Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 209

At that moment, Yan and Theo were imprisoned in the underground dungeon of the Sun Duke’s mansion. They had endured countless interrogations and tortures, their bodies long since reduced to rags. Yet, their lips remained sealed.

After hours of relentless torture, the investigator shook his head and left for a brief respite. Silence filled the prison.

“If I knew we’d get caught like this, I would’ve ignored your request back then.”

Theo, his arms bound and hair soaked in blood, chuckled. Unlike the other revolutionaries, he had boarded the train with Yan because…

“Theo, please accompany me.”
Yan had requested his presence. Initially, Theo thought his combat skills were needed, but it turned out Yan needed someone to endure this torture with him. It was absurd.

And there was an unresolved question.

“Why didn’t you escape? With our skills, we could’ve easily evaded Merriott and the Blazing Knights.”

“…”

Yan didn’t answer. Instead, he looked up at the ceiling. Theo frowned at Yan’s silence, but then his face hardened.

“You… you knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

Though it was a question, Theo was certain. Yan’s faint smile wasn’t one of surprise or madness. It was the smile of someone whose meticulous plan had succeeded.

At that moment, Yan spoke for the first time.

“This was something we had to go through, both you and I.”

“What do you mean, something we had to go through?”

Theo stared at Yan with wide eyes. Yan chuckled and spat out the blood pooling in his mouth.

“After all, it’s true that both you and I were part of the revolutionary army.”

“We could’ve hidden that.”

“Yes, if we were only dealing with the leader.”

But Yan knew the leader wasn’t the end. The leader was just a puppet, unaware of the strings. The true mastermind was the ruler of this empire, the founding emperor Bahamut Kabalon.

“No matter how I think about it, the founding emperor must know I was part of the revolutionary army.”

“…”

Theo fell silent. Yan continued.

“But if someone planning to fight the founding emperor is covered in dirt, it would definitely be a hindrance.”

The ‘dirt’ referred to the truths that could bury Yan. For instance, his involvement with the revolutionary army or being the son of the former commander, Argon. These were enough to isolate Yan.

So…

“I need to clear everything up now.”

Theo asked, “How?”

“By talking to someone who holds high authority in the empire and secretly favors me.”

Theo laughed incredulously.

“You mean… the Sun Duke?”

“Yes.”

“That’s insane!”

Theo shouted, eyes wide. The Sun Duke was known for his strict separation of public and private matters. Confessing to him would only result in the executioner’s blade. Moreover, the Sun Duke was currently injured by the revolutionary leader. Admitting their revolutionary ties now was not a gamble; it was suicide.

“He would harm even a close friend if it meant protecting his people! If you reveal you’re part of the revolutionary army…”

“That’s why I’m revealing it.”

Yan looked Theo in the eye.

“Because he’s a true lord who loves his people.”

“What…!”

“A man who would harm even a friend if they posed a threat to his people. Conversely, if it meant ensuring their safety, he would ally with even the worst criminal.”

Theo’s jaw dropped. This was madness. But on the other hand, it seemed plausible. Yan smiled at Theo’s reaction.

At that moment…

“…!”

“…This is!”

Both men turned their heads simultaneously. They felt the clash of immense energies. Though blocked by walls, they looked towards the hotel where the Armenian knights were held. Yan’s expression twisted.

“Damn, it’s too soon.”

“Do you know what’s happening?”

Theo asked urgently. Yan bit his lip. Of course, he knew. Cruel and the Armenian knights had lost their temper and charged out, ignoring his orders.

“Forget the plan I mentioned earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

Crack!

With a burst of strength, Yan shattered the mana restraints binding his arms.

“How did you break the mana restraints?”

“These devices freeze the mana in the dantian.”

“Ah…!”

Theo’s face lit up. According to Momon, Yan stored his mana in his heart, not his dantian. He had been free from the restraints’ effects all along. Theo watched in awe as Yan broke his restraints.

“So you endured the torture in perfect condition?”

Despite being able to fight back, he didn’t. It was an incredible display of patience and mental strength.

Crack!

As the mana restraints broke, Theo felt his mana, which had been like stone, gradually loosen.

“What do we do now?”

“First, we save the others.”

Yan strode towards the iron bars blocking their way. With a firm grip, he pulled them apart effortlessly.

