God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

On the side of the forces of Valestorm.

Silence flowed as freely as the sandy wind.

Staring into the ongoing battle, Kaelin seemed unimpressed.

The Lord of the Head Priests stood beside him calmly,

"This is the best way, Kaelin. Spending too much of our forces on something as trivial as this will be a waste."

Kaelin snorted,

"Sure. But I heard the voice of God saying the will of the golden dragon lives on and he has come to battle me."

His eyes widened, "Don't you think that is exciting."

The Lord chuckled, "Indeed it is. But you don't know who it is yet, do you? That is why you should cultivate patience for the moment."

Kaelin chuckled, "I thing I have been patient for far too long."

Then he sighed, "But I'll listen to you for now, although I think we should speed this up."

The Lord nodded, "I do agree."

A smile appeared on his face,

"They have managed to fight back the first wave. Shall we give them another treat?"

Kaelin nodded, "Gilead, send some of your men into battle with the subdued beasts this time."

Gilead's brows wrinkled slightly, but he simply bowed without saying anything and left.

Turning back to the Lord, Kaelin seemed to thing about something.

Under his mask, the Lord smiled,

"What is it, Kaelin?"

"Why did you insist on taking this moment to crush Arltzwalt? We could have done this at anytime, and yet, you delayed it till this moment."

The Lord shook his head,

"You have to understand, Kaelin..."

He turned forward and sighed,

"Our battle is not with the masses, but with those who think they can undermine our authority."

He smiled, "The masses, even in Valestorm had favored Arltzwalt. After all, he had personally saved them in the past. To be blunt, he is their true savior. Their hero more specifically. You on the other hand, are the figurehead of safety. A figurine placed by the god of the Sands to Lord over them. They might fear you, but they do not hold you in their hearts."

Kaelin's nose wrinkles and he snorted,

"Oh, is that so..."

The Lord chuckled, "But fret not. I knew this day would come eventually. Arltzwalt is anything but selfless. In fact, he is quite the greedy bastard."

"By initiating such an attack on Valestorm, especially when we had been away on Pilgrimage, we finally have the best excuse to tear him apart and still hopd public opinion."

A grin spread behind the mask,

"The society that used to exist on this world has been broken down, but a new one will certainly take its place. One centered around power. We have to make sure we stand on top of such a society. Things like this cannot be rushed."

Kaelin hummed,

"I see... In other words, even if this day has not come, you would have orchestrated something behind the scenes. I hate to say this, but you truly are a conniving bastard."

A grin appeared in his face,

"I heard he had saved your life several times just a few months ago."

The Lord chuckled, "You flatter me. Besides, I cannot be blamed for his misfortune."

The Lord sighed, raising his head towards the Evernight sky,

"He was discarded by our god. That means his power of fate is weak. He isn't destined for greatness."

He turned to face Kaelin, "Unlike you."

Suddenly, he frowned, and turned in the direction of the ongoing battle,

"Looks like our targets have retreated back into their shell."

His frown turned strange, then he burst out chuckling,

"And they even left behind a sacrificial lamb. Now this is getting interesting."

Gilead suddenly returned and turned to Seisha, who chuckled seductively.

Then, she began to sing.

They were currently facing the military encampment, their backs towards the Sea of Sands.

The dunes behind them trembled, and all manners of Aether Beasts crawled forth, ready to spill blood.

Seated on the ground, Kaelin turned to Siesha and gently caressed her legs,

"So far, you've managed to outdo yourself, Seisha. When we get back, perhaps I'll grant you a reward or two."

Seisha chuckled, her sultry laugh scraping against the brains of the men present. It was as though none could escape from her enchanting presence,

"I thank you deeply, Champion. I will most definitely seek you later for my reward."

His eyes burning with fiery lust, Kaelin cleared his throat and turned away.

"Now then, let's see what will happen now."

The Lord nodded,

"Indeed. Seems like Arltzwalt had abandoned more than a few of his men."

