The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 826

Episode 826: Just One More Time for the World. (4)

It was merely a flash of light.
But Yulien’s strike wasn’t a simple attack.
It was a declaration to stand against the world for the one he loved, and that light was proof that declaration had come true.
Crack!
Kvarnex, the red dragon charging toward Yulien, couldn’t understand.
There was no foreshadowing. He merely instinctively twisted, a chilling premonition running down his spine.
But he saw that nearly half of his arm had already been severed.
“You… how…”
Kvarnex glared at Yulien.
An attack that flew through space without warning.
The Yulien he knew hadn’t displayed such a skill, even in his final battles with his adversary. Yet, in that short time, he had become stronger.
“Indeed… it was true that this world grants you strength.”
If he had been in dragon form, he might have suffered even greater damage.
Fighting in his current state would have been better for evasion, but judging by that skill, it would be difficult to deal with in human form.
Kvarnex transformed into dragon form without hesitation.
Paaaaaaak!
At that moment, a divine light permeated Yulien and the mercenaries. It was a blessing that Deneb, fleeing with Astion, had hastily cast.
It wasn’t just Kvarnex who attacked Yulien.
His opponent was a warrior who had defeated his adversary. Though the saintess’s help was significant, he was still capable of taking on a single dragon.
Soon, another dragon reverted to his original form and unleashed a barrage of ninth-circle magic at Yulien.
Kwaaaaah!
An explosive magical power swept through the air.
Yulien barely dodged, then swung his sword again. Each time his sword flashed, the dragons failed to dodge and were wounded.
Kwaaaaah!
The two enraged dragons scattered their magic in all directions. Then, gigantic, high-level spirits appeared around Yulien.
Kwaaaaah!
A storm of flames raged. The dragons’ magic shook the air, and the earth split open as if melting.
The warrior they saw wouldn’t die like this. To render him incapacitated, he had to attack with all his might.
Yulien didn’t back down. His sword cut through the dragon’s body, beyond its magic.
From the ground, rock spirits surged and grabbed the dragon’s legs, and the lava-like magic was swallowed by the blue waves raised by the water spirit.
From the sky, wind and lightning spirits charged at the dragons.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The spirits’ energy slammed into the dragons’ bodies. But the two dragons countered, crushing the spirits with their massive tails and wings.
High Circle magic rained down like rain, and a powerful energy oppressed Yulien.
But Yulien dodged it all, endured it, and swung his sword.
Kwaang! Kwaang!
With each flash of light, the dragons’ scales were torn apart. The dragons roared in rage and pain, moving ever more violently.
Kwaang!
The fierce battle between Yulien and the dragons didn’t end easily.
Yulien’s strength, facing two dragons, was formidable. But Yulien couldn’t relax.
‘Astion… … hurry… … .’
Not counting Arterion, there were seven dragons.
Two were fighting Yulien, one each with Lionel and the mercenaries, and the remaining three were all chasing Astion.
Even Astion couldn’t fight three dragons alone. Lionel might not know, but the other mercenaries would struggle to deal with even one dragon. He
had to protect Deneb, but he didn’t want to lose his friends. He had to kill the dragons quickly to help the others.
So Yulien pressed on, using even more force than usual.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
The dragons were taken aback by Yulien’s violent attacks. They were much stronger than they had expected.
But the dragons didn’t back down, continuing their fierce clash with Yulien.
Yulien was fighting a tight battle alone against two dragons. No, he was gaining the upper hand as time went on.
But the others weren’t.
Just as Yulien had worried, Lionel was barely holding off one dragon.
Kuuuung!
Lionel withstood the dragon’s magic and retreated. A gigantic shield of mana stretched out before him.
Lionel could gain the upper hand even against an apostle, but facing a dragon unleashing its full power proved difficult.
But he wasn’t overwhelmingly outnumbered. At least he could hold on by holding the dragon’s ankles.
The problem wasn’t Lionel, but the other mercenaries.
Kwaaaaang!
“Eaaaah!”
As the dragon’s massive tail swung, the mercenaries, unable to dodge, instantly turned to blood.
Even with Deneb’s protection, they couldn’t withstand the devastating impact.
Tyran and Osval, now in their superhuman form, barely managed to withstand the dragon’s attacks and counterattack.