“Get a grip and let’s get out of here. If the others die, it’s all over.”

“Y-yeah.”

Theo nodded hastily, following Yan. His eyes gleamed with a new light.

‘Damian said Yan was a cold-blooded man without pity or tears.’

Maybe not.

* * *

From their confinement, Yan and Theo were making a rapid escape from the underground prison. Many knights, soldiers, and investigators blocked their path.

Thud! Thwack!

Yan swiftly struck their necks and temples, causing them to collapse unconscious. Theo, who had hoped to contribute, clicked his tongue as he watched Yan handle them alone.

“If you were going to do this, why did you bring me along?”

Without looking back, Yan continued to incapacitate those in their way. “Theo, now is not the time to waste your strength.”

He hadn’t brought Theo along to waste his energy here. Theo had a more significant role to play. Until then, Yan would handle everything he could.

They reached the end of the underground prison. It was time to ascend. As they looked up…

“Escapees! Stop them!”

“Don’t let them reach the stairs! Mages, cast your spells!”

Fire Arrow!

Knights and mages, alerted to their escape, rushed down from above. Theo chuckled at the sight.

“Mages too?”

And not just any mages, but 4th-circle mages skilled in offensive magic, rare in the empire. Even for Yan, blocking a mage’s attack spell would be challenging.

At that moment…

Dispel.

Yan uttered the incantation for a dispel spell, extending his hand forward. The fiery arrows that had flared up around the mages vanished as if erased.

Theo’s eyes widened. “You, you?”

“Save the questions for later. Sleep!”

With another incantation, a green magic circle appeared beneath the knights and mages blocking their path.

Whirrr!

As the magic circle rotated and glowed, those standing on it felt their eyelids grow heavy.

“This is…”

“It’s a sleep spell! Everyone, raise your mana!”

A mage, recognizing the spell, shouted.

Thud! Thud!

Yan swiftly moved past them, pressing their solar plexuses. The knights, unable to resist the sleep spell, collapsed unconscious, and the mages trembled as Yan and Theo broke through their formation.

“Sleep tight.”

Following Yan, Theo gave the mages a light tap on the head, knocking them out.

Thwack!

With a crisp sound, the mages crumpled. Yan and Theo reached the first floor, the exit of the prison. Compared to the vast underground prison, the exit was surprisingly narrow, reminiscent of a small hut.

“They made the exit this small to prevent prisoners from escaping.”

Yan marveled. Most prisons were built like small fortresses, but this one was the opposite. The small exit would make it difficult for multiple prisoners to escape at once.

But then a question arose in Yan’s mind.

‘But if a prisoner gets out, it would be harder to catch them.’

The answer came soon enough.

Bang!

Yan opened the door and stepped outside, letting out a bitter laugh at the sight. Theo, following him, also paled.

Outside, a massive circular wall surrounded the small hut they had emerged from. Archers on the wall drew their bows, ready to fire flaming arrows. Knights descended to the ground, slowly approaching Yan and Theo.

Theo glared at them and spoke. “I’ll clear the way.”

With their skills, they could easily defeat the surrounding forces. But time was the issue. Yan had escaped to rescue the Armenian knights and couldn’t afford to waste time here.

“I’ll buy us time. You do what you need to do.”

Theo stepped forward, ready to hold off the enemies.

Whoosh!

His aura burst forth, causing the archers to release their arrows prematurely and the approaching knights to halt. Theo’s presence, at the peak of the 3rd rank, was overwhelming.

He picked up a sword he had found in the underground prison. Just as he was about to raise his mana, Yan passed by him and spoke.

“No need for that.”

“What?”

Theo frowned at Yan. Though he couldn’t see Yan’s face clearly, he could tell it was set in a grim expression. Then Theo sensed something and his expression changed.

“This aura…!”

“Yes.”

Yan steadied his breathing, focusing on a point. A crimson dot appeared and began to expand rapidly.

Boom!

The crimson aura leaped over the wide circular wall and landed on the ground where Yan and Theo stood. A middle-aged man, his face stern, emerged from the crimson aura.

Yan spoke, “The lord of this land has arrived.”

Sun Duke Judah Caballan. He stared at Yan and spoke.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be betrayed like this.”

His voice was cold, filled with a deadly intent.