Nina recoiled in horror, her faith shattered. "You... you betrayed your own clan? You joined hands with the leader of the White Tiger Clan?"
"White Tiger Clan?" The traitor laughed loudly. His laughter echoed throughout the valley. "That fool,The White Tiger Clan Chief, is just a pawn. A pawn who thinks he's the king of this game. But the real king is someone else, the one who's running this entire chess game from behind the scenes."
With that, the traitor bowed his head and stepped aside.
From the dense, suffocating darkness of the Black Valley, another shadow emerged. This shadow wore a heavy and mysterious cloak. Its entire face was obscured by a black and terrifying mask, making it completely impossible to discern its true identity.
But as the shadow approached the light of the bloodstone, Genia's gaze was fixed on its robes. The carvings and threadwork on his robes were not those of the Black or White Tiger Clan.
The silk threads were deep orange and black. And the most distinguishing feature was the glowing ring on the masked man's right finger.
On her finger was an ancient, heavy, and magical ring. It bore the symbol of a roaring tiger, its eyes set with red rubies.
Genia's heart pounded. That ring... that robe... it was no ordinary symbol. It was the royal emblem of the Orange Tiger Clan!
The masked man stepped forward and, without a word, projected a magical blue light from his hand toward Nina, pinning her to the spot. The scene then faded into a ghastly blur of blue smoke and Nina's scream, before finally being shattered.
Genia's body snapped back to reality with a powerful jolt. She fell to her knees on the snow, gasping for breath. That last memory of Nina was now crystal clear in Genia's mind.
Rexon, James, Kevin, Alex... these four brothers had been thirsty for each other's blood for years. They believed their mothers had killed each other's mothers.
When Nina's letter arrived, they thought it was all a conspiracy orchestrated by the former leader of the White Tiger Clan. But today, this scene had shattered that most terrifying lie.
"Orange Tiger Clan..." Genia repeated the name with trembling lips. All the links of this terrible conspiracy began to connect in her mind.
The Orange Tiger Clan was considered the most peaceful and neutral clan in the entire Beast World. They never engaged in any war, always spoke of peace. But behind that mask of peace, they were playing the most sinister game.
The Orange Tiger Clan bought off that greedy member of the Black Tiger Clan's High Commission. Then they used the foolish and ambitious former chieftain of the White Tiger Clan as a pawn.
They eliminated the four mothers one by one, so that the four brothers of the Black Tiger Clan would be destroyed by mutual infighting. And when the Black Tiger and White Tiger clans were reduced to ashes, the masked chieftain of the Orange Tiger Clan would emerge with all his might and become the sole king of the entire Beast World without firing a single arrow.
"So this was their real game..." Genia clenched her fists. There were no more tears or helplessness in her eyes. The magical flame of the Guardian Andromeda was blazing brightly in her eyes.
The entire Beast World stood at the mouth of a volcano that was about to erupt tonight.
Rexon's army would have reached James's palace. If those brothers were to turn their swords against each other today, the Orange Tiger Clan's centuries-old conspiracy would triumph.
"I won't let that happen," Genia stood up firmly.
She now had two tasks to accomplish. First, she had to stop the bloody battle that was to break out in James's territory tonight at any cost. She had to reveal to Rexon, Kevin, and Alex the truth: their real enemy wasn't in front of them, but behind them, laughing.
And second, most important task... she had to go to Rexon's territory. The last vestige of Guardian Andromeda's powers, the element of air that had been lost in a dark corner of that palace with the death of Rexon's mother, was calling out to Genia.
Until she fully regained her powers, she wouldn't be able to face that traitor of the High Commission and that masked devil of the Orange Tiger Clan.
Genia felt a powerful aura glowing above her chest. She took a deep breath and, with her magical steps, cut through the air, raced towards James's palace, where the bloody game of death was about to begin.
The winds on the southern and eastern fronts of the Black Tiger Clan were always cold and silent, but tonight, that silence was tinged with a tinge of unease.
In his fortress on a high, rocky mountain in the eastern region, Kevin stood before a massive map. His eyes, always weaving webs of deep strategy and diplomacy, were now filled with deep worry.
Just then, his fastest and most secretive spy entered the court, panting. The dust on his clothes indicated that he had traveled miles without stopping.
"Master! I have very important and terrible news!" the spy bowed his head, kneeling.
Kevin looked at him without blinking. "Tell me."
"The girl you and first prince Alex have been searching for throughout the Beast World... that mysterious girl, Genia... is nowhere else but in Prince James's palace!"
the spy said in a trembling voice. "James kept her hidden from everyone by making her his mate. But that's not all... Chief Rexon has already gotten wind of this. His terrifying rage has erupted and he has set out with his entire vast army to attack the other Prince James's territory!"
Upon hearing this news, the iron cup in Kevin's hand shattered in a jolt. Alarm bells rang in his sharp, strategic eyes.
