This story is really underwhelming - it's opened to mixed reviews.

[Loggos]

SHB was all about Ascians as well and what they was before becoming a problem, it is facts, the biggest diversity to be had was Bozja and Eureka and similar content... else it has all been rounded up around Ascians, The Empire and Zenos x 2.

Since you saw the first Ascian dressed person in ARR up to EW... well judge for yourself, we got a new start with what we got now and that should had happened at least 2 expansions ago

I think you completely missed what I was trying to say.

Yes, the Ascians are always in the background. But ShB was (like Stormblood or Heavensward) it's own self-contained story/episode in a bigger narrative arc. That arc is driven by the Ascians. But in ShB itself your main adversary for most of the game time is Vautry, culminating in him becoming Innocence. Only then the Ascians really become relevant in terms of actual gameplay.

And yet, all the way from lvl 70 to 79 the Vautry-centric and lightbringer-centric story is really compelling in its own right.
The premise of "light-themed horror/demons" was fascinating in itself and would not have been any less so if it has been caused by something other than the Ascians.