God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The empty stretch of Sandy Dunes between the military Camp and the Sea of Sands had become filled with humans.

Cain had known that the full force of Valestorm couldn't be underestimated. But this...

Hunter had a frown on his face,

"That has to be at least three thousand people."

Cain nodded, "About a thousand of them are Pilgrims as well."

The masked faces in the crowd of people stood out.

This was the main fighting force of Valestorm.

In their side however, General Arltzwalt stood, like a giant, immovable mountain, his presence bringing so much pressure the sand around him was undisturbed by the rampant wind.

Boulder and the rest of his council stood by his side, staring at the approaching Valestorm army.

They also had an army behind them, but they seemed almost pitiful compared to Valestorm's.

Once the army of Valestorm had come in close enough, a smaller group broke off from the main convoy.

General Arltzwalt watched calmly as they approached.

Cain stared curiously from the rear. He recognized the person at the head of the small convoy.

It was the Sky Ward he had battled with back at Valestorm.

He flew gently a few meters above the sands, looking down at them, perhaps a way of asserting superiority.

General Arltzwalt grinned at him,

"Didn't your parents teach you how to greet your elders?"

The Sky Ward completely ignored his words,

"General, I am sure you know why we have come here."

General Arltzwalt sighed and nodded, "Indeed I do not. Would you like to tell me?"

The Sky Ward wasted no time,

"You were supposed to be a pillar of defense to Valestorm. In this crumbling world, with the power of our god, we have managed to create a bastion of safety for us humans. Because of your actions, not only have you invited heretics into Valestorm, they also caused irreparable damage and threatened the life and safety of the people of Valestorm."

The Sky Ward's wings flapped as he ascended even further into the sky. He unsheathed the long blade across his back and pointed it at General Arltzwalt,

"I shall give you the verdict of the Champion and his Priests; sign a [Body and Soul] contract to forever profess your loyalty to the Champion, and give up the heads of all the heretics you are hiding in your camp."

General Arltzwalt sighed, "Are there any other options?"

The Sky Ward declared coldly, "There are none besides death."

There was silence. The wind shifted the sand, and the darkness of the night seemed deeper than ever. Even the radiance of the moon seemed to dim.

General Arltzwalt let out a short laugh,

"The first mistake was letting a chump like you deliver this message so haughtily. If perhaps one of the Priests had come to deliver this message, then I'd see you had at least some respect for me. Then perhaps I would have even considered it."

His voice suddenly boomed and became louder, so loud, the sand in front off him was displaced by the soundwaves.

"But I see it now."

The eyes of the General widened,

"Do you know who reacted this so-called bastion of safety, you ungrateful little bastards?! I did! And what do I receive besides a bit fuck you?!"

His eyes were red from rage as he completely disregarded the Sky Ward and turned to the army behind him.

It was as though he he was looking right at the person his hatred was directed towards,

"Blackwater, you bastard! We were brothers once. Is this how you treat a former brother?"

At the helm of the army of Valestorm was the Council of the five Head Priests and the Champion of Balangol who sat lazily on the ground.

"Dad, I think he's talking to you."

Duke Blackwater, also known as the Lord of the Head Priests sighed behind his silver mask.

"He's as senile as ever. He still doesn't understand his situation."

Clearing his throat, the Lord opened his mouth, his voice reaching far and wide, until it got to the other side,

"Erik, I see you are still in good health. The star of fortune does not shine in your favor, so you have become bitter. All I ask is that you calmly give up the heathens you are hiding away. I say this only because I still respect you. If not, the little village we have given to you would have been torn apart by now, and your head would be embedded into a spike."

His words were calm, but were also insidious.

Arltzwalt grinned, "Nice. That's what I'd like to hear."

He turned around, "Men! Can you see it?"

He turned back. His hand glowed, and a long, abnormally large sniper rifle appeared in his outstretched hand which was pointed towards the army of Valestorm.

"These bastards don't view us as humans. We are nothing more than a resource to them. The people on our streets are hungry and thirsty. Even you yourself sometimes do not have full bellies because they require we give tribute to them."

He glyphs on the surface of the sniper lit up, and sand beneath and behind him became trouble, some particles rising up into the air.

