The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 843

Episode 843: Let’s Start Hunting (3)

Kyle, Marika, and Lionel.
Their eyes, which had been fading, flashed cruelly for the first time in ages.
The dragons were the true culprits of this situation and the greatest targets of revenge. If it weren’t for the dragons, Yulien and Deneb wouldn’t have been so tragically sacrificed. The
resentment he harbored toward others paled in comparison to the hatred he held for the dragons.
Kyle grinned ferociously and gripped his sword tightly.
“Do you know how long I… have waited for this moment?”
His voice trembled with wild excitement. Kyle’s heart pounded so furiously it felt like it was going to burst.
All this time, due to Astion’s protests, Kyle had to suppress and endure his hellish rage.
Marika spoke in a cold voice.
“I can finally exact my revenge.”
Destroying the empire and killing the priests involved in the conspiracy didn’t even qualify as revenge.
Killing the dragons was true revenge. But he couldn’t move right away.
As Astion repeatedly insisted on waiting, the two had no choice but to wait, lost in thought.
Lionel looked at Astion and said,
“I think it’s time we talked. Now that Erenes is gone.”
“Yes.”
Astion nodded with a serious expression, then slowly spoke.
“Actually, that day, we didn’t escape that place with just Lionel and I.”
Kyle furrowed his brow.
“What do you mean? Who else helped you?”
“Gisselle.”
“…What?”
“I thought Giselle had left, but she was actually asleep within my consciousness. Then, when I was in danger…”
Astion calmly explained Giselle’s role that day.
If it weren’t for Giselle, Astion and Lionel might not have survived.
Even at the last moment, she almost helped Yulien and saved Deneb. It was only Deneb who sacrificed herself for Yulien.
It was a shame, but Giselle did her best. If Giselle hadn’t appeared, Astion, Lionel, and the other mercenaries would have all died.
Kyle and Marika were startled by Astion’s explanation.
They’d thought they’d just lucked out, but who would have thought Giselle would have appeared? With Giselle, it could have easily happened.
Suddenly, Kyle grabbed Astion’s shoulders and shouted,
“Giselle! Are you really back? Giselle!”
“I woke up briefly, but now I’m asleep again. I still can’t fully handle Giselle’s consciousness.”
“Still?”
“I think my body needs to recover a bit more. It’ll still be difficult to fully accept it, though.”
Astion’s body had become even more damaged since that day. It was only natural, since Giselle had unleashed all her strength.
Having reached the 9th Circle, he could at least communicate with Giselle’s consciousness. Still, if Giselle took over, his body would collapse.
For Giselle, who now possessed dragon-like powers, it was an inevitable limitation.
Kyle smiled at Astion.
“Is this why you told me to wait? Until Giselle can act?”
“That was part of it. After all, Giselle also dreams of revenge against the dragons.”
“Is there another reason?”
“The future.”
“The future?”
“The way to save Yulien and Deneb’s souls depends on Giselle’s future.”
“That… what do you mean?”
“Deneb said that only Giselle from the future can save Yulien and her soul. We must prepare for Giselle’s future.”
Astion slowly explained what he knew this time.
The past and the future influence each other. However, he wasn’t sure what influence it had.
To make the future Giselle experienced as much as possible, while also preparing for the final battle in the future.
That was the role of those who remained in the past.
Of course, no matter how easily Astion explained it, it was difficult for the others to fully understand.
Kyle asked with a slightly excited expression.
“So, I don’t know for sure… Anyway, if we kill the dragons and prepare as Giselle tells us, we can save Yulien and Deneve’s souls in the future, right?”
He was completely focused on revenge right now. Honestly, it was hard to believe Astion’s words were truly possible.
But even for the small hope that Yulien and Deneve’s souls could be saved, even for that tiny possibility, Kyle was ready to risk everything.
Astion nodded.
“Yes, in Giselle’s future, dragons were extinct. They said they didn’t know why. But the reason…”
Kyle answered with an eerie glint in his eyes.
“It could be us.”
“That could be true. Well, if we fail, they might go extinct for other reasons.”
“There’s no such thing as failure.”
Marika and Lionel nodded at Kyle’s firm words.
Dragons are creatures that would be unsatisfactory even if they were chewed up. He was determined to kill them all, even if it meant risking his life.
Astion smiled at his friends’ confidence and unfolded the map.
“Counting the dragons that participated in the pursuit, there are still quite a few left. Even the most arrogant dragons will gather their strength if they realize they’re being hunted.”
The people here could easily handle a single dragon. But if several gather, it becomes difficult to handle.
Therefore, they had to reduce their numbers as quickly as possible while simultaneously identifying their locations.
