Not A Regressor-Chapter 286: Dogs And Wolves (11)

The thunderous wave of blue lightning traveled down the six wires, viciously engulfing Kalike.

Crackle!

“Gyaaaa!” He convulsed like a freshly caught fish, eyes rolled back in agony as if being torn apart limb by limb. “W-Which bastard dares...!?”

However, that only lasted a moment. The two black horns protruding from Kalike’s forehead emitted a dark, eerie glow, and his eyes rolled back into place.

With hands adorned in nail art of all colors, Kalike grabbed hold of the wires still coursing with lightning. Black flames burst from his hands and instantly severed the wires.

Whoosh!

Now freed from the restraints, Kalike glared furiously at the culprit who had subjected him to such torment.

“Tsk. You look even more fucked up in person.” The young beastkin standing above him clicked his tongue in disgust as if staring at filth and not the Khan Kingdom’s self-proclaimed true master and chancellor.

Kalike widened his eyes, visibly shocked by the vile words. “D-Did you just say that to me?”

“Who else is here besides you?”

“How dare you use such crude language on a lovely lady like me...!” Kalike’s face twisted in rage as he murderously glared at Kwon Oh-Jin, ready to tear him apart.

The words that just came out of Kalike’s mouth struck Kwon Oh-Jin like a brick. “What...? Y-You’re a girl?”

All the makeup was heavy enough to be called a mask. However, the sharp facial structure, prominent Adam's apple, and clearly masculine frame... No matter how one looked at it, Kalike’s physique resembled a man’s.

Kalike crossed his arms with a huff, turning his head away. “Hmph, is there a problem?”

“There’s nothing but a problem.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“You’re a dude, dumbass.”

“Haha. My body may be male, but my heart is that of a lovely lady.”

“Well, that’s what we still call a fucking male.”

Kwon Oh-Jin had no interest in debating gender identity or LGBTQ+ rights deep within the Demonic District. Sure, whether on Earth or here, all queer people deserved respect.

“But not a bastard who kidnaps children to use as hostages.”

Kalike’s inner nature was more revolting than the gaudy makeup he wore.

“You’re not beastkin, are you?” Kalike narrowed his eyes and scanned Kwon Oh-Jin from head to toe.

The way Kwon Oh-Jin moved, talked, and the way he addressed Kalike were all far too different from other beastkin.

“And if I’m not? What difference does it make?”

The black ears and tail were only disguises meant to avoid any unnecessary conflict. Now that his enemy stood in front of him, he no longer needed to hide that he was human.

Is Kalike the last of the demonkin here?

Kwon Oh-Jin activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici and surveyed the area. Aside from the two demonkin that the Silver Mane Tribe had taken out, he saw no other demonkin around.

There are three here, and two were sent to the village.

If he could take down Kalike and Horus, the situation here would be under control.

“Riarc, you take Horus.”

“Alright...”

Kwon Oh-Jin took out Dantalian from his waist.

Clack, shing!

The weapon transformed into a spear and crackled with blue lightning. He took a small breath and instantly charged at Kalike.

Rumble!

“You dare!” Kalike swung his hand in Kwon Oh-Jin’s direction.

Black flames burst out and formed a barrier to block his path. The heat was enough to scorch his skin, but Kwon Oh-Jin continued to charge head-on.

“Explosive Lightning.”

Crackle!

The lightning at his speartip detonated and broke through the wall of flames. He ignored the burning pain on his skin and hurled himself through the opening.

Kalike flinched, but quickly recomposed himself and dodged the spear coming for his neck.

“I’ll admit, you’re as skilled as you’re arrogant.” Kalike grabbed the shaft of Dantalian as it passed by his neck and yanked it hard.

Kwon Oh-Jin's palm tore open as the weapon was ripped away from his grip and flung far away.

Whoosh!

Kalike’s fist, covered in black fire, swung at Kwon Oh-Jin’s philtrum.

“Kugh!” Kwon Oh-Jin barely managed to raise his arm to block.

Boom!

A deafening crash like a bomb resounded as the ground beneath Kwon Oh-Jin’s feet caved in.

His forearm, which had blocked the punch, twisted grotesquely from the impact. Kwon Oh-Jin stepped back, pulled out a potion from his bag, and poured it over his forearm.

“You'll pay for wounding the heart of a delicate maiden with...” Kalike unsheathed a sword from his waist and aimed it at Kwon Oh-Jin. “Your life.”

“Oh, shut the hell up already. Hawwk, ptooey.” Kwon Oh-Jin spat out a thick glob of phlegm and tightened his fist.

“Be careful, my child. Despite what he looks like, I sense a dangerous aura coming off of him.”

“I know.”

Some other low-ranking demonkin would be a different story. He had never assumed that Kalike would be an easy opponent since this demonkin had practically ruled the Khan Kingdom for the past hundred years.

Kwon Oh-Jin took a sharp breath and kicked off the ground, stretching his arm toward Dantalian, which had flown far away. As if it had a will of its own, the black spear flew threw the air. He adjusted its return trajectory toward Kalike’s back. If all went to plan, the spear would pierce through Kalike’s back as it returned.

“What a cheap trick.” As if Kalike had eyes on the back of his head, he swung his sword behind him without even turning.

Clang!

The sword intercepted the spear and sent it flying once again.

“We’ll see about that.” Kwon Oh-Jin fired three wires that wrapped around Dantalian. “Now I’ll show you what a real trick looks like.”