The crowd behind his was already riled up, some of them having already drawn their weapons out.

Because of how dangerous the Sea of Sands was, most of them didn't dare go there alone to huny Aether Beasts.

Outside the dome was even worse. Only those as powerful as Boulder's squad would even dare do something as outrageous as that.

Even then, they only did so because of the stringent demands of Valestorm.

The General was loud and clear. So clear, those on the other side could har him clearly,

"I refuse to submit to you bastards. I'd rather you spill my blood than live kneeling to you greedy fucks. At least then, I'd die on my back."

"You heard the general! We are going to fight! These bastards have nothing on us!"

"I'm done living like this! We'll kill them all and take over Valestorm!"

Having been on the receiving end of hardship for so long, it was only natural they would be fed up, especially given that the people partially responsible for their suffering had come here, demanding their leader submit.

Cain sighed at the scene. Despite how slippery and untrustworthy the General was, it was a fact that he treated his people well. As a result of that,they were incredibly loyal to him, almost to a fault.

They would do whatever he asked of them, because they believed he knew what was best. In their eyes, he was the true champion of god.

'In the end, I can only do what I can.'

Humans were not a peaceful race. Where there were resources, there would also exist people with interest. Despite the various dangers looming in the distance, what was more important to some, was securing as much of these resources as possible for themselves.

And this wasn't necessarily a bad thing to do. Some could even call it making appropriate preparations.

In the end, what truly mattered, what intent.

A sigh came from the Lord of the Pilgrims,

"Stubbornness is not a virtue, Erik. Either way, you have made your decision. When you get to hell, don't say I didn't give you a way out."

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire army of Valestorm began to retreat.

Cain frowned, 'What the hell?"

General Arltzwalt let out a breath of air,

He turned around and yelled,

"Men, the time is coming! The wrath of Balangol is about to fall upon us. There is no going back now."

The previous fervor in the crowd had died down and it was replaced with a grim solemnity.

Cain decided he had seen enough.

A golden sword appeared beside the General all of a sudden. Before anyone could react, it was quickly replaced by Cain.

Some of the General's closest men reacted after the fact, drawing their blades and pointing their guns at him.

However, the General raised his hand to stop them. He stared at Cain, a grin on his face. However, Cain couldn't see it because of his large beard,

"I was wondering when you'd show up."

Cain's brows creased,

"Why did they retreat?"

General Arltzwalt chuckled derisively,

"Why do you think I was so hesitant to fight against them? Did you really think I fear mere men?"

Cain was even more confused. General Arltzwalt sighed and explained,

"Amongst the Head Pilgrims, there is a certain one with certain strange powers, if you could call them that. A summoner. She is referred to as the Songstress, because with her harrowing song, she controls the mind and souls of the creatures from the Aether."

The realization came crashing down on him. Cain's face paled,

"You mean..."

General Arltzwalt turned back towards the retreating army,

"I knew they would do something like this. Luckily, I made a few preparations. However, it can only go as far as we are willing to risk."

Cain immediately understood something. He gritted his teeth,

"You..."

The General interrupted him,

"If you are thinking I knew you'd bring a thousand men with you, them you think to highly of me. I knew you had some cards to play, but never did I realize it was that. However, it can work on both our favors."

The General sucked in a deep breath,

"Cain, for both our sakes, and for the sake of the two thousand men and the thousand more people behind us, we have to withstand what is coming."

Cain felt a bit dizzy.

'I... I really underestimated these guys. To think they really don't intend on talking things over.'

Cain nodded, then smiled wryly,

"Looks like we really do have to work together. And here I was looking for an opportunity to escort your old ass to hell."

General Arltzwalt guffawed, "I'm old, but I can hold my own in a fight, I assure you."

Cain suddenly thought of something,

"You said you have a plan to stop the horror we are about to go through?"

The General shook his head, "Not stop, but mitigate. In the end, it all depends on how long we can hold out."

Cain let out a deep breath, then closed his eyes,

"And what is this plan?"

General Arltzwalt chuckled. Resting his giant gun on his shoulder, he said without a care in the world,

"Sand."

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