Starting Out As The God of Beasts

Deep beneath the scorching outer dunes of the Hudeii Desert, far from the regulated luxury of Yeren City’s upper rings, lay the subterranean stronghold of the Voka Tribe.

The air here was suffocatingly hot, thick with the stench of sulfur, raw meat, and unrefined desert liquor.

This underground ring was carved out of a massive volcanic cavern, illuminated by the harsh, flickering orange glow of open lava trenches.

At the center of this chaotic den sat Chieftain Ignis, the absolute tyrant of the tribe.

He was a massive, terrifyingly mutated crimson-skinned Lizard-kin whose cultivation had successfully broken into the prestigious Martial Master realm.

His heavy body was covered in thick, crimson-and-black scales that naturally radiated a low, pulsing heat aura.

Instead of standard clothing, he wore heavy iron chains wrapped around his bulging biceps and a necklace crafted from the hollowed-out skulls of rival beastmen.

Ignis reclined lazily on a massive mound of stolen silk carpets and mana cores, surrounded by half a dozen sleek, amber-scaled female Lizard-kin.

They filtered his wine, rubbed his massive shoulders, and hissed softly in compliance whenever his heavy, thick tail lazily thudded against the stone floor.

The heavy iron grate doors of the chamber suddenly rattled open.

The four scared Lizard-kin thugs from Yeren City stumbled into the cavern, completely breathless and trembling violently.

The leader, his right wrist completely mangled, bloody, and wrapped in a tattered rag, dropped heavily to his knees before the crimson giant.

The other three threw themselves flat onto the dirt, their tails tucked between their legs in absolute terror.

"C-Chieftain Ignis...!" the scarred leader wailed, his yellow eyes wide with panic as he clutched his broken arm. "We have returned... we were attacked inside the eastern gates!"

Ignis didn’t move.

He slowly took a deep gulp of wine from a silver chalice, his slitted yellow pupils fixing onto the mangled wrist with chilling indifference.

"You four were sent to the Yeren trade blocks to clear our stock. Why do you return to my ring looking like broken dogs?"

"It was the rabbit slave, My Lord!" the leader stammered, his teeth clicking in fear. "The fragile Rabbit-kin, Alisa! The slave our tribe bought and was stolen from us three months ago!"

"That little sexy toy?" Chief Ignis questioned.

"Yes. We spotted her walking the lower rings tonight!"

Ignis’s eyes narrowed slightly, a low, rumbling hiss escaping his throat that caused the female Lizard-kin around him to instantly freeze and step back.

"That Tempest property? You finally found her? Where is she?" he questioned.

"S-she’s still in this city" he stammered.

"She isn’t a slave anymore, Chieftain! She was dressed in high-grade dark leather, running some sort of shadow network!" the thug cried out. "We tried to intimidate her, to take her back to the pens... but she was trailing a crimson-furred Wolf-kin."

"A crimson furred Wolf-kin?" Chieftain Ignis growled.

"Ye-Yes" the thug gulped hard, "The moment we stepped close, that wolf unleashed an explosive, crimson martial aura! She didn’t even draw a blade, My Lord—she fractured my bones with a single grip! She was... she was a true Martial Master!"

BOOM!

The silver chalice in Ignis’s hand instantly imploded, molten silver dripping through his thick claws as a terrifying, white-hot wave of crimson martial energy erupted from his core.

The sudden, violent pressure blasted across the chamber, shattering the nearby wine jars and sending the female Lizard-kin scrambling to the edges of the cavern walls in absolute horror.

Ignis rose to his full, towering height, his massive chest heaving with an explosive, volatile rage.

"A Martial Master?!" Ignis roared, his deep voice shaking the stalactites hanging from the volcanic ceiling. "A piece of property I held in my cages is walking our borders, backed by high-tier masters, and defying my bloodline inside Yeren City?!"

"T-There was a stranger too, Chieftain!" the leader squeaked, flinching backward. "A Wolf-man male in a black coat..."

"A Wolf-man?" Chief Ignis frowned,

"Yes...no" the thug shook his head, "He resembles the human who had saved that bitch but i could clearly see he’s also a crimson furred Wolf-kin" the thug explained.

"His eyes were golden-crimson. He stepped into the alley and threatened to erase our entire tribe if we didn’t flee! He claimed he owned the desert.

"A human stranger... yet a wolf-man and a runaway slave playing god in my territory," Ignis hissed, his long, forked tongue darting out as his rage hardened into a cold, murderous resolve.

He reached behind his throne and hauled a colossal, jagged iron greatsword off the weapon rack, slamming the tip into the stone floor with a violent crack.

For a tribe leader who had bled for decades to achieve his dual mana cores, the idea of an escaped slave returning with a new master to flex their power on his turf was an absolute insult to his sovereignty.

"They think because they have the protection of the city guards during the day, the Voka Tribe cannot reach them," Ignis growled, a wicked, predatory grin baring his rows of yellowed teeth.

"They are fools. The desert belongs to the lizards."

He turned his blazing yellow eyes toward his tribal war horns. "Assemble our soldiers! Track that Striggar carriage. The moment those arrogance-filled delegates step one foot outside the sovereign walls of Yeren City to return south, we will ambush them in the deep dunes."

Chief Ignis declared.

"I will tear that wolf-man’s limbs apart, crush his crimson furred wolf, and drag that bitch Alisa back to this very ring in chains. Let’s see how her new master runs his script when his head is on my pike!"

The injured thugs clenched their fists, unable to hide their excitement.

"Now you’re dead you fucking bastards!" the thug chuckled.

***

"Hmph, to think the Governors accepted your terms so quickly" Alisa shrugged, "The opportunity to expand Mandraxx influence has dimmed" she sighed.

"That’s true little rabbit" Roy grinned, "But don’t forget we’re still strangers here, we can’t afford to turn our new allies into enemies"

"But we can’t leave empty handed tho" Roy giggled.

Both Alisa and Eurenia stared at themselves for a moment before facing Roy, "What exactly are you plotting?" she asked.

These two cultivators have always been excited talking to Roy, they were both beautiful and sexy.

Possessing bodies so appealing that many men would kill and die for, yet Roy paid little attention to them.

Roy gently stroked his chin, they were currently discussing in his bedroom, "Eurenia....I want you to spread words about the God of Beast across the markets"

"Make it discreet so you won’t be noticed by the Governors and also reveal the honorifics of Lord Varanus"

"Let them pray to the God of Beast in secrecy" he giggled, "This way....."

"We’ll slowly convert the entirety of Yeren City and make them children of Lord Varanus" he stated.

"Nice" Alisa grinned, "I have a question tho" she raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Uhmm" Alisa cleared her throat, "What are we going to do about those Lizardmen?" she asked.

"You know their rage....they’ll come for us" she explained, "Shouldn’t we get them first?" she asked.

"No" Roy smiled, "We’ll be wasting our time searching for them when they’ll simply come to us"

"Do not be bothered about them tho" Roy stared at Alisa for a second, "When I give you the order...."

"Make sure not a single soul that belongs to the Voka Tribe lives to tell the tale" his eyes flickered.

"This is their punishment chosen by Lord Varanus himself!"