Chapter 797

The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Release schedule: 3 chapters per week

Looking for an editor for this novel. If interested please contact fenrirtl. (username)

Marquis Ferington’s eyes widened.

He felt all strength drain from his body.

Clang.

Even amid the noisy battlefield, the sound of his sword slipping from his hand rang out with stark clarity.

“Grrk…”

Blood welled up from his throat. Hot, sticky blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.

Through his blurred vision, he saw the Imperial Army crumbling.

The screams of the soldiers who had fought alongside him, the blood-soaked ground.

All of it was growing distant, fading away.

‘This can’t be happening. I am of the Holy Empire…’

Resentment crushed him.

He didn’t want to admit that he had failed.

‘It’s not… over yet…’

He tried to move. But his legs gave out, and his knees buckled.

Gritting his teeth, Marquis Ferington lifted his head.

From atop a horse, someone looked down at him with arrogant eyes.

A sudden ominous premonition struck him.

If someone were to bring about the downfall of the Holy Empire…

It would be this man standing right before him.

With that final thought, Marquis Ferington’s head dropped forward.

Ghislain looked down at the collapsed Marquis Ferington for a moment, then lifted his head.

“Hm.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Balls of fire rained down from the sky, striking the Imperial Army.

Nakturah relentlessly pierced the Imperial Army’s mana shield as he cast his spells.

Though the magic was no longer as powerful as in the beginning, it still inflicted devastating damage on the already disoriented Imperial troops.

Ghislain turned his gaze back to the Imperial Army. They were still locked in battle against hundreds of weapons flying from every direction.

And those soldiers who had been closest to Ghislain and Marquis Ferington were now completely dazed.

“T-The Supreme Commander is dead.”

“How… how could this happen…?”

“S-Should we run?”

Terrified, they stumbled backward in hesitation.

Marquis Ferington had been a Transcendent, one of the Holy Empire’s greatest prides.

Yet he had been killed without dealing any real damage to his opponent.

That fact alone shattered the Imperial Army’s morale.

Ghislain ignored them and turned his head toward the rear.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the direction he looked, Julien and Kyle were still fighting.

Even against the powerful Transcendents of the Imperial Army, the two had not retreated a single step.

If anything, they were showing even greater prowess in some aspects.

They would win even without his help, but there was no benefit in dragging out this battle any longer.

Ghislain spurred his horse and charged toward the rear.

Dududududu!

The Julien Mercenary Corps had already pulled back far enough to form a defensive formation around Deneb.

Death Knights were pushing forward, holding off the enemy in front of them.

The Imperial Army continued to die off, unable to break through the wall.

And just as Ghislain, who had broken through the center, struck from behind, the Imperial Army collapsed in an instant.

KWA-A-A-AANG!

“Uwaaaagh!”

Ghislain pushed through the Imperial troops in front of him and headed straight toward where Kyle was.

Kyle and a Transcendent from the Imperial Army were locked in an even match. No one else was near them.

KA-AANG!

The Imperial Transcendent clashing with Kyle stepped back to catch his breath for a moment.

He glared at Kyle and spoke.

“You’re quite something for a young pup. I see now—you were worth the rescue of those dwarves, just as the reports said. But your petty tricks end here. I’ve figured out—”

He stopped mid-sentence and quickly turned his body.

He had sensed an overwhelming force rushing in from behind.

What he saw was a man on horseback, charging at him with a spear.

‘A sneak attack, huh…’

The Transcendent sneered.

He was a Transcendent. As long as his opponent wasn’t another Transcendent, he wouldn’t fall to something as cheap as a sneak attack.

Just look—this attack was so slow, it made him yawn.

He shifted his body slightly to the side. He intended to cut down both the horse’s neck and the rider in one swift motion.

The only thing that concerned him was Kyle, who might exploit that opening from behind.

But then—

‘Huh?’

His body didn’t move properly.

His own body, which should have moved faster than anyone else’s, felt as heavy as if it had sunk to the ocean floor.

It had been a long time since he felt this way. The last time must have been when he was a child, training in heavy armor.

‘Tch, damn it…’

Even as he struggled, the enemy’s spear drew closer and closer.

The Transcendent realized something was wrong. And only then did it dawn on him, faintly.

It wasn’t that his body was heavy or that the opponent was fast—the world itself had slowed down.

‘N-No way…’

He couldn’t understand what was happening.

He had no idea what had gone wrong.

Even now, so many thoughts were racing through his mind.

And as he looked at the spear that was now right before him, he thought—

‘I’m going to die.’