“Of the surviving dragons, only three have been located. For now, we need to eliminate them first.”
In the present age, the dragons’ locations were a secret.
Only the Dragon Lord, who occupied a vast land and commanded a vast army of monsters, and the dragons who cooperated with neighboring kingdoms to monitor the Demonic Realm, revealed their locations.
There was only one reason. The high priests of the Salvation Church could target a lone dragon.
Astion pointed to a spot on the map.
“Our first target is the red dragon Kvarnex. He has a clear location.”
Kyle, Marika, and Lionel smiled.
The time for true revenge had finally come.
Hurry… … I wanted to vent this boiling anger.
[Kvarnex lived not far from the realm of the Demonic Realm. His original mission was to monitor the Demonic Realm.]
[Only Kyle, Marika, and Lionel moved to capture the dragon. I would have taken everyone with me, but I didn’t want to lose a single person, so I made the decision.]
[The four of us were enough to capture one dragon anyway. Instead, I instructed the other mercenaries to locate the other dragons as quickly as possible.]
[The ‘Galley of Flames,’ so named for the red lava flowing like a river. This was where the red dragon Kvarnex’s lair was located. Although the name suggests that lava wasn’t flowing, the canyon was filled with an intense, fiery energy.]
[At the deepest point of the canyon was a massive cave. In that cave, filled with scorching heat, Kvarnex was waiting for us.]
Kvarnex, his scales shining like red jewels, crouched down.
The heat emanating from his body was enough to distort the very space.
Kvarnex didn’t bother to rise even though he sensed the presence of humans. Even his guardians didn’t stop Astion and his party.
The guardians alone couldn’t stop those four heroes of humanity.
Knowing that, sending the guardians to weaken their power was a wound to his arrogant pride.
Instead, Kvarnex opened his mouth with eyes filled with contempt.
“It’s been a while. You’ve come with friends I missed that day. So, you came to thank me for saving the world with the saint?”
Ddddddd… …
At those mocking words, an incredible energy began to burst from Kyle’s entire body.
The sharp, sticky murderous intent he exuded seemed to momentarily quell even Lair’s heat.
“Thank you?”
Kyle’s voice was laced with seething resentment. His eyes were filled with burning hatred.
“You dare speak of Deneb’s death? You who exploited us in the most brutal way?”
His hand gripping his sword trembled madly, unable to contain the overflowing rage.
Kyle raised his trembling sword and aimed it at Kvarnex’s arrogant eyes.
“Yes, I am grateful that I can kill you today. I will tear everything out of you and offer it to the souls of Yulien and Deneb.”
Kvarnex remained calm despite the intense anger.
“You have come to me not with reason, but with petty human emotion. Foolish human, your burning emotions will cool faster than the lava beneath this earth. You will soon turn to ash!”
Kwaaaaaaa!
As Kvarnex opened his mouth, a mighty flame breath, seemingly burning the heavens and the earth, erupted.
At the same time, Lionel leaped forward like lightning.
Kwaaaaaaah!
His shield gushed with mana, creating a massive barrier. Simultaneously, Astion’s magic unleashed another overlapping shield in front of him.
Kwaaaaaaaah!
The flame breath collided with the shield, releasing a deafening roar.
Lionel stood firm, unwavering like a rock. Every muscle in his body screamed, but he never retreated.
‘It’s different now.’
It was different from that day when he had simply fended off the dragon’s attacks alone. Now, he had friends by his side to fight alongside him.
The shield, imbued with his resolve, protected everyone from the flames like a symbol of vengeance.
Kyle wasn’t about to miss that opportunity.
The tremors of rage vanished, and his gaze became a blade eager for slaughter.
Pfft!
Kyle kicked the ground and leaped forward.
His sword flew in an instant, slashing at Kvarnex’s neck.
Kvarnex, who was breathing his breath, turned his gaze to Kyle.
At the same time, a powerful nine-circle shield unfolded around his neck. However, a powerful interference with the magical energy array weakened the shield’s power.
“Kagagagagagagak!”
The shield split, and Kyle’s sword sliced ​​deep into Kvarnex’s neck.
However, Kvarnex was a dragon who had fought in a great war. His combat experience was no less than theirs.
Kvarnex’s massive foreleg, which had just stopped its breath, struck Kyle’s body.
“Kwaaah!
” Astion immediately deployed his shield, but Kyle was hurled backward, slamming into the cave wall.
“Whoosh!”
Kvarnex gave Kyle no time to rest.
In an instant, a giant spear of flame was created and launched towards Kyle.
However, this time, Astion’s magic interfered, reducing its power and speed.
Kwaaah!
Thanks to this, Kyle was able to quickly dodge the spear of flame.
Kvarnex’s gaze turned to Astion.
