Bloodhound's Regression Instinct

Chapter 254

Hans froze as he urgently shifted his weight toward the three figures who had just awakened.

Vila, standing right beside him, also blinked awake.

“I almost... died,” Hans muttered.

It was all because of the strange, languid voice that had come from behind.

“Who dares to intrude without permission!”

Both of them spun around, their bodies pivoting toward the source of the voice. What they saw left them stunned: a figure with an adult-sized build, grotesquely twisted lips, and drooping eyes.

His hair grew haphazardly, and his posture was anything but normal.

Normally, Hans would have observed an opponent through mental combat, trying to gather information. But this time, as soon as they laid eyes on the stranger, they attacked without hesitation.

“Why do I feel no fear?” Hans wondered.

“Even my divine sight reveals nothing!”

The eerie atmosphere emanating from the stranger’s voice was the reason.

As they charged toward the enigmatic creature, both Hans and Vila drew their weapons.

And then it happened.

“Another fight... bothersome.”

The creature vanished from their sight in an instant.

Crash!

“What?!”

“...This is unexpected!”

The creature materialized behind Hans and extended its arm. Initially, it seemed like an ordinary arm, but it elongated unnaturally, transforming into a sharp blade.

Thud!

Hans’s eyes snapped open. A flesh-colored blade pierced through his abdomen.

“Wh-what happened...?”

Despite the distortion caused by the warrior’s essence, he could still sense life. His heightened vigilance allowed him to react swiftly, regardless of how the creature moved.

But...

“I couldn’t even see it move...!”

Even that wasn’t enough. The creature had analyzed their every move, even predicting a fatal strike!

Hans’s throat convulsed, and blood spurted out.

“Gah!”

“Bothersome... so very bothersome...”

As the creature withdrew the blade, Hans’s chest erupted with blood.

And just as the creature prepared to finish him off, its blade wavering near Hans’s throat...

Thud!

A heavy impact sent the creature flying into the distance.

In its place stood Vila, who had thrown off his own robe and tossed it to Hans.

“Secure yourself with this. I didn’t expect the Beowulf Lord’s people to be in such good shape.”

Pale-faced, Hans nodded and began binding his chest with the offered garment.

“Quick thinking,” he murmured.

The creature, despite the blow, showed no signs of injury.

Vila clicked his tongue. “I thought the inspiration might die, so I held back. But I never imagined it would still be intact.”

He turned to the creature. “Hey, monster. What exactly are you? I may be in this remote area, but I have keen ears. Yet I’ve never heard of someone like you.”

The creature chuckled. “Can I tell you...? It’s a bother, but... I can’t be bothered to think.”

As it spoke, its laughter grew more intense, and a glint of malice appeared in its eyes.

“So, die.”

Crash!

Once again, the creature’s form vanished.

However, Vila’s intuition harbored the movements of the monster.

Although only a dark energy emanated from the creature, it was impossible to precisely measure its strength.

“Tracking the direction of this energy shouldn’t be too difficult,” Vila thought.

Wasn’t the black energy still connected somewhere to the place where the monster had lingered?

Examining the end of the trailing thread, Vila’s determined eyes followed the creature’s energy, then abruptly swung a fist toward its side.

Zzweong!

A shockwave swept through the surroundings. Despite the sharp pain coursing through his body, Vila clenched his teeth, refusing to scream.

“Annoying... but my eyes are sharp,” he muttered.

“Many people say that,” came the nonchalant reply.

With a deep breath, Vila unleashed tremendous force, using both fists to pummel the monster.

Kukukung! Kukukung!

Thud! Thud!

The sheer pressure generated by each punch reverberated through the air.

Hwaak!

As his fists swung, the intricate tattoo covering Vila’s entire body—the Glyph—glowed, amplifying the power contained in his blows. This technique, born from his training after being defeated by Duke Beowulf, surpassed even the strength of the Primordials.

Yet, despite the relentless barrage, the monster’s eerie energy remained unaffected. It was as if the creature defied the laws of nature.

“Where’s the impact?” Vila wondered. The monster’s energy should have wavered, even slightly, upon receiving a blow. But nothing.

Then, it happened.

“...I’m just tired of this,” the monster said, its voice devoid of resistance.

Simultaneously, a chilling sensation crawled up Vila’s spine.

His body froze, as if time itself had halted. His pupils trembled.

“What... is this?” Vila couldn’t move, yet it wasn’t an external force restraining him. His body simply refused to obey.

Unlike the previous encounter with Duke Beowulf, where external pressure had frozen him, this was different. His own flesh and blood rebelled against his will.

The monster chuckled. “You... even if it’s annoying, I’ll make sure you suffer.”

Turning away from Vila, the monster faced the fallen Helena, Yan, Lorena, and Theo.

Ella, standing behind them, sank to the ground. Even the strongest—like Hans and Vila—were mere nuisances to the monster.