KWA-A-A-AANG!

The Imperial Transcendent’s head burst open as Ghislain’s spear pierced through it.

Blood and bone fragments scattered into the air, falling like crimson rain.

WHINNY!

Ghislain pulled on the reins, and his horse came to a halt with a long whinny.

Watching Ghislain appear out of nowhere and obliterate a Transcendent in one blow, Kyle opened and closed his mouth several times.

‘Damn, that monster…’

The Imperial Transcendent had certainly been strong.

Kyle felt that his own techniques were superior, but the seasoned mastery of one who had reached Transcendence long ago was still out of reach.

He had been struggling quite a bit but then, Ghislain had suddenly appeared and crushed the enemy’s head in an instant.

Even though the Imperial Transcendent had been exhausted and it had been a surprise attack, it was still hard to believe someone could overwhelm a Transcendent that easily.

Kyle realized he was still far from that level. He needed to train more and grow stronger.

Still, he had been confident he could take down the enemy alone—so it was a bit disappointing.

“Hey! I was about to finish him off—why’d you butt in?!”

“Let’s wrap this up quickly. Go help the others.”

“Tch.”

Kyle pouted for a moment, then joined the mercenaries’ battle. Right now, ending the fight quickly was more important.

Once Kyle was gone, Ghislain brushed his upper lip. A trace of blood stained his fingertip.

‘Tch, already hitting the limit, huh.’

To kill the enemy Transcendent quickly, he had pushed the Power of Will to its maximum. That had been the problem.

It was a chronic issue that came with moving through Astion’s body.

Astion’s realm had steadily risen, but Ghislain’s own level had climbed even faster. And so, the gap between the two had only grown wider.

It had become so severe that now, even brief use would throw his body’s balance into disarray.

Even as his realm increased, the duration he could sustain the Power of Will had grown shorter.

Unconsciously, Ghislain muttered to himself.

“I don’t know how much longer I can stay here.”

Thanks to learning magic, he was barely maintaining balance but the day would come when it would collapse.

And the stronger his enemies became, the faster that delicate balance would crumble.

Ghislain let out a faint smile.

‘Well, I’ll worry about that when the time comes.’

In a way, this moment was the most critical period for the Julien Mercenary Corps.

They had earned renown and expanded their influence. They had even gained the support of various races.

But as long as the Pope remained, neither Julien nor Deneb could be truly safe.

So, if they could just get through this ordeal safely…

The Julien Mercenary Corps could become the heart of the United Human Army.

With a chilling gaze, Ghislain spurred his horse once more.

Dududududududu!

This time, he targeted the Transcendent fighting against Julien.

Just like before, he blasted away the Imperial soldiers blocking his path. Without hesitation, he thrust his spear at the Transcendent locked in battle with Julien.

KAANG!

“Guh, you coward!”

The Imperial Transcendent retreated while blocking Ghislain’s spear. But Ghislain’s assault was relentless.

KA-GA-GA-GA-GA-GANG!

His spear moved like lightning, pressing the attack without pause.

The Imperial Transcendent was forced to focus solely on defense. And Julien didn’t miss that opening.

SLASH!

Julien’s sword tore deeply into the Transcendent’s abdomen.

“Gghhk…”

SSSSHHHH!

Divine power began to slowly heal his wound but before it could fully close, Ghislain’s spear came flying again.

KAANG!

The Transcendent barely managed to deflect the spear again. But Julien’s sword slashed deep across his back.

The Transcendent, unable to hold his stance any longer, completely collapsed.

In that instant, Ghislain’s spear pierced through his heart.

Squelch!

Sssshhh…

His life drained faster than his divine power could heal the wound.

The Imperial Transcendent, eyes dull and hollow, glared at Ghislain and spoke.

“You coward… Do you even know what a knight’s duel means…?”

Ghislain replied with an indifferent expression.

“We’re mercenaries.”

For mercenaries, the process didn’t matter. Only the result did.

No matter the situation, completing the mission and achieving the objective—

that was the only justice and purpose for a mercenary.

“…”

At that moment, the Transcendent wore a look of sudden realization.

He slowly turned his head to Julien and smiled.

“Right… You were so skilled, I forgot… Well done.”

With those final words, the Imperial Transcendent collapsed.

Feeling slightly fatigued, Ghislain ran a hand through his hair and spoke briefly.

“It’s almost over. Let’s push a little more.”

“Yeah.”

Julien nodded with a grim expression.

