The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

Chapter 114

Aiden\'s forehead veins swelled as if they were about to burst.

"You reckless brat with no regard for anything!"

His hand moved.

The sword was drawn from its scabbard.

Winds split into two, The atmosphere became temporarily vacuumed.

A few seconds later...

A buzzing sound was heard as the clouds in the sky parted.

Without any preparation.

Just by swinging it wildly, a sword aura was unleashed.

Boom!

The sound of the collision was delayed.

Soon after, a voice filled with shock was heard.

The voice belonged to Georg, who had stepped back.

"How is this possible!"

It was a sword aura.

An ability exclusive to those who reached the level of 7-class knights.

It wasn’t something that could be blocked so easily.

A sword aura had the power to blow away an entire mountain.

"How could that rookie block His Grace’s sword aura!?"

It wasn\'t just Georg who was shocked.

The members of the Holy Knight Guard, who were Aiden\'s bodyguards, were equally stunned.

"This makes no sense!"

"How could His Grace’s sword aura be blocked so easily like that?"

"That opponent is just a twenty-year-old rookie...!"

"There must be some trickery involved."

They couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed, even though it was right before their eyes.

Because they couldn’t imagine a mere rookie blocking the duke’s sword aura so effortlessly.

On the other hand, Aiden\'s eyes had grown cold.

\'Is that the power of someone who has consumed the Blood Star?\'

A dullard had blocked his strike.

He saw it when Kane’s red sword collided with the sword aura.

Blood droplets instantly formed, surrounding Kane\'s sword.

Those droplets were infused with the mana of the Blood Star.

And another thing...

‘I can feel the power of the Blood Star radiating from that weapon. It’s a demonic sword.’

Aiden\'s eyes gleamed with intense greed.

At the same time, a surge of jealousy rose within him.

‘If only all of that was mine…’

If he had those things, he wouldn’t be just a mere executioner, but rising to the status of a sage elder within the family would be possible..

‘I must make them mine.’

Buzz—

His sword moved again with a vacuuming sound.

The sword, created by condensing the mana of water, slashed diagonally toward Kane.

Boom!

It was blocked again.

Aiden had already expected this.

Not because Kane was exceptional.

But because he had highly regarded the power of the Blood Star.

It was only natural that Kane could deflect and use the sword aura.

The continuous clash of swords.

The two swords crossed several times in an instant.

The shockwaves of their collisions swept through the surroundings.

“Ugh!”

"Fall back, retreat!"

Georg ordered his forces to withdraw, fearing they might get caught in the aftermath of the clash.

In an instant, they had exchanged more than twenty strikes.

Neither side gave an inch in their head-to-head confrontation.

It was a battle of sword auras against sword auras.

By the time they passed forty strikes, Aiden was the first to create distance.

"Are you toying with me?"

His voice was calm, but it brimmed with murderous intent.

Kane wasn’t fighting with his full power.

His strength didn’t come from water mana but from blood mana.

Yet, he hadn’t revealed the power of the Blood Knight.

It was blatant disrespect.

It was humiliating.

It was already infuriating enough to be fighting his young nephew on equal terms, but the fact that Kane wasn’t even taking him seriously made it unbearable.

Aiden could hardly contain his rage.

Even worse was Kane’s next words.

"I was just starting to enjoy myself. Why did you stop now? Keep going."

His arrogance was palpable.

It was as if he was looking down on Aiden.

When had Aiden, the Emperor’s brother-in-law and Duke of Stein, ever faced such humiliation?

He wasn’t someone to be disregarded by the mere heir of a Fallen Duke family.

Just as Aiden was about to yell, Kane interrupted.

"Isn’t it time to reveal your true form? The power of the Second Seat, uncle."

"...What are you talking about?"

Kane had long since dropped any formality.

"Don’t pretend you don’t know. You think I’m unaware that you’re a dog of the Meyer Family, the shitty house of the Sun?"

The moment the word "Meyer Family" left Kane’s lips,

Aiden’s face twisted like that of a demon.

"You dare speak such forbidden words…."

Aiden’s eyes flickered black.

The blue mana that had been radiating from him instantly transformed.

A dark, almost blackish-blue mana swirled around him, showing a power far beyond what he had demonstrated earlier.

"I’ll kill you here and make the Blood Star mine."

With terrifying intent, Aiden charged forward.

* * *

Boom!

"Huh?"

"Evacuate! Get out of the way!"

The eastern wall crumbled from the massive impact.

Soldiers on the wall lost their footing.

If they fell, they would be buried under the rubble.

They tried to regain their balance and jump to safety, but it wasn’t easy.

At that moment!

Mana enveloped the soldiers.

In the midst of the chaos, High Priest Yoshua himself approached the eastern gate.

"Are you alright?"

"Th-thank you."

"Think nothing of it."

The Blood Disciples that Yoshua had brought along began to cast blood magic.

A red barrier surrounded the crumbled wall.

A blood barrier.

The Blood Disciples had combined their strength to construct a defensive shield.

Thud!

"High Priest, it’s difficult for us to handle the outside clash on our own."

"It does seem that way."

Yoshua nodded.

He looked outside and saw the mana in the air surging wildly.

It was as if the atmosphere itself was crying out for mercy.

The Blood Disciples alone couldn’t hold back the two massive forces clashing outside.

Yoshua joined the blood barrier.

With the High Priest of the Blata Cult lending his power, the barrier held firm against the external shockwaves.

"As expected of the High Priest."

"He’s on another level compared to us."

"Focus on the barrier. Our master is fighting for Rehinar\'s sake."

"S-sorry."

The Blood Disciples fell silent.

Yoshua observed the person fighting the duke with great interest.

