The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Just Once More, For the Sake of the World. (4)

It was nothing more than a flash of light.

But Julien’s strike was no ordinary attack.

It was a declaration that he would stand against the world for the one he loved, and that light was the proof of that declaration made real.

Ssskak!

Kvarnex, the Red Dragon charging at Julien, couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

There had been no warning. Just a chilling sense of dread that made him instinctively twist his body.

Yet already, nearly half of one of his arms had been severed.

“You bastard… how…?”

Kvarnex glared at Julien.

An attack flying through space without any premonition?

Even during the final battle against the Adversary, the Julien he knew had never used such a technique. But in this short span of time, he had grown stronger.

“So it’s true… this world really does grant you power.”

If he had been in his dragon form, he might have sustained an even greater injury.

Though it would be safer to continue fighting in his current form, that technique made it clear—facing Julien as a human wouldn’t work.

Without hesitation, Kvarnex transformed into his dragon form.

Fwaaaaash!

At that moment, a sacred light washed over Julien and the mercenaries.

It was a blessing hastily cast by Deneb, who had been fleeing with Astion.

Kvarnex wasn’t the only one who charged at Julien.

He was, after all, the Hero who had defeated the Adversary. While the Saintess’ support had played a huge role, he alone was still strong enough to take on a dragon by himself.

Soon, the other dragons reverted to their original forms and unleashed 9th-Circle magic at Julien.

KWA-A-A-AANG!

Explosive mana swept across the battlefield.

Julien narrowly evaded the blasts and swung his sword once more.

Each time his blade flashed, the dragons failed to fully dodge and were wounded.

KRAAAAH!

Enraged, the two dragons scattered spells in all directions.

Then, massive high-ranking spirits appeared around Julien.

KWA-A-A-AH!

A storm of flames surged forth.

The dragons’ magic distorted the space itself, and the land cracked as if melting.

The dragons knew: this Hero wouldn’t fall from mere attacks like these.

If they wanted to render him incapable of fighting, they had to go all out.

Julien did not back down.

His sword cut not just through magic but through the very bodies of the dragons.

From the earth, an Earth Spirit burst forth and seized a dragon’s leg.

The lava-like magic was swallowed by a blue wave raised by a Water Spirit.

In the sky, the Spirits of Wind and Lightning charged at the dragons.

KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAAAANG!

The spirits’ energy slammed into the dragons’ bodies.

But the two dragons fought back, crushing the spirits with their massive tails and wings.

High-circle magic rained down like a storm, and a tremendous force bore down on Julien.

However, Julien evaded and withstood it all as he swung his sword.

Ssskak! Ssskak!

Each time a flash of light blazed, dragon scales were torn apart. The dragons, howling in rage and pain, grew even more ferocious in their movements.

KWA-A-A-AANG!

The fierce battle between Julien and the dragons did not end easily.

That he was holding off two dragons at once was an astonishing feat of strength. But Julien couldn’t afford to relax.

‘Astion… hurry…’

Even excluding Arterion, there were still seven dragons.

Two were fighting Julien, one had engaged Lionel, and the remaining three were chasing after Astion.

No matter how strong Astion was, he couldn’t handle three dragons alone. Lionel might hold his own, but the other mercenaries would struggle to face even a single dragon.

He had to protect Deneb, but he didn’t want to lose his comrades either.

If he could take down his opponents quickly, he could help the others.

That was why Julien pushed the dragons harder, exerting more power than usual.

KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAAAANG!

Julien’s relentless assault startled the dragons—he was far stronger than they had expected.

Even so, they did not back down, continuing their fierce clash with Julien.

Julien alone was holding his own against two dragons.

No, as time went on, he was gradually gaining the upper hand.

But the others weren’t so fortunate.

Just as Julien feared, Lionel was barely managing to hold back one dragon.

KU-U-U-UUNG!

Lionel retreated, enduring the dragon’s magic. A massive mana shield spread out before him.

Even though Lionel was powerful enough to gain the upper hand against Apostles, going up against a dragon unleashing its full strength was not easy.

That said, he wasn’t being overwhelmed either. At the very least, he was able to hold the dragon at bay by anchoring its movements.

The problem wasn’t Lionel—it was the other mercenaries.

KWA-A-A-AANG!

“Uwaaaah!”

As the dragon’s massive tail swept across, the mercenaries who failed to dodge were instantly reduced to splashes of blood.

Even with Deneb’s blessing, the shock was too much for them to withstand.

Only Tyran and Osval, who had reached the level of Transcendents, barely held on and counterattacked.

