Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan

Chapter 276

A deafening roar filled the air, followed by a piercing, high-pitched ringing in Theo's ears. He pushed his strength to its limit, trying to neutralize the explosion.

Ziiing—

At that moment, a shield materialized in front of him. A faint smile spread across his face.

“Did you really think I’d let you get hurt by such pathetic things?”

Thanks to Lodbrok’s intervention, Theo had emerged completely unharmed—not even a scratch marred his skin.

“Thank you,” Theo said sincerely.

“These attacks may look chaotic, but they’re maintaining a consistent rhythm,” Lodbrok observed. Even the corpses, lifeless as they were, seemed to fall into a strange, calculated balance.

A chilling thought crossed Theo’s mind.

“If even the corpses can explode…”

The recent explosion had been powerful enough to incinerate everything within a radius of several meters. If these detonations could occur in rapid succession—or worse, if the creatures trailing behind them could also explode—it would spell disaster.

The path they had traveled was already piled high with mountains of bodies. If his fears were realized, Theo would have an incredibly difficult time managing the fallout.

As if to confirm his suspicion, heatwaves began to rise from the corpses. The air itself grew oppressively hot—not merely the aftereffects of the explosion.

“This isn’t my imagination. The corpses are starting to burn!”

The bodies began to glow a fiery red, radiating an intense and blinding light.

Sizzle—Siiiizzle—

The corpses grotesquely bloated, their clothing tearing as their forms swelled like balloons ready to burst. Every fiber of their being shone with an unrelenting brightness.

From the distance, Theo could sense an overwhelming vortex of mana coalescing.

BEEEEEEEP—!

The ringing in his ears intensified as the corpses began to explode, one after another, each blast a thunderous detonation.

“Harald!” Theo shouted urgently, gathering everyone around Lodbrok for protection.

His vision was quickly consumed by blinding white light. Whether this was another trap laid by the fanatics or a result of the array’s power, Theo couldn’t be certain. All he could do was brace himself for the coming shock.

One of the nearby corpses twitched unnaturally, its lips twisting into a grotesque grin before its mouth yawned wide.

KABOOOOOM—!

The explosion ripped through the area, sending dirt and splintered wood high into the air. It was as though the entire battlefield had been swallowed by the blast.

As the ringing in Theo’s ears faded, his hearing gradually returned. His vision followed, clearing to reveal the aftermath of the explosion. The acrid scent of burnt wood lingered in the air.

Crackle, crackle—

Amid the eerie silence, the sound of burning embers filled the void. Lodbrok stood at the center, with Theo and Harald flanking her, one at the front and the other at the rear.

A massive circular clearing surrounded them, the aftermath of a desperate counterstrike.

“That was far too close.”

Theo had barely managed to neutralize the explosion by rapidly channeling mana. Only the ground beneath their feet remained intact; everything else had been reduced to scorched wasteland.

The explosion’s power was evident in the lingering tremor in Theo’s hands. Even the dense canopy of trees, which had once obscured the sky, had been completely obliterated, leaving behind a barren expanse.

The surroundings had transformed into a desolate wasteland. Beyond the radius of destruction, the edge of the remaining forest was faintly visible.

“If we’d been even a little slower, things could have gone very badly,” Theo remarked, brushing the dust from his clothes. Harald nodded silently in agreement.

The explosion had been so powerful that it carved a new boundary line for the forest, far removed from the barren wasteland.

“That explosion fed mana into the magic array spread across this region,” Lodbrok explained, “allowing me to discern its structure.”

While Theo and Harald had been preoccupied with neutralizing the explosion, Lodbrok had used the opportunity to analyze the array.

“What does that mean for us?” Theo asked.

“It means we can now interfere with this bothersome array,” Lodbrok said with a confident smile.

Interference was far more challenging than simply dismantling a spell. The fact that Lodbrok could now tamper with an array devised by the Second Apostle himself was a testament to her power.

Her gaze shifted toward the distant cliff’s edge. Though shrouded in mist, it seemed as though she had locked eyes with someone standing there.

Her expression darkened, a hint of anger flashing in her golden eyes.

“That cliff… Someone’s there. The arrogant little elf bastard,” she muttered.

Following Lodbrok’s line of sight, Theo and Harald turned their eyes toward the cliff. Now unobstructed, they could clearly see a dark figure standing at its peak.

“From here on, we charge straight ahead. There’s no need to dismantle every part of the array—severing its core will suffice,” Lodbrok declared.

It was a clear signal to abandon caution and proceed without hesitation.

Crack, crack—

The sound of Harald flexing his muscles echoed again. Despite the energy he had spent countering the explosion, he seemed invigorated, a broad grin spreading across his face.

“Then let’s go. I’m curious to see how twisted that bastard’s face will be,” Theo said.

With their combined efforts, they had once again thwarted the Second Apostle’s schemes. Without a moment’s hesitation, the trio surged forward, channeling mana as they rushed toward the cliff and their awaiting foe.

***

“As expected, they are truly worthy of being called absolute powerhouses.”

The Second Apostle stood atop the cliff, gazing down at the aftermath of the explosion. His eyes fixated on the three figures standing in the midst of the wasteland, the only patch of ground left unscathed.

