The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy - Chapter 77
Chapter 77
Meteors fell from the sky.
However, within the Dyer formation, no one could see them.
A lion was rampaging through the battlefield.
If anyone took their eyes off the furious lion for even a moment, they could become its next meal.
The Dyer troops were too busy retreating in fear.
They had no time to notice the falling meteors.
Boom!
The first explosion was just the beginning.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of deafening noises followed.
The ground struck by the meteors erupted with a loud roar.
The surrounding area was swept up by shockwaves.
“Save me…”
“Aaagh!”
“I can’t see!”
“I want to go home…”
It was hell on earth.
No one was standing properly.
Everyone was maimed.
Some had their entire shoulders torn off.
Others had lost their lower bodies entirely.
Some had half their heads blown off.
All that could be heard from them were screams.
Mikhail blocked the meteor with his spear and then looked back.
He saw the young master shooting arrows from the top of the wall.
He frowned at the sight.
“Even archery? What kind of monster is he?”
He used both a sword and a spear.
And not just with mediocre skill, but with a high level of proficiency.
And now he was using a bow as well.
“Abilities like that don’t stay hidden… Is he insane?”
The curse slipped out on its own.
A person beyond understanding.
Mikhail shook his head and turned around.
He surveyed the battlefield with a quick glance.
“My job here is done.”
Finally, he withdrew his mana.
All the enemies were severely injured.
They wouldn’t be able to counterattack anymore.
He planted his spear into the ground and sat down to catch his breath.
Then Kane’s voice reached him.
“Make sure to finish them off properly.”
Thud!
“Kugh.”
Kane had silently approached and stabbed the heart of an injured enemy with his sword.
“Double-check the kills…”
“If you let them live, they will seek revenge someday.”
“You could sell them as slaves. That way, we get money too.”
Kane shook his head.
“We have more than enough money. Phileac is ours”
His determination, driven by greed for money, was unyielding.
Mikhail had no choice but to comply with Kane’s words.
“Alright, I’ll kill them.”
Mikhail began to end the lives of the remaining enemies one by one.
Thud!
Thud, thud!
“Ugh…”
The Dyer soldiers, still clinging to life, could only let out a low groan, too terrified to speak properly. Despite their pleas, Kane and Mikhail showed no mercy, methodically finishing off the wounded. To the Dyer soldiers, Kane and Mikhail were nothing short of demons.
“P-Please spare me, ack.”
Kane ignored the soldier’s desperate plea. Even though Dyer had already been defeated, he continued to instill fear until the end.
Meanwhile, the Count Dyer regained consciousness.
“Gasp!”
He tried to rise, but was overwhelmed by immense pain. His body refused to move as he willed. Trying to grasp the situation, he was horrified by the surrounding carnage.
“What happened here? Jeron!”
The Count called out for his eldest son, his voice ringing out.
A faint voice responded nearby.
“F-Father…”
The voice was weak, dying. Turning his head with great effort, the Count saw Jeron, his lower body torn away.
“Wh-Why are you…?”
“A demon appeared…”
Jeron couldn’t finish his sentence. He died with blood tears in his eyes.
“Jeron!”
The Count cried out for his son, but Jeron could no longer respond.
“Damn it, I will not let this go unpunished!”
Enraged by his son’s death, he struggled to stand. However, his right shoulder felt empty. During his brief unconsciousness, his shoulder had been torn off. He clenched his teeth.
Just as he attempted to summon his mana.
Thud!
A red sword pierced his chest.
“Ugh…”
Despite his will, the Count collapsed backward.
“You enjoyed your reign while it lasted, didn’t you?”
A voice filled with murderous intent reached his ears.
“Kane… Rehin… ar…”
Kane looked down at the Count.
“How does it feel to be powerless?”
“…You… deceived… everyone… cough, cough!”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that your Dyer has been annihilated by Rehinar.”
“Ugh!”
The Count couldn’t hide his frustration.
