal make.

He couldn't help but stare at Steve deeply,

"How the hell did you get this?"

Steve grinned, "A magician never reveals his secrets."

Cain sighed tiredly. He felt envious and excited at the same time.

"I guess it doesn't matter now. But knowing the genealogy of the Devils won't do much, will it?"

Steve's grin turned wider,

"You are right. So, what if I tell you the codex also contains detailed characteristics of the traits of every generation from every possible branch listed within?"

Cain's eyes widened, "You mean..."

Steve expression turned serious,

"In war, I believe information is the most powerful weapon. Know yourself and your enemy, and you need not fear the outcome of a thousand battles."

Cain looked down at the inconspicuous black book,

"This is a real game changer."

Steve smiled smugly, "Right? I was waiting for the right time to give it to you. How do you like it?"

Cain nodded, a fire burning in his eyes,

"I love it. With this, we will have more information on the possible abilities and traits of whatever new additions our enemies will have."

Steve nodded, "Not just that, but we will know their weaknesses as well. Taking advantage of weaknesses is always fun."

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Cain nodded absent-mindedly as he slowly opened the codex.

On the first page was written, 'Devils' in bold.

His eyes quickly scanned through the first few pages.

"According to the book, there are no set 'types' of Devils." Steve said as Cain read.

"Rather, the Devils created are a result of the world they spawn upon."

*Devil's exist as a curse. A curse proclaimed upon all of reality. They are a force of nature, or rather a consequence nature is forced to bear simply for being."

"In a cold, dark, bleak place, the Devils that spawn forth are either born to assimilate to fit in to the environment, or they are born with with ability to terra form and change said environment. There exists also a special form of Devils that do not confirm to the previous two conditions. Rather, they become the antithesis of the world around them, causing it to break and collapse."

Cain let out a deep breath,

"It doesn't take a genius to figure all that out."

He lifted his index finger and pointed at a particular page,

"Devils exist that way because of the nature of Devil Essence itself. It is a perverse, profane power that changes reality at its core, turning it into something of a darker, more twisted form."

Steve nodded,

"That is indeed the case. And thanks to this nature, the Devil Tree is born."

Cain frowned, "But that wouldn't explain the existence of Devils like the Flame and Frost Devils."

Steve shook his head, "Oh, but it does. Take a look around you. There is an abundance of such elements that exists in this world."

Cain shrugged, "Sure there is. But those aren't the only elements, are they? So why haven't we met behemoth sized Devils that can wield the other elements to such extent."

Steve's expression darkened a bit,

"Just because we haven't seen them doesn't mean they do not exist."

Cain fell silent.

Indeed, he couldn't argue with such logic,

"When you put it that way..."

He shook his head, "Then what about the {Blade Devils}? The {Phantasm}? Are they the blueprints, or as the Devils analyse this world, will their spawn become more and more frightening?"

Steve sighed, "The more you read the codex, the more you will come to see. The Devil's are a highly complex race, and even this just touches upon the surface. But it will give you a better understanding of what they truly are. Hopefully... Even I have no idea what those things really are yet."

Cain hummed softly then continued to read...