Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 186

In the aftermath of Argon’s fall, or perhaps due to the inability to manipulate the essence any longer, the surroundings had subtly shifted from the interior of the tower to the confines of a cave.

Yet, those gathered here could not afford to notice such changes, for the sight before them was shockingly grim.

The Supreme Commander, kneeling with one arm severed, and Yan, motionless before him.

Owen and Theo, who had been staring blankly at the scene, suddenly snapped back to reality, their faces flushing red with anger. Despite the Supreme Commander’s compromised state, the thought of a son severing his father’s arm was unfathomable.

“Madman!” they cried out.

“What in the world are you doing?!”

With rage spilling over, Owen and Theo advanced towards Yan. To them, Argon’s well-being was paramount, regardless of Yan’s relation as his son.

It was then that a figure stepped in front of them, halting their advance.

“Calm yourselves, everyone,” Damian urged, his torso bare, wounds criss crossing his thigh bound tightly.

Hearing the most injured among them speak, Owen and Theo reluctantly ceased their approach, though their glares could have demanded Damian to step aside.

“Tsk, tsk, such men are the Supreme Commander’s only faction; no wonder he’s been confined all this time,” Damian chided, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

Owen and Theo’s expressions soured further. Even for Damian, a long-time ally, such words were beyond his right to utter.

Damian’s gaze softened as he addressed them, “Deep down, you know what’s important. To subdue the Supreme Commander, severing at least one limb was necessary, wasn’t it?”

They knew he was right. As Argon’s onslaught intensified, they had felt the same inevitability.

But still…!

Sighs and heavy breaths were all that escaped them. The words that came to mind were all too retrospective, driven more by heart than by reason. As the self-proclaimed revolutionary army’s right and left hands, they should have known what mattered most.

They were not so naive as to argue against what was clearly wrong.

At that moment, someone nearby clicked their tongue in disdain.

“Fools, can’t you see the expression on his face?”

It was Momon’s voice.

Prompted by his words, Owen and Theo turned their gaze to Yan, who lay with his arm covering his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

His mouth was tightly shut, but from the contours of his muscles, it was evident he was biting down hard enough to shatter teeth.

Seeing this, Owen and Theo hung their heads in shame, overwhelmed by self-reproach for having cursed Yan for maiming his father.

Yan, more than anyone else present, was a portrait of sorrow and rage, some of which was directed inwardly.

“Hmph, such is humanity,” Momon scoffed as he passed the now-silent pair.

He walked towards where Yan and Argon lay fallen.

Click!

“Thank you for your help, but you cannot go any further,” Damian said, stopping Momon in his tracks.

Momon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“I can’t go?”

“Yes. I’ve heard you helped the Supreme Commander regain consciousness, but your true nature remains a mystery,” Damian replied coldly.

Momon laughed heartily at Damian’s icy gaze.

“There’s nowhere I cannot go,” he declared arrogantly.

“I will stop you.”

“If you can.”

Their eyes locked, a silent challenge hanging between them.

Wisps of mana began to emanate from Momon, while shadows stretched long behind Damian.

Just as the tension was about to escalate…

“Stop, both of you.”

Yan, who had been lying down, suddenly stood up and intervened.

He looked at Damian and said, “Uncle, you know him. Or perhaps not, since you were away at the training grounds investigating something else at the time?”

Damian’s eyes fluttered open, a hint of confusion in his gaze.

“Appeared at the training grounds, you say?”

Had such an event occurred, the instructors would have surely reported to him. Yet, no word had ever reached him of an unknown superhuman gracing the training grounds.

“For someone bearing the grand title of ‘Superhuman,’ your discernment is lacking,” Damian muttered with a furrowed brow, eyeing Momon.

It was then that Yan’s voice reached his ears.

“The first test, the one in the Blade Mountains, remember? The Lich that appeared.”

Damian’s eyes widened in realization.

He had indeed received reports of an anomalous Ancient Lich emerging in the Blade Mountains.

Moreover, it was said that only through a combined assault could Prince Leon and the special task force leader drive it away.

“It possessed power nearly rivaling a Sage.”

Leon’s words echoed in his mind.

“Then you are…!”

“Hmph! To think one who has grasped the essence is swayed by mere appearances. How amusing.”

Damian looked back and forth between Momon and Yan, his face a picture of incredulity.

Had Yan truly swayed a life-loathing Lich to his side?

A smirk crossed Momon’s face at Damian’s astonishment.

And then…

Snap!

With a flick of his hand, the curly-haired man’s form vanished, replaced by a tiny skeleton small enough to fit in a pocket.

Damian gasped at the transformation.

The chilling aura that had pervaded the air moments ago had vanished in an instant.

Such was the awe-inspiring control of mana.

