The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 832

Episode 832: It’s Not About Saving the World (1)

Julian’s appearance was different from the adversary everyone knew.
The previous adversary was a being made of darkness.
Only a crimson light flowed from his eyes, and everything else was shrouded in darkness.
But Julian was different.
Only his black hair, dark eyes, and a pair of black wings spread behind his back proved he was the new adversary. The
black aura surrounding him shimmered ominously. It was a sign of disaster, yet at the same time possessed a strange beauty.
Now, Julian’s appearance was ominous and unsettling, gloomy and sorrowful. Yet, it was captivating and captivating, impossible to look away from.
Yet, the aura he radiated was no different from the previous adversary.
A weight that seemed to crush the world, a suffocating, absolute presence radiated from him.
“…”
The world Julian saw was no longer the world he knew.
A world tinged red, the sky and earth distorted as if rotten.
It was like a living hellscape.
Every living thing he saw was utterly repulsive. The aura they exuded felt like a poison polluting the world. An
endless murderous intent seethed within him.
It seemed that only by killing all living, breathing things could this world be purified.
—Kill… …. Kill them all… ….
—And thus, the descendants of God and the new world… ….
—Uphold my will… …Burn everything… ….
With each utterance, a flood of emotions flowed through him.
It was a mixture of rage, joy, sadness, fear, and countless other indescribable emotions.
But in the end, only one thing remained:
hatred
for all life.
This was the demon’s ideology. The demon’s ideology endlessly sought to destroy and recreate this world, creating its own.
Ss …
A black energy seeped into his heart, erasing any trace of his human existence.
He was now the embodiment of destruction, about to be reborn as the Demon King, the only one to descend into this world.
But… … .
Crunch!
Yulien gritted his teeth.
He resisted the voice in his head. He
resisted the endlessly rising hatred and murderous intent.
The more he resisted, the more the energy clashed, tearing at his insides and regenerating them.
His body repeatedly crumbled and rebuilt, and his mind wandered in endless agony.
―Accept… …
―Only then can you be reborn as a complete being… …
―That is the only way to alleviate the suffering… … .
The darkness that consumed his body and mind tempted Yulien endlessly.
But Yulien resisted.
He shed tears of blood and searched for light.
A single ray of light faintly shining in a world dyed crimson.
“…Deneb.”
He would save her and escape from here.
Before he was completely consumed by this darkness.
That was his last reason to endure as a human.
Kwung!
His footsteps shook the earth.
Yulien took a step forward and swung his sword.
Kk!
Space distorted with darkness.
The dragon, approaching to turn Yulien into an idiot, blinked.
And a moment later.
Swirling… … .
His human-shaped neck was quietly severed.
Red blood scattered like flowers in the air, and his head fell to the ground.
Thud!
Everyone present was shocked by the appearance of a new adversary.
He, who had been so shocked that he was decapitated, died.
Confirming the dragon’s death, Yulien’s black wings slowly unfolded.
“Adversary!”
Arterion shouted loudly, returning to his original form.
“You have finally accepted the Demon God’s thoughts!”
Kwoooooooo!
A dazzling light exploded from his body.
A gigantic dragon covered in white scales rose, spewing a blast of frost from its mouth that seemed to tear the sky apart.
Simultaneously, the other dragons, having regained their senses, breathed their breaths at Yulien in unison.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
A roar, as if the world were collapsing, erupted.
However, before their attacks could reach Yulien, his form had already transformed into a streak of darkness.
The darkness, faster than light, tore through the air and shot out in a straight line.
His goal was singular.
‘Deneb.’
But there was a being blocking his path.
Arterion, who had descended to the earth, roared loudly.
“You will never reach the saintess!”
Kwaaaaah!
Dozens of magic circles overlapped and struck Yulien.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
With each successive explosion, shards of darkness scattered in all directions.
Yulien, his expression indifferent, didn’t pause for a moment. Instead, he spread his wings and soared into the sky.
His only thought was to rescue Deneb and escape from here.
But in the meantime, the dragons swarmed in, unleashing another barrage of magic.
Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang!
Seven dragons were now blocking him with all their might. Yulien could no longer resist and had no choice but to fight.
Kwaaang!
With every movement Yulien made, the darkness around him vibrated violently.
He felt the pain of being slashed by blades all over his body. His body was endlessly splitting and reattaching itself from within.
It wasn’t because of the dragon’s attack. It was a side effect of not fully accepting the demon’s power.
But Yulien gritted his teeth and endured.
It was the last will of a human to move toward the light.
Kuoooooooo!
Spirits rose up around him.
But they were no longer beings of pure energy.
The spirits, twisted into black light, howled.
Aaaahhhh… … .
Because Yulien had been tainted by darkness, the spirits could not help but be tainted by it.
The spirits had once embodied the harmony of the world, but now they had become beings that defied that harmony. Therefore, the more they stayed with Yulien, the more painful it became for them.
Yet, the spirits did not choose extinction. They did not abandon Yulien.
They loved Yulien, so they chose to be with him, to be tainted by darkness.
Instead, they abandoned the world that tormented them.
Snap… … . Thump… … .
A portion of the spirits’ energy was torn away.
It was the love they held for the world, the very foundation of their existence.
The lump of debris stirred. It was now a spirit, but not a spirit, a being of chaos.
Soon, the spirits, having abandoned their hearts, transformed, emitting a terrifying energy.
They became demons.
Kaaaaaaaah!
The corrupted spirits swallowed the surrounding darkness and pounced on the dragons.
“How dare these cursed things!”
The dragons raged and unleashed their magic with all their might.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
Flames and lightning exploded from all directions, raining down on the spirits.
