Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 208

Zzzzt!

A crimson aura emanated from Yorden’s sword.

“Alright, let’s wrap this up quickly. Who’s next? It doesn’t matter if you all come at once.”

The Armenian knights shuddered at the overwhelming presence radiating from his body. Despite their rigorous training, they had no means to stop a superhuman like Yorden.

But they couldn’t just stand there in a daze.

Shing, shing.

The Armenian knights drew their swords with pale faces. Yorden, seeing them, smiled broadly and stepped back with his left foot, resembling a cheetah ready to pounce.

“If you don’t come to me, I’ll come to you.”

With those words…

Crack.

Yorden’s calf muscles bulged, ready to spring forward. The Armenian knights swallowed hard. Just as he was about to push off the ground…

Thunk!

Something grabbed his ankle.

“…?”

Yorden turned his head. There, crawling out from the wall, was Cruel, clutching his ankle. Though he lacked the strength to stand, he crawled like an insect.

“Still have some fight left in you?”

Cruel laughed, a sound like air escaping from a punctured lung. Then, his laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by a fierce glare.

“Get up. You bastard.”

Yorden’s eyes darkened at the curse.

“Such a foul mouth. I hear you’re the illegitimate child of Count Dwight? Are you serving a criminal to overcome your origins?”

Yorden revealed a secret Cruel had kept hidden. The Armenian knights, tense from the situation, barely registered the words.

“…!”

But Cruel did. His eyes turned bloodshot. Yorden smirked and pressed down on Cruel’s back.

“No, if you wanted to overcome your origins, you’d have joined a reputable organization or the Southern Duke’s house. But you joined the revolutionary army’s lackey because…”

A sneer played on his lips.

“To assassinate Count Dwight?”

Crunch!

Cruel’s teeth ground together. “Illegitimate child!” This cursed term was one of the most frequent insults he’d heard since birth. From mocking siblings to the respectful household staff and other nobles.

His father treated him like a ghost, and his mother died in childbirth. Though Cruel was strong enough to avoid direct bullying, there were many indirect ways to torment him, like harming his nanny.

So, when he saw the recruitment notice for the Dragon Soldier Project, he left home. If he could join the Special Task Force, the center of power, and rise to a high position, they would never look down on him again.

But…

“You think I joined him for that?”

Cruel slowly stood up. Yorden’s eyes widened in surprise. Crawling here after taking that blow was impressive enough. But standing up in that condition?

‘Hah!’

If he were an ordinary knight, Yorden would have praised his mental strength. But he was just a lackey of the revolutionary army. So, before he could grow, he had to be crushed.

Yorden pressed down harder on Cruel’s back.

Crack.

The force was enough to break a normal person’s spine. But when he couldn’t crush Cruel, Yorden’s eyes widened.

“This… this bastard?”

Despite his trembling body and the blood and sweat pouring from him, Cruel steadily rose from the ground.

“You called him a lackey of the revolutionary army? Pah!”

Cruel laughed, spitting blood with each word. Despite his struggle, it was Yorden whose face hardened. He should have been unconscious from his injuries, yet his spirit only grew stronger.

At that moment, Cruel’s trembling arms shook. Yorden’s eyes widened as he leaped back.

Slash!

Yorden’s uniform tore from his chest. If he hadn’t moved in time, he would have been cut.

Thud!

Cruel staggered to his feet, pointing his sword at Yorden, his eyes burning with determination.

“The man I know would never bow to the revolutionary army.”

The thought of using the Special Task Force’s authority to avoid being looked down upon? Forgotten. Meeting Yan shattered that notion. Not because of his overwhelming skill, but because of what he had achieved.

He had seen Yan create his own authority, earning everyone’s respect. So, he changed his goal. He would stay by Yan’s side to learn why he shone so brightly. Not by clinging to someone else’s authority, but by becoming someone who shone on his own.

“And you call him a lackey of the revolutionary army?”

The man who shone so brightly? The one who made his father seem insignificant? The one who always made him feel small?

“Even with all the evidence, denying it is pathetic.”

“So what? I haven’t heard it from him. Until he admits it, I’ll only believe what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”

Cruel’s eyes darkened as he took a stance. His limbs trembled, but his gaze was unwavering.