Yan spoke to the onlookers, “I’ll explain the rest later. For now…”

His gaze fell bitterly upon the fallen Argon.

Though it was his doing, the sight of Argon, missing an arm, provoked a storm of thoughts.

Momon moved past Damian to stand beside Yan.

“A remarkable fellow indeed. Had this man not possessed such mental fortitude, ending it with a single arm would have been impossible.”

Yan shook his head at Momon’s praise.

“Enough. If I had been stronger… things might have been different. But now, can we awaken my father?”

Momon offered no reply, merely letting out a sigh.

Yan, sensing unease, turned sharply.

“…Momon?”

From a distance, Owen, Theo, and Damian approached with grave expressions, having overheard the conversation.

“Does this mean the Supreme Commander cannot awaken?”

Owen asked, uncharacteristically polite, sensing the weight of ages in Momon’s presence.

Momon stroked his chin, gazing intently at Argon.

“Do you remember when he halted his attack?”

Yan recalled the moment his father’s sword had frozen above his neck.

“At that moment, he expended all his mental strength. No, he used beyond what was permissible.”

“…So?”

“Your father will not rise again. Just as expending all life force results in death, draining all mental strength leaves no room for reason to return.”

Yan closed his eyes.

His head spun, nausea rising, but he could not collapse before finding a way to rouse his father.

“Is there a way to awaken him?”

“None.”

“There must be.”

Momon sighed deeply.

“Truly, there is none. Your father’s end is here. His body lives, but his mind has perished.”

Yan clenched his fists, trembling.

“…Then I’ll find a way.”

He placed his hand over his father’s chest.

Thump! Thump!

The heartbeat resonated clearly.

“I’ll find a way, no matter what it takes.”

He had accomplished many feats before, all successful.

Thus… he would surely find a way to lift his fallen father once more.

Yan felt his father’s warmth for a long while.

The others looked on with pity.

It was then that Momon, who had asserted the impossibility, seemed to recall something.

“There is one way, actually.”

Whip!

Yan’s head snapped around like lightning.

“What is it?”

“Hmm. I hesitate to torture you with hope.”

Such was the gravity of Momon’s contemplation.

Was it a quest for a hidden elixir across the continent?

Did it require a technology beyond current civilization’s reach?

Yet, Yan’s resolve remained unbroken.

If there was a way, he would make it happen.

Momon exhaled a heavy sigh.

“The Elixir of Heaven. With the Elixir, reviving your father would be no issue.”

Momon shook his head apologetically as he spoke.

The Elixir, as rare as the tears shed by a deity, was a miraculous potion capable of reviving a human on the brink of death.

But few knew of its true nature.

It was one of the sacred secrets highly guarded by the Holy Nation.

Yet, Momon was well aware of it.

The tears of repentance shed by a saint, bearing the immense divinity and called a child of the gods, before death.

That was the true identity of the Elixir.

However, according to the historical records, no saint had emerged since Momon’s slumber…

Naturally, there would be no Elixir.

Momon clicked his tongue, looking at Yan with a hint of regret for giving false hope.

But then.

“…You?”

Yan’s eyes sparkled as if he knew something.

“I know of one bottle of the Elixir.”

Momon stared at Yan, dumbfounded.

“How? No, where?”

* * *

Yan emerged from the cave, his father in his arms, with his companions trailing behind. What he had once mistaken for a space altered by his father’s mental projections was, in truth, simply a cave—a curious revelation.

They left the forest of beasts behind and made their way to the village of Armenia.

“Ah, Yan? You’ve returned so soon?”

“And who might these people be beside you…?”

“Haha, greetings, my lord.”

Yan, who was accustomed to receiving salutations from knights and villagers alike, found it difficult to respond this time.

Noticing the urgency etched on Yan’s face, they did not press further.

“Is something amiss?”

“It mustn’t be anything serious, surely.”

“And who are these unfamiliar faces beside you?”

They were merely concerned for Yan’s well-being, curious about the identities of Owen, Theo, and Damian who stood by his side.

With haste, Yan directed his steps towards his mansion’s bedroom, where he laid his father upon the bed and entrusted his care to the three men.

Then, stepping out alone, he retrieved two letters from a drawer.

[From Juda Caballan]

[From Vivian]

Invitations from the dukes of the south and west.

“…It can’t be helped.”

He had planned to visit the capricious domain of the Phantom Duke, hoping to gain some advantage.

But Yan shook his head vigorously.

“Now’s not the time for such concerns.”

He crumpled the Phantom Duke’s invitation and tucked the Sun Duke’s into his breast.

Yan recalled the most challenging of the many commands he had received in his previous life from the emperor.

To procure the ‘Elixir’ held by the Sun Duke.

The location of the Elixir he knew of was within the inner sanctum of the Sun Duke’s treasured vault.