God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Cain stared at the creation that had its axe pointed at an indifferent Evangeline.

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{Flameskin Troll}

***

The creature had greyish black skin covered in runic patterns. Its body was huge, standing at Thern's waist in terms of height.

Not only was it muscular, it also had four arms with burly fingers that looked like they could twist the head off a man with little to no effort.

"Olirod, calm yourself!" Midread, the Gnat said harshly, his voice like a thousands shards of glass being crushed to pieces.
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The {Flameskin Troll} didn't spare him a glance. It kept its furious glare on Evangeline. If eyes could kill, she would be on her way to the underworld by now.

Cain couldn't help but turn to Evangeline with a wry smile,

"This... What did you do?"

She shrugged, "Maybe kill some of his brethren? I can't be too sure."

She frowned, "I don't have any recollection of those that die under my blade."

A conflagration of orange flames erupted from the body of the {Flameskin Troll}, turning it into a burning troll.

Its eyes were like lumps of coals that glared menacingly at Evangeline,

"You were lucky I wasn't there. I would have burned your body and soul to ash!"

Evangeline stared at him without saying a word.

Cain turned to Asteron, "Is that true?"

Asteron's scales glinted with the radiance that suffused the world around them. The Wind Drake wore a frown,

"Apparently so. I can't say for sure, but it might be her according to the rumors."

Cain's brows furrowed, "And who the hell keeps spreading these rumors?"

If all of them were under the effect of the Blood Frenzy within the first trial of Slaughter, who exactly had the time to spy on everyone.

Then something clicked.

'Unless there was someone else like those elves, who had managed to stay unaffected by the Blood Frenzy, then there is no way any rumors can run around.'

He frowned even more, 'And judging by how things are, the rumors spread to both sides. Even if they aren't true, they will want someone to blame. A scapegoat...'

The question was, who exactly was this individual?

Since they were the only humans participating in the Trial, distributing the rumors would not be too troublesome.

Susan addressed the {Flameskin Troll} calmly,

"How are you so certain about the rumors? Maybe one of you keeps spreading them to put us in a bad spot?"

Olirod snorted heavily. Her words clearly had no effect on him. He turned to Asteron,

"If you want the help of we Flameskin Troll's, you'll give us the head on that human woman. No... I want all their heads now."

Asteron's eyes narrowed,

"Olirod, I have been patient enough with you. Do not test me."

The {Flameskin Troll} grinned. With its body enveloped in flames, its grin was especially sinister and devilish looking,

"Your clan is well respected in the realm of the gods, Asteron. But in here..."

An indescribably powerful aura exploded from the body of the {Flameskin Troll}, growing with every passing second.

Cain could feel the heat from where he stood. It was scalding and oppressive.

"But in here, we bear the same strength. In other words, we are equals. We of the Burning Hide Clan respect strength above all else. If you don't want me to take their heads, then stop me."

Asteron's eyes glowed with burning white radiance and the currents of wind around him grew turbulent.

"Is that a threat, Olirod?"

The {Flameskin Troll} grinned,

"No. It is a suggestion."

Silence...

'Damn.' Cain thought to himself.

No matter how it was said, that was obviously meant to be a threat.

Olirod, the {Flameskin Troll}, was rather arrogant towards Asteron.

Within the Godly Realms, there were a myriad races, a few of which had bloodline connections to the Celestial Deities and Beasts of the Heavenly Realms.

Creatures like Asteron, Avalon, and Thern were looked upon as royalty by the other inhabitants of these realms.

However, the Drakes, Cynogryphs and Giants weren't the only powerful race within the Godly Realms.

Races that did not possess Celestial bloodlines couldn't be ruled out because of the fact.

There were Elves, Ogres, Dwarves, Kobolds, Orcs, Mermaids, Gorgons, Beastkin, and so on, that didn't possess any Celestial blood, and yet, they could acquire the level of power those with celestial blood could.

At least at lower Tiers.

At the higher tiers, the exponential growth potential hidden in their celestial bloodlines would allow their power develop even faster.

Asteron went silent for a moment.

Then he turned to Cain,

"What would you do in this case, Cain?"

"Lord Asteron!"

Cain was a bit surprised at first.

Then he smiled,

"I wouldn't want to speak out of turn..."

He glanced at the {Flameskin Troll} and gestured,

"If you really want a fight, then its a fight you'll get."

Olirod sneered,

"Oh? Another human?"

He glanced at Asteron with a sneer, then shook his head,

"I can't believe this. A member of a great clan colluding with wild game. This has to be madness."

The flames blazing across his skin lit up even more,

"I will gladly burn this insanity away for you."

Cain chuckled then shook his head,

"No, I don't need to fight for anyone. She can fight for herself. Right, Eva?"

Evangeline stood there emotionlessly, her posture rather relaxed. However, the world around her seemed to turn darker for a moment, and the shadows around her feet began crawling and undulating.

Cain turned around. There was quite the number of beings around them, big and small, with fur, skin, hide, scales, and all covering their flesh. It didn't matter, as he addressed them all the same.

"If any of you have a bone to pick with us, now would be the best time to speak up."

Susan frowned. She whispered,

"What are you trying to do?"

Cain turned around to give her a grin,

"Killing two— no, a few birds with one stone."

A few creatures of the godly realm walked out. Apparently, they all were dissatisfied with Asteron's decisions.

One of them, a Dwarf wielding a war axe that was twice as big as he was spoke in a gruffy voice,

"The human girl killed one of the younglings. We must have her head!"

Another creature with the torso and head of a direwolf, and the legs and hoofs of a goat spoke up as well,

"The Dwarf is right. Humans are cowardly, so they go for the weaker cubs in the pack." It said, its words laced and dripping with venom.

Cain nodded, his face the perfect picture of understanding,

"I understand your pains and frustrations. However, we are currently in the midst of a trial. There is no way you all will get a chance to have a go at her, right? If you decide to wait for your chance, the third trial might begin, and who knows, maybe none of us will survive that."

The Dwarf furrowed his bushy brows,

"Then what do you suggest, human?"

Cain grinned, then pointed at Olirod,

"I propose this; why don't you all select a champion to seek vengeance in your stead? Think about it... You need only one individual to seek retribution for you all. If he wins, you will have your justice and you get to claim her head. But if she wins, then you all will have to back off. Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Instantly, murmurs rose.

What he proposed was rather reasonable.

If they wanted vengeance, then why not give it to them?

However, letting Evangeline fight so many powerful being on her own was like handing her a death sentence.

And so, a compromise could be reached;

Their preferred candidate would claim her head and bring retributive justice in spite of Asteron.

Then snorted then walked a few steps away before plopping down to the ground,

"Well, this should be fun to watch."

The corners of her lips rose as she added maliciously,

"Let's see how tough your guts really are."

Cain turned to Evangeline and gave her a slight nod.

She shrugged, "I'm fine with it. Either way, it doesn't matter to me."

Cain turned back to the Asteron,

"There you have it. If it's been decided, then they should be willing to select a champion from amongst themselves."