“…If only I had found the Green Wolf’s egg a little sooner… Rehinar would have… fallen to me….”
Kane searched the Count’s belongings.
“You mean this shit?”
Kane retrieved a small, shimmering object from the Count’s chest pocket.
“…Show respect to a defeated warrior…!”
The Count Dyer remained resolute.
“A warrior? You’re just a loser.”
“You scoundrel! Pwah!”
As he shouted, he coughed up blood. His mana had backfired.
Kane, intent on further unsettling the Count, raised one corner of his mouth into a smirk and whispered in his ear.
“Interesting fact… the Green Wolf’s egg you believe in, is a fake~”
“Ha! Stop with your nonsense.”
At the Count’s mocking laughter, Kane delivered the final blow.
“Then let’s verify it. Blata, wake it up.”
“Do we need to? It’s useless. Blata alone is enough for you.”
“I want him to see it.”
“Hmm… got it.”
Blata’s energy enveloped the supposed Green Wolf’s egg. Soon, the egg began to stir. After a short while, with a cracking sound, fissures appeared in the egg. Emerging from the cracked shell was not a wolf but a baby bird.
“Now do you see? What you sought so desperately wasn’t the Green Wolf.”
The Count Dyer was in shock. The Green Wolf was the divine beast of the Dyer family. Even if they lost the war, they believed that as long as they had the divine beast, they could rise again. The same held true even if their mana hearts were destroyed. The divine beast could cure any ailment.
“So stop dreaming. Dyer is finished.”
“…Behind me…”
“I know all about Hatzfeld. They won’t help you.”
Kane stood up. He had no more words for the Count.
“We’ll enjoy eating Philaec you raised. And in hell, make sure not to betray others and live properly.”
“I…”
Thud!
Kane drove the blood-red sword into the Count’s face.
The death of Count Dyer, who had risen as a new power, would send shockwaves through the empire.
“Hurry and wrap this up.”
Kane and Mikhail roamed the battlefield, not laying down their weapons until every enemy was dead.
* * *
Rehinar was almost in a festive mood.
The tavern was packed with villagers drinking, and the streets outside were just as lively.
Their drinks were accompanied by tales of Kane and Mikhail’s heroics.
“I recognized it from the start. The Young Lord’s extraordinary abilities.”
“The blood of a tiger doesn’t lie.”
“Of course! If it’s the Young Master, he could even aim for the position among the Twelve Star lords.”
The Twelve Star lords was the term for the continent’s strongest warriors.
The villagers raised another round of drinks, singing praises for Rehinar.
They also didn’t forget to lavish praise on Mikhail, the newly acclaimed warrior.
“And what about that red-haired youth? He was like the grim reaper of the battlefield, wasn’t he?”
“I saw it with my own eyes. That arrogant Dyer was nothing more than a scared mouse before the Red Reaper.”
“Ah, it’s a pity I didn’t see it myself.”
An old man, who had appeared out of nowhere, interrupted their conversation.
“Do you know this? The Red Reaper runs a forge in the western region.”
“A forge?”
“They say his occupation is a blacksmith.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“How can a blacksmith fight so well?”
“Hey, just because someone’s a blacksmith doesn’t mean they can’t fight. Look at the dwarves, for instance.”
A few villagers nodded in agreement.
“True, the strength and stamina of dwarves are unmatched. Makes sense.”
“Will he sharpen our farming tools too?”
“We should pay him a visit.”
“Thinking that the Red Reaper is protecting us is reassuring, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. Life’s been good lately.”
“Let’s not forget this is all thanks to the Duke and the Young Master.”
The celebrations in Rehinar continued for some time.
The annihilation of Dyer.
The appearance of the Red Reaper..
They found various reasons to keep the festivities going.
In the midst of this cheerful atmosphere, the local economy was rapidly recovering.
—
Gillip entered Rehinar, accompanied by the black crow exchange.
“Did Rehinar really win? In such a short time?”
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
Rehinar’s territory seemed filled with excitement.
