488 – Dominating and Ruling
Power is just. But it is relative. What is an uncontrollable disaster to someone may be an attack that can be narrowly responded to by someone else.
The dog Suin Welsh was a skilled kigong practitioner who even mastered cold gong, and she was paying special attention to her owner’s safety. Reading the intentions of the regressor’s attack, she desperately surrounded Aerectus Gong.
“Master…!”
Of course, the regressor’s attack is close to a natural disaster. Even for a strong practitioner like one who mastered cold gong, dodging it is just wishful thinking. Whether you try to protect someone or not, both will face certain death – a pure and literal death without the meaning of racial discrimination.
But Welsh, even if she couldn’t block the regressor’s attack, managed to block his intent.
“Phew.”
Thousand-fold radius, intangible form.
A technique to dissipate the released power.
The edge of Jizan’s sword twisted. A storm erupted towards the sky. An attack imbued with kigong and abilities shot towards the empty space.
The impact narrowly missed Welsh’s back. Freed by the unleashed storm, Welsh and Eerectus tumbled together, entwined, for a while.
In the square where the storm raged. The regressor, breathing deeply, turned towards Azhi and offered an explanation.
“I didn’t intend to kill. I just wanted to teach a lesson.”
“Bark!”
Azhi barked loudly as if protesting.
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Faster than Welsh blocking Eerectus’ ball, Azhi, with paws firmly planted on the ground, pushed the two aside.
‘Truly… I planned to incapacitate him for about a month with some injuries. But Azhi intervened.’
Lies! When swung, the tone was like, ‘I don’t care if I die!’ It doesn’t mean he’ll actually kill!
The regressor is terrifying. The moment that stamp is marked, saying ‘There’s no reason to spare,’ if killing seems beneficial, he will do it right away. If Welsh hadn’t intervened, I might have really died.
Fortunately, Eerectus, who had narrowly escaped death, opened his eyes and shouted.
“Guards, Guards! Call the Guards, no! Summon the Obelisk!”
Hmm. Still, Eerectus is the officially recognized human of the Obelisk. A powerful figure with significant influence in the city. Killing him would be a problem, but not killing him is an even bigger issue.
What are you going to do, regressor?
“That’s far enough.”
Mediating this issue, the Mayor of Treiber, who returned with the regressor, spoke. As soon as Eerectus saw the mayor, he rushed over.
“Mayor Treiber! I was attacked just now! By an Obelisk official!”
“…I will summon the Obelisk, Sir Eerectus. Dealing recklessly with strangers is not wise.”
“The mayor is right.”
Step by step, a group of humans walked in behind the mayor. Although their heights and body shapes varied, they all wore seamless bronze-scale armor from head to toe.
The elite of the Obelisk, who fight against giants and beasts. The guardians wearing scale armor to protect the city, sensing the scattered power a while ago, gathered swiftly.
Among them, the human who stood at the forefront approached the Erectus leader. The Erectus leader greeted him with a welcoming expression.
“Sapien leader!”
“Welshi. You’ve protected your master. Thank you. Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any injuries.”
Instead of checking Erectus leader’s wounds first, Welshi examined them and sighed softly before speaking.
“Erectus, I won’t tell you to be cautious in your actions. But at least maintain some level of vigilance. When encountering unknown creatures, lower your posture first and observe. It might save your life.”
“What caution in Oveli! This is our land!”
“There’s no such thing as ‘our land.’ If it’s under the sky or above the ground, it’s all wilderness. You should have realized that if you’ve even briefly entered the search party.”
Even though he was openly giving advice, Erectus leader did not respond. The Sapien confronted the returnee, proudly swirling his cloak.
“The same goes for you, adventurer.”
“I was just trying to give them a scare.”
“Erectus thought the same. If you’re going to act recklessly, ignoring rules and norms, what makes you any different from him?”
Leading the elite legion behind him, a powerful figure who also commanded the Wind Wolves. Not as formidable as the elite, but still a powerful authority among the leaders in Oveli.
While enjoying camaraderie with giant warriors and earning the respect of many, even facing him, the returnee responded with a smirk.
“Let’s drop the nonsense of who’s better. He came first, was more audacious, and weaker on that topic. Don’t beg for special treatment just because you’re a known human. If this wasn’t Endé, it wouldn’t have ended with just a threat.”
