Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 202

A week had passed since Yan had spread the rumors as instructed by Bella. Not long after, the revolutionary forces began their surge from the south.

Emerging as if from the very earth, thousands upon thousands of revolutionaries converged at the southernmost tip, then began their slow march northward.

It was the onset of war.

The nobles, upon hearing the news, were not particularly worried.

Two fortresses stood guarding the empire.

The Northern Wall and the Southern Drylands.

Among these, the revolutionaries had chosen to advance through the south, which had remained unflinching even against pirate fleets.

Moreover, the leader of the Southern Drylands was none other than the Sun Duke, the most powerful among the dukes, known as Juda Caballan.

The imperial nobility thought that no matter how formidable the revolutionary army might be, they could not possibly breach the Sun Duke’s army and navy.

But such hopeful speculation turned to despair after the Sun Duke’s forces clashed with the revolutionaries.

The headline that shook the empire that day:

The Sun Duke Defeated by the Revolutionary Leader!
The nobles were aghast at the shocking news. They had thought victory was certain, but the might of the revolutionaries was greater than anticipated.

Who could have foreseen the defeat of the Sun Duke, renowned across the continent?

This event sent shivers down the spines of the nobility.

However, they soon remembered one thing and breathed a sigh of relief.

The ‘Royal Knights’, the empire’s finest, had yet to make their move.

There was no doubt in their minds that once they entered the fray, the tide would turn.

* * *

In the midst of overseeing his domain, Yan was interrupted by the shrill sound of the communicator on his desk. It was Bella.

“It’s me, Boss. I’ve got a report for you,” she said.

Yan had recently tasked her with investigating the currents of power across the empire and beyond.

“Speak,” he commanded.

“Most of the empire’s nobility are secretly terrified of the defeat at the hands of the revolutionaries. They’re clinging to the hope that the Royal Knights will turn the tide, but even they know deep down that if the knights step in, the revolutionaries won’t stand a chance.”

Yan’s eyes darkened as he listened.

“The nobles are mistaken. The royal family won’t intervene in this war,” he thought to himself, recalling his father’s words.

“This war is not what the Founder Emperor desires.”

“The source of the White Flame Jade was them all along.”

His father and Aquinas had once believed that finding the White Flame Jade was a stroke of divine luck.

But the truth was far more sinister—it was all the Founder Emperor’s manipulation.

The distribution of the White Flame Jade to the revolutionaries, the rift it caused between his father and the leader—it was all part of the Founder Emperor’s plan.

His father had spoken bitterly.

“The Founder Emperor manipulates the leader at will. His goal is himself, and his driving force is hatred. He’s using that hatred to his advantage.”

“If by ‘using,’ you mean…”

“Filling the White Flame Jade with souls. If he can gain immense power from it, the leader will do anything to complete it, driven by his hatred.”

“It’s all going according to the Founder Emperor’s plan.”

In essence, the leader was nothing more than the Founder Emperor’s puppet, tirelessly working towards the completion of the White Flame Jade as desired.

“But how will the leader extract the White Flame Jade once it’s complete?”

According to his father, the moment the White Flame Jade was complete, it would grant immense power.

Would the leader simply keep it safe and not use it?

Then, a thought flashed through Yan’s mind.

The masked man he had seen in his father’s past.

“That man was the Founder Emperor’s courier!”

The moment the White Flame Jade was complete, that man would betray the leader and steal it away.

And thus, the White Flame Jade would surely fall into the hands of the Founder Emperor.

Yan spoke into the communicator.

“The Royal Knights won’t move.”

Bella chuckled on the other end, countering Yan’s opinion.

“So you’re saying the Emperor will just let the revolutionaries swallow up the southern empire? That’s absurd.”

“There’s one scenario that makes sense.”

Silence fell over the conversation.

After a moment, Bella’s trembling voice came through.

“…You don’t mean, behind the revolutionaries…”

Yan nodded.

“Yes, the Emperor is involved.”

“Damn it all!”

Bella cursed, and from the sounds of it, she must have stood up so fast that her chair toppled over.

“What could the Emperor possibly lack to resort to such measures?!”

“What can’t be done in his position can be done using the revolutionaries.”

“Ah, this is madness.”

Yan agreed with her.

It was indeed madness.

“Do you know what the Emperor wants?”

“No.”

“Of course. If you knew, that would be even more absurd.”

Bella sighed deeply.

“I’ll dig deeper into the direction you’ve pointed out, Boss.”

“If it gets too dangerous, cut your losses immediately. I’m not about to sacrifice the fisherman for the catch.”

“You’re not just worried about losing someone to exploit until death?”

“Hardly.”

“Don’t worry, Boss. Even if you hadn’t said so, I was planning to pull out. I trust my instincts.”

With that, she ended the communication.

Yan smirked and placed the silent communicator back on the desk.

Then he closed his eyes.

He had told Bella he didn’t know what the Emperor wanted.

But in truth, he did.

There were enough clues given so far.

Putting them together, it wasn’t hard to figure out.