Laughter echoed everywhere he went.
As he took in the sights, he made his way to the mill.
The second brother of the black crow exchange, Hano, was there to greet him.
“Big brother, you’re here.”
“Is what I heard true?”
“Not a single lie.”
“It’s hard to believe that Count Dyer’s forces were completely annihilated.”
“It wasn’t just annihilation.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was a one-sided massacre.”
“You saw it yourself? The Guardian Knights intervened?”
“No, they didn’t.”
“Even so, it was one-sided? Were they secretly training an elite force?”
Hano swallowed hard and spoke.
“Prepare yourself, brother.”
“Stop beating around the bush and tell me.”
“It was just two people.”
“What?”
“The Red Reaper and the Bloodied Young Master. Those two alone wiped out thousands of Dyer’s men.”
“Damn it!”
Gillip, taken aback, cursed in surprise.
“You’re not exaggerating, right?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”
“Then why tell me now? You should have informed me before I got here.”
“If I’d sent a letter, you wouldn’t have believed me anyway! What would you have said?”
“I’d have cursed and told you to stop talking nonsense.”
“That’s why I’m telling you now.”
Gillip spoke in a very cautious tone.
“You didn’t get into any trouble with that crazy—I mean, the Young Master, did you?”
“The Young Master has been so busy, we haven’t had any direct encounters.”
“That’s good. Make sure you never get into trouble with him. If he comes looking for us, you must call me immediately. Better yet, roll out the red carpet if you think he’s coming, understand?”
This was directed at all the Black Crow Exchange people.
Gillip had another question besides the news about the Young Master.
“I noticed while coming in… What’s that building that looks like a school?”
“I was saving that to tell you directly.”
“You were really waiting for me, huh?”
“It’s a story that can’t be conveyed in a letter.”
“Alright, give me the details.”
Hano began explaining the situation in Rehinar.
“That large building is the Rehinar Military Academy, built with approval from His Highness the Crown Prince to relocate the Royal Military Academy.”
“The Young Master’s capabilities are beyond imagination. I never thought they’d relocate the Royall Military Academy.”
Hano agreed.
Who else would dare to build a military academy in their own territory?
None of the other three major families of the empire even attempted it.
Why?
Building a military academy meant shouldering the entire responsibility for any mishap.
It was an extremely risky facility.
So, no one dared to establish one.
“And what about the central temple?”
“This is the most important thing for us right now.”
“Is it something we can exploit?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“It looks like a grand temple, but it’s actually a cult.”
“And?”
“It’s a demon cult, not an angelic one.”
“Depending on which side it is, it could be dangerous or not.”
“Who do you think I am? I’ve already figured it out.”
Hano pounded his chest confidently.
“You really are my brother. Sending you here was the right move.”
“Thank you, brother.”
Hano continued his explanation.
“The cult is called Blata Cult, and they worship a Blood tiger. Isn’t tiger the guardian and symbol of Rehinar?”
“Yes, it is.”
“And as for it’s demonic symbol, it represent greed and pride.”
“Exactly. Assuming our information is correct, the cult seems to worship Vladimir Bu Pavil Legilere., shortened to Blata, who is the demon of pride, blood, and water.”
“So, Rehinar is starting to reveal its true nature, just like other families?”
“The power of the Young Master is likely closely related to this cult.”
“That’s a very important place.”
Gillip’s eyes deepened with thought.
To hasten his decision, Hano made a critical point.
“If the Black Crow Exchange are to grow as close aides to the Young Master, we need to gain trust by aligning with this Blata cult.”
“I agree.”
“Shall we start sending our men to the Blata cult?”
“Send them with plenty of donations and offerings.”
“Excellent decision.”
“I need to go and negotiate with the Young Master right away.”
Gillip moved quickly.
Rehinar was growing rapidly.
Kane’s value continued to rise.
He had to meet with Kane today and negotiate to relocate the Black Crow Exchange’s base to minimize expenses.
———