After a moment, he muttered to himself.

"They seem to be wielding a power completely opposite to ours..."

He felt his stomach churn.

Even though the battle was far away, the energy reached them, violently reacting to the blood mana.

It was as if the power was screaming to keep it away, rejecting its approach.

At that moment, someone approached Yoshua.

"High Priest Yoshua, what’s all this commotion?"

It was Mikhail, who had been working in the forge.

Sensing the murderous intent from the east, he had put down his hammer and rushed to the scene.

"It seems an enemy is attacking."

"How long has it been since the war with Tegelo, and now we face another enemy?"

"It’s likely due to the rumors about the duke."

"The Blood Star, you mean."

"Yes, it’s something the entire continent would covet."

"I’ve heard the demonic forces have been stirring as well... It seems there’s never a quiet day."

Mikhail, spear in hand, was about to head outside.

"Mikhail, please wait a moment."

"What is it?"

"It’s not our time to intervene yet. We’ve received a revelation that another enemy will soon come to Rehinar."

"Are they dangerous?"

"We suspect they are those who fear the appearance of the Blood Rune the most."

Mikhail’s eyes flickered with fiery intensity.

"The House of the Sun!"

To him, the Meyer Family was a sworn enemy.

If he could tear them apart, he would sell his soul to the devil.

That was how deep his hatred ran.

"It’s best if we observe for now, making sure the duke isn’t in danger. If a new enemy appears, we should strike then. What do you think, Mikhail?"

"If it means I can kill the dog members of that shitty family, I’ll do whatever it takes."

Mikhail didn’t bother to hide his killing intent.

"I’d also like to hear more about this ‘House of the Sun’ you speak of."

Out of nowhere, Fabi, the vice-commander, suddenly inserted himself into the conversation.

Yoshua greeted him warmly.

"It’s been a while, Vice-Commander Fabi."

"Yoshua! Look at you, rising up so fast. I heard you gained incredible power—it seems the rumors were true."

"Blata has blessed me with great purpose."

"They say priests find enlightenment at some point, and I guess it’s true. I’m jealous, really. I wish power just dropped into my lap from the heavens too."

"That’s not something the vice-commander of the Guardian Knights should be saying."

Fabi had known Yoshua since his days as a regular priest, so Yoshua wasn’t offended by Fabi’s casual remarks.

However, the Blood Disciples didn’t share the same perspective.

"Hey! Vice-Commander, how dare you speak to the High Priest with such disrespect!"

"Even if you\'re the vice-commander of the Guardian Knights, you must show proper respect! This man is the High Priest of the Blata Sect—"

"Hold on."

Yoshua silenced the disciple and gently reprimanded him.

"The ones being rude right now are you. Vice-Commander Fabi has dedicated himself to Rehinar, and I expect you to show him the proper respect as well."

"I apologize, High Priest."

"We only wanted to protect you…"

"Your loyalty should not be to me, but to Blata, and above all, to the Young Duke. Understood?"

"Y-yes, we’ll remember that."

At Yoshua’s scolding, the disciples immediately bowed their heads. Their discipline was military-like, and Yoshua’s command was absolute among the Blood Disciples.

Fabi muttered under his breath, barely audible, "Could be dangerous…"

Yoshua seemed to catch it and continued, "I understand what worries you, Vice-Commander. It’s hard to shake that cult-like feeling, isn’t it?"

"It’s not exactly a typical religion."

"The Blata Sect only follows the Young Duke. Anything outside of that is not part of our group, so you can rest assured."

"I’ll keep that in mind for now. But let’s get back to the House of the Sun—tell me about them."

As Fabi asked, Yoshua began to explain about the Meyer Family.

Even as they spoke, they kept an eye on the frontlines. Fabi’s task was to observe the fight between Kane and Duke Aiden.

* * *

"Why... Why won’t you die!?"

Aiden’s furious shout rang out, his eyes filled with jealousy. Despite having consumed the Blood Star, Kane had managed to match his power. Kane even displayed strength comparable to that of an executioner.

But as time passed, Aiden felt himself being gradually overpowered.

"This is all because of the Blood Star. How dare someone like you stand against me! You—YOU!"

The more his jealousy festered, the stronger the power flowing through his sword became. It grew so immense that it could easily wipe out Rehinar. Every time their swords clashed, the ground caved in, and trees were obliterated without a trace.

By the time they had exchanged over a hundred blows, the area around them was a complete wasteland.

"Don’t you get it yet? You’re still holding back your precious oblivion technique. Go ahead, use it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually fight you for real," Kane taunted, drawing Aiden deeper into his trap.

"Fine! Today, I’ll tear you to shreds!"

Aiden\'s muscles bulged, grotesquely enlarging as he tapped into the power of oblivion. While this normally turned one\'s body undead, Aiden was different. Instead, his body strengthened, his muscles expanding, and he grew taller.

"Grrr..." He exhaled heavily, black steam rising from his mouth. His eyes were completely engulfed in black, the whites long gone.

Just as he lifted his head, brimming with confidence, ready to call out to Kane, a familiar voice cut through.

"Idiot. Did you forget that using such immense power leaves a brief opening? Or did you just decide to ignore me?"

Two red blades flashed. The right blade severed Aiden’s shoulder, while the reverse grip of the left blade plunged into his neck.

[PR/N: Lmfao, bro didn’t give his a chance to transform peacefully.]

"You!?"

"I know this won’t kill you. I’m leeping you alive just to gauge my strength. So get the fuck up again."

Splurt!

Blood sprayed across Kane’s face. His pale white skin, now drenched in red, revealed a sinister grin.

Aiden, retreating quickly, flinching at Kane’s menacing smile.