The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Novel - Chapter 810

Chapter 810
In that moment, a tide of obsidian energy erupted from the Adversary’s form, rising like a titanic barrier.
Kwoooooooom!
The dragon’s breath of pure destruction slammed into the shadow, resulting in a monumental cataclysm. The foundations of the world trembled as if the sky were falling, and the mere pressure of the impact disintegrated the Riftlings caught in the vicinity.
As the smoke cleared, the dragon and the Adversary remained locked in a grim standoff.
The dragon’s dark scales shimmered with a lethal luster, while the Adversary was enveloped in a vortex of infinite gloom.
The dragon’s eyelids narrowed. A full-power strike had hit its mark, yet the enemy stood completely unharmed.
Grrrrrrr…
A low, guttural snarl escaped the dragon, radiating its irritation.
“You are no simple mortal…”
The figure appeared akin to a high priest wielding terrifying authority. Surely, however, such a defense must have drained a significant portion of his reserves.
The dragon centered its spirit and let out a booming, sonorous roar.
“I cannot fathom what insanity drove a priest of the Demonic Realm to show his face here… but this soil shall become your resting place.”
Following that declaration, streaks of lightning detonated across the firmament around the dragon.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each bolt turned hundreds of Riftlings into smoldering dust.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
The shouts of the allied forces thundered across the plains.
The divisions that had been crumbling into hopelessness were suddenly invigorated.
Knights gripped their hilts and stood tall once more. Dwarves let out bellows as they threw themselves back into the fray.
Elven spirits and arrows once again clouded the horizon. Hope began to burn in the eyes of the people.
Yet, the Adversary remained unmoved.
Vwooooom…
From his outstretched fingers, a lance of concentrated night shot toward the dragon’s heart.
The dragon lifted a massive claw and pulverized the projectile instantly.
Kraaaaaah!
A draconic shout caused the very clouds to shudder.
Responding to the call, a fusion of lightning and fire spiraled together, hurtling toward the Adversary.
Boom! Boom! Booooom!
Apocalyptic sorceries crashed upon him relentlessly. Nevertheless, the Adversary withstood every hit, draped in his cloak of void.
As the dragon’s 9th-Circle incantations collided with the Adversary’s gloom, the fabric of space began to distort, and a series of impossible detonations tore through the air.
It seemed as though the physical realm was buckling under their weight, reality itself vibrating at their presence.
Bang! Booooom!
The dragon’s tail swung with enough force to shatter peaks, unleashing a massive shockwave.
The shadows protecting the Adversary were sliced and dissipated—only to reform instantly, knitting back together.
Grrrrrrr…
Beating its wings, the dragon ascended toward the heavens.
Now wreathed in a corona of sparking thunder, it plummeted straight toward the Adversary.
A titanic pillar of lightning marked its descent as the two titans met.
Kwoooooooom!
The terrain buckled and groaned as if it might split open.
Riftlings were tossed like autumn leaves, and the majority of the allied soldiers lost their footing and tumbled to the ground.
It was a conflict of such magnitude that it paralyzed the hearts of all who beheld it.
They were more than just powerful; they were like primordial deities fighting over the very laws of the universe.
Ghislain likewise stared in awe at the duel between the dragon and the Adversary.
He had prayed for a diversion—but he had never envisioned a dragon manifesting in their hour of need.
However, his expression was far from joyful.
‘This is…’
The coalition had found its second wind thanks to this intervention. That was undoubtedly a stroke of fortune.
Many would label it a miracle or a twist of fate.
But Ghislain could not accept it so easily.
‘Fate…’
He felt as though he were being strangled by the massive links of destiny.
It felt as if Deneb and Julien were simply not permitted to die here, regardless of the odds.
Why? Why did this intuition suddenly seize him?
He could have brushed it off as a lucky break… but—
‘…the dread I’ve been trying to suppress.’
Ever since his return to the past, Ghislain had been rewriting the timeline. He had believed, with unwavering certainty, that the future was a canvas he could repaint.
Now, that certainty was crumbling.
‘…The existence of my future self.’
That outcome was a fixed point. No matter how hard he struggled in this era, that specific future was destined to occur.
Perhaps his actions weren’t molding the future—perhaps the past was being forcibly bent to align with a preordained conclusion.
In the original timeline, there had been no “Duke of Fenris, Ghislain Ferdium.”
