God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Steve unhurriedly let his eyes scan the crowd. He cleared his throat,

"I believe we should strike first. They most definitely won't see it coming."

Cain shook his head, "You can't be so sure of that."

He frowned, "One of the Head Priests is a Seer. Treat this situation as the enemy having the upper hand in terms of intelligence."

Steve snorted, "We have a Seer of our own, don't we?"

His gaze shifted to Susan.

She frowned then sighed,

"My foresight isn't as direct. It comes more as glimpses, a slightly illuminated revelation. Definitely not on the same level as a true Seer."

Cain shrugged, "There you have it. I believe we should wait and see, then respond accordingly."

Hunter chimed in, his voice a bit cold,

"We might not have enough time to respond, although I do agree with you. Remember that we are on their turf right now. They have all the advantage."

They were currently discussing in secret the method of approach to take.

Most of Valestorm's combatants were still a mystery to him.

For all he knew, Cain was sure he had never seen any of the Head Priests or even the Champion. But he was sure they were all very powerful.

They were currently seated whatever chairs they could find that hadn't been eaten by the {Blister Rats} in the abandoned, dilapidated building he had engraved the Spatial Tether in.

Since it was a little bit far away from the Military Camp, their conversations would be safe from prying ears and eyes.

It was also not a part of the Sea of Sands, so they wouldn't have to worry about any Aether Beast attacks.

Cain had decided to make this their base of operations moving forward.

A few plans had been made here and there, but they really couldn't do anything untill Valestorm made its move first.

If Cain had things his way, he would have liked to avoid a conflict in general. However, he knew that was impossible. His goals were so lofty, there was no room for avoiding bloodshed.

'Heavy is the head that wears the crown.'

He would have to bear that burden. His hands would have to be stained with blood, regardless of his intentions. Such was the fate of one who's desire was to conquer.

He leaned back on Ruby, who also doubled as his seat.

'Master, you seem troubled.'

The soft, almost child-like voice of Ruby appeared in his mind.

Cain chuckled, 'Indeed, I am.'

He suddenly frowned.

Come to think of it, he was also responsible for the death of Ruby's family.

He hesitated for a moment,

'Ruby, can I ask you something?'

Over the months, he had come to see this Mutant Beasts as just another weapon in his arsenal, albeit one he barely used. He had been careful biding his time, waiting for her to fully mature.

However, how this had initially begun, was his and the others killing her mother and her siblings.

'Hm? A question for me?'

Cain was amazed at how intelligent the creature had become as well. It would have been terrifying if he wasn't her master.

'Don't you hate me? I mean, I killed your mother and caused the rest of your family to be killed. You should hate me, right?'

There was a moment of silence.

'I cannot hate Master. While you did kill the rest of my kin, we would have killed and eaten you and your friends if that didn't happen.'

There was another pause,

'Even with my family, all our time was spent just hunting and eating. Before I met Master, it was like my body was filled with hunger and my my was clouded by unquenchable bloodlust. So I cannot hate you, Master. Because Ruby became Ruby because of you. Our souls are linked together, after all.'

Cain smiled, 'I guess you are right.'

The [Body and Soul] contract was so unique because of the link between the souls of the parties involved with the contract.

Just like how Cain had gained something important from their contract, Ruby had gained something as well.

A gradually evolving sentience.

Most Mutant Creatures evolved to become incredibly intelligent and powerful. However, they were still beasts. Their souls were that of beasts, and it was impossible for them to defeat their own nature, at least on their own.

With his soul's influence on her's, Ruby could suppress the nature of her beastly soul.

The discussion went on...

Staring at the absentminded Cain, a smile appeared on Evangeline's face,

She cleared her throat,

"At the end of the day, none of that matters unless we can get our leader to agree to a conclusion. Isn't right?" She said as she nudged Cain.

Returning back to reality, Cain cleared his throat. He understood what Evangeline was trying to do. He needed to be decisive.

"We'll wait and see what they do. If they want blood, then we will respond in kind. If they are willing to talk, we will avoid as much bloodshed as possible."

Vincent sighed, "Well, you've all heard the boss. Time to go take a na–"

Someone suddenly rushed into the large hall with a look of urgency on their face. It was a Beastman Cain was a bit familiar with, as he had been a part of Hunter's squad back in that other world.

Hunter frowned, "What's the matter?"

The man stopped, his face tense and pale,

"This..."

He turned to Cain,

"I think it's best if you all come see for yourself."

Cain frowned, "What do you mean? What's going on?"

'I haven't sensed anything. Could something have gone down in the military camp? Are those old cronies trying to start something?'

He quickly activated {Eye of Clairvoyance}.

***

General Arltzwalt stood up on the outpost overlooking the Sea of Sands, a lot cigar lazily hanging from his lips.

He placed the binoculars down,

"Ai... This doesn't look good."

Boulder stood beside him silently, his face grim.

The General sighed,

"I was sure they would make their move soon. I didn't realize they would come in full force like this."

Boulder grimly replied,

"I didn't realize they had this kind of power. This is nothing like I have seen before."

The General sighed and spat his cigar out, crushing it beneath his foot.

If one looked into the horizon, a thin line of rising dust ascending into the Evernight sky could be seen.

The General frowned,

"Ring the bells. Get the men moving. Tell them to grab their weapons and don their armor."

Darkness enveloped his eyes,

"War is coming."

Boulder nodded then gave him a salute before descending from the outpost.

Khan and Lucia were standing there, their faces tense and apprehensive.

Boulder sucked in a cold breath of air,

"Valestorm is coming, probably for a fight."

The news traveled like wildfire, and the entire military encampment boiled with tension and movement as the Hunters and Soldiers got ready, putting in their armor and grabbing their weapons.

The enemy's intentions weren't clear yet, but it was never a bad thing to be prepared just in case.

Cain quickly got the gist of it.

Steve glanced at him,

"So, what do you think?"

Cain was silent only for a moment before turning around,

"We wait. In the meantime, get ready. Hopefully, you all won't have to use the new weapons."

Blaze chuckled, "Now that you mentioned it, I am quite eager to use my new spear."

Vincent chuckled as well, "Indeed. Cain, the old guns were good, but these are even better."

Cain sighed, 'Why do these guys not seem bothered in the slightest?'

Susan gently patted him on the back,

"Relax, would you?"

A smile appeared on her face,

"None of you hesitant, so you don't have to be as well. Don't worry about us._

Cain sighed. It was indeed true that he wasn't as worried for himself as he was for the others.

After all, he was sure that no matter what happened to him, he wouldn't truly die.

The others on the other hand, that would be the end for them. He would rather that not happen at all.

Hunter was already moving forward. His armor had manifested around him, and a pair of daggers hung from his waist. They were the new weapons Cain had made from him, and not his own pair.

They looked even more terrifying than the old ones, resembling a pair of wolf fangs covered in strange, malevolent markings.

"They probably will send a few envoys out first. Let's go see what's up."

Cain nodded.

"You two go on ahead while the rest of us get things in place." Evangeline said whilst turning around.

Cain raised a brow, "You don't seem too worried about all this."

She tilted her head slightly, her face impassive,

"Why should I be worried?"

Her expression slowly melted as a devious smile appeared on her lips,

"If anything, they should be worried instead. We might not have the upper hand, but if they underestimate us, I plan on showing no mercy at all."

Cain wanted to say something, but he decided against it.

He had no idea why she was so confident, but he decided not to question it.

If she was confident in him, then he would make sure her trust didn't go to waste.

'Envoys, huh... Let's go see what that is about.'