Chapter 177: The Mirror Maiden
Waves ceaselessly crashed against the shore, leaving behind a trail of faint blue specks on the sand.
The closer they ca to Tatarasuna, the brighter and denser those specks beca—until, at last, near the heart of the ruin, they stretched into a continuous glowing field.
They drifted with the ebb and flow of the tide, shimring like countless stars scattered across the night sky.
Beautiful. Breathtaking.
Yet beneath that beauty lurked a deadly truth.
These were no bioluminescent plankton, but pollutants—residue flushed out with the currents when Tatarasuna had exploded.
Bai Luo hadn’t been nearby when it happened.
Those who’d escaped Tatarasuna swore that night had dyed even the heavens in strange, otherworldly hues.
And now, beyond the glowing sands, the sea itself drew attention.
As if guided by a silent signal, dozens of small boats pushed off from Yashiori Island, all headed toward the ruins of Tatarasuna.
Every vessel was cramd with desperate refugees.
So, unable to squeeze aboard, swam behind the boats.
But most simply ran out of strength... and vanished beneath the waves.
They didn’t know what awaited them at Tatarasuna.
But compared to that...
The monstrous wrath of Tatarigami behind them was far more terrifying.
Bai Luo tightened his grip on the blade in his hand.
He said nothing.
And stepped forward—toward the battlefield, and toward Tatarasuna.
At the very center of that war-torn land, Bai Luo saw them:
Dendrobiums blooming in profusion across the ground.
Only then did he truly understand how devastating the conflict had been.
A gust of wind blew past.
Yet what stirred from the flowers was not a sweet fragrance... But the tallic stench of blood.
Had Bai Luo not long grown used to the scent, walking through these fields would have been unbearable.
Thankfully, that foulness was only concentrated at the core of the battlefield.
Beyond it, things began to change.
Even the rain—unending until now—showed signs of stopping.
He extended a hand.
The drizzle had lightened.
And so, Bai Luo folded up his Myriad Manifestation Umbrella.
It shimred, transforming back into his Reverse Blade Sword, now resting once more at his waist.
He passed wrecked warships and white thread-like plants that swayed like mourning banners in the wind.
Then, finally—He saw it.
Tatarasuna.
The great mining complex, looming in the distance.
But waiting for Bai Luo was neither the Shogunate’s soldiers, nor the crowd of desperate refugees...
It was sothing else entirely.
"Join our ranks," ca a cool, feminine voice. "Let our boots thunder across the land like rolling storms."
A chuckle followed—derisive, mocking.
"Hah! Join you? And end up shackled like so dog under the Shogunate? Free now, dead later. Sounds about right!"
"If you walk with us—toward the polar star of eternal daylight—we will never abandon you."
Her voice ca again, untouched by his scorn.
Unshaken.
Serene.
She stood there with elegance, every gesture and movent refined to perfection.
"Tch, enough talk! That woman’s dressed too well to be out here alone. She must be loaded! Brothers—kill her!"
His shout stirred the others.
They cried out like beasts, forming into a makeshift phalanx before charging the lone woman with drawn blades.
"Those who are insolent," she whispered, raising her hands from her abdon into a prayerful stance, "shall be punished."
"Her Majesty’s power flows through ."
With those words, a mirror of shimring water materialized around her, halting every strike and cloaking her figure in a dreamlike veil.
Splash—
The mirror rippled and expanded outward under her control.
Waves—light and flowing—rippled through the mob.
Reflected and refracted in countless mirrors, water darts danced through the air like spirits of vengeance.
They were soft, yes—re water.
But at that speed... they struck harder than steel.
"A monster— She’s a monster!!"
The gang’s leader collapsed in terror, his legs turning to jelly.
They thought she was easy prey.
After all, she didn’t even have a Vision.
How dangerous could she be?
Yet. even without a Vision... She could still command water.
She manipulates it as if born of it.
What else could she be but a monster?
"Got you!"
The shout rang out as water churned beneath the man’s feet.
In the blink of an eye, mirrored surfaces of water rose around him, encircling him like prison walls.
He threw his body forward, attempting to break through—But the barriers, though made of gentle water, had hardened like glacial ice.
All his frantic lunges did was send a few ripples trembling across the surface.
Beneath him, the water stirred unnaturally.
And then, before his eyes—
BOOM
The compressed water exploded in a single violent burst.
The impact rivaled a speeding train.
The man was instantly torn apart, bursting into a crimson mist.
Shreds of flesh and broken bone rained down over the battlefield.
The Dendrobiums soaked in fresh gore, blooming with an even more macabre brilliance.
The woman who wrought such carnage returned to her forr elegance—calm, composed, immaculate.
Her gaze shifted toward Bai Luo, who stood calmly on the opposite side.
He hadn’t hidden his presence.
There was no need.
After all, everyone around them was Fatuus—his own people.
Just as Bai Luo debated whether to show off a little himself, she bowed first.
"Honored Harbinger," she said, her voice graceful and respectful. "Subordinate Sveta greets you."
Sveta?
The na rang a bell.
Wasn’t that the Mirror Maiden who’d once co to Inazuma under his command?
The one who’d barely arrived before being requisitioned by the Balladeer for the Delusion Factory?
He hadn’t even had ti to get to know her.
She had gone with his most trusted agent, Ah Qi.
"This isn’t a good place to talk," Sveta said softly. "Please, this way, Harbinger."
Though blind, her other senses were far beyond ordinary.
She had already detected movent from the Tenryou frontline camp—drawn in by her earlier elental display.
Staying here longer would only cause unnecessary complications.
Bai Luo glanced toward the distant glow of firelight, then gave a small nod.
Together, they headed along the beach—toward the far side of Tatarasuna.
"You were assigned to the Delusion Factory," Bai Luo said as they walked. "How are you here?"
Looking at her again, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Damn, she’s tall.
Even though Bai Luo was taller than most, standing beside Sveta made him feel like a child.
The most captivating part of her wasn’t her height though—It was her back.
Smooth. Lithe.
Etched with the insignia of the Fatui.
And along her arms, faintly glowing blue veins pulsed up toward her shoulders—The secret to her elent-wielding power, despite lacking a Vision.
That technique... It was the Fatui’s most closely guarded secret.
Only the Tsaritsa and a few Harbingers—like the Doctor—knew the details.
Otherwise, Bai Luo would’ve jumped at the chance to learn it himself.
But thinking about how the other Harbingers behaved... He understood why Her Majesty had made such a decision.
. . . . .
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