That title only existed because he had cheated time and forced a deviation.
The original history…
The House of Delphine stood supreme, and the Salvation Order dominated the world.
‘…No.’
Ghislain bit his lip, teeth grinding together.
If the future was truly unchangeable…
If every effort he had made to fix the past was an exercise in futility…
Then Deneb would never have summoned him to this place.
He could not allow himself to falter.
He refused to give in to the notion that destiny was written in stone.
It could be altered. It had to be.
That was the duty of one who existed in the here and now.
“Ghhhhh…”
Despite the agony ravaging his frame, Ghislain dragged himself forward.
He couldn’t leave the resolution to the dragon. The Adversary possessed overwhelming power; victory was not guaranteed.
Even if his gut feeling was right and fate protected Deneb and Julien, the cost might be paid in the blood of everyone else.
So Ghislain continued to crawl.
He had to ensure Deneb could manifest a true miracle.
Boom! Boom! Booooom!
Meanwhile, the dragon and the Adversary were locked in a lethal stalemate.
Kraaaaaaaah!
With a cry that seemed to pierce the sky, the dragon beat its massive wings downward. The gust created a gale that forced the darkness back.
Rrrrrrrrip!
Suddenly, chains of solid shadow erupted from the Adversary’s form. These were no mere illusions of mana.
They were bindings designed to consume the very essence of the world.
These shackles began to coil around the dragon’s massive limbs.
Grrrrrrr!
The dragon shattered them using raw magic. Yet every time a link snapped, it manifested again, tightening its grip.
The dragon’s wings continued to beat with majesty, but slowly, its vitality began to wane.
Boom!
The dragon’s tail slammed into the Adversary. But the man didn’t even budge.
Instead, ripples of void expanded, further ensnaring the great beast.
Rrrrrrrr…
Flaaash!
The dragon surged, breaking the bindings and creating distance, then unhinged its jaws to fire another breath attack.
Kwoooooooom!
The relentless stream of energy collided with the Adversary’s void, creating a chaotic maelstrom.
Eventually, however, the breath flickered, and the shadows crept further forward.
Grrrrrrr…
The dragon realized the truth.
The longer the battle lasted, the more potent its opponent became.
‘No… is it that I am becoming weaker?’
The dragon finally understood. The gloom saturating the air was slowly infiltrating its body—clinging to its scales and siphoning its mana. If it stayed within this territory, the shadows would eventually hollow it out.
Naturally, it could choose to fly away and leave this darkened domain. But the pride of a dragon would never allow for a retreat.
Kraaaaaaaaa!
With a primal howl, the dragon flexed its entire body. The shadowy chains holding it were blown apart. Its presence remained staggering. Gathering every ounce of mana, the dragon prepared to crush the Adversary.
In response, the Adversary’s shroud shifted—as if the darkness itself were smirking. From the depths of the void, blood-red eyes stared out, mocking the dragon.
Vwoooooooom!
The Adversary’s power surged forward like a rising tide meant to swallow the earth. The dragon unleashed a tempest of incantations and lunged forward, trying to overwhelm the foe.
Boom! Boom! Booooom!
When the dragon exerted its full might, putting its very life on the line, even the Adversary had to take it seriously. The two forces collided with everything they possessed. Yet as the minutes ticked by, the dragon’s movements became noticeably labored.
The Adversary remained unruffled. He simply absorbed the dragon’s fury with a focused defense, biding his time. The more he held out, the more the dragon’s speed began to fail.
Rrrrrrrrip…
From the Adversary’s hands, darkness bled out like gossamer silk. These threads cut through the storm of magic and lightning, making contact with the dragon’s hide.
Grrrrrr!
The dragon writhed. This darkness was fundamentally different. It slid beneath its scales, traveled through its blood, and anchored itself deep within.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Matching the dragon’s own pulse, the shadow throbbed.
Kraaaaaaaaaagh!
The roar of a god-like being turned into a shriek of suffering. Its massive form faltered, and its wings grew heavy as lead.
Within the gloom, the Adversary smiled. The shadows pouring from his hands continued to flood into the dragon—poisoning the most powerful creature ever made by the gods.
Darkness began to seep between the black scales; the brilliant sheen faded into a dull, sickly gray. The dragon’s vision blurred. It felt a corruptive force twisting inside. It knew: if this continued, its strength would be drained until its very soul vanished.
Kraaaaaa!
