Power is fair. But it is also relative.
What is an inescapable catastrophe to one may be a barely manageable attack to another.
Welsh, the canine beastkin, was a seasoned qi practitioner who had even mastered Cold Qi Techniques. Ever vigilant when it ca to her master's safety, she imdiately reacted to the regressor’s killing intent, throwing herself desperately in front of Duke Erectus.
"Master...!"
Of course, a regressor’s attack was akin to a natural disaster.
Even a strong warrior adept in Cold Qi Techniques could barely manage to shield themselves, let alone protect soone else. To attempt such a thing would be suicide—quite literally in Welsh's case, considering her species.
But while she could not stop the regressor’s attack, she did succeed in blocking his intent.
"Tch."
Celestial Reversal—Formless Stance.
A technique that disperses unleashed force.
The tip of Jizan twisted.
A raging storm surged toward the sky.
An attack imbued with both qi and authority was redirected into empty air.
The impact narrowly missed Welsh's back.
The unleashed storm swept through the area, hurling both Welsh and Duke Erectus into the air like ragdolls before they tumbled to the ground in a tangled heap.
At the center of the storm-torn plaza, the regressor took a deep breath and turned to Azzy, offering a flimsy excuse.
"I wasn’t trying to kill him. Just teach him a lesson."
"Woof!"
Azzy barked loudly in protest.
Even before Welsh could shield Duke Erectus, Azzy had already lunged forward, shoving the two out of harm’s way.
It’s true, though... I was only planning to ss him up enough that he wouldn’t get out of bed for a month. But she actually blocked it.
Liar! You swung that blade like you wouldn’t care if he died! Sure, ‘I don’t care if they die’ isn’t the sa as ‘I’m going to kill them,’ but still!
Damn regressor. If he ever decides ‘there’s no reason to keep them alive,’ he won’t hesitate to kill. If Welsh hadn’t stepped in, Erectus would’ve really died.
Miraculously spared, Duke Erectus sucked in a breath and shouted with wide eyes.
"G-Guards! Call the guards—no, summon the Obelisk!"
Tch.
Duke Erectus was still an officially recognized noble of Obeli.
A man of influence, wielding power over the city.
Killing him would have caused problems—but leaving him alive might cause even bigger ones.
What are you going to do now, regressor?
"That’s enough."
Before the situation could spiral further, the mayor, Treavor, stepped forward. Having just returned with the regressor, he now moved to diate the conflict.
The mont Duke Erectus spotted Treavor, he practically bolted toward him.
"Mayor Treavor! I was just attacked! A recognized noble of Obeli!"
"I will summon the Obelisk, Duke Erectus. But heed my warning—treating unfamiliar faces with hostility is not a wise approach."
"I agree with the mayor."
Step. Step.
A group of warriors strode in behind Treavor.
They varied in height and build, but all wore seamless brass-scaled armor from head to toe.
The Obelisk.
The elite soldiers of Obeli, trained to combat beastkin and monsters.
Their scale armor was designed to withstand razor-sharp claws and fangs.
Sensing the residual energy of the regressor’s attack, they had swiftly mobilized.
At the forefront, a particular man advanced toward Duke Erectus.
Recognizing him imdiately, Erectus called out with relief.
"Lord Sapien!"
"Welsh. You protected your master. Well done. You’re unhard... thankfully."
Before acknowledging Erectus, Sapien checked Welsh for injuries.
Only after confirming she was unhard did he sigh and continue.
"Erectus. I won’t tell you to be more careful. But at the very least, exercise so caution. If you see an unknown beast, assu a low stance and observe first. That is how you survive."
"Caution? In Obeli? This is our land!"
"There is no such thing as ‘our land.’ As long as you stand under the sky and upon the earth, you are always in the wild. If you had spent even a mont in a scouting unit, you would know that."
There seed to be ranks even among the nobles.
Despite Sapien’s direct rebuke, Duke Erectus had no retort.
With an air of authority, Sapien swept his cloak behind him and turned to face the regressor.
"That goes for you as well, adventurer."
"I only ant to scare him."
"So did Erectus. If you ignore rules and standards and act however you please, how are you any different from him?"
Sapien was not just a powerful figure in Obeli but also a martial master who had achieved the pinnacle of Cold Qi Techniques.
He might not be one of the Six Generals, but his strength was just a step below.
He commanded the respect of both beastkin warriors and humans alike.
And yet, even in the face of such a figure, the regressor scoffed.
"Spare the false equivalence. That guy started it. He was reckless. And on top of that, he’s weak. Don’t beg to go easy on him just because he’s one of your people. If this weren’t Obeli, this wouldn’t have ended with just a warning."
