A man and a beast were feeling their way along a pitch-black path.
Of course.
A “thump~” like that happened all the time.
But with the physiques of an Eight-Star Sacred Beast and a Sword God, running into walls was no big deal.
Sometimes, they even smashed right through them...
If walls could talk, they’d surely cry, “You’re bullying us walls way too much!”
“By the way, Kitty, you’re a bit big like this. Can’t you make yourself smaller?”
Xiaobai suddenly remembered how frustrating it’d been to get crushed when they’d first landed.
If they kept going and accidentally fell into another hole, that’d be unbelievably annoying.
“Of course, of course, Master, Master... Should I... change right now? Right this very moment? Okay?”
At Xiaobai’s question, the White Tiger was unexpectedly eager—even looking excited.
“Mm, if you can change, that’s good.”
The White Tiger gritted its teeth and transformed in a flash.
“Thump~”
It turned into a little beast.
It had black-and-white fur, a pair of tiny ears, and round eyes that darted around. The whiskers beside its mouth twitched adorably.
The sight left Xiaobai behind it a little dazed. Was this really his Kitty?
“Kitty, now that you’re smaller, why do you look kind of different from before? Am I imagining it?”
Xiaobai was baffled. After Kitty shrank, it somehow looked much more pleasing to the eye.
Before, it’d been mighty and imposing. Now, it was sweet and adorable.
Damn, even its whole vibe had changed! If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he’d never have believed it.
“N-no, Master, you’re not imagining it. The old look was all fake. This is what I’m really like, Master. This is my true form, meow.”
The White Tiger raised its head and spoke with complete confidence.
But the White Tiger wasn’t just a little nervous inside. It was terrified.
It had just lied to the great one.
But the excitement in its heart won out over its fear of the unknown future.
At last, its plan could begin.
It had finally waited for this day.
Really.
Really.
It was so excited.
As an Eight-Star Sacred Beast, it had recently been made to learn how to meow on the Mountain of Heaven, right in front of Lord Sacred Dragon Emperor and all its subordinates. It was hard to describe how humiliating that had been.
It wasn’t that it was too weak. The enemy was just too terrifying. It had to put up with it.
Still, Lord Sacred Dragon Emperor would surely understand.
As for those subordinates... Heh.
Once I escape this den of demons, I’ll deal with that guy who wanted to laugh back then. If I don’t beat you to death, I’ll write my name backward.
Ever since leaving the Mountain of Heaven, it’d been beaten whenever it didn’t meow at least once along the way.
It had lost count of how many times it’d been hit. Its skin had practically grown calluses, and it’d gone numb.
And who knew how much longer this would go on.
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
It had wanted to turn into a cat for ages.
The only reason it hadn’t changed before was that it didn’t have a good excuse.
Now this guy had asked it to change all on his own.
If not now, when?
For the sake of its reputation, it couldn’t let such a perfect opportunity slip by.
What if it ended up on human turf someday and let out a “meow~”?
What if humans noticed and recognized it?
If it ended up in some history book, the Netherworld White Tiger’s reputation would be ruined...
If it became a cat, then even if people saw it, it wouldn’t blush. It was that confident.
Cats go “meow~.” That’s only natural.
Who’d know that a cat was actually the Netherworld White Tiger, an Eight-Star Sacred Beast and one of the overlords of the Demon Beast Mountain Range?
And even if they knew, would anyone believe them?
At the thought, the White Tiger felt downright pleased with itself.
Look at this great one. His intelligence is questionable.
He can’t even tell a cat from a white tiger. He’ll be easy to fool.
As long as it fooled the great one, everything would be perfect.
However...
“Thump~”
Another blow landed squarely on the White Tiger’s head, and this one hit hard.
“Meow~”
The White Tiger’s heart lurched.
Had its lie been found out?
Wouldn’t that mean it was going to disappear?
It couldn’t! It hadn’t become a Divine Beast yet.
Its body trembling, the White Tiger cautiously opened its mouth.
“Master... I’ve been good... I made myself smaller... Why are you still hitting me?”
It looked as pitiful as could be.
“Thump~”
Another blow...
“Isn’t it obvious? You’re this adorable, and you didn’t show it sooner. That’s your fault.”
“...”
The reason was a little unreasonable, and getting hit hurt a little, too.
But it was worth it. Its grand plan had succeeded. What were a couple of painful hits compared to that?
At the thought, the White Tiger’s sweet, obedient air—and every word and gesture that went with it—seemed even more natural.
Its mood was so good and its thoughts so clear that its realm seemed to improve, too. Even the bottleneck holding it back from becoming a Nine-Star Sacred Beast had loosened a little.
From now on, I’m just a cat. Please take good care of me, everyone~
The White Tiger said excitedly in its heart.