The dragon fought on through the pain, striking the Adversary repeatedly. But the world-shaking force had vanished. The longer the stalemate lasted, the more its life flickered. Finally, under the weight of a devastating strike from the Adversary, the dragon fell, crashing toward the earth.
Boom!
An immense shockwave rippled out; thousands of Riftlings were pulverized in an instant. But this was no victory—it was the sound of a falling star.
Grrrrrr…
The dragon’s growl was laced with agony—and a hint of despair.
The allied troops, still fighting the Riftlings, stared in horror at the scene.
“It can’t be… the dragon is down—?”
“He’s losing…?”
“T-that’s impossible.”
The dragon—the guardian of balance—was trembling in defeat. It was a sight that shattered their spirits.
High above, the Adversary looked down with eyes of cold arrogance. Seeing this, the coalition’s resolve crumbled. Yet, they had no choice but to keep fighting. They clenched their jaws and held their ground, huddled within the receding circle of holy light.
Ghislain turned a blind eye to the chaos. He was trying to crawl out of the safe zone of the divine power. The alliance was clustered around Deneb’s radiance; if he left that circle, the Riftlings would shred him. He needed an ally—anyone—to assist him for a fleeting moment.
“Hey… someone… koff!”
His voice was weak, drowned out by the screams of war. Ghislain’s mind raced. In his current state, yelling was useless. He needed someone who would grasp the situation instantly and respond.
There was… only one person.
Gasping for air, Ghislain wheezed out a name.
“Ereneth…!”
It was too quiet. He braced his core and forced the air from his lungs.
“Ereneth!”
It was louder this time—but the battlefield was a wall of noise.
“Ghh…”
Just as he prepared to shout again—
Flaaaaaash!
A whirlwind of spirits appeared, and Ereneth was there.
“Ghislain! What’s happening? Are you hurt?”
“Heh…”
Ghislain managed a faint grin—as if he’d known she’d come. Ereneth had been using her spirits to monitor him. She had felt his distress before anyone else and rushed over.
Ghislain reached out toward her.
“Take me… out of the holy domain…”
“What? You’ll be killed out there!”
“It’s alright… Just keep me safe for a minute… Be quick… while the Adversary is distracted by the dragon…”
Ereneth wavered—then she nodded, her expression hardening. If they stayed here, they were doomed anyway. But Ghislain had a plan. He was the man who made the impossible happen. This time would be no different—she would place her life in his hands.
Ereneth scooped him up and bolted for the edge of the light.
Kyaaaaak!
Riftlings, burning from the holy aura, were piled high. The battle lines had vanished into chaos. Holding Ghislain tight, Ereneth sprinted through the ranks—and finally crossed the threshold of the light.
Beyond lay a wasteland of shadow and death.
Kyaaaaak!
Riftlings converged from every angle. Ereneth immediately called upon the earth spirits to forge a massive barricade.
Rrrrrrrrr!
A wall of dense earth rose from the ground, sealing them off.
“Ghislain! This won’t stay up for long!”
Kyaaaaak!
The creatures began to crawl over one another, scaling the wall. The sheer weight of their numbers would soon bring it down.
Slumped on the dirt, Ghislain whispered,
“Naktura… show yourself… now…”
Flaaaash!
A rift in space opened, and Naktura—who was suppressed within the divine light—stepped out. Immediately upon appearing, he unleashed a blizzard of dark sorcery.
Krakrakrakrakrakra-BOOM!
Pillars of fire erupted, and the Riftlings were incinerated instantly.
Naktura looked down at the battered Ghislain and mused,
‘This would be an ideal moment to end him. A pity.’
If he struck now, he might be free. However, his phylactery—his very soul—was held by the Death Knight. Without that, freedom was a death sentence.
Accepting his lot, Naktura placed a hand on Ghislain’s shoulder.
“Are you certain you want to do this?”
“…Yeah. Proceed.”
“If your heart stops, don’t blame me.”
Kwooooooom!
Naktura’s massive mana reserves began to flood into Ghislain. Under normal circumstances, Ghislain’s broken internal balance couldn’t handle such power. He couldn’t even wield it. His soul was no longer in perfect sync with Astion’s body.
So, he had decided on a different tactic.
“Astion… I’m leaving the rest to you.”
— Understood.
Flash!
From Ghislain’s eyes, a radiant blue light flared, unlike anything seen before.