Maya took deep breaths, somehow composed herself, and said in a trembling voice, "Chief... everything... the situation is completely out of our control! James has found out about our spy, Dark Eye Crystal. He has destroyed it and declared high alert in his entire palace. But... but that's not all!"
"So what else?" Arthur said, shrugging casually. "Even if Shantanu finds out, what difference does it make? By then, my arrow has already left the bow and hit the target. Rexon, Kevin, and Alex will be arriving to finish him off."
"No, Chief! You don't understand!" Maya shouted, terror evident in her eyes. "When I was sneaking out of James's palace, I saw something that terrified me. I saw Noya... your mate Noya, not heading towards James's palace, but straight towards Rexon's camp! The rebellion was evident in her eyes, Chief. I strongly suspect she has discovered all our secrets and your plans. And that messenger... the one you sent to deliver the message to Kevin and Alex... I found his burnt ashes and blood stains on the way. I fear Noya has hatched a massive and terrifying plot against you!"
Arthur was silent for a moment. Silence fell over the court.
But the next moment, Arthur's loud, arrogant, and insulting laughter echoed throughout the palace. It was so loud that even Maya was taken aback.
"Noya? That weak, timid, and helpless mate will plot against me?" Rohit laughed, slapping his thigh. "Maya, your brain has probably stopped working from fear and cold. Noya is just an ordinary mate, without a brain. Where will she find the wisdom and courage to incite a fierce and ruthless chieftain like Rexon against me? At the most, she will go and cry and plead before him... and Rexon will treat her like dust under his feet and drive her away."
"Chief, you're making a grave mistake! You're underestimating her!" Maya pleaded, her head bowed to the floor. "Any female in the Beast World, determined to achieve her goals, could overthrow even the greatest empires. Please don't ignore my warning! We must alert our army right now. We must double the security of the palace!"
But Arthur's obsession with his so-called victory had completely blinded his ability to reason. He looked at Maya with utter contempt and anger.
"Shut up, you stupid woman! You're disrupting the joy and celebration of my victory. James is terrified, Rexon is blinded by anger, and Kevin-Alex are blinded by their lust. My plan is perfect. No shadow of death can reach my palace tonight. Go, heal your wounds, and don't spoil my celebration!"
Arthur sternly signalled his guards to drag Maya away. Maya was dragged screaming out of the court. Tears welled in her eyes, and she was convinced that the sun of the White Tiger Clan was about to set forever today, and Arthur's own pride was responsible for this.
Arthur had another glass of wine poured and began to rekindle his fantasy. In his foolishness, he was completely unaware that just a few miles from the borders of his palace, a massive, black tornado of death, in the form of Rexon, was rapidly approaching him. He had no idea that tonight the white land of the White Tiger Clan would be stained red with black blood.
The White Tiger Clan's white marble palace, which until moments before had been immersed in Arthur's pride, the smell of wine, and the euphoria of celebration, was now about to witness its most terrifying night. Even the deep darkness of the night and the cold, icy winds could not stop the storm of death that had reached their vast ramparts in the form of the Black Tiger Clan's army.
Suddenly, the palace's supposedly impenetrable main gates crashed to the ground with a deafening crash. The sound was so powerful that it shook the very foundations of the palace.
Arthur's guards, as careless and intoxicated with celebration as their leader, didn't even have a chance to unsheath their swords. The Black Tiger Clan's fighters pounced upon them like a pack of hungry wolves. The air echoed only with the sharp clang of clashing steel, painful screams, and gushing fountains of blood. The white courtyard of the White Tiger Clan was instantly transformed into a bloody mess of black and red.
Inside the palace, sitting on his magnificent throne, Arthur's golden wine cup fell from his hand and spilt onto the floor. The red wine spread like blood on the white marble.
"What's that noise? What's going on outside?" Arthur shouted in panic and anger, calling out to his guards. The intoxication had vanished in an instant. Before anyone could answer him or escort him out through a safe secret passage, the heavy carved doors of the main court shattered like dry straw. The shadow standing beyond the door made Arthur's feet tremble.
It was Rexon, the fearsome leader of the Black Tiger Clan. His massive figure looked terrifying, like some ancient god of death. His black armoured robes were soaked in the fresh blood of the White Tiger Clan's guards, and drops of blood dripped from his drawn sword onto the white floor.
The burning red savagery in Rexon's eyes was enough to incinerate anyone. But Arthur's real shock wasn't seeing Rexon. His real shock was the shadow that slowly stepped out from behind Rexon and into the light.
Noya.
Arthur's own mate. The one he had considered a weak, helpless, and stupid pawn until just a few hours ago. There were no tears or fear on Noya's face now.