The spear, reeling back in, pulled Kwon Oh-Jin through the air. While upside down in midair, he swung his arm. The spear, tied to the wires, swung widely like a tree striking a massive bell.

Boom!

The explosive power within the spear pushed Kalike back.

Still airborne, Kwon Oh-Jin activated Lightning Steps in his inverted state. Plummeting like a bungee jumper, he grabbed Kalike by the shoulders. Blue lightning from both of his hands violently tore through Kalike.

Crackle!

“Gyaaaaaa!”

As Kalike suffered under the electric onslaught, Kwon Oh-Jin grabbed his horns and yanked with all his strength. He tried to rip off the source of the Heavenly Demon’s power. Just then, a sinister black light flared from the horns. Black flames erupted around them and poured toward him.

“Watch out!” Vega flew out from his pocket.

Spreading her arms wide, she summoned a wall of blue lightning to shield Kwon Oh-Jin. Lightning and fire collided, creating a massive shockwave that tore through the area.

The impact flung Kwon Oh-Jin far away.

“Agh!”

A searing pain spread through him, and clear fluid oozed from his scorched skin.

“Oh? It seems like this is your first time fighting a demonkin.” Kalike’s eyes gleamed as he gently caressed his black horns. “For us demonkin, these horns are gifts from the Heavenly Demon. They are our greatest source of power and deadliest weapon.”

So their horns aren’t their weakness?

Clicking his tongue, Kwon Oh-Jin reached for Dantalian again. The wires retracted, and the black spear flew back into his hand.

Kalike made a sinister grin. “Well then, that’s a good enough warm-up.”

The two horns on his forehead emitted a dark light. From his eyes, an eerie blue ghost fire ignited.

“Let’s begin for real now, shall we?” Kalike launched forward at lightning speed.

Boom!

Sword slashes came from every direction. The incoming attacks felt like dozens of blades raining down at once.

“Hmph!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kwon Oh-Jin barely managed to deflect the slashes by using Pyxis Spearmanship. However, the longer the exchange continued, the more he was forced back.

“Hahaha! This is the blessing our Heavenly Demon has bestowed upon us!” Kalike’s annoying laugh echoed in his ears.

Even while being pushed back, Kwon Oh-Jin smirked. “Is that so?”

A blessing from the Heavenly Demon, huh.

If the Heavenly Demon supported Kalike, then Kwon Oh-Jin had Vega.

“Oh, star of Lyra, shining high in the sky,” Vega chanted and brought her hands together in prayer. “Let your radiant starlight banish the darkness that clouds my child’s path.”

Brilliant silver light burst from Vega and poured into Kwon Oh-Jin.

Woong!

An explosive wave of power washed over him.

Kwon Oh-Jin deflected the sword and charged forward. He swung his fist, crackling with blue lightning, into Kalike’s solar plexus.

“Kugh...!” Kalike bent like a bow and violently flew back.

***

Meanwhile, while the clash between Kwon Oh-Jin and Kalike raged on, a black wolf sprinted at high speed.

“Grrrrrr!”

Leaping through the air, Riarc swung his savage forepaws at Horus.

Clang!

Horus deflected the blow with the gauntlet on his forearm and followed up with a powerful punch. His fist tore through the air with a sonic boom.

Riarc twisted in midair using Lightning Steps and whipped Horus’s cheek with his tail. Though his tail was covered in fur, it still contained devastating force.

Horus’s head snapped to the side from the impact. However, using that as momentum, Horus turned to the side and launched a spinning back kick at Riarc, still in the air. His leg barely grazed Riarc, but even that glancing blow sent Riarc hurtling through the air like artillery had struck him.

Boom!

Landing with a roll to disperse the impact, Riarc faintly chuckled. “Good... You’re not out of shape.”

He slightly raised one paw. With his claws extended, he lunged again in a sharp zigzag for Horus’s throat.

“Grrrr!”

Horus twisted to dodge Riarc’s claws and countered with a shoulder tackle. The devastating blow, capable of pulverizing solid rock, aimed straight at Riarc. Just before it landed, Riarc twisted his forepaw, aiming for Horus’s neck, and brought it down on his shoulder instead. The masterful technique was akin to suddenly bending a fully extended arm at a right angle in mid-swing.

After striking Horus’s shoulder, Riarc vaulted over his head in a tumbling motion and aimed for his back.

“Not so fast!” Horus allowed himself to fall forward and planted his arms on the ground.

With both hands braced, he kicked back like a horse at Riarc’s forehead.

Clicking his tongue, Riarc twisted in midair. He met Horus’s kick with his own hind leg with perfect timing. The force launched him into the air in an arc like a catapult.

Their fight resembled a deadly acrobatic performance more than combat.

Watching from a distance, Leoru gasped in shock. “W-What the...?”

He had heard that one of Kwon Oh-Jin’s beastkin companions was highly skilled, but never imagined that he could go head-to-head with Horus.

“You’re...” Horus hesitated.

For some reason, something about this black wolf’s movements felt oddly familiar. It felt like he was flipping through an old photo album.

“N-No... It can’t be.” He shook his head and denied the thought forming in his mind.

There was no way he could be here because...

“Y-You died that day...”

Horus stared at the black wolf before him with trembling eyes. The color of his fur and his appearance all looked slightly different from his memory, but he instinctively recognized it.

“Riarc...?”

The black wolf before him was none other than his comrade, whom he had personally killed over a century ago.

Riarc silently stared back. “It’s been a while, Horus.”

Horus’s eyes widened in shock at the familiar voice.