Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 219

At that moment, Marquis Daniel was running, gasping for breath. His appearance was far from ordinary. Thin cuts adorned his cheeks, wrists, and thighs, and his clothes were soaked in blood, turning them a deep red.

Grinding his teeth, he shouted, “Damn it! This isn’t what we agreed upon!”

“Agreed? What agreement are you talking about?” A woman’s bored voice responded, sending chills down Marquis Daniel’s spine as if she were whispering right next to him.

Slash.

Simultaneously, a sharp pain pierced his side. “Ugh!” His clothes fluttered away, revealing skin that gushed blood. Marquis Daniel’s eyes widened in agony.

Thud!

He tripped over a protruding stone and rolled clumsily on the ground. “Ugh, ugh.” Trembling, he tried to stand. “Truly, the screams of a dying human are something special,” the woman watching him from behind chuckled and walked towards him.

Marquis Daniel hurriedly tried to get up. ‘My, my leg!’ His ankle had twisted, rendering him powerless.

Step, step.

As the woman’s laughter and footsteps grew closer, despair began to cloud Marquis Daniel’s eyes. At that moment, a familiar voice rang out, “Marquis Daniel!”

He looked up, his face a mess of tears and snot. “You, you all!” The southern nobles stood there, their faces stern. Seeing the knights lined up behind them, Marquis Daniel shouted with all his might, “Save me! The revolutionary forces have ambushed us!”

The knights drew their swords and charged. Marquis Daniel’s face lit up. No matter how monstrous the woman was, she couldn’t possibly escape from so many knights. But as if mocking his thoughts, the woman said, “More to kill, I see.”

She watched the approaching knights with a leisurely gaze, then turned her eyes to the fallen Marquis Daniel. “Shall I kill this worm first?” Having played with her toy enough, it was time to finish. A white aura enveloped her sword as she smiled. “Well done.”

Swish!

The sword descended swiftly towards Marquis Daniel’s neck. Sensing his imminent death, he squeezed his eyes shut. At that moment,

Boom!

A tremendous gust of wind whipped his hair wildly. Marquis Daniel opened his eyes slightly and saw a familiar face. “You, you are?” The bandit-like man he had seen at Yan’s camp was blocking the sword aimed at him. His name was… Roman, if he remembered correctly. The extreme tension he felt from surviving suddenly released, and his eyelids grew heavy.

“You can’t die even if you want to,” Roman’s voice echoed as Marquis Daniel lost consciousness. “Yan, that persistent fellow, has marked you.”

* * *

Roman shifted his gaze as Marquis Daniel fainted.

His cold eyes contrasted with his white hair. Though he appeared emaciated, Roman knew that an immense amount of muscle must be compressed within that frame.

‘Otherwise, the pressure I’m feeling through this greatsword wouldn’t make sense.’

Roman smirked, recalling how Cruel had recently faced a formidable opponent and stepped into the realm of superhumans. He had been frustrated at missing that opportunity himself, but now, an excellent chance had presented itself.

‘Still, she doesn’t seem to be a superhuman.’

Unlike the shivers he felt when facing Yorden, who Cruel had fought, this woman didn’t evoke the same reaction. But he wasn’t too disappointed. The war hadn’t even begun yet.

Roman channeled his mana, pushing against the greatsword.

Boom!

With a powerful recoil, the woman was pushed back. As the battle momentarily paused, Roman spoke.

“Roman.”

The woman chuckled, seemingly understanding his intent. “A romantic gentleman, are you? I’m Carolina.”

Their conversation ended there.

Crackle!

At Carolina’s will, a white sword aura began to envelop the surroundings.

Whoosh.

Roman also prepared, summoning his Golden Steel Aura, a force more solid and weighty than any other technique.

Swish.

Both raised their swords. Carolina pointed her sword tip at Roman, while Roman gripped his sword with both hands, resting it on the ground. Minutes passed.

Flash!

Carolina’s eyes gleamed as she charged at Roman.

Thunder Flash.

Her body was suddenly covered in a white sword aura.

Boom!

She transformed into a streak of lightning. Roman’s eyes widened as he watched her.

‘If I dodge, I die.’

Attempting to evade such an extremely fast attack would likely result in being struck, and it would be a significant drain on his stamina. So, he focused on defense.

“Haaaap!”

Roman shouted, drawing the Golden Steel Aura throughout his body. His body turned golden, and his muscles began to swell.

Golden Steel has no form or shape.
This was what Yan had told him when he first started learning Golden Steel. Initially, he didn’t understand, but now he knew well.

