### Chapter 3: Sky Tower (3)
As night fell, the flames of the bonfire danced wildly, igniting the spirits of the people gathered around. With drinks flowing freely and spirits soaring high, the rosy-cheeked Tiger Demon found himself bonding with the Great King of the Split Land, quite without realizing it.
“Big Brother! Little Brother… I… if I’ve offended you in any way, please… Big Brother, forgive me!” he slurred, wobbling with a drink in hand.
The Great King of the Split Land chuckled heartily, resting a hand on his shoulder, “Oh, little bro, you’re being way too formal! We’re practically family now.”
As the Tiger Demon gulped down his drink, half of it trickled down his fuzzy cheeks, creating a rather amusing sight.
“Big Brother, you probably don’t know this, but I suffered heavy losses in Black Stone City. I’ve been waiting for your reinforcements… and here you are at last!”
“Don’t worry, little bro. Now that I’m here with my crew, Black Stone City won’t stand a chance. Just give the word tomorrow, and we’ll crush them together!”
“Great! With that promise, I must toast to you, Big Brother!”
He downed another drink, but this time, with a loud “thud,” the Tiger Demon toppled over, leaving everyone scrambling to help him up.
The Hedgehog Monster and the Bat Demon each took an arm, repeatedly apologizing to the Great King before hauling the Tiger Demon back to the tent.
As soon as they entered, the Tiger Demon straightened up and squinted his eyes.
Clearly, he’d only been pretending to be drunk.
“Has Seven Feathers returned?”
“Some brothers are back, but Seven Feathers is holding the rear line. Don’t worry, he’ll be here soon,” replied the Hedgehog Monster.
“Good. You two go back to buttering up the Great King. Leave the rest to me.”
“Understood, General.”
Once they left, the Tiger Demon fiddled with his favored weapon, a long kn*fe, his expression turning ice-cold.
At this point, he was sure the Great King was up to no good.
His little charade of drunkenness had been a last-ditch effort for peace, yet the Great King hadn’t offered a single explanation for his tardiness to the White Feather City.
Nobody was that naive, right? Did the Great King really think he wasn’t catching on?
Unless something truly unexplainable happened on his way…
Now, he was just waiting for Seven Feathers to return.
About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, a voice sounded from outside the tent, “General, I have fulfilled my mission!”
The Tiger Demon perked up, “Quick! Come in!”
Seven Feathers stumbled through the tent flap, head down, swaying dangerously.
The Tiger Demon was hit by a wave of alcohol breath. “I sent you to gather intel, not to down a barrel! Alright, spill the beans—what did you find out?”
Seven Feathers glanced around nervously. “I fear there may be ears on the other side of the wall.”
“Then lean in and whisper.”
Seven Feathers leaned closer, confiding softly, “General, you’re indeed wise—they have a huge problem.”
“Oh? What’s going on?”
Seven Feathers leaned in even closer, and after a moment of awkward silence, the Tiger Demon shouted, “Hey! Are you drunk too?!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt something worm its way into his ear.
“What the—!”
With a swift punch, he sent Seven Feathers rolling across the tent, then began furiously digging at his ear, finding nothing.
“Dude! What did you stick in my ear?!”
Seven Feathers lay sprawled on the ground, bl**d trickling from his mouth where he had been hit.
“Ha ha ha! Don’t worry, General, you’ll figure it out soon enough.”
The Tiger Demon brandished his long kn*fe and swung it down hard next to Seven Feathers’ neck, cutting a long gash in the earth.
“Are you betraying me?!”
Seven Feathers showed no fear, saying, “General, if you think so, you’re misunderstanding your loyal subordinate.”
“What? Are you not Seven Feathers? But why…?”
Just then, a sharp pain shot through the Tiger Demon’s head, as if bugs were burrowing through his skull.
“Clang!”
With a clatter, the long kn*fe fell from his fingers, and the Tiger Demon clutched his head, rolling on the ground in agony. He was too shattered to keep questioning Seven Feathers.
In the midst of this painful struggle, it felt as if his soul was leaving his body; he caught glimpse of his enormous form.
At a certain moment, it felt like a string in his mind snapped; all the pain suddenly evaporated.
But in return, he felt an overwhelming dread as he realized he had lost control over his body—he couldn’t even lift a finger.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to shout.
Yet, no sounds would come out.
What… what was happening to him?
His body, now moving without his command, stood up slowly, looking at him with a strange and uncanny expression.
Then, he distinctly heard “Tiger Demon” say, “This body is incredibly strong; I like it.”
“Seven Feathers” chuckled, “Glad to hear it! My getting stabbed wasn’t in vain after all.”
“Tiger Demon” looked back, “What should we do with this guy?”
“Do as you please; it is technically your original body. But if you want to keep it as a souvenir, I advise you to drop that thought. Only by thoroughly eliminating it can you avoid backlash.”
“Tiger Demon” thought for a moment, then replied, “You’re right.”
He lay on the ground, watching as “Tiger Demon” approached, feet poised above him.
What was “Tiger Demon” planning?
Was he going to stomp him to d*ath?
But he felt as small as a bug, and “Tiger Demon’s” foot loomed large like an insurmountable mountain.
The mountain drew closer with every blink of his eyes,
And finally, with a loud “squish,” everything faded to black.
“Tiger Demon” lifted his foot, looking at the flattened insect below, and shrugged. “Farewell; I’ll take good care of this body for you.”
“Seven Feathers” laughed, “What’s this? Stomping on your old body and you can’t even muster an apology?”
“No, aren’t we all aiming to occupy a human body? Now that we’ve succeeded, it’s time to say goodbye to the past, right?”
“Seven Feathers” remarked, “I never realized you could be this articulate. Never mind, never mind, the Great King is probably waiting—let’s go.”
The bonfire banquet was winding down.
The Great King was thoroughly enjoying himself, and his subordinates—the various Great Demons—were sprawled out, utterly out cold.
The accompanying Great Demons from Cold Wind City had also given their all, some leaning to one side, regurgitating everywhere.
At that moment, the Tiger Demon appeared, dragging in Seven Feathers before the crowd.
The Great King burst into laughter, “Little Brother! Have you sobered up?”
“Yeah, Big Brother!”
The two exchanged grins, looking like long-lost pals reuniting.
“Let’s drink up!”
Seated cross-legged by the bonfire, they emptied the remaining barrels into their bellies.
The Hedgehog Monster and the Bat Demon were utterly bewildered, feeling as if the two leaders had grown exceedingly close.
“Hey, Seven Feathers, what on earth happened back in White Feather City?” the Hedgehog Monster whispered.
Seven Feathers smiled slyly, “I found something that turned them into friends!”
“What are you even talking about?”
Seven Feathers cast a glance at the two. “You’ll figure it out soon enough.”
