God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 173: [Bonus chapter]Bloodless Banquet. (SIDE STORY...)

Rosales City...

The tall skyscrapers did nothing to shield the light-polluted streets of the city from the moonlight. A red moon, as crimson as blood hung over the behemoths of metal and concrete, painting a dreamy picture to the eyes of the beholder...

The honking of cars, the booming of music, and the faint chatter of people swam into Dave's ears as he stared at the slightly red starless sky in confusion.

"What's going on?"

Dressed in casual clothing, Dave stood still in the ocean of people trying to rush back to their places of abode before midnight.

The expression on his face revealed the most dominant emotion swimming within his brain,

Confusion...

'Wasn't I in a cave with my guild members, about to hunt down the last of those vile creatures?!' Dave's expression contorted into a terrifying visage as he remembered the last few scenes that had played out before he had temporarily lost consciousness.

However, before he could completely organize his mind, a voice called out to him, interrupting his train of thought.

"My Lord!"

Dave was startled when he noticed a young man that looked to be slightly older than him run up to his side. He quickly got on the defensive, moving his hand to the blade that was attached to his back, but grasped at nothing but air.

'That's right, I don't have my weapon!' Dave's already dark expression darkened even further as a feeling of nakedness washed over him.

'Damn it!'

"My Lord! Why and how did you run off so quickly?!" The young man dressed in a butler's attire yelled out frantically as his eyes moved to inspect Dave's body for injuries questionably quickly.

"I'm... Fine." Dave said as he looked himself up and down. Dressed in a white collared shirt with straight black slacks, his attire was simple, but due to the incredible quality of the materials, it also oozed out a bit of a sophisticated air.

"Are you okay, my Lord?! You look as pale as bones!"

The concern in the butler's voice was extremely obvious, although Dave couldn't tell if that concern was targeted at him.

"If you are okay, then we need to get going, my Lord. The dinner is about to start! The sixth Majora will be attending, and showing up late will be the ultimate form of disrespect!"

The young butler quickly urged Dave into a black car that had appeared out of nowhere and pulled up beside them. Once he had gotten Dave into the passenger seat, the butler signaled the driver and climbed in.

The car sped off into the busy traffic, leaving only a trail of smoke and dust...

***

Inside the car...

'From what I can tell, this most definitely isn't my world! This is my body, but why can't I recall ever getting into these clothes, or knowing that strange young man!'

All sorts of thoughts mixed around within Dave's head as he tried to figure out what was going on. To his side, the butler rambled on and on about all he should and shouldn't do once they arrived at their destination.

"Where are we going?" Dave who had been quiet since suddenly spoke up.

"Eh?! My Lord, you must be joking, right?" The Butler stopped his words immediately and stared at Dave as though he had just seen a ghost.

"Answer the damn question!" Dave, who was still stuck in his confusion didn't have time for trivialities. Anger flashed in his eyes as they took on a crimson tint, reminiscent of the blood-red moon hanging over their heads.

The butler swallowed a mouthful of saliva as a chill raced up his spine.

"Y-yes, my Lord! We are headed to the 204th Bloodless Banquet of the Blood God!"

"Bloodless Banquet?" A dark look flashed in Dave's eye as he urged the butler to continue.

Letting out a breath of cold air, the butler continued...

"Your father, Sir. Ramses instructed me to make sure you appropriately attended the festival. Should anything go wrong, he'll have my head on the dinner plate!" The butler said, in a pleading, almost groveling voice.

Dave rested his hand on his cold smooth chin and recoiled when he felt absolutely no facial hair.

'Sigh... Even my beard is gone. What the hell happened?!'

His eyebrows creased again as his thoughts moved even further,

'From what I can tell, there is something strange going on. I can feel mana in the air, although it is relatively lower compared to my old world, there is no doubt it is still present.'

Dave took a breath and felt the mana in the air circulate into his bloodstream and out of his pores oddly. At that moment, he noticed a peculiar oddity.

'I have never been able to sense mana so clearly before. I can practically feel it brushing against my skin.'

"We have arrived, my Lord!" Maybe due to fear, the butler had kept silent for the rest of the trip, giving Dave the much-needed peace of mind he needed to think.

In front of Dave stood the most immaculate and distinguished building he had ever seen in his life. Although he had been surprised by the tall building he had seen when he had suddenly appeared in this world, those buildings couldn't even begin to compare with this one.

