The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

Chapter 122

In front of the hidden territory ‘the Red Tribe's wooden fortress’.

A massive orc, standing about 4 meters tall, appeared.

Crash!

This creature was so powerful it devoured an orc smaller than itself in one bite.

The Blood Orcs, trembling in fear, continued to advance forward.

"Do you think... we can do this?"

Up in a tree, a little distance away, Sasha, who was out for field training, spoke with concern.

Second Princess Charlotte, trying to reassure him, patted his shoulder gently.

"It’s difficult, but we can do it. The school wouldn’t assign us an impossible task."

Sara also comforted her younger brother.

"I’ll protect you."

Among the students, Charlotte and Sara were the strongest.

Charlotte was a Beginner-tire 4th-class warrior.

Sara was a mid-tier 4th-class knight.

Sara even wielded two spirit swords in her hands- Water’s Hundred Edge and Ice’s Hundred Edge, both top-tier weapons.

And that wasn’t all.

Her clothes and necktie pin were also 4-star items.

Although she was technically at the mid-tier of 4th-class, her gear allowed her to exert power equivalent to someone above the 5th class.

Such was the immense strength of her equipment.

More importantly, Sara was no longer scared of the Blood Orcs, thanks to her battle experience with Anna.

"Rose, stay close behind me."

"Okay."

Her younger sister, Rose, tightly followed behind Sara.

At that moment, the short-haired instructor, Nesily, spoke up.

"What should you do when facing Blood Orcs?"

Charlotte quickly answered her question.

"We must avoid making them bleed as much as possible."

Charlotte had been diligently performing her military academy duties, so she always treated her instructor with respect.

"And if blood does splatter?"

"You must use mana to evaporate it."

"That’s correct. As long as you keep those two things in mind, Blood Orcs can be easily defeated."

The explanation sounded simple.

But how could you kill a monster without making it bleed?

Even if you only cut its skin, blood would inevitably spill.

And if you were injured by a monster's axe?

From that moment on, it would be a Blood Orc's festival.

Blood Orcs became stronger when they absorbed blood. It was a key trait of monsters with blood sigils.

"Words alone won’t make sense. You’ll have to experience it firsthand. Once you do, you’ll understand what I’ve been saying."

Clap!

Nesily clapped her hands.

Perhaps because mana was infused into the sound, the surrounding monsters turned their heads toward the noise.

Instantly, all attention was focused on them.

Sara leaped forward first.

With a swift whooshing sound, her sword embedded itself in the head of a Blood Orc.

Under normal circumstances, brains would have flowed out.

Yet, there was no brain matter or even a drop of blood.

Instead, steam rose from the head of the dead Blood Orc.

As Sara pulled her sword out, the Blood Orc crumbled into dust.

Mana from the water element gathered around her sword.

When she swung her twin blades in succession, swoosh!

The twin crescent moons of water swept through the Blood Orcs in unison.

Blood began to flow from the bodies of the Blood Orcs due to the powerful attack.

Their eyes changed instantly.

Letting out beastly growls, they slowly began to increase in size.

Sara extended her hand forward.

“Water Void.”

The droplets of blood suspended in midair.

The moisture from the trees and the ground.

Even the fluids within the orcs' bodies.

Every liquid in the vicinity was sucked into her hand.

It resembled a forbidden magic, like black magic draining the life force from its surroundings.

The Blood Orcs struggled and resisted, but they were merely 3rd-class monsters.

Even though they were mutated beasts, they could not withstand her power.

In an instant, they were reduced to nothing but their leather hides, all absorbed into Sara's hand.

Every monster around her died with a mere gesture of her hand.

“This easily?”

Even Sara was astonished at what she had just done.

Though she knew she had grown stronger through training with Anna...

She hadn’t expected to deal with the Blood Orcs so effortlessly.

“I’ve grown even stronger than I thought.”

While Anna certainly played a role, she believed that her overwhelming power stemmed from her Twin Swords of Protection skill.

Suddenly, she remembered Kane, the one who had bestowed this power upon her.

“What did that man do to me?”

Sara still couldn’t believe it.

Baffled, she stood there.

Charlotte, who had been ready to assist Sara from behind, now wore the same bewildered expression, completely stunned by the unbelievable scene that had unfolded in an instant.

* * *

Kane quietly observed the students as they fought the monsters.

As expected from students of prestigious families, they were initially flustered, but as time passed, they began to fight quite well.

"Are they supposed to be the future of the Fresia Empire?"

"Probably."

"This country is doomed."

"That’s a harsh judgment. They're fighting High-Tier 3rd-class Blood Orcs, after all."

"With those skills, it’s not enough. They’d be wiped out if they encountered even one boss level monster"

Kane agreed.

Bosses of the hidden territories were usually 4-star rank monsters, and you'd need to be at least 6th-class to face them.

The powerful boss monster in this hidden territory was also a 4 Star.

"The ones Kane usually faces are even higher-level monsters that control those boss monsters, right?"

"That’s why mutated monsters are running out of the secret areas."

In reality, the mutated monsters were tightly controlled by the Meyer family.

More accurately, they were breeding them, something completely unknown to the continent's people.

The fact that the Meyer Family was orchestrating shady deeds behind the scenes to manipulate the world was never made public.

That secret died with Ray in his past life.

"Are they just going to keep summoning them?"

"Of course not. First, I'll kill all the bitches in Hatzfeld. After that, I'll deal with the rest."

Hatzfeld Royal Kingdom came first.

Though the Meyer Family had been manipulating them, Kane wanted to destroy Hatzfeld first.

