The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 263: Trust Me. I’ll Lead the Charge (2)

The lieutenant looked confused. Why in the world would they open the fortress gates and head outside? He lacked the sharp perception of the battlefield that Grant possessed.

“The skill of those fighting down there is impressive. If they continue to fight until they fall, the monster numbers will be significantly reduced.”

Hiding his own reluctance behind others’ lives, the lieutenant’s words made Grant’s lips twitch with displeasure.

“If you don’t prepare to open the gates right now, I’ll slice off your head first.”

“...Understood, sir.”

As the officers stationed around the fortress conveyed Grant’s command, the soldiers began to move.

Grant observed the battle for a moment longer before calling out again.

“Archers, focus on keeping flying monsters and those on the outskirts at bay! Attack carefully, ensuring no harm comes to our allies!”

“The rest of you, hold your shields and draw the monsters’ attention! Leave the offensive to the hunters!”

“Move quickly! We need to get out there now!”

Boom!

Roar!

The fortress gates swung open wide, and Turian soldiers charged out, shields raised, yelling battle cries.

The archers concentrated their shots on the monsters converging from all sides.

These were veteran soldiers who had fought against monsters for years. They were more than capable of following the commander’s orders with perfect precision.

As the soldiers exited the fortress, the hunters still up on the wall shouted down.

“Grant! What are you doing? Are you crazy too?”

“Wake up! The monsters are retreating because we hit them first!”

“Look at the number of monsters out there! We’re all going to die!”

Grant, descending from the wall with his weapon ready, glanced up at the hunters and said, “We’re abandoning the fortress and fighting out here. If we die, you die. If you don’t want to perish, then come down here and fight.”

“You... damn it...”

The hunters were trapped. With the fortress’s regular forces gone, their only options were to join the fight or flee. But even fleeing wouldn’t be easy; the opposite gate remained closed. And even if they managed to escape, they’d face consequences afterward.

Grant, well aware of this, smirked as he delivered his parting words.

“Remember, your hunter licenses and agreements have already been submitted to the royal court.”

The Turian Kingdom didn’t maintain a record of every hunter’s license and agreement for nothing.

Hunters who refused to fight against monsters had no place in the Turian Kingdom. If they fled and were caught, they’d be banned from entering any city in the kingdom, possibly even executed.

“Damn it! We came to fight, didn’t we?”

They were here to fight, hence why they’d come up to the wall. They weren’t without experience.

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They had fully intended to fight. It wasn’t their fault that some lunatic named Ghislain had shown up and turned the whole strategy on its head.

“Let’s go. There’s no other choice.”

At one hunter’s words, the others nodded. They had nowhere else to go.

Whatever their reasons, they had no choice but to stand their ground and fight.

“Damn it! Either way, we’re as good as dead!”

“These maniacs seem to be good at fighting, so maybe it’ll work out.”

“Hurry, let’s go! We need to form up!”

The hunters yelled as they charged out. By now, the soldiers had formed a defensive line with their shields raised.

With the hunters from inside the fortress joining the fight, the monsters’ momentum faltered. With Ghislain pushing forward deep within their ranks, the monsters near the fortress had already thinned out.

The hunters who had joined the fray greeted each other with rugged, mocking smiles.

“Hey, you cowards! Is this what you’re good at, hiding behind walls?”

“Shut up, you forced volunteers. Watch as I take them all down. Just don’t wet your pants.”

Their rough greetings filled the air. But the hunters were smiling, unable to hide their excitement.

For many, this was their first experience in a battle of this scale. The thrill of battle was sweeping over them, igniting their fighting spirit.

And the reason they could fight so eagerly was all thanks to Ghislain. His relentless strength made it possible.

When Ghislain saw that all forces had gathered, he smirked.

“Should’ve come sooner. At least you’ve finally come to your senses.”

Boom!

Swinging his massive sword, he sent nearby monsters flying. He looked back and shouted.

“Soldiers, focus on defense and drawing the monsters’ attention! Hunters, follow me as we retreat!”

As he said this, Ghislain pulled back. With their target suddenly gone, the monsters roared angrily and surged forward.

“Fall back quickly!”

The voices of Fenris’s knights echoed through the field. They knew that in battle, following Ghislain’s orders was absolute.

The hunters quickly fell back, clustering around Ghislain as they moved. This left Turian soldiers holding the front line.

“What should we do now?”