Standing in Rexon's towering shadow, Noya wore a smile so cold, mischievous, and triumphant that it sent shivers down Rohit's spine.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze. Maya's shrieking warning echoed in Arthur's mind—"Chief, you're making a grave mistake! You're underestimating her! I saw Noya heading towards Rexon's camp!"
Only then did Arthur realise the terrible mistake he had made, the one that had doomed his entire clan. He had been so blinded by his own web of pride that he couldn't see that Noya had played a game two steps ahead of him on the chessboard of cunning and deceit. He had invited the destruction of his own clan.
"R... Rexon!" Arthur stammered, backing away from his throne. He raised his hands to summon his magical powers, but his body was unable to support him in fear.
With a terrifying roar, Rexon leapt in the blink of an eye. Before Arthur's magical shield could form, Rexon's heavy boot struck Arthur's chest.
Arthur fell from the throne with a powerful thump. Before he could recover, Rexon grabbed him brutally by the hair and dragged him to the ground.
The next moment, Rexon's heavy, blood-soaked sword was brought to bear, poised to sever the veins in Arthur's neck. A thin line of blood oozed from the sword's cold edge.
"I thought you were some big player, Arthur," Rexon's voice had a terrifying growl that echoed throughout the court. "Did you think you could rule this entire jungle by creating a rift between me and my brother James, by making us fight each other? There's only one punishment for conspiring behind the back of the leader of the Black Tiger Clan... and that's death!"
Arthur trembled with pain and fear, but when he saw Noya standing behind Rexon, smiling, a desperate anger welled up within him. He understood that Noya had done all this. She had provoked Rexon and brought him here.
"Chief... R... Rexon... listen to me!" Arthur tried to scream, gasping, his neck shielded from the edge of the sword. "You're making a grave mistake! You've fallen into this witch's trap! She's deceiving you! I... I didn't plot anything! This is all Noya's trick... She's using you so—"
But before Arthur could finish his sentence, Noya let out a terrifying scream and fell to her knees. She once again wore the mask of a helpless, crying, and helpless mate.
"Chief!" Noya cried, sobbing. She clutched Rexon's feet tightly, crocodile tears welling up in her eyes. "Look! Even with death staring him in the face, this man refuses to stop spewing venom from his poisonous tongue! He's still trying to mislead you! He told me himself that he would instigate a fight between your brothers, kill you, and reduce the Black Tiger Clan to dust under his shoes! And now... now that his truth has been revealed, he's blaming me, his helpless mate who has sought refuge!"
Sobbing, Noya bowed her head at Rexon's feet and, in a trembling voice, delivered one final, venomous attack, "Chief, don't fall for his words! He's a master magician. If you let him live even for a moment longer, he'll use some black magic to control your mind! He'll make you an enemy of your own brothers! For the sake of my honour and the safety of your clan... kill him now, Chief! Cut off this traitor's tongue forever!"
Arthur's eyes widened. Seeing Noya's appearance made his blood run cold. The thought of a woman telling such a huge lie so clearly, through her sweet words and tears, shattered whatever little courage remained within him.
"No, Rexon! She's lying! I didn't say anything like—"
"Shut up, you vile worm!" Rexon roared terribly. All his pride, his blind rage, and Noya's tears had sapped whatever little power he had left to reason. As a powerful beast, the tears of a weak female had inflamed his primitive arrogance to the extreme.
Rexon raised his sword with all his might in the air. Arthur's wide-open eyes watched the shadow of death approaching him. He remembered his spy Maya's last words, telling him what a grave mistake he had made by underestimating Noya.
"This is the consequence of betraying the Black Tiger Clan!" And with that single sentence, Rexon's massive sword came down, ripping through the air.
A terrifying 'splash' resounded. Arthur's scream was choked in his throat. His head, severed from his body, rolled like a ball across the white marble floor, and the red blood gushing from his body soaked Rexon's shoes and Noya's clothes. The leader of the White Tiger Clan, who until just hours ago had dreamed of ruling the entire Beast World and possessing Genia, had now died a horrible and ignominious death, trapped by his own cunning and his own mate's trap. A terrible silence descended on the court, broken only by the sound of Rexon's heavy breathing.
Rexon kicked Arthur's severed head away and turned to look at Noya. He extended his blood-soaked hand and lifted her from the floor.
"Arthur's game is over, Noya. I've kept my promise. Now you don't have to fear anyone."
Noya lowered her eyelids and, leaning against Rexon's broad chest, pretended to breathe a deep, relieved sigh. But hidden behind that heavily armoured chest, there were no tears on Noya's face. There was a wicked, terrifying, and devilish smile. Her first major victory was complete. The White Tiger Clan was finished, Arthur was out of the way, and the most feared leader of the Black Tiger Clan was now a puppet, completely at her fingertips.