God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Cain knew that the humanoid forms of the creatures he had seen, particularly the leader of the beasts, was not their real forms.

Instead, they were simply renditions that allowed them to better expend their energy.

In their humanoid forms, they didn't need to expend as much energy as they would in their normal forms.

However, in doing so, they were also unable to output as much energy as they were naturally able to, should they retain the humanoid forms, leaving them at somewhat of a disadvantage.

He had gotten to see Roc's true form,.but he had not seen Ambrosia's true form.

And to say he was shocked or surprised, would be doing his state of mind a disservice.

Mesmerized? Appalled? Frightened? Enchanted?

Maybe it was all of that and then some, or none at all!

Either way, he really couldn't understand what was before him.

With the largest pair of wings he had ever seen, Ambrosia had become an enormous creature who's wings had enveloped the sky.

Her main body still remained fairly humanoid. However, with more than a few changes.

The first and most obvious one being her size.

At the moment, excluding her wingspan, she was just a bit smaller than Roc.

And that said a lot.

After all, Roc was a monstrously enormous beast.

The moment she transformed, the night that the Direwolves brought with them deepened even more.

"What have you come here for, dog?" Her voice was like a thousand waves crashing all at once.

Roc growled,

"You know exactly why!"

Then his gaze traveled down.

Cain was already standing between the two.

Roc's golden eyes emitted a frightening glow,

"Please, don't interfere in this, Cain."

Cain frowned. Something has definitely happened.

"Tell me what happened." Cain steeled his tone and asked.

A certain troubling feeling rushed past him. Something told him that if he didn't push a bit, things would escalate beyond his control.

And that would be bad.

No, it would be terrible.

Roc seemed hesitant at first. Eventually, he folded.

"It just came to my attention that a few members of my pack had strayed far away from our settlement. They went missing around these accursed lands. I came here to find answers and recompense in blood should harm have come their way."

Ambrosia chuckled coldly,

"Oh? That's what they were? I thought those were just stray dogs that came snooping around."

Roc bared his fangs.

This seemed to excite the Blood-Curse Empress even more as she cackled.

Her blackened claws dug into the earth, shattering stone and ground like it was soft mud.

"What? You send spies into my territory, but you get angry when they are executed and drained of life. How hypocritical. You are a hypocrite dog."

All the hairs of the Silver Direwolf seemed to stand on ends.

Cain shot Ambrosia a look. It didn't seem like this damned Empress had any plans to tone it down anytime soon.

In fact, she looked raring to go.

"Cain, please I advice you to leave here at once."

Cain's eyes narrowed, "I thought you were told to assist me in accomplishing my goals?"

Roc seemed to hesitate for a moment.

But only for a moment.

Then his golden eyes shine with a resolute light,

"That is only if it aligns with the well-being of my clan. And unfortunately as of now, it doesn't. This abomination has clearly done something to my scouts."

Ambrosia sneered,

"Do you have something in your ears? With how big those ears are, one would thing you'd listen better. I said they have been killed. Their husks are sitting at the bottom of my Blood Pools."

Roc snarled as he got into a lunging stance. It was clear the situation had devolved to a point where reasoning was no longer viable.

Cain groaned in frustration.

This is absolutely not how he wanted things to play out.

A single action had snowballed into something that was gradually coming loose at the seams. Completely out of his control.

His brows trembled.

'This is frustrating...'

Indeed, it was.

Cain let out a sigh.

Originally, he had planned to go through this entire ordeal with a certain mindset.

And that was to avoid being as overbearing as could be.

He wanted the creatures of this island that had evolved to develop the intelligence required to aid him in his battles to come under heel readily.

And to do that, he had to make sure he gave them the illusion of choice.

Yes, they could choose their allegiance, but there was really only one choice. Granted, he didn't have any plans to go on a murdering rampage even if he was refused. But he had other ways he could make it happen.

And if the bad came to worse, then he would have no other choice but to draw his blade.

However, he would do whatever he could to prevent it from reaching that point.

Even if he had to break that illusion a little bit and show his teeth.

The darkness swirling in the sky seemed to break for a moment. Not to reveal light. No, not that at all.

Instead, it was to reveal an even darker darkness.

A blackness. More cruel that midnight.

More loathsome than the eternal void.

Ambrosia's eyes widened and her now large frame seemed to shrivel.

Roc growled as he took a few steps back, alhis hairs standing on end.

The curtain of darkness that was the {Blood-Curse Bats} in the sky seemed to scatter into the wind, while the {Willow Direwolves} behind Roc let out howls and cries of terror into the blackness above.

Watching this with bated breath, Steve felt his heart nearly rip its way out of his throat. His eyes shine with a nearly terrifying excitement while Blaze watched on as well, pure terror twisting his features.

A single human stood between the two beast powerhouses.

His body seemed to comfort and enlarge unnaturally.

Hard scales of golden black that seemed to both swallow and reflect a wicked radiance appeared in place of his flesh.

On his head, a crown of horns twisted into existence out of his temples, and on his forehead, a single ancient rune appeared.

And finally, from his backs stretched two wings.

Majestic, horrendous wings on his frame that was much smaller than the other two beast leaders.

Yet it seemed to blot out the very skies.

His voice was cold and cut through space to burrow into the minds of every being in his presence,

"Good. Looks like I finally have your attention."