Mirror World: Destined Return

Lunatic was a city in the northwestern region of the fifth zone. It was known as the Moon City because the sun never came up—the moon was the city’s only light source, but the citizens found that dim illumination more than enough.

Two men stood at the top of a pointy spire, tall enough to look over the entire city. As the spire towered in the sky, it seemed to slice the full moon in half, making it look like a reptile’s eye.

“Lunatic is always so picturesque, no matter how many times I visit. It’s quite a beautiful city,” said a middle-aged man with a smile. He was dressed in scholarly attire and a silver-rimmed monocle.

A handsome man with red eyes and snow-like white hair that reached his waist replied in a whisper-like tone, “If you like Lunatic so much, I will prepare a mansion for you here, Glasya-Labolas.”

“Hahaha, I appreciate the thought, O Great Progenitor, Lord Haema Sanguis.”

The handsome man was the Progenitor, Haema Sanguis, eighteenth in the world ranking, the Ninth Fiend, first in the vampire ranking, and the king of Consanguineus, the vampire society.

“I am not joking, Glasya-Labolas. Your qualities highly resemble those of us vampires,” Haema said as he fixed his black silk cloak.

Glasya-Labolas, the President of Butchers, a member of Necrophilia, smiled, revealing his sharp teeth.

“I suppose I love blood as much as your kind,” he replied.

“It appears Necrophilia and Consanguineus have grounds for cooperation,” Haema remarked.

“I agree.” The demon smiled benevolently, unbefitting his alias, and continued, “I hear the Sun Wolf King has been highly active lately.”

“He must have caught rabies or something.”

“He is likely aiming for the vacant seat of the Tenth Fiend that the Insect King, Insectum, has left behind.”

“He is not a problem. What bothers me is that monkey geezer, Modak, who’s turning a blind eye to that damn wolf’s self-indulgence!” Haema shouted as blood splashed from his red eyes.

Glasya Labolas’s eyes curved upward as he thought, He’s grown impatient!

He had not expected the awfully cautious Haema Sanguis to reach out to Necrophilia first.

“That is not necessarily the case. The Sun Wolf King is ranked second in Barbaria and is twenty-third in the world ranking. It may be that Modak cannot control him,” Glasya-Labolas replied.

“Are you toying with me right now?” Haema said as he suddenly glared at Glasya-Labolas.

Glasya-Labolas felt a chill run down his spine as he waved his hands and replied, “Of course not. You know how famously cunning Modak is. I am simply saying that he is more than likely to use that kind of excuse to slither his way out of trouble if it ever became an issue.”

Haema continued to glare at Glasya-Labolas for a while, then turned to look down at the city again.

Glasya-Labolas quickly continued, “The Full Moon Festival is coming up soon, from what I remember. Necrophilia will send reinforcements if you would be willing to invite them to the Blood Castle.”

“Reinforcements, huh? Who do you have in mind?”

“Abyete of Humilitas can come to Lunatic right away. I believe his skills as a World Ranker have been proven in our war against Nivalis.”

A heavy silence filled the spire alongside a thick stench of blood. As cracks began to form on Glasya-Labolas’s smile, Haema replied, “Very well.”

“It is an honor,” Glasya-Labolas said, bowing deeply as he vanished.

Haema remained still in the silence.

“Keh...Kahaha... AHAHAHAHA! GYAHAHAHA!” He suddenly laughed as if the situation was hilarious. His pale face then crumpled intensely.

“The impudence!” he snarled.

He found it funny how cheeky the demon was toward him, believing that the Sixth Fiend had his back. However, he found himself, who couldn’t bite that arrogant prick’s neck off, even more hilarious.

“Not even Gula of Cadaver, but Abyete of Humilitas? You dare to be boastful about sending one filthy goblin, Immortal Prince?!” Haema’s sharp fangs lengthened as he thought about the Sixth Fiend. “I would have long since sunk my fangs into your neck if I had obtained Rust of Ruin!”

He felt sick even thinking about Rust of Ruin, the skill that had escaped his grasp when he had been right around the corner from obtaining it. As a result, his plan—his ambition—was delayed for several years.

He clicked his tongue after a few more moments of venting his rage and mumbled, “Tsk, even a filthy goblin should have his uses.”

He needed Necrophilia to keep Barbaria in check, and since Humilitas was under Necrophilia’s banner, Modak would know what the reinforcement by Abyete meant.

“Let us see how much longer you can stay impudent. Soon... My wish will come true!”

A blood-red glow hung over the skies of Lunatic.

***

A blue light dimmed, then disappeared.

