The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

Chapter 134

The students of the Rehinar Military Academy had just experienced a major incident.

They wore dazed expressions, as if they had all shared the same dream.

It was only natural—they had witnessed the power of one of the Twelve Star Lords firsthand.

"That was... more incredible than I imagined."

"Was that the ‘Void of Water’? The skill they call forbidden arts?"

"...Forbidden arts? More like unyielding power."

Bastian spoke with conviction.

Forbidden arts were considered the power of demons, while unyielding power simply referred to overwhelming strength.

"The power the Guardian lord used was so intense that it seemed like forbidden arts, but it\'s clearly unyielding power."

A few others nodded in agreement.

"Otherwise, Rehinar might not even be on the map anymore, right?"

"Exactly, even as a revered member of the Twelve Star Lords, they couldn’t have survived otherwise."

The noble students were in awe of the Guardian.

And they dreamed.

Could they, with effort, reach even a fraction of that level?

They were indulging in impossible dreams.

The Guardian\'s level was a height even prodigies struggled to reach—a distant presence.

While the students let their imaginations soar, another group pondered different questions.

"But didn’t they say the Guardian had some health issues?"

"I heard a rumor that he was poisoned."

"I’ve heard that too."

"How could someone who was poisoned look that healthy!"

Amid their conversation, their gazes shifted to Sara, Sasha, and Rose.

The three were direct family members of the Guardian Lord.

Surely, they knew more about his condition than anyone.

Everyone was curious, waiting for them to speak.

"Our father has fully recovered from the poison," Sara said calmly.

She didn\'t mention who cured him.

There was no need for others to know.

Even now, her brother Kane was in the spotlight.

If word got out that he had cured their father\'s poison, it wouldn’t be good.

Revealing her brother’s abilities was like handing over information to their enemies.

"Wow."

"Then it\'s only a matter of time before Rehinar regains its former glory?"

"Idiot! Young Master Kane has already restored Rehinar’s past reputation a while ago."

"It just means that we\'ll shine even brighter."

The Guardian Lord, who had been unseen for so long, had finally reappeared.

Not even during the war with Dyer.

Not even during the war with Tegelo had he been seen.

The fact that the Guardian Lord had stepped forward again would soon spread across the continent.

Now, no one would dare look down on Rehinar.

Those who underestimated them would face utter ruin, just like Dyer and Tegelo, disintegrating into thin air.

Even amid the students’ cheers, Sara did not seem pleased.

"Sis, is something bothering you?"

Rose asked with a voice full of concern.

"That person is too dangerous."

"Kane, big brother?"

"Yeah. Ever since his personality changed, trouble follows him everywhere."

"But I still like him..."

"If a stronger enemy appears, it could be a disaster."

Sara, too, was worried about Kane.

The threats to Rehinar were growing stronger.

First, it was Rivan Dyer.

Then, Count Dyer.

After that, the Marquis Tegelo.

Now, even a hidden executioner from the very strong Meyer Family had emerged.

It was a relief that their father had awakened.

\'If he hadn’t, Kane would have been seriously hurt too.\'

[TL/N: Bitch, who do you think Kane is??]

[PR/N: Bro is underestimating the G.o.a.t.]

The atmosphere in Rehinar was filled with excitement.

But for Sara, every day felt like walking on thin ice.

It was as if her brother Kane was standing on the edge of a cliff.

She feared he could plummet at any moment.

"Sasha, Rose. Listen to me carefully."

"Okay."

"Go ahead, sis."

"We have to become stronger than we are now."

Sasha responded confidently to Sara’s words.

"I know that."

"Becoming just as strong as others isn’t enough. We have to become overwhelmingly strong—like our big brother."

"That... that seems a bit difficult..."

"We must do it. Otherwise, Kane could be in danger."

"Why?"

When Sasha tilted his head in confusion, Rose scolded him.

"Idiot. She’s told us before—our brother is in danger. He keeps making enemies, which is why she’s worried. Right, sis?"

Sara gently patted Rose’s head.

"Exactly. If we want to protect Kane, we need to get stronger. Can you both do that?"

"Of course!"

"Me too!"

"I\'ll ask the Chief Instructor to push our training to the limit. Stay sharp."

"Okay!"

"Don’t worry, sis."

The three siblings vowed to grow stronger for Kane’s sake.

Watching them from the sidelines, Charlotte found it intriguing.

\'While we try to destroy each other, these siblings vow to protect one another.\'

Seeing such a close-knit family made the Second Princess think of her own brother, Isaac.

He was the only one who saw her as a sister, not as a rival.

* * *

After meeting with Duke Carl, Kane felt bewildered.

‘Drawing mana directly from nature rather than generating it through a mana heart is called a Natural Body.’

Yet, this person supposedly died at his hands in his previous life?

Does that even make sense?

‘Someone this powerful was defeated by me, a mere Beginner-Tier 8th-class warrior back then.’

It didn\'t add up at all.

In fact, he could have easily killed Kane instead.

Even if he had used every possible method, surviving a confrontation with the Guardian was uncertain.

Destroying Rehinar completely would have been impossible.

‘I don\'t get it. At that level, he should have easily withstood the poison.’

With time, he would have been able to break free of it too.

Kane’s mind was in turmoil.

Was there something he didn\'t know?

His expression remained tense.

“Kane, you don’t have to overthink it. As time goes by, you might find the answers you’re looking for, right?”

Blata\'s attempt to comfort him lightened his expression a bit.

"Yeah, since when have I ever been one to think too deeply?"

He tried to calm his unsettled mind.

And then, he headed to the prison where the captured executioners were being held.

There, instead of the warden, stood Yoshua.

