Starting Out As The God of Beasts

A few minutes before the sky above Kaelos City turned to liquid flame...

Under the quiet, efficient guidance of Alisa, the survivors of the subterranean dungeons had slipped through the broken iron gates of the palace foundation.

Crimson-Spotted Leopards, Grey Falcon-kin, and a dozen pale, trembling Sheep-kin had silently crossed the city border, fleeing into the dense undergrowth of the Nosa Forest.

A thick, mist-shrouded woodland located roughly a mile away from Kaelos City.

Deep within the forest, the main party of escaped beastmen huddled together inside a massive, naturally formed cavern.

They were terrified, exhausted, and bruised from days of cold iron chains, yet they remained silent and obedient.

They had chosen to trust Alisa for one simple, undeniable reason: when she had first breached their dark cells, she had dropped her human disguise, revealing her true identity as a Rabbit-woman.

Not only was she one of their own, but she also radiated the oppressive, radiant pressure of an S-class species and a bonafide Martial General.

To the suppressed beastmen, her presence was nothing short of a miracle.

While the majority of the weakened beastmen remained hidden deep within the safety of the cave, waiting nervously for Alisa’s return, a small scouting unit stood guard outside.

Yaller, a fierce Crimson-Spotted Leopard warrior, stood on a thick oak branch twenty feet above the forest floor.

She was the daughter of the fallen Tribe Leader.

Beside her were two young Leopard-kin youths, their hands gripping sharp steel broadswords and iron spears stolen from the dead guards of the palace garrison.

Their eyes were sharp, their muscles coiled like springs, ready to cut down any human search party that dared wander near their refuge.

She was not alone.

Stationed on an adjacent branch was Agos, a broad-shouldered youth of the Grey Falcon-kin, accompanied by two of his own feathered warriors.

Despite decades of regional rivalries among different beastmen tribes, the shared horror of human slavery had forged an absolute, unbreakable unity between the two races.

Agos led his Falcon-kin scouts with quiet discipline, just as Yaller commanded her leopard youths.

Together, the scouts stood silent on the high tree branches, their intense gazes fixed entirely on the distant silhouette of Kaelos City.

Suddenly, Yaller’s cat-like pupils contracted into tiny slits.

Distance away, faint orange plumes of smoke began to billow into the night sky over the city’s central district.

Seconds later, a low, deep rumble shook the earth beneath their trees.

The ground trembled violently as shockwaves from Eurenia’s distant battle against the Silver Lotus Elder traveled through the dirt, vibrating all the way to the roots of the Nosa Forest.

"What in the...?" Agos muttered, leaning forward on his branch, his sharp falcon eyes straining through the dark canopy.

The young Leopard warriors beneath Yaller began to shift uncomfortably, whispering in panicked hushes.

"Sister Yaller... is that an attack?" one youth whispered, clutching his stolen spear. "Has the human army found us? Should we retreat deeper into the mountain caves?"

"Silence!" Yaller hissed, turning her head to glare at her men before looking back toward the distant city. "We do not run like frightened hares. We wait for the Rabbit-woman’s return!"

She turned toward Agos, her tone firm and unyielding. "Remember who led us out of those dark cells. Lady Alisa is a Martial General of our kind.

A warrior of her magnitude does not fall easily to human trash. Calm yourselves and keep your weapons ready for anything!"

Minutes dragged by like agonizing hours.

The sky above Kaelos City grew progressively darker, illuminated only by distant, unnatural flashes of silver wind and golden solar fire.

Then, without warning, the horizon detonated.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A catastrophic, earth-shattering explosion ruptured through the night.

The sky lit up in a blinding flash of white-gold light as Mayor Henar’s core self-destructed.

The shockwave was so severe that the high branches of the Nosa Forest whipped violently back and forth, knocking leaves and loose bark onto the forest floor.

Yaller almost lost her footing on the oak branch.

She grabbed a nearby limb, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs. Agos gripped his bow, his face pale with shock.

"That... that wasn’t a normal battle!" Agos yelled over the howling wind. "That was a core detonation! A high-tier human just blew themselves to pieces!"

Desperation seized Yaller’s chest.

The unknown chaos in the city was escalating too fast, and their savior had yet to return.

If a full-scale war had broken out in Kaelos City, staying blind in the forest was a death sentence.

"Agos! With me!" Yaller roared, dropping down from the tree branch and landing softly on her feet. "Scouts, move! We are moving to the edge of the forest to check the perimeter!"

Agos and his two Falcon-kin warriors vaulted down beside her without hesitation.

The small squad of seven beastmen sprinted through the dense treeline, their light footfalls blurring across the underbrush as they rushed toward the border of the city.

As they drew closer to the edge of the Nosa Forest, the air grew thick with suffocating smoke and the sharp stench of burning oil.

The sound of the destruction was deafening.

Even from a quarter-mile away, they could hear the frantic, blood-curdling screams of human men, women, and soldiers running helter-skelter through the thoroughfares.

The massive outer granite walls of Kaelos City were burning, their thick timber gates collapsing into cinders, while multi-story guildhalls crumbled like dry clay into the streets.

The beastman squad came to a halt behind a rocky ridge, watching the carnage with grim, awestruck expressions.

"The humans... they are destroying themselves..." one of the young Leopard youths whispered in disbelief.

"What are you doing out here?" a smooth, familiar voice suddenly called out from the dark trees behind them.

"Enemy!" Agos shouted, instinctively drawing his bowstring to his ear while Yaller spun around, raising her sword in a low guard.

However, the moment their eyes fell upon the two figures stepping out from the shadows of the forest, the scouts froze.

Walking leading the way was Alisa. She stepped forward gracefully, completely unbothered by the drawn weapons.

Slung over her shoulder was a massive leather sack bulging with ancient, bound books and stolen technique manuals.

Seeing the familiar Rabbit-woman, the scouts instantly lowered their weapons, letting out collective sighs of relief.

Yet, Yaller’s eyes immediately darted to the companion walking beside Alisa—and her breath caught in her throat.

Walking at Alisa’s side was a tall, crimson-haired warrior woman carrying a massive longsword over her shoulder.

Though she was currently in her human form, the sheer, staggering density of the mana vibrating off her frame was terrifying.

’Another Martial General?! Yaller thought, her mind reeling in pure shock. ’And judging by the aura... she is a beastman as well! Where in the world did these legendary powerhouses come from?!’

Quickly recovering her composure, Yaller cupped her hands together and bowed deeply before Alisa, her Leopard ears twitching nervously.

"Lady Alisa!" Yaller explained respectfully.

"Forgive our intrusion. While we were guarding the cave, we witnessed a series of terrifying explosions erupting from the city center. Fearing for your safety and the security of our main party, we came to scout the perimeter."

Alisa paused, looking at the bowed scouts, and a light, amused smile touched her lips. She casually waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Rise, Yaller," Alisa said smoothly, her tone completely relaxed. "There is no need for your concern, nor is there any need for you to scout those streets."

Yaller raised her head, frowning slightly in confusion. "Lady Alisa? But the human garrison—"

"You don’t need to bother yourselves with Kaelos City any longer," Alisa interrupted softly, her emerald eyes glowing with a quiet, triumphant light as she cast a glance over her shoulder toward the burning horizon.

"Because as of tonight... Kaelos City no longer exists."