Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 200

Damian’s eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at Yan. “The Breath of the Divine Dragon?” Yan let out a bitter laugh. It was only natural for Damian to feel betrayed. After all, he had truly considered Yan his disciple until now. As far as Yan knew, unlike in his past life, Damian had taken no other disciples besides him. Having already accepted Yan as his disciple, it was unlikely that Damian found anyone else worthy.

“I hesitate to say this… but I haven’t abandoned the Shadowblade Technique,” Yan confessed. At those words, Damian let out a scoff. “You claim you haven’t forsaken the Shadowblade while mastering the grand art of the Divine Dragon’s Breath? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you use my techniques lately.”

Damian was convinced Yan was lying. According to Momon, the Breath of the Divine Dragon was a technique so profound it stood at the pinnacle of all existing martial arts. And Yan had not abandoned his Shadowblade in favor of it?

“Hmph.” Yan shook his head in dismay and extended his hand forward. Damian watched, puzzled by Yan’s seemingly random action.

But then…

Swish-swish!

From Yan’s outstretched hand, shadowy blades emerged, causing Damian’s eyes to widen. He would have scoffed if it were anything less, but this sight was an affront to his own martial prowess. The shadow blades on his palm collided, shattered, and then, the fragments coalesced, multiplied, and the cycle repeated.

“That is…!” Endless destruction and regeneration, and then multiplication. That was the secret technique of the Shadowblade, a feat only Damian had achieved. It was his signature move, one he had never revealed to Yan, yet here was his disciple, having reached that very realm.

Damian looked at Yan with eyes wide in shock. “Does this convince you of my truth?” Damian nodded silently, his lips sealed tight. The aura emanating from those shadow blades was unmistakably that of the Shadowblade.

Having calmed Damian, Yan sighed and glared at Momon. [What are you staring at? Did I say something you couldn’t?] “Ah, you are…”

Just then, Argon interrupted Yan. “Could you give us a moment? I need to speak with my son.” Argon glanced at Owen, Theo, and Damian as he spoke. With a shrug, they promised to return the next day and left the mansion.

Now, only Yan and Argon remained in the silent room. Momon looked on indifferently from atop the table, but neither of them seemed to care.

Argon was the first to break the silence. “…Have you returned from the future?” Momon’s jaw trembled at the question. But Yan remained unfazed. ‘It would be strange if he didn’t know.’

His father had organized a rebellion to confront the millennium-old founding emperor. If he couldn’t deduce the return from the clues at hand, Yan would have been surprised.

Yan nodded and replied, “Yes.” “I thought as much.” Argon accepted the fact without further comment. Considering his calm demeanor, it made sense—after all, he possessed the power to alter the past in reality.

Argon patted Yan’s shoulder with his left hand and smiled wistfully. “It must have been hard for you.” “Compared to what you’ve been through, Father, it was nothing.” Yan meant it. He had forgotten the memories of his parents. So, he had prioritized taking care of himself, which allowed him to live as the Emperor’s hunting hound, ensuring his well-being.

But his father was different. He had to care for countless others, and in the midst of it all, he tried to change the past to save himself. Their hardships were incomparable.

Argon chuckled at Yan’s words. He looked up and met Yan’s eyes. “If it’s alright with you, could you tell me how you’ve lived up until now? It’s okay if it’s too hard.” “Why would it be difficult?” Yan recalled the beginning of his past life, the moment he was separated from his father and joined the training camp.

He began to speak.

Three hours later.

Yan’s long and arduous tale came to an end. From the story of his previous life, walking on the edge of a blade. To the adventures he embarked on after his return to find his parents.

Argon laughed and cried as he listened to his son’s story. And Yan felt a lump in his throat as he watched his father.

Thus, Yan poured out the entire chronicle of his journey to this point in time.

“…You’ve been through a lot.” That was the first thing Argon said after hearing the whole story.

“…!” It was just a simple phrase. Yes, just a single phrase. But to Yan, that one phrase felt like an acknowledgment of all his efforts.

