Chapter 674: Provocation.

Rasmus and the others were escorted into the building, which was located in the center of the town. Rasmus, Aris, and Rullein could see the evil and corrupted energy running through everyone’s body in the building. However, none of them appeared to get consumed by the energy, they seemed to harmonize with the energy like it was a normal Mana.

"The tea is bland..." Rullein looked at her cup of tea, seeing how the tea barely had any color in it. "They drink this kind of tea here?" She raised her brows.

"I don’t think that’s even tea," Anastasha chuckled as she pushed her cup of tea aside. "You shouldn’t take everything they gave you," she continued.

Rullein hummed as she pushed the cup aside and rested her chin on her palm, looking a bit bored. They had been placed in this room for almost an hour, and nobody came to visit them or to welcome them.

"They really have a spine to treat anyone like this. Not to mention they know who Anastasha is," Serena looked at her surroundings, seeing and smelling the strong corruption in the Mana and the evil energy in the air. "Are they trying to push our buttons right now?" She raised her brows and stared at the guards, who had been standing there like statues.

Nie was anxious the whole time because she belonged to the unrighteous faction, and she was far away from home. The Demonic Cult also used her appearance to act like an impostor, who had caused conflict between the righteous and the unrighteous factions. She then looked at Rasmus and Aris, sitting side by side. Rasmus was reading an old literature book while Aris was enjoying the silence with her eyes shut completely.

"Did you sense anything?" Rasmus asked as he flipped the page.

"Yes, I think I found them. The two Evil Gods are indeed here," Aris answered as she slowly opened her eyes. "And also there’s a group of men just walked through the gate and on their way here," she pointed out.

"Oh?" Anastasha fixed her sitting posture, her back straight and her legs crossed. "Finally..." She muttered.

Not long after Aris pointed out that some people would come for them, the sliding door opened. A dozen men, wearing black robes, hoods, and masks that covered their identities came into the room but didn’t try to hide the swords on their waists and the glowing red eyes behind those masks. The guards that had been standing there like statues suddenly moved and left, closing the door in front of them.

Those men walked silently, not a single footstep could be heard when they approached the table. The atmosphere in the room grew heavier and the air seemed to thin out because of them. They surrounded the table and stared down at the six of them, Rasmus, Aris, Rullein, Serena, Anastasha, and Nie, gauging the threat in front of them.

"Anastasha Asghar, what’s your purpose of visit?" A man spoke, his voice distorted using a technique to alter one’s voice.

"This..." Anastasha pulled out a book under her robe and put it on the table. "This isn’t the real register book, but that’s not the issue. The issue is the fact I got this for free, giving to me willingly by the government itself," she opened the book, showing the detailed information of the people that lived in the Demonic Cult.

The man glanced at the book before he stared at Anastasha in the eyes once again. He didn’t say a word, not out of confusion or acceptance, but because he waited for her to answer his question.

"I came because I want to warn the Heavenly God. Is that what you call your leader? God? Or was it Demon? Or just some pretentious individual who believe they’re that superior," Anastasha tilted her head as she mocked the very being those people worshiped and respected. "Anyway, I don’t care much about him. I just want to give them a warning," she added.

All those men in robes immediately unsheathed their swords and pointed them at eveyrone’s throat at the table. Rasmus glanced at the sharp blade on either side of his neck, he stared at it for a moment before he continued reading. Aris didn’t even look at the swords that were pointed at her neck, her focus was on the man that was speaking with Anastasha. Serena’s hands were already above her head, smiling at the men who pointed their swords at her. On the other hand, Rullein tilted her head back, offering and revealing her neck at those men.

Nie wanted to reach for the blades that were hidden underneath her gown, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to win against them. Anastasha didn’t mind the sharp blades brushing against the skin of her neck, but her gaze was fixated on the man that spoke to her.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Right now, I’m on my own. These people here, they have nothing to do with why I’m here. If you chose to do this, I would be grateful because it would make things easier for me," Anastasha chuckled mischievously.

Rullein’s grin slowly formed and she stared at those glowing red eyes.

The man looked at the group at the table, he wasn’t a fool nor ignorant. He knew those people were powerful when he looked through his glowing red eyes, and powerful was an understatement. However, his duty to uphold the name of the Heavenly God and to protect that name with his own life overweight the danger he faced.

"How about this? I’ll apologize to the Heavenly God personally for my rotten mouth? I would even kneel and lower my head to the ground if I must. That should make things easier, right?" Anastasha smirked. "But of course, you have to allow me to meet them in person. Which is exactly why I’m here. Or if you want to choose pointless death, be my guest. But I can swear on my name that I have no desire to cause any harm," she continued with a cold and serious expression.

The man stared at Anastasha’s face for a moment before he finally retracted his sword and sheathed it. The other immediately followed after and stood still without showing any disapproval for their leader’s decision.

"I will ask you once again, Princess Anastasha Asghar. What’s your purpose here?" The man repeated the question.

"I won’t even question your ability to gather information in the Khan Empire. You must have heard about what happened during the tournament, about the Heavenly Alliance. A Demonic Cult’s Grandmaster, killing not only a few, but a lot of patriarchs of renown and great clans. Sooner or later, they will prepare a war against the Demonic Cult. Second of all, the fact I got this book for free, meaning the government also has sold you out. It’s just a matter of time before they revealed your location to the Heavenly Alliance and the clans," Anastasha explained as she leaned back and played with the cup of tea on the table. "You also must have heard about the decree that Princess Neesa declared, making me and that gentleman over there the enemy of the empire," she continued and pointed at Rasmus.

The man glanced at Rasmus before he looked at Anastasha again.

"We both are being targeted by the whole empire. So, let’s just say that I want us to make an alliance, a temporary one. I want the empire to fall, you want those clans who believe that your cult is pure evil and needs to be erased from this continent. I believe in that alone, it’s worth to allow me to speak to the Heavenly God?" Anastasha tilted her head. "Just allow me, on my own, have an audience with the Heavenly God. Or at least, let them know. If the Heavenly God chose to decline my request, I promise I’ll leave without making a scene," she continued.

The man stood there silently before he took the book off the table.

"You may stay here under our surveillance. We will come back when we have received an answer from our Lord," the man spoke before he walked away.

The other men in robes followed their leader and left the room, leaving Anastasha and the others alone once again.

"That’s another step completed," Anastasha sighed.