God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

A quick scan of the room with his eyes hidden behind the mask brought Gilead to an understanding.

'Valestorm is unstable.'

The crescendo of the voices with emotions ranging from annoyance, to rage, to uncertainty, to fear filled the dark enclove within the Temple of Sands.

"We can't fight against them. Even with the power of the Songstress, we were defeated!"

"Their ranks are filled with vicious beasts masquerading as humans. Those vile creatures deserve to die!"

"Our foundations have become shaky. There is nothing we can do. Our god has forsaken us, and his champion is dead. What are we to do?"

Indeed, it was just a boatload of nonsense...

Gilead glanced at Wulf. Although he couldn't see his face, he could tell that the Head Priest was simmering with anger, undoubtedly very provoked by the words of the Heart Ward.

'Speaking of her...'

Behind the mask, Gilead's eyes narrowed.

Wulf's tone was dark,

"It doesn't matter what you think. With the absence of the Champion and the Lord, then the power and authority falls onto me! So keep your mouth in line, or you run the risk of losing your head altogether."

The entire hall fell silent.

No matter how those words were cut, it was undoubtedly a threat. Normally, anyone threatened by a Head Priest would be shivering with fear.

However , the Heart Ward merely chuckled, not even a little bit affected, her tantalizing voice echoing off the walls of the hall,

"Ah, yes... As a Head Priest of the god of the sands, you surely deserve all the power and our unbending loyalty."

Wulf sneered behind the mask,

"What, do you think you have what it takes to oppose those words? If you do, I don't mind answering your doubts right now."

The Heart Ward shook her head,

"Indeed, I do have doubts. After all, you were defeated by your opponents during that battle. You had to run away like a dog with your tail tucked in between your legs, surviving only by the skin of your teeth. Frankly, I believe you should be stripped of your title."

The darkness entrenching the hall turned darker, and a few of the weaker Lectors trembled in fear.

Flames burst out of the eyeholes of Wulf's masks,

"Good. Very good! I get to burn my rage away today! I thank you for your sacrifice!"

The Heart Ward shook her head,

"Besides, I am not the only one who feels this way." She said, her head tilting to the side.

The moment the words entered his ears, Wulf noticed something was wrong.

His head swiveled around and he turned to the other Head Priests that were still living.

His face turned ugly, but of course, his twisted expression wouldn't be seen. Instead, his booming enraged voice that dwarfed out every other sound in the hall was all they could hear,

"Aren't you idiots going to say anything?!"

The Songstress who was seated to the side of Gilead on an elevated seat merely shrugged,

"Quite frankly, you should not be blamed for your embarrassing display, Wulf. Those demons hired by Arltzwalt were rather difficult to deal with. It should be established that we do not have the strength to deal with them right now."

The Seer, seated to the Songstress's side spoke up,

"Pursuing further action will lead to undesirable losses. We should try to mend our wounds before we even consider the next step to take."

"You idiots are just cowards " Wulf said, his voice laced with a sneer.

"The reason we were defeated, was because we were not prepared well enough. Our weapons and equipment were also subpar compared to that of the enemies. Give it a rest, Wulf. If you desire revenge, you can choose to go on your own, or forget about it." The Songstress said casually.

"Shut up, you bitch!" Wulf growled at her.

Then he turned his attention back to the Heart Ward, a wicked amount of bloodlust oozing from his being,

"Fine. No vengeance for now. But I will not tolerate the disrespect from this bitch. I want her head."

Without any warning, a torrent of black flames poured out from Wulf towards the Heart Ward who was standing below.

"Look out!"

The Sky Ward and Earth Ward who stood a little bit behind her moved instantly, but were still unable to respond fast enough.

There was no doubt that if the billowing tongues of black flames made contact, they would singe her flesh right off her bones.

Just before the flames could do their work, there was a flash of light.

Then a shield manifested before the Heart Ward, blocking out the black flames completely, making sure they did no harm to her.

Those standing close by hurriedly scurried away in fear, some of them tripping over and falling.

Wulf's head snapped to the side,

"Gilead, you..."

"Shut up, fool. I'm thinking..."

Gilead was in a terrible mood. He usually didn't like to be forced into difficult situations, but it seemed like he didn't have a choice here.

His mind drifted back to two nights ago, when he had encountered an enigma within the shifting hallways of this very temple.

The enigma had gone to him with a request and a proposal, one that was very difficult to turn away.

