While the central rings of Tempest City churned with the chaotic sounds of slave auctions, illegal trade, and drunken brawls, a much quieter tension settled over the outer canyon perimeter.

"We’re finally here," Alpha Eurenia inhaled deeply. She sat on a twelve-legged crimson unicorn.

A Beast-stage F-class abomination. Behind her were Commander Hedro and Commander Argo.

The vanguard of the Great Luna Pack did not march openly into the canyon gates.

Alpha Eurenia carried the aura of confidence. She was no longer the desperate, cornered leader of a dying tribe; her evolution under the grace of Lord Varanus had gifted her with the strategic foresight of an apex commander.

Leaving the main force of twenty-three elite warriors hidden deep within the jagged, mist-shrouded ravines outside the city, she selected only a small, lethal reconnaissance party to infiltrate the gates and map the territory from within.

Accompanying her were the two commander brothers—the seasoned veterans who anchored the pack’s frontline defense—alongside three other highly capable Wolf-men warriors.

To bypass the watchful, predatory eyes of the city’s gate enforcers, the small squad wore heavy, tattered traveling cloaks made of coarse desert canvas.

The loose fabric hid their massive frames and the faint, glowing crimson sigils of the Feral Domain embedded into their chests. Yet, suppressing their newly awakened power was like trying to bottle a localized sandstorm.

As they lined up among the traveling merchant caravans at the massive iron gates, Eurenia subtly adjusted her hood.

Standing nearly eight feet tall, her regal, imposing stature was impossible to fully mask. Beneath the heavy fabric of her cloak, her digitigrade legs shifted silently over the hot gravel.

Her golden, predatory eyes—a physical manifestation of her high-tier bloodline—scanned the towering Orc plates and rock-skinned Troll overseers guarding the entrance.

’So this is the den of filth,’ Eurenia thought, her long, lupine muzzle tightening as she breathed in the suffocating air of the canyon.

The stench of copper blood, stale ale, and the distinct, heartbreaking scent of caged, terrified beastmen filled her heightened senses.

The two commander brothers flank-guarded her sides, their hands resting loosely beneath their cloaks near the hilts of their concealed dark-iron weapons.

Their bodies were coiled like iron springs, ready to snap at the slightest sign of exposure.

"Halt," an elite Orc sentry grunted, his glowing, bloodshot eyes peering suspiciously beneath Eurenia’s hood as the group reached the threshold.

He hefted a jagged battleaxe, its rusted surface stained with old blood. "A squad of independent Wolf-kin travelers? State your business in Tempest City. Are you here to trade, or are you looking to sell yourselves to the Troll syndicates?"

A low, dangerous rumble vibrated within the chest of the younger commander brother, but Eurenia instantly stepped forward, letting out a perfectly controlled, submissive-sounding sigh that masked her absolute disdain.

"We are mere wanderers from the western wastes, looking to purchase provisions and secure temporary lodging," Eurenia replied, her voice dropping into a rough, guttural dialect that successfully hid the layered, majestic resonance of her draconic lineage.

With a fluid motion, one of the three accompanying warriors stepped forward and tossed two Beast-stage F-class mana cores—harvested from the abominations they had slaughtered on the march—into the Orc’s gauntleted palm.

The Orc sentry caught the cores, his greedy eyes lighting up as he weighed the condensed energy generator stones.

He let out a harsh, gravelly laugh and waved his massive arm toward the interior. "Passable. Get inside, fleabags. But keep your heads down. The Tiger Lord’s guards don’t tolerate rowdy strays in the upper rings."

The group moved through the massive threshold, entering the sprawling, multi-tiered hive of cutthroat commerce.

Once they were safely embedded within the dense, chaotic crowds of the lower ring, out of direct earshot of the gate sentries, the older commander brother leaned closer to Eurenia, his hood casting a dark shadow over his sharp features.

"Alpha," he whispered, his voice laced with a boiling, fanatical hatred. "My senses are screaming. The scent of our blood brethren is everywhere in these lower trenches. They are being kept underground... starved, beaten, and bound in chains."

Eurenia’s golden eyes flared with a lethal, blinding light beneath her hood, but her posture remained entirely calm and unmoving.

She could feel the divine connection to Lord Varanus thrumming in her soul, guiding her instincts.

She had no idea that the closer she was to her god, the stronger she became.

"Restrain your anger," Eurenia commanded in a low, chilling whisper that forced the five warriors around her to instantly submit. "We are not here to launch a reckless brawl. We are here to locate every slave pen, map out the guard rotations of the Orcs and Trolls, and find the structural weaknesses of this concrete leviathan."

She glanced toward the highest, most secure terrace of the canyon, where the grand volcanic palace of the Tiger Lord loomed like a symbol of absolute tyranny.

"Our Lord has decreed the fall of this city," Eurenia murmured, her fangs baring in a silent, bloodthirsty silhouette beneath her cloak. "We will investigate every corner, locate our stolen brothers and sisters, and wait for the Envoy’s signal. When the time comes... we will tear this gateway to pieces from the inside out."

Meanwhile, Roy stared out the window, "To think they came here faster than I anticipated." His eyes narrowed. "But this is good."

Since he has established a direct connection with Alpha Eurenia, his blessing resonates the moment she appears within a hundred-meter radius.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Jarden?" Alisa worriedly asked, but Roy turned towards her, his lips curled faintly, "No, little bird.... I’m fine."

He hesitated, "It’s just that the plan has changed," he explained. "The plan has changed?" Alisa asked, her eyes widened. "What happened?"

Roy faced the window again, "I was expecting to wage war against Tempest, just you and I, but it seems there’s no need to worry." He gently closed the windows.

"Alisa," Roy called. "You’ll be meeting your fellow followers of Lord Varanus soon," he spoke. "But it’s still early for us to meet them."

"We’ll proceed with the test," he stated. "Alisa, you’ll be infiltrating the slave den tonight, set the black spotted Frog-kin beastmen free without being detected," Roy explained.

"What about my people?" Alisa asked. "We’ll set them free as well, but for now... we need to create chaos."

"While you’re busy freeing those slaves, I’ll cut down a few ogres and orcs." He smiled.

"Let Tempest tighten their defenses in order to stop the released slaves from escaping the city, there..." He paused.

"We’ll strike them from within!"