Kane planned to take revenge on them, and then slowly dismantle the lofty house of the Sun.

"But what if Kane gets caught?"

"That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?"

"Me?"

"If you’re a ferocious breed, the guardian spirit of demons, wouldn’t you be at least 9th-class?"

"9th-class? Are you seriously trying to rank me with some mere number?"

"Then, 10th-class?"

"Heh, maybe around there. I’ll forgive you for trying to categorize me with numbers, only because it’s you, Kane."

"Exactly. With such a strong friend like you, there's no way I’ll die to the Meyer Family."

"Y-yeah. There’s no way I’d let my friend Kane die."

Blata seemed flustered but tried to answer confidently.

However, he muttered to himself under his breath.

‘Does this guy know something about me? No matter how much I brag about being the guardian spirit of demons, he shouldn't know anything specific about me...’

There was a trap in Blata’s name, one only he knew.

Humans could never figure it out... but Kane’s attitude was suspicious.

It didn’t seem like Kane had said anything directly, but the way he spoke made Blata feel uneasy. Something felt off.

‘Should I just test him? If my true identity is revealed, it could be dangerous.’

Blata considered countless possibilities but ultimately chose to remain silent.

‘I need to keep watching for now.’

He concealed his thoughts and pretended to agree with Kane.

Kane smiled at him, but something about that smile seemed sinister.

It was as if Kane’s face was saying, I know exactly who you are.

Feeling uneasy, Blata turned his head and pretended to be distracted.

“Yaaawn, I’m so sleepy. Wake me up later, okay?”

With that, Blata retreated into Kane’s robes.

Kane, still smiling, expanded the reach of his mana.

Several days had passed, and it was about time for the enemy to reveal themselves.

“They’ve appeared. And they brought quite a few.”

Kane’s once-playful expression gradually hardened.

“That bastard really excels at getting on people’s nerves.”

* * *

Behind Dirk, a massive force marched in line.

This was no ordinary army like McCarthy’s.

It was far more powerful and intimidating.

The King of Hatzfeld had provided elite troops to protect Dirk.

These were the Red Dragon Knights

, the Hatzfeld Kingdom’s elite killers.

This was part of the reason for Dirk’s confidence.

The Red Dragon Knights were a formidable force, with every soldier being upper 5th-class in rank.

Moreover, Dirk now commanded a newly formed, stronger unit as well.

"Your capabilities seem endless, Teacher," Dirk remarked.

“You flatter me. This unit may be newly established, but it can easily replace both the Red Spear Knights and the Red Dragon legion (Mage Unit).”

"Indeed! Just looking at their presence, they wouldn't pale in comparison even standing beside the Red Dragon Knights."

Dirk couldn’t stop praising them.

His smile stretched wide with satisfaction.

With these forces under his command, he believed he could obliterate Rehinar in a single blow.

Additionally, Bishop Gregor was accompanying them.

His teacher was the Lord of the Hundred Spears.

Only the Twelve star lords would be stronger than him.

With such power, how could they possibly lose to Rehinar?

Dirk was supremely confident.

Within a week—no, in just three days—he believed Rehinar would be utterly destroyed, with not a single stone left standing.

“Please don’t credit me too much. It’s all because Your Highness trusted me,” his teacher said humbly.

“I wish you could stay by my side forever, Teacher.”

“That’s something only the Pope can decide. Let’s discuss it later.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to persuade the Pope. For now, let’s focus on Rehinar’s annihilation. Shall we increase our march speed, Teacher?”

“There’s no need. This pace is ideal. Also, from what I’ve heard, there are students from Rehinar's military academy conducting field training somewhere in this area.”

Dirk's eyes gleamed at this revelation.

After the death of his right-hand man, the Red Spear Knight Commander, he had suffered from a lack of reliable intelligence.

While his subordinates provided reports, they arrived far slower than before.

In fact, the information Gregor had just shared was more up-to-date.

Turning his head to the side, Dirk gave an order.

“Send out the scouts.”

Ten new members spurred their horses and disappeared into the distance.

Gregor stoked the flames of Dirk’s ambition once more.

“Among those students is the Empire’s second princess.”

“Is that true?”

“You can trust it.”

“Such good fortune!”

Dirk’s lips curled into a grin.

It was a particularly vile expression.

* * *

As Kane gritted his teeth in frustration toward Dirk, he sensed another surge of mana coming from the west.

“They must be desperate, judging by the fact they’re coming in groups.”

The mana ahead belonged to Hatzfeld.

But the mana from the west was entirely different—two distinct types, in fact.

One carried a holy aura, while the other felt dark and ominous.

“One must be from the Lycera Theocracy and the other… judging by the direction, it’s likely the neutral Orchid Kingdom.”

The Orchid Kingdom was a small, peaceful nation nestled between the Lycera Theocracy and the Hatzfeld Kingdom.

It was a place where even sworn enemies were forbidden to fight. Any sign of conflict would lead to immediate expulsion. This peace was maintained through agreements signed by all nations, ensuring that no battles could be waged within Orchid’s borders.

“I need to find out what they're planning.”

The situation had already changed so drastically, predicting from the sidelines would no longer be enough. It was time to take action.

Kane moved swiftly, leaping from tree to tree, bending space as he traveled, until he reached the camp of Lycera Theocracy and the neutral Orchid Kingdom.

Their flags flew prominently in the breeze.

Unlike Hatzfeld’s forces, their numbers were much smaller, just over 200 combined.

However, the flags bore additional markings—symbols that didn’t belong to either nation.

“A diplomatic mission?” Kane muttered.