As the hunters fell back, the soldiers hesitated. They couldn’t immediately retreat with the front line to defend.

Trusting Ghislain’s judgment, Grant called out without delay. He’d chosen to follow him, so he was prepared to see it through.

“Extend the defensive line! We’ll hold the monsters’ focus!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Roooooar!

The shield wall stretched out, and the monsters furiously battered against the soldiers’ defenses.

“Grrr!”

It was a chaotic mix of creatures. Many of them easily leaped over the soldiers' shields.

“Spearmen!”

Stab! Stab! Stab!

Grant resorted to the most traditional approach to hold the monsters back.

But these weren’t human foes. Some had bizarre body structures, and many possessed strength beyond human limits.

Flying monsters were especially problematic, swooping down to attack from above, disrupting their formations.

Though archers on the wall and rear tried their best to intercept them, there was only so much they could do.

The soldiers struggled to maintain the line and gradually started to lose ground.

Caw!

“Ugh!”

“Fall back, slowly!”

“What are the hunters doing?”

As the soldiers were pushed back, the center of the line began to buckle.

Seeing this, Ghislain called out once more.

“Good, they’re holding up well. Let’s go back in.”

Kaor shouted from beside him.

“The soldiers are getting pushed back! We need to break through quickly!”

Ghislain nodded, his expression resolute.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Now, we’ll focus our attack on one side.”

Boom!

Ghislain charged forward, cutting through the monsters with his massive sword as he shouted.

“Everyone, follow me as we break through the left flank! Ignore the monsters charging forward! The soldiers will hold them off!”

A crimson aura began to glow more intensely around Ghislain’s eyes and sword.

Now he was activating his core at the third level, drawing out every last drop of his mana.

Boom!

In a single powerful strike, dozens of monsters were obliterated, torn to shreds as Ghislain cut through the left side.

“Follow him! That guy moves so damn fast it’s hard to keep up!”

Kaor yelled as he rushed forward, and the knights gritted their teeth, following close behind.

“Yeahhhh!”

The hunters, encouraged by Ghislain’s overwhelming strength, let out a battle cry and surged forward.

Boom! Boom!

Caw!

The monsters' left flank began to crumble. Ghislain would open up space, and the knights and hunters would charge in, slaughtering the monsters as they advanced.

Not even the flying monsters could interfere.

Stab!

Dozens of spears rose once more, piercing through any airborne threats attempting to stop them.

The sheer number of monsters meant they couldn’t intercept every flying creature with spears, but those that descended were swiftly dispatched by the knights and hunters.

They were experienced fighters, more than capable of handling a few monsters on their own.

Boom!

Ghislain’s massive sword showed no sign of slowing down. The monsters couldn’t withstand a single blow, and they were torn apart.

But that wasn’t all.

Whirr—

Suddenly, a number of spears began to orbit around Ghislain.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

These spears darted out, attacking nearby monsters and then returning to hover by Ghislain’s side.

As Ghislain cut a path forward, he eliminated distant monsters with these spears. This allowed the knights and hunters to fight with increasing ease.

Roar!

The monsters’ screams echoed continuously. The rear half of the monster horde had started to collapse entirely.

This was one of Ghislain’s favored tactics: the side-wheeling attack. It was originally a strategy used by cavalry to exploit vulnerabilities in an enemy's flanks.

This tactic required the entire army to move in a highly coordinated manner.

But monsters had no concept of tactics. They simply fought whatever was in front of them, making human strategy all the more effective.

As long as there was a strong enough fighter to break through their ranks.

“Move faster! We’ll strike from behind before the defensive line collapses!”

Ghislain shouted as he drove his foot into the ground.

Boom!

The ground trembled, causing the monsters around him to stagger. Those around him were astonished, but there was no time to gape.

Ghislain was moving too quickly, and they had to keep up.

Shhh!

Ghislain, drenched in the monsters' blood, was shrouded in an aura of red mist, a visible manifestation of his intense mana output.

Crunch!

The unsettling sound of cracking bones echoed around him as his body strained under the relentless force of his power.

He was pushing his body to its limits, activating his core at the third level. Though he had grown stronger, capable of amplifying and sustaining his mana for extended periods, he couldn’t maintain this state forever.

I need to push harder, Ghislain thought, grinding his teeth as he continued cutting through the monsters. There was no time to conserve his strength.

The soldiers of Turian and the hunters weren’t a unified, trained army. They struggled to follow his tactics and didn’t have the coordination for it. Despite Ghislain’s leadership, there were limits to how well they could hold the line.

