God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

City Z was the embodiment of a terra-formed tragedy.

Whatever boundaries the city had, had either been stretched out and rendered obsolete by the changes in the world or had been destroyed by the elements and more.

If one were to observe the city from afar, the first visible indicator that one had left the barren wilderness and had made contact with a husky of civilization, would the be like of broken skyscrapers and buildings.

The City itself was a cesspool of brewing darkness and devilish miasma. Compared to the last time he had been out, Cain couldn't help but notice that things seemed even worse.

With his sharp eyesight, he was able to see really far into the distance.

And what he saw was not pretty. Not even in the slightest...

The Devil Tower in the center of the City stood there, a proud monument of devilish corruption.

It repeatedly oozed frightening globs of miasma into the ground and air.

The wretched plums of miasma that sunk into the sky made the already dark Evernight look like an abyss.

Dark clouds rolled in the sky above with streaks of crimson and purple lightning brewing within.

The ground had already began to change into a nightmarish scene.

Everywhere he looked, Cain could see Devils. Some with giant blades for arms, some with hundreds of tentacles slithering across the ground.

Some looked like overgrown giant maggots munching their way through concrete and steel, while others were titanic beings with elemental authority that could move the world. Some had bat-like wings that let them soar through the sky with wicked speed, while others had vicious fangs and claws that allowed them to claw into the walls and leap from building to building.

It was a scene straight from a nightmare...

Despite the overwhelming variety in the selection of Devils he could see with just a glance, he realized there was uniformity to their actions.

The sound of footsteps filled his ears and Cain turned to see quite a number of people approaching.

He was currently right at the edge of the Dome, staring out at the nightmarish apocalyptic scene the rest of the City had become.

Cain raised a brow, "Looks like everyone is here..."

The entirety of Valestorm's upper echelon had gathered all at once from different areas.

Under Cain's suggestion, Hunter had quickly disseminated the information to the others and had them rush over.

Since Alvi had found out, that means the others in the Iron Beetle knew as well. There were many outposts located on the outskirts of the Dome, dedicated to observe Devil activity so it was not a surprise that Gilead and the other Pilgrims would know.

They had all rushed over as soon as they got the news.

Meaning everyone had arrived at the same time.

The wind picked up. Luckily, the Dome didn't allow Devil Essence to leak in alongside the wind. Instead, it gathered on the surface of the Dome, eating away at its energy reserves.

'This is definitely a problem.'

Feeling a few stares on him, Cain had no idea what to do.

Meanwhile, Hunter walked up to him with everyone else behind him,

"What now?" He asked.

Jenny's beautiful face contorted, her expression a bit dark,

"This is horrible. Even if we do manage to kill them all, how will we fix something like this?!"

Steve walked forward. His expression was also a bit grim,

"They are terra-forming the land to make it more suitable for them, and less suitable for us."

He turned to Cain,

"This isn't good."

Cain sighed then turned around,

"I know."

Battlefield advantage was always an important thing. So important in fact, that it could be what won or lost a war. Especially so when facing up against beings as repugnant and evil as the Devils.

They were setting the stage for what would be the decisive event.

Humanity in this city would either take it back, or be wiped out. There was no room for in-betweens.

Unfortunately, the odds didn't seem to be stacked in their favor.

Feeling the stares coming from the side of the Pilgrims and Iron Beetle, Cain couldn't help letting out another sigh.

Gilead was talking with another man who wore plate and leather armor. Despite the armor looking in impressive, the man was rather tall and handsome with a head full of cascading golden locks and piercing green eyes.

Cain frowned at this unfamiliar face.

Upon closer inspection though, he could see a small insignia attached to his breastplate.

It was a strange looking knife with a skull as its hilt on the side of a beetle.

Beside Gilead was Abigail, the weird woman with the plain face, the beautiful woman riding in the terrifying aether beast with an entire cohort of Pilgrims. From what he could tell, these Pilgrims were rather strong too, perhaps the cream of the crop within the Pilgrim ranks.

The members of the Iron Beetle that had arrived also seemed to be having their own conversation.