* * *

Argon chuckled softly as he noticed Yan’s eyes brimming with tears, then deftly changed the subject. “I would relish a lengthy father-son conversation if time permitted, but unfortunately, we must now turn our attention to the pressing matters ahead.”

Yan nodded in agreement. Rescuing his father was not the end of their troubles. There was still one more mountain to climb.

“Eliminating the Chief will be the end of it,” Yan stated. But Argon shook his head, correcting Yan’s assumption. “We must include the Founding Emperor as well.”

“The Founding Emperor?” “Yes, you’ve experienced it yourself. He is terrifyingly thorough.”

“But I have no entanglements with the Founding Emperor.” “You might not,” Argon said with a bitter smile, “but I do.”

“What do you mean?” “The revolution has long been in the hands of the Founding Emperor. The Chief may not know it, but…”

* * *

Even a child of three knew the legend that spread throughout the empire about Bahamut Caballan, the Emperor of Origins. The hero who ended the Dark Ages. The first emperor to establish the Caballan Empire across the continent. The last descendant of the dragon lineage. The unparalleled figure of ancient and modern times. And so on.

With numerous titles and achievements, his very existence was a symbol of the empire. All nobles and citizens of the empire praised the Emperor of Origins instead of the gods, and even after a thousand years, his name was treated with sanctity. Such was the covenant he proclaimed upon founding the Caballan Empire, it still stood before all laws of the land.

‘Could the Emperor of Origins still be alive?’ Yan’s mind reeled at his father’s words.

‘If what Father says is true…’ It meant that the emperor who had killed him in his past life was not ‘Leon Caballan’ as he had known, but ‘Bahamut Caballan.’

Yan’s thoughts raced feverishly. Then, reaching a certain conclusion, he looked at his father with wide eyes.

“Then everything… the exile of Father was all…”

Argon smiled bitterly. “It must have been influenced by the Emperor of Origins.”

Yan’s eyes darkened. Had he not rescued him, no. Even in his past life, the Emperor of Origins would have exiled his father and left him to wither away. And he, unknowing, would have diligently played the role of the emperor’s hunting hound.

To bite when told. To spit when commanded. All the while ignorant of who was causing his father’s suffering.

Grind, grind.

Yan gritted his teeth. Whether it was the anger filling his head or something else, mana began to burst forth and spread thickly around him. Within that maelstrom, Yan spat out the name of the Emperor of Origins as if chewing it up.

“Bahamut…” It seemed they could not share the same sky any longer.

* * *

Stepping outside, Yan was overwhelmed by the revelations just shared by his father. “Phew!” From the true identities of the Emperor of Origins and the Chief to the potential calamities they might unleash. Some he had roughly deduced, but others were shockingly unforeseen.

“Let’s set those thoughts aside for now and focus on what’s most crucial.” Even with a resolve to slay the Emperor of Origins, his immediate tasks remained unchanged.

Creak. Yan entered a room, not where his father rested, but another, meticulously tidied by Lia, spotless and dust-free.

Thump. Yan sat down on the floor, closed his eyes, and summoned his mana.

Whoosh! The mana surged, becoming Yan’s eyes, racing through his body, and converging on the Mana Heart from whence it first flowed. Once a galaxy in form, it now resembled planets orbiting a massive central star.

The dominant planet. Initially believed to be his father’s energy, the recent conversation had unveiled its true nature.

“The vigor suggests the White Flame Jade has settled well within you.” This enigmatic planet was none other than the White Flame Jade, the very object the Chief had desperately sought.

“Hmm, it seems to have been remarkably empowered. Have you consumed any elixir related to heat?” He had ingested an apostle left by the ancient goddess of fire, far surpassing any pyro-attribute elixir. Thus, the White Flame Jade now harbored a heat far more potent than when his father had passed it to him.

Yan, through his mana, gazed upon the White Flame Jade, standing proudly at the core, recalling his father’s words.

