The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 827

Episode 827: If That Is My Destiny (1)

Arterion watched Yulien’s fight for a long time.
Throughout the Great War, he had witnessed Yulien’s growth, often marveling at his progress. Yulien had improved faster than anyone else.
The person most fittingly described as “the world’s beloved” was Yulien.
The dragons, even without pride, launched a fierce attack on Yulien.
However, even with two dragons exerting their full strength, they still couldn’t subdue Yulien. He had thought two would be enough.
“Is it because of his devotion to the saint?”
The warrior had risked everything for the saint. His resolve surpassed the dragons’ strength.
Two dragons were not enough. To subdue Yulien, a stronger force was needed.
Arterion looked at Iraniel, Grondal, and Borisko with cold eyes.
“How long are you going to just watch? Are you saying you’ll leave all the dirty work to us?”
Iraniel asked with a grave expression.
“Why didn’t you speak clearly?”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought all I had to do was sacrifice the saint’s life. You didn’t say she’d be imprisoned forever, did you?”
“So? What difference would it make if I knew that?”
“…”
“Didn’t you already decide to sacrifice the saint for your race? Why? Now that I think about it, is it something I couldn’t do?”
“…”
“It’s inevitable if we’re going to save the world. Ultimately, the saint will have to sacrifice in some way. It’s for the world, so brace yourself.”
Iraniel looked at Arterion with sad eyes.
It was true that it was a decision made for the world. It was heartbreaking, but he thought it was better than the world being destroyed by continued war.
Sacrificing just the saint would bring happiness to more people. It was a temptation he couldn’t refuse.
But imprisoning her for eternity?
Even for the world’s sake, it was too cruel. He felt he couldn’t do this to the saint who had fought for the world all this time.
Iraniel shook his head and said,
“I… cannot agree to this method. I think it’s better to consider another method.”
With a stern expression, she returned to the altar. She intended to retrieve the Holy Stone and stop the seal.
But Arterion had no intention of allowing that.
“Grab!
” In an instant, a beam of light emanated from his hand, piercing Iraniel’s abdomen.
“Gasp…”
Iraniel was pushed back. A small hole opened in her abdomen, blood gushing out.
“Warchief!”
The elven elders hurriedly approached, infusing her with the energy of nature.
Arterion stared at Iraniel indifferently and said,
“I know your heart, so I won’t kill you. However, now that you’ve stepped in, you can’t escape. If you continue to obstruct me, I will wipe out half the elves in this world.”
“…”
Iraniel bowed her head with a haggard expression.
Her lifeblood had been destroyed during the battle with Rahamod long ago. Therefore, unlike others, she hadn’t grown stronger through war.
Of course, she was still stronger than most superhumans, but she was no match for a dragon.
She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
“I have committed an unforgivable sin. Ultimately, we elves will pay the price.”
It was too late to regret. He had agreed to sacrifice the saintess and betrayed his longtime friends.
“Erenes… … I’m truly sorry to you, too.”
The bright smile Erenes had worn before chasing the Apostle flashed through his mind.
―Chieftain! The war is finally over! I’ll definitely defeat the remnants and return!
― Yes, be careful. There’s no need to rush and chase the Apostle.
He had deliberately agreed to the pursuit to throw Erenes off. Erenes simply smiled brightly, oblivious to this.
― Don’t worry. I’ll return safely. I have a friend I desperately want to see.
I don’t know who that friend is, but Erenes seemed genuinely happy to talk about her.
If she found out, she would be heartbroken. She might even hate him. After all,
to Erenes, the Yulien Mercenaries were closer than his own kind, even more than family.
As Iraniel lowered her head in despair, Grondal asked Arterion,
“The dragons are already enough. I don’t think we need to get involved.”
“If you’re going to take responsibility, then take it firmly. Don’t search for a conscience half-heartedly. That won’t erase your betrayal, will it?”
“…”
“And look. They’re getting further and further away from here. It seems they already had a plan in place.”
Lionel and the Yulien mercenaries were retreating even as they fought.
At first glance, they seemed to be pushed back by the dragon’s overwhelming strength. But they had retreated too far.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A flash of light and an explosion erupted in the distance. They were too far away to be seen by most.
Astion had planned a plan from the beginning, considering how to escape if the seal proved dangerous and the dragons pressed forward.
He would flee immediately with Deneb, while the others would hinder the dragons.
Of course, this plan was based on the belief that Iraniel and Grondal would persuade or assist the dragons.
He hadn’t anticipated everyone’s betrayal and the city’s barrier, so he was doomed.