Wulf seemed to almost explode with anger,

"What is going on?! How can you defend her?!"

He couldn't understand!

He gritted his teeth,

"Today, it is my authority that is undermined. But tomorrow, it can be yours!"

He turned to the Songstress and the Seer,

"With two of our pillars gone, we need to stand together and execute our will as one. If we don't do this, we will fall apart."

His eyes narrowed as he turned to Gilead,

"Gilead, don't be stupid! What are you trying to prove here?!"

The Heart Ward sighed, then turned to Gilead,

"Have you made your choice?"

Gilead sighed and stood up,

"Yes. Yes, I have."

His movements were swift, like an arrow cutting through the air and embedding itself into the heart of an enemy.

In such a manner likewise, Gilead, the Guardian, soared above the crowd...

Landing right behind Wulf.

Before Wulf's head could even turn around, Gilead struck down, his sword igniting the air around it due to its force and speed.

His sword struck a shield of crystalized mana, shattering it in an instant.

The entire hall immediately exploded into chaos.

Swords were drawn and guns were unholstered.

Wulf stared Gilead down, the black flames burning in his sockets climbing in intensity,

"You bastard."

Gilead spoke calmly, his words like the judgment of a heavenly deity,

"You have to die, Wulf."

Wulf chuckled with mirth,

"And who's going to kill me, you?"

The Heart Ward walked forward, her terrifying beast following on her heels,

"Don't forget me. I'll join him in killing you too."

Wulf cackled,

"So that's what's going on here. You two conniving rats are in on it together."

He turned to the Songstress and the Seer,

"Can you see this?!"

His voice was loud, reaching ever ear in the hall,

"The Guardian, the man who is supposed to be a pillar of our defense, has become a turncoat and plans to betray us all."

"Not all of us. Only you is being betrayed, Wulf." Seisha, the Songstress said, standing up.

She fingers danced in the air, drawing out a complicated magic circle.

Within seconds, it expanded, and a tall, barbaric-looking Aether Beast crawled out, bringing a terrible heat and stench.

It's molten eyes burning with bloodlust instantly locked onto Wulf.

A string of thoughts flashed through Wulf's mind.

'Fuck! These bastards set me up!'

"You and those loyal to you will not leave here alive, Wulf. People like you rot this already doomed world. You are scum, and I will take it as my duty to wipe you off this world." Gilead said coldly.

Wulf remained silent.

Frankly, the odds were stacked against him. Out of all the Vicars and Lectors in the meeting hall, about only a quarter of them were loyal to him.

And he was not sure of his ability to take on Gilead and Seisha at once...

He let out a deep breath,

"Alright. I see how it is. Fine. You want to take the lead, right? I give up. You can have it."

Gilead calmly shook his head,

"You don't understand, do you?"

He glanced at the masked enigma, the Heart Ward,

"I have no interest in power. Rather, it would be more accurate to say I wish to swerve someone with vision. Someone who isn't self-absorbed, someone who wishes for a less bleak future for us all. Unfortunately for you, Wulf, you are not that person."

Wulf took a step back,

"What are you trying to say?!"

His mind spun as he rapidly began to think of a way out of his situation.

"I believe I made myself clear. There is no further need for words."

With that, he sprung into action, a ring of crackling sparks swam around him as he swung his blade horizontally.

Under the mask, Wulf sneered,

"You also have your flaws, Gilead. You are too arrogant."

His body suddenly exploded into dark flames that threatened to fill the entire hall,

"You all have severely underestimated me!"

The dark flames were a different from the ones he usually used,.as they seemed tinged with a hint of something archaic and ancient, like the bellow of a long dead god.

This evil, slightly esoteric property made it seem as though the black flames could burn even souls away from existence.

'The flames will distract them while I use that moment to slip away.'

As the flames burned, so did the twisted mirth in his heart,

He would run today, but he would be back. And those who have slightly him would pay!

Just as he identified his escape route, a sharp pain in his chest jolted him away from his sinister thoughts.

"Eh?"

He looked down...

A sword with golden streaks of electricity crackling along the blade had penetrated his heart.

Gilead's voice came from behind him, but it was already muffled as his life slowly exited his body,

"How predictable..."

Twisting the blade, Gilead made sure Wulf was death, before letting his body slide off the blade and onto the floor.

Staring at his bloodstained sword, he gently wiped the blade on his sleeve and sheathed it.

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