"Genia, you've gone mad! You don't know how dangerous that valley is, the fog..."
"I know, James!" Genia said, looking him straight in the eyes, "But if you go with me, who will stop this clan and your brothers here? Rexon, Kevin, and Alex are standing on your borders, thirsty for blood. If they don't find you here, they will turn the entire Black Tiger Clan into a crematorium. And if this war breaks out, that traitor will succeed in his plan forever."
Genia took the sword from James's trembling hands and put it back in its sheath.
"Your job is to stay here and stop them, James," Genia said in a very serious and cold tone. "Until Rexon, Kevin, and Alex arrive, you must keep them engaged at all costs. You must endure their anger, endure their attacks, but not retaliate. You must avoid this battle at all costs. Not a drop of blood must be shed here until I return from that bloodstone with the full truth about your mother and the true name of that traitor. Can you do this much for your mother... for your brothers?"
James stood helpless. His pride and stubbornness were shattered by the blazing truth in Genia's eyes and her arguments. An invincible warrior bowed to his mate's command today, knowing that now it was not his sword, but Genia's journey, that could save this world.
As she exited the palace's secret back door, Genia encountered icy winds that howled like an invisible threat. Following the path James had indicated, she began crossing dense, thorny forests.
As she approached the "Black Valley," the trees began to darken, and a strange, putrid stench and suffocating silence permeated the air. This was the cursed region where even birds feared to fly. Besides the sound of Genia's footsteps on the dry leaves scattered on the ground, there was only one thing that offered hope—Gia's green magical crystal beating in her heart.
The faint green light emanating from the crystal pierced the dense fog, guiding Genia in the right direction.
"Blood Rock..." Genia muttered to herself. Through the haze, she could see the faint shape of a huge, terrifying black rock. Her heart was pounding, but she didn't back down. She had to uncover James's mother, Nina's, last secret.
Meanwhile, in the Black Tiger Clan's main military camp, the frenzy of war was at its peak. In the torchlight, Chief Rexon's face looked as ferocious as a beast.
"My own brother has stabbed me in the back!" Rexon roared, slamming his massive, bloodthirsty sword against the ground. "James hid that girl from me and made her his mate. Tonight, James's palace will be reduced to ashes. Order the army to march! I will behead my traitor brother with my own hands!"
Just as the commander turned to blow the war bugle, a soft but firm voice stopped him.
"This will be your biggest mistake, Chief Rexon." Noya emerged from a dark corner of the camp tent. Her face still wore the mask of a helpless and helpless mate, but a very vicious glint danced in her eyes.
Rexon glared at her with his red eyes. "A weak mate will tell me what my tactics should be on the battlefield? James has challenged my pride, Noya!"
"He has challenged your pride, but someone else is undermining the roots of your clan," Noya said delicately, drawing closer to Rexon. A strange tinge of pain filled her voice. "Think, Chief... James is your brother. If you attack him today, two factions of the Black Tiger Clan will fight and shed blood. Your own best warriors will be killed. And who will benefit the most from this?"
Rexon's eyebrows furrowed. His violent anger subsided for a moment.
Noya placed a finger on Rexon's broad chest and whispered venomously, "Arthur... that cowardly chieftain of the White Tiger Clan who betrayed me. This is what Arthur wants, chieftain. He wants you and James to fight each other and exhaust your strength. When you two brothers kill each other, he will bring his fresh army and take over both the Black Tiger Clan and that girl without a fight. Would you, being such a great chieftain, choose to become a pawn in the chessboard laid out by the deceitful Arthur?"
Rexon's pupils shrank. Noya's words had deeply hurt his ego. For a chieftain of one clan, becoming a pawn in another clan's conspiracy was the ultimate insult.
Noya made her final move, and with fake tears in her eyes, she knelt at Rexon's feet. "James is in your own territory, Chief. He can't escape anywhere. But if you let Arthur live today, he'll swallow your entire kingdom tomorrow. Revenge for my insult and the safety of your clan... both are possible only if Arthur's head is at your feet first."
Rexon's inner pride melted completely before Noya's flattery and logic. He picked up his heavy sword and, with a terrifying smile, lifted Noya by her arms.
"You are a clever woman, Noya," Rexon's voice echoed with death. "What you say is true. I can crush a traitor at any time, but first, I must crush the hood of that outsider who dares to raise his eyes to my clan."
Rexon turned to his commander and let his voice echo throughout the camp, "The attack will not be on James's palace! Turn the army's direction! Tonight, the dance of death will be at the White Tiger Clan's headquarters. Burn Arthur to ashes along with his throne!"
