The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Novel - Chapter 809

Chapter 809
Despite the sudden arrival of the Imperial Army, the Adversary did not offer them even a fleeting look. His focus remained entirely on the masters before him as he unleashed an unending torrent of gloom. The field of combat had already been consumed by a pitch-black fog through which no illumination could pass. As the Adversary continued to exert his influence, the shadows grew increasingly dense. The only remaining radiance was the holy energy emanating from Deneb and the clergymen of the Empire.

“…This will suffice.”

Talking to himself, the Adversary suddenly caused his spiritual pressure to erupt.

Kwooooom!

Every elite warrior engaged with him was hurled backward by the force. Yet, the Adversary ignored them completely.

“…So that was the nature of it.”

He muttered words that made no sense to the onlookers before abruptly reaching his hand out to the side.

Goooooooo…

In that spot, a concentrated orb of profound shadow began to coalesce. The darkness spun violently, expanding in size.

Crack! Cra-crack-crack-crack!

Mirroring the way glass shatters, the very fabric of space began to tear, and light bled out from the seams. The fissure in the air grew wider until a massive portal stood open. Inside, a deep purple radiance pulsed—a realm of infinite emptiness that struck terror into the hearts of any who looked upon it. Paradoxically, shimmering specks of light drifted out from that void.

A moment later—

Grrrrrr…

A low, guttural snarl echoed from the interior.

The witnesses did not immediately understand the nature of the threat. No one in this era had ever engaged in direct combat with the Demonic Realm. However, Ghislain recognized exactly what the Adversary had summoned. Among everyone present, he was the one who had spent the most time fighting the zealots of the Salvation Order.

‘A Rift…’

Ghislain found it difficult to trust his own senses.

In the days to come, the Salvation Order would only be able to tear open these rifts by sacrificing a staggering number of lives. Even then, it required immense preparation. Yet here, the Adversary had manifested a rift in an instant, relying solely on his personal reserves of power.

And it wasn’t just a single one.

Flaaare!

No fewer than five portals tore open in the surrounding area.

The Adversary surveyed the scene and whispered, “For the moment, this appears to be my capacity.”

It was a strength he had kept locked away for far too long. Controlling it with precision right away was a challenge. Nevertheless, he could sense a level of power within himself that he had never known before. If he could master it—

“I shall become the ultimate savior of this world.”

The Adversary threw his arms wide. Once more, a staggering wave of energy erupted from his frame.

Goooooooooo…

The mere pressure of his aura felt capable of causing the entire battlefield to cave in. With a tone that bordered on joy, the Adversary commanded, “Advance. Let this deceptive world finally understand the meaning of true horror.”

Kyaaaaaang!

From one of the rifts, a massive monster—Equidema—sprang forth. The creatures emerging from the five portals let out primal screams and charged in every direction. Their targets were the combined military forces gathered on the field.

And following those beasts—

Kyaaaaaaa!

Like a dam failing, a torrential wave of Riftlings began to surge out of the gateways. There were so many that they resembled a tidal wave that no force could hope to obstruct.

Ghislain exhaled sharply as he watched the chaos.

“…So the visions I had were accurate.”

In the future he remembered, Riftlings were confined to their own territory. Because of that, mankind had a window to organize while the territory established itself. But currently, despite Equidema not having fully anchored a domain, the Riftlings were already on the move. It was easy to deduce that the Adversary’s aura, which had saturated the area, was acting as their fuel.

Ghislain couldn’t suppress a small, trembling laugh.

‘How did we ever manage to slay a creature like that?’

By his very nature, the Adversary was a freak of nature that defied all logic. Possessing a power that was beyond human comprehension, he was intent on dismantling the foundations of the world.

Ghislain shifted his exhausted gaze.

‘Deneb.’

Deneb sat with her eyes shut, persisting in her silent orisons. If not for the holy radiance she projected, this entire region would have already been pulled into the abyss and erased.

Ghislain then turned his attention elsewhere.

‘Julien.’

“Waaaaaaah! Block the monsters!”

The Imperial Army charged fearlessly toward the incoming Riftlings. Leading the charge at the very front was Julien. The Empire’s greatest warriors followed close behind, unleashing bursts of blue spiritual energy. Priests projected holy light, attempting to drive back the encroaching shadows.

Ghislain looked again.

Flaaare!

