Chapter 239: The Wrath of the True Dragon Lord

Chapter 239: Chapter 239: The Wrath of the True Dragon Lord

The following morning, Ares, Selene, and Leon once again made their way through the streets of the dwarven capital, heading toward the dungeon they had entered the previous day.

The city was already busy, with adventurers of various races moving through the streets while merchants opened their shops and dwarven craftsmen began another day of work. The three continued walking without paying much attention to the people around them, their destination being the dungeon once again.

However, before they could reach the main street leading toward the dungeon, dozens of tigerfolk suddenly emerged from several directions and blocked the road ahead.

The surrounding atmosphere changed almost immediately.

The tigerfolk were armed and dressed as warriors, with many carrying swords, axes, spears, and other weapons. Their expressions were filled with arrogance as they surrounded Ares, Selene, and Leon, clearly having come prepared for a confrontation.

The humans and dwarves who had been walking nearby recognized them almost immediately.

Their expressions changed.

Without saying a word, many of them quickly turned around and began leaving the area.

They had already seen what happened to the three humans who had crossed the Tiger King’s son, and none of them wanted to become involved in what was obviously going to happen next.

The tigerfolk noticed their retreat and laughed among themselves.

"Hah, look at them. The humans are already running away before anything has even happened."

"They know better than to interfere with the Tiger King’s people."

"Let them leave. Once this is over, everyone in this city will hear what happens when someone dares to lay a hand on the son of one of the Four Beast Kings."

The tigerfolk continued laughing as they surrounded the three.

Hidden behind several of the larger tigerfolk stood the Tiger King’s son, watching Ares, Selene, and Leon with a mixture of hatred and satisfaction. His injuries from the previous encounter had mostly healed, but the humiliation he had suffered had not disappeared.

He stepped forward slightly.

"So these are the arrogant adventurers who dared to lay a hand on the son of one of the Four Beast Kings."

Ares stopped walking.

Selene and Leon stopped beside him.

None of them showed any fear.

The Tiger King’s son smiled as he looked at Selene.

"That is right. These are the three."

He pointed toward them.

"Capture them."

The tigerfolk immediately began advancing.

"Do not kill them yet," the Tiger King’s son ordered. "I want them to understand exactly what happens when they humiliate the son of the Tiger King. We will make them beg for their lives before we decide what to do with them."

Several tigerfolk laughed.

One of them looked toward Ares.

"Wait. The man standing in the center appears to be their master, judging by the way the other two remain beside him."

Another tigerfolk grinned.

"Then we will take him as well. Perhaps we should make them watch while we tear apart that man they’re serving."

The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions of Selene and Leon changed.

Their eyes widened slightly.

Yet there was nothing human in the look that followed.

Leon slowly raised his gaze toward the tigerfolk, and the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere seemed to drop.

Selene’s eyes became frighteningly cold.

Then—

A terrifying killing intent erupted from both of them.

BOOM!

The pressure spread across the street like an invisible wave.

The tigerfolk who had been laughing only moments earlier immediately collapsed to their knees.

Weapons slipped from their hands.

Some struggled to breathe as their bodies trembled uncontrollably, while others pressed their palms against the ground in an attempt to keep themselves from collapsing completely.

"What... what is this...?"

"I-I can’t breathe..."

"W-What kind of pressure is this...?"

"Please... stop..."

"W-We cannot move..."

Even the Tiger King’s son, who had been standing confidently behind his warriors, suddenly lost the color in his face.

His legs began trembling.

"N-No... this is impossible..."

The tigerfolk tried desperately to resist the overwhelming pressure, but their bodies refused to obey them.

One of them looked toward Selene with genuine terror.

"W-Wait... please... we didn’t know..."

Another struggled to raise his head.

"Please, have mercy...!"

The surrounding races who had not yet fled stood frozen in place, staring at the scene with disbelief.

Ares remained completely calm in the center of the overwhelming killing intent.

He glanced toward the nearby streets and noticed several humans who had been unable to escape quickly enough.

"Stop both of you."

His voice was calm, but firm enough to immediately draw their attention.

"There are humans nearby. If you do not control your killing intent, they will die."

Selene and Leon immediately understood.

The terrifying pressure vanished.

The tigerfolk collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath as though they had just escaped death.

Selene lowered her head slightly.

"Forgive us, Master."

Leon also bowed his head respectfully.

"We sincerely apologize, Master. We allowed our anger to overcome our judgment."

Ares sighed quietly.

Selene stepped forward.

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the trembling tigerfolk with an expression of absolute contempt.

"Do you truly believe that you can stand against us simply because you have brought a few more disgusting creatures with you?"

None of the tigerfolk dared to answer.

Selene’s gaze shifted toward the Tiger King’s son.