But they couldn’t deliver a fatal blow.

Though their transcendence allowed them to cut through the dragon’s outer hide, that was their limit.

With each burst of dragon magic and charge of their mighty bodies, the mercenaries screamed as they died one by one.

“You bastard!”

Tears streaming down his face, Tyran charged at the dragon.

Watching comrades he had shared life and death with perished was an agony he could not endure.

Osval too continued to shed tears.

In those tears were fear, the desire to run away, and a seething fury at the deaths of his comrades all tangled together.

“Uwaaaaaaah! Die!”

KWA-A-A-AANG!

Tyran and Osval charged at the dragon, burning through even their own life force.

Even a dragon couldn’t ignore the attacks of Transcendents fighting with their lives on the line.

But while it meant they could inflict meaningful damage, it wasn’t enough to bridge the overwhelming gap in strength.

“These insect-like pests… so this is your death throes.”

GUOOOOOH!

Soon, the dragon unleashed 9th-Circle magic. Dozens of massive fireballs rained down upon the mercenaries.

KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAAAANG!

Each fireball struck with an intense explosion.

The mercenaries couldn’t withstand the blasts—bodies were blown apart into pieces.

Even those who had managed to dodge or barely endure the first wave couldn’t survive the follow-up spells and fell one by one.

That only made Tyran and Osval charge even more wildly at the dragon.

But their own bodies were being torn and broken bit by bit.

Meanwhile, Astion, carrying Deneb in his arms, gritted his teeth and focused solely on fleeing.

He had even thrown away the staff he had been holding.

He couldn’t use magic properly in this situation anyway.

‘Damn it! Just how powerful is this mana shield?’

There wasn’t a soul who didn’t know that Astion was a 9th-Circle Mage.

That’s why the dragons had deployed a powerful mana shield over the entire area from the start.

No matter how powerful Astion was, casting magic through it was impossible.

However, thanks to Ghislain, Astion’s body had reached the level of a Transcendent.

He poured all of his mana into his physical form.

KWA-A-A-AANG!

His body shot forward like a streak of light.

But the dragons were closing in.

Deneb, her voice trembling and tears flowing, spoke.

“Astion, Astion… just let me… our friends… our friends are dying…”

“Be quiet! I won’t let those bastards have their way!”

“Then… then please fight with them… I need to be there too.”

Astion wiped his tears and answered firmly.

“No. Even if you’re there, we can’t win here. Your power must be used when we’re ready. If we want to take revenge on those traitorous bastards, it has to be that way. Everyone knows that, and that’s why they’re fighting with their lives on the line.”

Even in the midst of seething rage, Astion thought with a cool head.

Kyle, Marika, Ereneth, every member of the Julien Mercenary Corps.

And Andrew, Rio, even the army of Marquis Valesant—

All of them had to come together and fight.

Only then would there be the slightest chance of victory.

Deneb had to survive until then.

If she fought recklessly here, she would either die or be taken hostage by the dragons.

And if they failed to get this news out, the friends outside would be deceived by the dragons’ lies and picked off one by one.

That’s why they had to escape—to create a chance for revenge.

‘If only Kyle were here…’

Kyle had become so strong that he was known as the Kingdom’s Strongest Swordsman, even the King of the Sword.

At least in swordsmanship, he was said to be a notch above Julien.

Given that Astion couldn’t properly use magic due to the dragons’ mana shield, Kyle would be far more helpful right now.

If Julien, Kyle, and Lionel were together, they surely could have held the dragons back and escaped.

No, everyone should’ve been together.

Astion bitterly regretted his mistake.

‘I should’ve postponed the pursuit.’

He hadn’t considered the possibility that everyone might betray them. That’s why he had readily agreed to the pursuit operation to catch the fleeing Apostles.

After all, the Apostles were being dealt with by the Hero’s party.

But even that had been a premeditated ploy to scatter them, planned long ago.

If there was any small relief, it was that Lionel had been excluded from the pursuit—he was now holding off a dragon on his own.

Grit.

Astion clenched his teeth over and over.

Even at this very moment, his comrades were dying, fighting to buy them time to escape.

The tears wouldn’t stop. A searing pain gripped his chest as if his heart were being torn apart.

‘I swear it… I’ll kill every last one of you.’

Astion repeated his burning hatred again and again.

He was ready to kill the Holy Empire, the Elves, the Dwarves—everyone.

If needed, he’d become a Demon King and take revenge on the world.

Julien was probably thinking the same thing.

KWA-A-A-A-AAANG!

Astion exploded his mana without holding back.

