Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 212

The Sun Duke listened quietly to Yan’s story.

Yan explained that the General had kidnapped and imprisoned his father, the original Supreme Commander, and taken his place. Furthermore, the General had become a puppet of the Emperor, instigating wars at his behest.

However, there was something the Sun Duke couldn’t understand.

“I’ve been curious for a while now, why would the Founder want to start a war between the Empire he created and the Revolution Army?”

“It’s part of the process to transfer his soul,” Yan began to explain what he had heard from Momon. Transferring a soul required immense power, and the quickest way to gather that power was by harvesting human souls.

“I see.”

The Sun Duke pondered Yan’s words. It seemed the Founder’s goal wasn’t the destruction of the Empire, but the death of the southern territories’ inhabitants. It was a goal that, while insane, made a twisted kind of sense.

“The great hero who was once the Founder is gone, and now only a wraith clinging to immortality remains.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The Sun Duke’s eyes gleamed.

“Your words are logical and plausible. It could indeed happen.”

“…”

“But there’s no proof. In the end, it’s all just talk.”

He was right. To convince the Sun Duke, who only believed what he saw with his own eyes, solid evidence was needed. The Sun Duke might give some weight to Yan’s claims due to his own experiences, but it wasn’t enough.

‘But I don’t have the kind of evidence the Sun Duke needs.’

As the Sun Duke said, all Yan had were words. This information had originally come from his father, after all. But that didn’t mean he was going to give up.

“I have no evidence.”

“Then there’s nothing more to say.”

“However.”

“…?”

Yan spoke with a determined expression.

“I will take down the General. That will be my statement of intent, and then I will show you the evidence.”

The Sun Duke looked at Yan calmly.

* * *

In the VIP room, a man lay on the bed, his entire body wrapped in bandages. It was Cruel, who had spilled everything to Yorden.

After lying there for a long time, as if dead, Cruel began to groan and his eyelids fluttered.

“Ugh…”

Then, his eyes snapped open and he bolted upright like lightning.

Thud!

At that moment,

Zap!

A tremendous pain swept through his entire body.

“Argh!”

Cruel trembled all over as if electrocuted and collapsed back onto the bed.

“Damn it.”

He looked around, trying to suppress the pain, and realized that there were familiar faces watching him.

“What are you guys doing here?”

They were none other than the knights of Armenia. In front of him, Roman and Charles sat in chairs, staring at him.

“Too bad. I thought you were going to die.”

“What… What are you talking about? You damn bastard, I survived because of… Aaargh!”

Cruel tried to get up at Roman’s words but screamed and lay back down, glaring at him with fierce eyes.

Charles covered her mouth and laughed.

“Pfft! Roman, stop teasing him. If it weren’t for Cruel, we would have been in big trouble.”

“I could have handled it even without him.”

At Roman’s words, Cruel smirked as if he had caught him.

“Heh, you think you could stop a superhuman? You got knocked out in one hit, aren’t you ashamed?”

“Damn it.”

Roman cursed under his breath. As Cruel said, he couldn’t even withstand a single blow from Yorden. There was nothing he could say in response.

What made it even more infuriating was that, unlike him, Cruel had somehow managed to exhibit strength comparable to a superhuman, even if only for a moment.

“Damn it.”

“Hahaha! Finally realized your place, huh? Don’t even think about messing with me from now on.”

Despite his battered state, Cruel smiled contentedly.

At that moment,

Bang!

Someone entered the room.

“Oh? You’re awake?”

It was Yan, who had been talking with the Sun Duke. He looked surprised to see Cruel conscious.

“I thought you’d be out for at least a month. You’re tougher than I thought.”

“Hey, you’re here?”

Cruel shrugged at Yan. Charles had just told him that thanks to him, they avoided direct conflict with the Sun Duke.

“…”

Yan clenched his fist unconsciously as he watched Cruel’s smug smile. For some reason, it made him want to punch him in the face.

He shook his head and changed the subject.

“How are you feeling?”

“Do I look okay? I feel like I’m dying.”

Yan walked over to the bed, noticing something that made his eyes widen.

“…?”

Cruel’s face stiffened. Yan rarely showed such a surprised expression.

At that moment, Yan said something unbelievable.

“You’ve broken through the wall.”

“The wall?”

Cruel tilted his head, not understanding what he meant.

“You’ve reached the level of a superhuman.”

“What?!”

The knights around them were all shocked. Cruel and Roman were especially stunned, their eyes widening as if they were about to tear apart.

Thud!

