The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 810

Episode 810: The One Who Will Kill You (5)

In an instant, darkness surged from the adversary’s body, unfolding like a gigantic wall.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
The devastating breath collided with the darkness, triggering a massive explosion.
The heavens and earth shook as if turned upside down, and the shockwave alone shattered the rifts beneath.
When the explosion subsided, the dragon and the adversary faced each other head-on.
The dragon’s black scales still shone brilliantly, and endless darkness swirled around the adversary.
The dragon’s eyes twitched, for even after being struck by the full-force breath, the opponent remained unharmed.
Grrrrr… …
The dragon revealed its displeasure.
“This is no ordinary man…”
The being before it appeared to be a high-ranking priest possessing immense power. However, the clash just now had likely drained a considerable amount of energy.
The dragon took a moment to catch its breath and let out a deep cry.
“I don’t know what the demonic priest was thinking when he appeared here… but this will be your grave.”
With those words, countless lightning bolts exploded around the dragon.
KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!
With each strike of lightning, hundreds of Cracklings turned to ash and vanished.
“WAAAAAAH!”
The cheers of the Human Alliance shook the battlefield.
The ranks that had crumbled in despair were instantly revived.
The knights with swords rose again, and the dwarves roared and charged.
The elves’ arrows and spirits once again filled the sky. The people’s eyes were filled with hope.
But the adversary did not move an inch.
Guuuung… … .
A sharp darkness, like a spear, extended from the adversary’s fingertips.
It flew towards the dragon’s chest with the momentum of slicing the world.
The dragon raised its massive foreleg and crushed it in one swift motion.
KWAAAAH!
The sky shook with the dragon’s roar.
As if in response to its roar, flames and lightning entangled and rushed towards the adversary.
KWAANG! KWAAAAH!
Magics of immense power were unleashed without mercy. But the adversary fought back, blocking everything with a curtain of darkness.
As the dragon’s 9th circle magic and the adversary’s darkness clashed, space distorted everywhere and inexplicable explosions erupted one after another.
Reality itself shook, as if the world couldn’t contain the two beings.
Boom! Kwaaaaang!
The dragon swung its tail, sending a shockwave that could shatter mountains.
The darkness surrounding the adversary’s body split open, but it rose again as if regenerating itself.
Krrrrrr… …
The dragon flapped its wings and soared high into the sky.
Suddenly, clad in lightning flashes, the dragon charged straight toward the adversary.
A massive lightning trajectory drew a path as the two beings collided.
Kwaaaaang!
In that instant, everything on the battlefield twisted and shook violently.
The Crackers were tossed in all directions, and most of the United Human Forces lost their balance and fell.
It was a breathtakingly magnificent battle.
The two beings weren’t simply powerful. They were like divine beings, shaking the very order of the world.
Giselle, too, watched the battle between the dragon and its adversary with astonishment. She
‘d hoped someone would buy her time, but she hadn’t expected a dragon to appear so suddenly.
But his expression was anything but bright.
‘This is…’
The human coalition forces were re-energized by the dragon’s appearance. That was truly fortunate.
Some might consider it a miracle, others simply good luck.
But Giselle couldn’t simply think that way.
‘Fate…’
He felt the weight of a grand destiny.
As if Deneb and Yulien were absolutely destined to die here.
Why? Why did he suddenly feel this way?
It should have been a mere exquisite coincidence.
‘… … The anxiety I tried to avoid thinking about.’
Giselle had changed the future after returning. That was why she had been so convinced she could change it.
But now, that conviction was wavering.
‘… … “My existence in the future.”
That was a definite outcome. No matter how much he struggled in the past, that future was bound to come. Perhaps
past actions didn’t change the future, but rather the past was being twisted to fit a predetermined outcome. Because
in the original future, “Duke of Fenris, Giselle Ferdium” didn’t exist.
That was the result of his regression and the inevitable change.
The original future…
The Delphine Dukes would have triumphed, and the Salvation Church would have dominated the continent.
‘… … No.’
Giselle gritted her teeth.
If the future truly couldn’t be changed.
If her actions, which had altered countless pasts, were meaningless.
