After his command, upon seeing the girl kneel, Khanel's ego swelled, and he continued his rant.
"Be grateful that our Lord is merciful enough to let you live, for the grievous disrespect you've displayed," Khanel said, looking sternly at the young girl.
Unbeknownst to him, the girl was still suffering from the immense pressure she had felt when looking directly at the Colossus figures. Even after she took her gaze away and knelt down in front of them, the pressure from that moment had not completely faded.
"Hara," from behind her, Grake, noticing her distress, stepped up to help her. However, the young girl raised her hand, signaling him not to move.
In response to her action,suddenly, the pressure she had felt began to fade away, giving her a moment to ease her body again.
Taking a deep breath, she managed to relax her body for a moment, but something felt strange. The entire hall had fallen into silence, even Khanel's angry shouts were silent at that moment. So, driven by curiosity, she lifted her head once more.
What she saw was one of the Colossus figures lifting up his hand, causing the entire hall to become hushed.
"What is your purpose for visiting here?" With a deep and resonant voice that filled the hall, the Colossus figure who had raised his hand asked the girl.
"We came here from the ascanded Theocracy," she replied, her voice tinged with both hesitation and fear.
"I already know that," said the Colossus figure.
"What I'm asking about is the purpose of your visit," he continued.
"Ah, it's this," she said, pulling out a finely crafted letter from her clothing.
Seeing the girl holding the letter, the Colossus figure raised one of his fingers, causing the letter to lift and float towards him.
"Shrik," with a tiny, pursing sound, the seal of the letter was removed by the figure, who then extracted a brown-colored paper from it. This paper contained the information that the representatives from the Abandoned Theocracy needed to convey to them.
Silence spread around the hall as the Colossus figure took a few moments to read the letter in his hand. The young girl anxiously waited in her kneeling position below.
In truth, she didn't know all the details written in the letter, but she understood its purpose. Because of this, she felt a bit nervous in this moment, and she could even hear the sound of her own heart beating.
Grake, who was also in a kneeling position behind her, was equally anxious. He knew the purpose of the letter as well. If, somehow, the letter managed to anger the seven Colossus figures, there was no guarantee that he and the young girl could leave this place alive.
Within a few minutes, the Colossus figure finished reading the letter. He put it down and gazed at the young girl below.
"Did you know what was written in here?" he asked her.
"No, but I know its purpose," she answered.
"Haha, haha, haha!" Suddenly, the Colossus figure began to laugh loudly, the sound reverberating throughout the hall.
The girl quickly returned to her kneeling position(head down) due to the laughter, which caused an outburst of pressure emanating from the Colossus figures.
After the bout of laughter, the Colossus figure stopped and addressed the girl.
"It's the second time we've been confronted, and we didn't have a great impression from the first one, Nevertheless, we intend to handle this one decisively," he declared in a menacing tone.
The girl suddenly panicked, trying to explain, "But we're not here for war. We only came here for..." She was interrupted by the Colossus figure.
"The letter said it all, and the meaning in that letter is war—a war between two sanctuaries," the Colossus figure declared, looking out toward the large crowd in front of him.
"Listen well, my believers. From this moment on, we are at war with the Sanctuary of Ascend. So, clench your fists, prepare your weapons, and the moment we command, we will unleash chaos upon it," he announced to them with a malevolent tone.
"As you command, my lord," the entire crowd in front of him responded in unison.
At that moment, the knight Ronald turned his attention to Priest Gaya, who had been watching the girl kneeling in front of the absolute being.
with the declaration of war against the Ascended Theocracy, his fighting spirit was ignited, and his blood began to boil with excitement. Similarly, the knight Raven who had been eagerly awaiting this day, and with the prospect of war, his hopes came true. He saw this as a chance to earn merit, rise in rank, and receive the blessings of the absolute being. His heart pounded with excitement.
As the Colossus figure made the declaration, the panic in the young girl escalated.
Grake, positioned behind her, suddenly stepped forward and shielded her with his body. He looked toward the crowd, who regarded them like prey. However, at that moment, the Colossus figure issued a command.
"Escort them outside, unharmed. They must convey news of our strife to their Theocracy, for they are the ones responsible for this," the Colossus figure ordered, and the reluctant crowd complied with his directive.
With the Colossus figure's decision, the young girl and Grake breathed a sigh of relief. They were escorted outside.
Earlier, Incarus had passed the letter to the other six figures, and as they read it one by one, the letter eventually came into the hands of Leviathan. He picked it up and started to read.
[This is a letter demanding complete subjugation. They are requesting us to surrender and become their subservient sanctuary in exchange for sparing our lives. No wonder Incarus was enraged by this. It's an undeniable disgrace to his role as the ruler over the sin of pride,] Leviathan thought to himself, reflecting on the letter's content s.