The badly wounded White Tiger just couldn’t beat its own boss. After struggling for a while, it gave up.
Just then, Xiaobai turned around to face the two Sacred Beasts.
“We should be all right now, shouldn’t we?”
“We’re all right, we’re all right.”
The Black Sacred Dragon Emperor hurriedly answered, giving the White Tiger a nudge as it did.
But...
The White Tiger didn’t move an inch.
“Oh no!”
Seeing how uncooperative the Netherworld White Tiger was, the Black Sacred Dragon Emperor felt a sinking feeling.
Sure enough, a terrifying wave of black pressure descended in an instant—twice as powerful as the one they’d endured before.
“I—!@#$%...&*”
The White Tiger, standing beside its boss, also felt the pressure.
Its boss was a nine-star. It was only an eight-star...
“Ow~”
The pain in its soul made it instantly understand its boss’s “kind intentions.”
No wonder its once all-powerful boss had changed the way it spoke.
No wonder it had wanted me to be some kind of cat. It wasn’t insulting me—it was saving me.
If I held out under this pressure for a few more seconds, I’d probably be on my knees.
What should I do?
Oh! I get it.
No wonder its IQ shot up in a desperate situation.
And so, all they heard was...
“Meow~”
A sound that should never be heard in the depths of the Demon Beast Mountain Range rang out.
The effect was immediate.
As soon as the sound rang out, the pressure vanished. The two Sacred Beasts were freed—and passed out.
“Mm, see? That wasn’t so bad. There aren’t many people as easygoing as me.”
Xiaobai nodded, clearly satisfied with how things had turned out.
A long while later...
“Guh?”
“Mm. We should get going, Kitty.”
“Kitty” was still lying there, dizzy...
“Hehehehe. Quit pretending to be unconscious. You know the deal.”
In an instant—
“Meow~”
The Netherworld White Tiger woke right up and hurried to Xiaobai’s side. It was completely different from before, as docile as could be.
Every beast watching, except the Black Sacred Dragon Emperor, was dumbfounded...
Was this really Lord Netherworld White Tiger, the mighty and imposing guardian of the Mountain of Heaven...?
The whole vibe had changed...
Some of the lower-star Sacred Beasts nearly burst out laughing.
But then a pair of red-glowing eyes turned their way, and their smiles froze on their faces.
“Since you’ve all been so sincere, I’ll be magnanimous and forgive you for what happened tonight.”
Magnanimous, my ass. The Mountain of Heaven right beside you is gone, and you’ve got the nerve to say that.
All the beasts grumbled to themselves at once. There was no way they could say it out loud.
“As the saying goes, a fight makes friends. Tonight was pretty fun, wasn’t it? Well, I’m off~ Looking forward to seeing you again~”
Sorry, we don’t want to be friends with you. Just go—go as far away as you can, and don’t ever come back.
The beasts kept grumbling to themselves. But, you know how it is—they still couldn’t say it out loud.
Everything that needed doing was done, and everything that needed saying had been said.
It was time to leave.
Xiaobai straightened the tattered clothes, then climbed onto the Netherworld White Tiger.
One person and one beast slowly disappeared into the distance.
Watching the White Tiger’s utterly hopeless look as it left, the Black Sacred Dragon Emperor sighed to itself.
Goodbye, White Tiger.
Thank you for your sacrifice.
Safe travels.
Judging by how that big shot treated you, you’ll probably be doing pretty well from now on.
As for me, I’ll put off trying to become a Divine Beast. It’s only another five thousand years. I can wait.
Suddenly, a voice sounded beside it.
“Um, Lord Sacred Dragon Emperor, what about the human–beast war? Are we still—? Mmph, mmph...”
The Purple Thunder Lightning Leopard had appeared beside it at some point. In the quiet surroundings, its voice rang out like a thunderclap.
The Purple Thunder Lightning Leopard was about to bring up something terrifying. What if that “big shot” heard it?
The Black Sacred Dragon Emperor hurriedly clamped a paw over its mouth to stop it from saying another word.
“Idiot. Keep your voice down.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“My lord, are we going to continue that war next time?”
The Purple Thunder Lightning Leopard asked in a whisper.
Thump!
The Black Sacred Dragon Emperor smacked the Purple Thunder Lightning Leopard on the head with a paw, making its ears ring.
“???”
“Did that pressure scramble your brains or something...? With a monster like that on the human side, what’s the point of fighting a war? Say it’s the final battle. If they show up and swing that sword, who could stop them?”
“B-but, my lord... You may be the strongest among the magical beasts, but you can’t control them all. What if they...”
“Stop, stop, stop. I know what you’re worried about. What’s there to worry about? What they do has nothing to do with our Mountain of Heaven clan. If they want to get themselves killed, let them.”
“I’m actually looking forward to it. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they despair.”
The Black Sacred Dragon Emperor gazed into the distance, wearing an inscrutable smile.
“Then we’ll show up and save them. They won’t have any choice but to submit.”
“As expected of Lord Sacred Dragon Emperor. What a brilliant plan.”
“Come to think of it, where did that Shadowlight Serpent go?”
“...”
The Purple Thunder Lightning Leopard pointed a claw at the dark sky.
“???”
The Black Sacred Dragon Emperor looked up. A few stars twinkled in the sky.
“My lord, it’s up there. Really high up. Really far away...”
“???”
The Black Sacred Dragon Emperor was baffled. What the hell are you talking about? Why can’t I understand you? Is my rank too high or something?
“...”
“...”
An inscrutable silence fell...
