The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]

Chapter 179

“Ahhh!”

Gillip screamed.

The people following behind were startled.

“L-Lord!”

“An assassination attempt?”

“Protect the lord!”

As Gillip's subordinates prepared to rush in, Kane called out to him.

“Gillip.”

Though it was just one word, Gillip immediately recognized who it was.

“Stop, you fools!”

At Gillip’s command, his subordinates froze in place.

“What brings Your Excellency here?”

“Is the Red Raven under your control?”

Gillip vehemently denied it.

“Of course not. I have only ever established the Black Crow Exchange.”

“Then who are these Red Ravens?”

Kane’s questions came one after another.

Gillip’s submissive behavior made everyone murmur.

“Who is that man for the lord to bow his head like that?”

“No idea. Could he be royalty?”

“That would make sense.”

It was rare to see Gillip, who was a close confidant of Kane Rehinar, to show such deference.

Even when facing members of the royal family, Gillip stood tall and proud. Yet here he was, bowing deeply before this cloaked and enigmatic figure.

The Red Raven members looked displeased.

“Sir Gillip! Apprehend that man!”

“What?”

Gillip, who had been conversing with Kane, looked baffled.

“That man attacked us without warning! Can’t you see our captain is injured? We'll report this to the higher-ups if you don’t restrain him immediately!”

A member of the Red Ravens issued the threat openly, his words dripping with intimidation.

“You madmen! Stop it already! Do you even know who stands before you?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kane cut Gillip off mid-sentence.

“Let them continue.”

Gulp.

Gillip swallowed nervously.

He could feel it—Kane’s anger.

It seemed a storm of bloodshed was about to sweep through Philaec today.

As Gillip remained silent, the others shouted,

“What are you all standing around for? Arrest that man now!”

But the order wasn’t directed at the Red Ravens.

It was meant for Gillip’s subordinates, the soldiers of Philaec.

“Gillip.”

“Yes, sir!”

“You’ll need to explain everything to me in detail. If you don’t want to lose your head..”

Gillip’s face turned pale.

He knew Kane was serious.

If he so much as mixed lies into his explanation, he risked losing everything he had worked so hard to rebuild, including Tegelo.

He recalled the fate of those who had once crossed Kane.

Every one of them had been sent straight to hell.

Not a single one survived.

This ruthless efficiency earned Kane both respect and fear.

As someone close to him, Gillip knew this better than anyone.

“Explain those scumbags to me.”

Kane’s choice of words—scumbags—meant he had already decided to deal with them.

Gillip decided to hide nothing and laid everything out.

“They’re from Rehinar, sir. They’re also connected to elite followers of the Blata Grand Temple.”

“The Blata Blood Grand Temple?”

“Yes, sir. The Blata Grand Temple played a significant role in aiding Your Excellency in eradicating the remnants of the House of the Sun.”

“And?”

“With their merits, they were entrusted with various enterprises. One of those enterprises is the Red Ravens.”

“So, their behavior is all because of me?”

“Of course not, sir. It’s their arrogance in abusing Your Excellency’s name.”

“While those bastards caused havoc, what were you doing? I hear they’re extorting protection money from merchants.”

Between taxes and protection fees, the merchants had nothing left.

In fact, they were running at a loss.

The protection fees were exorbitant, leaving them stripped of everything they earned.

Life under such conditions was bound to be miserable.

“Well, sir, about that—”

“Speak clearly.”

Kane’s tone was icy, sending chills through the air.

Gillip squeezed his eyes shut.

I’m going to die today, he thought.

“They invoked Your Excellency’s name… I couldn’t do anything to stop them…”

Thud!

Kane sent Gillip flying into a wall.

“Gah!”

Gillip coughed up blood, his body reeling from the impact.

“L-Lord!”

“Seize that bastard!”

Gillip’s subordinates, stunned by Kane’s sudden action, moved to intervene.

But Gillip roared at them through gritted teeth.

“Stay back…! Cough, cough!”

Though his body felt weak, he forced himself to stand.

If he passed out here, he knew he wouldn’t wake up again.

“Summon. everyone. here. Not a single one is to be absent.”

“Cough, cough. Yes…sir.”

Gillip retrieved an emergency magical communicator from his coat.

Unlike regular communicators, this one was reserved for critical situations.

By channeling mana into it, he could send a message directly to all key members.

Watching Gillip’s actions, a man from the Red Ravens smirked

“Sir Gillip, was it really necessary to use that? Let’s not make this bigger than it needs to be; we can handle this among ourselves—”

Gillip cut the man off by clamping a hand over his mouth.

“Shut up! Unless you want to die.”

The man flinched, recoiling under the weight of Gillip’s murderous intent.

The intense hostility, which should have been aimed at the one who attacked him, was instead directed at the man himself, leaving him utterly baffled.

He had no idea what was about to unfold.

Philaec was abuzz with activity.

The leaders of Rehinar had been summoned to this place.

These were individuals whose faces were rarely seen, even by their own subordinates.

Yet, here they all were, gathered in one location.

Without hesitation, they approached Gillip.

“Gillip, what’s going on?”

Camilla’s voice cut through the tense air as she questioned him.

Gillip hesitated, glancing nervously at Kane.

“Well, it’s—”

“Silence.”

Kane’s icy tone left no room for argument.

The oppressive atmosphere that blanketed all of Philaec mirrored his simmering fury.

Shortly afterward, Yoshua arrived.

The members of the Red Ravens bowed deeply to him.

“The High Priest himself has graced this humble place.”

