Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 83

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a tremendous sonic boom, the energy unleashed from Ascalon swept away the undead lingering on the plateau.

Not content with just that, a massive dust storm arose, engulfing the plateau in its fury.

Swoosh!

Yan had no time to feel the tide of vigor rushing into his body.

He was utterly lost in the power of the Dragon Fang he had unleashed.

“Could it really be this insanely powerful?”

He knew the sword technique of the Founding Emperor was extraordinary.

But he never anticipated such overwhelming might.

Parts of the once-flat plateau had collapsed, and the undead, like a receding tide, were annihilated.

And then the problem arose…

“Does it consume mana like this?”

In a single move, not only the mana stored in the Mana Heart but also his vitality was drained.

Yan laughed helplessly.

Then, defenselessly, he fell backward.

He had no strength left even to stand.

At that moment…

Roar! Was it the descendant of the Founding Emperor?!

A thunderous roar shook the plateau.

‘How does that creature know of the Dragon Fang?’

Yan didn’t know how Eamon knew, but it recognized the Dragon Fang, which came with a brutal aftermath.

The Mana Heart was frozen, unresponsive, and his limbs wouldn’t obey him.

“To mistake the descendant of the tower-toppling bandit for an ally…”

The swirling dust storm suddenly settled, and Eamon emerged, his eyes blazing red with fury.

As Eamon waved his hand violently, Yan couldn’t move, as if bound by ropes.

“Never! I will not let you die easily! I’ll tear you into a thousand pieces, a tribute to the spirits of my comrades!”

From Eamon, a crimson mana began to swirl violently.

The night sky turned a dark red with its monstrous quantity.

In this dire situation…

Yan’s lips curled into a smile.

“How long will you just watch? It’s time to keep your promise.”

As soon as he finished speaking…

The Mana Heart, which had been still, began to move on its own.

At first, it was a slight movement, but it gradually quickened.

What emerged from the Mana Heart was not mana but a filthy, contaminated aura, the Qi of Death.

It moved freely, erupting from Yan’s body.

It wasn’t an attack.

It wasn’t Yan’s will.

But there was another who could infuse will into the Mana Heart besides Yan.

Billow, billow, billow…

The Qi that escaped took form, billowing out.

Golden curly hair, elongated ears, half-moon glasses, and a delinquent’s demeanor.

Yet, the harmony was so perfect, it was as if a god had sculpted the statue himself.

Yan, with half-closed eyes, saw ‘him.’

“You’re late. I almost died, you know?”

The blond man looked down at Yan with annoyance brimming in his eyes.

Yan met his gaze and mentioned the man’s name.

“Momon.”

This was Yan’s trump card.

“I will persuade the child no matter what, so focus on manifesting me.”

Using the Qi gathered from slaying the undead, Yan had successfully manifested the Ancient Lich, Momon.

* * *

Momon gazed upon his corporeal form, long unseen, and sighed.

“If only I had absorbed a bit more, I could have attained a complete body…”

Despite absorbing a considerable amount of malevolent energy, it was still insufficient.

Forcing his body to reconstruct in such a state, it couldn’t possibly be intact.

His current flesh would crumble within thirty minutes at most.

Beyond that time, he would revert to a pitiful pile of bones.

Momon lifted his head.

“Where did you spring from?”

Eamon surveyed Momon with a curious gaze.

Momon felt a sense of dissonance in Eamon’s tone.

Revealed amidst battle, yet there was no sign of tension.

“You…”

Before Momon could finish,

Eamon approached with a bizarre laugh.

“Hehehe. Have you come to study the pinnacle of magic with me?”

Momon’s eyes sank deeply.

The furious visage Eamon had upon witnessing Yan’s ‘Dragon Fang’ had vanished, replaced by a face of mirth.

“No answer? Say something. It’s as if I’m talking to myself!”

Eamon chuckled, waving his arms.

Suddenly, magical circles began to spread around Momon.

Whoosh…

As Eamon waved his hand, the center of the magical circle began to spin violently.

Then…

Roar…

Vicious spells started to intrude into the world.

Magic that creates volcanoes, magic that crushes foes with gravity, magic that summons blizzards, magic that calls forth the beast Cerberus, magic that triggers earthquakes.

Each spell was perilously powerful.

Momon watched the spells quietly.

Eamon, as observed moments ago, lacked the ability to wield such potent magic… His comprehension of magic had unnaturally skyrocketed.

Growl!

Rumble.

Whistle!

Buzz.

Numerous spells began to assail Momon with a deadly intent.

Facing these natural-disaster-like spells, Momon seemed on the verge of turning to dust.

Having scrutinized the spells, Momon’s eyes widened.

“This madman!”

Momon cursed vehemently, flicking his finger.

Snap!

