The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

Chapter 101

Slash!

The undead Beno’s right shoulder was severed.

“Ugh!”

Beno groaned, glaring at Kane with murderous intent in his eyes. His determination to kill Kane was palpable.

Suddenly, his right shoulder regenerated in an instant. Beno couldn't hide his surprise at his newfound power.

“Is this… the power of oblivion?”

The regenerated arm was stronger and more solid than before. What had been bone now seemed to be muscle, though it still wasn’t fully complete.

“With this power, I can kill you!”

Beno once again leapt forward, directing a sword strike at Kane.

Bang!

The impact shook the surroundings, but once again, his attack was blocked. Yet, Beno didn’t care at all. He was completely intoxicated by the power of oblivion.

The mana of the wind swirled wildly around his sword The space was distorted by the sheer amount of mana he had poured into this strike. His rage exploded within this attack.

“Disappear!”

Wind Fox Sword Technique, Fifth Form: Catastrophe.

The instant kill move of Tegelo was unleashed. The sharpness of the attack seemed like it could sever every tendon and ligament, aiming straight for Kane.

But instead of the sound of flesh being sliced, Kane's voice suddenly came from beside him.

“That’s enough of this.”

Swish!

A thin line appeared on Beno’s neck. Blood began to seep out from the red cut. He tried to turn his head, but his body was no longer under his control. With great effort, he barely managed to move his eyes to look at Kane.

Kane was already sheathing his sword.

“Farewell.”

Beno’s head rolled to the ground. At the same time, his body began to swell like a balloon.

With a loud pop, his body burst apart. The power of oblivion had incredible regenerative abilities. Even if the head exploded, it could regenerate unless the entire body was obliterated. Piercing the heart or destroying the mana circuit would only slow down the regeneration. When facing someone with the power of oblivion, one must completely erase any trace of them, making regeneration impossible.

“Before things get any noisier, I should make sure the Wind Guardian Tree can’t be used.”

Due to his clash with Beno, Tegelo’s forces were converging on this location.

“There’s an intruder!”

“Lord Beno was taken down by an assassin!”

“Emergency!”

The sound of bells echoed throughout the Tegelo territory. The guards stationed on the outskirts were urgently rushing towards the estate.

Kane approached the Wind Guardian Tree, extending his hand and muttering softly.

“Vacuum of Absorption.”

The energy of the Wind Guardian Tree was drawn into Kane’s hand. The once vibrant tree gradually lost its life force.

[You have absorbed the mana of the Wind Fox.]

[You have absorbed the mana of the Wind Fox.]

[You have absorbed the mana of the Wind Fox.]

Eventually, the Wind Guardian Tree dried up completely, leaving only bare branches.

The once vibrant green leaves of the Wind Guardian Tree all fell to the ground. The tree, which had been filled with the mana of the wind, was no more. Yet Kane wasn’t finished.

“Blood Wave”

He completely destroyed the withered Wind Guardian Tree. With a loud bang, the tree shattered into countless pieces, scattering everywhere. The sacred tree, which had stood alongside Tegelo for centuries, was gone. The Tegelo soldiers were left in shock.

“The Wind Guardian Tree!?”

“The sacred tree that has sustained Tegelo…!”

“This can’t be…”

Kane walked past the soldiers, who stood there, stunned, watching the shattered remnants of the tree. Thud—their heads all dropped to the ground simultaneously.

A bloody massacre.

It seemed Kane had no intention of stopping his killing spree. He continued on toward the Tegelo estate, leaving rivers of blood in his wake.

---

“Stop him!”

“There’s only one enemy! Don’t be afraid—urk.”

The Tegelo estate was being rapidly reduced to ashes. Black smoke billowed ominously into the sky above the estate.

Chaos engulfed everyone.

With all the commanders dead, the soldiers were in total disarray. They had lost the will to fight. They no longer had the resolve to resist Kane.

“Please… spare me….”

A young boy, not yet free of his childhood innocence, cried and pleaded for his life. Kane glanced down at him, then turned away. But suddenly, the boy turned and attacked Kane from behind.

Slash!

The boy’s wrist was severed, still clutching a dagger.

“Aaaah!”

Even though the boy had tried to attack him, Kane couldn’t bring himself to kill him. As Kane began to walk away, the boy shouted in anger.

“When Lord Hayden returns, he’ll destroy a demon like you in an instant!”

At the mention of the name “Hayden,” Kane’s steps came to a halt. Hayden Tegelo. He was the crown prince of the Wind Fox family. The strongest man in Tegelo. A genius who had surpassed the Marquis of Tegelo at the age of twenty-five. Currently, he was in a distant foreign country, not in the Fresia Empire.

“Tegelo started this. And if you challenge me again, it will cost all of you your lives.”

With those words, Kane disappeared.

Meanwhile, Camilla was watching the smoke rise into the Tegelo sky.

“Will he be alright?”

“Are you worried about Kane? That monster?”

“He’s still all alone.”

“Kane isn’t weak enough for you to worry about him. He thinks he’s realized the full extent of his power… but he’s far from it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Hehe, you want to know?”

“Yes.”

"How dare you speak without offering anything in return?"

Blata tapped her hand lightly.

"What are you doing with your hand?"