‘I’ll have to kill him first.’
No matter how skilled a wizard Astion was, he couldn’t defeat a dragon with magic.
However, if he supported others with sophisticated magic, nothing would be more difficult. There would be too many areas to worry about.
If Astion were eliminated, they could fight the others force-for-force. For the dragon, that was much simpler and more efficient.
Zing! Zing! Zing!
Numerous magic circles formed around Kvarnex like flames.
He intended to keep the others in check while concentrating all his magic on Astion.
Kwaaah! Kwaaah!
Kvarnex unleashed a barrage of magic indiscriminately. Lionel blocked the most powerful spells with his body, while Astion deployed shields to mitigate their power.
Krrrrrr!
Now, even the falling debris from the cavern collapsed posed a threat.
While everyone else was preoccupied with dodging or blocking, Kvarnex waited for a single, decisive opportunity.
Groooooooooo… … .
What had gathered in front of Kvarnex were small points of magical power. Massive magical powers condensed and concentrated, a mass of magical power imbued with unprecedented power.
If he were to hit this, Astion’s head would explode in an instant.
Then, suddenly, he realized something strange.
‘… … Three?’
One of them was missing.
They had been there moments before when the cavern debris fell.
Could it be that they had taken advantage of that brief moment of obscuration?
The moment Kvarnex felt a chill and opened his head,
something rose from his shadow .
Papapapapapak!
Marika’s dagger coolly and calmly severed the tendons of the dragon’s hind legs. Her movements were flawless, without a single error.
“Grooooo…”
Kvarnex’s body tilted momentarily, his leg tendons severed.
“I forgot.”
She had always been a vague presence, seemingly present and absent, so even a brief moment of disappearance from sight was enough to make him forget her existence.
Even though he knew that her terror lay precisely in this secrecy,
he had been completely oblivious to the dragon’s arrogance.
That arrogance had caused serious damage. Kvarnex desperately unleashed his magic, throwing Marika off.
KWAAAAH!
The force radiated out in all directions, forcing Marika to retreat.
Kvarnex immediately cast healing magic on his own legs. Yet, he didn’t forget to unleash a barrage of magic.
KWAAAAH! KWAAAAH!
A pillar of fire rose, and sparks fell from the sky like meteors.
It was a scene like unleashed hell. However, Astion disrupted some of the magic, clearing a path.
Lionel and Kyle ran through it without hesitation.
Lionel, leading the way, poured all his mana and will into the dragon.
KWOO …
Kvarnex’s body trembled. He felt a massive force press down on him.
“How dare you!”
The dragon’s leg hadn’t fully healed yet. Marika’s sharp daggers had torn every tendon to shreds.
Meanwhile, Lionel tried to restrain him with all his might, and his balance was inevitably disrupted.
But Lionel’s restraint couldn’t possibly be stronger than the dragon’s.
“Kuaaaaah!”
Kvarnex unleashed dragon piercing energy, shaking the air. Even as he drew on his magical power, he attempted to forcefully dispel Lionel’s aura.
But Astion, perfectly seizing the moment, intervened again.
“Dudududud!”
Astion unleashed his gravity magic with all his might. Red blood gushed from his mouth and nose.
Even in his healthy state, it would be impossible to subdue Kvarnex with magic. Much less so in his current state of disarray.
But now, with the unbalanced Kvarnex facing Lionel’s aura,
Astion’s magic could have a significant impact.
“You bastard!”
The dragon, trying to rise in rage, slowed as if bound by heavy shackles.
This moment was his moment of victory. ”
Pavavavavavabak!”
Dozens of daggers shot from Marika pierced Kvarnex’s neck in an instant.
Focusing all their power on a single point, they shattered the dragon’s steely scales and pierced through its hide and flesh.
“Kwaaaaak!”
But Kvarnex endured it all.
With a single roar, all the daggers were shattered and fell, and Lionel and Astion, unable to hold out any longer, retreated.
The dragon’s immense magical power and physical body displayed truly transcendent survival skills.
“I will kill you!”
Kvarnex staggered to his feet, bloodshot eyes glaring. Magic circles formed around him again, creating new threats.
Unfortunately for Kvarnex, the most devastating attack was still to come.
See!
An aura blade, more brilliant and immense than ever before, rose from Kyle’s sword.
It was the heaviest, most intense, and most brutal will to avenge the deaths of Yulien and Deneb, the world’s greatest.
Kwaaaaah!
Kyle, a single line, shot out toward Kvarnex’s neck.
Having just escaped Lionel and Astion’s interference, Kvarnex was practically defenseless.
In that fleeting moment, Kyle aimed for the perfect
target
Marika
had
weakened
.
”
Uu
…