With a crisp sound, the spells swirling close to Momon vanished in an instant.

It was as if they had been ‘erased.’

Eamon’s mouth gaped open.

“Why is this happening? Did I not contain the mana properly? Was there a miscalculation? No, that can’t be. I did everything correctly.”

Momon trembled with clenched fists at the sight of Eamon’s rambling.

“Are you truly a disciple of the Tower?”

Eamon’s head snapped up.

Then he replied with a bright voice.

“Of course! I am the proud disciple of the Tower, Eamon!”

Compared to his initial appearance, it seemed as if his intelligence had devolved.

Momon shook his head.

‘It’s not devolution; it’s the worsening of his madness.’

Having survived for so long as a lich with a human’s mind, it was impossible to remain mentally stable.

And now, having observed the magic he had just unleashed, Momon had pinpointed the definite cause.

Momon asked bluntly.

“Why does a disciple of the Tower harbor the demonic energy of the ‘Seven Sins Sect’ within?”

The Seven Sins Sect.

A den of madmen who have revered ‘evil’ since ancient times, sanctifying human desires.

Those who consider demonic energy to be the strongest and supreme force a human can possess.

While demonic energy is indeed more potent than mana, it is perilously dangerous.

It leads to madness, the loss of humanity, and the easy transgression of taboos that should never be crossed by people.

Momon, who had an extreme aversion to the Seven Sins Sect, had killed them all with his disciples whenever they encountered them.

But after being killed by the Founding Emperor, blinded by revenge, he took no action.

And now, to think that a descendant of the Tower would embrace the demonic energy of the Seven Sins Sect.

Handling such vast demonic energy while at the brink of mental collapse, one could not endure without going mad.

“What were you thinking, taking such a perverse thing into your body?”

“Demonic energy? No, this is mana, not demonic energy… huh?”

Eamon paused, tilting his head in confusion.

“Demonic energy?”

At that moment, Eamon’s red eyes flared.

A tremendous amount of demonic energy enveloped the atmosphere.

“I… I must achieve the pinnacle of magic. Yes… I need to be praised by my master. No, I have to revive the dead. For that, I need… um, that is…”

Momon closed his eyes tightly.

Eamon’s mind was collapsing.

The rate was so rapid that if it continued, his sanity would be devoured by the demonic energy in an instant.

Despite his rambling, Momon’s keen intuition easily deduced why Eamon had embraced the demonic energy.

‘The things I boasted about have become a burden to those left behind.’

Momon had formed an organization to gather those who would study the principles and truths with him, as he was too lonely to research alone.

The Tower.

By the time the magicians of the Tower he had organized reached the level of taking their first steps, he had already achieved the pinnacle.

In his pride, he had advised his disciples that they too could reach the pinnacle, leading to this dire situation.

Then, blinded by revenge, he had neglected his disciples.

“It was my fault.”

At that very moment,

Eamon began to twist his body, releasing an enormous amount of demonic energy.

It wasn’t a voluntary action.

“Aaaah! It hurts! It hurts!”

Eamon screamed in agony, his red eyes flickering as if they would extinguish.

The demonic energy he released dyed the atmosphere a dark red and blackened the sky.

It was like a scene from a legend where a Demon King is born.

Momon bit his lower lip.

“I failed to care for the others, but at least I will save you.”

Momon’s form blurred.

Pop!

In an instant, Momon moved behind Eamon and grasped his head.

Crackle!

White sparks flew from Momon’s shoulder, fiercely heading towards Eamon’s head.

“Aaaah! Aaaah!”

Eamon convulsed in pain, his body twisting and jerking.

“Just endure a little longer. I will somehow bring you back.”

Momon declared with a voice full of conviction.

White lightning clashed with the dark red demonic energy.

Crack!

Cracks began to form in Eamon’s bones. Momon gritted his teeth.

“Master, please save me. Save… Aaaah!”

Momon felt a pang in his heart at the sight of Eamon crying out for a non-existent master.

But he did not stop.

“Please endure. You will live a new life.”

Roar.

Crackle!

The white lightning tore through the demonic energy, and with each tear, Eamon’s body twitched.

After a brief moment,

Eamon spoke.

His voice was tired, devoid of the previous madness.

“Again, I was consumed by demonic energy.”

The immense pain allowed him a moment of clarity from the madness.

Eamon pleaded with an empty voice.

“Just kill me. I can’t take it anymore.”

Eamon’s red eyes flickered dangerously.

“At some point, I lost myself and let go of everything. The Tower, my master, my brothers. I rationalized my pursuit of the pinnacle of magic, but…”

Eamon bowed his head.

“I no longer have the drive to move forward. I even entered the suspicious Seven Sins Sect… but you, being superior, must understand, right? That I cannot reach the pinnacle.”

Eamon smiled bitterly.