But it wasn’t Ella who mattered now.

Ssreung.

With each step, the monster’s arms transformed into obsidian blades.

Then, it happened.

A brilliant white light erupted from Helena. The monster’s haggard face contorted, and it staggered backward.

“Huff, huff.”

Gasping, the monster stared at the four figures.

Or rather, it focused on Helena, the source of that radiant light.

The “part” the monster had implanted in her had nearly caused catastrophic consequences just now. The energy it emitted was none other than the Annihilation Light—a force that could fully materialize any concept within a Primordial’s mind.

The monster regarded Helena with wary eyes. The light she had just released was the very same Annihilation Light—the energy that could obliterate even the most powerful beings.

To the others, it might seem like ordinary light, but to the monster, it was different.

As Helena’s chest heaved, the three fallen figures began to rise.

“It’s over,” the monster muttered. Its courage to face such a calamity had vanished.

Whether Helena fell or stood, the monster no longer cared. She was less than a bothersome gnat before it.

The four figures were more important now.

Ssreung.

With each step, the monster’s arms morphed into obsidian blades.

And then...

From Helena, a blinding white light burst forth. The monster’s once disdainful expression shifted as it stumbled backward.

“Huff, huff.”

Clutching its chest, the monster stared—not at the four figures—but directly at Helena, the beacon of Annihilation Light.

The connection to the “part” it had embedded in her had nearly backfired. If not for severing that link just now, the monster would have suffered its own demise.

To others, the light might appear ordinary, but to the monster, it was different—an energy capable of fully manifesting any concept within a Primordial’s mind.

As Helena’s chest heaved, the three fallen figures began to rise.

Now, the monster no longer needed to worry about the Annihilation Light. It was time to regain its composure.

* * *

Just then, the bodies of the three people who had collapsed near Helena began to rise.

Among them, Lorena quickly checked Helena’s condition as she stood up. It was because of the sad smile that had graced Helena’s lips in the spiritual realm and the unexpected words she had spoken.

Lorena’s steps brought her closer to Helena, and her face grew paler by the moment.

“Mom?” Although Helena had barely been breathing when they first arrived in this space, now she wasn’t breathing at all.

Meanwhile, Yan, who had also risen, bit his lip as he looked at the fallen Helena. “Why? Why would you make that choice when we were making progress? You could have expelled even the near-immortal lethargy using the memories you regained.”

But Helena had chosen sacrifice. Yan couldn’t fathom the reason behind it.

And then, the voice echoed.

“Hmm, you almost died... No, perhaps it would have been better if you had died. Then you wouldn’t have to work anymore.”

The tone was languid, and the three people had heard it once before—from the mouths of the monsters they had faced. The gazes that had been fixed on Helena shifted toward the source of the voice.

Yan stared at the presumed lethargic creature. Its appearance was unlike anything he had seen in this life or the previous one. Frozen like a statue, Vila lay nearby, while Hans, with his pale face, had collapsed in another corner.

Defeating both Hans and Vila, even when they combined their efforts, meant this creature possessed power akin to at least a second-tier Primordial.

“Information is sorely lacking,” Yan thought.

And then...

Thud!

Lorena launched an ambush-like attack. Her speed as she hurtled toward the lethargic being was far from ordinary.

Her eyes glinted with determination.

“Take this!”

In an unexpected move, Lorena’s drawn sword pierced the lethargic creature’s throat.

Her action surprised both Yan and Theo.

“Lorena!”

“What a reckless fool!”

Even though Lorena had shown unprecedented growth among the promising young Primordials, she was still far behind those who had already established their domains. Compared to them, she was lacking.

And this creature had already defeated both Hans and Vila, exceptional Primordials.

“Damn it! Do I risk everything?” If Lorena wasn’t stopped, she would lose her life.

Theo clenched his lips, then took a deep breath, channeling mana.

“Theo?”

“Cover me.”

His breath exhaled a frosty mist. Unbeknownst to the others, he had tapped into Beowulf’s vision—the Frostfall.

As his eyes sank deeper...

Thwack!

The ground crumbled as Theo’s manifestation hurtled toward Lorena at incredible speed.

The Frostfall, First Form: Winter’s Arrival.

It was the same technique Lorena had used on the train in the past. But while Lorena’s physical abilities had been significantly enhanced, Theo’s manifestation was akin to an awakening.

The chilling energy radiated outward, freezing the entire vicinity. Even Yan, who had grown accustomed to heat and cold, felt the icy touch.

Theo was giving it his all.

As Theo’s hand reached Lorena...

Boom!

“Kihiihi.”

An ominous laughter accompanied the sudden twist in Lorena’s manifestation—a ‘ㄱ’ shape.

Theo’s eyes widened, realizing the truth.

The unidentifiable mass that jutted from Lorena’s back was none other than Naetae’s hand.

Theo screamed, “Lorenaaaa!!”