Truthfully, this battle wasn’t easy for the Julien Mercenary Corps either. They were gritting their teeth and giving it everything they had.

They had the upper hand only because they had many powerful fighters and had prepared in advance. The Imperial Army was undeniably strong and numerous.

Julien immediately turned and rejoined the mercenaries.

The Imperial mages were tied down by Nakturah and Ereneth. Divine power, if anything, was to their advantage too.

So, the only ones they really needed to deal with were the Imperial knights. But with Julien and Kyle on the field, even they were falling quickly.

Once the frontline Imperial knights were taken out, the battle would be effectively over.

The regular soldiers couldn’t even scratch the Death Knights holding the line.

BOOM! BOOM! KWA-AANG!

“Aaaagh!”

The battlefield was filled with the screams of the Imperial Army.

With no Transcendent left to stop Julien and Kyle, the Holy Empire’s forces were crumbling rapidly.

Ghislain felt the end of the battle draw near.

But there were still some who hadn’t finished their fight.

Ssshhk! Ssshhk! Ssshhk!

Marika and Darents were still locked in a deadly duel. The area around them had already become an open space.

The Imperial forces had fallen into chaos and scattered but more than that, they had learned that going near those two meant their death.

Ssshhk!

Darents’s dagger grazed Marika’s neck.

He didn’t let up, continuously targeting her vital points.

Although Marika’s body was already marked with numerous wounds, not a single one was fatal.

Darents’s face twisted in frustration.

“You’ve gotten a lot better in just a few years. I guess the dragons gave you quite the support.”

“…”

Darents believed that Marika’s newfound strength was entirely thanks to the dragons.

There was no other explanation for how an assassin who had once been nothing more than a low-ranking squad leader could now fight evenly against a Transcendent like him.

But he was a Transcendent. And after losing his left arm, he had pushed himself through relentless training to become even stronger.

Even now, Marika was clearly struggling against him—her wounds increasing with every passing moment. No matter what secret arts she had received from the dragons, she wouldn’t be able to defeat him.

To be honest, the very fact that someone like Marika had stalled him this long was a blow to his pride.

Sssk!

A dagger flew at Darents from behind. But he severed the wire attached to it, and the dagger clattered harmlessly to the ground.

He let out a twisted grin.

“You really thought that trick would keep working?”

That dagger had been the last one connected to Marika.

At first, he had been caught off guard. The daggers slithering from every direction like snakes had been quite the threat.

But he was an experienced assassin and a Transcendent. He quickly figured out how to deal with them.

“As long as they’re tethered to your body, all I have to do is close in and cut the strings.”

The farther away she was, the harder it was to track the wires. That’s why Darents had kept closing in and severing them one by one, reducing her number of active daggers.

“Did a dragon teach you that technique? Not bad. I’ll admit it was clever but it doesn’t work on a Transcendent. Good for buying time, though.”

That strange technique had kept him from killing her immediately. But now that the daggers were all gone, he could finish her quickly.

Thunk.

Marika stopped moving in response to his sneering words. Darents stood in front of her and gave her a twisted smile.

“You’ve got no choice now but to face me head-on. That means you’ve run out of time.”

“You cut all the wires.”

“Yeah, and now you die.”

“…”

“Honestly, after all the trouble you’ve caused me, I’d love to tear you to pieces right here. But… the situation’s not in our favor, so I’ll just take your head and leave.”

Darents wasn’t stupid. He could clearly see that the Holy Empire’s forces were nearing total defeat.

The Julien Mercenary Corps was far stronger than expected. He had to report this to the Holy Empire and prepare properly next time.

So, he intended to kill the traitor Marika quickly and make his escape.

Marika stared at him and asked,

“This is it?”

“What?”

“This is all you’ve got to show me?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“If this is all… then you’re going to die now.”

“You arrogant bitch—what the hell are you—!”

Darents moved without a sound. He intended to close the gap and slash her throat in a blink.

With that thought, he thrust his dagger—

Cheng!

A sharp metallic ring echoed as his attack was blocked. Darents instinctively tried to follow up, but he froze.

“What the…?”

Marika hadn’t moved a muscle.

Something else had stopped him before he could even reach her.

Darents wore a look of disbelief.

A single dagger floated in the air. From its blade extended a glowing aura blade of blue light.

“No… this can’t be…”

Darents blinked several times, thinking he was seeing things.

But it wasn’t an illusion.

The glowing dagger still hovered in front of him, blocking his path.

Sweat ran cold down his back.

All around him now…

Dozens of glowing daggers were beginning to rise.