Chapter 69: The Dogkin Matriarch

We all walked toward the Dogkin village, but the atmosphere was now more relaxed and friendly. The girls were joking with me while we laughed. "So, is that why you gave us those punishments?" Vira asked with a mischievous smile. "To see us naked?" "Every time you taught me to tighten the bow," Elnara interjected, "I could feel a huge sword piercing my back. I knew it wasn’t my imagination." I laughed out loud. "Yes, of course. It was all part of my plan to conquer your hearts!" The laughter continued. Suddenly, one of them, in a more serious tone, asked me, "Will you abandon us when you find prettier girls?" I stopped and looked her in the eyes, feeling a knot in my stomach. "I would never leave any of you," I assured her in a firm, sincere voice. The laughter continued as I enjoyed the journey. Upon arriving at the Dogkin village, a similar scene unfolded, but unlike the cat tribe, the dog tribe was orderly and lined up at the entrance as if they were receiving an emperor. They were formed in two rows along the gate, and in the center were two Dogkin women. One looked quite old, perhaps in her 70s, and the other looked splendid in her 20s, with good curves and a fluffy tail and ears like a German Shepherd woman. I was distracted for a moment, but quickly regained my senses. I could see that the males in this place seemed submissive and the structure was matriarchal. "Greetings, visitors, our village is honored by your presence," the older matriarch said. Everyone bowed at the same time, as if they had rehearsed it. "My name is Kira. To what do we owe the honor of your visit?" I felt conflicted, as the tribe had been too friendly, and I wasn’t the kind of person who slaps a smiling face. I stood in front of the elder matriarch and looked her directly in the eyes. "I assume from your reception that you know what happened to the other village," I said, breaking the silence with a cold voice. The matriarch, with a stoic expression, nodded. "That is correct. By chance, one of our scouts was nearby when he heard the roar of a meteorite descending. Although he did not dare to stay and investigate, we can intuit the tragic fate of those cats." "That is correct. Jayde, come here for a moment." Jayde approached, disconcerted, with her ears drooping, while looking at the matriarch like a frightened kitten. "This is Jayde, the last of the Moonclaw family. I think you know what I mean," I pointed out. The matriarch’s face contorted as if she had bitten a lemon. She clenched her teeth before speaking. "The Moonclaw family and we had a disagreement some time ago due to certain differences. How would the Exalted one feel about leaving the matter in the past? We will not ask for any compensation in the future..." the matriarch said in a pragmatic tone, as if she were granting a great favor. Pride was etched into her bones due to her status. "I don’t think you understood me. Let me put it more simply," I replied, walking and standing face to face with her. As I approached, two of her guards sensed the danger and lunged to stop me. With one hand, I held their weapons, and with a fluid motion, I threw them into the air, smashing them into the ground with such immense force that the earth itself cracked. The matriarch’s face changed to one of fear. Those two were her personal guards and her sexual toys; she had trained them since they were puppies and knew very well how powerful they were. Even she couldn’t beat them in a one-on-one battle; they only obeyed her because they were completely submitted under her skirt and loved her madly, but the outsider had subdued them as if they were simple pups. This forced her to re-evaluate my strength so as not to underestimate me. "Get up and apologize," the matriarch ordered her guards, but neither of them moved. Their necks had been broken during the small confrontation. If she had felt fear before, she was now terrified by the enemy’s strength. She had sent a message to the Demon King since they learned of the cat village’s fate, but the response she received was: "Do not offend the enemy." They continued to send messages asking for instructions and help, but they received no more replies. Even one of the Demon King’s generals who was in the village to collect the tribute had fled without even taking a single stone of the tribute. All these situations forced her to feel abandoned; no one would help her, and the scythe of the Grim Reaper was over her neck. She could feel the cold breath of death waiting for her to say anything out of place to claim her soul. "It seems your little toys broke... My apologies," I said in a sarcastic tone. My words made the matriarch’s teeth show, as she loved those pups, but she quickly calmed down and adopted a calm posture before speaking again. "It was their mistake to attack the Exalted one; they deserved their punishment. I apologize on their behalf. I hope the Exalted one will forgive us and not unleash his fury on this poor village..." I smiled triumphantly. I now held the upper hand thanks to those two pups who had moved to try to stop me. I didn’t want to destroy a flower unless it was absolutely necessary. "I want everyone who participated in the massacre of Jayde’s clan to step forward to receive their judgment," I said, my voice resonating with coldness. "I will consider that a sign of goodwill, and I will not be forced to use force against you..." The entire village began to talk among themselves, causing chaos; many families pleaded with the matriarch not to accept, as they were their relatives. Everyone knew what had happened with the Moonclaw clan: they had been dismembered and devoured by them in a ritual ceremony. Not even the children and pregnant women had been spared. If the matriarch accepted, they were completely doomed.