Deneb wouldn’t have called her here.
So she must not waver.
She must not give up, thinking the future is predetermined.
She can change it. She will definitely be able to change it.
That is the attitude of those who live today.
“Ugh…”
Giselle crawled forward, even as the pain tore through her body.
She couldn’t leave this fight to the dragon alone. The opponent was so powerful that there was no guarantee the dragon would win.
Even if fate, as Giselle had foreseen, spared Deneb and Yulien, she might have to make other sacrifices in return.
So Giselle continued to crawl forward,
so that Deneb could create a miracle.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Even in the meantime, the battle between the dragon and the opponent remained tense.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
With a roar that seemed to rip through the sky, the dragon slammed its massive wings down. The blow summoned a storm and pushed back the darkness of the adversary.
Thud!
Suddenly, black chains of darkness stretched from the adversary’s body. It wasn’t a simple manifestation of energy.
A binding that eroded the very foundation of the world.
These very bindings began to slowly bind the dragon’s body.
Krrrrrr… …!
The dragon used magic to break the chains. However, each time they shattered, they continued to regenerate, squeezing its body once more.
The dragon’s wingbeats were still majestic, but their momentum was gradually slowing.
Kwaang!
The dragon’s tail struck the adversary. But now the adversary’s body didn’t even flinch.
Instead, darkness spread out like ripples, continuing to bind the dragon.
Thud! … .
Paaaak!
The dragon broke the black chains, retreated, and then opened its mouth again to let out its breath.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
The endless breath and darkness clashed, creating a violent whirlpool.
However, the breath’s momentum eventually gave way, and the darkness seeped deeper and deeper.
Krrrrrr… …
The dragon felt something strange.
It seemed the more they fought, the stronger their opponent became.
‘No… … Am I becoming weaker?’
Only then did the dragon realize.
The darkness that filled this place was slowly consuming him.
It was accumulating within him, consuming his magic power.
If he didn’t leave this place, the darkness would eventually penetrate even deeper.
Of course, he could escape this realm of darkness if he wanted to.
But the dragon’s pride would not allow him to escape.
Krrrr!
The dragon roared and twisted. The black chains that had bound him shattered and scattered.
It was still overwhelmingly powerful. The dragon raised its magic power, trying to press down on its opponent even harder.
Then, the darkness of the opponent shimmered as if laughing.
Red eyes glowing in the darkness pierced the dragon mockingly.
“Boooooooo!”
The adversary’s darkness flew towards the dragon, engulfing the world. The dragon, in turn, cast countless spells, clashing their bodies against the adversary.
“Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaaang!”
The dragon, prepared for death, unleashed its power, and the adversary could not take him lightly.
The two beings clashed with all their might. However, as time passed, the dragon’s wingbeats began to feel increasingly heavy.
The adversary remained calm. He consistently defended against the dragon’s attacks, stalling for time.
The longer he endured, the more the dragon’s movements became noticeably slower.
“Dudduk…” … .
Darkness flowed from the adversary’s fingertips like a thin thread.
It cut through the lightning and flame magic that filled the air, reaching the dragon’s body.
“Kururur!
” The dragon writhed.
The darkness that touched its body now was different from before.
It burrowed between the scales, spread deep into the body along the blood vessels.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The darkness pulsed as if in time with the dragon’s heartbeat.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
The dragon’s roar, tearing through the sky, turned into a pained scream.
Its massive body staggered, and its wings grew heavier and heavier.
The adversary smiled in the darkness.
The darkness from his fingertips was still flowing into the dragon’s body.
It was as if the most powerful lifeform ever created by God was slowly decaying from the inside.
Darkness crept between the dragon’s black scales, slowly dulling its obsidian luster.
The dragon’s eyes wavered. It sensed a strange energy stirring within its body.
It knew instinctively. If this continued, it would gradually lose its strength and eventually its very existence.
Kaaaah!
The dragon somehow held on, continuing to attack its opponent. However, it lacked the destructive power it once had.
As time passed, the dragon weakened. Finally, struck by the opponent’s powerful attack, the dragon plummeted to the ground.
Kwaang!
