Not A Regressor-Chapter 285: Dogs And Wolves (10)

Song Ha-Eun looked toward the smoke rising from the castle and frowned. “Why the royal castle...?”

“Hold on a second.” Kwon Oh-Jin fired his wire shooter at the mansion’s roof and soared up.

From the rooftop, he could pinpoint exactly where the explosion had taken place.

Vega’s Hunting Dog.

He activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici and heightened his senses to the limit. A splitting headache struck him as his vision zoomed in like a telescope on the distant smoke.

“That’s...”

Through the smoke rising from the royal castle, he saw a fierce battle unfolding between beastkin with silver and black fur. At the front of the Silver Mane Tribe stood their chief, Leoru, charging toward the castle.

Kwon Oh-Jin instantly understood what was happening.

A rebellion.

A week ago, he recalled how Leoru had looked like he wanted to say something when Kwon Oh-Jin told him that he was going to meet Horus.

Is this what he wanted to tell me back then?

Leoru had been planning a rebellion. Given the Khan Kingdom’s current state, it likely wasn’t a rash decision.

There is conflict between pro-demonkin and anti-demonkin factions caused by the demonkin’s mass departure.

For some reason, the demonkins who had ruled the Khan Kingdom for the last hundred years suddenly left, and only five remained. Then came the unexpected news of war preparations, which pushed the already anxious public to the brink. The anti-demonkin faction probably saw this as the perfect opportunity to drive the demonkin out once and for all.

And at the center of that anti-demonkin faction is Leoru.

Now, everything started making sense. That day, when Kwon Oh-Jin said he would kill Horus if Horus had ties to the Heavenly Demon, Leoru likely wanted to bring up this very rebellion.

But he couldn’t say it.

From the perspective of the anti-demon faction, which likely lacked in numbers and strength, Kwon Oh-Jin’s group would have been an incredibly valuable force. However, they couldn’t afford to trust outsiders with a massive plan like a rebellion. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Kwon Oh-Jin jumped down from the rooftop and looked toward the smoke rising in the distance. “We need to head to the castle.”

The demonkin being absent from their mansions meant only one thing. They had already heard about the rebellion. A surprise attack wouldn’t work. With the rebellion already discovered, it wasn’t hard to guess how it would end.

Riarc bared his teeth after grasping the situation and fiercely glared in the direction of the castle. “Those reckless idiots!”

Just as he looked ready to sprint away, Kwon Oh-Jin felt a faint vibration from his pocket.

Woong!

He pulled out the glowing and shaking communication orb.

—O-Oh-Jin oppa!

Riru shouted breathlessly.

—P-Please help! The demonkin and Black Mane Tribe are attacking the village!

Kwon Oh-Jin’s face twisted in anger. “Goddamn it.”

The fact that the demonkin and Black Mane Tribe attacked the village as the rebellion began meant only one thing.

They’re going to use the villagers as hostages.

If the demonkin knew about the rebellion in advance, they wouldn’t need to engage in a bloody battle against the Silver Mane Tribe if they used hostages.

“Are you at home right now?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

—Y-Yes! I’m hiding in the storage shed with Leo oppa!

“I’ll be there soon, so don’t leave the shed.”

—O-Okay!

After ending the call, Kwon Oh-Jin turned toward Isabella and Song Ha-Eun. Both of their expressions went stiff after hearing Riru’s desperate voice.

“You two go to the village.”

“What?”

“Are you planning to head to the castle alone, Mr. Oh-Jin?”

“No.” Kwon Oh-Jin turned to Riarc. “I’m going with Riarc.”

Of course, Vega, hiding in his pocket, would be coming with him too.

“That’s too dangerous.” Isabella shook her head. “I’ll go to the village alone. After all, there probably won’t be many since they’re attacking an empty village.”

Only elderly beastkin or children like Riru and Leo remained in the village. Even if the Silver Mane Tribe was fierce, the enemies likely wouldn’t send a large force to subdue a few defenseless villagers.

Isabella alone could easily wipe them out.

“If you want to rescue both the captured beastkin and deal with the enemies, going alone won’t cut it.”

“But—”

“Just killing the ones who attacked the village isn’t everything, right?”

Isabella bit her lip and dropped her head.

Just as Kwon Oh-Jin said, wiping out the group attacking the village would be a simple task. However, protecting the captured beastkin while also taking out the attackers was a completely different matter. No matter how strong she was, doing both at the same time would be extremely difficult.

Of course, even with Song Ha-Eun joining her, it would still be hard to rescue all the captured Silver Mane Tribe members. They would certainly save more of them together.

“We don’t have time to hesitate.” Kwon Oh-Jin urged Song Ha-Eun and Isabella to move.

“Ugh, fine,” Song Ha-Eun said.

“Alright.” Isabella agreed.

The two women worriedly sighed at Kwon Oh-Jin and turned away.

“We’ll come help you right after we finish. Until then, please don’t push yourself too hard,” Isabella said.

