God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.
Chapter 953 953: Sword Dance with the Rain.

He had been making use of swords for a long time now.

The {Bloody Katana}, the {Devil's Broken Claws}, and of course, the {Scale of the Abyssal Flame}...

Each and every one of them had been good weapons, serving him faithfully.

However, they all were different weapons fundamentals.

The {Devil's Broken Claws} were even dual weapons.

So far, {Eidwyrm} was the weapon he had used for the longest.

It was also the weapon he felt closest to, maybe because it was the only weapon he had personally forged.

In any case, the weapon had its pros and cons.

Taking a stance, Cain readied his mind and body.

His muscles tensed as he slowly brought the sword down into a chop.

Because of its side, {Eidwyrm} was both a defensive and offensive weapon.

When mowing through hordes of enemies, not only did it keep him safe by allowing him to zone out incoming attacks, it also let him parry and block efficiently.

Combined with the booster defensive capabilities of the metal enchantment of {Burning Spirit}, he could become a defensive monolith in a battlefield.

Its greatest downside, however, was its size and weight.

Because of how large it was, he couldn't really make use of it in tight spaces.

And regardless of how strong it was, the truth was that there was no way he would be able to swing it faster than a lighter weapon.

In battles that balanced on the edge of nanoseconds, even the smallest of differences tended to shine brightly.

For what was to come, he had to be prepared.

A few dark clouds began to gather in the sky above.

Cain seemed to remain oblivious to this.

Instead, he swung his sword again.

This time, in a single diagonal stroke.

The weight of the blade helped him to apply extra force. Force that was critical for breaking through armor.

In fact, the exoskeletal armor of most Devils was difficult to pierce through.

Bludgeoning them to death was one way to do it, but with {Eidwyrm} he could cut through them easily.

The down side of this, was that against quicker opponents, his strikes would have to be better placed and far more accurate if he wanted any chance of actually hit them.

Ever since that final battle, the land had begun to heal. Most importantly, rain had begun to fall from the skies once again.

This rain, however, was incredibly rich with mana.

Often times, that was a good thing. The once barren Sandsea was starting to see a few unique looking plants.

However, the rains were still few and far in-between.

To make matters worse, some of these unique 'plants' could sometimes possess strange capabilities and tendencies, such as randomly kidnapping people, or outright devouring them.

In other words, it was a double edged sword.

But for now, it was a simple backdrop.

As the first drop of rain fell from the heavens, Cain's blade seemed to seek it out.

The droplet of water was split in two. Right down the center.

The level of accuracy was not something a regular could achieve.

Very quickly, however, the rain began in earnest. A rather heavy downpour too.

Still, Cain didn't stop swinging his sword.

Instead, he began swinging it more aggressively.

He had set out the {Magic Square}, the magic item that could increase the local forces acting of masses within the designated area.

His weight, as well as the weight of his sword had increased exponentially.

Despite that, he continued moving as he pleased, swinging through the rain.

With every step he took, his feet sank deeper into the pool of mud quickly forming.

Suddenly, he sucked in a deep breath again. His swings slowly became faster.

Despite itself cons, Cain felt the blade was a near-perfect match for him.

It was violent and dangerous. But most importantly, unlike its size would indicate, it was a rather sinister weapon, capable of handling large numbers as well as excelling in individual combat.

However, at the end of the day, it was the man who made the weapon, not the other way around.

Any weapon would do. Even if it was a twig, or a pebble attached to a slingshot.

It all depends on who wielded the weapon.

As those thoughts drifted through his mind, Cain let himself get lost.

His feet skidding across the muddy water, he performed a rather violent, yet mesmerizing sword dance.

The enormous blade seemed to turn into a black shadow.

The hints of moon and starlight seeping in from the sky were gone as th dark storm clouds had covered the world.

The nostalgia scent of rain let Cain's mind drift into the past.

When was the first time he had swung a sword?

When had he first taken a life?

It all seemed to distant now.

So much so, his memory of them was a bit foggy.

A white stream of hot air seepe through his slightly parted lips as he continued.

Each horizontal swing blended into an overhead swipe.

It was as though he was battling against an invincible enemy, moving fluidly as though he was avoiding the raindrops pelting him.

The strands of his black hair flowed down his back like a dark river.

Soon, each sword strike created a thunderclap that split the endless curtains of rain open.

The raindrops around him seemed to experience momentum reversal, rising back to the sky, with some of them forming a static field around him.

It was austere.

It was magical...

Eventually, the intensity of his swings died down slowly.

After some time had passed, he came to a complete stop.

The turbulent heavens just so happened to clear up as well.

The last, and probably the most important attribute of {Eidwyrm} was...

How terrifying it looked.

He chuckled to himself and let go of the golden blade in his hand. It disappeared into countless golden motes before reaching the ground, floating into the wind.

He glanced down at his hands.

For some reason, he felt he had taken a step forward today.

It was a small one. Maybe even an insignificant one.

But he had done it.

"I should get to bed." He muttered.

He looked up at the sky for the last time.

His eyes widened.

For some reason, the night sky was brighter.

The opening in the sky revealed so many stars, it was mesmerizing.

Although the moon still couldn't be seen, it was still beautiful. Almost capable of moving him to tears.

Almost.