The hastily constructed defense line wouldn’t last against this tide of monsters. They had to break through before the defensive formation crumbled.

Ghislain’s teeth ground together as he felt the strain in his body. If he weakened his assault now, the monsters would only grow more ferocious.

Boom! Boom!

Drip.

At some point, blood began to trickle from Ghislain’s nose. His hand, gripping his massive sword, started to tremble slightly.

But he continued his onslaught, relentlessly cleaving through the monsters.

Meanwhile, the knights and hunters following closely behind Ghislain began to realize what was happening around them.

“Are we... attacking from behind?”

“What exactly is going on here?”

“I don’t know! Just keep pushing forward!”

Roar!

The monsters that had only charged forward now found themselves under attack from behind as well.

Grant, watching the unexpectedly turned battle, clenched his fist in awe.

Incredible! To penetrate this swarm of monsters and catch them from behind! How did he manage to pull off such a strategy here?

Monsters lacked the intelligence of humans, which often made them appear easier to combat. However, their formidable physical prowess was a significant challenge, with even the weaker ones boasting massive numbers.

But Ghislain had somehow broken through and seized the rear. If only he had trusted Ghislain’s judgment from the start, Grant thought, they could have suffered far fewer casualties and fought this battle much more smoothly.

Grant quickly shook off his regret. It was too late for that. Now he had to focus entirely on the battle.

“Advance! Just a bit more! Hold out a little longer! Our allies are coming from behind!”

This strategy relied on the soldiers at the front holding their ground. Only with their support could the enemy be pressed from both sides.

Hearing Grant’s rallying cry, the soldiers clenched their teeth and resumed their advance.

Roar!

The monsters, oblivious to the shift in strategy, turned to face the nearest threat—the forces attacking them from behind. The number of monsters charging forward decreased, allowing the defensive line to stabilize.

Boom! Boom!

Ghislain, squeezing out every last bit of his strength, continued leading the charge, slaughtering monsters with each swing of his blade. Gradually, the number of monsters thinned out.

Seeing Ghislain’s relentless efforts, a hunter shouted loudly.

“Let’s put everything into it! We’re almost through!”

Thanks to Ghislain, the knights and hunters, still bursting with energy, were now able to contribute significantly.

They surged forward, ruthlessly cutting down any monsters in their way.

But their bold offensive soon drew the attention of a massive, menacing figure lurking among the monsters.

“Grrrr...”

A creature with an unusually large build and two heads stepped forward.

It was the Twin-Headed Ogre.

In every monster wave, there was always a commander-like figure that led the horde. This time, it was clear that the Twin-Headed Ogre held that role.

Coming from the rear of the horde, it crushed its own kind underfoot in a fit of rage as it stormed forward.

Roar!

The Twin-Headed Ogre let out a guttural roar, so loud that it forced nearby monsters to stumble and retreat.

The Ogre, with its two heads, was far more intelligent than most monsters. Although it couldn’t fully comprehend the intricacies of the situation, it knew its forces were in disarray.

The Ogre hefted an enormous club, essentially a massive log torn from a tree and crudely fashioned to fit its hand.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

As the Ogre stormed forward, the knights and hunters hesitated, their faces going pale at the sight of it.

Even among its monstrous kin, the Twin-Headed Ogre was a sight to behold. As it charged, it sent other monsters flying out of its path, bashing them aside with its massive club.

“Fall back!”

“Leave that monster to the real monster-fighters!”

“Focus on taking down the small ones around us!”

The hunters turned to Ghislain, leaving the giant beast to him. There was no one else here who could hope to face such a monstrous creature head-on.

Even the knights of Fenris looked to Ghislain and called out to him.

“Lord Ghislain, we’re counting on you!”

“With our Lord here, that beast won’t stand a chance!”

“Everyone, let’s make some room so he can fight freely!”

Ghislain had fought through thousands of monsters alone. Surely, a creature like the Twin-Headed Ogre would be no problem for him.

Hadn’t he even slain a far more terrifying Blood Python when he was weaker than he was now?

With wide smiles, everyone looked at him, filled with confidence.

Ghislain scanned the faces of those around him, all brimming with expectation and trust. He, too, smiled slightly.

And then...

Cough!

Without warning, he coughed up blood, dropping to one knee.

“...”

The sight drained all color from the faces of those around him.