Momon scolded him.

“Instead of spouting nonsense, accept my magic! If purification succeeds, a path will open! So… So!”

Eamon shook his head, interrupting Momon.

“I’m just too tired now. I want peace. I don’t want to be lonely anymore. Life has been nothing but pain for me.”

Eamon finished speaking and recited with a voice filled with regret.

The reason he had wandered in search of the pinnacle of magic.

“I just wanted to make my master proud…”

Hearing this, Momon clenched his teeth.

“There’s still a chance!”

“I don’t want it anymore. Life has been hell for me.”

Momon bowed his head.

He ceased the forceful tearing of the demonic energy with the lightning.

Then he sighed.

That sigh contained many emotions.

Regret, guilt, apology…

Because the descendant he had abandoned in his thirst for revenge was suffering and falling into the hands of the despicable.

Momon trembled with clenched fists.

“Alright, I’ll let you go.”

An even darker red energy began to rise from Eamon.

The unopposed demonic energy started to run rampant.

Eamon spoke urgently.

“I can’t suppress the demonic energy anymore. Quickly…!”

“I understand. And though you may not achieve the pinnacle you so desired, at least I’ll ensure your departure isn’t in vain.”

Swish.

Momon began to move his hands slowly, like a conductor leading an orchestra.

A circular pattern formed beneath him.

The tiny circle grew larger and larger until it was immeasurably vast.

A brilliant white light drew its own spell and created complex patterns between the giant circles.

Eamon, who had been staring blankly

* * *

Yan awoke to a heavy sensation on his shoulder.

The sun beat down fiercely, and his companions were still unconscious.

“Ugh.”

Grimacing with a headache, Yan tried to rise.

That’s when he noticed a skull perched on his shoulder.

The palm-sized skull seemed to be deep in thought, silently gazing at the ground.

“Momon?”

At Yan’s query, the skull turned its head.

“Hmph. Weakling. Even with the Mana Heart and that damned swordsmanship, to be shattered so pitifully.”

“I wasn’t shattered, though.”

Yan sat up, his upper body rising.

The skull naturally shifted to sit upon Yan’s knee.

Yan had seen Momon conversing with Eamon but couldn’t recall the exact nature of their dialogue.

The aftereffects of using ‘Dragon Fang’ had muddled his mind.

“Why did you help? Usually, you’re all about letting me die.”

The skull, or rather Momon, whipped its head around.

“…It was a whim. You promised to find my body. And you provided an environment to gather malevolent energy.”

Yan chuckled.

Despite the grumbling, he could sense the concern hidden within.

“What’s with that adorable little body?”

“It’s because you’re weak! If I hadn’t emerged from your body, I would have perished! If you had gathered energy properly, I wouldn’t be stuck in this pathetic skeletal form…!”

Yan shrugged, and Momon trembled as if repulsed.

“If you had gathered energy properly, I could have formed a proper body…! Anyway, it’s your fault I’m like this, so help me find a body more diligently.”

“Sure, sure.”

“I’m going to sleep now, so don’t disturb me.”

With that, Momon slipped into Yan’s shirt pocket.

Yan watched Momon settle into his pocket, recalling the previous night’s events.

‘That must have been what Momon looked like alive.’

Even if he hadn’t heard the conversation with Eamon, he wasn’t blind.

He had seen Eamon’s shock and profound reverence for Momon.

He had witnessed Momon casting an overwhelmingly massive magic circle, something he had never seen even in his past life.

And he had seen it obliterate Eamon and the other undead in an instant.

‘I’m not sure if that was his full strength… but Momon is certainly no ordinary being.’

He had known since the time Momon faced the crown prince, who was clad in a dragon’s body, without faltering.

But he hadn’t expected this extent.

Yan’s lips curled into a smile.

‘There’s much to gain from this.’

A great mage has many uses beyond vast knowledge.

“Ugh… What happened, did I faint?”

“Hmm.”

“Ugh. When did I pass out?”

As Yan pondered, his companions began to wake.

They were unaware of when they had fainted.

Cruel whipped his head around frantically.

“What, what? Is it over?”

The others, like Cruel, scanned their surroundings with urgency.

Just before fainting, a terrifying lich had been assaulting Yan… but somehow, Yan was alive.

“Did you win?”

Lorena asked quietly, and Yan nodded.

Since the companions didn’t mention Momon, it seemed they hadn’t seen everything.

Then…

‘It was Momon.’

There was no reason for Eamon to have knocked out the companions during the battle.

Yan pulled a portable warp gate from his pocket.

Seeing the light, it was fully charged.

Fortunately, it had been charging steadily even during the battle.

Walking back would have been quite the ordeal.

Yan gripped the device and stood up.

The companions looked at him with wide eyes.

“Let’s return to the east.”