The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

Chapter 113

"Y-You!"

Georg was at a loss for words.

Such arrogance!

There was no one so haughty among the bloodline of Rehinar.

Even the current head of the family wouldn’t behave like this in his presence.

"What are you doing?! Why haven\'t you dragged down that insolent brat already?!"

"Yes, sir!"

The knights, each wielding twin swords, unleashed explosive mana from their bodies.

They hadn\'t even started the real fight yet, but just the mere act of drawing their swords imposed immense pressure on their opponent.

Water droplets began to rise around them, reacting to the mana of water near the wall\'s canal. Streams of water floated in the air, swirling around the knights.

"Water Swords, \'Explosion\'!"

The twin swords of the knights sliced fiercely through the air, the streams of water becoming their sword aura and slamming against the walls.

Boom!

A massive noise echoed, dust rising everywhere.

The ground trembled violently.

The walls shook under the impact.

"Open the gate!"

At Georg’s command, the knights kicked off the ground, charging toward the gate.

Their swords were brimming with water aura, surging, as if eager to be unleashed.

The knights swung their twin blades—

Or at least, they were about to.

Suddenly!

Thud!

"Guhh!"

One knight’s armor was crushed as he was thrown backward.

Rolling several times on the ground, he collapsed, unconscious.

Meanwhile, a shadow leaped through the dust.

It was Kane, who had been atop the wall.

With a sweep of his hand, the cloud of dust was blown away by the wind.

The first thing he checked was the state of the wall.

"Tch, good thing the wall’s sturdy, or we would\'ve taken a massive hit," Kane grumbled.

He had trusted in the strength of the wall, but if even a crack had formed, the repair costs would have been astronomical.

Everything was about money.

"But this is the first I’ve heard of the Guardian Knights splitting into two factions. Or is this some new group modeled after them?"

The knights under Georg’s command looked nearly identical to the Guardian Knights.

Anyone from another family might easily mistake them for the real thing.

That’s how similar they were—in mana, habits, and skill.

"Hey! Since when does attacking the place count as good manners when you\'re not let in?" Kane scolded Georg.

It was as if a child was reprimanding an elderly man.

"You brat!"

Georg’s voice thundered just as—

Boom!

His figure vanished in an instant.

When he reappeared, it was right in front of Kane.

The twin blades, infused with water mana, slashed down to split Kane’s head.

Clang!

Three swords collided, sending sparks flying.

Georg’s strike was blocked in a single instant.

Aiden, watching from behind, had a subtle tremor in his eyes.

"He blocked Georg\'s sword so easily? But Georg is a High-Tier 6th class Knight!"

Though Georg’s prime had passed, being at the High-tier of 6th class was still a amazing feat across the Empire.

Especially given Georg’s vast experience on the battlefield, having fought in countless life-or-death battles.

Blocking the sword of such a battle-hardened veteran was nothing short of astonishing.

"Has he consumed the Blood Star already?"

Aiden analyzed Kane’s mana but soon frowned.

At most, Kane was at the 6th class—nothing beyond that.

"Why? If he consumed the Blood Star, he should have instantly grown to the level of the Twelve Star Lords."

That was the overwhelming power of the Blood Star compared to other elemental stars.

Simply consuming it granted mana equivalent to one of the Twelve Star Lords.

Not only that, depending on one’s potential, it could bestow even greater strength.

That was why everyone was wary of the Blood Star.

Even those like Aiden, who considered themselves as agents of the gods, reacted with extreme caution toward it.

"Is he just a dullard?"

Perhaps Kane was a rare dull talent of the continent, whom even the Blood Star couldn’t fully elevate.

That would explain it.

The Blood Star had merely brought this naturally untalented individual up to his current level.

That’s likely why he had suddenly become noteworthy.

"If I absorb his mana, the power of the Blood Star will be mine."

Greed flashed in Aiden’s eyes.

The Blood Star held the potential to challenge even the gods.

The thought of absorbing that power ignited his desire.

He sent a secret voice message to Georg.

[Georg, enough testing his strength. Kill him immediately. We need to seize the Blood Star.]

Fabi was walking briskly down the long hallway.

His steps were hurried, and he seemed anxious.

When he reached the Lord’s chamber, he knocked on the door.

“Commander, I have something to report."

Clack.

Cedric opened the door for him.

"What is it?"

"You should come outside."

"Since the assassin appeared, I haven\'t left this room."

"There’s noise coming from the eastern gate."

"The young master will handle it. It\'s not our concern."

"Sir... Georg, the former commander of the Knights, has arrived."

Cedric\'s eyes widened.

He rarely showed emotion, but this time, his reaction was pronounced.

"My... master?"

"He\'s not alone."

"Aiden is with him, isn’t he?"

"Yes..."

"Who\'s there right now?"

"The young master is present," Fabi replied.

Cedric groaned at Fabi’s words.

"Hmm... It seems the young master was already expecting them to come."

Even before the assassin appeared, Kane had given him a warning.

He had asked Cedric to stay with the Lord and had emphasized not to leave the room under any circumstances.

And now, once again, something like this had happened just after the young master’s warning.

The timing was too convenient.