However, the Yulien mercenaries didn’t give up. Arterion was a little uneasy at their fierce resistance.
Borisko spoke with a hint of nervousness.
“There’s no need for us to intervene, is there? They’re putting up quite a bit of resistance, but the great ones will eventually subdue them.”
Arterion looked around at everyone again.
“The warrior’s power is stronger than I thought. I think we can subdue them quickly if the other dragons join in.”
“…”
“The others are gradually retreating. They say they’ve set up a barrier, but if even one of them escapes, it’s obvious we’ll all be a nuisance.”
“…”
“As I said before, be more proactive and take responsibility.”
Arterion sneered at Grondal and Borisko before calling the dragons.
Lionel and the mercenaries could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Their goal was to protect Deneb in case of an emergency, and then buy enough time to escape.
But they couldn’t escape. Lionel was faced with Grondal and the dwarves, and the mercenaries with the imperial army.
Kwah!
” Grondal slammed his halberd into the ground, his expression dark.
“Lionel, the first servant of the Saint and the indomitable shield. A paragon of knights and an iron-clad hero who stood against the demonic realm.”
“Why are you suddenly acting so awkwardly?”
“Surrender. I don’t want to fight you, my old comrade. Don’t you know the tide has already turned?”
“Would you say that even if the lives of the dwarves were at stake?”
“…”
“That’s what the Saint is to me. No, aside from being a Saint…”
Lionel straightened his back.
“I can’t let my kind and weak-hearted friend be imprisoned here and suffer forever.”
“…”
“I won’t say right or wrong. You have your own justice.”
“…”
“Now I will fight to uphold my own justice.”
Woof!
Lionel took a step forward, sword and shield in hand.
He was quite exhausted from fighting the dragon. Grondal, on the other hand, was in good spirits.
It was true that running away was the top priority. But Lionel had now abandoned any thought of running.
“I hoped you wouldn’t move, but…”
Grondal’s move meant the others had too. And their top priority was Deneb. He
didn’t know what had become of Astion. But if he too fled, they would immediately pursue him.
In that case, he felt it would be better to catch even one of them here and now.
Grondal raised his halberd and said,
“You look tired. I don’t want to kill you.”
“You’ll have to do your best. I’m not the kid I was ten years ago.”
“You know, you know. It’s a well-known fact that the warrior and his companions have grown stronger at an abnormal rate.”
In the original past, the warriors had crossed countless death lines and, after a long time, had achieved a level comparable to that of the apostles.
However, Giselle had learned their skills in a dream and then taught them again.
So, the time had inevitably been shortened significantly. That was the secret to the warriors’ rapid growth.
Ddddddddd… … .
Grondal raised his energy, and the earth began to tremble.
He already possessed strength rivaling that of an apostle ten years ago. And he grew stronger through the war.
Grondal’s halberd flashed for a moment and fell towards Lionel.
Kwaaaaah!
Lionel blocked Grondal’s attack with his shield. His body shook violently.
But he smiled and said,
“Is this all? An attack by the strongest dwarf?”
“…”
“You know what? You made this choice to save the dwarves, but in the end, you won’t be able to save them.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Astion won’t stay still. He will exact revenge. And…”
Lionel’s eyes flashed. His sword swung toward Grondal.
Kwaaaaah!
Grondal deflected the sword and retreated. Then Lionel raised his shield again and said,
“Once they learn of this, the others will not leave the dwarves alone. Oh, and of course, I intend to do the same.”
“…Yes, that’s right. There’s no turning back now.”
Grondal nodded several times, then his expression turned fierce.
It was true that his heart had softened with regret. But he had made a choice for the sake of his race.
In other words, the Yulien Mercenaries were now a danger to the dwarves.
Therefore, he had to do everything he could to keep the situation here from anyone’s knowledge. He had to reduce the number of mercenaries, even by one, just in case they did.
Steeling himself, Grondal raised his halberd.
“Old comrade, it was an honor to be with you all this time.”
“I have something to say.”
Their final greetings concluded. The two clashed with all their might.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
Lionel and Grondal began a desperate fight. Meanwhile, the imperial knights swarmed the mercenaries.
Less than half of the mercenaries remained. Even those who survived were wounded.
Their exceptional skill and extensive combat experience had only limited their losses against the dragon.
However, the imperial army included four superhumans. The remaining knights were also powerful, at least of the highest rank.
Borisko spoke with a solemn expression.