“Yeah. Trust me.” Kwon Oh-Jin confidently smiled and gave them a thumbs-up.

Song Ha-Eun and Isabella remained skeptical before kicking off toward the Silver Mane Tribe village. Their figures quickly faded into the distance.

“Let’s head to the castle.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, kid?”

Not just the demonkins, but the pro-demonkin faction’s core forces had likely all gathered at the royal castle. Even if only a few demonkin remained in the kingdom, each of them possessed immense power from the Heavenly Demon. Ambushing them one by one would’ve worked, but facing them head-on was far too risky.

“I’m not sure.” Kwon Oh-Jin smirked as he looked at the smoke rising from the castle.

Just as Riarc had implied, heading toward the royal capital without Isabella and Song Ha-Eun would be quite reckless. Even if Riarc and Vega accompanied him, the Law restricted them from unleashing their full power.

“Then why go?”

“I told you before.” Kwon Oh-Jin repeated what he said on the day he learned about Riarc’s past. “If it's something that can be solved by enduring, then it’s nothing.”

“This isn’t something that can be solved by enduring...”

“Then, that’s all the more reason to give it everything I’ve got.” Blue lightning sparked from Kwon Oh-Jin’s legs.

Crackle!

“So? What will you do?” He turned to Riarc.

It was time to hear the answer that hadn’t come last time.

Riarc silently gazed at the castle with sunken eyes.

Vega flew over to him and gently patted his head. “Riarc, this reminds me of when we first met.”

Back then, Riarc had been so battered that it was a wonder he was even alive. The silver wolf wept because he couldn’t protect anyone.

“I’ve watched you live with that regret for a long time,” the goddess warmly said. “Follow where your heart leads. This time... don’t let it end in regret.”

“Lady Vega...” Riarc ground his teeth.

Grit.

Then, he took a step forward.

“Let’s go, kid.”

Crackle, crackle!

Two streaks of blue lightning shot off toward the castle.

***

“Haa, haa!” Leoru gasped for breath.

His blood-stained silver fur clung to him uncomfortably. Before him lay hundreds of warriors from the Black Mane Tribe and two demonkin, bloodied and beaten.

The Silver Mane Tribe that the former Khan belonged to had proven their sheer might while assaulting the castle.

“C-Chief!”

“We can’t hold on like this—!”

The urgent cries of his tribesmen reached his ears. No matter how strong the Silver Mane Tribe warriors were, they couldn’t overturn such an overwhelming numerical disadvantage. At last, Leoru, who had led the charge and fought more bravely than anyone, collapsed to his knees.

In front of Leoru stood a man with black hair, looking down at him bitterly.

“Stop... now.”

“H-Horus...!” Leoru glared at Horus, his eyes burning with hatred.

Horus slightly averted his gaze to avoid the intensity of that look.

“What’s the matter~?” Kalike, the man wearing thick makeup, giggled and dabbed more powder on his cheeks.

Horus clenched his fists as he glared at Kalike. “Was this your doing?”

Kalike shrugged with a sly grin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

Horus coldly glared at him. “The castle gates were already open.”

To enter the royal castle, one had to pass through two gates. An outer wall beyond the capital and an inner wall surrounded the castle.

Despite the outer wall being loosely guarded, the Black Mane Tribe constantly watched the inner wall twenty-four hours a day. A force of this size couldn’t possibly have infiltrated the castle unless someone on the inside permitted it. In other words, someone had pushed the Silver Mane Tribe to start a rebellion.

Kalike laughed, his crimson lips twisting into a smirk. “Hahaha! Indeed, I suppose we’ll need to discipline the guards properly later, won’t we?”

Horus clenched his fists so tightly that thick veins bulged along his knuckles.

“Kalike...!” He trembled in rage, his eyes bloodshot.

Kalike snorted in amusement. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be hurrying to capture them? You’ll want them when we pass beyond the rift to fight valiantly at the frontlines.”

Horus dryly laughed and shook his head. “Ha. You think they’ll surrender?”

Even though Leoru had been wounded and collapsed on the ground, his eyes still gleamed with fierce determination.

“We will never become dogs like you, Horus!” Leoru wiped the blood from his mouth and staggered to his feet.

“Hahaha!” Kalike laughed uncontrollably, his shoulders shaking in delight at the situation. “Well, now. Would you still say that if your children’s lives were on the line?”

Leoru’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you say? W-What did you do to our village...?”

“Oh my, take a guess?”

Leoru’s face turned deathly pale as he stumbled back.

Kalike slowly approached and stuck out his long tongue. “Shut up and kneel, you filthy mutts! How dare you bare your teeth at your master—”

Bang!

Just as Kalike was talking, six wires suddenly shot out and tightly wrapped around him.

Kalike looked down at the wires binding him with a frown. “What the hell is this?”

“What do you think it is, you bastard?”

Crackle!

“Gyaaaaa!”

Blue lightning rushed through the wires and violently shocked Kalike.