"Kevin is right!" Alex said in a hoarse voice, his eyes fixed on James angrily. "We want our mate back, but it's foolish to cut off our own clan's roots for that. James, give us Genia back."
James shook his head. "She's not something I can hand over to you. And she's not even in the palace right now."
Rexon's patience completely faltered at this.
"Enough of your empty talk!" Rexon pushed Kevin and Alex aside and rode his heavy vehicle forward. There was no room for brotherhood or diplomacy in his eyes.
Noya's venomous words had already inflamed his ego, and now James's impudence was a direct blow to his pride.
"I fear no enemy, Kevin!" Rexon roared, pointing his sword at James's neck. "I am the leader of the Black Tiger Clan! And anyone who disobeys my orders, even if they are my own brother, is destined for death. If you both love your lives, retreat, or else my sword will not hesitate to drink your blood today!"
Seeing Rexon's blind rage, both Kevin and Alex understood that words would no longer have any effect.
Rexon's arrogance had completely consumed his reason. James, too, gripped his sword tightly; he wouldn't back down without a fight, but he wouldn't make the first strike either.
The tension had become so intense that sparks could be felt in the air. Thousands of soldiers held their breath.
Rexon mustered all the strength of his massive arms and raised his massive sword with all his might to sever James's head from his body.
The terrifying shadow of death was just about to reach James's neck.
"Wait!" Just then, piercing the terrifying and bloody silence of the night, a voice resounded that shook the earth and the sky. That voice, momentarily, stopped the passage of time on that seething battlefield.
Rexon's heavy, bloodthirsty sword, which was raised in the air and was just a few inches away from James's neck, froze in the air.
There was neither fear nor panic in the voice. It was so deep, calm, and full of authority that it sent shivers down the spines of thousands of fierce soldiers on the field.
Rexon, James, Kevin, and Alex—all four powerful Beast Brothers—all instantly turned their gazes in the direction from which the voice had come.
A shadow stood on a high, snowy mound in the field. The figure's cloak fluttered in the cold, icy wind.
The girl wore a dark, gray robe, and her entire face was covered with a thick cloth. No one could see her lips, her nose, or her complexion. But her eyes... Peeking through the cloth, her eyes were wide open and fearless.
Those eyes no longer held the fear of the timid Rabbit Clan girl of old. The depth of water, the stillness of earth, and the blazing flame of fire—a subtle yet mesmerizing blend of these three magical elements—swirled within her pupils.
Those eyes were so deep and magical that even in the darkness, they radiated a strange, blue-and-gold radiance that penetrated directly into the soul of the beholder.
James's heart stopped beating for a moment.
The sword hilt slipped from his hands. Kevin, whose mind always calculated every situation, went completely numb. His strategies, all his logic, collapsed in that single moment.
Alex, whose eyes were bloodshot and desperate to cut through the earth with his axe, gasped for breath. His violent pride melted like ice.
Even though her face was covered, the three of them needed nothing else to recognize her. That spiritual pull, that deep feeling, and that direct attack in her gaze... all three of them knew that gaze deep within their hearts.
"Genia!" The same name came out of the mouths of all three brothers involuntarily, simultaneously.
James threw his sword to the ground. He didn't care that Rexon's drawn sword still loomed over his head.
Kevin let go of the reins of his horse, and Alex thrust his heavy axe into the snow. The three most fearsome and ruthless beast warriors in the world, whose very name made the entire forest tremble, forgot everything and raced madly toward the mound where Genia stood.
A terrible turmoil raged through their minds.
"Why did she come here?" James's heart sank with fear. He had told her to stay safe. Her returning alive from that valley of death was nothing short of a miracle, but standing directly in front of Rexon? That was suicide!
"Genia, what are you doing?" Kevin's sharp mind was ringing alarm bells. He knew Rexon's anger was at its peak. He would not leave her alive, or he would enslave her and imprison her in his terrifying dungeons.
"I will not let her fall into Rexon's hands!"
Alex's nerves were tense. If he had his way, he would have hidden Genia in his arms and taken her somewhere far away, away from the world.
The three brothers ran closer to the mound and surrounded Geni on all three sides like an invisible protective circle. Their broad, armored backs were towards Rexon's army, and their faces were towards Genia.
"Why did you come here, Genia?" There was a pained desperation in James's voice. He wanted to touch Genia with trembling hands, but stopped himself. "You knew Rexon was looking for you! As soon as he saw you here, he would take you with him; he wouldn't let you go!"