"Shouldn’t we go outside?"

"We... will not go outside."

"Given the young master’s personality, there\'s no way he’ll let Aiden enter Rehinar."

"They will clash, then."

"The young master is in danger. Aiden will do everything in his power to kill Rehinar’s heir."

Cedric knew all too well the kind of emotions Aiden harbored towards Rehinar.

"Before the Lord went to sleep, he said this: the young master is much stronger than we think."

"L-Lord said that?"

Duke Carl was a gentle man.

Though he adored his children dearly, he rarely offered praise for their abilities.

He only ever encouraged them to continue improving.

None of his children had never heard the words "strong" from his lips.

And yet, now those words had come from the Duke himself.

"When he spoke with the young master, he even mentioned the level of the Twelve Star Lords."

"That’s insane!"

"When was the last time you and I saw the young master after he changed?"

"Eight months ago."

"And how does he seem now compared to then?"

"His growth is beyond reason."

"Even to our eyes, it’s clear. So how do you think the Lord sees it?"

Duke Carl was one of the Twelve Star Lords.

His perspective was far beyond theirs.

If he spoke highly of the young master, it was clear that his abilities were far greater than anyone could comprehend.

"We just need to assign a few people to watch from a distance."

What Cedric regretted was not being able to see his former master, Georg.

Even if Georg had abandoned him, he was once his teacher.

Now, his teacher would’ve aged considerably...

As a disciple, it weighed on Cedric’s heart not to see him.

But what could he do?

To him, his current master was more important than his old one.

"Uh... Lord?"

"No."

"You don’t even know what I was going to say, but you\'re already saying no?"

"Isn’t it obvious? You were going to ask to go out and watch for yourself."

"How... how did you know?"

"We’ve known each other long enough, haven’t we?"

Fabi wasn’t ready to give up.

How could he miss such a spectacle?

He had to witness it with his own eyes.

"The others are too low-ranked; they’ll only provide simple reports. But as a senior knight, I can bring back a vivid account of the scene."

"If only you knew when to stop talking."

It made sense.

If a battle between powerful individuals unfolded in front of them, there was only one thing the squad members could do:

Observe and analyze the fight. That was the duty of a bystander.

However, the members of the Guardian Knights wouldn\'t be able to fulfill that role effectively, as the level of the battle would be too high.

Only someone like Fabi could truly gauge how strong the Young master was.

"Can you capture every moment?"

"Are you giving me permission?"

"If you miss even one thing, you better be ready for the consequences."

"Yes! I’ll bring back every detail, from beginning to end."

With that, Fabi disappeared in a flash.

Cedric closed the door and returned to the room.

He sat down beside Duke Carl.

"Your Excellency, Duke Aiden has come. It seems he has finally come to seek revenge on you…"

Cedric murmured quietly to himself, his tone tinged with bitterness.

He looked lonely.

---

Aiden’s facial muscles twitched.

He had just witnessed something unbelievable: Georg, being utterly overpowered!

"Is he not 6th class?"

He was so shocked that the words slipped out.

To push Georg this far, the opponent had to be at least 7th class.

"Kuhh!"

Georg couldn\'t withstand the force of the sword strike and was sent flying, crashing to the ground.

Kane, resting his sword on his shoulder, taunted him.

"If you\'re going to climb over someone else\'s wall, at least get permission first. Seems like you\'re here to kill me."

"Guh…"

Georg wiped the blood from his lips with his wrist as he stood up.

"I have... no excuse, Your Grace."

"You don’t need to worry about it. We underestimated that kid’s abilities."

Aiden didn’t blame Georg.

He had fought to the best of his ability, even using his mastery over the third form of Water Rune: The Water Bond.

But none of it had worked against Kane.

Aiden took a step forward and addressed Kane.

"I only came to see my brother. What exactly do you think you\'re doing?"

Kane tilted his head, puzzled, and retorted.

"Weren\'t you the one who attacked first? You have quite the knack for twisting conversations, don\'t you?"

"Haha, do you not know who I am?"

"You introduced yourself, didn’t you? My uncle."

"That’s not all. I’m your uncle and also the brother-in-law of this nation’s emperor."

"And so?"

Aiden’s eyebrows furrowed.

It felt like he was talking to a wall.

No matter what he said, nothing seemed to get through, and his frustration began to rise.

"It means you have no reason to stop me."

Aiden threw a badge onto the ground.

It was an identification badge, granting him access anywhere.

"If you don’t plan to rebel, step aside."

A faint smile played at the corners of Aiden\'s lips.

His expression seemed to say, "How could someone like you possibly stop me now?"

But his opponent was Kane—someone who defied all logic.

Aiden had made the mistake of underestimating Kane\'s personality.

"You\'re the emperor\'s brother-in-law, not the emperor himself, right? This is Rehinar. Even the emperor can\'t step foot here without permission. You should know that better than anyone since you\'re from here. Or are you just throwing a tantrum because you got kicked out of the family like a rabid dog?"

Kane\'s passive skill kicked in—his sharp tongue.

His words, bordering on insults, shattered Aiden\'s composure, which he had maintained up to that point.

It was an effective and flawless provocation.