It was a command for her to pet his head. Camilla quickly started stroking Blata's head. Blata, seemingly pleased by her touch, folded his ears back and wagged his tail gently.

"Now, tell me."

"Kane hasn’t fully realized the extent of his power."

"In what way?"

"Kane has a legendary body constitution known as the Five Elements Blood Extremity Body. It's a body only possessed by Blood Knights who once opposed the gods."

"G-Gods?"

"Yes. It’s true. On top of that, he has reached the fourth stage of the Blood Rune, which is extraordinary."

"The fourth stage? Oath? The level that only the Twelve Star Lords of the Continent have achieved!"

"Exactly."

"Oh my goodness!"

Camilla was stunned. The fourth stage, known as 'Oath,' was a level unattainable even by most geniuses after a lifetime of training. Yet, Kane had reached this stage. How could she not be shocked?

Blata’s shoulders puffed up at her reaction.

"Why are you so surprised? It’s too early for that."

"There's more?"

"Of course. I told you Kane hasn’t fully realized his power yet."

"Right, right."

"Kane’s body has absorbed an elixir called ‘Blood Star’. Even after fully digesting it, he doesn't realize how much stronger he's become. Or rather, he’s only partially aware."

The Blood Star held immense power. It was said to be a divine relic, an elixir consumed by the gods.

The lords of the Demon Realm coveted it for a reason. If they were to absorb it, the balance of power could shift. That’s how powerful the Elemental Star was—so powerful that a human couldn’t possibly absorb it all. But Kane had done just that.

This is why, even before fully realizing his power, he was able to defeat the Marquis of Tegelo, who was two level above him. After this battle, Kane began to understand a fraction of his power.

"So, tell me..."

"You have more questions? Ask Blata anything. There’s nothing I don’t know."

"How strong will the Young Master become once he fully realizes his power?"

"Hehe, you want to know?"

"Yes!"

Camilla’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. She was eager to hear what Blata would say.

"He’ll probably be just below the Twelve Star Lords."

"Really!? You're not lying, are you?"

"You don’t trust the great demonic guardian spirit?"

"It’s just hard to believe."

"After swallowing the entire Blood Star, he should at least be that strong."

"The Elemental Star... is really that incredible."

"The Five Elements Blood Extremity Body and the Blood Star—just these two alone will make him the strongest in the human realm."

Camilla’s heart raced, and she calmed herself. Now that she fully understood her master’s abilities, she felt both pride and excitement. She was even a little proud.

"Then, there’s no need to worry about the Young Master getting hurt, right?"

"Of course. As long as no god descends, there’s no human who can defeat Kane!"

Hearing Blata’s confident voice, Camilla finally felt at ease. Her greatest concern was always her master’s safety.

As her admiration for Kane surged, he returned.

***

"You're back?"

Camilla looked at Kane with admiration in her eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You seem amazing."

"What happened while I was gone?"

Kane turned his gaze to Blata. Blata subtly tried to avoid eye contact.

"Hey, Piggy."

"It’s Blata!"

"Right, Blata, what did you do?"

"I didn't say anything!"

"You must have said something strange to Camilla."

Blata, caught off guard, asked nervously, "H-how did you know?"

"You said you didn’t say anything, which means you probably said something nonsensical."

"N-no, I didn't!"

"Spill it."

"Well, you see..."

Blata glanced at Kane nervously, then tried to back away.

"Running away won’t help you."

As Kane extended his hand, Blata was lifted into the air.

"I don’t know anything! Ask Camilla!"

Even while floating, Blata continued to kick his legs, making him look so pitiful that it was almost amusing. Kane tucked Blata under his arm and turned to Camilla.

"Tell me what he said."

"Blata was just telling me about how strong you are."

"And that’s why you were looking at me like that?"

"It wasn’t a strange look! It was respect!"

"Sounds like it was nothing important."

Kane shook his head, losing interest in the conversation almost immediately.

"Pack up. We're moving out."

"You're just embarrassed."

"Kane, are you embarrassed? Is that why you're pretending not to care?"

"Let’s drop it."

"Ha ha ha, Kane's embarrassed!"

"I’m not!"

Kane quickly mounted the Blood Tiger and took off without another word.

"Y-Young master, wait for me!"

Camilla hurriedly climbed onto the Blood Tiger and followed closely behind him.

***

The once dense forest had completely vanished.

The ground stretched out before them, cracked and dry, as though all moisture had been drained away.

Kane arrived at the Void Wasteland.

“Is the Hatzfeld Red Spear Knights stationed here?”

"We've arrived earlier than expected, so they're likely in the hidden territory by now."

"The hidden territory?"

"Here."

"What?"

"We're already inside it. The Void Wasteland is a huge hidden territory."

"I had no idea…"

"This place is almost entirely unknown, so it's not surprising."

"How do you know about it, Young Master?"

"I've been here before."

"When?"

"A long time ago."

In the past, he had missed the opportunity to seize the Fire Star, but this time, he couldn't afford to let it slip through his fingers.

He planned to take everything that Dirk sought. Nothing would be given away.

The first step was to secure the Fire star.

In doing so, he would eliminate Dirk's right-hand man, the commander of the Red Spear Knights.

And finally, he would face the Immortal Mercenary King, Karl Agzent.

His goal was to capture all three targets at once.