Huff.

Cruel took a deep breath, mana surging through him like a racehorse. It was more intense than any mana he had ever wielded.

‘Not enough. Faster, more.’

He urged the mana on. This level of intensity wouldn’t surpass a superhuman.

Whoosh!

Cruel’s mana, driven by his indomitable will, surged forward with unprecedented speed. The intensity was so fierce that it tore through his mana pathways. Despite the searing pain, Cruel smiled. This level of power was enough to challenge even a superhuman.

“So, that’s how it is.”

Yorden nodded, watching Cruel muster every ounce of his strength. Though he still despised Cruel for serving the revolutionary army’s lackey, he couldn’t deny his knightly spirit.

“You are a knight, after all.”

Cruel’s chivalry was commendable. He believed only in what he saw and acted according to his own principles.

‘Not bad.’

A genuine smile, free of mockery or disdain, appeared on Yorden’s face.

“Alright, I apologize for my earlier words. From now on, I recognize you as a knight.”

How could he not acknowledge a knight who burned himself out to uphold his principles and loyalty to his lord?

“But…”

A formidable heat began to emanate from Yorden. The ground blackened, glass melted, and wallpaper scorched. Yorden raised his sword, pointing it at Cruel.

“As a knight of the Sun Duke, I must eliminate any threat to our domain. I will defeat you here and now.”

He stepped forward, bending his knees, and gripped his sword with both hands, intensifying his aura.

Gooooo…

The overwhelming presence of a superhuman filled the hall. The Armenian knights and the surrounding Blazing Knights began to collapse under Yorden’s pressure and heat.

But…

“Alright.”

Only Cruel remained standing, staring at Yorden. Despite the mind-numbing heat and the agony of his torn mana pathways, he maintained his focus.

“Let’s see if you can stop me or if I can break through.”

“Hahaha! Let’s do this!”

With those words, Cruel ceased even the minimal mana control that protected his body. His mana, already racing wildly, now surged uncontrollably. If he had reached the level of a superhuman, he could have controlled it, but unfortunately…

‘I haven’t reached that level yet.’

So, he had to take the risk.

Boom!

With the final restraint removed, Cruel’s mana began to rampage through his pathways.

Hiss…

Red steam rose from Cruel’s skin as his blood boiled from the rapid circulation of mana. The rampaging mana coursed through his body with increasing intensity, enveloping him in a crimson mist.

“Excellent!”

Yorden’s eyes widened as he pushed his power to the limit. Look at Cruel, walking the tightrope between life and death, burning himself to prove his chivalry.

‘Not giving my all to such a worthy opponent would be an insult.’

A superheated aura burst from Yorden.

Fwoosh!

The heat transformed into flames, enveloping Yorden’s entire body like armor. This was Yorden’s ultimate technique, the Hellfire Armor.

The two figures were no longer visible, replaced by a crimson light and a fiery red glow. Their auras were so intense that they obscured their forms. The two lights, similar in color, roared at each other.

‘Let’s go.’

As Yorden prepared, Cruel gripped his sword. He bent his knees and stepped forward, taking a deep breath and focusing his strength in his toes.

Bang!

He dashed forward. The lobby floor cracked and split beneath his feet, leaving deep gouges in his wake. As he accelerated, the surroundings blurred, and only one thought remained in his mind.

Just as Yan had overcome countless trials, he too would laugh in the face of adversity. And it would start with the superhuman Yorden, whose presence sent chills down his spine.

‘I’ll break through this wall.’

With that final thought, Cruel’s vision began to blur as his brain shut down to protect him from the pain. But his unwavering will only fueled his body further.

“Come at me!!”

He charged at Yorden, who was clad in the Hellfire Armor. As Cruel’s mind went blank, he heard something in his ears.

Crack!

An enormous explosion followed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The tiles beneath him turned to dust, and the explosion echoed. Cruel, charging towards Yorden, resembled a storm.

“…”

“…”

The Armenian knights and the Blazing Knights could only watch in awe at the magnificent sight.

And then…

Crash!

The two lights collided with a thunderous roar.

Crack!

With the sound of something breaking.