Crackle!

Sparks erupted from the magic array beneath his feet.

“Hmm?”

He immediately began analyzing the array’s flow to assess the situation.

Screech—Grind—

The explosion had thrown the array into disarray, its functionality severely compromised. Attempts to restore it were futile, as an alien mana slowly contaminated the array, spreading like a virus and eroding his control.

The likely culprit stood in the center of the wasteland—a woman with short, jet-black hair. Her golden eyes shimmered like jewels amidst the devastation.

He instinctively enhanced his vision with mana, sharpening his sight to scrutinize her face. What he saw shocked even him.

“What on earth is she?”

It wasn’t simply her sharp vision. She had analyzed the array, traced its flow, and locked her gaze onto him—all within a matter of moments.

Their eyes met.

Despite the vast distance, her piercing gaze made it clear that she recognized him.

She wasn’t an elf known for magical prowess. Nor did she appear to belong to the Mage Tower. That left only one possibility.

“A guardian dragon?”

Ragnar’s guardian dragon.

He recalled seeing it a few times over the centuries, always in its draconic form. This was his first time witnessing it in human form.

“No one else but the guardian dragon could do this.”

The enigmatic woman, whose abilities allowed her to tamper with his array, was not listed among the Holy Church’s most dangerous individuals. This fact only solidified his certainty.

“Urk, ugh! Ho-Holy Church… l-lord…!”

One of the priests attending the array collapsed, coughing up blood.

Sizzle—

The moisture in his body evaporated in an instant, leaving behind a withered, mummified corpse.

“So, the guardian dragon can pull off such feats.”

Thud.

Before his words fully left his lips, another priest turned into a mummified husk, their lifeless body collapsing to the ground.

“The Lord above must be testing us with a small trial,” he murmured.

Crack!

The Second Apostle grabbed the neck of the remaining priest. The man didn’t resist; his body fell limp, yielding to the Apostle’s grip.

“Sacrifice yourself for the glorious One,” he commanded.

He flung the priest into the center of the array as though discarding trash.

“Urk! Aaaaagh!”

The moment the priest landed, his veins bulged grotesquely, swelling beyond natural limits. Blood erupted from his body, spraying across the array.

A sinister hum filled the air as the Apostle began drawing power.

“Let’s see how different you are from other dragons,” he said, a faint smile creeping onto his lips.

It had been a long time since he’d felt such exhilaration. Even the faint sounds of insects in the distance had vanished.

A black aura unfurled from him, pulsating as though it would engulf the entire forest.

Rustle—

Branches that came into contact with the aura turned black, crumbling into brittle husks like mummies. The thick darkness writhed and expanded, spreading savagely through the forest.

At the heart of this growing void, crimson eyes blazed ominously, burning with malice.

***

Shing! Shing!

Theo’s blade sliced through the air with such grace and precision that it could almost be described as art. His strikes cleanly severed his enemies’ necks, fountains of blood spraying out before their bodies collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

There were so many that counting them became a meaningless task. At this point, it felt more like labor than battle.

He glanced to the side.

Vroom—!

Boom!

Harald’s axe swung with reckless abandon, as if it defied the very concept of weight. Its deafening crashes made it painfully clear just how much destruction it could unleash.

If Theo’s swordsmanship resembled a finely honed art form, then Harald’s fighting style was raw, merciless violence. Each swing of his axe sent several men flying into the air like ragdolls.

“Theo, you handle this side. Harald, take care of those trees over there,” Lodbrok commanded.

Without missing a beat, Theo dispatched his targets with clean efficiency, while Harald obliterated everything in his path with overwhelming power. The air felt clearer, almost refreshing, as if the battlefield itself was exhaling.

“As you move, uproot that tree ahead,” Lodbrok added.

“Understood.”

Vrrrm—

Mana began gathering rapidly within Harald’s body.

“Hrgh!”

He took a deep breath, spun his body with tremendous force, and delivered a devastating kick.

BOOM!

The massive tree was torn from the ground, its roots ripped out entirely as it toppled backward with a thunderous crash. Dust and debris erupted into the air, momentarily obscuring their vision.

But the three pressed forward without pause, heading toward their next objective.

“The branch over there, and the trunk on this side,” Lodbrok directed.

Using detection magic, Lodbrok pinpointed the critical weak points in the array. Theo and Harald quickly moved to dismantle them, targeting only the locations Lodbrok identified.

Instead of advancing in a straight line, they destroyed the array’s anchors one by one. Soon, the mana binding the formation began to unravel.

Fwaaah—

A faint resonance echoed as the array’s interconnected structure collapsed like a tangled thread being rapidly unwound. The remnants of the array dissipated into the air.

“My body feels lighter.”

The oppressive air caused by the array’s magic began to dissipate, and the weight on their bodies lifted. Even the mana that had been drained from them returned, seeping back into their cores. Theo felt his body brimming with newfound vigor, as if he’d been refreshed from the inside out.

“Hmm,” Harald muttered, flexing his hands and testing his renewed strength. He could feel the vitality surging back into his body.

Lodbrok, observing their recovery, smiled with confidence.

The path to their target was becoming clearer.