A multitude of spirits ascended into the sky. Spirits of every vibrant color merged with the elven ranks. As the elves pulled back their bows, a canopy of arrows filled the horizon and descended upon the Riftlings.

Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!

Dwarven warriors, riding their Barkroks, thundered toward the enemy. As they accelerated, the earth trembled as if gripped by a seismic event. At last, the genuine coalition of the races—humans, elves, and dwarves standing together—was realized.

Finally, the entire force collided with the Riftlings.

Kwooooooom!

“Wipe them out!”

“Do not retreat a single step!”

“If we fail here, everything is lost!”

“Waaaaaaaah!”

The collective roar of the soldiers shook the ground like a gale.

Kyaaaaaaak!

The Riftlings shrieked in response and fanned out. They continued to pour from the portals in a never-ending stream, forming an expanding legion.

Kwoooooooo-oom!

Shields met spears; bolts of lightning and fire tore through the sky. The melodies of the spirits resonated through the air, and the dwarves crushed the monsters underfoot as they pushed forward.

“Keep moving!”

“Hold your ground!”

The shouts of officers echoed across the entirety of the field. The soldiers gritted their teeth and pressed on, refusing to lose their nerve.

Grrrrraaaah!

Equidema bellowed and rampaged across the clearing. Each time the creature struck the earth, dozens of fighters were tossed aside by the impact. Yet, the war cries of the coalition did not falter. Knights spearheaded the assaults, while sorcerers called down pillars of ice and light. Elven projectiles saturated the air, and dwarven blades hacked through the flesh of the monsters without hesitation.

The combat zone, a chaotic mix of gore, fire, and screams, was rapidly descending into total madness.

At some point, the Adversary had drifted into the air to observe the slaughter.

“You are holding out reasonably well… Good… You should at least be capable of this…”

His attention then moved to Deneb. Her holy energy continued to burn with steady resolve. The shadows tried incessantly to snuff her out, but whenever they brushed against her light, they were incinerated by her sanctity. Divine power was the perfect antithesis to the energy of the Demon God.

Even though the Adversary now wielded power far greater than his time as the Pope, he could not easily break through that barrier of light. However, the reach of her holy domain could no longer expand. The gloom permeating the area was simply too potent.

“Genuinely remarkable… But your endurance has its limits…”

Holy energy is not a bottomless well. No matter how gifted a saintess might be, there is a point of exhaustion. The fact that her aura had stopped growing was a clear sign of that limit.

“I wish to witness the moment you fall into despair.”

He hungered to destroy that unyielding faith and optimism. That was the desire of the darkness festering within him.

Rrrrrrrr…

The shadows swirling around his form became even more opaque. As the rifts expanded further, more Riftlings spilled out.

Kyaaaaaaa!

The hideous swarm of monsters emerging was akin to a natural disaster. Ghislain’s face grew grim as he watched.

“Curse it…”

A single portal was vomiting tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of creatures. And here, those monsters were rushing out without the usual constraints of a domain. The army gathered at this spot was not the total power of the alliance. Only a fraction of the elves and dwarves were present, and the Imperial soldiers were merely those who could be mobilized quickly from the vicinity.

As for the local lords’ men, they were just the hired blades of the Raks and Nodehill groups. Against a standard rift, the masters present would have been enough to hold the line. But the Adversary changed everything. As long as he remained, the Riftlings would be infinite. With such a small force, they couldn’t win a war of attrition.

Just as Ghislain had worried, the alliance’s formation began to falter.

“The line is failing! Hold it together!”

“Advance! If we break, we all die!”

“Uaaaaagh!”

Elven arrows still filled the air, but for every monster that fell, three more emerged from the voids. The dwarven momentum was halted by mounds of Riftling corpses. The knightly ranks were being submerged by the dark wave. Infantrymen fought for their lives with their spears, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the enemy.

Even the protection of the priests wasn’t enough. Riftlings, though burning from the contact with holy light, grabbed soldiers and tore them limb from limb. Only the presence of the mages and superhumans kept the line from total collapse. But the Adversary, the source of it all, remained completely unbothered.

Soon… very soon, the defense would shatter.

Ghislain looked toward Deneb once more. Only she held the key to survival. She had to manifest a miracle. He wasn’t one to rely on luck, but there was no other path. The Adversary’s appearance was too sudden and unforeseen. Humanity wasn’t ready for this. They needed to survive this encounter just to understand his power and prepare for the real war.

