Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan

Chapter 251

Like a graveyard filled with jagged tombstones, dozens of broken blades were lodged in the ground.

On top of one of those shattered hilts, a man quietly descended.

Thud!

Kyle folded his arms and gazed down at the world with an air of absolute authority.

“Hahahahaha!”

The Dragon Emperor burst into laughter upon seeing him. The booming sound of his laughter echoed, shaking the very foundation of the forest. It wasn’t merely a laugh; it was a roar of mockery and disdain.

The sheer force of his voice caused the Forest of Naga to tremble violently, as if a natural disaster were unfolding.

Rumble!

As the grin stretched across his lips, the once genial smile that adorned his face disappeared entirely.

What remained was the visage of a devil, malevolent and unrestrained.

“Well, well! Who do we have here? Isn’t this my proud son! Oh, how your father has missed you! Do you have any idea how much I’ve longed to see you again?”

The thunderous voice rang out once more. It was like the wind of a storm battering the surroundings, displacing the air itself. Trees, already weakened with exposed roots, fell like dominoes.

And yet, Kyle did not so much as flinch. His hair barely rustled in the chaotic winds. His cold, unyielding expression revealed nothing but contempt.

“Do I need to know?” he replied, his tone icy.@@@@

“Ah, true! You don’t. That’s just how it is, isn’t it? A father always worries about how his son is doing, even while the son is too busy with his own life to even send a greeting.”

“You make it sound as though you’ve been a model parent.”

“Well, if you ask me, I think I did a pretty decent job fulfilling my duties as a father.”

“Delusion knows no bounds, I see.”

“Oh? Am I mistaken? Well, if that’s the case, then so be it.”

The Dragon Emperor’s lips curled into a crooked smirk.

Crackle!

Behind him, a shadow loomed, dark and menacing.

“But tell me, what is a father’s duty if not to push his son to surpass him? To guide and challenge him? In that sense, I’d say I’ve done my part.”

Kyle remained silent, his arms still crossed. His stillness only served to intensify the tension.

“Which is why I’ll now take back what I gave.”

Flash!

The Dragon Emperor’s body surged with radiant energy, transforming into a streak of light as he charged toward Kyle.

***

"Patriarch!!"

"Why would you appear in a place like this?!"

The scouts of the vanguard dragons widened their eyes as they caught sight of Kyle.

‘Father!!’

Theo, too, felt an overwhelming urge to call out to his father but suppressed it. Kyle’s appearance at this critical juncture signified an enormous resolution.

Father sees this place as his final battlefield.

From the moment Kyle had mentioned that he would join Theo in battle, Theo had sensed it.

It wasn’t just an ordinary decision—it was a monumental one.

Kyle had always refused sublimation. He avoided drawing his sword as much as possible, and even when he appeared, it was only briefly, as if to remind others of his existence.

Even teaching Theo the sword had been a decision he had made after much deliberation, intending to ensure Theo would fully grasp the light-speed realm.

But against the likes of the Dragon Emperor and Hilda, there was no room for such restraint.

Theo couldn’t comprehend what had suddenly driven his father to make this choice. Perhaps Kyle had decided that the relics of the old era—like the Dragon Emperor and Hilda—could no longer be allowed to rampage unchecked.

Regardless, it was Kyle’s decision.

Theo had no intention of opposing it. Instead, he resolved to respect his father’s choice.

"I’ll hold these two off. Your task is to destroy the Ascension Gate."

The moment Kyle’s telepathic voice reached Theo, Theo nodded and turned in the opposite direction. Preventing the Ascension Ritual’s catastrophic spread took precedence over engaging the two enemies.

"Where do you think you’re going?!"

Hilda, reading Theo’s intentions, moved to intercept him.

Clang!

“What is the meaning of this?!”

The Black Dragon’s voice thundered as he descended between the two factions.

The captains of the Stormblade Division and the beastfolk warriors, who had been growling at each other moments before, stepped back instinctively.

Even through the mask he wore, the sheer ferocity of the Black Dragon’s gaze was unmistakable.

Though he had shown a softer side to Theo, the Black Dragon was still known as the hidden blade of Ragnar.

His infamous reputation extended even into the Empire—where death followed wherever he tread.

“Robert,” he addressed the beastfolk warlord.

“Tabek! You had better have a clear explanation for this.”

The beastfolk, proud of their Battlefront Alliance, held a fierce and combative nature. They revered combat as the ultimate virtue, believing that it was their valor in battle that allowed them to wrest privileges from humanity, the world’s former rulers.

The title of Warlord wasn’t just bestowed upon a strong warrior—it also conferred the responsibility of leadership.

Tabek, the current Warlord, had held the position for a long time and had even shared a history of exchanges with Robert.

His white mane and towering physique—befitting of a member of the White Tiger Clan—radiated a pressure that even the Black Dragon couldn’t ignore.

“We’ve done no wrong,” Tabek began. “All of this is Ragnar’s fault.”

“Are you saying we provoked you first?”

“What else? We sought to claim the Mystic Artifact within, but Ragnar stood in our way!”

Beneath the Black Dragon’s mask, his expression subtly twisted.

It was, as always, the artifact causing trouble.

A power capable of reviving an entire lineage—or utterly dooming it.

Originally left by the Guardians to protect the mortal world from the threat of Outer Gods, the artifact had become the object of mortal greed.

Mortals no longer cared for its intended purpose; they sought only to use it for their own selfish desires.

But the Black Dragon didn’t bother explaining this lofty truth.

He knew it would fall on deaf ears.

If reason couldn’t sway them, only one option remained.

Shhhhkk!

The Black Dragon raised his sword high and slashed it downward.

A long gash marked the ground before Tabek.

Tabek’s face contorted in anger.

“You truly mean to stop us, Robert? All we want is the Mystic Artifact. Ragnar already possesses the Blessing of the Ancient Dragon. Surely you can afford to grant us the same! If you do, I swear upon my life that the beastfolk will become eternal allies of Ragnar!”

For the beastfolk, who valued combat above all else, an oath carried tremendous weight.

It was clear that this promise wasn’t just Tabek’s personal desire but the consensus of the entire Beastfolk Battlefront.

“So desperate for the artifact...”

Robert thought to himself, feeling the sheer absurdity of the situation.

But no matter the circumstances, he would never defy Theo’s orders.

“And if I refuse?”

“Then we will fight Ragnar to the bitter end!”

“We will fight!”

“We will fight!”

“We will fight!!!”

At Tabek’s declaration, the other beastfolk warriors erupted into a deafening war cry, their sheer ferocity filling the air.

Shiiing!

The Ragnar swordsmen who had accompanied the Black Dragon tightened their grips on their swords, readying themselves for battle.

It seemed there was no way forward but war.

Even as the Black Dragon resolved to defend the artifact at all costs, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was any way to change Tabek’s mind.

Rumble... Rumble...

Suddenly, the forest began to tremble.

“What... is this?”

Both the Black Dragon and Tabek turned their attention to the forest, sensing something ominous approaching.

From within the darkness of the Forest of Naga, something began to emerge.