The Twin Enforcers

-The next day-

The three protagonists left the Zero Mansion and made their way to the Inner Hall of the sect. It was said that Inner Elder Maxim would be in the Inner Hall most of his time, so the three hurried up lest they miss the chance.

After navigating through the twists and turns in the massive sect grounds, they eventually reached the Inner Hall.

The Inner Hall was mighty and grand in every sense of the word. The hall was around 150 metres and the roof was shaped like the petals of a golden lotus.

There were Inner Disciples walking in and out of the Inner Hall. So, it was not empty as they would have hoped it to be.

They entered the Inner Hall and saw an Inner Disciple who seemed to be the receptionist.

The three approached the receptionist and Ray asked him, "Hello, is Inner Elder Maxim in the hall?"

The receptionist lifted his head and saw three unrobed young men. The receptionist frowned and asked, "Yes, Inner Elder Maxim is in the hall. Why would you like to know?"

Ray smiled in relief and said, "We would like to meet him."

"On what basis and whose permission?" The receptionist crudely asked.

Ray sensed the obvious disrespect but still replied, "Can we not meet him without the prerequisites?"

The receptionist's face turned cold at the reply and criticized, "Who are you to ask for Inner Elder Maxim? Do you think he's free all the time for you to meet him whenever? Much less for unnamed people like you. How did you even enter the Inner Hall?"

Bryan frowned and was about to step up but Ray stopped him. Ray then fished out a badge and pointed it at the receptionist.

It was the Prime Badge that was given to him by the Accommodation Elder. He was given two as a start and was told that a Prime Disciple can have 5 badges at max.

The receptionist was obviously shocked to see the badge but then he saw the word 'Prime' engraved on to the badge and his face instantly became fierce.

As a receptionist, it was his job to identify the right people and as such, he knew the identities of all the Prime Disciples. He had never ever seen them before in his life and thus came to the conclusion that they had illegally forged the badge and was trying to fool him.

"How dare you forge the Prime Badge!!"

"Wait until I call the Judgment Hall to deal with you three!"

The receptionist yelled at them with a loud voice, attracting the attention of the other disciples. He took out a small crystal ball and started communicating with it.

"It seems like someone pissed off the receptionist."

"It looks bad, he's calling the Judgement Hall Enforcers."

"I wonder what's going to happen…"

Low murmurs resounded the hall amongst the other disciples as they stayed back to witness a juicy event.

Ray frowned in annoyance and simply waited for what the Judgement Hall would do.

"I want to beat the living shit out of that asshole!" Bryan was pissed.

"Relax! Besides, Ray knows what he's doing." Ash tried to calm Bryan down.

"I didn't expect something like this to happen…" Ray muttered.

After a minute or so, two black robed figures entered the hall exuding a cold and threatening aura. In a steady pace, they reached before the receptionist and the other three.

"I-It's Blake and Blair!"

"Aren't they the Twin Enforcers?"

"It's actually them…"

The nearby disciples could feel a drop in the temperature. Some of them recognized the two Judgement Enforcers.

The receptionist pointed at the three and said, "It's them! They are the ones pretending to be Prime Disciples by forging a fake Prime Badge."

"Please follow us to the Judgement Hall!" Without wasting a second, Blake 'ordered' the three in a frigid tone.

"Are you not going to check the Prime Badge?" Ray calmly asked.

Blake stepped forward in Ray's face and said, "The receptionist is a trustworthy fellow-disciple with years of experience and loyalty."

Ray raised his hand to interrupt him and said, "So, what you're saying is you're not going to investigate and simply jump into a fixed conclusion?"

Blair, the other Enforcer twin, stepped next to Blake as if to intimidate Ray and snapped, "Why are you talking so much? My brother gave you an order, so keep your mouth shut and obediently follow us."

Blake didn't say anything and accepted Blair's intention.

*Sigh*

Ray sighed in disappointment and told his best friends, "It seems like there are people like them everywhere, no matter where we are."

Ash shrugged, "It's just how the world works…"

"Can we fight them?" Bryan aggressively stared at the two Enforcers.

"No, it will cause unnecessary trouble and besides, what if they are stronger than you?" Ray shook his head.

"I don't care." Bryan emphasized dangerously.

The Twin Enforcers and the surrounding disciples were surprised at their calm expressions.

Ray looked at the Twin Enforcers and simply said, "I'm afraid we haven't done anything wrong so we can't go with you."

"Don't blame us if we use force against you!" Blair coldly said.

"You incompetent fools. How the fuck are you even part of the Judgement Hall? You didn't even bother to investigate because of his so-called experience and loyalty. Like, are you actually dumb? I have never ever seen such stupid ass fucking idiots in my life. It's so obvious you take both the parties into account but no, instead you rely on your idiotic 'judgement' and use aggression on us! Fucking idiots!" Ash didn't care anymore.

The hall was in complete silence. The onlooking disciples had their mouths wide open is disbelief. The receptionist was shocked as if he couldn't believe he would talk like to the Judgement Enforcers.

The Judgement Enforcers were at the bottom of the ladder in the Judgement Hall but nonetheless, to be accepted into the Judgement Hall gave you enough authority and means.

The Twin Enforcers were stunned for a moment before extreme anger filled their faces.

"H-HOW DISRESPECTFUL!!" Blair yelled in rage.

