Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 223

Boom!

Aisha frowned as the magic exploded right in front of her eyes. Not only had Craig blocked her whip, but he also used the recoil to create distance between them. He then conjured a wall of fire to prevent her from closing in.

Craig didn’t give an inch, maintaining the distance. Aisha knew he wasn’t an ordinary mage, but she hadn’t expected him to be this skilled in combat.

“Impressive,” Aisha complimented, to which Craig responded with a sly smile and a shrug.

“I’m just using my head. If I slow down even a bit, I’ll lose my neck.”

“Well aware of that…!” Aisha noticed the fatigue in Craig’s voice and quickly launched herself forward. Craig clicked his tongue as she closed the gap in an instant.

“You’re more like a hyena than a queen,” he muttered, casting a spell. A massive gravitational force began to press down on her.

It was a gravity spell, known to require a deep understanding of space and gravity.

“Tch!” Aisha grimaced, trying to break free, but Craig had already begun chanting another spell.

“Giga Lightning!”

Boom!

A massive bolt of lightning descended with a sonic boom. Aisha twisted her body, narrowly avoiding it.

Crack!

The lightning struck where she had been standing, leaving a menacing mark on the ground. The power was immense, designed to kill.

“Tsk.” Craig clicked his tongue as Aisha retreated. He had hoped to hold her for a moment, but her resistance was extraordinary. A lesser knight would have been immobilized by his gravity spell.

Aisha infused her entire body with mana, enhancing her muscles to withstand the gravity.

“Hey, Craig. No matter how far you fight, you should watch your step,” Aisha said with a grin. Craig looked down, his face paling.

“When did you…?” A thin whip had wrapped around his ankle.

“You were too focused on your spells!” Aisha answered, pulling the whip hard. Craig stumbled backward.

“Cut through those who wish to harm me! Wind Cutter!” He cast a spell mid-fall, sending mana shaped like blades towards the whip.

Clang!

But the spell wasn’t strong enough to cut through the mana-infused whip.

Thud!

Craig hit the ground hard. Aisha dashed forward, her whip coiling around her fist like a gauntlet. She smiled in satisfaction and struck Craig’s mouth.

Aisha’s martial arts were as formidable as her whip skills. She shattered his teeth with a single punch and raised her fist again to finish him off.

At that moment…

Whoooosh!

An immense flow of mana surged nearby. Aisha paused, looking towards the source. Her eyes widened in shock.

“What in the world…?”

The lord’s castle she had seen earlier was now floating in the air. The sheer amount of mana emanating from it made her shiver. She had never seen or heard of such a thing.

As Aisha stared at the castle, it began to change.

Crack! Crack!

The gray walls peeled away, revealing beautifully decorated golden and white walls beneath.

* * *

Yan knew about races like dwarves, orcs, beastmen, and elves, but he had no knowledge of the ‘Celestials.’

Even during his time as a special task force commander, he had never heard of such a race. However, through the inscriptions hidden in the royal archives and Momon’s knowledge, he had come to understand a bit about them.

A race that humanity could never hope to reach, conquerors of the skies, creators of a brilliant civilization, the Celestials.
A race worthy of being called the children of gods. And the ultimate creation of these Celestials was the mysterious floating structure, their city and aerial fortress, the Sky Castle.

Crack!

The lord’s castle, no, the Sky Castle, broke free from the entangled tree roots and began to ascend into the sky. Yan and his companions watched in silence.

“…The Sky Castle.”

“It’s the treasure of the Celestials, destroyed by the founder in ancient times,” Merriott explained gravely, while Theo twisted his lips and gripped his sword hilt tightly.

“So, if we destroy that, it’s all over?” Theo said, and before Yan could stop him, he infused his sword with mana and swung it towards the Sky Castle.

Swoosh!

A chilling ice pillar formed in the air, extending towards the Sky Castle. It was a powerful strike, fully imbued with the strength of a third-rank superhuman. The attack, carrying his full intent, was enough to shatter an ordinary fortress wall.

