The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]

Chapter 96

The elders of Tegelo could not contain their shock.

"This can't be happening!"

"How can that bastard go toe-to-toe with His Excellency?"

As the blood fog cleared, everyone could finally see their surroundings.

What they saw was a truly shocking sight.

A mere young master was fighting the head of a family without being overwhelmed.

It was an absurd situation.

"Fire Rune from a family that specializes in water rune?"

"And he’s using spear techniques as well as dual swords!"

The elders weren’t concerned with the Blood Orc anymore.

All their attention had been captured by the unbelievable scene unfolding before them.

"This is insane…."

"It’s far too dangerous."

They could see Marquis Tegelo being steadily pushed back.

"L-look at that!"

The elders exchanged glances, then gave each other slight nods.

He must be killed.

That monstrous child before them must die!

If time passed as it was, he would become a full-fledged monster.

And then, he would bring disaster upon Tegelo.

They were resolute—Kane must die at all costs.

At that moment, the elders leaped from the ground.

Mana of the wind fox swirled around their swords.

Their auras were dangerously sharp.

Their target: Kane Rehinar.

"Die!"

"You monstrous wretch!"

"We’ll drag you to hell with us!"

The elders burned their own life force, disregarding defense and focusing all their energy on the attack.

Just as their sword strikes were about to explode upon Kane—

A whirlwind of blood swept over the elders.

"Gah!"

"Argh!"

"Ugh!"

The elders spat blood as they collapsed to the ground.

From the dark sky, bats swooped down.

As the multitude of bats gathered, they formed the shape of a person.

"It seems I’ve arrived quite late."

The voice belonged to someone with a captivating tone.

It was none other than the Vampire Lord, Desdemona.

Kane shoved Marquis Tegelo far back and spoke.

"You came just in time."

Desdemona turned her sharp gaze toward Tegelo’s troops.

A mutated monster of the sixth class.

She exuded an aura completely different from that of ordinary monsters.

Shivers ran down their spines.

The appearance of the vampire had the Tegelo troops trembling in fear.

Even the surviving Blood Orcs were paralyzed with terror.

And she wasn’t alone.

All the vampires of the Shadow Isles had arrived.

Though they numbered only 300, it was enough to plunge the area into utter horror.

Each vampire had the combat power of at least a Mid-Tier 4th Class Warrior.

Moreover, they were mutated monsters.

They were a race that wielded three different types of energy: demonic, spirit, and blood.

They even possessed mana on par with Kane.

Desdemona and her vampires had grown much stronger than before, mainly due to Kane’s Blood Oath.

With 300 of them, it was only natural that fear engulfed the area in an instant.

"Do I just need to kill that human?"

Desdemona pointed to Marquis Tegelo.

"There are troops to the west and east as well."

"You heard that? Wipe them all out."

"Yes, Lord."

At Desdemona's command, the vampires transformed into bats and flew toward the west and east.

The remaining vampires began slaughtering Tegelo’s troops.

Some bit into the necks of humans, draining their blood.

Others plunged their claws into the marrow of bones to absorb blood.

One of the vampires pierced through the chest of a soilder, tearing out his heart and savagely chewing on it. They continued their terrifying actions, plunging Tegelo into utter fear.

The tide of battle had already turned. The once-mighty Tegelo forces were nowhere to be found. Even Marquis Tegelo realized that defeat was inevitable.

“You! You’ve allied yourself with demons, haven’t you?”

“And if I have?”

“Duke Carl raised a madman!”

“Hah, then you should’ve made a pact with the mutant monsters yourself.”

“Mutant monsters are a threat to the Empire. You’ve allied with such a dangerous race. Once His Imperial Majesty finds out, the Rehinar family will be annihilated.”

Ah, so that's it. Marquis Tegelo was trying to threaten him.

Kane laughed, planting his spear into the ground.

“A threat to the Empire? That doesn’t sound like something you should be saying. Wasn’t it you who allied with the red dragon family, the Hatzfeld royal family?”

At the mention of "Hatzfeld," Marquis Tegelo couldn’t hide his shock.

“Lies!”

“You can drop the act. I’m not someone you can fool.”

After all, it was Kane in the past life who had initially deceived Tegelo.

He later handed the negotiations to Dirk, but at the start, Ray had personally been in contact with the Marquis.

The lies were laughable.

“And no one will know about my alliance with the vampires. Because everyone, including you and all of Tegelo, will die here today.”

Even the Second Princess watching from the fortress wall could be silenced afterward. As for the noble children present, they wouldn't dare speak a word. Fear would seal their lips shut.

“How dare you insult me like this!”

“Let’s wrap this up. My goal isn’t you; it’s those Red Dragon legions, the filthy bastards. I’m going to hunt them down and kill them.”

Boom!

The ground beneath Kane's feet cracked like a spider’s web.

The Bloodsky Blade, now transformed into a spear, was engulfed in flames.

---

[Warning! This is an unacquired skill.]

---

The flames that once covered the spearhead suddenly vanished, as if the fire mana had evaporated.

Kane thrust the spear forward, which now seemed like an ordinary weapon.

Clang!