"How dare a no-name disciple like you insult the mighty enforcers of the Judgement Hall?!" Blake was livid in anger and was about to make a move on them before a mighty pressure descended onto him and his sister.

*Boom*

The receptionist was not let off easy as the pressure pressed on his back, threatening him to fall face first into the ground. The surrounding disciples were rooted in position and sweat trickled down their faces.

The Twin Enforcers were pushed into the ground in a kneeling position because of the pressure.

The only ones who weren't affected were the three but they were confused. They were ready to beat the shit out of them. Yes, beat the shit out of them because Ray had used his Behind the Veil skill and observed the twins had just reached the Shattering Sea Realm.

They had had enough confidence in themselves that they could go toe-to-toe with a Shattering Sea Realm cultivator.

The three looked up along with the others and saw a middle-aged man floating right above them.

"I-It's Inner Elder Maxim…"

"He's here!"

"Does he know something…?"

The other disciples continued whispering but in a very low voice lest they trigger the elder's attention.

Inner Elder Maxim slowly descended down between the three and the Twin Enforcers who were kneeling down on the floor.

""Good Morning, Elder Maxim!"" Ash and the other two greeted him.

Inner Elder Maxim nodded in appreciation and looked at the fearful Judgement Enforcers beside him, "Nobody has to say anything. I was here from the beginning and observed everything."

Inner Elder Maxim's sharp eyes swept over the receptionist. Elder Maxim shook his head and reproached, "You have disappointed me, Bine. The higher-ups of the sect will be instantly notified if somebody dares to replicate something of the sect. He/she will face the entire wrath of the sect."

The receptionist was astonished and said with a trembling voice, "T-then they are Pr-"

"Enough!" Elder Maxim interrupted him.

"From now, your position in the Inner Hall shall be relinquished. Pack up your stuff and leave the Inner Hall."

The receptionist was pale but followed the elder's orders to avoid further trouble. Never in a million years would he have expected this.

"As for you Judgement Enforcers…" Elder Maxim frowned in displeasure.

"I'll be visiting the Judgement Hall soon but for now, you two don't deserve to be a part of the Judgement Hall." Elder Maxim waved his hands.

Two more elders entered the hall and tied up the Twin Enforcers with a special rope. The Twin Enforcers couldn't muster up any kind of strength. They were helpless and intense fear seeped through their eyes.

Elder Maxim nodded and instructed the two elders, "Take them to the Cave of Repentance. They should reflect on their actions for a whole month."

The two elders nodded and dragged the Twin Enforcers out of the Inner Hall.

The three were surprised at Elder Maxim's flexible and smooth execution.

"Damn, Elder Maxim. You're amazing!" Ash complimented the elder.

"Hahaha! If I hadn't interrupted, would you three have fought the two?" Elder Maxim asked them with teasing eyes.

Bryan aggressively nodded since he was still pissed, "Of course! Even if they were one realm above us, we're confident that we can stand a chance or maybe beat them!"

Elder Maxim rubbed his chin in praise. To fight someone of a higher rank is a hard feat but yet, the three were confident.

"Come, follow me to my office." Elder Maxim beckoned them and they followed him into the office.

The office was a standard and simple office with nothing much to brag about. It seemed like Elder Maxim preferred simplistic things.

"I heard you wanted to meet me?" Elder Maxim spoke first.

Ray nodded and said, "Yes, Elder Maxim. We three wanted to venture out in the world and gain some much-needed experience. As much as we like to stay in the sect, I believe it will be detrimental for us in the long run. So, we hope you could grant us the permission to leave the sect!"

"Hmm…" Elder Maxim frowned and pondered for a while. The three didn't say anything and waited for Elder Maxim's response.

"How long will you three take?" Elder Maxim asked a question.

Ash answered in an unsure tone, "We're not sure, Elder Maxim. Maybe about a year or less."

Elder Maxim frowned and sighed, "Alright, I will give you permission to adventure outside."

Ray breathed out in relief and the three thanked the elder.

"But…"

"You have to come back to the sect in 11 months." Elder Maxim gave a condition.

"Why 11 months, Elder Maxim?" Ash curiously asked.

"Because the three major continents of our planet will be hosting a world-wide grand tournament and the sect wants you three to participate in it." Elder Maxim explained.

"The three major continents will be involved huh…" Ray muttered.

"Interesting!" Bryan smiled in spirit.

Ash hurriedly nodded, "No problem, Elder Maxim. We'll be back in time because there's no way we would miss something as grand as that."

Elder Maxim smiled faintly and said, "Alright, it's decided then. Now, off you go!"

""Thank you, Elder Maxim!"" The three bowed in thanks and left the Inner Hall.

"Elder Maxim is pretty cool huh. I feel like almost everyone in the sect is amazing." Ash commented cheerfully.

"Yeah…almost…" Bryan grumbled.

Ash nodded and said, "I don't know what they were thinking!"

"Their status must've deluded their minds." Ray said.

"Maybe." Ash shrugged.

Bryan said with fierce eyes, "Another reason for us to get stronger. What if we encountered a similar situation in the outside and the other party being beyond our strength?"

"You're right." Ray nodded with sharp eyes.

"Ahh, you guys are so serious but it makes sense. We can't let anyone bully us now, can we?" Ash smiled with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

They weren't aware of it yet but they were slowly being influenced by the nature of this world, whether be it good or…bad.