With the captain putting his foot into the ring, the course of this war between humans and demi-humans had tipped the scale in favor of humans.
Currently, the captain was standing by the window in his dimly lit chamber looking down at the town as the war hadn't reached the kingdom of Commeiku, the subjects had nothing to worry about. To them, the captain's existence was enough to assure them of their survival if the other side was ever to wage war against them.
"We don't have much time now that the demi-humans have launched their first attack, master." A masked figure kneeling behind the captain spoke.
"What of the link that killed Kenji?" The captain asked.
"We have tracked down the location and we also came across some rumors that someone is using Kenji's appearance to act on behalf of demi-humans."
"What?" The captain was surely taken aback by this information. "I see. Well... that is not a worry right now. Primary objective is to take the winter's constellation."
"If I'm not intruding much... why go after something like that? We all know you're stronger than even all the links combined then why?" A question came from an unknown source.
"While the people are fighting for survival, our job is to weaken the main problem. The war by itself may not be meaningless. It's not foolish as either sides have enough valid reasons. The issue is the divine. They created this situation and so our job is to take powers away from them so that they may not manipulate humans anymore. We will start small and make our way up." Captain answered.
"But is it really the right time? Those outlanders were defeated in a fight. Humanity has lost most of its strongest soldiers already. We may need to send reinforcements to Grumania. But with the hero being defeated, I was hoping you'd join us."
"Lizette should be enough for now. Afterall, she is one of the strongest. I do have faith in her." Captain responded.
Unsatisfied, the presence disappeared.
...
"MASTER!! IT'S THE ASCENDENTS!!" A knight came barging into the throne room. He stumbled over his own feet before falling down.
The atmosphere changed as everyone clenched onto the armrests of their seats waiting for the ascendents.
"Are you gonna go alone into the room?" A regulator asked.
"Positive." The captain said as he walked into the throne room all alone wearing a cloak and a helmet made of silver.
"Oh? The half-blood...? I wasn't expecting someone of such origin to still exist." Asha rose from her throne.
"Hmph..." Captain kept walking towards the link, Asha. "As we are currently in the times of a catastrophe, I'll skip the pleasantries. You not only killed a comrade of mine, but also refused to help humans in such crisis. How do you plan to pay for it?"
"I know you're here for the constellation." She summoned a blade made purely of ice into her hand and charged at the captain.
"This fight is meaningless." The captain moved ever so slightly... just enough to dodge her attack but then grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back. As she stumbled, the captain grabbed her head and slammed it into the ground.
The subjects who were so sure of Asha's victory had been left completely speechless as fear overtook their emotional state. Just how can someone easily overpower a link?! What is this monster?! Questions started occupying their heads. Someone like this was completely incomprehensible for them. After the four gods, the five links were the strongest. They had to be the strongest yet Asha was laying in a pool of her own blood.
"As a warrior, the most respectful thing I can do is fight you with all my might but it seems, you're-" As captain was speaking the link moved slightly healing herself and dashing away. "My apologies... You're strong." He spoke again as he started walking towards Asha. As the captain walked, not a single soul dared to look away. His aura commanded the room despite him just walking. It's as if everyone in the room knew the outcome of the battle. In an instant, the atmosphere changed. The golden rays of sun turned red as the sun was eclipsed by another heavenly body.
"Crimson moon...!?" Asha gasped in pure horror as she finally understood who she was fighting against. "You're-" The captain punched a hole through her chest before she could finish the sentence and pulled out a purple object. She coughed blood and fell onto her knees before succumbing to her inevitable demise. It was a ring made of pure gold with an alien stone in the shape of five sided star embedded into it.
"This... Yes... It does look like the constellation." Captain looked down at Asha's corpse. "Those who disregard life of others... in my opinion forbid the right to their own life." He spoke. "I won't let Kenji's sacrifice go in vain."
As the captain left the throne room one of the regulators assisting him finally asked.
"Master... may... I ask you about your heritage?"
"There is no need for you to know that right now. We have acquired the constellation and that's all that matters. Report to his highness of our victory. For the time being, I will look for Kenji... well... his body in this palace. Rest, disperse. Scan through the entire palace and try to find any trace of Kenji." He ordered.
...
Everyone's eyes squinted at Lizette as she entered the room filled with outlanders still recovering.
"All your failures... only to rely on your sworn enemies." A snarky comment made by Lizette that didn't pass very well. Not like she was trying to make friends here anyways.
"How is SHE allowed here?!" James cried out but was silenced by the commander-in-chief of platoon 35.
"The war on the eastern side of the kingdom is going in the favor of demi-humans. We need all the support that we can get. We asked Dhaarth for support but he, too, fell in the battle against that suspicious man."
"Someone who looked like Kenji... right?" Lizette questioned. "Pity... I didn't get to kill him for using his body to commit crimes against humanity. What lengths are these demi-humans willing to go to... The regulators will join the battle tomorrow morning. Till then I will rest in the guest's chamber." She said.
"Rest? But people need your assistance... war has already begun." Jennie said.
"We are doing you a FAVOR here. Don't overstep your boundaries. Just because you all and Kristine managed to kill one of the lower ranked ascendant, don't think you can do the same with me." She said. Suddenly a cloaked figure appeared and bowed to Lizette.
"Captain has reached a conclusion that Kenji is not dead." The revelation shocked the entire room.
...
"So you're saying the person siding with the demi-humans isn't someone pretending to be Kenji but Kenji himself...?" The professor was dumbfounded.
The nine ascendants were all present sitting on their respective chair.
"So... a spell casted by Asha on all of humanity...?" M said sitting on the number seven chair. She had a goth like fashion sense and seemed to be in her early to mid twenties though in reality was much older as she had experienced the war four gods waged on the demi-humans. "Even if it didn't affect everyone, outlanders accepted it because everyone else did. But what about demi-humans? If Kenji has aligned himself with them... could it be possible that they know the truth?"
"I'm confused. Why was Kenji targeted in such manner anyways? Why did Asha prefer manipulating memories of an entire race over this one individual? I mean if he was the strongest, I could see her do that but Kenji wasn't even the strongest amongst the ascendents." Seraphina questioned.
"My apologies. During the battle, I was unable to extract enough information out of her. But from her subjects, it seems as though Kenji was not the man fated for the throne in the heavens. But due to some error, instead of James, Kenji got the divine abilities. Her intentions went with her but her subjects thinks she did what she did because she thought Kenji's supposed death would set him free. It could be that she wanted Kenji to side with demi-humans. And making it so that he was dead to everyone, Kenji saw it as the breaking point. It's merely speculation on my part but Kenji might've sided with demi-humans because he was tired of humans and not because he aligns himself with them. It could be simply out of spite." The captain spoke.
"A lot of speculations..." Charlotte said. "Aren't we tired of speculations? First about the wars, then about the gods... then Askai and now Kenji. When have we reached a proper conclusion?"
"Charlie is right! We have to confront Kenji directly. I think Lizzie should do it." Ezekiel said.
"It's not Charlie... It's Charlot-" Charlotte was interrupted again.
"Who is voting for Lizzie to go talk to him?" He raised his hand.
The ascendents unanimously agreed that Charlotte will take Lizette's place in Grumania while Lizette will travel to the other side and confront Kenji.