The curtains billowed by the grace of the blowing wind; the giant volcano was in plain sight. Spewing flames flared and faded between the balustrades of the balcony like embers dropping into the darkness of the night.
The people gathered around the long, immensely long table were all on their feet. Their gazes were locked on a single point. While the reflection of the gold necklace hugging her neck changed the hue of the crystal glass in her hand, the black-haired woman raised her arm.
"I raise my glass to all the Sect Sheikhs and their brave warriors who honored my birthday invitation and came here!"
The woman, batting her almond eyes, laughed stretching her wide mouth a bit more. Her pearly teeth were lined up in perfect rows; even her slightly protruding jaw couldn't overshadow their beauty.
"Long live the Queen, long live the Hell Realm!"
The guests toasted in their honor shouted in unison. Only the six people sitting at the end of the table remained silent. The youths sitting to the right and left of the bald man with chalk-white skin had long faces.
"Holy Bone sect Leader Hueso!"
Their demeanor naturally caught the attention of the others too. One of the people wearing red robes behind the woman taking a sip from her glass stepped forward and started questioning the man who looked like he crawled out of a grave.
"Third Fiend!"
Right after the harsh male voice, the words coming out of the black-haired woman's mouth circled the spacious hall. The red-robed man bowing his head immediately stepped back. The table suggested a joyous celebration was taking place, but the vibe in the room told a different story.
Nerves were on edge. The more than twenty people gathered at the head of the table were sizing up the six standing silently in their places. They were like wild beasts eyeing their prey; it was written all over them that they would pounce at the slightest movement.
"What's happening!"
"Protect the Queen!"
A red line materializing in the middle of the room caused the air surrounding it to vibrate erratically. The phenomenon, which was initially the size of a hand, had grown in the blink of an eye, reaching almost the height of two men.
"A portal is opening, get ready to attack!"
Everyone in the room unleashed their energies and took a battle stance; this included the Queen who had tossed her glass aside. Tension spiked; the six Fiends surrounding the black-haired woman had pulled down their hoods.
"Here we are!"
Then a man was hurled out of the opening portal and crashed unceremoniously into the middle of the room. As a pungent smell of alcohol spread through the room, the seven people following him calmly set foot on the marble floor. Sheikh Atractivo was checking out the surroundings from where he lay. The tables had turned; while everyone had a scowl on their face, the chalk-skinned man had burst into laughter.
"That's more like it, now I can drink with peace of mind!"
Throwing his glass to the floor, the man snatched the pitcher of booze on the table and downed it in one go. His clothes, resembling rags, were turning crimson with the wine overflowing from his mouth, but he didn't give a damn.
"Well, well, my old friend Hueso! What are you doing here!"
When Atractivo got up and started walking towards the man at the end of the table, someone appeared in front of him; the other five in red robes had also surrounded the handsome sheikh.
"Sheikh Atractivo, what do you think you're doing?"
The female voice that was echoing cheerfully minutes ago was now demanding answers in a high-handed tone. The Queen of the Hell Realm, Eyshan, was pissed.
"Oh, you're here too, Your Majesty the Queen. What's up, are you all heading somewhere?"
Ending his words with a massive yawn, the Holy Blood Sect Sheikh answered looking at the others at the table. What he said had zero connection to the question asked.
"Atractivo, where did you get the nerve to open a portal right into the middle of my dining hall. You're ruining my party, you drunk, womanizing, degenerate bastard!"
Eyshan was giving him a piece of her mind. Shooting daggers from her eyes and spewing venom from her tongue, she unleashed her aura without restraint. The temperature inside the dining hall suddenly started soaring; the curtains covering the door leading to the balcony were burning from bottom to top.
"Did someone call my name?"
Atractivo, going next to the bald man and continuing to drink the wine he took from his hand, turned his back to the voice coming from the other end of the table. The fire-based energies of the Queen and the six people standing right behind her were so intense that.
"Is this the dining hall? Oh, shoot!"
The Holy Blood Sect Sheikh put down his drink and walked over to the people he came out of the portal with. In the front stood the Second Elder and the pleasant woman. While Lareina, Jashua, Alis, and Ralf lying on the floor were right behind them, Nafız was nowhere to be seen.
"My dear Eyshan, don't get so worked up, sweetheart!"
Atractivo called out to the Queen with his velvety voice. If it were any other woman, it might have been charming, but Eyshan was getting even more pissed.
"You insolent prick! If you don't come up with a valid excuse, you're not walking out of here alive!"
Those in the room drew their weapons. The dinner that started out peachy was about to turn into a fight to the death.
"Calm down, calm down! You get mad so easily. Hold on, let me explain!"
Expected to panic in the face of the attack threat from over twenty people, the Holy Blood Sect Sheikh merely yawned. He had opened his mouth so wide and took such a deep breath that he couldn't stop himself from hiccuping as he started his words.
"I have no idea how it happened, but I guess I went a little overboard with the booze! I open my eyes, and the inside of the sect has turned into a war zone, everyone is covered in blood from head to toe!"
The people who had their gazes glued to Atractivo until that moment shifted their eyes to those standing right behind him. The Sheikh wasn't lying. Except for him, everyone who came representing the Holy Blood Sect was bathed in blood from top to bottom.
"I figured since the place is a mess, we might as well head to the Royal Palace for the birthday bash. I just messed up where to open the portal, aren't you getting a little too bent out of shape over such a minor detail?"
Atractivo was talking between hiccups; it was going to take him quite a while to finish the long sentence. Along with his words, the Holy Bone Sect Sheikh burst into roaring laughter; it was obvious the handsome man's excuse was totally absurd.
"The excuse is worse than the crime. When you're supposed to use the Royal portals, how can you just open a portal here on a whim?"
One of the fiends standing behind Eyshan snapped, but he finished the speech he started loudly almost in a mutter. He had realized the implication of what he said didn't exactly work in their favor.
"I drew my sword and just gave it a little swish like this. It actually wasn't that hard, I just couldn't open the portal in the right spot!"
Atractivo demonstrated how he opened the portal without drawing his weapon. His gaze, his voice, his expression looked very innocent and a bit goofy. This demeanor of his made the others shake with rage; only the Holy Bone Sect Sheikh was grinning from ear to ear.
"You've got the looks, the charisma, the power, the technique! Look at my brother, the dictionary definition of a man!"
The others had come to the Hell Palace using the portals that had been used for centuries, but the Holy Blood Sect Sheikh could open a portal wherever he pleased and pop up.
"Besides, I'm the one who should be mad. You've gathered everyone, and we're the only ones you didn't invite. If I hadn't accidentally opened a portal here, we would have missed dinner!"
With a slick maneuver, Atractivo switched to the side asking the questions. Not inviting the other five sects to where they were was a matter that genuinely demanded an explanation. The Hell Palace side remained silent; the Holy Fire Sect Sheikh was going to speak for them.
"Atractivo, why don't you take a look around you? Do you and the people you brought with you have the qualifications to sit at this table?"