The city was massive. And the allied army was stationed quite far from it.

He had to reach them, no matter what.

Only then would there be a chance to slip free from the dragons’ schemes in the chaos.

Maybe some of their friends had returned.

If so, escaping would be easier.

Holding on to that hope, Astion sprinted—only to come to a halt at the very outskirts of the city.

“Th-this is…”

A massive veil had been cast over the area.

It shimmered and rippled, but it was a magical barrier that physically blocked passage.

Even a dragon couldn’t erect such a massive barrier alone.

Astion turned his head with a stunned expression.

Behind him, the dragons had arrived without him noticing.

Still in human form to take Deneb, they smiled coldly.

“We fully expected you might try to run.”

“So we made some preparations.”

“When we said ‘barrier,’ we weren’t just talking about sealing rituals.”

The barrier spell had included a literal magical wall enclosing the entire city.

It was a barrier the dragons had prepared together over several days. Breaking through it would take considerable time—time Astion no longer had, for he had already been caught.

One of the dragons stepped forward and spoke.

“Astion, hand over the Saintess. And obey her choice.”

“……”

Without answering, Astion drew in his mana. He couldn’t cast magic, but he had no intention of surrendering Deneb without a fight.

The dragons, as if expecting this, immediately launched their attack.

KWA-A-A-A-AANG!

Astion’s fist collided with that of a dragon. The resulting shockwave blasted through the air—yet it was the dragon who was pushed back.

Deneb’s blessing still cloaked Astion’s body.

But there were three dragons. Before he could counterattack, another one struck.

KWAANG!

CRACK!

Astion was hit in the side, ribs shattering as he was flung across the ground. But thanks to Deneb’s divine power, his injuries healed instantly, and he sprang back up.

KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAAAANG!

The dragons attacked in turn, relentless and coordinated. Astion, gifted in martial arts, fought back fiercely, bolstered by Deneb’s divine power.

But fighting while holding Deneb in one arm wasn’t easy—he could only use one hand to face them.

And because the dragons knew about the Saintess’s power, they attacked without hesitation.

KWA-A-A-A-AANG!

Astion was sent flying again and again, rolling across the ground. Yet Deneb’s immense divine power kept him alive, allowing him to continue fighting.

At one point, the dragons exchanged glances. The divine power was formidable, yes but so was Astion’s physical prowess.

“To think he can fight like that while holding the Saintess…”

“This is astonishing. The last I heard of his combat skills was ten years ago.”

“It’s humiliating, but it seems we’ll have to give it our all.”

At this rate, even days of battle wouldn’t be enough to subdue him.

If they only wanted to kill both of them, they could have reverted to their true forms and unleashed everything.

No matter how powerful the Saintess’s blessings were, death would have come eventually.

But they couldn’t kill the Saintess. That was the problem.

So the dragons drew on their mana even further, pressing Astion more aggressively.

KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!

Their attacks came in an unending storm. Astion focused his mind, desperately enduring every strike.

Then one of the dragons caught an opening—grabbing Astion’s arm and snapping it.

CRACK!

His shoulder broke instantly. Though divine power healed it in an instant, his balance faltered for a brief moment.

At that exact moment, another dragon wrapped its arms around Astion from behind, crushing his ribs with its full strength.

CR-R-R-R-RACK!

“Khk!”

It was a wound that could have killed him, but again divine power intervened, restoring his body in an instant.

However, that fleeting moment of imbalance proved fatal.

As one shoulder and his body were pinned, another dragon seized the arm holding Deneb and broke it.

CRACK!

Divine power restored it again but even so, his grip loosened for just a fraction of a second.

In that instant, the dragon succeeded in tearing Deneb from his grasp.

“Deneb!”

“Astion!”

KWA-A-A-A-AANG!

Astion’s body was struck by a dragon’s blow and sent hurtling across the ground.

He jumped back up, but one of the dragons was already in the air, holding Deneb in its arms.

“He’s got impressive martial skills for a mage—it took longer than I expected. I’ll return to the Lord first. Finish up and follow.”

With those words, the dragon departed.

Another dragon shrugged and lifted off the ground.

“No need for the two of us to waste time on a mage who can’t even use magic properly. It would be beneath a dragon’s dignity.”

“You’re right. I’ll finish this quickly.”

“I’ll leave it to you, Darvasca.”

The last remaining dragon—Darvasca—smiled and raised a hand. Flames flared up around him.

Even in that moment, with his life hanging by a thread, Astion’s gaze wasn’t on the dragon.

“Deneb…”

He simply stared blankly in the direction where Deneb had been taken.

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