God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 781 To a Despairing Soul, Truth within the Madness (2).

What is it like to feel pure terror gnaw away at your very soul?

It was a unique feeling.

Like stepping into the bosom of madness.

The swirling fog was not filled with voices and eerie whispers, neither was it like a shattered mirror that caught unlucky souls in its grotesque abyss.

No, it was nothing like that.

There was no desolation.

There was no despair.

It was a subtle itch in the mind.

Like the buzzing of an ever present, nearly immortal fly.

The host of madness itself.

With a single roar, Asteron blew the fog in the surrounding area away.

With a grimace on his face, Cain looked around.

Something indeed was not right.

They had been transported somewhere within a strange forest. The forest floor was damp and filled with fallen wet leaves. However, there was no undergrowth.

Instead, the forest was filled with the exact same type of tree, evenly spaced out and continuously reoccurring in all directions.

'It's like a freaking maze...' Cain thought to himself.

Maybe it was.

Asteron's reptilian eyes scanned the crowd. Despite there being hundreds of creatures present, he could still mentally account for all of them.

He frowned, "Grignard and his Orcs are missing."

Midread nodded solemnly,

"It is as you say."

The Wind Drake turned to his Cynogryph companion.

Avalon fluffed his feathers,

"To be honest, I would rather not fly into this fog in

He turned to look up again at Asteron, who had a contemplative look on his face as he discussed with Avalon and Thern, all three wearing grim expressions.

The opinions of the creatures were as different as how they appeared.

Some were inclined towards a more cowardly approach and exercising caution, while others seemed almost desperate to show how sharp their fangs and claws were.

With that much conflict of interest, it was surprising how the idea of coming together to form a coalition had even been possible.

Cain let out a sigh.

Suddenly, a piercing scream reached his ears.

He turned his head andbl managed to catch what had happened just before it disappeared into the fog.

He wished he didn't.

Immediately, Cain let out a curse and fell to the ground, blood streaming down his eyes and nose.

"Cain!"

The rowdy crowd silent.

The scream had alerted all of them. Weapons were drawn, fangs and claws were bared.

All eyes drifted into the fog, searching for something, for anything.

"I thought there was no one close to the fog?" Asteron said, his eyes glowing as he glared at Midread.

Midread trembled,

"Lord Asteron. That didn't come from anyone here."

The crowd fell silent.

The silence allowed them to hear what was happening from within the fog.

The sound was subtle.

However, if one listened close enough, it would be heard. The sound of bones being cracked. The sound of flesh being ripped off apart, and the quiet sobs and cries filled with anguish, terror and despair.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind now.

There was something in the fog. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire

It knew they were there, and it was mocking them, taunting them, daring them, to come find it within the fog.

"Prepare yourselves." Asteron said, his voice bold and menacing.

Cain knew the {Wind Drake} had had enough of being toyed with.

Although it wasn't impulsive, cowering here was perhaps as terrible of a choice as running headfirst into the fog without making any preparations whatsoever.

'This is bad.' He thought to himself.

Even with {Eye of Clairvoyance}, he couldn't peer through the fog. It was like he was shrouded in darkness.

They all silently clenched their fingers around the weapons.

Asteron let his chest swell once again. This time, the currents of wind absorbed into his mouth were far more powerful, almost lifting the lighter creatures off the ground. Cain had to struggle to keep himself grounded.

In his mind, he couldn't help but think,

'I was wrong. There is no way the strength of {Flameskin Troll} can be compared to that of this monstrosity.'

A moment later, the breath of compressed air came, scattering the fog and pushing it back greatly. A few trees were shattered into sawdust, their roots pulled out forcibly by the raw power behind the Drake's Breath.

With the fog clearing out, they were able to see more of the forest ahead.

Suddenly, an enormous tension fell over the entourage of beings and beasts.

Standing rather far away, within another clearing with a few trees just like the clearing they were currently in, Cain could see a mass of creatures gathered. With the fog gone, he could see clearly what those were.

They were the creatures of the Godless Realm that had entered into the trial with them.

A terrifying wave of bloodlust and killing intent rushed over with the fog gone.

Asteron growled, his claws digging into the soft earth. However, he didn't make a move yet. It was as though he was still hesitant about something.

Luckily, the decision to attack wasn't made by him.

THUNK!

A dark arrow made from the blackened bones of some nightmarish creature suddenly shot through the forest and accurately pierced through the head of a large Beastman. Half his head was blaster through, leaving behind a bloody mess and a falling corpse.

Asteron's doubts faded away as he charged forward with a furious roar.

The rest followed right behind him, burning fury in their gazes. In response, a furious roar came from the Godless Creatures as they surged forward as well.

The first true battle in the trial was about to begin...