“Huff, huff. We’ve arrived. This is Casablanca,” said a young man with red hair. He was a warp gate user.

Seong-Hwi looked around. All he could see were white buildings around him, and the salty air tickled his nose.

“Good work,” he said.

“N-not at all! It was an honor to serve you, SS!” the young man shouted as he bowed repeatedly.

“Why don’t you at least wave, superstar?” someone said teasingly from behind Seong-Hwi.

A man, fully covered in a baggy black robe, was walking toward him.

“Are you still in a bad mood, Gerard? It’s been days,” Seong-Hwi said without looking back.

“I’m sure it would improve if you told me how you knew my identity,” Gerard replied.

“I already told you that it was through my card reading.”

“What a convenient excuse, you goddamn swindler,” Gerard mumbled as he shook his head.

Only Jurie knew that he was a Canis. She might consider Seong-Hwi a friend, but she would never tell him Gerard’s most guarded secret.

Of course, I know, Seong-Hwi thought as he walked southeast, ignoring Gerard’s complaint.

Canis, meaning pawn, referred to those who had their blood sucked by a vampire and were under their control. The caliber of a Canis bitten by a vampire aristocrat was often heightened, so many inferior races actually wanted to become Canis.

However, the Canis were burdened with a powerful desire to drink blood as a result, and were forced to drink blood to survive for the rest of their lives. Most of all, they faced a tremendous penalty of being unable to walk under the sun.

In my past life, you willingly came into the sunlight to protect Jurie and were burned to death.

Seong-Hwi had known Gerard’s true identity ever since he had set foot into Vivienne Information Center. Also, anyone could figure it out if they closely observed him. He rarely went outdoors in the morning and afternoon under clear skies, and even if he did, he traveled under the shade formed by buildings. He spent most of his days beside Jurie, in other words, indoors.

“Son of a bitch,” Gerard mumbled, annoyed by Seong-Hwi’s lack of explanation. “The alias SS suits you well, you goddamn Schutzstaffel.”

“That’s quite the slander.”

“Or how about I call you the American Secret Service? Whichever, they’re no good to France, the home country of my lady and me.”

“How unlike a resident of the Mirror World to care about one’s motherland,” Seong-Hwi said as he chuckled.

The ranking bureau had revealed Seong-Hwi’s rank a few days ago, which sent waves throughout the Capital.

Human Rank #1, Cheon Seong-Hwi.

The man who was a Semi Ranker had been promoted to a High Ranker, skipping the Ranker position entirely. Not only that, but he had risen to the unchallenged seat of Rank 1, which Kang-San had kept for years.

Information about Seong-Hwi spread throughout human society via the Network and his various accomplishments. Starting from the slave rescue incident from Clan Trophy that made his name known, to the recent slaying of the dragon Vharagar, the lead he took in the planning of creating Together, and the spring cleaning—all were talked about. Such impressive feats on par with those of Kang-San showed them that he had truly earned the title of Record Breaker.

However, humans began calling him by a new alias: Second Son, or Second Sun. They hoped he would inherit Kang-San’s role as the pillar of humanity and become the second sun that illuminated their future.

“Dark Humans have been calling you the Genocider,” Gerard mentioned.

“I couldn’t care less what they call me.”

“Don’t you feel a heavy sense of responsibility? You are now number one. Humanity’s destiny lies on your shoulders.”

“Humanity’s destiny, huh?” Seong-Hwi mumbled as Mother Maria’s gentle voice echoed inside his head.

“Seong-Hwi, my kind and brave child. Become someone who takes hold of his destiny.”

His destiny had now become the destiny of humanity, and destiny was weak to the brave and strong to the cowardly.

“It couldn’t be lighter. I want an even heavier weight,” Seong-Hwi replied, his black eyes shining like a star. “The human ranking means nothing to me. What I need is a world ranking.”

His prey resided in Lunatic, several days away from Casablanca. He had already made a few plays. He would follow the fundamental plan he had designed, but would improvise based on the situation to accomplish his goal. Seong-Hwi’s steps quickened from being filled with anticipation.

***

What is heavy? so asketh the load-bearing spirit; then kneeleth it down like the camel, and wanteth to be well laden. What is the heaviest thing, ye heroes? asketh the load-bearing spirit, that I may take it upon me and rejoice in my strength.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra—The Three Metamorphoses

***

A middle-aged Asian man raced through the complex alleyway layout under Lunatic’s dim moonlight. The walls had several doors, and each of them had nameplates that had blood on them. It was akin to identifying which bloodline’s kin they were, and their sensitive noses could easily identify such information from the blood.

