Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan - Chapter 43

Axion’s face hardened.

“What do you mean?” he demanded.

A stammering reply followed. “W-well…!”

Axion ground his teeth when he heard the response.

Grit!

* * *

Once Theo and Ray heard that Axion was attacking the camps of other factions, the duo revised their plans.

“I have an idea,” Theo announced.

“……?”

“What if we returned the favor?”

“Return the favor…?”

“Imagine their frustration if their bases are raided one after another. Plus, we’ll quickly rack up points.”

Ray nodded, agreeing that it was a good idea.

A burning resentment simmered within her, as Axion and the Scaled Dragon Society had nearly killed her.

On top of that, he had solidified his first-place ranking by stealing points earned by his followers.

As the second-place contender, Ray desperately wanted to dethrone him.

“Besides, Axion isn’t the only one after us. Who knows who else we’ll encounter? Let’s take this chance to clean them all up in one go,” Theo suggested.

“So you already have a plan.”

Theo nodded, “More or less.”

He wasn’t aiming for a simple victory. He wanted an overwhelming victory. One that would force everyone to fear him, kneel before him, and bow their heads in submission.

He craved a victory so undeniable that everyone—the Scaled Dragon Society, the Plum Blossom Palace, the Central Intelligence Bureau, the Council—would be forced to acknowledge him.

Axion was the sacrificial lamb he needed to achieve that.

If this plan worked, the name Theo Ragnar would no longer be associated with the bastard of Rose Palace. He would be etched in everyone’s minds as the ‘heir of the Camellia Palace’.

“Okay. I’ll help however I can,” said Ray, observing Theo’s cold smile.

She wanted to repay the new debt she had accumulated.

Their alliance was formed.

And so…

“Wh-What the—!”

“It’s Theo and Ray Ragnar!”

“Damn it…! Why did they come here…?!”

From that moment on, they quickly ransacked the Scaled Dragon Society’s safe zones.

The few defenders left behind were no match for Theo and Ray.

Totems were shattered. Demonic beasts were summoned and slain.

They even destroyed the supplies the Scaled Dragon Society had stockpiled.

This was the secret to how Theo and Ray were able to quickly accumulate points.

Thanks to that, day by day, their Interim Rankings rose.

1st. Ray Ragnar (611 points)

2nd. Axion Ragnar (590 points)

3rd. Remington Narcio (526 points)

4th. Theo Ragnar (500 points)

…

From the middle of the rankings, Theo quickly ascended to 4th place.

1st. Ray Ragnar (654 points)

2nd. Axion Ragnar (600 points)

3rd. Theo Ragnar (573 points)

4th. Remington Narcio (531 points)

…

He then reached 3rd place…

1st. Ray Ragnar (674 points)

2nd. Theo Ragnar (612 points)

3rd. Axion Ragnar (610 points)

…

And finally, 2nd place, overtaking Axion.

“Find them! Find those bastards!” Axion flew into a rage.

He desperately hunted Theo and Ray, but it was hard to track two people who were both swift and unpredictable.

And when members of the Scaled Dragon Society did spot them, they were long gone by the time Axion arrived at the scene.

On top of that, Theo and Ray left mocking messages, further infuriating Axion and the Scaled Dragon Society.

Nearly seventy percent of the Scaled Dragon Society’s painstakingly established bases were destroyed.

And because of the constant ambushes, a significant portion of their forces had to retire from the exam.

However, the biggest problem was that Axion had wasted so much time chasing Theo and Ray that his point accumulation suffered.

In the end…

1st. Theo Ragnar (721 points)

2nd. Ray Ragnar (718 points)

3rd. Axion Ragnar (622 points)

…

…Theo claimed 1st place.

“AAAAARGH!”

Smash!

Overcome with rage, Axion hurled everything within reach to the ground.

“Theo Ragnar, Theo Ragnar, Theo Ragnar…!” He screamed in fury with bloodshot eyes.

He had long forgotten Ed’s orders to save Theo from the Head Councilor’s dogs.

The only thing that could quench his anger now was capturing and killing Theo.

One of his subordinates cautiously called out. “Uhm, Axion…!”

Axion glared at him.

Sweating profusely, the subordinate stammered, “Someone… from the Plum Blossom Palace is here…”

Axion frowned in confusion, “The Plum Blossom Palace?”

“Y-Yeah… And from the Council, too…”

The Plum Blossom Palace and the Council?

It was a strange alliance, but here, they shared a common enemy. Theo Ragnar.

Axion rose. “Bring them in.”

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – Mr.Ghost]

[Proofreader – Harley]

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

* * *

“I heard rumors that Theo Ragnar’s been giving you trouble. The rumors must be true,” said Felix.

Felix was a trainee swordsman from the Plum Blossom Palace who possessed exceptional talent. In fact, before Theo’s arrival, he was considered the frontrunner to becoming Lady Plum Blossom’s disciple.

However, that opportunity had vanished with the rise of Theo, fueling Felix’s intense animosity towards Theo.

He’d even ignored Lady Plum Blossom’s message, relayed through a proctor:

The Head Councillor and the Director of the Central Intelligence Bureau are likely scheming against Theo. Please subtly assist him.

This animosity led him to seek out Axion.

Shink!

Blades pressed against Felix’s neck.

The Scaled Dragon Society examinees wielding them glared menacingly.

“Whoa, easy there. A little closer and I’ll be headless,” said Felix, unfazed by their threat.

Though overshadowed by the Four Hounds of the North, he was still skilled enough to be considered one of the top talents of this generation.

