Mirror World: Destined Return

Museci of the Wind tribe was a seventh-tier great warrior granted the title of Shanyan. He had gathered a pursuit squad to capture Gurun as soon as he heard that Gurun had escaped.

Overblown as it may be, he was granted the title of Sahaliyan, given to ninth-tier orc warriors! He is a great warrior commander! Museci thought.

Killing such an individual would be an incredible feat. Not only would the Wind tribe’s influence in the rebel army rise, but Museci himself could be granted the title of Sahun, a title given to eighth-tier orc warriors.

The pursuit squad discovered Gurun after a series of fortunate events. Although Gurun was faster than they were since he was on a centaur, the endless pursuit and constant attacks drove the two of them to their limits. The problem was that they had entered human territory located north of Fortitudo, and the pursuit squad ended up engaging with humans, as they had feared.

The pursuit squad had faced a human wearing gloves of fire in each hand, and clothes Museci had never seen before, made of darkness. The human scorched Museci’s subordinates, who underestimated him, and Museci himself was also burned while attempting to capture him.

Fucking human! Museci shouted inwardly.

He did not want to admit the fact that he might have gone blind if he had been unlucky. On top of that, the human had mocked him, saying that he was not even one of his clan’s top members.

Museci severed the human’s ears to vent his anger. He later realized that the humans had been telling the truth, more or less. The humans preparing for the orc attack were powerful, and their numbers were rising.

Museci wanted to capture Gurun no matter what, even if it meant sharing the accomplishment. He immediately requested reinforcements, and the High Ranker Tasha, the Sahahun of the Hawk tribe, answered his call.

Tasha had said that he did not blame Museci, but Museci felt deeply mortified and humiliated as a great warrior of the Wind tribe. This only amplified his hostility toward Tasha and the human who had gotten in his way. Hence, he decided to carry out the decapitation ritual personally to take his revenge against the humans and to instill in them a deep fear of orcs.

However, he was humiliated yet again by allowing a human woman, who had jumped out of a pile of dry leaves, to stab his right shoulder. Although he had his guard down, he couldn’t believe he had let himself be injured by a weak human woman.

His surging rage reached its breaking point during the Rite of the Plains. Not only were the humans more skilled than he had expected, but even Tasha was being overpowered.

At this rate, forget capturing Gurun, the rebel army’s morale will plummet!

Museci, blinded by his rage and desire for revenge against humans, had blundered. He decided to use the unsettling atmosphere created by the battle between Tasha and the powerful human to carry out the decapitation ritual again, but much more brutally, expecting it would also bring pain to the human woman who had pierced his right shoulder.

Museci severed the human man’s right arm and shouted, “Chwik! This is what you get!”

His expectation had been spot on; the human woman’s face turned as white as a sheet as she sprinted toward him.

“KYAAAH! NA SEONG-TAE!!!”

“Chwik! Kahaha! Take a good look! Humans are inferior to orcs! We will win!” Museci shouted as he swung his sword at Seong-Tae’s neck.

***

“NA SEONG-TAE!!!” Hwa-Yeon screamed.

She had not taken her eyes off Seong-Tae during the entire Rite of the Plains, so she had been the first to realize what had happened to him and sprinted toward him. The nearby orcs noticed Hwa-Yeon sprinting toward them as she exuded thick bloodlust and raised their weapons.

“C-chwik! What’s she doing?”

“A human woman is running toward us!”

“Stop her!”

The humans also noticed the orcs arming themselves and prepared for combat.

“Bastards!”

“How dare they backstab us?”

“Kill them all!”

Seeing everything was going according to plan, Museci shouted ecstatically, “Chwik—! Kahaha! It’s time for war! Kill them a—”

“BASTARD—!!!”

Tasha appeared before Museci before his thunderous roar could echo throughout the surroundings. Tu’s Heroic Soul blocked Museci’s attack, breaking his sword. Meanwhile, Seong-Hwi grabbed Hwa-Yeon.

“Let... me go! Na Seong-Tae is—”

“Calm down,” Seong-Hwi interrupted.

The humans and orcs lined up horizontally, glaring at each other.

“CHWIK! HOW DARE YOU VIOLATE THE RITE OF THE PLAINS AND INTERRUPT MY BATTLE?!” Tasha screamed as he clenched Museci’s neck.

“Kurgh! M-master Tasha! I only had... the good of the orcs in mind!”

“SILENCE! CHWIK! YOU HAVE BROKEN ONE OF THE GREAT SUBUTAI’S FIVE COVENANTS! CHWIK! YOU ARE NO LONGER A PROUD ORC WARRIOR!”

