"Today is truly an auspicious day. We have caught yet another heretic."
The priest announced, his laughter echoing in the room like a cracking whip.
Hearing this, the blood almost drained out of Ash's body. Without even thinking for a second, he leaped from the platform and was about to run for his life when the lifeless words of the priest reached him.
"The rats from the kingdom have established themselves among us… tomorrow I'll personally check all of you for your devotion."
Hearing this, a sense of relief as well as horror set in Ash's mind.
'Is he not talking about me…'
He realized that if the previous statement wasn't for him, then this sudden movement of his had to be justified.
His mind sprinted, trying to concoct an answer; before it could produce anything meaningful, the priest opened his mouth.
"You… why did you jump?"
Turning his head, Ash bowed and carefully selected his words.
"I've done my work, my lord. I stepped down from the platform to get back into my row..." Standing beside his row-mates, Ash tried sugarcoating his words.
"I would never hope to stand shoulder to shoulder with your excellency. If there is no clear order... I'm happy beneath you. I'm satisfied with being your shadow..."
Shooting his shot, Ash turned his gaze to look at his row-mates for any feedback. He couldn't perceive anything meaningful, as all of them were standing like mindless robots.
'Are they even human?' Thinking this, he shifted his eyes.
'Did I screw it up?'
His heart skipped a beat when he found that a frown had appeared over the priest's face.
Getting closer, the priest activated his ability and inspected his being. No matter how much he looked, he couldn't find anything suspicious; the man was clean like a blank slate.
"You, come here..." Still not satisfied, the priest called him back onto the platform.
'Damm it… did he catch me…'
Sweat began to drip from his forehead as Ash wanted nothing more than to run from this place as far away as possible. But knowing there was a chance he could bullshit his way out of the situation, he stopped.
'That is, if he isn't some crazy person and can be reasoned with...'
Thinking rapidly, Ash climbed the platform again and stopped right beside the priest. Bowing, he tried to present himself as diligently as possible.
"Go and drink it."
The priest replied, pointing toward the container in which the blood was kept.
All of a sudden, Ash felt his throat drying. His lips moved, almost saying 'How can he drink it' when his excellency hasn't drunk yet, but he stopped.
'What the hell is he saying? Why does he want me to drink the blood now... wait, could this be some sort of ritual? Is he collecting blood to check who is loyal or not?'
The body he possessed didn't come with any knowledge, so he wasn't familiar with the cult's customs. He was already being scrutinized; any more mistakes and he would be doomed.
"As you wish... my lord." Muttering, Ash moved slowly toward the container.
His every move was being watched by all those present in the room. Reaching the container, he lifted the saucer and scooped blood out of it.
'It's just a dream... just a dream.'
Convincing himself, Ash lifted his hood just enough for him to drink. Touching the saucer with his lips, he turned back and looked at the priest.
The priest was nodding, his expression unknown to the crowd.
'There is no way out... it seems.'
Repeating that it was just a dream over and over again, Ash opened his mouth and gulped a mouthful of blood. As the blood moved down his throat, he almost vomited it back into the plate.
Calming his racing heart, he stopped breathing and opened his mouth.
Gulp! Gulp!
In three gulps, the plate was empty. While he was struggling to breathe, a laughter rang in the surroundings.
Hahaha!!
"You passed, my child... those heretics would never drink the blood of a fallen. You have passed the test."
The priest announced, and cheers erupted from the crowd. They were glad that one of them hadn't been tainted with purity.
"Never has my devotion wavered..." Saying these words, Ash was about to move toward his row when something caught his attention.
He saw blood trickling from the priest's nose.
"T-there is... blood on your nose."
"What?"
Confused, the priest moved his hand and wiped his nose. Seeing blood on his fingers, his calm face was instantly laced with panic. Turning, he faced the crowd and shouted with urgency.
Because of Ash's sudden movement, the priest had made a mistake, wasting his time on him when something more lethal was happening in the background.
"THEY ARE HER—"
Boom!
Before he could finish his words, his head burst into a violent explosion, blood and brain matter scattering all over the platform. Shocked, the other priests moved, but their heads burst into little pieces as well.
Suddenly, a chaos erupted in the room; no one knew what to do.
'What the hell is going on here… let me out of this place, Imp…'
Ducking behind the container, Ash was about to move where the suspected exit might be when a voice echoed in the surroundings.
"DON'T MOVE... WE ARE FROM THE KINGDOM... ANY SUDDEN MOVEMENT WILL BE CONSIDERED AS YOU RESISTING US AND WILL BE KILLED OFF. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO SURRENDER, REMAIN STILL IN THEIR PLACE."
Ash's feet, which had taken a step, quickly folded back, but the others weren't that quick. And this slowness was going to cost them their lives.
From behind the container, Ash watched the carnage unfold.
Some of the hooded cultists pulled their robes off and moved with haste. Swords and spears appeared in their hands from nowhere. They were the soldiers who had hidden themselves among the cult.
Waiting for this time, they moved between the cultists like wolves among a herd of sheep.
Even having their priests killed, the cultists didn't lose hope and united against the scums of the kingdom.
With bare hands, they moved, trying to fight against the swordsmen. Obviously, they met with resistance, their bodies getting sliced like paper against the sharp blades.
Those from the kingdom were great in skill, but what they lacked was numbers; against a hundred cultists, mere four of them posed no danger.
"Call them... call the backup."
One of them called out, for even they hadn't come without any preparation.
Remaining ducked behind the container, Ash found his guess to be correct. Numerous soldiers entered the room from behind the platform, all of them wearing chain-mail armor with a sun emblem on their chests.
RAWRRR!
Crying out, the giant drew attention and moved toward one of the soldiers.
Seeing him coming his way, the soldier moved his sword in an arc, aiming to cut his legs. Unfortunately, the sword only lodged between the giant's calves, unable to cut his bones.
"What is he made of..." Exclaiming this, the soldier tried removing the sword, but it was already too late.
Disregarding the damage done to his leg, the giant grabbed the soldier's head and crushed it under his might. Looking at the pulp in his hand, he suddenly started crying, tears falling from his eyes.
"Wuhh!! Wuhh!! Killed my father.. bad guy.. bad guy.."