God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

"The Black Stone Turtle was a beast of undying strength and power. As immovable as a mountain, it made the planes of all the heavens and the earths to trembled with every step it took."

"Some say it was as big and lofty as a mountain. Others said it was much bigger than that. During the legendary battle with the Devils, it was said its shell had even endured spells from the Primordial Devils, earning it the name of Impenetrable Aegis."

"Still, a beast like that coild not possibly live forever. It was not immortal like the gods that bound it for eternity. And so, it chose to die on its own terms. Before it died, however, it decided to leave its bloodline behind."

Fuji turned around,

"Our wager still stands, Cain. You might not have the strength to move me now, but maybe you will when we meet again in the future. As a noble turtle, I will remember it."

Lifting its forelimb, Fuji placed it on Cain's chest.

The touch of this beast was surprisingly soft and tender.

Suddenly, a system prompt popped up in front of him.

His eyes widened.

***

{Congratulations to Host... You have acquired the ability, Black Warrior}.

{Black Warrior}:

Description: "An unyielding soul. One that stands for eternity, unbroken and immovable like a mountain. Multiplies the strength of the host by a factor of two. The power of this ability increases correspondingly with the host's Tier.

{The host has been issued a quest by *#$&@?*!}.

{Quest Description}: In less than ten years, the host will be visited by the *#$&@?*!. If the host cannot flip the *#$&@?*!, he will be eaten}.

{Congratulations to Host... You have received the title, Blessing of the Black Turtle}.

{Blessing of the Black Turtle}: The host has acquired the bloodline of one of the Nine Suns. All creatures with the blood of the Black Turtle will possess no hostility towards the host.

***

Cain felt a fundamental change wash over him.

He clenched his fists as he looked down at his chest.

In his chest, right above the tattoos representing his various contracted beasts was a marking that resembled a turtle with a snake wrapped around it.

He was surprised. There was no reason for this thing to be so kind to him.

He mentally went over all the things that had happened so far.

'To coincidentally find such a stroke of goodluck and fortune. My luck has never been so good. Something is definitely wrong here.'

Still, he couldn't deny that he had just received a rather welcomed boon.

"That reminds me... The {Turtle Golem} race are known to be quite docile. However, due to the current circumstances, they have been agitated. The best thing for them would be to send them back to the aether realm, but seeing as that isn't possible right now, I guess I can place them under your care."

Cain grimaced. He chuckled wryly,

"That... I will try my best to help."

Fuji chuckled,

"Good. Very good. Then, I'll leave you to it. If you want to get out of here, you can make use of the young'uns. I'm sure they will love to help."

Upon saying that, Fuji turned to Julio,

"The ability to see beyond your own world is special and unique. Unfortunately,I do not have any gifts I can give unto you. All I can give you is a piece of advice."

Julio smiled and shook his head,

"No. You've given me more than enough. Thank you, old turtle."

The {Turtle Golem} stomped on the ground,

"No need to get all chummy with me. Also, I have a name!"

"Don't you want anything from me? Why did you do all this in the first place?"

"A turtle's intent cannot be understood by mere humans!" Fuji declared boisterously.

Then he began walking away towards the entrance of the burrow as he shrunk down,

"This is where we part ways, humans. Remember, we are all beasts, all in differing forms. All slaves beneath the heavens. The difference lies in our ability to evolve further. The first step in doing so is acceptance."

Cain frowned,

"Is that why you are doing all this? To prove a point?"

Fuji snorted,

"If I wanted to prove a point, I would just crush this city under my feet. I decided to help you out because fate has a way of creating wonders. You call it me sowing a seed of karma, Cain. Or should I call you Ashur's Child?"

Cain's eyes snapped open. He felt a cool wind wash over him despite being underground.

"W-what did you just say?"

Fuji turned around.

For some reason, Cain could see the teasing smirk on the face of the now small turtle.

"Don't think about it too hard. My work here is done. Goodbye for now, Cain."

The mana in the burrow immediately became volatile.

Cain felt the spatial mana become incredibly prevalent.

Then, much to their utter amazement, an enormous rift stretched out from the top of the burrow, into the ground. It split the world apart.

There was a flash of blinding light, forcing him to cover his eyes with a groan. Then it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

Cain blinked slowly as he watched the tiny turtle walk through the rift before disappearing.

The rift collapsed in on itself, leaving behind a dimly lit burrow.

Silence...

"That... Felt like a fever dream. Am I dead?" Julio muttered to himself.

"That certainly was a strange experience." Cain said. Then he sighed.

What really was the point of all this, he thought to himself.

Although he had gained something, over all, they were still damned.

'He said the other {Turtle Golems} will be able to help, but...'

He didn't think it would be that easy.

The rumbling in the burrow slowly died down.

He glanced to the side. Julio was staring at him with a deeply perplexed look on his eyes.

Just as he was about to speak, a powerful explosion rocked through the burrow.

Cain cursed as he was thrown off his feet.

'What the hell was that?!'

Suddenly, his blood ran cold.

He was quick to notice that the wall opposite to the entrance of the burrow had collapsed to reveal another burrow.

Within this burrow, countless glowing green eyes filled with malicious murderous intent stared right at them.

The two of them exchanged glances.

There was no need to exchange words after all. All that needed to be said was already written on their faces.

Without wasting a breath, they shot to their feet and ran for dear life.

Behind them, a roar that shook the world to its core rang out as a horde of enraged {Turtle Golems} rushed out from the underground burrow.