Gilead suddenly turned towards him. Sensing the gravity in his gaze, Cain tiredly sighed.

He turned around and stared at Evangeline who had been absentmindedly staring outside the semi-transluscent barrier all this time.

"Watch out for anything strange."

Evangeline glanced at him then smiled,

"What are you thinking?"

Cain scratched his head,

"I don't know. Something just seems fishy and odd."

Evangeline's leaf-like eyes narrowed dangerously and her lips stretched even more,

"Well, what do you know? Let's have a chat later."

Cain nodded then turned and walked towards Gilead and the blond man.

As he walked closer, Cain was able to pick up a bit of their conversation,

"Making any sort of move now could be disastrous. I suggest we wait for the calamity to come. Maybe we will be more prepared to face it by the time it arrives." Cain heard the blond man say before he got there.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Gilead responded, his voice cold,

"Are you blind, Carrion? Don't you see what I am seeing, what we are all seeing?!"

His gaze turned even more frigid than his voice,

"This place is about to be torn to shreds, the sand wetted, dyed crimson in our blood, and all you can think about is to protect your own interests?!"

The blond man, Carrion, didn't seem affected by Gilead's frigid and threatening demeanor.

Instead, he answered calmly,

"Control yourself, Gilead. All I ask for, is reason."

He frowned slightly, "Do you really think you, no... we have what it takes to fight that?"

Gilead huffed,

"We aren't the only ones fighting, are we? The Devils are going to be attacking all the humans left in the City, without discrimination. We can try and find compromise with the other two blessed areas."

Cain raised a brow, 'Blessed areas? He's referring to the areas protected by the Dome's, isn't he...'

Carrion sneered,

"If Balangol were still here, perhaps we might have been able to negotiate. However..."

He turned and stared at Cain, his eyes brimming with mirth and contempt,

"That's to this fool over here, we might have lost that chance."

'I don't like this prick.' Cain immediately concluded in his mind.

However, he was not one to violently lash out over a minor insult.

Instead, he smiled and walked closer, locking eyes with this Carrion,

"Hm? I don't believe we have met before, have we?"

Carrion sneered,

"Of course we haven't. You throw the balance we enjoyed off and waltz off to go fuck who knows what, who knows where. How could you know me?"

Cain shrugged, "It's not my fault your god could be felled by a mortal's blade. Perhaps your should pick those you choose to swear fealty to better."

Carrion's expression faltered a bit, but he composed himself immediately after.

He sneered,

"So the rumors are true. You are the one who killed Balangol."

Cain frowned and narrowed his eyes. He could sense something amiss immediately.

'Is he trying to get an admission of guilt? What is he playing at?'

Cain analysed the situation quickly. Then he smiled and nodded,

"Indeed, I am. Unfortunately, I currently don't have any proof on me. If you want to test the legitimacy of my claim, I'll have to give you the first hand experience."

With his spirit healed and his ability to utilize all three of his power sources, Cain feared absolutely no one.

Carrion chuckled and raised his hands, taking a step back,

"I see. In other words, you are also partially responsible for this mess we are in. Perhaps the Devils have noticed our weakness and have decided that this is the prime moment to strike at us. Perhaps they will even take us out before the other two Blessed areas. With the blood of so many innocents in your head, I wonder how you will—"

Gilead interrupted them,

"That's enough!" He said, his voice rumbling like rolling thunder.

Cain couldn't help but calm down and take a step back.

'Well, he seemed genuinely pissed off.'

How wouldn't he...

Death was staring them down in the face.

"We are currently in the middle of a crisis. This is no time to throw empty words at one another." Gilead added after a moment of silence.

Carrion cleared his throat,

"You are right. I let my emotions get the better of me."

He paused for a moment, then smiled,

"Gilead, none of us want to die. I speak for the Iron Beetle in its entirety when I say that we will happily fight till our last breath."

His eyes glinted, "But you don't just expect us to throw our lives away for no reason, do you? I don't think anybody does."

The creases in Gilead's face became even more pronounced,

"What do you want?"

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Carrion smirked, a look of victory plastered on his face,

"We want half of Valestorm..."