Chapter 454 - Chapter 450: The Shadowed Sands

The transition from the jagged obsidian cliffs of the Pearl Kingdom to the endless, shifting dunes of the deep western desert was completely abrupt and entirely unforgiving. The salty, brisk ocean breeze that had perfectly cooled the victorious allied army during the grand coastal feast was completely gone. In its place was a dry, violently abrasive wind that carried the sharp, stinging grit of golden sand and the oppressive, suffocating heat of a truly merciless sun. The sky above was a brilliant, cloudless expanse of harsh, blinding blue, completely lacking the bruised, purple storm clouds that usually sheltered the eastern coast.