Bloodhound's Regression Instinct-Chapter 252

Chapter 252

The monsters here, as well as the armor, swords, and other equipment—they all seemed to be manifestations of Helena and Natae.

In other words, even at this moment, Helena was fighting Natae with her own inner turmoil.

“We need to hurry! Mom is in a battle, and we can’t just stand here watching!” Lorena shouted.

Theo and Yan nodded, ready to move forward. But something blocked their path.

“A scarecrow?” Yan furrowed his brow as he looked at the scarecrow wielding a sword, standing in their way.

If his eyes didn’t deceive him, this scarecrow was the same one that had single-handedly defeated dozens of monsters.

Theo couldn’t contain his amazement. “Could it be?”

“Do you recognize it?” Yan asked, and Theo nodded.

He pointed to the word “Teo” carved into the scarecrow’s neck. “My mother made this scarecrow when I first learned to wield a sword.”

The scarecrow bounced around, seemingly delighted to see Theo.

But Theo had a destination. “I’m sorry, but I have to go now. I’ll find you in the real world later.”

He gripped the sword at his waist. The scarecrow’s swordsmanship had been impressive from a distance.

However, the scarecrow surprised them. Instead of blocking their way, it seemed to guide them forward, bouncing ahead.

Watching this, Theo blinked. “Is it leading us?”

“Well, it seems that way,” Yan replied.

“Let’s follow it, for now,” Yan suggested.

With nervous anticipation, the two of them trailed behind the peculiar scarecrow.

* * *

The scarecrow bounced across the black-and-white landscape, revealing occasional glimpses of monsters.

Flash!

As the scarecrow’s sword emitted a brilliant light, the monsters vanished without a trace.

“Remarkable,” Yan exclaimed, watching in awe. Unlike Maximus, the puppet, this scarecrow was a true master.

Theo grinned. “My father and Hans demonstrated swordplay against this scarecrow multiple times. Perhaps that influenced its abilities?”

The swordsmanship of Duke Beowulf and Hans was unparalleled within the empire—true swordmasters. If the scarecrow had absorbed their techniques, it made sense that it displayed such skill.

As they crossed the black-and-white expanse and reached the pale white terrain, Yan’s eyes widened. Lorena shared the same reaction.

“That’s the training ground for the Dragon Soldier Project!” Lorena pointed out. Indeed, at the starting point of the pale white land stood the massive training facility where Yan and Lorena had undergone rigorous training.

Lorena’s face twisted in confusion. “What on earth happened here?”

Just then...

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The scarecrow bounced enthusiastically, as if urging them to inspect a document placed before it.

Theo raised an eyebrow, picking up the crumpled paper the scarecrow had dropped. He read the words written on it.

“Personal Profile: Helena.”

Yan and Helena, who had been staring at the training ground, turned their heads abruptly.

Together, they read the contents of Helena’s profile. “Trainee #313, Helena. Orphan.”

Beneath that, her training and examination records were detailed, along with subsequent events. Helena excelled at the training facility, and she secretly accepted an offer from the imperial family.

Her identity was meticulously laundered, and she became the adopted child of a noble family.

And eventually, she married Duke Beowulf.

“...Was all of this planned?” Lorena’s eyes trembled.

Theo crumpled the profile sheet without hesitation, while Yan adjusted his stance, ready to continue.

“Let’s keep going,” Yan said.

And so, the three followed the bouncing scarecrow, ascending through Helena’s memories—from the Dragon Soldier training grounds to facing the emperor in the palace, and finally, becoming their mother.

Just then...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A tremendous roar echoed ahead, and a massive shockwave erupted.

“There!” Theo shouted.

They propelled themselves toward the epicenter of the explosion, only to find Helena, eyes closed, standing before the monstrous claws.

* * *

The colossal sound echoed—thump, thump, thump! Helena, now awake, found herself collapsing before the young men standing in front of her.

“You... you all...”

In her memories, Theo was twelve, and Lorena was five. But instinctively, she recognized these young men as her children. They were her children.

Tears flowed relentlessly from Helena’s eyes. She had thought her tear ducts had withered after battling Natae, but now they poured forth like a broken dam.