“Surrender. You are mercenaries, after all. I promise in the name of my empire. You will live out the rest of your lives in comfort. You will live out the rest of your lives in luxury as war heroes.”
Osval spat bloody saliva at those words.
“You bastard! If only I could start a revolution and take everything away! Does Osval the Man look so funny! You traitorous bastard!”
Tyrone also laughed, bleeding next to him.
“I don’t trust you guys anymore… I know when they’ll stab you again…”
This was something that should not be known to the world. If even a rumor spreads, there will inevitably be people who try to use that information to shake up the empire.
Moreover, the Yulien mercenaries already harbored an indelible grudge against the empire.
But are you saying you are keeping those people alive?
That can’t be possible. The empire
will try to get rid of Hu Huan somehow. All of the mercenaries were showing a look in their eyes that indicated they were ready to die. Whatever the reason, no one had any intention of surrendering.
Seeing their strong appearance, Borisko sighed and gave an order.
“…Kill him.”
Wow!
The empire’s superhumans and knights rushed towards the mercenaries.
Their expressions weren’t good either. The Yulien Mercenaries had been comrades in arms throughout the long war.
However, peace would only come to the world if the saintess sacrificed herself. And if they survived, another war would begin.
Therefore, for the sake of the world, they steeled their resolve and stained their comrades’ blood on their hands.
Kwaaaaah!
The two sides clashed immediately.
Osval and Tyran, already bloodied, took the lead once again.
Tyran, holding back the Imperial superhumans, shouted loudly,
“We’ve stalled them long enough! Those who can, run and let the world know!”
They had to successfully escape while holding off the enemy. However, escape proved difficult.
The Imperial knights surrounded the mercenaries, trying to prevent them.
Finally, with escape becoming impossible, the mercenaries once again risked their lives fighting to clear a path.
Kwaaaaah! Kwaaaaah! Kwaaaaah!
The Yulien Mercenaries had no choice but to fight in despair. Caught in the dragon’s perfectly prepared trap, their fate was already sealed.
With each loss of their lives, the darkness that filled the city seemed to ripple and rejoice.
And Astion, who had fled to the ends of the city but ultimately failed to protect Deneb…
Kwaaaaah!
“Cough!”
He was dying, covered in blood from the dragon’s attack.
Before Astion, who collapsed and coughed up blood, the blue dragon Darvaska smiled.
“Have you already lost your will to fight? Considering your reputation and skill, this is a truly pitiful death. I thought throwing a tantrum would be fun.”
Astion looked at Darvaska with eyes that were a mixture of exhaustion and despair.
Indeed, Astion had lost his will to fight and his life.
Those he trusted had betrayed him. The city was sealed off by a barrier. And even Deneb had been taken from him.
He couldn’t even use magic properly. What on earth could he do in this state?
In fact, if he fought with his life on the line, he might be able to briefly become even with the dragon before him.
‘But what’s the point?’
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Astion lost his will to fight.
Even if the heavens were to provide a lucky victory, there were still many dragons left.
Add the traitors and it was impossible to escape alive.
If he had failed to escape, everything was over.
“Ugh…”
Astion lowered his head with a pained expression.
No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t find a way out.
Drop… drop… drop…
Blood flowed from between his lips and fell to the floor. Insurmountable despair mixed with tears and seeped into the dirt.
In a hazy state of mind clouded by pain and despair, Astion muttered,
“Gisselle… what should I do in a situation like this?”
Giselle, who always offered clear answers, was no longer there.
But Astion continued to question the air. He had no other way, no one to rely on.
“Giselle… please… I don’t know…”
There was no answer.
Only empty whispers, not even echoes, were scattered by the wind.
Darvaska raised his hand.
“Your name will be remembered here as a great hero who sacrificed himself for the seal. Be content with that.”
Paaaaah!
A huge white flame appeared in front of Darvaska.
9th Circle magic, Hellfire.
This absolute flame would melt even Astion, who had lost his will to fight, in an instant.
Even in a situation where his life was in danger, Astion simply lowered his head and muttered.
“Giselle… save Deneb….” “Giselle…
help… please…
” “Giselle… us…”
“…Giselle.”
Astion’s voice gradually faded. It was like the last prayer of someone in despair.
Darvaska laughed at Astion’s appearance.
“What the hell are you mumbling about? There’s no one here to help you. Just die. I’ll remember your pitiful death.”
Paang!
With a short crack, hellfire erupted.
At that moment,
Astion’s head snapped up.
And from his eyes, he raised his head.
Paaaaak!
A fierce red light erupted like an explosion.