The leader hated the Emperor, yet he was given the White Flame Jade, capable of immense power?

There was only one conclusion.

“The Emperor intends to fully resurrect the White Flame Jade.”

The position of Emperor comes with absolute power but also requires living under the scrutiny of all.

It would be impossible to resurrect the White Flame Jade with casualties without drawing attention, unless it was on the scale of a few dozen at most.

The only viable option would be to start a war with another country, but that could make him the continent’s enemy.

Not to mention the potential discontent among the nobility.

But using the revolutionaries changes the narrative.

They’ve waged war against the empire, and no one would suspect the Emperor’s involvement.

Just as Bella had said.

No one would think the Emperor, with his absolute power, would stoop to such tactics.

Yan himself wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t confirmed a few clues.

But now that he knew, minimizing the scale of the war was imperative.

Yan picked up a report sent by Bella through her informants from the pile of documents on his desk.

It contained the casualty figures and the nature of the current war.

As Yan read the report, his eyes grew heavy with thought.

“Thanks to the rumors spread by Bella, there were no casualties.”

It seemed that the nobles of the south, including the Sun Duke, had heeded the rumors Yan had spread.

They had minimized their troops accordingly.

That must have been why the Sun Duke was able to act so quickly.

“The Sun Duke defeated…”

Yan recalled his recent encounter with the Sun Duke.

He was such a formidable opponent that defeat seemed impossible.

Even the Pirate Empress, known as the strongest of the empire’s enemies, had admitted she was inferior to the Sun Duke.

“To think that Leader Aquinas was this powerful.”

Yan couldn’t even begin to imagine what strategies he would need to devise to counter such an adversary.

But he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Yan racked his brain for a plan.

Just then…

Knock, knock.

Someone was at the door.

“Come in,” Yan called out.

Owen entered the room, his expression grave.

“Owen? What’s the matter?”

Yan asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

Owen replied with urgency, “You need to come out right now!”

“Why?”

“They’ve come!”

Yan frowned as Owen thumped his chest in frustration.

“The legion commanders of the revolutionaries are here!”

“…What?”

Yan’s eyes widened.

The legion commanders of the revolutionaries had come?

This was unexpected.

“Let’s go there quickly.”

“Follow me!”

Yan quickly donned his coat and followed Owen out of the mansion.

* * *

Far from the southern reaches of the Empire, on a secluded coastline, a camp bustled with life. Countless tents dotted the landscape, with one, in particular, standing out in its grandeur.

Within this largest tent, Leader Aquinas and Werner sat facing each other.

“Are you… alright?” Werner asked, concern etching his features. It was unusual for him to show such worry, but the sight of Aquinas’s body, marred by burns and grotesque wounds on his arms, legs, and neck, would unsettle anyone.

Yet Aquinas seemed unfazed, mechanically replacing his blood-soaked bandages with fresh ones. “I can endure. The Duke of Flames didn’t earn his title for nothing. To think I’d be pushed to such limits.”

“Why push yourself so hard? You could have died, don’t you realize?” Werner chided.

A smirk crossed Aquinas’s face as he finished with the bandages and carefully pulled out an object. It was the White Flame Jade, once pure white, now turned a deep crimson.

Aquinas recalled his recent battle with the Duke of Flames, reputed to be the strongest in the Empire. With every swing of his sword, the air sizzled, and the ground beneath melted away. Even Aquinas found the Duke’s fiery onslaught challenging to withstand.

“But it was necessary to confront him,” Aquinas mused. “Had I avoided the Duke of Flames, I wouldn’t have gathered this much power.”

He had absorbed the Duke’s strength into the White Flame Jade. It was a near-death experience, but ultimately, a resounding success. Without that confrontation, even a war wouldn’t have yielded such power.

Aquinas gazed at the jade, then shook his head. “Still, it’s not enough.”

Had he fully absorbed the Duke of Flames, perhaps, but as it stood, the jade’s power was only half of what it once was.

He turned to Werner. “Any word on his whereabouts?”

The man who, ten years prior, had received the soul of the Azure Dragon during the capture of the supreme commander. If only they could find him, the White Flame Jade could be completed.

“He’s vanished, as if into the sky or sunk into the earth. Since that day, not a trace. It’s as if he never existed.”

Aquinas clicked his tongue in frustration. “Finding him would significantly hasten our plans. But we have the essence of the White Flame Jade, and that will have to suffice.”

He believed the essence of the White Flame Jade could compress even the power of the Azure Dragon into a mere bead.

With the jade in hand, there was no doubt in Aquinas’s mind that his goals would be met, regardless of the time it would take.

Just then, Werner spoke up. “And the matter concerning Yan has been dealt with.”

A sly grin spread across Aquinas’s face. “As expected of you. You’re on a different level than my other, more… inept subordinates.”

He imagined the difficulties that awaited Yan, the one who had outwitted him.

‘Let’s see how you fare now, young pup.’

For in the end, you will fall by the hands of your own allies.

And with that thought, Aquinas allowed himself a satisfied smile.