A shockwave exploded, crushing thousands of rifts in an instant, shattering them.
However, it was not the dragon’s victory, but a deafening roar that signaled its defeat.
Krrrrrr…
The dragon gritted its teeth as it roared, but despair was mixed within.
The human alliance fighting the rifts was astonished at the unbelievable sight.
“Could it be… a dragon?”
“Being pushed back…”
“W-this is unbelievable.”
The dragon, the coordinator of the world and the messenger of the gods, was reeling in pain.
It was a sight she never dared to imagine.
The adversary still arrogantly looked down on the ground from the sky.
The sight sent the morale of the United Human Forces plummeting. But no one could stop the fight.
They clung to the dwindling sacred power, gritting their teeth and continuing to fight.
Giselle ignored it all. She tried to escape the range of the sacred power by any means necessary.
Right now, the United Human Forces were fighting around Deneb. If she stepped outside the range of the sacred power, she would be torn to pieces by the Crackers. She
needed someone to help her, even if only for a moment.
“Hey… Someone… Cough!”
Giselle’s voice, exhausted, was drowned out by the battlefield’s roar.
Giselle thought for a moment. In this state, it would be difficult to call anyone.
She needed someone who would understand and come with just one call.
That person… There was only one.
Giselle gasped for breath and blurted out her name.
“Erenes…!”
Her voice was weak, too small. Giselle braced herself and squeezed out the last of her strength.
“Erenes!”
It was a fairly loud voice, but the surroundings were too noisy for anyone to hear.
“Ugh…”
Just as Giselle tried to shout again,
Paaaaaaaah!
The wind spirit swirled and Erenes appeared.
“Gisele! What’s going on! Are you okay?”
“Haha…”
Giselle laughed, as if she had known this would happen.
Erenes had been sending spirits to check on Giselle.
That was why he had noticed Giselle’s abnormality before anyone else and was able to come here.
Giselle reached out to Erenes and said,
“Take me… out of the realm of divine power…”
“What? It’s dangerous there!”
“It’s okay… Just protect me for a moment… Hurry… When the adversary’s gaze is focused on the dragon…”
Erenes hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a firm expression.
If we continued like this, we would all die without being able to escape.
But what was Giselle planning? Giselle had always solved every problem.
So, we should trust her this time too.
Erenes carried Giselle and headed out of the area.
Kaaaaak!
The rifts were burning among the allies fighting with the divine power. The formation was already meaningless.
Erenes carried Giselle and ran through the allies. And finally, they left the range of the divine power.
It was a land of death, engulfed in thick darkness.
Kaaaaak!
Countless rifts were rushing in from all directions.
Erenes immediately summoned the spirits of the earth and created a gigantic wall.
Deuddeudde!
A massive earthen wall rose up, blocking the path.
“Giselle! We can’t hold out much longer!”
Kaaaaak!
The rifts trampled each other as they scaled the wall. Any longer, the wall would collapse, unable to withstand the weight of the oncoming force.
Jiselle muttered as she lay on the ground.
“Naktura… Come out quickly…”
Paaaaah!
A subspace opened in the air, and Naktura, who could not be summoned from the realm of divine power, appeared.
As soon as Naktura appeared, she scattered powerful magic around her.
Kwak …
Flames soared, and the rifts rushing toward them were reduced to ash and scattered.
Naktura glanced at the fallen Giselle and thought,
“Ah, this is the perfect time to kill me. What a shame.”
Then she could regain her freedom. But the Death Knight held the vessel of her life.
Without it, freedom was meaningless.
Reluctantly, Naktura touched Giselle’s body and said,
“Are you really going to do it?”
“…Yes. Go ahead and do it.”
“Even if I die, I won’t know.”
Kwaaaaah!
Naktura’s immense magical power flowed into Giselle’s body.
Naturally, Giselle, whose balance was broken, couldn’t fully accept it. No, even if she did, she couldn’t use it.
Giselle’s soul could no longer perfectly control Astion’s body.
So Giselle resorted to a different method.
“Astyon… please.”
―Leave it to me.
Flash!
A completely different blue light emitted from Giselle’s eyes.