Tasha was beyond furious. Not only had the Rite of the Plains been violated, but it had been by an orc. Most of all, his exhilarating battle against Seong-Hwi had been interrupted.

I can make use of this, Seong-Hwi thought with a smile as he cut off the power being released from the Fruit of the World Tree.

[Terminating the unleashing of the Fruit of the World Tree.]

The physical burden was minimal because he had only used the power for less than ten seconds, and it appeared he wouldn’t have to settle the battle against Tasha.

That stupid orc helped me. I should be grateful.

However, unlike his thoughts, Seong-Hwi expressed seriously, “What is the meaning of this?”

“Chwik, Cheon Seong-Hwi...”

“So, this is how the orcs do things. I believe you told me that I have no respect or pride, and that I grew stronger through betrayal.”

Tasha could only remain silent as Seong-Hwi ridiculed him with his own words. The orcs had violated the Rite of the Plains, so Tasha couldn’t say anything to retort.

“This motherfucking idiot!” Tasha shouted at Museci.

The ecstasy from battle, which he had not felt in a long time, had vanished, and he was subjected to being called a coward by a powerful warrior whom he had acknowledged.

“Seong-Tae! Please help Seong-Tae!” Hwa-Yeon shouted as she pulled Seong-Hwi’s clothes, staring at Seong-Tae getting paler as blood poured out from the stump where his arm had been.

Seong-Hwi tapped on his hoodie pocket and said, “Bring him here.”

Pwoo! Bulgasal answered delightedly, bringing only its head out of the pocket.

It blinked innocently as its trunk turned into a chain whip, which flew toward the orcs to wrap Seong-Tae and his right arm.

“Chwik, let him go,” Tasha commanded as the orcs were about to stop it.

Bulgasal pulled the chain whip, and Hwa-Yeon grabbed Seong-Tae.

“Seong-Tae! Na Seong-Tae! Come on... Open your eyes!” she shouted.

Seong-Tae groaned, not even having the strength to make words.

“Director Avison,” Seong-Hwi called.

“Haha, I’m gonna have to get extra pay and overtime for this, you know?” Avison remarked.

“Put it on One Tree’s tab.”

“Keh, cheapskate,” Avison clicked his tongue as a table made of blue mana rose from the ground.

[Activating Unique Skill: Operating Table of Dreams.]

“Set the patient down here, young lady,” Avison said to Hwa-Yeon.

Once Hwa-Yeon did as Avison asked, Seong-Tae’s expression relaxed, and the bleeding from his right shoulder stopped.

“This isn’t a healing skill. It’s just the effects of Complete Anesthesia and Complete Hemostasis built into the Operating Table of Dreams,” Avison said as he turned backward. “What are you waiting for? Grab all the healers you have.”

“Healer team! Pour all your mana into healing Seong-Tae!” Nathaniel shouted as he ran toward the operating table with every healer of Clan One Tree.

“Assist them,” Xiu Xian said to the Dongming healers.

“Mmm... Surgery on the arm is one of the more difficult ones,” Avison mumbled as he placed Seong-Tae’s arm on the Operating Table of Dreams.

The pale-faced Hwa-Yeon stuttered, “W-what... does that mean?”

“He may have to live with only one functioning arm. The Operating Table of Dreams can delay necrosis of the severed sections, but the success rate of reattachment surgery is quite low. Even if the surgery succeeds, there will be lingering aftereffects.”

“Live with... one arm?” Hwa-Yeon mumbled in a daze.

The loss of one arm in the Mirror World, overflowing with all kinds of dangers and disasters, where one had to fiercely compete with others daily to survive, was no different from a death sentence. Not only would their chance of survival plummet, but the individual who lost their arm would have difficulty accepting that reality—especially for someone like Na Seong-Tae, whose main weapon was his fists. Worst-case scenario, he might lose his will to live and commit suicide.

“Ahh...AAAHHHHH!”

Hwa-Yeon raised her hands, drenched with Seong-Tae’s blood. She stared at Seong-Tae on the operating table, looking like he would never get back up, triggering her trauma.

“Our deepest apologies. The patient has...”

“I... I’LL KILL THAT MOTHERFUCKER!!!” Hwa-Yeon screamed, her eyes blazing with bloodlust and a desire for revenge, glaring at Museci, being held by Tasha by the neck.

As she took a step forward, Namgung Min-Jae and Ha Rin grabbed her shoulders.

“Stop, Hwa-Yeon!”

“Stop, unnie!”

Hwa-Yeon harshly slapped their hands away and shouted, “Get your hands off me, cowards! What were you doing while Seong-Tae became like this?!”

They couldn’t say anything.