Across from him, Morgan from the Head Councillor’s faction said, “Enough pleasantries. Let’s get to the point. We all want to stop Theo Ragnar, don’t we?”

Axion and Felix both shifted their gazes toward Morgan.

Morgan’s face was grim, “Now that the Hydes have been confirmed dead, my group must capture Theo Ragnar. It is an affront for a lowly bastard like him to harm a noble direct descendant.”

He continued, “I’d like to propose an alliance. Our targets include not only Theo Ragnar but also Ray Ragnar and Remington Narcio, his accomplices.”

He seemed ready to hunt Theo down immediately.

‘Fanatical lunatics,’ Axion thought, his disdain palpable.

Axion despised the bloodline purists who called themselves the ‘Order Keepers of Ragnar’.

While he, too, took pride in being a direct descendant, it stemmed from his own abilities, not merely his birthright.

If someone of noble blood lacked skill, he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate them himself. Such inadequacy in itself was a disgrace.

But the bloodline purists didn’t understand this. They cared only for lineage, status, and birthright.

Morons who had nothing else to boast about. That was Axion’s opinion on them.

By extension, he felt the same contempt for Felix. A fool blinded by envy, holding a grudge against Theo and not knowing his place.

A hunting dog should remain a dog. They should never seek to become the master.

But if he truly wanted that position, he needed to be capable of ‘thinking’… something Felix seemed incapable of.

However, Axion was desperate for allies. He would tolerate their arrogance for now, but once everything was over?

‘I’ll deal with them. Show them their place,’ he thought, a chilling glint in his eyes.

Axion grinned and said, “Whatever our final objectives are, it seems we have a common enough goal to join forces for now. I’m assuming you gathered because you have a plan. Let’s hear it.”

Felix swallowed, sensing Axion’s malice.

Knowing the fate of those who crossed him, he spoke carefully. “You’re all aware of the hidden pieces within the totems, right?”

Axion and Morgan remained silent, prompting him to continue.

“I heard you have the totem that can summon a violet bell fiend. Let’s use that to set up a trap.”

Felix then gestured to a companion.

Thump!

When the companion opened a sack. Morgan gasped. Inside were dozens of totems.

“We’ll offer this as our contribution.”

Understanding Felix’s plan, Axion chuckled, “You want to lure the imbecile with the totem that can summon a violet bell fiend, then overwhelm him with the fiends summoned by these?”

“Precisely.” Felix nodded gravely.

Axion clapped as he burst into laughter, “Wow, Felix! Never knew you had such guts.”

Theo and Ray’s rapid point gain wasn’t solely from stealing the Scaled Dragon Society’s totems.

They were also systematically only targeting high-class demonic fiends.

The violet bell fiend totem would be irresistible for them, and Felix intended to turn it into a bomb.

No matter how skilled Theo and Ray were, they couldn’t survive a horde of fiends.

Felix asked, “Our goal is to capture Theo Ragnar no matter what. So, what’s your answer?”

Axion grinned. “I’m in. We’ll even contribute some of our remaining totems. The more fiends the better, right?”

He then turned to Morgan, “They’re going this far. Don’t you think you all need to do something as well, Morgan?”

Axion tapped his sword hilt, a subtle threat. If Morgan refused, he would immediately take him down.

It’d cause problems if such a conspiracy was leaked, so the best plan of action was making everyone a co-conspirator.

Morgan frowned, unhappy from the threat. However, in the end, he answered while smirking, “We’ll also contribute twelve totems. That should bring the total to over thirty fiends.”

“Generous, aren’t we?”

“And…”

“There’s more?”

“I’d like to bring two more people to this operation.”

“Who? If you’re thinking of bringing in some nobodies, forget it. Cannon fodders will only be more trouble than they’re worth.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll like them, Axion.”

Axion tilted his head, unable to think who it might be. “Who are they?”

“Hul—!” Just as Morgan began to speak…

Shiver!

A sudden chill ran down their spines.

All three looked up in tandem.

* * *

“What should I do? They’re so predictable that it’s almost boring,” Theo chuckled, standing on a hill overlooking the forest where Axion, Felix, and Morgan plotted.

They thought they were being cautious, scouting their surroundings, but to Theo, a veteran of intelligence operations, their efforts were amateurish.

More importantly, his Divinity-enhanced vision allowed him to see clearly, even from this distance, as if through a quality telescope.

“P-Please, untie me…! I-I’ve told you everything…!” Orien, bound tightly, pleaded from behind Theo.

The reason Theo was able to find all of the Scaled Dragon Society’s hidden safe zones was thanks to Orien spilling the beans.

Fear of Theo had crumpled his loyalty to Axion.

Now, with even Axion’s location compromised, Orien desperately wanted to escape.

The question was, would Theo actually release him…?

“Alright. A promise is a promise. I’ll untie you.”

To Orien’s surprise, Theo cut the ropes with his Drake Blade.

After standing dumbfounded for a moment, Orien quickly bolted in the opposite direction, fearing Theo might change his mind.

Ray asked while watching Orien flee, “Are you sure it’s okay to let him go like that?”

Theo smirked, “He has nowhere to go. Even if Axion forgives him, the Director of the Central Intelligence Bureau won’t.”

Ray nodded silently. She knew Ed wasn’t someone to tolerate betrayal.

“So, is it time to use that now?” Ray inquired.

Theo nodded and opened the sack at his feet. “Let’s show them that they’re not the only ones who can set traps.”

Inside were over thirty single-use Artifacts.

Originally, they were intended for hunting the summoned demonic fiends, but not a single one of them had been used yet.

Imagine their surprise when a sudden barrage of fire rained down. Theo reached into the sack with a grin.