“I came after receiving an urgent message. What’s so critical that you activated the emergency communication orb?”

“That man, over there.”

One of the Red Ravens pointed at Kane.

“He shattered our captain’s knees.”

“It’s hard to believe Sir Gillip would use the emergency network for something as trivial as that.”

Yoshua tilted his head in confusion, his expression curious.

At that moment, Kane turned around.

“Everyone’s here.”

With a swift motion of his hand, blood swords materialized and shot toward the leaders.

They didn’t even have time to react.

The crimson blade halted mere inches from their faces.

Then Kane’s voice echoed ominously.

“Anyone who condoned the Red Ravens’ insane behavior, better confess now.”

As the blood sword materialized, everyone immediately recognized the cloaked figure before them.

There was only one person on the continent capable of wielding such overwhelming blood mana: Kane Rehinar.

“We greet Your Excellency.”

The leaders lowered themselves in reverence.

“Your Excellency?”

“The Blood Grand Duke has appeared?”

“Where?”

Onlookers scanned the area, their curiosity piqued.

But no matter where they looked, Kane Rehinar was nowhere to be found.

“Could it be...?”

Realization dawned on the crowd as they pieced it together.

The identity of the robed figure.

“Is that... the Blood Grand Duke?”

“Gasp!”

“My goodness.”

As murmurs of shock spread through the crowd, Kane’s discontented voice broke the tension.

“I asked a question, but all I get is a round of greetings. It seems my words don’t carry weight.”

Boom!

The atmosphere grew oppressive, the weight of Kane’s aura came crushing down on the leaders.

“Ugh...”

All at once, they fell to their knees.

Even the strongest among them, Mikhail, and High Priest Yoshua, couldn’t withstand it.

The more they resisted, the heavier the force pressed against their shoulders.

“Was it you, Yoshua, who allowed these vermin to run rampant?”

“Y-Your Excellency... ugh...”

“Or was it you, Camilla?”

Kane’s eyes flared ominously, and Camilla coughed up blood before collapsing.

It was she who had tried to stop Kane’s passage to Philaec.

“Or perhaps all of you conspired to blind my eyes and deafen my ears!”

Kane’s voice erupted with fury.

Blood seeped from the pores of every leader’s body, the oppressive aura targeting them alone.

The onlookers shuddered, feeling a chill that made their hairs stand on end.

It was a horrifying sight.

These individuals, each renowned across the continent, were helpless under Kane’s wrath.

“I... I will explain,” Camilla stammered.

“You’d better speak properly, or I’ll take your life here and now,” Kane declared, his tone unyielding.

Camilla bit her crimson lips, trembling.

“They fought on the front lines against the House of the Sun...”

“And that excused their vile behavior?”

“If we hadn’t granted them certain privileges... the discontent within the temple would have built up and exploded.”

“And you dare call that an excuse?” Kane’s voice dripped with contempt.

"Your Excellency, you may not realize how vast the influence of the church has become. Not just in Rehinar, but across the entire western region of Fresia. It’s no exaggeration to say that two-thirds of the continent's population belongs to the Blood Grand Temple."

"And what of it?"

"We’re doing everything we can to keep them in check, but there are limits."

"What you’re saying is that the Blood Grand Temple has grown so large that you’re incapable of managing it."

Kane’s voice grew colder, laced with lethal intent.

He approached the trembling member of the Red Raven group.

“Y-Your Excellency…”

“You are unworthy of addressing me.”

Kane grabbed the man’s head, activating a Blood Void.

“S-spare me—aaaargh!”

Every ounce of moisture was drained from the man’s body into Kane’s hand.

But it didn’t stop there.

Though Kane’s grip was on one man, the entire Red Raven group screamed in agony.

“N-noooooo!”

One by one, they collapsed, their bodies shriveled and lifeless.

“Yoshua.”

“...Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Didn’t I tell you to always keep firm control on the Blood temple?”

“It is my failure,” Yoshua admitted.

“And how will you take responsibility for this failure?”

“I offer my life.”

Before Yoshua could follow through, Joseph interjected.

“Your Excellency, Yoshua has devoted himself to the well-being of Rehinar.”

“I am aware that you, Joseph, are not involved in this matter.”

Joseph, as the head instructor of the Rehinar Military Academy, remained strictly focused on his duties and uninvolved in external affairs.

“However, if you interfere with my work, you will not remain unharmed.”

“Even so, Yoshua has pledged unwavering loyalty to Your Excellency—”

“That’s enough.”

Kane cut Joseph off, his rage far from subsiding.

“You’ll take responsibility here and now, Yoshua, in front of everyone.”

“I will obey your command.”

Yoshua’s right hand glowed with a crimson aura. Without hesitation, he prepared to destroy his own heart.

But Kane intervened.

“I’ll spare your life in exchange for your loyalty to Rehinar.”

Kane reached out, shattering Yoshua’s mana core. Though his life was spared, Yoshua would never wield mana again.

“Ugh… I am deeply grateful for Your Excellency’s boundless mercy.”

Kane turned his gaze toward Mikhail.

“Mikhail, the Blood Grand Temple’s influence must be dismantled.”

“I will obliterate everything beyond Rehinar’s borders.”

Mikhail immediately grasped Kane’s intention. As Kane’s most trusted ally, he could read his master’s thoughts with ease.

“You won’t accomplish this quickly on your own. Work with Gilip.”

“I’ll join as well,” Camilla said, struggling to her feet.

“You’re not needed.”

Kane dismissed her without a second thought.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]