* * *

“Why did the Chief seek the White Flame Jade? The answer is simple. Beyond the sealed Fire Dragon, the jade harbors an incredible power.”

“What kind of power?”

“A ludicrous ability to absorb souls and convert those souls into energy. It was this power that allowed the sealing of the tyrant Fire Dragon that once ravaged the continent.”

“It’s fortunate that the Chief never got his hands on it.”

“…Actually, the Chief did possess it.”

“What do you mean?”

“The power I passed to you in the past was contained within the White Flame Jade. It’s difficult to say it was the jade itself. Of course, it was the most crucial part.”

“Father, are you saying that you only transferred the power within the White Flame Jade to me, and the Chief obtained its inherent power?”

“…Correct. So essentially, he acquired the necessary abilities. And by now, he would have made them fully operational.”

“Then the Chief will…”

“Yes, he’s likely to start a war. And that’s something the Emperor of Origins would not desire.”

* * *

The reason for starting a war was simple.

For the completion of the White Flame Jade, a tremendous number of souls were needed.

Enough to replace the soul of the Fire Dragon that father had extracted.

There were a few other methods, but none as certain and swift in gathering souls as war.

Yan, having organized his thoughts, ceased his contemplation and opened his eyes.

“If it’s as father said, then it’s time for the Chief to step in.”

And since the Chief treasured the White Flame Jade, it was clear he wouldn’t entrust it to another’s hands but would enter the battlefield himself.

If I were the Chief, what would I do?

‘If war is inevitable, they’ll start by destroying my lands and the territory I’ve saved father from.’

Two birds with one stone, as they say.

The most convenient and efficient means to attack me would be…

After much thought, Yan’s eyes sparkled.

“Information warfare.”

First, to isolate the biggest obstacle—himself—grey propaganda would be spread.

Then, while he was busy clarifying the grey propaganda, wasting precious time…

“In the meantime, the Chief will raise a revolutionary army and strike from the south.”

Since the Armenian territory was undeniably in the south.

The damage caused by the war would directly empower the Chief.

So, staying put was not an option.

Yan took out a communication orb from his spatial pocket.

He skillfully manipulated it, infusing mana into the device.

Whoosh!

The orb began to emit light, and then…

“Hello?”

A woman’s voice came from within.

It was Bella, who was in charge of Yan’s intelligence organization.

“It’s me.”

“Bo-Boss?”

Bella, startled by Yan’s sudden call, must have been up to something else recently.

He wanted to tease her a bit, but it wasn’t the time.

“Bella, set up a direct communication network with the agents in each region, right now.”

“What?! Do you know how much money and risk is involved in setting up a direct communication network!”

He knew very well.

Directly connecting with agents meant quick information acquisition but also the risk of exposing Bella’s location.

But without taking that risk and setting up the network…

“We can’t keep up with the spread of the grey propaganda.”

Yan commanded with a firm face.

“No matter the cost, set up a direct communication network. I’ll send you the money and a strong escort as soon as possible.”

“Ah… Alright. But I’ll take my share too. And make sure the escort is really strong!”

Yan chuckled at Bella’s response.

She must have realized the gravity of the situation from his tone.

And yet, she was still looking out for her own interests.

There was no bigger money-grubber.

But with the Armenian merchant group making a fortune every day, this was mere pocket change.

“Alright, I understand.”

Yan agreed heartily, and he could feel Bella’s joy through the orb.

Then she asked.

“Ah, once the direct communication network is set up, what’s the first order?”

“Disrupt the slander and conspiracy against Armenia that’s about to spread…”

Yan’s lips curled up.

He had a good idea.

A way to hinder the use of the White Flame Jade, which converted souls into power.

“Spread the rumor that the revolutionaries are planning a rebellion led by a necromancer.”

Counter slander with slander.

Counter conspiracy with conspiracy.

Counter propaganda with propaganda.

“Add the detail that if knights without real power intervene, it will only increase the enemy’s strength.”

With this, the Chief won’t be able to achieve satisfactory results using the White Flame Jade’s abilities.