God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 1104: Blood Flows like a River (1).
A few days went by in relative calm.
The silent grudge between the Beastmen and the mercenaries simmered, but there had been no large scale conflicts, and even the minor disagreements never devolved into anything physical.
That, Cain saw as a win, albeit a temporary one. He had no delusions that he would have to address it sooner or later.
However, he was not one to change the minds of others forcefully. Probably.
In any case, he wasn’t bothered by it at all.
Instead, all his attention had been focused on actively using his Ki Plundering technique, and his body tempering technique.
Since he could not use his mana, the best thing he could do, was sharpen the weapons he did have. And that, he was going to do dutifully.
For some reason, he suddenly understood the essence of the system’s mission for him.
It was no more forcing him to pick a specialization, than it was trying to let him figure out his affinity out personally.
In just a few days, he had seen explosive growth just from consistently practicing the Ki Plundering and Body Tempering Techniques side by side.
Besides that, he had also, for some reason, been forced into a more administrative role.lst of the attacking Devil Mutants were dealt with in a single aerial sweep, leaving nothing for him to do besides reciev reports.
That left him with more than enough time on his hands to meditate.
And finally, after a whole week of journeying on the backs of the now rather exhausted {Longhorn Mares}, a touch of red painted the horizon.
The wind blowing across his face seemed to pick up and become increasingly stubborn. It whipped his hair back wildly. With an annoyed grunt, he tied his flamboyant hair in place and gazed into the distance at the enormous Dome of Blood.
It was much larger than the Dome of Sands and the Dome of Fire.
It was also the only one still standing.
Even though their Matriach was either dead or stolen away, that didn’t mean they were hopeless. After all, theyr goddess had not yet abandoned them.
And the sign, was that the dome still stood.
***
A meeting has been called.
In the first floor of the pagoda located in the very center of the other twelve, the former seat of the Matriach...
The twelve Elders were gathered in the dimly lit hall, each of their robes bearing the insignia of their branch under the sect;
Nebula, the Black Steel Viper, Nockt, the treacherous looking Rat Keeper, Baldur, the Stone Ox King, Suzume, the White Fox Princess, Dravok, the Saint of a Thousand Chains, Myrhh, the Blooming Hollow, Senkai, the Thousand-Eyed Demon, Thorne, the Ink Sorcerer, Veyra, the Priestess of Battle, Frejlorr, the Frost-Hand, Plague, the Withering Pestilence, and Night, the Daughter of Shadows.
Each one of them represented an arm of the Blood Moon Sect, and each was was as unique as they were powerful.
The Goddess of the Blood Moon had bestowed special blessings to each one of them that made them stand out amongst other blessed. Those blessings, were the foundations of their special titles.
They were all seated on the velvet rug around a large circular low table.
"As you might all know, we are faced with a rather significant dilemma."
Seated at the head of the table, Nockt, as the oldest, and also the most knowledgeable of the Elders, had been seen as the mind and eyes of the Matriach.
Now, with the Matriach’s absence, he had still retained some of his authority, even though he was generally a non-combatant.
Nockt let the silence settle for a moment and then continued,
"Those from the settlement of a rival God have come to our doorsteps. They claim to have our precious Matriach at their disposition."
His eyes narrowed,
"For now, there is no concrete evidence. But I do have an inclination to believe that our Matriach is still alive and in captivity. And this might be our only chance to rescue her."
Nockt paused again to scan the room.
What he saw made his brows furrowed in worry.
Out of the twelve, at least six of them had rather apathetic faces as he broke the news.
"The Matriach is dead." A soft voice rang out.
As clear as clanking crystals. As soft as snow. Her voice was near divine.
Suzume, the White Fox Princess, was the very image of pure beauty.
Her skin was soft and fair like the Sun, her white hair cascading down her back like a celestial river.
Her eyes were beautiful, like twin moons in the night sky.
She wore a pure white dress with fain red accents along the hem, as well as an embroidery of a nine-headed beast behind it.
On her arm, was a strange blood-red tattoo that disappeared behind her robe.
Not only was she one of the most powerful elders, she was also, the adopted daughter of the Matriach.
Nockt turned to stare at her with wide eyes,
"You—!"
Suzume’s smile was as soft and gentle as she looked. However, her words were surprisingly cold,
"Even though she was my mother, my eyes are not blinded to the reality. She is dead. And there is nothing we can do about that. However..."
The corner of her lips trembled as her silver eyes shone with resplendent light,
"We can visit judgment to those responsible for her death. My mother died in battle, which means she deserves the highest respect possible. And for that to happen, we must claim her body from those heathens that have appeared at our doorsteps."
She turned to stare at Nockt, her smile warm and genuine,
"We must move forward, Nockt. There is no purpose in dwelling in the past."
"It is exactly because we cannot dwell in the past, that we must move forward and strike a deal. A battle right now will be disastrous to the sect as a whole!" Nockt slammed the table angrily.
"Chill out, old man. There’s no point getting all riled up, heh..."