The spearhead collided with Marquis Tegelo’s blade. Normally, such an impact would send shockwaves through the surroundings, but nothing happened.

Instead, the rain that had been pouring down stopped.

Or rather—

Sizzle!

It seemed like the moisture in the air was evaporating.

Smoke began to rise.

It was like the oppressive heat under the blazing sun.

In an instant, the temperature around them soared.

Marquis Tegelo spoke.

"Since when did Rehinar have such spear techniques?"

"It doesn’t."

"Then where is it from?"

"Hatzfeld."

Marquis Tegelo’s eyes wavered, but the tremor soon faded.

Whoosh!

Flames burst through his back, shooting skyward.

The fire climbed high into the sky, and within it, a purple phoenix awaited the world’s destruction.

In an instant, the entire area was engulfed in flames.

As Kane withdrew his spear, Marquis Tegelo collapsed.

---

[You have flawlessly executed the unacquired skill ‘Piercing Annihilation’.]

[From now on, you can use 'Phoenix Spear technique (SR) - 4th form: Piercing Annihilation.]

---

The Phoenix Spear Technique’s instant kill move was specifically designed for one-on-one combat, not group battles.

Anyone who recklessly faced it, like Marquis Tegelo, would meet their end on the spot.

---

[Your proficiency in the Phoenix Spear Technique is perfect.]

[Due to the trait 'Pure Blooded (UR),' the rank of the Phoenix Spear Technique has been recalibrated.]

[The Phoenix Spear Technique's rank has risen to SSR.]

---

“It feels like someone’s watching me. Where are you insects?”

Kane searched for a power observing the battlefield from afar.

He focused on finding a spot where the mana in the air wasn’t trembling as much. The death of the Marquis had thrown the enemy into a state of panic, causing the flow of mana around them to fluctuate wildly.

So, Kane simply needed to find where the mana was calmest.

At that moment, he detected a suspicious source of mana.

“Found you.”

Leaving the northern gate to Desdemona, Kane moved silently toward his target.

* * *

In a nearby forest, a fist-sized orb reflected the image of the fallen Marquis Tegelo. The robed figures observing didn’t care about his death. What truly caught their attention was the technique used by Kane Rehinar against Tegelo.

“Did I see that right?”

“It looked exactly like what I know…”

The red-haired figures exchanged glances.

“Why does Kane Rehinar have the Phoenix Spear Techniques?”

“Could the technique have leaked?”

“That’s impossible.”

“The Phoenix Spear is a technique meant for that royal bastard. Could it be...?”

They mulled over countless possibilities. The Phoenix Spear Technique belonged to the Hatzfeld family, specifically mastered by Ray Hatzfeld, the illegitimate son of the king.

Despite being rivals with their master, there was no way Ray would have leaked such a personal technique. Even a fool wouldn’t be reckless enough to do so—especially with something as special as the Phoenix Spear.

“Contact Prince Dirk.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll try to lure that guy in.”

“How? The vampires seem to be closely aligned with Kane Rehinar.”

“We’ll use our clairvoyance as bait.”

“Do you think he’ll bite?”

“He just killed Marquis Tegelo. If he realizes someone’s secretly watching him, he’ll definitely try to find us.”

“We’d better prepare to welcome our guest.”

The Red Dragon Legion weren’t tense. In fact, they were excited. This was their chance to kill Kane, the man who had repeatedly foiled Hatzfeld’s schemes and driven them out of the Empire.

“If only that fool Tegelo had taken the Elixir of Oblivion we gave him, Kane would’ve been dead by now… What a stubborn idiot.”

“He was always a suspicious man.”

“At least the second son drank the elixir. When he hears that Kane killed his father, he’ll lose it.”

“But Kane won’t get a chance to kill him. We’ll finish Kane off first.”

“Haha, I guess Hatzfeld will owe another debt to Tegelo after this.”

They weren’t nervous at all, confident that they could kill Kane anytime. Their confidence stemmed from the elixir in their possession.

“Hey, stop chatting and drink it. It needs time to take effect.”

“You sound just like the boss, always nagging.”

“Boss? There’s no rank between us.”

With that, they gulped down the elixir in one go.

“Ugh, tastes like crap.”

“Haha, typical, you always use reverse psychology on the things you like the most.”

“But seriously, isn’t the effect insane? My mana is skyrocketing.”

“If only it didn’t turn us into such freaks, I’d drink it like wine.”

“At least the effect wears off after a while. We return to normal afterward, which is the real benefit.”

“Can’t argue with that. Finding this elixir was the best stroke of luck.”

“Must be a sign from the gods that our lord will inherit the throne.”

They had discovered ‘Elixir of Oblivion’ in an abandoned ruin, a potion created by a dark mage who had poured everything into its creation. The ruins had detailed descriptions of its recipe, effects, and even its side effects.

They had crafted this very Elixir of Oblivion—a potion that doubled one's abilities. They were certain that drinking it would allow them to kill Kane in an instant.

"Shall we begin luring him in?" one of them asked, confident in their plan.

But just as they finished preparing, an eerie voice echoed through the air.

“No need to lure me. I’m here myself.”

“Kane Rehinar?!”

“It’s been a while, you filthy rats.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]