“Ugh, sob.”

Helena wiped away the tears with both hands.

Dream or not, hallucination or reality—she didn’t care. She wanted to imprint her children’s faces into her memory a little longer.

Seeing Helena’s vulnerability, Theo and Lorena exchanged glances.

Whoosh!

Together, they embraced Helena.

“Mom, do you know how long we’ve searched?” Theo asked.

“Sorry for being late, Mother,” Lorena pouted, reverting to her younger self, while Theo had grown into a confident young man.

Helena held them close, choked with emotion.

“Oh, if only this dream wouldn’t shatter!”

She believed it was a dream—a glimpse of scenes she hadn’t wished for before facing death.

Otherwise, how could her children be here?

Just then, the black-and-white landscape they stood on began to transform. Colors burst forth, illuminating Helena’s fading emotions.

She squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to wake from this dream.

And then it happened.

“How much longer must I wait?”

A stranger’s voice pierced Helena’s ears—a voice that seemed roughly the same age as her children.

“...?”

Helena, her tear-streaked face raised, gasped at the unfolding scene.

A young man stood there, blocking the monstrous claw.

His force reminded her of Duke Beowulf from the past.

“Wh-who...”

Lorena smirked and nodded. “A friend.”

“Friend? Wait, you can’t be—”

Theo rose to his feet, drawing his sword toward the creature.

Though she saw only his back, Theo’s smile caught Helena’s eye.

“This time, I’ve come to rescue you, Mother.”

Helena stared, dumbfounded, at her radiant son’s laughter.

* * *

While Lorena and Theo conversed with Helena about their past, Yan continued his intense battle against the relentless monster.

“Chih, rapid regeneration,” Yan muttered. Slicing through the creature’s body wasn’t difficult; however, its endless recovery posed a problem. Despite cutting it dozens of times, the creature seemed unfazed, healing and retaliating with each strike.

And each counterattack was brutal—enough to make even Yan break into a cold sweat.

Then it happened.

The creature’s mouth, now a vivid red, formed, and it spoke.

“Hmm... Why is it something different this time? Not lust, but something strange... Ugh, so bothersome.”

Yan frowned. Until now, he’d assumed the creature lacked intelligence, but hearing it speak was surprising. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

“What’s your identity?”

“Me? Ah, talking is such a bother...”

Slash!

The sharp blade from Theo, who had suddenly appeared at Yan’s side, severed the creature’s mouth.

Theo glared at the monster. “This one is Naetae, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.”

The mouth reappeared elsewhere on the creature’s body, revealing its confusion. “Why bother... I’m curious. How did you all get here?”

But Naetae, in an odd mental state, ignored the question and erupted in anger. “Because of you, my tasks keep multiplying!”

Simultaneously, more monsters emerged from the mist behind Naetae—five in total. Each resembled the one Helena had been fighting.

Seeing this, Theo chuckled. “This won’t end well. If they also possess regenerative abilities, we’re in trouble.”

“Then let’s prevent their regeneration,” Yan said, shaking his head.

This place was Helena’s mental realm. Her recovery and boundless strength were understandable. But these monsters were different—they weren’t created by Helena. So why could they wield similar power within her psyche?

“Can they express their own psyche within mine?” Yan wondered aloud.

This was Helena’s mental world, where external battles mirrored inner struggles. It was a contest of whose conviction and psyche were stronger.

To compete, Yan needed to make this black-and-white realm more favorable to himself. But how?

The answer was close.

Yan shouted to Lorena, who was supporting Helena, “Tell your mother about the memories you both share! Help her recall lost memories!”

Snap!

The mouth on Naetae’s abdomen appeared again, confirming Yan’s theory.

This realm was gradually being taken over by Naetae, using memories Helena had lost.

If Lorena shared those memories directly with Helena...

Sizzle!

“Your dominion will shrink until it reaches the boundary of the unconscious,” Yan declared.

And during that time...

“Theo, we need to hold them off with everything we’ve got.”

“Leave those two to me!”

With those words, the battle to reclaim memories began.