God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

{Rot Behemoths} at e evolutions of the {Hulking Behemoth} that become adept at dealing with the element of rot.

The element of rot is a paraelemental of the life element.

The flourishing green trees and the stagnant, fetid decay of a corpse are simply two sides of the same coin.

The rot paraelemental was essentially a perverted, corrupted version of the life element. Perhaps that was why it was a preferred element of the Devils.

It could turn forests into wastelands overnight.

It could turn a thriving ocean into a dead sea filled with stinking bogs and floating bloated deep-sea creatures.

Indeed, it was nasty stuff, and not something that normal creatures could handle easily.

But even more importantly, the element of rot could also harm non-living things.

It could corrode metals and weaken the internal bonds that made up the structure of materials, even those enhanced with magic.

Truly nasty indeed.

Closing the distance, Enoch cut at the Devil's bloated stomach.

Despite being so huge and robust, the Devil moved nimbly as it dodged backwards and belched out another stream of black decay.

The stench was foul as it cut through the wind.

Summoning an array of golden halos, Enoch ranked the blow.

However, the decay was rather mysterious.

The Golden shields sizzled as they were consumed by it.

'It can rot through even magic?'

Gargon roared in laughter as it rushed forward and smashed at the Steel Heral with an large war axe.

Enoch's feet slid across the ground as it dodged to the side. The Devil followed up quickly with a side chop that Enoch blocked with a golden shield.

Several magic circles blossomed around the Steel Herald. From their nexuses, star-tipped blades shot out, impaling the vile Devil, staining their tops black.

The next second however, the golden star-tipped blades began to rust and fall out of the Devil.

'Even its blood is foul.' Enoch remarked internally.

The {Rot Behemoth} cackled as it swung its other hand. Another war axe had appeared in its grasp. With heavy steps, it began swinging again and again, pressuring Enoch back with every step it took.

It was a bad matchup for the Steel Herald.

The Steel Herald excelled in quick assassinations as well as handling hordes of weaker enemies.

However, against larger enemies with particularly stubborn defense, it struggled.

In this case, the {Rot Behemoth} fell into the latter category.

Not only was it large, its thick exoskeletal armor made it so that getting into its flesh would take rather power attacks. The {Fallen Stars of Orion} were powerful enough to break through the exoskeleton and even draw up some blood.

However, their structure was far too weak as they would simply break apart the moment they came in contact with the repugnant thing's blood.

In other words, there was no way to win.

Golden chains whipped out from Enoch's back, wrapping around two boulders. They shot towards the {Rot Behemoth}, but it simply tanked them both.

Normal rocks could do nothing against this Devil.

The Devil sneered as it bent its legs a bit. Then with a surprising burst of speed, it appeared right in front of the Steel Herald.

Its large claws fingers wrapped around the Steel Herald's face and shoved its head into the ground.

With a laugh of madness, the {Rot Behemoth} shot around, carving a deep groove in the ground with the Elemental's body.

Letting go of its head, Gargon stomped on the iron shell. The chest region of the Steel Puppet caved in immediately. A living creature would have died instantly.

Enoch brought his hands up in time to guard against another stomp before he rolled out and tried to escape.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?!" Gargon roared as he firmly grasped the chains jutting out of the Steel Herald's back.

Enoch felt its legs were no longer on the ground.

Indeed, it had been shot into the air. A shadow came over him.

The {Rot Behemoth's} gargantuan form had leapt several feet into the air after him.

Its bloated stomach seemed to contract for a moment.

A beam of darkness rushed out of the enormous maw of the {Rot Behemoth} smashing into Enoch and into the land itself.

Whips of blackness seeped into the earth, rotting it.

Spreading a vile, foul, putrid energy through it.

Degrading it and breaking it away.

Under such a terrible deluge, the body of the Steel Herald was sure to be corroded until it becomes nothing more than rusted metal shavings.

The Steel Herald possesses a skill; {Metal Elemental}.

***

{Metal Elemental}: As a pure manifestation of elemental metal, the Herald is immune to corrosion, decay, and highly resistant to flames and electricity. It can also absorb the dormant power within magical ores and make them its own.

***

Gargon's element of rot created a type of magical corrosive that were outside the bound of {Metal Elemental's} corrosion and decay immunity. In other words, itself element of rot was simply too overpowering even though it was not nearly as pure when compared to Enoch's metal element.

It was truly a vile monster.

Under the terrible surge of decay, Enoch found his body crumbling to pieces.

For the first time since its birth, which was not a very long time ago, the {Golden Steel Herald} found itself at the jaws of death.

The stream of darkness eventually subsided eventually.

Staring at the enormous hole, wisps of darkness rolling off its edge, Gargon huffed.

'That should do it.'

The thought had barely graved the Devil's mind when an arm suddenly shot out and latched onto the edge of the hole.

The Devil's expression fell,

'That isn't enough to kill this damned thing?!'

The Devil's as surprised, but it had no idea it was about to be surprised even more.

As he pulled himself out of the hole, Enoch calmly observed the changes in his body.

He felt a bit different.

"It's a bit stiff, but nothing too terrible."

Walking forward, a dark stream of menace floating above it, Gargon looked down at the creature that should have been turned to dust by now.

Suddenly its dark eyes widened.

The body of the Metal Elemental had once been a radiant gold.

Now, however, there were only hints of gold on its body in the form of glowing golden runes.

The rest of its body was covered in a pitch black exoskeletal armor.

The exact same one as what surrounded the body of a Devil. Only, it was enhanced by a few degrees.

"The exoskeletal armor of a Devil is mostly a metal called {Fiend Steel} which can be extracted after purification."

"At first, I didn't think it would be possible. However, I must thank you for your assistance. With so many Devils corpses around, I have more than enough more to harvest."

{Fiend Steel}.

A metal even coveted by the gods. One that could not be sought after more even with its abundance.

Gargon took a step back as he snarled with a mixture of what seemed like fear and fury.

"Regardless of your effort to my cause, I am afraid I will be doing away with your life now."