A devilish and triumphant smile appeared on Noya's face. Her purpose had been accomplished—now Arthur's death was certain, and after that, she would become the most powerful mate in the entire Beast World, with Rexon at her fingertips.
Upon receiving Rexon's order, the scene in the Black Tiger Clan's camp changed completely in the blink of an eye. The terrifying dance of death that had been destined for James's palace had now turned its direction towards the White Tiger Clan. Amid the blazing flames of torches, the clan's fierce warriors brandished their massive swords, axes, and spears, issuing a terrifying war cry. The neighing of horses and the thunder of heavy footsteps echoed all around.
Rexon was ready to advance towards the White Tiger Clan. His pride and anger had now found a direction. He seemed not just a clan leader, but the very angel of death, determined to wipe Arthur and his clan from the face of the earth tonight.
Just then, just before the army was about to march, Noya came running towards Rexon. There were still dried tears on her face, but there was a strange stubbornness and passion in her eyes.
"Chief!" Noya called out panting, her voice trembling artificially but effectively. "Take me with you!"
Rexon stopped his huge vehicle and looked down. His blood-red, violent eyes scanned Noya's face. "The battlefield is not for weak women, Noya. You are beyond the power to endure the sharpness of swords and the bloodshed. You are safe here in my camp. I will personally bring Arthur's severed head and place it at your feet."
But Noya shook her head vehemently in denial. She clenched her hands tightly, her voice filled with a venom of hatred that could overpower even the most savage beast. "No, Chief! Arthur hasn't just rejected me as a mate; he's trampled my loyalty, my emotions, and my soul. I don't want to hear that traitor's fate from you or a messenger. I want to see with my own eyes the fear of death that will sweep across his face when your terrifying blow shatters his pride. I want to see the man who considered me a thorn in his path, today fall at your and my feet, begging for his life! Let me come with you, Chief. This fire of revenge burning in my heart will only be quenched when I see that traitor of the White Tiger Clan die in agony before me."
Noya's boldness, stubbornness, and vengeance surprisingly inflamed Rexon's violent heart. Strong and fearless females were always prized in the Beast World, and this ferocious stubbornness within Noya struck Rexon as akin to his own nature. A terrifying, hair-raising smile spread across his rough lips.
"Alright!" Rexon roared in his heavy, thunder-like voice. He extended his massive hand down and pulled Noya to sit right behind his vehicle. "Today, Noya, you will see with your own eyes what happens when the leader of the Black Tiger Clan attacks someone like death. Arthur's screams will pierce the silence of this forest all night long!"
At a signal from the commander, terrifying drums sounded, and the Black Tiger Clan's massive, bloodthirsty army marched like a fierce storm towards the White Tiger Clan's borders.
In the deep darkness of the night, their black robes and shining weapons moved silently, like the shadows of death. Noya, sitting behind Rexon, no longer had tears on her face. There was only a devilish, cold, and devious smile. Her poisonous trap was perfectly set.
On the other side, a celebration of a different world was taking place at the White Tiger Clan's headquarters. Arthur's magnificent white palace was ablaze with light. He sat proudly and carefree on his high, carved white throne.
In one hand, he held a silver plate filled with fresh grapes and in the other, a large gold cup of wine. The blind intoxication of victory was clearly visible in Arthur's eyes. He was certain that his message would have reached Kevin and Alex by now, and that Rexon, seething with rage, would have set out to surround James's palace.
"Stupid beasts..." Arthur spoke into thin air, raising his wine cup to his lips, his voice brimming with arrogance. "They will all be reduced to ashes by their own stupidity and tribal rivalry. James, Rexon, Kevin, Alex... these four brothers will fight and shed each other's blood. And when the sun rises tomorrow morning, only one name will resonate throughout the Beast World—Arthur! The flag of the White Tiger Clan will fly across the entire jungle, and that magical girl... Genia... she will be my one and only queen."
The palace servants stood silently, their heads bowed against the wall. Arthur was lost in his own reverie when a shadow staggered inside, pushing hard on the main door of the palace. It was Maya—Arthur's most cunning spy, the witch who had fled for her life from James's palace just moments before, after being exposed.
Maya was in a terrible state. Her clothes were torn by the thorny bushes, blood was leaking from her legs and arms, and her breathing was rapid like a bellows. Gasping and stumbling, she landed on the floor near Arthur's throne.
Arthur put down his wine glass and furrowed his brows angrily. "Maya? What are you doing here in this miserable state? You were supposed to be in James's palace, reporting every moment to me! What happened? Did James recognise you?"