"Disrespecting me is acceptable. I have no reason to care about the words of insignificant creatures."

Her expression became colder.

"But how dare you disrespect Master in my presence?"

The Tiger King’s son instinctively took a step backward.

Selene continued speaking without raising her voice.

"You have committed a crime that can only be punished with death."

She raised one hand.

Snap.

A single snap of her fingers echoed through the street.

Divine flames erupted across the surrounding tigerfolk.

WHOOSH!

Their bodies were consumed instantly.

Screams filled the street for only a brief moment before disappearing beneath the roaring flames.

The fire vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

There were no bodies left behind.

Not even dust remained where the tigerfolk had been standing.

The humans and other races who had witnessed everything stood completely frozen.

Some stared at the empty street with wide eyes, while others slowly stepped backward, unable to comprehend how dozens of armed tigerfolk had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Selene, however, had deliberately spared one person.

The Tiger King’s son.

He stood alone, trembling uncontrollably.

Selene slowly walked toward him.

He immediately tried to retreat, but his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

Selene stopped directly in front of him before placing one foot against his chest and forcing him down.

"You should remember this moment carefully."

Her voice was calm, but every word carried an unmistakable threat.

"Making an enemy of us will not simply result in your own death. If your father chooses to continue down this path, he may drag the entire Beast Kingdom into ruin with him."

The Tiger King’s son stared at her in terror.

Selene leaned slightly closer.

"Go back to your father and tell him exactly what happened here."

A terrifying killing intent entered her gaze once more.

"Tell him that if he decides to make an enemy of my Master, the consequences will reach far beyond your own family."

She removed her foot from his chest.

The Tiger King’s son immediately scrambled backward before turning around and running as fast as his trembling legs could carry him.

He did not look back.

Selene watched him disappear around the corner before releasing a quiet sigh and returning to Ares.

She stopped before him, bowed respectfully, and spoke with complete composure.

"Master, the pests have been taken care of."

Ares looked at the empty street and then at Selene.

"We certainly look like the bad people here."

His tone was unmistakably sarcastic.

Selene raised her head and smiled.

"There is no need for you to trouble yourself with such matters, Master. I am more than capable of handling insignificant creatures such as them myself."

Her smile became slightly more sinister.

Ares simply shook his head.

Around them, several beastfolk who had witnessed the confrontation continued staring at the three.

Their expressions were filled with anger and hostility, but when Selene slowly turned her gaze toward them, every one of them immediately looked away.

Not a single person dared to meet her eyes.

Ares noticed their reaction but said nothing.

Before the three could continue toward the dungeon, an older woman approached them cautiously.

She appeared to be in her forties and was human, with a tired expression that suggested she had lived under difficult circumstances for many years.

She stopped a short distance away from them.

"You three are remarkably brave to challenge beastfolk of noble blood in the middle of the city."

Ares looked toward her.

The woman lowered her voice.

"But if the Tiger King learns what happened here, I doubt he will allow it to pass without retaliation. I strongly suggest that you leave this place before his people arrive."

"Humans who are captured or forced into the Tiger King’s territory are often treated as slaves. Some are young, some are adults, and many of them have been there for years."

She paused before continuing.

"They are forced to work continuously, often performing difficult labor for the beastfolk. They are given very little food, and there are cases where they are denied proper rest for days at a time."

Her voice became quieter.

"Some of them are around your age, while others are much younger or older. They are not treated as ordinary people. They are treated as property."

Ares’s expression changed.

The calmness in his eyes remained, but something colder appeared beneath it.

The woman noticed the change and continued.

"That is why the humans here avoid confronting the beastfolk. Everyone knows what can happen if they attract the attention of someone powerful."

Ares remained silent for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"I see. Thank you for telling us."

The woman looked at him with concern.

"You should leave before the Tiger King arrives. I do not know what he will do once he hears about this, but I doubt he will simply ignore what happened to his son."

Ares gave her a calm look.

"Do not worry about us."

He glanced toward Selene and Leon.

"We will be leaving now."

The woman nodded slowly, although the concern remained visible in her eyes.

"Then please be careful."

Ares gave a small nod before turning away.

Selene and Leon followed him without another word.

The three continued down the street toward the dungeon, gradually disappearing from the woman’s sight.

However, they were not the only ones who had been watching.

Behind one of the nearby buildings, a man stood partially concealed beneath a dark hood.

He had witnessed everything from the beginning.

He had seen the tigerfolk surround the three adventurers.

He had seen Selene and Leon release their killing intent.

And he had watched the Tiger King’s son flee in terror.

The man remained hidden until Ares, Selene, and Leon had completely disappeared from the street.

Only then did he turn away from the road. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

A faint smile appeared beneath his hood.

Without saying a word, he quietly left the area.