Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan - Chapter 42

The item Theo pulled out from the supplies was an Artifact, a ring imbued with a powerful single-use spell, Thunder Call.

The Thunder Call spell was a spell that summoned a lightning bolt from the heavens, unleashing immense destructive force and a powerful shockwave.

Though a creature could potentially survive the attack, the shockwave alone was capable of even paralyzing a sandworm.

But Theo had an idea.

What would happen if he were to awaken this artifact with [Hatchling Synchro]?

Hatchling Synchro awakened an object’s true essence—its ‘psyche’.

Just as he accessed the «White Glacial Arsenal» through Ray’s sword, he wondered if he could amplify the ring’s Thunder Call by reading its psyche.

The result was staggering.

‘I didn’t expect it to obliterate the sandworm in one shot.’

The sandworm didn’t even have a chance to react. Its body, from head to tail, was cleaved in two.

Crackle crackle—

Sparks danced across the scorched earth before fading away.

‘Hatchling Synchro… This is going to be incredibly useful.’

If a single-use artifact held that much power, what could he achieve by amplifying the Drake Blade or the White Moonlight Blade?

The thought sent shivers down his spine.

Amplification. The Guardian Dragon had given him an unbelievable gift.

“N-n-no way…!” Orien stammered, his wide eyes trembling as he stared at Theo.

Theo ignored him, rummaging through the sandworm’s charred remains.

He hoped that Thunder Call didn’t go as far as to destroy what he was seeking. Fortunately, he managed to find it.

“A bit scorched, but it should still be usable,” Theo noted.

It was the indigo demon bell that had hung around the sandworm’s neck.

The judge had implied that simply retrieving it would earn points, but Theo knew better.

‘There’s a hidden piece inside, just like the totem.’

Having the wits to uncover these hidden pieces was another part of the Awakening Ceremony’s evaluation.

Turning the demon bell over, Theo examined the seemingly meaningless dots and lines etched along the inner surface.

To the untrained eye, they looked like mere decorative patterns. However, Theo, a former intelligence operative, knew better.

It was a deconstruction cipher, where letters were broken down into lines and dots.

‘By combining these dots and lines, they form a rune script used by Ancient Dragons…’

Arranging the runes formed a sentence: Lightning is the swiftest and most destructive force between heaven and earth. If mishandled, it risks grievous bodily harm…

‘I found it. The «Thunderlight Breathing»,’ a smirk touched Theo’s lips.

The Ragnar Clan, with its thousand-year history, possessed countless breathing techniques.

The most powerful among them were the Elemental Attribute Breathing Techniques, or simply called, ‘Elemental Breathing’.

Just as the Ancient Dragons possessed unique attributes based on their color, Elemental Breathing imbued magic power with a specific element:

-Thruma (Thunder)

-Frør (Frost)

-Eldr (Flame)

-Vatn (Water)

-Viðr (Wood)

-Svik (Poison)

Six elements in total.

However, because of their importance, Elemental Breathing was rarely passed down, reserved for direct descendants with high succession rights or those who had accomplished extraordinary feats.

However, one unique opportunity to acquire them existed: the 2nd Stage of the Awakening Ceremony.

‘All six Elemental Breathing techniques are fragmented and inscribed within various demon bells. If one is able to decipher them, the technique is theirs.’

The process, of course, was incredibly difficult.

‘Each Elemental Breathing technique is divided into nine passages, meaning you need a total of fifty-four to obtain all of them. But not only have they been scattered randomly, some pieces have repeats, making it nearly impossible to assemble a complete technique.’

Finding one passage was just the beginning. The next demon bell might contain passages for a different technique or even a duplicate, which could render one’s effort useless.

‘Furthermore, only fiends summoned by the totems carry demon bells with hidden pieces.’

It was a hidden piece within a hidden piece.

‘I think this is the fourth passage? Since there should be nine passages, I have eight more to go.’

Obtaining a complete Elemental Breathing technique during the 2nd Stage was almost impossible.

Emphasis on ‘almost’. It wasn’t entirely impossible.

Every once in a while, someone would manage to do it.

‘True monsters, said to be the closest to inheriting the clan head position.’

Thorkell Ragnar of the Black Iron Cavalry was a prime example.

Fortunately, Theo knew how to decipher these runes thanks to the memories of his past life.

He had even chosen a specific Elemental Breathing technique to pursue.

Thruma. The Thunderlight Breathing.

Lightning, with its intense power and speed, was the perfect fit for Theo, who aimed to complete the Triple Dragon’s Claw.

Theo memorized the passage using his Divinity, then erased the rune script from the demon bell with his magic power. He then glanced at Ray.

“……?” Ray tilted her head, wondering what was up.

‘This would be detrimental to Ray, who already practices the «White Glacial Arsenal», which has its own elemental attribute,’ thought Theo.

He shook his head, dismissing her unspoken question, and slowly walked toward Orien.

Step by step, he approached.

Orien was frozen, terror etched on his face.

“Orien.”

“N-No…! S-stay away!”

Only eight examinees remained after the sandworm attack. However, they were too exhausted to fight, effectively out of the competition.

However, Theo felt no remorse. They had not only targeted Ray but also him.

‘I should take this chance to take care of the Scaled Dragon Society for good.’

He planned to wipe them out completely so that they would never dare challenge him ever again.

“Where is Axion?”

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – Mr.Ghost]

[Proofreader – Harley]

Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

* * *

Rumble, rumble…!

The Giant Bear, a sizable demonic beast, crashed to the ground, covered in blood.

The examinees, who had been fighting with grim determination, finally relaxed.

“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!”

“We finally took it down!”

“Axion’s the best. He took down a Class-7 beast head-on.”