"This is Obeli."
"And if you want it to stay that way, keep a tighter leash on your own. A wolf’s fangs do not discriminate."
"..."
Wow. He really won’t let anything slide.
Was the regressor always this articulate?
Well, maybe not articulate so much as relentless.
But if you really thought about it, he wasn’t wrong.
Erectus had provoked him despite being a guest.
He had escalated things even when others tried to stop him.
And when push ca to shove, he had shown nothing but his title.
His life had been saved not by his own strength, but by Welsh and Azzy.
This was a world where a single strong individual could dominate hundreds of weaker ones.
When such power existed, it was not arrogance.
Nor was it unjust.
"Confident, aren't you?"
"Just standing my ground. I ca here to help, after all."
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"That’s precisely why I won’t press the issue further. Obeli and Ende need you and the King of Beasts to protect them."
Sapien spun on his heel.
Signaling the Obelisk soldiers to withdraw, he led Duke Erectus out of the plaza.
But just before leaving, he lowered his voice and issued a warning to the regressor.
"However, if you ever turn your blade against Ende, you will beco an enemy of the city. Be mindful of that."
Step, step, step.
The guards of Obeli withdrew in perfect formation.
The regressor remained composed, watching their departure with an unwavering gaze.
Sapien. One of Obeli’s officially recognized protectors, willing to do anything to defend the city. I probably left a bad impression on him, but it doesn’t matter. The Obelisk soldiers will have to fight the Wolf King sooner or later anyway.
It seed Sapien had made a lasting impression on the regressor.
Which, in other words, ant Duke Erectus was nothing more than a footnote.
I scared him enough—he shouldn’t cause any more trouble. Hopefully, he won’t make regret sparing him. We need an alliance with the Beast Faction, and having a noble like him running wild will only complicate things.
Considering the ominous atmosphere from earlier, this outco was...
Surprisingly smooth.
There were so cracks in the peace, but the regressor’s actions had satisfied the other beastkin.
They didn’t openly show it, but the canine beastkin subtly expressed their approval.
"Thank you for stopping him, Lord Shei."
"Please don’t take it too personally. That’s just how he is."
"Your thods were a bit extre... but sotis, discipline is necessary."
"Duke Erectus is a recognized noble. Watch your words."
Treavor’s voice was gentle but firm as he reprimanded the beastkin.
Then, turning to the regressor, he fixed him with a asured gaze.
"Ende’s survival depends on both humans and beastkin working together. I ask that you refrain from reckless actions in the future."
The regressor, who often acted on impulse, had a surprising weakness—
He struggled against sound logic and reasonable people.
Shrugging, he gave in with an exaggerated motion.
"Relax. I only went that far so things like this won’t happen again."
"If you had that foresight, then I’m reassured."
The best outco would be for everything to go smoothly... but if conflict is inevitable, now is the best ti to face it. He must have chosen the lesser evil.
...Did he really believe that?
The regressor wasn’t the type to consider the future when making decisions.
Treavor might have misunderstood his intentions, but in the end, he was giving the regressor more credit than he deserved.
After pondering for a mont, Treavor spoke again.
"Since things have co to this, I have a task I’d like to entrust to you, Lord Shei."
"What is it?"
"Ende is not just this city. Beyond its walls, there are those who struggle to survive in the untad lands.
They live constantly battling the dangers of the wild. We call them... the Beast Faction."
Unlike the beastkin who had integrated into civilization, these were those who lived like true nomads—wild and untad.
The term Beast Faction was just a polite way of putting it.
In an official setting, they would likely be referred to as savages.
Or just beasts.
"The Beast Faction is powerful, but because they live apart from Ende, they may not cooperate when the ti cos to fight the Wolf King. We would be fortunate if they rely stayed out of the conflict."
Treavor thought of them for a mont, then removed an ivory ornant from his staff.
A rare ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) treasure, only found in the graves of elephants.
He rubbed it between his fingers before handing it to the regressor.
"Here. This is Ende’s symbol. Convince them.
Soone as strong and insightful as you, Lord Shei, should be able to sway the Beast Faction."
Perhaps... the Wolf King’s rise will be the catalyst that unites all beastkin.
This crisis is also an opportunity—one last chance to save Ende before it collapses on its own.
There was still sothing off about this.
Sothing that hadn't quite revealed itself yet.
But... he’d figure that out in ti.
"Fine."
The Beast Faction... They're crucial to Ende. If we don’t act, they could side with the Wolf King.
This is going better than expected.
Huh. Everything really was falling into place.
Maybe the regressor actually had so experience in handling situations like this.
...Even though, in reality, none of the actual problems had been solved yet.
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