However, they couldn’t inflict fatal wounds instantly. As superhumans, they could even slice through the dragon’s hide, but that was their limit.
Each time the dragon’s magic unleashed and its mighty body slammed into them, the mercenaries screamed and died one by one.
“You son of a bitch!”
Tyran cried, rushing toward the dragon. The death of his comrades, with whom he had shared life and death, was unbearable.
Osval continued to weep as well.
His tears were a mixture of fear, the desire to flee, and anger at the deaths of his comrades.
“Eeeeeeeee! Die!”
Kwaaaaah!
Tyran and Osval charged at the dragon, draining their very life.
Even a dragon couldn’t ignore a superhuman’s life-threatening attack.
However, that only meant it could inflict significant damage, not compensate for the overwhelming difference in skill.
“These insect-like creatures are going crazy.”
Gooooooo!
The dragon’s 9th circle magic unleashed. Dozens of massive fireballs rained down on the mercenaries.
KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!
Each fireball landed, followed by a violent explosion. The mercenaries, unable to withstand the blast, were shattered to pieces. Even
those who managed to dodge or barely hold on were unable to withstand the ensuing magic and perished.
Tyran and Osval charged at the dragon with ever-increasing ferocity. However, their bodies, too, were being torn apart and destroyed.
Meanwhile, Astion, holding Deneb in his arms, gritted his teeth and focused solely on fleeing. He had even thrown away his staff. He
couldn’t use magic properly anyway.
‘Damn it! A magical field this powerful!’
Everyone knew that Astion was a 9th Circle mage. That’s why the dragons unleashed a powerful magical field across the area.
Even if Astion was a 9th Circle mage, it was impossible to break through it and cast magic.
But thanks to Giselle, Astion’s body had reached a superhuman level. He poured all his magical power into himself.
Kwaaaaah!
His body shot out like a ray of light. But the dragons were getting closer.
Deneb spoke with a trembling voice, tears streaming down her face.
“Astyon, Astyon… It’s just that I… My friends… Our friends are dying…”
“Be quiet! I won’t do as they say!”
“Then… Then please fight with us… I need to be there.”
Astyon wiped away his tears and spoke firmly.
“No. Even with you, we can’t win here. We need to use your power when we’re ready. We have to do it if we’re going to get revenge on those traitors. That’s why we’re all risking our lives fighting.”
Astyon thought calmly, even as his anger simmered.
Kyle, Marika, Erenes, and the entire Yulien mercenary corps. And even Andrew, Rio, and the Marquis of Valesant’s army.
Everyone had to come together and fight. Only then would there be a slight chance of victory.
Deneb had to be alive by then. If they fought blindly here, they would surely die or be taken hostage by the dragons.
And if they didn’t spread this news, their friends outside would surely be fooled by their lies and killed one by one.
So they had to escape and seize the opportunity for revenge.
‘If only Kyle was here…’
Kyle had grown strong enough to be called the Greatest Swordsman on the Continent and the King of Swords. At least, he was known to be a level above Yulien in swordsmanship.
Kyle would be far more helpful than Astion, who couldn’t even use magic properly due to the dragons’ magic field.
If Yulien, Kyle, and Lionel had all been together, they would have definitely been able to stop the dragons and escape.
No, they should have all been together. Astion bitterly regretted his mistake.
“We’ll leave the chase for later.”
He hadn’t considered the possibility of everyone betraying him. That’s why he naturally agreed to the pursuit operation to capture the fleeing apostles.
After all, the heroes were all in charge of them anyway.
But even that had been planned long ago, to scatter them.
It was fortunate that Lionel had been left out just in case. He was in charge of one of the dragons.
Crunch.
Astion gritted his teeth several times.
Even at this moment, his comrades were dying, fighting to free them.
The tears wouldn’t stop. A heart-rending pain surged through him.
“I will… I will absolutely… I will absolutely kill you all.”
Astion chewed on his burning hatred over and over again. He planned to kill the Empire, the elves, the dwarves—everyone.
If necessary, he would become the Demon King and exact revenge on the world. Yulien probably felt the same way.
Kwaaaaah!
Astion unleashed his magical power without sparing a single ounce.
This city is immense. And the Allied forces are quite far from it.
