Starting Out As The God of Beasts

The next day came swiftly.

The atmosphere inside the grand, unfinished council chamber of the Supreme Assembly royal building was heavy with the raw scent of freshly cut marble, Varanite stone dust, and an overwhelming concentration of mana.

A massive, circular table forged from polished obsidian sat at the center of the hall.

Seated around it were four of the newly christened Dukes of Varania—powerhouses who had shattered the old tempest hierarchy with their own hands.

Lord Manuses sat tall, his majestic white-gold wings folded neatly against his broad back, though his alloy-dense fingers tapped a steady, heavy rhythm on the obsidian surface.

To his left, High Priest Croak rested his webbed hands on a staff of liquid jade, his large, hollow eyes reflecting the faint light of the room.

Across from them, Captain Eurenia sat with her chin resting on her palm, her sharp eyes scanning the draft layout of the desert sectors, while Commander Brenda Pjador, the Hyena-woman Matriarch of the Inquisition, chewed lazily on a piece of dried meat, her posture relaxed but dangerous.

"The sea project is complete," High Priest Croak rumbled, his deep, croaking voice vibrating through the hollow stones.

"Varania now has four seas flourishing with lifeforms, fishes to be eaten, clean water to drink"

"But the influx of migrants via the Lapler Immigration Department is straining our outer resource hubs.l

"The House of Mydar recommends immediate expansion toward the eastern mining domains to secure more rare minerals"

"The House of Ryodor agrees on the expansion, but we march with iron first," Lord Manuses countered, his multi-layered voice filling the room with an innate pride.

"My adopted son, Trojan, is already organizing the military for this operation." he smiled.

"We don’t just negotiate for the mines; we claim them under the banner of the God of Beasts."

"The economic foundations of Varania must be carved from absolute victory." he stated.

"What about the Governors?" Eurenia asked, "the eastern mines are controlled by Governor Vance, that greedy Shark-kin won’t give it up without a fight" she said.

"That’s true" Lord Manuses tapped his finger on the table, "But Varania currently holds the highest position in this desert and we have an official trade alliance with Yeren City"

"Since we plan on uniting the entirety of Hudeii Desert, we should start by devouring Yeren City first" he said.

"Send delegates to Yeren, we’ll offer the Governors a chance to join Varania....they will be given the status of nobles" Manuses grinned.

"Each week, Yeren keeps losing hundreds of inhabitants, it won’t be long before that city becomes an empty shell"

"They will understand our generosity and merge without a fight" Lord Manuses added.

Since he was the Mayor of Tempest, he is currently the Duke with the most influence after the five Great Families were established.

"And the administrative infrastructure?" Brenda interjected, her yellow eyes gleaming with a calculating smirk.

"My House of Pjador will handle the fortifications of the newly acquired lands. But we need a clear demarcation of the future counties and viscounties.l

"We can’t have our internal lines crossing when the unification begins."

CLANG—!!

The massive, reinforced iron doors of the supreme council chamber suddenly swung open, the sharp metallic echo cutting right through the heated debate.

The conversations died instantly.

The four Dukes turned their heads toward the entrance, expecting a high-ranking messenger or a structural update on the building’s construction.

Instead, Alisa walked into the council chamber.

"Greetings everyone" she spoke with grace.

She wore her usual dark, form-fitting attire, her steps completely silent.

But the moment her boots crossed the threshold, the ambient temperature in the room plummeted.

’What the hell is that??’ Manuses’ gaze darkened, his body shaken by her presence.

The air grew violently thick, turning into an invisible, suffocating pressure that caused the massive obsidian table to groan under a sudden, phantom weight.

OMMMMM—

They felt it.

A cold, ancient, and utterly terrifying power was radiating from her left hand like a rhythmic, heartbeat-like pulse.

It wasn’t the fluid, shadow mana they were used to seeing from her; it was a conceptual, primordial dread that made the hairs on the back of Manuses’s neck stand completely on end.

’This can’t be right, Alisa is a Martial Master....this power isn’t hers’

’What has the Apostle done?’

Croak’s webbed fingers tightened so hard on his jade staff that the wood creaked, his pupils contracting into tiny pinpricks as his instincts violently screamed at him to back away.

’Isn’t Alisa the weakest? the only Martial Master appointed as a Duke?’

’How could she produce such terrifying presence’ she groaned.

Even Brenda froze mid-chew, her feral hyena instincts triggering an immediate, internal fight-or-flight response.

The source of the anomaly was the faint, crimson shimmer reflecting off a six-headed serpent insignia on her finger.

The Grade 0 Ring of Ouroboros.

Even completely sealed and inactive, the mere presence of a relic capable of slaying a Martial Demigod sent a tremor of pure, lethal authority through the middle-tier powerhouses.

Alisa did not say a word at first.

She perfectly captured the sudden stiffening of their postures, the way Manuses’s wings tensed, and the look of profound, localized shock painted across Eurenia’s face.

A small, elegant smile subtly curled the corners of her lips.

With her gaze fixed ahead, completely unbothered by the heavy atmosphere.

The weakest Duchess of Varania calmly walked up to her designated seat at the round table—no longer a shadow waiting to be left behind, but the undisputed, terrifying anchor of the House of May.

"Quite disrespectful I must say" Alisa took her seat. "To think you’d start the chamber meeting without me"

"We apologize Duchess Alisa" Lord Manuses cleared his throat, "Such won’t happen again" he affirmed.

The attitude of the Martial Lords and Martial Generals towards her had already changed.

For they knew this was the handwork of Master Jarden.

They understood the importance of Mandraxx in the Kingdom of Varania.

It’s to keep everyone in check.

Alisa was the one blessed with the power to kill every single one of them.

The shadow of Varania!

"I hope so" Alisa grinned, "So what exactly is the topic of discussion?"

"The expansion operation? Varania’s economic development and growth?"

"Or the coronation of Varania’s first king?" she questioned.

"All" Manuses answered.

"We are the Supreme Assembly, a body of dukes and duchesses" he smiled, "Today, we’ll appoint the Grand Chancellor..."

"And also discuss about who will be the first king of Varania"

"A Kingdom cannot exist without its king, just as the crown is important..."

"The one who wears the crown is also important"