Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 156

The battle between pirates and the navy was unmatched in ferocity. Below the ships, water spouts erupted continuously, while on deck, cannons roared as they fired upon each other, their muzzles clashing head-on.

On the ever-shaking deck, pirates and navy men tangled in a melee so intense that friend and foe became indistinguishable, swords flashing in the chaos.

The candidates stood dazed amidst the tumultuous fray, their spirits seemingly drained.

“Hmph,” Cruel sneered at the bewildered candidates and abruptly rose to his feet.

“Ah! You’re quite the useful one,” Ivan exclaimed, his eyes sparkling as he sang a bizarre tune.

“Useful? Of course, I am,” Cruel retorted, drawing his sword and preparing to leap onto the navy’s warship when a sudden thought struck him.

‘…But aren’t all these navy men under Lord Sun’s command?’

Hesitation crept into Cruel, who was moments away from joining the fray. Even if Yan promised a tremendous elixir… was this the right course of action?

If he carelessly joined and was seen by the navy, who might then report him…

Just then, a familiar telepathic message reached his ears.

-Don’t worry and just do it. Who knows your face anyway? And do you not know whose request we’re fulfilling right now?

The hesitation in Cruel’s eyes vanished.

Indeed, as Yan’s telepathy suggested, they were infiltrators on a special task force’s mission. Surely, the task force would handle any fallout from their actions here.

With his mind made up, Cruel kicked off the ground and sprinted across the ropes.

The candidates bit their lips at the sight of Cruel’s resolve, then rose to join the battle.

The numbers of pirates and navy were roughly equal, but when it came to individual might, the pirates held an overwhelming advantage. Each one was a powerhouse, ranking between levels 7 and 6, leaving the ordinary navy soldiers no chance.

“Muahaha! Die!”

“For all the chasing you did, why so feeble now!”

The pirates advanced with savage laughter, methodically dispatching the navy men.

The navy, outmatched in skill, gritted their teeth and fought valiantly.

And then…

Boom!

“You worthless scum!”

A giant of a man burst through the engine room wall, emerging onto the deck.

He was the captain of this warship.

Dressed in a white uniform with a black cap, the captain glared menacingly at the pirates.

His appearance momentarily halted the pirates’ onslaught.

The energy bursting from the captain suppressed the pirates’ movements.

“Indeed, that’s the captain for you.”

“Such an imposing aura from mere presence.”

“But where is our captain in all this?”

The title of captain was not bestowed lightly.

The aura emanating from the man was that of a formidable warrior, standing at the brink of level 5.

They were no match for the captain.

The candidates and pirates swallowed hard, keeping a wary eye on the captain.

Henry, of similar prowess, also watched intently, gripping the handle of his rapier tightly.

‘I may be slightly outmatched, but…’

This could be his chance to restore his twisted pride if he won.

Click.

But then, from behind, Loen grasped Henry’s arm.

As Henry turned, Loen shook his head slightly, signaling him to stay put.

Henry ground his teeth.

“You dare to restrain me now…”

That’s when it happened.

Crack!

Nearby, the deck splintered, and two figures burst forward.

It was Karam and Darkin.

“Die!”

“Karam, take the left!”

Their golden gauntlets shone brilliantly as they unleashed their energy.

The two, nearly as massive as the captain, charged with ferocious momentum.

But…

“Silly fools.”

Swoosh!

With a scoff from the captain, the chests of the charging duo were slashed open in a clean line.

In his hand, he now wielded a long sword.

Whoosh!

Blood spurted, and the eyes of Karam and Darkin bulged in shock

“When did they…?”

At that moment, next to Karam, Darkin’s form began to crumble and fall.

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Karam’s mind.

Should he ignore Darkin and continue to attack the captain? But considering the captain’s skill, that seemed a difficult task…

“Damn it all!”

Cursing, Karam caught Darkin’s heavy body by his side.

He quickly turned, trying to put distance between himself and the captain.

But the captain was not one to let them escape so easily.

With a look of disdain, he swung his sword horizontally.

Swoosh!

A streak of blue sword energy burst forth from the captain’s blade, aiming straight for their backs.

Karam’s eyes widened as the impending strike loomed, and a sense of doom washed over him.

“Aisha, my lady…”

That’s when it happened.

Crash!

The fearsome sword energy collided with something and dissipated.

Karam, the other candidates, and the pirates shouted in unison.

“Captain Ivan!”

“We knew we could count on you!”

It was Ivan, who had been guzzling liquor and singing odd tunes on the pirate ship just moments before.

With a casual grip, he had deflected the sword energy with his curved blade.

Ivan chuckled, glancing at Karam and Darkin.

“Well, well… Despite your tough exterior, you seem quite fragile.”

Normally, Karam would have bristled at such a remark, but at this moment, he had no retort.

After just one exchange, he had ended up like this; what excuse could he possibly make?

Ivan snorted at Karam’s plight.

“Go and seek sanctuary in the temple.”

“Ugh.”

Karam, speechless, supported the unconscious Darkin and headed towards where the pirates were gathered.

Ivan, confirming that none of his pirates had perished, turned to the captain with a grin.