He paused, then shook his head,

"Or perhaps I am mistaken. I cannot, quite figure out what they are trying to do."

Kaelin waved dismissively,

"Whatever it is, it doesn't matter."

His grin turned vicious,

"What I want to watch is a bloody show. I wonder what surprises are in store. Maybe the Golden Dragon's will will reveal itself."

There was a moment of pause. Behind them stood Rain, the Seer. She stared into the deep gorge far away from them, her face filled with discomfort.

In the army of Pilgrim's standing behind them,

Edward, the Sky Ward calmly sharpened his black cryved blade. Standing beside him was another titled Pilgrim, the Earth Ward, and the Heart Ward.

Amongst the Pilgrim's below the Head Priests, they were a few of the most powerful

The Earth Ward seemed bored almost,

"So, how long do you think this will last."

The Heart Ward, whose name was Mira, and Edward remained silent.

The Earth Ward, whose name was Lyra, clicked her tongue, obviously annoyed with the two ignoring her.

The Heart Ward suddenly spoke,

"I don't think this battle will end anytime soon. In fact, I believe things might not go as we expect. What do you think, Edward?"

The Sky Ward remained silent, not answering any of the two women. Instead, his eyes were trained on a particular part of the hectic battlefield, never leaving there for a moment.

The Heart Ward's gaze trailed forward, then she chuckled,

"I see. Looks like I am not the only one who feels this way."

Lyra seemed confused, "What? What are you talking about? What's there to see?!"

Mira patted her head,

"Why don't you take a look?"

Lyra frowned behind her mask, but obliged.

'Hm?'

She noticed it immediately...

For some reason, the numbers they had sent to fight, which included the swarm of deranged Aether Beasts had thinned out considerably. And yet, despite that, the lre seemed to be no changes to the fighters on the other side.

In fact, it was almost as though not a single one of them had died yet.

Her eyes widened,

"I–impossble!"

And she was not the only one who had noticed this.

"Oh my. This is certainly unprecedented." The Lord said with a chuckle.

Kaelin observed, a slight frown between his brows,

"They are strong. Not the same half-baked trash Arltzwalt raises as his dogs. Do you think?"

The Lord nodded, "It certainly is a possibility. These are fighters on the same level with our Pilgrims. They just might be the fighters of that Celestial Beasts Champion."

Kaelin grinned, "Is that so... Then this means he ended up as Arltzwalt's sacrifice. Pretty pathetic if you ask me."

The Lord suddenly turned somber,

"If that is the case, then the nature of this situation will change, Kaelin."

He turned to the Champion of Balangol,

"I believe we need to take this battle seriously now."

For some reason, Kaelin shook his head,

"No... I thing we should still wait a bit."

"But–" The Lord was about to say something, but he was too slow.

Kaelin coldly called behind him,

"Wulf, Gilead... Take some men and step in personally."

Gilead's brows wrinkled,

"The battlefield is still chaotic. I believe if we step in now,bthere will be too much chaos."

Kaelin's eyes turned dark,

"Is that an objection?"

"Hehehe. Gilead, you are as pussy as always." A hoarse, crackling voice called out.

Wulf Strungman, the Keeper, the Head Priest of the Mana Forge. Also known as the Guard of the Black Flame.

While not the strongest warrior of Valestorm, he was known as the most frightening. Not only because of his ghastly visage, but also because of his ability to forge weapons with his monstrous strength and a terrifying black flame that couldn't be extinguished.

Those same Black flames were also very effective in battles, because as a mage, he was an absolute terror against anything living. As a close fighter, his hammer could crush bones to dust the same way it could hammer down the strongest of ores.

Wulf turned to Kaelin and bowed,

"I would be happy to lead my men for their taste of the First Battle, as I believe so far, those heathens have not witnessed the true terror of Balangol!"

Kaelin snorted, "See that, Gilead. As my Guardian, your honor shouldn't allow such talk. Now go cut off some heads or something."

Gilead sighed, gripped his blade tighter,

"With pleasure."

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