At the same time, the same news had reached the dense forests of the southern front, where Alex was synonymous with bloodshed and brutality.
"James has the audacity to hide our mate from us?" Alex's anger was sky high.
But as violent as Alex was, he was equally loyal to his clan's bloodline. Just then, a strong gust of wind blew through his court, and one of Kevin's magical messenger birds landed on Alex's shoulder.
Kevin's reflection emerged from the bird's eyes.
"Alex," Kevin's calm but deeply serious voice echoed. "James must be punished for what he has done. But if Rexon attacks James's palace tonight, the very existence of our Black Tiger Clan will be in danger."
Alex growled, "No one can stop Rexon, Kevin! James has betrayed!"
"This isn't betrayal, it's stupidity!" Kevin insisted. "Think, Alex... if the four of us brothers fight amongst ourselves and shed the blood of our own armies, who will benefit? Arthur of the White Tiger Clan! And the rest of the clans who have been waiting for us to weaken for centuries. You are aware of Arthur's cunning.If a fight breaks out within our clan today, our borders will become vulnerable. The outside wolves will tear us apart. We must somehow stop this bloody conflict between James and Rexon!"
Although both of them were completely unaware that Rexon had already beheaded Arthur.
Kevin's logical argument resonated with Alex. He knew that infighting was tantamount to suicide for the entire clan. "I am marching with my army towards James's border. You too must leave immediately. We must prevent their swords from clashing at all costs!"
With that, Kevin's image vanished. Within moments, two more ferocious Beast Men from the Black Tiger Clan, with all their might and speed, tore through the darkness of the night, rushing towards James's territory.
They cared neither for the storms nor the freezing cold on their way. They had only one goal in mind: to save their clan from the destruction that was approaching James's palace in the form of Rexon's blind rage.
Meanwhile, a silence of fear and death descended upon James's territory.
James's impregnable palace was surrounded on all sides by Rexon's vast, numerous, and bloodthirsty army. The red light of burning torches and the glint of drawn swords in the air transformed the darkness of the night into a terrifying dawn.
James stood at the head of his army, right in front of the main gate of his palace. His chest was broad, and he held his heavy sword in his hand. But his eyes lacked the usual warlike frenzy.
Genia's last words echoed in his ears—"You must endure their anger, endure their attacks, but you must not retaliate. You must avoid this battle at all costs."
James clenched his jaws. For an invincible warrior, laying down his weapon before his own elder brother and awaiting death without a fight was the ultimate test.
Just then, Rexon, riding his massive horse, charged forward, making his way through the army. The fire that ignited in his eyes at the sight of James could consume anything.
"Traitor!" Rexon's heavy, thunderous voice echoed across the field, causing the hands of many of James's soldiers to tremble. "I never dreamed that my own father's blood would stab me in the back! You hid that girl from me? You dared to fool the leader of the Black Tiger Clan?"
James took a deep breath and placed the tip of his sword on the ground. "I didn't plot against you, Rexon. What I did was to save Genia. You and everyone else considered her just a tool or a toy. I don't want to fight you."
"War?" Rexon laughed a terrifying and cruel laugh. "This isn't a battle, James! This is the death penalty for a traitor! By laying down your weapons, you've proven that that weak Rabbit Clan girl has turned you into a coward! Where is that girl? Bring her before me, or not a single brick of your palace will remain intact today!"
James's eyes turned red. "You can take my life, but you can't even touch Genia!"
Rexon's fury soared. He raised his huge, bloodthirsty sword into the air. "Then prepare to die!"
As Rexon opened his mouth to order his army to attack, two terrifying roars resounded from both sides of the field.
Kevin's army, with its silver-shining shields, entered the field from the north, and Alex's barbaric warriors, wearing the skins of terrifying animals, entered the field like a whirlwind from the south.
The sound of horse hooves and the sound of war drums shattered the silence of the field for a moment. Kevin and Alex brought their horses to a stand directly between Rexon and James.
"Stop, Rexon!" Kevin said in a sharp and calm voice, dismounting his horse. There was a determination in his eyes that could make anyone think.
Alex also came forward, his heavy axe slung over his shoulder. "What madness is this, elder brother? Why are we fighting amongst ourselves and shedding our blood?"
Rexon glared at them both, hissing angrily. "What are you two doing here? Get out of my way! Today, this traitor's blood will quench the thirst of my sword. He has stolen our trust from us!"
"James has made a mistake, we admit it," Kevin said diplomatically, raising his hands in the air in a gesture of peace. "But if you raise your sword against James today, the two factions of the Black Tiger Clan will clash. Our own warriors will slaughter each other. Our borders will be weakened, brother! Do you want the White Tiger Clan or other enemies to witness this battle and exploit our weakness? We cannot dig our own graves!"