“This is Endé.”
“If you want it to stay Endé, you better handle your prisoners well. The wolf’s fang won’t discriminate against the threat.”
“…”
Wow. Not a word from that guy. Was the returnee always this eloquent?
Actually, calling it eloquence might be a stretch, but if you really had to nitpick, there wasn’t a false word. He picked a fight even when a guest arrived, persisted despite attempts to dissuade him, and, in the end, showed no ability other than authority. His life was also saved by Welshi and Aji.
A single strong against hundreds of weak—a world where that power exists. If you have that strength, it’s not arrogance or exaggeration.
“Confident, aren’t you?”
“Bold indeed. I’m here to help, after all.”
“That’s why I won’t press it any further. To protect Endé and Obelis, we need you and the Wolf King.”
Sapien turned abruptly. Sending a signal to Erectus to withdraw, he moved towards the Obelisks watching him and exited the square.
Before leaving, he gave a quiet warning to the regressor.
“But if you attack Endé, you’ll become an enemy of the city as well. Be cautious.”
Step, step, step. Obelis’s guardians decisively exited the square. The regressor maintained a confident attitude even while watching his retreating figure.
“Sapien. Obelis’ acknowledged defender, willing to do anything to protect the city. His image might have taken a hit, but it doesn’t matter. The Obelisks have no choice but to fight the Wolf King.”
Sapien left an impression on the regressor. In other words, Erectus is a rallying call.
“I won’t challenge him now after giving him a good scare. I hope he doesn’t make me regret not killing him. Strange for an acknowledged defender to act this way when we need an alliance with the Beast Faction.”
Compared to the eerie atmosphere earlier, this is relatively… resolved.
While there are some cracks, the regressor’s actions satisfied other supernatural beings. They didn’t show it, but the Wolf Faction beings nodded approvingly, expressing gratitude one by one.
“Thank you for intervening, Sir Shead.”
“Don’t think too much about it. It’s his nature.”
“He may seem excessive, but… it was necessary to correct his habits.”
“Erectus is a defender. What’s that supposed to mean?”
Shead, gentle but firm, stared at the regressor.
“The crisis in Endé requires the strength of all beings, both supernatural and human. I request that you refrain from reckless actions in the future.”
Tribor, who seemed impulsive, but surprisingly sensible when dealing with regressors, stared at him.
“Don’t worry. I went out strongly to prevent such incidents in the future.”
“If you had any insight, I would be relieved.”
‘Of course, it would be best if everything went smoothly… but if there has to be a collision, now is the best time. That’s why I chose the second best option.’
I trust that. Even though regressors don’t consider and act based on the future like that.
Though it was born out of misunderstanding, Trevor, who had come to slightly overestimate the regressors, thought carefully and spoke.
“Now that things have turned out this way, I want to entrust Shay Gong with one mission.”
“What is it?”
“Ende doesn’t just represent this city. Beyond the fence, there are people who live in lands closer to the wilderness, struggling hard. We call them the ‘Beast Faction.'”
Unlike the civilized ones who have been integrated into civilization, these are the regressors who live a life closer to being wild. If they weren’t in an official position, they would have been called savages, or simply beasts.
“The Beast Faction is rough but powerful. However, since they live a slightly separate life from Ende, there is a high possibility that they will not cooperate when it comes to fighting the Wolf King. It might be fortunate if they just don’t fight each other.”
Thinking of them, Trevor took out a piece of ivory carving hanging from his staff. Trevor, who touched the precious treasure that can only be obtained from the elephant’s grave, handed it to the regressor and requested.
“Here. I will give you Ende’s symbol. Please convince them. If you are as strong and considerate as Shay Gong, you might be able to persuade the Beast Faction.”
‘Maybe. The Wolf King could be the catalyst that brings all regressors together. This is a crisis and at the same time an opportunity. The last chance for us to save Ende before it collapses on its own.’
There seems to be a slight problem that I haven’t witnessed yet. Hm. Well, I guess I’ll find out gradually.
“Got it.”
‘The Beast Faction. They are important to Ende. If they get too close to the Wolf King, they might end up siding with them. Things are going well.’
Yes, things are going well. The regressor’s presence is paying off.
The problem is that nothing has been solved at all.