“Stop pretending to be worried and screw off! Go and play your little buddy-buddy clan game!”

She walked toward Museci without hesitation. Just then, her white compact floated out of her pocket without her realizing it and followed behind her, resonating with her mana.

“Hm?” Seong-Hwi expressed, showing interest in the mana pulse emitted by the compact.

Is that a D Awakening? he wondered.

Hwa-Yeon stood proudly among the orcs and shouted at Tasha, “Hand him over! I’m going to tear him apart!”

“Denied. Chwik, he has violated the Rite of the Plains. As per the laws of the Great Subutai, his ears and the tendons of his limbs will be severed,” Tasha refused.

“Cough! M-master Tasha! I...” Museci struggled to escape Tasha’s grasp.

This... might be interesting, Seong-Hwi thought as he smiled.

There was particularly no need for him to take action. The orcs had been the ones to violate the rite, and Seong-Hwi would gain everything he wanted once the matter ended as it was.

But... Yeah. Revenge is meant to be taken.

Seong-Hwi still possessed the deep desire for revenge against Dragon King Regnator for massacring all his comrades. He understood Hwa-Yeon’s wish to reduce Museci to a bloody pulp. He was fine with at least giving her the chance to.

“Hand him over, Tasha,” Seong-Hwi said.

“Chwik. I am sorry, Cheon Seong-Hwi. I will personally take responsibility for him and make sure he experiences hell. I will also accept all your requests.”

The orcs prioritized Subutai’s five covenants above all else. Hence, Tasha acknowledged his negligence and apologized, even declaring he would accept all of Seong-Hwi’s conditions. However, it did not seem like he would hand over Museci.

Makes sense. Albeit a criminal, it wouldn’t look good for him to hand over a fellow orc to another race.

Seong-Hwi nodded, understanding Tasha’s position. Hence, he needed to give Tasha justification to do so.

“Two wins, two losses, and one draw,” Seong-Hwi remarked.

“Chwik?”

“The result of the Rite of the Plains. Since our battle was unfinished, it was a draw.”

Tasha stared at Seong-Hwi, invoking the Rite of the Plains that had already been violated, and thought, Is he... being considerate?

He felt thankful to Seong-Hwi for claiming that the Rite of the Plains, which the orcs violated, was still ongoing. He believed the human was being considerate of him, knowing how important the five covenants were for the orcs.

“Chwik. I appreciate your words, but... I would have been defeated if our battle continued,” Tasha remarked.

“You don’t know that for sure.” Seong-Hwi pointed at Museci and said, “Let’s have one last match. Since this woman refuses to have that son of a bitch even breathing, I propose a death match between them.”

“What do you—”

“No way!”

The One Tree clansmen expressed shock and opposed the idea, but Hwa-Yeon shouted, “Okay! I’ll do it!”

“Chwik? A death match?” Tasha asked.

“Yeah, a battle that goes on until one is dead. You also feel uncomfortable ending things like this, don’t you? If you guys win, we’ll forget that the orcs violated the Rite of the Plains.”

There was absolutely nothing that Seong-Hwi would lose from this condition, but Tasha, who deemed Subutai’s five covenants as sacred, was naturally charmed by it. On top of that, the condition was proposed by a man whom he had acknowledged.

“Chwik! Really?” Tasha asked.

He thought, He is offering me the chance to redeem myself! What a kind-hearted human!

The death match Seong-Hwi proposed benefited Tasha regardless of its outcome. If the orcs won, Seong-Hwi would forget Tasha’s mistake, and even if they lost, it would just mean they acted in accordance with the Rite of the Plains.

Cheon Seong-Hwi! He is the epitome of generosity!

Tasha deeply misunderstood Seong-Hwi’s intentions. He wished to fight Seong-Hwi again under fair conditions, and he believed Seong-Hwi felt the same way. Hence, he was sure that Seong-Hwi had offered him the justification to do so.

“Cheon Seong-Hwi... Chwik! I see you wish to give me the chance to become your friend!” Tasha shouted.

“Hm?” Seong-Hwi expressed confusion.

“Very well! Chwik! I will gladly accept that match!” He nodded, moved by Seong-Hwi’s generosity. He released his grip on Museci’s neck and said, “Chwik, be grateful. You have been given the chance to wipe your sins. Someone give this bastard a sword.”

“Cough! Cough!”

“Go and fight. Chwik, defeat will mean death.”

The situation seemed to be going slightly differently than Seong-Hwi’s expectations.

***

The lid of a white compact opened, and the circular mirror reflected a blonde woman in full makeup, her black mascara turning her tears black. It was Yoo Hwa-Yeon.

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