“Oh! Aren’t you the sailor who ran away after getting a beating from me three years ago? Already a captain now?”

“Shut up, Ivan Kruger!”

“Ha! Why the insults? What’s between you and us?”

The two seemed to know each other.

But unlike Ivan, who was smirking and speaking casually, the captain’s face was set in stone.

“Pirate Fleet’s 5th Division Captain, Ivan Kruger. I’m arresting you.”

“Arrest? Me?”

Ivan Kruger laughed heartily, slinging his curved blade over his shoulder.

“But it seems your arm alone won’t be enough.”

“What do you mean by…”

That’s when it happened.

A red line appeared on the captain’s left arm, and then…

Slice!

With the sound of cutting, the arm fell to the ground.

The captain’s eyes bulged in shock at the sudden turn of events.

Instinctively, he swung his sword towards the presence he felt behind him.

Clang!

There stood a mysterious figure in a black mask, who easily parried the captain’s strike.

The captain glared at the figure, his cheek twitching.

“When did you get behind me…?”

He had been vigilant, laying down a sensory net.

Yet, this enigmatic figure had effortlessly bypassed it all and taken the rear for a surprise attack.

The captain glared at the figure for a long while before closing his eyes tightly.

Even he, the most skilled on this warship, had been bested.

That meant there was no chance of victory against these pirates.

Ivan smirked at the captain’s realization.

“Let’s meet again if fate allows.”

With those words, Ivan kicked off the deck and charged at the captain.

He struck the captain’s abdomen with a powerful blow.

The captain arced through the air, plummeting into the sea, followed by a wooden plank.

“Ha! A familiar sight!”

Ivan laughed heartily, shouting to his crew.

“Boys! Toss the rest of the navy men into the sea, quick!”

Following the captain’s orders, the pirates grinned and threw all the unconscious or cowering navy men into the water.

They even threw in some planks and barrels, whether out of mercy or mockery.

Loen, who had been quietly observing, stood up and asked.

“Why spare the navy men? Weren’t they trying to kill you? A life for a life, I say.”

It wasn’t Ivan who answered, but one of his subordinates.

“Hey, miss! Isn’t that a bit too cruel? We may be pirates, but we’re also gentlemen of the sea, you know?”

“Ha! That crazy guy, doesn’t he look in the mirror?”

“He calls himself a gentleman of the sea, hilarious! My sides are splitting.”

The pirates around him burst into laughter at the comment.

Loen’s expression grew colder, perhaps thinking they were mocking her.

That’s when it happened.

Thud!

Someone placed a hand on her head.

It was Ivan, who had approached unnoticed.

Startled, Loen tried to shake off the hand, but it wouldn’t budge, as if it were made of stone.

“He may sound crazy, but he’s not entirely wrong. We’re not robbers; we’re men of the sea. We have our own standards, you see? We don’t harm the innocent.”

“What a twisted standard. People who tried to kill you are innocent?”

“The navy’s job is to catch pirates; they were just doing their duty.”

“Ha! Does that make any sense? Pirates sparing the navy?”

“You’ll understand once you meet our captain. Besides, we’ve captured this fine warship, so it’s a decent profit.”

Loen scoffed at Ivan’s words and turned her head sharply.

Ivan lowered his hand and shrugged.

Then, his gaze shifted to one side.

There was Yan, shaking the blood off his sword.

The corner of Ivan’s mouth lifted slightly.

“It seems we have some talking to do.”

Yan smiled lightly and nodded.

“Indeed.”

* * *

Ivan issued orders to his subordinates and the candidates to transfer the warship’s supplies.

Henry and Cruel protested, jumping at the command, questioning why they should perform such tasks. The response they received was…

“Then disembark. Don’t you know the simple truth that the captain’s word is absolute at sea?”

Faced with Ivan’s words, Henry and Cruel had no choice but to join the other pirates in moving the supplies from the warship.

After giving the orders, Ivan led Yan into the engine room of the pirate ship.

Click!

Locking the door behind them, Ivan settled into the plush captain’s chair and took a hearty swig from a bottle of rum.

“Ah, there’s nothing like the taste of rum after a good skirmish. Care for a drink?”

“No, thank you. I don’t drink much.”

“Tsk, tsk, a man who doesn’t drink is missing out on half of life’s pleasures.”

“That’s one way to look at it.”

As Ivan continued the banal conversation with Yan, he steered the topic towards more serious matters.

“You’ve got considerable skill. Even I might not have easily noticed your stealth techniques.”

“That’s too kind of you.”

“No, no, I’m quite serious. And the way you severed an arm with a single stroke of the sword was clean and without excess. A single, flawless move.”

Yan’s gaze darkened under the weight of Ivan’s lavish praise.

Ivan watched him quietly, then finished the remaining liquor in his bottle.

With a sly smile, he continued.

“It seems you and your peers are engaged in some sort of competition… You stand out far too much compared to the others. Even I can’t quite grasp the extent of your abilities.”

“What are you getting at?”

Ivan placed the empty bottle on the table with a thud, and the atmosphere sank heavily.

The aura that poured out from Ivan filled the engine room, the mark of a truly mature superhuman.

In a calm tone, Ivan asked.

“Are you really from the revolutionary army?”