The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

Chapter 161

BOOM!

"Hmm, so it\'s true that a Blood Knight can use magic."

The purple mana surrounding the Sword of Divine Punishment dissipated.

"Do you enjoy fighting with words instead of your sword?"

Kane’s Bloodsky Blade tore through the air, aiming for its target.

Gestel countered with his sword.

The clash of the two weapons sent shockwaves rippling outward.

The ground caved under the immense pressure.

Not wanting to be caught up in the intense battle, the Solar Knights, along with Mikhail and Blata, retreated to a safe distance.

From afar, they stood in stunned silence.

A battle of monsters.

The terrain split apart, and mountains crumbled to dust.

"Is that the Young Master\'s true power?"

"Not entirely, but he\'s probably using around two-thirds of his strength."

"Calling him a monster seems like an understatement."

Kane had already reached the level of the Twelve Star Lords.

While his immense strength was partly due to his unique rune...

"Every attack and counter seems flawless, almost premeditated."

But that wasn’t all.

The transitions between offense and defense were unsettlingly seamless, as if the entire fight was choreographed.

"There’s no way I could ever insert myself into that fight."

Mikhail shook his head.

Even though he had recently transformed into a Blood Knight of the True Dragon descent, and had grown stronger,

Kane’s overwhelming presence was undeniable.

This was a strength far beyond ordinary comprehension.

The Blood Mana felt as though it had been a part of Kane from the very beginning.

"You’re right."

Chrysalis, sensing Mikhail’s thoughts, spoke.

"The more Kane fights, the more his blood transforms into mana itself."

"You can see that?"

"Do you not feel the unsettling aura surrounding him?"

"I can’t see anything."

"When you become stronger, you’ll sense it — the aura of True Blood Magic."

"True Blood Magic?"

"Perhaps you’d recognize the term True Blood Knight."

"Are you referring to the legendary knight who single-handedly stood against a God during the Celestial-Human War?"

The Celestial-Human War was when the heavens attempted to eradicate humanity.

They sent out the Oblivion Knights to battle humans imbued with dark oblivion energy, only to be completely annihilated.

In fury, a God descended to the human realm.

"So you’ve heard of it. Kane Rehinar closely resembles that True Blood Knight — or perhaps more accurately, the True Blood Magic Knight."

"Are you saying he’s a descendant?"

"It’s possible, though not entirely the same."

"What do you mean?"

"Even I’m not certain. Unless he fully embodies the traits of a True Blood Magic Knight, my thoughts remain speculative."

Chrysalis observed Kane’s fierce battle intently.

Kane was eerily similar to the True Blood Magic Knight she had once encountered.

It was almost as if they were the same person, reincarnated in different forms.

The way his blood transformed into mana was identical to that of the True Blood Magic Knight.

"And even his method of probing his opponent is exactly like the True Blood Magic Knight."

Kane wasn’t fighting at full strength.

He was clearly holding back.

And yet, he matched his opponent’s power exactly.

Chrysalis could see it clearly.

Kane was enjoying the fight.

Kane found amusement in blocking his opponent’s all-out attacks.

"With that kind of power, it’s easy to see how one could get addicted. Every opponent he’s faced up to now must have been taken down in a single blow."

There were people in this world who were born to fight.

Not only were they skilled, but they enjoyed fighting.

The True Blood Magic Knight had been like that.

How much fun had he had battling against the Oblivion Knights?

When a knight wielding divine powers (Oblivion energy) was overpowered by one with demonic powers (Blood Energy),

it was no wonder the gods were enraged.

Kane now resembled that very same figure from the past.

"This situation might not be the biggest issue here..."

Chrysalis turned her gaze toward the interior of Orchid City.

Black smoke rose in columns throughout the area.

Screams echoed in every direction.

Beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings, voices cried out, begging for rescue.

But she couldn’t leave this battlefield.

If she did, Mikhail would be the only one left to face the Solar Knights.

"If you’re worried about the inside, go."

"You can’t handle the Solar Knights on your own."

"If I’m in danger, won’t the Young Master end his fight sooner? Unlike him, I don’t particularly enjoy battles."

Mikhail, despite his strength, valued human life.

Pervartz Family had long upheld compassion and righteousness as its core values.

He couldn’t stop worrying about the chaos within Orchid City.

"They’re all so fixated on the Young Master’s battle. Go while their eyes are elsewhere."

After some hesitation, Chrysalis finally moved.

The Solar Knights’ gaze remained locked on the ongoing clash.

---

As Chrysalis leaped into the air, she transformed into her dragon form.

She unleashed a powerful breath toward the divine hand descending upon the center of Orchid City.

Though her full strength hadn’t yet returned, as a golden dragon, her breath shattered the divine hand into countless pieces with a resounding crash.

No more divine hands appeared after that.

The divine swords also ceased to manifest.

What lay before her in the royal capital of Orchid was utter devastation.

‘I’ll have to deploy large-scale teleportation magic. At this rate, every citizen of Orchid will die.’

Her eyes glimmered with a golden light.

A massive magic circle surrounded Orchid’s royal capital.

In an instant, the entire city was engulfed in radiant light.

She temporarily created a separate space to transport the people of Orchid into safety.

‘Even this isn’t enough. My mana is running out.’

Her wounds hadn’t fully healed.

After being consumed by oblivion energy for decades, it was no easy feat to recover.

It was only thanks to Kane’s Blood Restoration ability that she had come this far.

Natural recovery might have taken over a century.

With her mana completely drained, Chrysalis began to plummet.

At that moment, a vampire caught her and carefully placed her on the ground.

It was Desdemona.