But the moment Yulien’s sword moved.
Crack!
All magic split.
Magic was torn apart, and black trajectories carved through the air.
Distance meant nothing. Yulien’s sword ignored space and slashed at the dragons’ bodies.
The dragons could not dodge Yulien’s sword. It wasn’t something you could avoid just because you wanted to.
Kaaaaaaah!
The dragons’ screams and roars mingled.
Their scales and hides were torn, cut, and shattered, and darkness seeped into every wound.
This darkness spread like blood, slowly eating away at the dragons’ bodies.
The dragons had to suppress it and fight. This was precisely why the adversary’s power was so terrifying.
The more they fought, the weaker they became.
“Don’t spare your lives! You must eliminate the adversary here and now!”
Arterion’s roar echoed throughout the battlefield.
The adversary must not escape. There were still apostles and remnants left.
If they gathered, war would begin again. This time, victory was not guaranteed.
That’s why the dragons truly risked their lives to block Yulien. The flapping of their wings created thunder, and their endless roars split the sky.
KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAAAAHHH!
Countless magics and spirits mingled and exploded here.
Each explosion was powerful enough to destroy a city.
However, the power did not leak out. Arterion continuously deployed his shield to block Deneb’s path, and the surrounding darkness swallowed the explosions.
Both sides did this to prevent Deneb from being caught in the blasts.
Thanks to this, the explosions did not spread outward. Instead, the impact returned as a pain that tore through every being on the battlefield.
Deneb stepped back, tears streaming down her face.
The magic circle that had bound her had already vanished. But she could not escape.
“Julian…”
Julian was immersed in darkness. It didn’t take a question to understand why he had accepted that power.
He had accepted the demon’s thoughts to save himself.
But it wasn’t salvation, it was eternal punishment.
Julian’s soul had now become part of the darkness that denied the world. He could not die, and he could no longer be called human.
Knowing this, Deneb’s heart was torn.
“Because of me…”
She should have accepted the offer sooner.
She should have been trapped in eternal darkness.
Then Julian wouldn’t have fallen into darkness.
“Julian…”
Her tears wouldn’t stop.
The one she loved had given up his soul for her.
In return, they would never be together again.
Just being by his side would burn Julian’s body and soul with pain. Now, she couldn’t comfort or embrace him, his exhausted body.
Deneb stumbled up to the altar.
The holy stones still radiated a brilliant light from the platform. Deneb knelt at the center of the altar, tears streaming down her face.
“Goddess…”
Sacrificing now was useless. It wouldn’t save Yulien’s soul. Instead,
Yulien would suffer endlessly and resent the world.
“Please… I will sacrifice… Take my life and save Yulien…”
Deneb knelt at the altar and prayed endlessly.
Now, she had no hesitation. Being trapped in eternal darkness didn’t scare her.
She would gladly accept it if it meant saving Yulien.
But the god was silent. No matter how much she prayed, no answer came.
Finally, Deneb watched the battle with a bewildered expression.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Only endless explosions and roars filled the world.
Fire and ice, darkness and light intermingled, the battlefield crumbling as if at the end of the world.
Both sides were fighting with the intent to kill each other. It was a battle more desperate and desperate than any other.
Who could stop this fight?
A fight between those with the power to destroy this world.
Who could stop it, and how?
At that moment, a name flashed through her mind.
‘Gisselle…’
If Giselle had been there, would she have been able to stop this fight?
If Giselle had been there, would she have found another way? If
Giselle had been there…?
When Deneb thought of Giselle, the light from the holy stones wavered. She didn’t miss it.
‘… Why?’
She felt like she was clutching at straws. Any miracle would have been welcome. She needed even a single ray of hope.
So she thought of Giselle.
From the moment they parted ways, to the day she first met him. Every journey they’d shared, every memory of laughter, and even the promises they’d made.
The more she thought about Giselle, the more the holy stones’ light wavered.
Before she knew it, the light seemed to have come to life, circling around her as if dancing.
Time seemed to slow down.
The roar of the fighting around her gradually subsided, and the light slowly moved in front of Deneb.
“Ah…”
Deneb fell into a trance. No sound could be heard. Only the trembling of light enveloped her.
And she felt
it. Through this light, she was now connected to someone.
Paaaaah!
A dazzling flash enveloped her vision, and a sight she had never seen before unfolded before her eyes.
The back of a man appeared.
He stood on the highest platform, his red cloak billowing.
Beneath him, hundreds of knights clad in black armor waited in orderly formation.
And beyond them… …a vast army stretched out, seemingly endless.
Flags bearing wolf emblems swept the sky, fluttering in the wind.
The sight was truly majestic.
Stronger, more majestic, more overwhelming than any kingdom’s army.
Deneb wondered.
Who could it be?
Who could command such a mighty force?
What kingdom could this overwhelming force, so powerful it seemed it could turn the world upside down ?
Even she, who had fought alongside every army on the continent during the Great War, had never seen anything like this. Deneve
couldn’t figure out why she was suddenly seeing this sight.
She simply stared at the man’s back. Then, something changed.
The man, who had been quietly gazing at the army, slowly turned around.
Their gazes met.
Then the man looked at Deneb and smiled.
A smile warmer and gentler than any other smile.
At that smile, an old memory flashed through her mind.
A name, a voice, someone had spoken confidently before her, long ago.

― Grand Duke of Rutania, Lord of Fenris, Ruler of the North, Undefeated Monarch, Commander of the Northern Army… …and King of the Mercenaries.

– I am Giselle Ferdium.

“Giselle…!”
Tears flowed from Deneb’s eyes. It
was her first time seeing his face, but she knew it.
That man was Giselle. The future Giselle was looking at her now.
And in that moment.
Whaaaaaaaaa!
Deneb’s mind transcended time, becoming one with the future.