Cruel hurriedly sat up on the bed and crossed his legs. Despite the tingling pain from head to toe, he couldn’t afford to care about such trivial pain now.

Whoosh!

“…!”

As he closed his eyes and began to meditate, Cruel’s complexion changed. His mana reservoir had expanded to an unimaginable extent, and mana flowed smoothly within him. His dantian had also grown twice as large.

After meditating for a while longer, Cruel gathered his mana.

“Hehehe.”

He let out a sinister laugh as he stood up. Despite the pain making him stagger, Cruel didn’t mind at all.

He looked at Roman, whose face had hardened as he stared at him.

Tap.

Cruel placed his hand on Roman’s shoulder and grinned.

“Don’t mess with me from now on, kid.”

Grit!

Roman ground his teeth. Yan chuckled and separated the two.

“I came to give you something before I leave, so save the fight for later.”

At Yan’s intervention, the two turned their heads away.

Charles asked, “What are you giving us?”

“This.”

Yan took out a communication orb from his pocket. Charles tilted her head, recognizing it.

“A communication orb?”

“You stay here until I call for you. I need to go ahead and assess the situation.”

Yan looked at Cruel and said, “Don’t try to act tough and get as much rest as you can.”

* * *

Screech!

Yan left the VIP room after saying everything he needed to. It was time to prepare for the war against the General.

As he exited the Sun Duke’s office, he recalled the words he had heard.

-You only get one chance. Failure is not an option.

The pressure of having to win no matter what weighed heavily on Yan, but his expression was not grim.

‘The important thing is that I got the opportunity.’

If he hadn’t had the chance to persuade the Sun Duke, his plans would have been significantly delayed.

As he walked to the mansion’s entrance, a familiar voice called out.

“With this, I’ve repaid my debt.”

It was Merriott.

Yan grinned.

“I thought we settled that debt at the train station?”

“My conscience wouldn’t allow it. It’s only fair to return what I’ve received.”

“You’re more rigid than I thought.”

“A knight must be principled.”

With that, Yan and Merriott burst into laughter.

After a good laugh, Merriott stepped aside. There, a carriage drawn by three black horses with flowing manes was parked.

“It’s time to depart.”

“Yes.”

Yan climbed into the carriage with Merriott. Their destination was the forward base of the southern front, where many southern nobles were gathering.

* * *

Three hours passed, and dawn broke.

The carriage carrying Yan and Merriott arrived at the Riley Plains, where the forward base had been established.

As Yan stepped out of the carriage, he was taken aback by the sight before him.

“The crowd is enormous.”

What was once a plain field was now filled with tents sprouting up like mushrooms, and groups of people who appeared to be nobles were milling about. Even at that moment, luxurious carriages were entering the Riley Plains.

The southern nobles, who had been reassured by the news of the Sun Duke’s retreat, had resolved to unite their forces.

Merriott, who had also stepped out of the carriage, chuckled.

“If they don’t act, they’ll all die together, so they have no choice but to step up.”

“Indeed.”

The two of them surveyed their surroundings and headed towards the largest tent.

At the entrance, a knight saw Merriott and Yan and asked, “Please state your affiliation and name.”

“I am Merriott of the Cavalry Estate, and this is Baron Yan of the Armenia Estate.”

The knight’s eyes widened at Merriott’s response, and he snapped to attention, saluting them.

“Sir! It is an honor to see the Blazing Knight in person!”

“Carry on.”

Merriott patted the knight’s shoulder and entered the tent with Yan.

The knight outside shouted to those inside, “The Blazing Knight, Sir Merriott, and Baron Yan of Armenia have arrived!”

The atmosphere inside the tent changed subtly at his words.

Nobles who had been fervently discussing something rushed to greet Merriott.

“It’s been a while. I regret not having the chance to speak with you at the last banquet.”

“To think the Blazing Knight himself would come! This might be easier than we thought.”

“How is the Sun Duke faring?”

Merriott smiled and responded to each noble who approached him.

Yan found himself pushed to the side, bewildered.

“…?”

He felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort as he watched the nobles’ actions.

Many of them had witnessed his exploits at the Sun Duke’s banquet, yet not a single noble acknowledged him.

It didn’t take long for Yan to understand the source of his discomfort.

He let out a dry laugh.

“Sir Merriott was wrong.”

The southern nobles gathered here were wary of him.

The reason was not hard to guess.

They were deliberately ignoring him, fearing that he might monopolize the credit.

Engaging in political maneuvering on the eve of a war that would determine the fate of the southern Empire.

“This is going to be troublesome.”

Indeed, it was going to be troublesome.