‘Golden Steel is all about clashing, breaking, and ultimately becoming stronger.’

When he first learned this technique, he thought it was mediocre. But now he knew. This Golden Steel was the perfect technique for him. Its resilience against any attack mirrored his own personality.

His belief in Golden Steel became his will, forming a shield that protected him. Thus, Roman, who had become a steadfast shield, collided with Carolina, who had become lightning.

Boom!

A tremendous shockwave enveloped the surroundings. Marquis Daniel’s unconscious body was thrown, but the nobles watching from behind caught him.

One of the nobles spoke. “Incredible.”

It was just one clash, but the shockwave between the two showed no signs of subsiding. The knights watched in awe.

“Now I understand why the nobles are so eager to recruit trainees.”

“Indeed, a prodigy who passed through the empire’s harshest training institution.”

* * *

Carolina frowned at Roman’s impenetrable defense.

To her, anyone who wasn’t a superhuman was merely prey. Even her master, Electus, had assured her that she would surpass him soon. Yet…

“Even using Thunder Flash, this is all I can do?”

Her sword, thrust forward, trembled against Roman’s greatsword instead of piercing him. Their strength was nearly equal.

Roman, with calm eyes, said, “It’s impressive that you can pressure me this much.”

The greatsword he wielded was named ‘Volakia.’ Yan had claimed it was the strongest sword in existence.

‘Yet Volakia has been slightly damaged.’

Though the damage was minuscule, Roman had heard a ‘tick’ sound upon impact. This meant that if he continued to block, Volakia might eventually break.

Roman gathered his mana, infusing it into the greatsword. The surface of the sword began to glow with a golden light.

“…What?”

At the same time, Carolina’s body was pushed back from the sword’s surface. “You’re really stubborn.”

Carolina realized that Roman was using sheer force to push her sword away. Knowing she couldn’t win in a contest of endurance, she decided to rely on speed.

As she suddenly withdrew her strength, Roman’s greatsword flung her into the air.

Whirl!

In mid-air, she fiercely kicked her legs.

Whirlwind!

She began to spin at an incredible speed, releasing thousands of sword auras akin to a storm.

Light Dance.

It was the fastest attack among the White Sword techniques, a perfect counter to Roman’s slow but sturdy defense. As the sword auras rained down, Roman gritted his teeth and lifted his greatsword, hiding his body beneath it.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Each impact between the greatsword and the sword auras made Roman’s face pale. Though the greatsword blocked the attacks, the shockwaves traveled through it, twisting his insides. Despite blocking all the attacks, Roman’s face looked deathly pale. Blood surged up his throat, but he endured it all.

“You withstood all that?”

Carolina’s eyes widened. She had realized his toughness during the Thunder Flash, but she hadn’t expected him to be this resilient. Despite Roman’s deathly appearance, he had undeniably blocked her Light Dance.

“Annoying. Just a mere human.”

Carolina’s face hardened. To her, who despised humans, this situation was nothing short of an insult. Her anger fueled her, strengthening her White Sword aura.

Flash!

A white light enveloped her body, illuminating the surroundings. Carolina raised her sword, pointing it at Roman. He was in no condition to counterattack, using his greatsword as a crutch to support himself, but there was no mercy in Carolina’s eyes.

“I’ll tear you apart.”

Whirr!

White light exploded from her sword as she charged at Roman at high speed. Watching the approaching light, Roman thought, ‘Is this the end?’

He had no strength left to block. His body could barely stand. His mind was exhausted, and his body was in tatters. Though Golden Steel grew stronger with each break, it couldn’t withstand an overwhelming shock.

Roman stared at his approaching death with hollow eyes. At that moment,

Tap!

Someone flew in from the void, grabbing Roman’s collar and pulling him away.

Crash!

The ground where Roman had stood was utterly destroyed. Had he remained there, he would have been obliterated without a trace. Roman turned to see who had saved him.

“…Charles?”

“Idiot!”

Instead of asking if he was okay, she scolded him. But there was relief in her voice, mixed with a bit of resentment. Roman twisted his lips.

“Leave me. You can’t defeat her.”

“Then why didn’t you fight together from the start? Since when did you start fighting alone like Yan or Cruel?”

“What?”

“Let’s fight together! Don’t rush in alone! You’re supposed to protect your comrades, not fight alone!”

Her shout brought light back to Roman’s eyes. A protector. Those words ignited his heart.

Crack!

At that moment, something that had been holding Roman back began to break.