He had returned to the family after briefly going back to the church.

The prisoner in question was a high-ranking member of the Meyer Family.

Although Elmar was battered to the point of being unrecognizable thanks to Duke Carl, he was still a big deal.

If, by any chance, he broke free of his mana shackles using some strange magic and tried to escape, it would be a disaster.

Just imagining it was horrifying.

That’s why Yoshua had returned to the family.

He was the High Priest of the Grand Blood Temple.

When it came to casting restraining spells, he was second to none.

“How is he?”

“I’ve ensured he can only respond to questions.”

“Well done.”

Kane walked past the seated guard and approached the cell where the captured executioner was sprawled out.

“Get up.”

“…There’s nothing you can hope to learn from me.”

“I’m not looking to learn anything from you. I just want you to call someone.”

Kane grabbed the Elmar’s hair roughly, forcing eye contact.

“Summon them.”

“Ugh, what are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. It just makes me want to kill you sooner.”

Kane\'s eyes gleamed with a purple hue.

In the Tegelo region, they had a name for him when his eyes shone that way.

The Demon of the Purple Eye.

They called him this because bloodshed followed every time his eyes turned that shade of purple.

It wasn’t a title of honor but of infamy.

But Kane didn’t care.

He had already been called a demon countless times.

Being known as a demon was, if anything, a gentler nickname.

The terror that the residents of Tegelo had once felt was now experienced by Elmar.

“Are you deaf, or just fucking slow?”

Kane’s hand moved, shattering Elmar’s collarbone.

“Argh!”

“Or maybe, if I just keep staring into your eyes, I’ll catch a glimpse of your master, the head of the Meyer Family?”

Kane gave a devilish smile, as if taunting someone beyond the scene.

“Or could it be that you’ve been watching me this whole time, like some kind of voyeur?”

Kane’s hand moved again, this time targeting Elmar’s eye.

He crudely gouged out one of Elmar\'s eyes.

“Ahhh!”

Elmar screamed, writhing in pain.

“Come out before I pluck out both eyes.”

As soon as he finished speaking, light began to emanate from Elmar’s body.

His previous agony vanished as he now spoke with a voice that was not his—a middle-aged man\'s voice, not that of the elderly.

“It’s impressive that you noticed I’ve been watching.”

“Remove all your slaves spread across the Fresia Empire.”

“That’s a difficult request. I’ll have to refuse.”

“You’re basically declaring war against me—are you sure you won’t regret it?”

“You speak as if you’re certain you’ll win.”

“I’m not stupid enough to lose to a scoundrel hiding in the shadows.”

Of course, he had been that fool before.

He realized the presence of the Meyer Family too late, which was why he had died the last time.

While he had once considered using them when he found out their existence, he realized they were too dangerous.

So he decided to dig into their secrets, only to die in the process.

Having faced them once, he wasn’t about to be fooled again.

“You arrogant fool. Even your father couldn’t speak that way before me!”

Boom!

A force burst forth from Elmar’s body, sending Kane crashing backward.

He slammed into the iron bars, coughing as he struggled to recover.

“Cough, cough!”

Even though the power had manifested through Elmar\'s body, the impact alone had been severe.

‘What a monster.’

He was undeniably strong.

The 4th form of the Blood Rune (Blood Oath) wasn’t enough to handle him.

He would need at least a Blood Pact (5th Form of Blood Rune) to stand a chance against the head of the Meyer Family.

“Do you really think you can challenge me with that meager power of yours? If you’ve realized there’s always someone stronger, you should-”

Crack!

Kane’s hand crushed Elmar’s head, severing the connection with the head of the Meyer Family.

“Damn it. You never know until you try.”

“You lunatic.”

Watching from the adjacent cell, Heike witnessed Kane brutally kill Elmar.

She leaned against the wall, trembling.

As Kane approached, her fear grew.

She had never imagined herself in a position where she would be the one facing death.

She was always the one doing the killing.

Now that the roles were reversed, she was consumed by sheer terror.

“P-please spare me…!”

“Why would I?”

“If you spare me, I’ll give you valuable information.”

“Do you think I don’t know that you’ve been bound by a spell to prevent you from revealing anything important?”

“It’s crucial for you!”

“I’ll listen.”

Kane crossed his arms, his expression uninterested.

But then, Heike said something unexpected.

“Didn’t you send your subordinate to retrieve the Red banner, the Flame emperor’s Spear?”

“So what?”

“Your subordinate is in danger.”

Kane’s eyes narrowed.

“Stop stalling and speak.”

“The Sixth Seat went after the spear too. That’s all I can say. If I say more, I’ll die.”

Kane understood what she meant.

There was a reason the Sixth Seat was after the Flame emperor’s spear.

The Sixth Seat also possessed the bloodline of Pervatz, sharing the same lineage as Mikhail.

The Flame Emperor’s Spear wasn’t just an artifact to raise Mikhail rank to a five-star rank—it was also a means to transform him into a True Dragon knight.

This meant that if the Sixth Seat obtained the spaer, he too could become a True Dragon Knight.

“So, that’s what’s been bothering me?”

“I-I gave you valuable information, didn’t I? You’ll spare me, right? You can take away my mana heart, just don’t take my life.”

Her desperate plea was accompanied by a look that seemed to say she’d live quietly, far away from the Meyer Family.

But Kane never had any intention of letting her live in the first place.

“When did I say I’d spare you? I just told you to speak.”

Thud!

His hand pierced her heart.

Heike’s dried-out skin began to crumble as Kane’s Blood Drain skill absorbed every last drop of her remaining energy.

After dispatching both Elmar and Heike, he left the prison without a second thought.

Without wasting a moment, he made his way to where Mikhail was.