Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 162

Under the shadow of despair, Drakan and Admiral Leang watched the approaching pirate ship with sunken hearts. The presence of hundreds of pirate vessels alone was enough to oppress the atmosphere of the entire region. The captains, with their piercing eyes, glared menacingly from the forefront of each ship.

Yan flashed a sly grin. “It seems you’ve treated your subordinates well. They’re all flipping out, hearing that the Pirate Empress is in danger.”

The Pirate Empress chuckled at the sight of her captains, a hearty laugh escaping her lips. “It appears so. Who would have thought the tables would turn like this?”

“Still, you must keep your promise,” Yan reminded her.

With a wry smile and a nod, the Pirate Empress acknowledged his words. And soon after…

Boom! Crash!

Boom! Crash!

Crash! Boom! Boom!

The pirate fleet unleashed a barrage of cannon fire towards the fog that shrouded the island. As hundreds of cannonballs erupted, the fog began to dissipate helplessly.

“The obstacle is gone; everyone disembark and take care of our lady first!”

“We’ll start by cutting down those treacherous navy dogs. Arm yourselves with blades and follow me!”

“Keep an eye out for any cowards fleeing. These wretches have been a nuisance because of our lady, but we spared them. Now they dare to cross us?”

Fueled by the captains’ furious cries, the pirates swarmed out of their ships and stormed the island. Their faces were etched with a savage rage, seemingly as devoted to the Pirate Empress as their leaders.

Admiral Leang bit his lip as he watched the pirates surge forward, cutting down navy soldiers as they made their way towards them. Even the elite who had survived facing the Pirate Empress seemed powerless before the overwhelming number of pirates. It was as if a tidal wave was swallowing the navy whole.

Unable to bear it any longer, Admiral Leang shouted at Drakan, “Damn it! Drakan, do something!”

“What can I do? It’s all over,” Drakan replied, his voice hollow. He knew too well the ferocity and relentlessness of the enraged pirates.

Even if they jumped into the sea and swam away, the pirates would pursue them in their swift boats. And even if by some stroke of luck they managed to reach land alive…

‘They would chase us down and kill us, even if it meant waging war against the empire.’

There was only one answer left.

Drakan’s gaze shifted to the Pirate Empress, who was struggling to catch her breath.

“We take the Pirate Empress hostage and escape.”

At that, Admiral Leang let out a dry laugh. “So, when push comes to shove, your true nature reveals itself.”

Their eyes locked onto the Pirate Empress with tension.

It would inevitably take the enraged pirates more than ten minutes to reach them. They had to subdue and abduct the Pirate Empress before then.

But if, in the meantime, the Pirate Empress managed to overcome the fog…

‘No, let’s not entertain any other thoughts.’

Drakan eyed Yan, who stood protectively in front of her. ‘He may be cunning beyond his years, but he’s not an insurmountable foe.’

Together with Admiral Leang, they planned to ambush Yan, take the Pirate Empress hostage, and flee.

Drakan and Admiral Leang exchanged glances, ready to act.

Dash!

Without hesitation, they charged at Yan with full force.

It was a sudden ambush, but Yan, as if he had anticipated it, remained unflustered and swung his sword, Ascalon.

Swoosh!

A sharp sword strike from Ascalon poured out towards the two men.

“Hah! Such a petty sword strike!” Admiral Leang scoffed, swinging his sword at the incoming attack.

He thought little of it, remembering how weak Yan’s previous sword energy had been. But then…

Clang!

As sword met sword strike, Admiral Leang’s body staggered from the impact.

The Sword’s Hidden Might

The sword strike contained a force so unexpected, so fierce, that Admiral Leang had to halt abruptly, clutching his tingling wrist.

“Was he concealing his strength all this time?” he bellowed, his voice laced with fury.

But Yan had no time to mock; Drakan was already upon him, his eyes flashing as he brought his curved blade down in a vicious arc.

A strike from above – hard to evade.

With swift judgment, Yan raised Ascalon to meet the attack.

Clang!

The clash of the curved blade against Ascalon resonated with a thunderous roar. Yan’s face contorted – the mana drained from him in a single exchange. Indeed, this was the prowess of the pirate fleet’s second-in-command.

‘Is it too much to handle a third-tier with swordsmanship alone?’

Crunch.

Yan extracted an artificial elixir from between his teeth and chewed it down. As the liquid traveled down his throat, his heart began to pound.

Thump!

The void left by the drained mana was filled in an instant. Yan kicked off the ground, retreating swiftly.

Crash!

The curved blade struck the ground where Yan had stood, turning the earth upside down. Drakan clicked his tongue at the retreating figure.

“A quick one, aren’t you?”

Yet, this exchange had clearly revealed the gap between them – Drakan’s advantage was undeniable. He pulled the curved blade from the ground, gathering mana once more, focusing his energy with greater intensity. He was about to launch himself at Yan when…

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

From the right, spears of ice shot towards him with terrifying force.

“Magic?!” Drakan narrowed his eyes, deflecting the ice spears with swift swings of his blade.

A warning bell rang in his head – something was targeting the back of his skull. Drakan gritted his teeth and spun around.

“Where are they coming from?!”

He lashed out at the incoming ice spears with his curved blade.