He must reach it somehow. Only then, in the chaos, could he possibly escape the dragons’ machinations.
Perhaps his friends would return. If so, escape would be easier.
Running with such hope, Astion stopped at the city’s outermost edge.
“T-This…”
A massive curtain had descended. It was a magical barrier that rippled, yet physically impeded passage.
Even a dragon could not overcome such a massive barrier alone.
Astion turned his head, dumbfounded.
The dragons, who had arrived behind him, smiled. They were still in human form, intent on stealing the saintess.
“We fully anticipated the possibility of you escaping.”
“That’s why we made some preparations.”
“The barrier wasn’t simply a seal.”
The barrier included erecting a massive wall across the entire city.
It was a barrier the dragons had gathered and prepared for days. Breaking through it would take considerable time.
But there was no time. Astion was already caught up.
One dragon stepped forward and spoke.
“Astion, hand over the saintess. And follow her choice.”
“…”
Astion, without answering, drew up his magical power. He couldn’t use magic, but he had no intention of simply handing over Deneb.
The dragons, as if they had anticipated this, immediately began their attack.
Kwaaaaah!
Astion’s fist clashed with the dragon’s. The dragon was the one who was pushed back with a powerful shockwave.
Deneb’s protection was upon Astion.
But there were three dragons. Before Astion could properly counterattack, another dragon attacked.
Kwaaaaang!
Crack!
Astion, struck in the side, suffered broken ribs and fell. However, thanks to Deneb’s divine power, he immediately recovered and sprang to his feet.
Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang!
The dragons took turns attacking Astion. Astion, with his exceptional martial arts, fought brilliantly against the dragons, aided by Deneb’s divine power.
However, fighting while holding Deneb wasn’t easy. He had to fight the dragons with only one hand.
Furthermore, the dragons, knowing the power of divine power, attacked without hesitation.
Kwaaaaang!
Astion was knocked back several times and rolled on the ground. However, thanks to Deneb’s immense divine power, he was able to endure and continue fighting.
At one point, the dragons exchanged glances. Divine power was one thing, but Astion’s martial arts were more advanced than expected.
“You can fight like that while holding the saint…”
“This is truly astonishing. I only heard rumors of your skillful use of the body ten years ago.”
“It hurts my pride, but we must do our best.”
At this rate, it seemed like it would be difficult to subdue her even after days of fighting.
If we simply killed them both, we could return to our original form and unleash all our attacks. No matter how great the saint was, we would eventually be able to kill her.
But the saint couldn’t die. So the dragons, increasing their magical power, clung to Astion more aggressively.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The dragons’ attacks continued without pause. Astion concentrated and somehow withstood the onslaught.
Then, one dragon, finding an opening, grabbed Astion’s arm and instantly broke it.
Crunch!
Astion’s shoulder broke in an instant. Thanks to divine power, he recovered immediately, but his balance was momentarily lost.
Immediately, another dragon embraced Astion from behind. And with all his might, he shattered Astion’s ribs.
Crunch!
“Ugh!”
It was a wound that could have resulted in instant death, but divine power intervened again and restored his body in an instant.
However, that brief gap was the cause of trouble.
The moment Astion’s shoulder and body were subdued, another dragon broke Astion’s arm holding Deneb.
Crunch!
The divine power restored his arm again. However, it was inevitable that his hand would momentarily lose strength.
Using that brief gap, the dragon eventually succeeded in taking Deneb away.
“Deneb!”
“Astion!”
Kwaaaaang!
Astion’s body was flung far away by the dragon’s attack.
He jumped to his feet, but a dragon was already high up, carrying Deneb.
“He’s surprisingly skilled in martial arts, so it took a while. I’ll return to the Lord first, so you can finish him off.”
With that, the dragon left.
Soon, the other dragon shrugged and took to the air.
“There’s no need to deal with two guys who can’t even use magic properly. Isn’t that against the dignity of a dragon?”
“You’re right. Then I’ll handle it lightly and go.”
“Please, Darvaska.”
The last remaining dragon, Darvaska, smiled and opened his hand. A blazing fireball erupted.
Even with his life hanging in the balance, Astion’s gaze remained unfocused on the dragon.
“Deneb…”
He simply stared in the direction Deneb had been dragged, his expression blank.