"My Lord, please let us enter." The butler said as he opened the door for Dave to alight from the strange vehicle.

"Thank you..." Dave suddenly realized that he knew nothing about the butler standing before him, not even his name.

'My lack of knowledge of this world and what the hell is going on might prove to be disturbing...' Dave reasoned, feeling a headache brewing up in his cranium...

They stepped into the building with an unhurried gait and were greeted with an interior decor that to Dave, could only be reserved for the most royal of royalties.

Golden chandeliers, a fountain, a bed of roses, irises, and many other precious flowers, as well as impeccable lighting made the interior of the building even more exotic than the exterior.

"Beautiful..." Dave stared at the place with wonder in his eyes. However, he was quickly broken out of it when he felt a slight change in the mana surrounding him, accompanied by a presence he had failed to detect when they had walked in.

"This way, sirs..." Out of the shadow, a man dressed in a butler attire and holding a towel on his right arm walked out.

Saying nothing else, the man began to walk away. Taking that as a sign, Dave began to follow behind the butler.

'Perhaps the answers I seek will not be answered very soon. For now, I will just go with the flow.' Dave noticed that the young butler was most likely his, and for him to be able to attend an event in such a luxurious place meant he was some sort of royalty.

Walking across a large corridor, Dave stared at the decorations and paintings that lined the walls. The paintings all depicted either strange creatures or incredible battles. Dave let his gaze climb up to the ceiling where he was greeted with a scene that caused all the hairs on his body to stand up and his heart to nearly cease all functions.

'W-what?! Why?!" His pupils dilated as he stared at the giant mural...

The picture was that of a war, much like the ones he had once taken part in. In this battle, two sides clashed, leading to the creation of rivers of blood so dense, the battleground had become the same color as a fresh wound.

On one side, a group of humans did all they could to fight against a group of large wolves that gobbled them up in large numbers. Although they tried their best, killing many of the giant wolves, the humans could do nothing but cry and run amidst the flames as they were all torn apart and devoured.

Dave hurriedly tore he gave away from the mural...

Suddenly, he was overcome with a great feeling of trepidation as his gaze fell. Just a few meters before him was a grand door that most likely led to the banquet.

Dave could feel his heart pounding fiercely as all sorts of thoughts raced through his mind...

Step...

Step...

Step...

Despite his mind's unwillingness, his body took one slow step at a time until he finally arrived at the door together with the two butlers.

"Ehem..." The butler leading the way cleared his throat before pushing on the huge metal doors that should weigh a few tons like they were made of cardboard.

"I present to the court, Davidel Seirius, first of the Seirius family and successor of the fourth Canis Majora..."

The scene that played out in his eyes caused Dave's heart to stop completely...

Lying on an ornamental table at the center of the great dining hall, were the properly portioned and dissected parts of a human. Seated all around the hall were people with glowing red eyes and long canines protruding out of their mouths as they stared at the bloody scene ensuing before them with delight.

"N-no..." Dave's eyes widened as he let out a gasp, terribly wishing what he had just witnessed was a bad dream.

However, reality was reality, unkind, bitter, and filled with despair.

"Hm?" The two butlers stared at Dave in confusion as he took a step back, but quickly recovered as he continued to move forward.

On his handsome face was a sickly pale, expression devoid of all life was plastered. He took slow steps into the grand dining hall, his eyes fixed on the human carcass.

"You monsters..." Madness filled Dave's eyes as visions of the past played out in his head.

"Hm?" The people seated in the hall finally noticed Dave and his odd behavior.

"You bastards!!!"

A sinister aura exploded out of Dave as his eyes turned a deep red with hints of inky darkness.

'I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!!!'

His bones creaked and his ears expanded as his body transformed.

However, pressure washed over him, causing his transformation to be halted.

"What are you doing, Davidel?" A man dressed in a business suit suddenly stood up from the crowd of people and fixed his eyes on Dave.

'I... can't... move...' Dave snapped out of his haze only to realize he had been rendered completely immobile.

"Is this any way for the successor of the Canis Majora, a proud lineage of Lycanthrope to behave?!"

Dave's mind spun violently as the words of the man caused great distress in his mind...

'Lycanthrope?! Does that mean I am a werewolf?!"