Deneb was aware of this as well. That was why she was desperately trying to focus her power. The only salvation was a miracle that could banish the shadows.

‘O Goddess… I beg of you…’

Tears tracked down Deneb’s face. The screams of the dying rang in her ears, causing her immense pain. But regardless of how hard she prayed, the response she sought didn’t come. Then, the realization hit her.

This location had already been disconnected from their world.

Deneb opened her eyes and looked up. Even the sun had vanished from the sky. The entire world was consumed by shadow. The soldiers were fighting only by the grace of the light she provided. In this realm of darkness, the Adversary was effectively a deity. He would keep spawning horrors until every soul was extinguished.

“Ah…”

Deneb mourned her own weakness. She could tap into the Sacred Stone, but she was only using a fraction of its true potential. She wasn’t strong enough to tear through this gloom. Before her prayers could reach the heavens, the surrounding darkness smothered them.

‘The Adversary…’

Deneb looked up at him. He was looking back at her. The man who had spent so long trying to kill her was now simply watching her with a calm expression. She understood why. He was waiting for the Goddess’s servant to lose hope and succumb to fear. By feeding on that despair, he would only become more powerful.

‘Do not be afraid. You must stand firm.’

Deneb wiped away her tears. She couldn’t allow her spirit to fail. Right now, her holy power was the only thing standing against the end. She had to find a way to break through. If she could create even the smallest gap in the shadows, she was sure she could call down enough power to purge the area.

She tried to find her resolve, but it was a struggle.

“Aaaaaagh!”

“O Goddess, help us!”

“Keep the line! Stand your ground!”

The sounds of suffering were breaking her heart. No matter how much she pleaded, no miracle occurred. The Adversary’s influence had transformed this place into a different dimension. As time passed, her resolve began to slip. And as her heart wavered, the light protecting the army began to flicker.

Shhhhhhhk…

Finally, the shadows began to consume the light. The darkness crept over the radiance, slowly swallowing it. The circle of light grew smaller. The Adversary watched with intense focus, like someone enjoying a gourmet meal.

Ghislain also understood the situation. The gloom covering the field was not natural. He knew of only one place like this—a place known to everyone on the continent.

‘The Demonic Realm.’

The Adversary had recreated a piece of the Demonic Realm right here. He truly had become the heir to the Demon God’s power to perform such a dark miracle. Deneb didn’t yet have the strength to shatter it.

They needed a way out. If they could just make a small opening, Deneb could finish it.

“Aaaaaaaagh!”

The cries of the retreating alliance grew louder. Ghislain ground his teeth and began to crawl across the dirt.

‘Dammit…’

There was one gamble he could take. The problem was that the Adversary never stopped watching. He would see Ghislain move. If he left the protection of the holy light, the Adversary could kill him with a thought.

‘If only someone could buy a moment of time…’

But it seemed impossible. Iralniel, Grondal, and the other elites were drowning in Riftlings. A single master couldn’t distract the Adversary; it would take a coordinated effort, and everyone was currently occupied.

Ghislain cast aside that hope. He would try his plan regardless of the cost. He continued to crawl forward.

Then—

Gwoooooooh!

A roar that shook the foundations of the world tore through the air. The sound was so powerful that even the magical darkness trembled. Even the Adversary was startled and looked up.

Through the thick black fog, a massive entity erupted, its wings spanning the horizon. It carried an aura that seemed to press down on the entire world. Its scales were as black as obsidian and appeared as hard as tempered steel. It was a darkness that was fundamentally different from the Adversary’s.

A Black Dragon.

The creature regarded as the pinnacle of all living things had arrived.

Rumble-ruuuumble…

With every movement of its titanic wings, the atmosphere vibrated and the ground shook. The dragon’s eyes glowed with a light as sharp as a lightning strike, and that gaze was locked firmly onto the Adversary.

Kroooooar!

The dragon opened its jaws, and within them, the ancient mana of creation began to swirl. The sky and the earth shuddered in unison as the very air began to warp and fracture. It was a concentration of mana that defied description—a force capable of ending civilizations.

Kwooooooooaaaaah!

In the next breath, a blast of energy that seemed capable of tearing the world apart erupted toward the Adversary.