"You must run away from here immediately," Kevin said sharply, his eyes repeatedly darting back to Rexon. "We will stop him. Just get out of here!"
"No one can touch you as long as I'm alive," Alex growled, gritting his teeth, his eyes blazing like a ravenous animal.
But Genia didn't move an inch from her spot. She neither responded in fear nor made any attempt to flee. Her deep, magical eyes gazed calmly at the faces of the three brothers. For the first time, she saw in the eyes of those three fierce warriors not lust or possessiveness, but genuine, helpless fear and concern.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the battlefield, Rexon, seated on his massive vehicle, was completely frozen. His sword-wielding hand was still raised in the air, but his eyes were fixed solely on the masked girl.
When the girl had said "Stop," Rexon felt as if someone had struck him directly in the brain. And when he looked into her eyes... the invincible leader of the Black Tiger Clan felt a strange, unearthly pull within him, shaking his very soul. The face was covered in clothing. No form, no color was visible. But only those eyes!
There was a depth so deep in them, like a whirlpool drawing Rexon towards them. He had seen thousands of beautiful women in the Beast World, he had even kept a cunning and seductive girl like Noya as queen in his palace, but no one's eyes had stirred Rexon like this.
Noya said she was a weak, meager rabbit.
But the eyes that were currently looking at Rexon held none of the rabbit's weakness or fear. They held a fire, a hypnotism that could bring any powerful beast to its knees.
Rexon's breathing became heavy. He felt as if he couldn't move, as if some magical string had bound him to the girl's eyes.
Just then, Rexon's trance broke with a powerful jolt. He saw his three brothers—James, Kevin, and Alex—casting everything—their enmity, their weapons, their pride—to the ground and running toward her like a thirsty person running toward water. He saw how the three brothers had built an impenetrable wall around that lonely girl, shielding her from Rexon's gaze.
At this sight, a flash of lightning struck Rexon's mind. A terrifying understanding suddenly dawned in his wide-open eyes. His spies had told him that a girl had defeated his most dangerous and magical guards. She had slipped from his grasp like a gust of wind, knocking his guards unconscious.
Noya had convinced him that she was just a frightened female of the Rabbit Clan, hiding for her life.
But now, seeing the three brothers' obsession and the girl's mysterious, magical eyes, all the illusions within Rexon were shattered.
"So this is her..." A rough, terrifying whisper escaped Rexon's lips. This was the same girl! The same Rabbit Clan girl who had eluded his guards. The same girl who had turned James into a traitor.
The same girl for whom strategists and savage warriors like Kevin and Alex had stood together as shields.
Rexon slowly lowered his heavy sword. His eyes now held a dangerous, obsessive desire, more than anger. His primal beast nature screamed at him that this girl was no ordinary female. She was the most precious treasure in the entire Beast World, and his brothers wanted to keep it from him!
"You three think you can save her from me?" A ferocious laughter echoed within Rexon.
Rexon spurred his horse. The massive bear-like beast charged forward with a terrifying growl.
As Rexon advanced, his army of thousands also drew their swords and began charging toward the mound where Genia and the three brothers were standing. The air pressure on that snow-covered plain suddenly increased terrifyingly.
Rexon's eyes now held a passion and arrogance that no one could break. His intention to test Noya and Genia had now turned into an obsession. He wanted to unveil the veil from the veiled girl's face at any cost. He wanted to experience for himself what magical fire lurked within the mysterious girl's body and soul, driving his three brothers so mad.
When James, Kevin, and Alex saw Rexon approaching, they drew back their weapons. There was no way to retreat. But under no circumstances could he allow Rexon to take Genia away.
"Genia, why are you back here? You went to that Black Valley to find that traitor?"
Despite Genia's shield, James couldn't stop himself from asking Genia a question. His voice clearly reflected a deep pain, and the fear of losing Geina more than his own life.
"What? Black Valley? Traitor?" Kevin and Alex both cried out simultaneously. Their nerves were on edge. They couldn't quite understand what James was talking about.
Alex, who had been eager to drink James's blood, was astonished to see how an ambitious and fierce warrior like James, who never bowed to anyone, was willing to give his life for this girl! And Kevin's sharp strategic mind, upon hearing the words "traitor" and "Black Valley," began to smell a deep conspiracy.
"I will explain all these secrets to you later, but before that I will do whatever work I have to do."
Genia's voice was no longer nervous or hurried. There was a strange, icy calm in it. She reached out and placed both her hands on the broad chests of James, Kevin, and Alex—the three huge, ferocious beasts—and gently pushed them back.