A man arrived at a wooden door and knocked with a specific rhythm. The door opened moments later by a large man wielding a crossbow.

“Gabriel Garcia Marquez,” the large man said.

“One hundred years of solitude,” the middle-aged Asian man replied.

“Come in,” the man said, lowering his crossbow and making way for the Asian man once he said the correct password.

The Asian man went down the creaking wooden stairs into a tavern filled with only humans.

“Guys, which bloodline’s Canis do you want to become?”

“Me? The Sanguis bloodline, obviously!”

“Sanguis of Sovereignty! One could say they’re the pinnacle of the vampire race!”

“Nah, I don’t think so. They’re way too pompous. I’m more into Amor of Instinct or Rabies of Madness!”

“Keh! You guys sure are dreaming big. Why would the great aristocrats even suck on your filthy necks?”

“Gahahaha!”

The Asian man walked past the rowdy tables, heading to the table in the corner under the stairs. Three men and two women were sitting at the table. They were members of the Union—more specifically, humans affiliated with the intelligence division.

“Yo, Ma Sang-Sik. You were still alive, huh?”

“It has been a while, all of you,” Sang-Sik said.

“Empty-headed morons are gathering one after another,” said a red-haired woman as she stared pitifully at the humans in the tavern.

“And the bastards who guide those morons to this place in exchange for Coins are making a killing,” added a skinny Arab man.

Sang-Sik sat at the empty seat and said, “It can’t be helped. The Night of the Full Moon will soon begin, allowing us access to the Blood Castle.”

A short black man scoffed and remarked, “They sure are eager to become slaves. I feel embarrassed just from the fact that we’re of the same race.”

“It’s not like I don’t understand them. Becoming a Canis of a vampire aristocrat will heighten their caliber, just like that,” Sang-Sik said as he shrugged.

“That’s what I call a slave’s mindset! They’re letting themselves be controlled by those goddamn vampires!”

“Now, now, that’s enough. Ma Sang-Sik, you called us here because you have new information, right?” said a blonde woman as she calmed the short black man down.

Sang-Sik nodded and said, “I have two pieces of information.”

“Two?”

“The first is... Well, I will show you.”

Sang-Sik grabbed his cheap silver Zippo lighter, opened its lid, and rolled the metal sparkwheel.

[Activating Unique Skill: Crime Scene.]

This conjuration skill was the main reason why Sang-Sik had been able to transfer from the spec force’s Pursuit Team 5 to the intelligence division. He could read the traces left in a crime scene to replay a virtual scene of the crime.

Moving objects appeared from inside the Zippo lighter’s fire. One had fangs and long nails, surrounded by around a dozen individuals resembling werewolves. The werewolves attacked the individual with fangs simultaneously. Although the individual managed to kill four werewolves, he was ultimately killed by a bite in the neck.

Sang-Sik closed the Zippo lighter and said, “The wolf beastfolk of Sol have finally infiltrated Lunatic.”

“Security must be lax because of the Night of the Full Moon,” the Arab man said as he nodded.

The Night of the Full Moon was a festival that vampires held once a year in the Blood Castle, a dungeon of an ancient castle where the vampire aristocrats resided. Normally, no one could enter the dungeon, but it was accessible to anyone for fifteen days during the Night of the Full Moon. Hence, inferior races never missed the opportunity to enter the Blood Castle. They could become a Canis if they were lucky, allowing them to change their lives around with one chance.

“The Sun Wolf King must be making his move.”

“Tch, there’s nothing small fry like us can do about that anyway.”

“I suppose not. Our primary objective is to gather information, after all.”

As they discussed Sol’s infiltration into Lunatic, the blonde woman asked Sang-Sik, “What is the second piece of information?”

“We have new orders from the Union,” Sang-Sik answered.

“From the Union?”

All eyes shifted to Sang-Sik, who said, “Cheon Seong-Hwi, the new Rank 1 human, is coming to Lunatic. Our mission is to support him to the best of our ability.”

The members of the intelligence division were left in shock.

The blonde woman said in confusion, “He’s... coming here? Why?”

“Cheon Seong-Hwi is targeting... Demens Rabies, the Madblood Marquis, ninety-eighth in the world ranking.”

Their brains stopped functioning from the shock. Sang-Sik understood their reactions since he had also reacted the same way when he received this information for the first time.

You sure are amazing and bold, pal... I can’t believe you’re planning to infiltrate enemy territory during the Night of the Full Moon and kill one of the aristocrats! Sang-Sik thought.

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