A Beautiful Loss

Shivana first looked at Black Snake.

From the watchtower, she could see clearly that this human's martial arts were far more advanced than anyone she had ever seen.

That was precisely why she had deliberately chosen to observe.

She wanted to see if he could take Babaya's life earlier, before the Sky Turtle arrived.

It was a pity that this human was helpless against magic.

Babaya had managed to stall for time and successfully called for her help.

She couldn't possibly let this old prophet die in front of her tribesmen.

However...

Now that Babaya was captured, it was enough to halt the momentum of her followers' ascent.

If she were to resolve this herself, "the human that Babaya couldn't defeat."

It seemed like a way to solidify her authority.

Her considerations were influenced by the Art of Making Friends, and also stemmed from her laziness to think too much.

Whether she could win or not?

She'd fight first and see.

Orcs were savage, but they were very enthusiastic about ritualistic behaviors.

Gladiatorial combat and kill-or-be-killed were skills they had to master from childhood, starting with using a wooden stick or a crude knife.

Children who couldn't withstand combat would be expelled from the main body of the tribe.

Even to become a chieftain, one had to compete and win through fair combat--

Want to prove yourself? Come and fight.

Eager to procreate first? Come and fight.

Bored to the point of dizziness? Come and fight.

Shivana extended her hand and clenched it.

The great axe that had fallen on the orc's back, as if summoned, spun and flew back into her palm.

With a "boom," Shivana stomped the axe blade into the ground with her foot:

"Then come and defeat me--

If I win, hand over the old guy in your hands, and your lives, all of them.

If I lose, you can leave or stay as you please!"

Since she wanted to take back Babaya and prove to the tribesmen behind her that she was far more reliable than this old prophet, Then she absolutely could not lose.

Tang Qi took two steps back and pointed at Black Snake, who was holding his knife ready:

"My subordinate is enough to deal with you."

"Then what use are you to me?"

Shivana hated cowards, so she sneered.

"I can order him around, that's enough."

Black Snake furrowed his brows and turned his head.

Tang Qi couldn't be bothered by his sideways glance and signaled for Kuru to cover the old goblin's ears with his hands.

He whispered:

"Remember what I said-- no matter if you can win or not later, you have to lose beautifully, understand?"

"Lose? Why?"

"Expecting orcs to keep their word? You might as well expect Kuru to summon its ancestors to help us."

Tang Qi scanned the surroundings, the ferocious and belligerent orcs, "Winning or losing isn't that important.

If you defeat her, and make this chieftain lose face in front of her tribesmen, will she spare us in her anger?

I guess this tribe had a deal with some big figures from Dragon Gold City to reach this forest.

This shows she's at least communicative.

Capturing mercenaries and adventurers instead of killing them directly proves she doesn't have a policy of extermination.

You just need to fight her back and forth, and then at the critical moment, pull back your move and lose in a thrilling manner.

The watching orcs won't be able to tell, but she'll know you're deliberately giving her face?

By then, we'll still have an excellent hostage, and there'll be no shortage of negotiation."

Black Snake gave him a strange look:

"Did the academy teach these too?"

"Of course, Ulasang's One Thousand and One Praises."

"Another one of your unfinished books?"

"This textbook is real."

He had to admit, even though Tang Qi felt that their mentor Ulasang didn't have much real talent.

The textbooks he compiled, however, could indeed serve as a model for flattering Nobles.

"Orcs aren't Nobles. Doing this will only humiliate her," Black Snake said, not quite believing it.

Tang Qi, however, replied, "Didn't you hear what that old goblin called out earlier—'My kin will remember how you treated me'."

"I think, more than her own glory, she cares about how her kin view her. Or rather, she cares more about the stability of her position."

Tang Qi patted his shoulder.

"In short, lose gracefully."

"Don't pretend to trust me."

"I do trust you."

"Hm?"

Black Snake turned his head, only to see that Tang Qi had already dropped his usual smile.

He was surprisingly serious:

"You came from the Great Desert. I believe you can take me out of here."

Black Snake felt somewhat uncomfortable and brushed Tang Qi away with his shoulder, sneering.

"Hey, hey, you're not actually believing a scoundrel, are you?"

He wouldn't make any promises.

This kind of thing always cost lives.

On the path of adventure, he had seen many people say similar things—

A priest once mentioned that after this job, he would go back and marry his beloved woman.

Heh, but in the next moment, he died in the ruins, and his body couldn't even be recovered.

Besides, why should he necessarily take this poet away from here?

If something went wrong, these orcs wouldn't be able to stop him.

The only reason he still cared about him now was because of that ability to see through illusions—

Since the orcs' destination was Star Plum Town, he needed to go back early and warn them to take shelter.

"Lose spectacularly? Do you think I'm some kind of circus performer?"

Too lazy to bother with the poet behind him, Black Snake rotated his wrist, estimating how much stamina he had left.

Shivana shouldered the giant axe, which was as tall as a person, and stepped forward.

The orcs' battle cries were uniform, echoing through the forest:

"Hoo, ha!"

"Hoo, ha!"

"Hoo, ha!"

Even the tribal children in the huts and tents on the turtle's back in the sky were drawn out.

They were clinging to the rickety wooden planks, their eyes filled with anticipation for the duel.

It seemed some goblins had placed bets, but the tribal members, without exception, had all bet on their chieftain—

The reason she could serve as their leader, and not just a mobile womb, was not because the tribe revered matriarchy.

Shivana couldn't stand the human's dawdling. She had only carried the axe on her shoulder for a few seconds. Seeing that he had no intention of attacking first, she simply let out a roar.

Dragging the giant axe, she charged forward fiercely, like a running tiger or leopard, leaping over ten feet in an instant.

She swung the giant axe in her hand, and the unwashed bloodstains on the axe surface drew a dark red blood moon before his eyes.

The axe handle was extremely long. Black Snake understood that simply retreating wouldn't be enough to create distance between them.

He bent down and bridged, and the axe blade whistled past his waist.

But Shivana's assault didn't stop. Seeing the giant axe swing and miss, she used the centripetal force to rotate and swing again.

Black Snake couldn't dodge in time. He braced himself with one hand on the ground and leaped, narrowly avoiding the scarlet axe blade.

As he maneuvered in mid-air, he flicked his wrist, and his blade concealed its sharpness in the night, slashing across her forearm and drawing a splash of blood.

But the orc's skin was tough and resilient.

This small wound couldn't even cause Shivana any pain.

She hadn't let up on her momentum, her arms straining as she forcefully brought down the rotating energy of the two wheels.

The wind blade she swung whistled past, like a ferocious bear's growl, kicking up the damp sand and mud beneath her feet!

Black Snake twisted its steps, turning its body halfway, narrowly dodging the axe blade.

Its right hand reversed, the blade facing down, positioned before its left ear.

Taking advantage of Shivana's difficulty in stopping her momentum, as she held the giant axe with both arms raised high.

It controlled the tip of its blade, stabbing directly towards her right eye!