Sizzle.

But the ice pillar dissipated before it could even touch the Sky Castle. Aquinas watched with a faint smile.

“The Sky Castle is a treasure that embodies all the technology and wisdom of our Celestials. Do you think a mere human who has just grasped their true intent can leave a scratch on it?”

With those words, Aquinas began to float towards the Sky Castle, as if he were a messenger chosen by the gods. Merriott’s eyes flashed.

“Unexpected development, but if I kill you, that castle will fall too.”

Click!

Merriott sheathed his sword and took a deep breath. Then, he slowly opened his eyes.

Flash!

In an instant, he kicked off the ground and drew his sword, moving at incredible speed.

Bang!

In the blink of an eye, Merriott was right below the leader.

“Die, leader of the revolutionaries!” Merriott shouted, swinging his sword. Blue flames erupted from the blade, surging towards Aquinas with terrifying force.

At that moment, Merriott felt something was off. The leader, exposed to the attack, was smiling instead of looking surprised. Simultaneously, the massive flame storm that seemed ready to devour Aquinas began to vanish as if erased.

Merriott’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“This, this is…!”

“As long as I’m connected to the Sky Castle, your attacks are useless,” Aquinas said, raising a finger towards Merriott. “And I can do this too.”

Merriott felt a chill down his spine and instinctively raised his sword to block.

At that moment, one of the Sky Castle’s windows spun and transformed into a thin golden cannon.

Zap!

A thin blue beam shot towards Merriott. It was as fast as light and as thin as a finger.

Thud!

“Ugh!” Merriott’s shoulder was pierced in an instant. Blood began to pour from the wound, but he gritted his teeth, enduring the pain.

‘…I couldn’t even perceive it.’

The beam was nearly as fast as light, and its thinness made it impossible to block with a sword. Aquinas sneered at Merriott’s bewildered expression and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

Multiple windows of the Sky Castle rotated, revealing ten cannons. They aimed at Merriott, gathering blue energy.

“Hah!” Merriott let out a bitter laugh. At that speed, dodging was meaningless. Even if he avoided one or two, he couldn’t escape all ten.

Zap! Zap! Zap! Zap!

The cannons fired simultaneously. Merriott raised his sword, infused with energy, to block them. He couldn’t block them all, but he had to try.

Thud!

At that moment, a strong impact sent Merriott flying. In the spot where he had been standing…

“Yan?!”

“Where is your mind during a fight?! Focus!” Yan shouted, lifting Ascalon and glaring at the beams. Merriott reached out to Yan, thinking there was no way he could block those beams.

Until Yan moved.

* * *

“Shhh…”

Yan took a deep breath, raising the blade of Ascalon to shield himself.

The beam of light shot towards Yan, enveloping him in its brilliance.

Watching this, Aquinas burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Foolish man, did you really think you could block an attack that rivals the speed of light, even if you are a superhuman?!”

But his laughter was short-lived.

“…No way!”

Just as Theo and Merriott’s sword strikes had vanished without leaving a mark on the Sky Fortress or himself, the beam of light disappeared without causing any harm to Yan.

Merriott was equally astonished.

“How is this possible…?!”

He had watched Yan closely, witnessing the beam’s disappearance with his own eyes.

If Yan had blocked it with his sword, it should have either deflected or pierced through. Yet, the beam vanished before even touching Yan.

“Phew!”

Yan let out a sigh of relief, gazing at Ascalon in his hand.

He had hoped Ascalon’s ability to nullify mana would block the beam, and fortunately, he was right.

If it hadn’t been for Ascalon…

‘I would have ended up like a piece of Swiss cheese.’

But success was all that mattered.

‘Still, the situation isn’t good.’

Yan looked up with cold, steely eyes.

Aquinas, who had almost reached the Sky Fortress, was glaring down at him with a stern expression.