Shatter! Shatter!

The ice spears crumbled under the force of his sword energy. No more magic came after that, but Drakan didn’t let his guard down, scanning the surroundings with heightened alertness. Soon, he spotted Yan, a bright blue magical circle glowing in front of his palm.

‘Was he the mage all along? This is madness!’

A swordsman capable of wielding sword energy and casting spells was unheard of – usually, a spellblade was neither here nor there.

It was then that he heard it.

“Ha-ha-ha! Thanks, Drakan!”

While Yan and Drakan were locked in fierce combat, Admiral Leang had closed in on the weakened Pirate Empress at a terrifying speed.

Just as his hand was about to touch her…

You bastard!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A rough roar echoed from afar, and something tore through the air, closing in fast.

Crash!

Yan let out a chuckle at the sight before him. Ivan had leaped from below, his eyes flipped in rage, landing with such force that the ground beneath his feet cracked like a spider’s web.

“This bear of a man!”

Admiral Leang hastily retreated, grinding his teeth as he glared at Ivan. He quickly surveyed the area. It would take some time for the other captains to finish off the navy and arrive here.

‘If I take down this one, it’s done.’

Even among superhumans, there was a vast chasm between the fourth and third tiers.

If he fought with all his might, it wouldn’t take long to shake off this foe.

With that thought, Admiral Leang summoned his sword energy. Unlike Ivan’s, his was majestic and immense, a feat only possible for someone who had achieved the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Ivan glared at him with bloodshot eyes and charged with incredible speed.

“Die!”

“Ha! You think I’d die to someone like you?!”

Clash! Clash! Clash!

The two engaged in a life-or-death struggle.

Meanwhile, the Pirate Empress had vanished without a trace.

* * *

The Resurgence of the Sea Sovereign

Yan cast a sidelong glance at Ivan and swiftly appraised the situation.

‘It seems he can hold on for a while.’

The gap between a third-tier and a fourth-tier was vast, but Ivan, disregarding his own life in a total offensive, managed to hold his ground for now.

Of course, such an onslaught couldn’t last forever. As time passed, the tide of battle would inevitably shift in favor of Admiral Leang.

Yet, Yan was not worried.

‘The other captains may seem preoccupied with slaughtering the navy, but they’re keeping an eye on this side too.’

If it seemed like either he or Ivan was faltering, they would join the fray at any moment.

A smirk curled the corners of Yan’s mouth.

If the other captains had his back, there was no need to fear death.

Now, he could fight without worrying about what came after.

Yan gulped down another elixir, replenishing his mana.

Then, he charged towards Drakan, who was on high alert, gripping his curved blade tightly.

As the distance between them closed to less than ten paces, Yan spoke.

“Blink.”

At the utterance of the incantation, mana enveloped his entire body.

Swoosh!

Drakan’s curved blade sliced through nothing but air.

His eyes widened in shock at the sudden presence behind him.

Quickly turning, Drakan swung his blade.

“Damn it!”

The strike cut through not Yan but a puppet conjured by magic.

The realization that he had been deceived…

A bright light erupted from beneath his feet.

Whoom!

A crimson magic circle began to spin, its intricate patterns indicating a spell of at least the fifth circle.

‘So this was the trap!’

Drakan tried to escape, but Yan was faster.

“Flame Buster.”

Yan, appearing at the flank, uttered the incantation.

Whoosh!

The magic circle flashed, and a fiery explosion followed.

Drakan, unable to escape the range, gritted his teeth and raised a mana shield to protect himself.

The intense heat struggled to penetrate his protective barrier.

But at that moment, a figure darted towards Drakan’s side.

“You were so focused on the magic that you left your flank exposed.”

Yan’s sword, Ascalon, sliced through Drakan’s unguarded side.

Slash!

A fountain of blood erupted, and Drakan’s face turned deathly pale.

“I… I cannot die here.”

Though his mission had failed, he could not die a meaningless death—not as the second-in-command of the pirate fleet, feared by empires and kingdoms across the continent.

Drakan began to use his life force as fuel.

The gash across his side healed at an unnaturally rapid pace.

Then, with eyes burning with hatred, he glared at Yan.

He realized that this failure was due to this man, and he was determined to drag him down to the afterlife.

“You will not escape me, no matter what…”

It was at that moment.

Thud!

Someone struck Drakan’s abdomen with incredible speed.

His pupils dilated in shock.

“Ga… Gack!”

Drakan spat out a mouthful of crimson blood and was sent flying backward.

But his assailant didn’t seem to be done, grabbing Drakan’s ankle mid-flight and slamming him into the ground.

Crash!

The ground split apart, and Drakan’s spine and ribs shattered.

Struggling, Drakan opened his eyes to see his opponent.

His face hardened.

“…Captain!”

It was none other than the Pirate Empress herself.

Having reclaimed all her mana eroded by the sea fog, she looked down at Drakan with eyes cold as the abyss.

“You’d best not hope for a peaceful death, Drakan.”

At her declaration, Drakan’s face turned ashen.

The Pirate Empress was a figure who kept her word, even if the heavens were to split apart.

Admiral Leang, locked in fierce combat with Ivan, trembled at the sight.

“It’s… It’s all over.”

The Sea Sovereign had returned.