“That’s a given. There’s a reason he’s called the Dark Leopard.”

While the Scaled Dragon Society members praised Axion, the man himself remained impassive, tearing the demon bell from the beast’s neck.

It was a green demon bell.

He must have accumulated a substantial number of points by now.

‘There’s a pattern on this one, too. What is this?’ Axion frowned at the markings inside the demon bell but quickly dismissed them.

He didn’t have time for such trivial matters.

“You motherfuckers! How can you call yourselves human?!” one of the captives tied up in a corner erupted in fury.

He had lost many comrades and suffered injuries because of the Scaled Dragon Society’s ambush using summoned demonic fiends.

On top of that, Axion destroyed their totem, leaving them without a safe zone.

There was a good reason for the animosity.

Whack!

Axion kicked the guy in the stomach.

“Kugh…!”

“How can you call yourself a Ragnar swordsman and blame others for your own incompetence? Survival of the fittest, Rule of the Strong. Don’t you know how the world works?” Axion mocked while pressing his foot onto the back of the guy’s head, grinding his face into the dirt.

He continued, “Puny insects like you that only know how to whine should be wiped out.”

Madness flickered in Axion’s eyes. He looked ready to kill.

That was because he saw another person in this captive’s face.

Theo Ragnar.

The one who had dared to claim the valedictorian title in the 1st Stage. The one he would soon crush like this.

After a good moment, Axion finally lifted his foot.

The captive, barely clinging to life, had lost consciousness.

“Take all of them. Feed them if they obey, but continue beating them if they don’t,” Axion ordered.

“Just like we’ve been doing? Heh heh! We’re experts at that,” his subordinates laughed darkly, dragging the unconscious and trembling captives away.

The Scaled Dragon Society now held over thirty prisoners, about half of the 2nd Stage examinees.

“Are the Lanke siblings, Remington, and Ray the only ones still opposing us? This is way too easy.”

“That’s what I’m saying. But they too will be caught soon. The 2nd Stage already belongs to us, the Scaled Dragon Society.”

“Even the Plum Blossom goons are bowing to us. Heheh!”

“So, who are we beating up next? Though this is so easy, it’s getting boring. Hahaha!”

Since Axion discovered the fiend-summoning magic tool hidden within the totem, the Scaled Dragon Society had focused on securing safe zones rather than hunting demonic fiends.

Most safe zones were easy targets, filled with resting, relaxed examinees. Destroying the totems provided a convenient way to call upon fiends.

Hunting fiends, capturing prisoners, and securing supplies—all in one go. There was no reason to refuse such an efficient method.

Thanks to this strategy, Axion had rapidly accumulated points, surpassing 500 and approaching 600.

“Hey, isn’t it about time for the rankings announcement?” someone asked.

Laughter erupted in response, “Do we really need to see it?”

“It’s not to check who’s in first. That’s obviously the boss. The real question is how we rank amongst ourselves.”

“Good point. Alright, how about the lower-ranked calls the higher-ranked ‘big brother’ from now on? Deal?”

“Fine, bitch. Deal!”

“Hehehe! Looks like I’m getting an ugly little brother.”

“Dream on.”

While his subordinates joked around, Axion remained silent, waiting for the proctor.

He had something he wanted to confirm.

‘Theo Ragnar. Where are you?’ Axion wondered.

He thought it was about time Theo showed himself.

Just then—

Thump!

A proctor dropped down in the center of the Scaled Dragon Society’s gathering.

Every evening at 6:00 PM, the 2nd Stage held an interim ranking announcement to motivate the examinees.

Naturally, this was a time of great anticipation.

Had their rank risen or fallen? If it had risen, how much further did they need to climb to achieve their desired ranking?

All eyes turned towards the proctor.

“I will now announce the interim rankings. Pay attention.”

The impassive proctor surveyed the ravaged surroundings before unfurling the scroll in his hand.

Fwip—

“Wh-What is this…?”

“What the…!”

The Scaled Dragon Society examinees were stunned. Even Axion’s expression had hardened.

The interim rankings were completely unexpected.

1st. Ray Ragnar (572 points)

2nd. Axion Ragnar (561 points)

3rd. Remington Narcio (479 points)

…

…

“……!”

“……!”

“Proctor, there must be a mistake!”

Axion had fallen to second place, and Ray had taken first.

Even Theo, who had been quiet until now, appeared on the list.

36th. Theo Ragnar (82 points)

He had climbed halfway up the rankings in a single day.

Some tried to dispute the results, but the proctor’s cold glare silenced them.

“Are you questioning Central as a mere trainee swordsman?”

“N-No, that’s not…!” they immediately whimpered.

“Proctors scattered throughout the Winter Mountains meticulously record every achievement, and Central calculates the scores before they are relayed back to us proctors. If you wish to challenge the results, prove yourselves with your skills.”

“……”

“……”

The examinees fell silent, biting their tongues.

They wondered what Orien and his group were doing.

Orien’s group was supposed to be dealing with Ray. Shouldn’t there be some news by now?

But even if they had failed, how could Ray have accumulated so many points in a single day?

“What’s with that score?”

“The Frost Sword and the imbecile have similar point increases.”

“Are they working together?”

“But what could they possibly have killed to get such a boost…?”

The Scaled Dragon Society members whispered, cautiously glancing at Axion.

Grit—

Axion’s face flushed, his jaw clenched.

But the shocks didn’t end there.

Moments later, another Scaled Dragon Society examinee ran towards them, panting.

“I-it’s a disaster! Theo and Ray…!”

It was one they had left behind to guard their captured safe zone.

“They’re… they’re raiding our base!”

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”