As Chrysalis plummeted from the sky, Desdemona spotted her falling figure.

As the Dragon was standing next to Kane, she could easily discern that Chrysalis was an ally.

"Having another woman around my master isn’t exactly to my liking."

Desdemona frowned, her beautiful face twisting in displeasure.

And it wasn’t just anyone—Chrysalis was a dragon, a species far nobler than vampires, exuding an entirely different level of dignity.

The magic Chrysalis had displayed moments earlier had been extraordinary.

A spell capable of individually identifying and teleporting humans to safety—such precision was impossible for anyone without unparalleled focus.

It was a feat achievable only because she was a dragon.

"I can’t afford to fall behind a rival."

After carefully laying Chrysalis down, Desdemona spread her Blood Wings once more.

The wings were massive and awe-inspiring, radiating an overwhelming sense of majesty.

The vampires around her looked on in reverence.

Some among the vampire elders even shed tears.

"Perfect Blood Wings! Our sovereign has awakened!"

"It’s a tremendous blessing for our ruler to have met the Blood Lord, Sir Kane."

"These lesser beings will never be able to harm our sovereign again."

Desdemona could feel it.

Kane, to whom she had sworn her allegiance, had blossomed into a True Blood Magic Knight.

Because of him, she too had transformed, becoming something entirely different.

The shackles of sunlight that had once bound her were completely shattered, allowing her to wield the magic of blood freely.

While vampires had always relied on blood for sustenance, even this need had changed.

Now, she could survive without consuming blood, and her powers were enhanced with potent blood magic.

"Blood Hellfire."

At her command, droplets of blood scattered across the battlefield, erupting into towering flames wherever they landed.

The Destruction Knights tried desperately to extinguish the fire, but it was futile.

The commander of the knights, engulfed in flames, charged directly at Desdemona without hesitation.

"You wretched creature!"

The House of the SUn believed themselves to be the pinnacle of existence, seeing all other humans and races as nothing more than vermin.

Vampires, whom they viewed as the worst of all due to their association with disease and corruption, were no exception.

This disdain was imbued into the commander’s blade as he lunged at her.

Desdemona extended her hand toward him, her voice cold and merciless.

"A human like you disappearing from the continent would be for the best."

In an instant, the commander’s lifeblood was drained from his body.

"Guhh—!"

Her hand gripped his head, her claws piercing deeply.

Not just blood but his life energy, moisture—everything within him—was siphoned through her claws.

The more she absorbed, the more radiant her appearance became.

Her once pale complexion now glowed with vitality, her beauty became both mesmerizing and terrifying.

To the Destruction Knights, it was an image of pure horror.

Their commander was dead.

The reality was difficult to accept.

This wasn’t a man who should have fallen so easily.

He was a human nearing the power of an 8th-class Knight.

Unless faced with one of the Twelve Lords, his death should have been impossible.

Yet here he was, slain.

And by a race they had considered beneath them.

* * *

The priests of Radiance wore grim expressions.

They had been casting blessings and divine magic from the rear, but even with their efforts, the tide of battle was against them.

Now, even the commander of the Destruction Knights—whom they had placed their faith in—had fallen.

The priests grew increasingly unsettled.

"High Priest, the situation is dire."

"The morale of the Destruction Knights has completely collapsed."

"Even if we still have the mutated monsters and death fiends, this will not be an easy fight."

Hearing their concerns, the High Priest finally spoke.

"What would you have me do?"

"As much as it pains me, we must retreat."

"At the very least, we should regroup with the Sun Knights."

"But if we pull back, do you think Commander Gestel will let this slide?"

Gestel was a merciless man.

He would never tolerate anyone tarnishing the Meyer Family’s name.

Let alone allow retreating soldiers to live.

He would likely command them to die with honor.

The High Priest’s face clouded with deep conflict.

"Even with the commander gone, what help can we possibly provide by staying here?"

"If we explain that unforeseen circumstances occurred, he may forgive us once."

"Please make your decision quickly!"

"If we delay, our losses will only grow."

The priests pressed the High Priest for a decision.

Finally, after much deliberation, he came to a conclusion.

"Even if Commander Gestel executes us, we will retreat."

At the High Priest’s orders, the priests of Radiance wasted no time fleeing.

Their bodies were enveloped in light and vanished in an instant.

The priests of Radiance had abandoned the battlefield.

With the deaths of both the Fifth Elder and the Destruction Knight Commander, the forces of the Meyer Family stationed within Orchid were rapidly being wiped out.

Meanwhile, the priests of Radiance reappeared outside the Orchid royal capital, at their original base hidden in the mountains.

"Look—over there!"

"What?!"

"No... This can’t be! Commander Gestel is being overpowered by that mere upstart!"

Their eyes widened in shock.

Fear spread among them like wildfire.

Even the High Priest was visibly shaken.

"So... the ones the House of the Sun feared so deeply have finally revealed themselves."

A man bearing the Blood Mark, that too the fifth form, Blood Oath.

He was overwhelming Commander Gestel.

“This was never a fight we could win in the first place…”

Commander Gestel was indisputably the second-most powerful figure within the Meyer Family.

He was known as the Knight of Terror, the infamous Red Star.

A man who commanded not only authority and honor but also immense skill.

To see such a figure being overpowered was a deeply shocking sight.

"High Priest! We must flee from here immediately!"

“We need to inform the Lord of this!”

Just as the terrified priests prepared to abandon their positions, the High Priest spoke in a sorrowful tone.

“It’s already too late. Lord Meyer has been watching us this entire time.”

From within the High Priest’s eyes, the image of the Lord, Kesh Meyer, was reflected.

And he did not look pleased.