The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 530: It’s Been a Long Time (1)

Kaaaahk!

The Riftspawn were numerous. Most of them had been obliterated under Elena's hammer strikes, but a few managed to cling to her body.

KABOOM!

But even those were sent flying by the sheer force of her swinging hammer. Not a single scratch marred Elena’s body.

Possessing divine power meant that her muscle density and structure were fundamentally different from ordinary humans. As her divine power grew, so did her physical durability.

Even with Riftspawn clawing at her, Elena’s body, tempered by her mastery of mana cultivation techniques, bore no significant wounds.

“Raaaghhhh!”

Elena had little interest in mastering delicate techniques. She was oddly unskilled in that area.

She understood now that her body was uniquely extraordinary. As a result, she simply accepted most attacks and swung her hammer with unrestrained force.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each swing of her massive hammer sent Riftspawn exploding and flying, as if swept away by a living wrecking ball.

Even seasoned Fenris knights, veterans of countless battles, couldn’t help but marvel at the destructive spectacle she created.

“This is so therapeutic!” Elena roared with a ferocious grin.

The knights fighting alongside her, tasked with providing her cover, looked visibly shaken.

Unbothered, Elena turned to Arel and flashed a smug smile.

‘See? Pretty cool, huh? Isn’t your sister amazing?’

Arel lowered his gaze and subtly edged away from her. She was a little intimidating.

Elena’s combat style was becoming increasingly reminiscent of Parniel’s. Parniel, watching her, smiled in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Belinda, observing Elena, shook her head.

“Lady Anette never fought like that.”

It seemed the divine power had gone to Elena, while combat sense had been inherited by Gihislain.

If one person had inherited both, they would have become the strongest on the continent. What a pity that wasn’t the case.

BOOM! BOOM! KABOOM!

As usual, the Ruthanian army easily swept through the Riftspawn. As Elena grew stronger, so did the strength of the Ruthanian forces.

When the battle finally ended, Fenris knights surrounded Elena, cheering.

“Destroyer Princess! Destroyer Princess!”

“Don’t call me that!”

Elena shouted angrily, her expression ferocious enough to scatter the knights in all directions.

Elena had always dreamed of being a graceful lady. But with such a strange nickname, her dream seemed to drift further out of reach.

Ironically, that grace had gone to Rachel.

Rachel, Gillian’s daughter, was no longer the frail child she once was. Years had passed, and she had grown into a splendid knight, as formidable as anyone.

Clad in radiant white armor, her fighting form resembled an elegant swan.

Thus, she had earned the nickname “Knight of the Swan.”

Her calm demeanor and ever-gentle smile made the title a perfect fit.

“Swan Knight! Swan Knight!”

The knights cheered once more, this time for Rachel. She waved dismissively with an awkward smile.

Watching this, the “Destroyer Princess” Elena sulked, lowering her gaze.

Unlike Elena, Rachel possessed no divine power. To make up for her lack of strength, she relied on skill.

As a result, Rachel dedicated herself to rigorous training. Fortunately, her natural flexibility allowed her to master incredible techniques.

“You really take after your father,” Ghislain said, pleased with Rachel’s progress.

Rachel’s skills had been improving day by day, thanks to her passion and talent, as well as the support of her environment.

Ghislain spared no effort in teaching her advanced swordsmanship and mana cultivation techniques. Even her father, Gillian, found time to review her stances.

Ghislain glanced at the sulking Elena and shook her head.

“Good grief, that girl’s a hopeless klutz. Who on earth did she take after?”

Elena’s ability to learn techniques was abysmal. Yet strangely enough, this combined with her divine power to create a bizarre synergy.

With no thoughts or plans, she would unleash unrestrained destruction. In terms of sheer impact, she rivaled Parniel, the War Saintess.

There was no hesitation or second-guessing. She simply struck first and thought later. Her extraordinary physique made this possible.

While it might be difficult for her to handle a more skilled opponent, her raw strength made her unparalleled for large-scale massacres.

“Destroyer Princess! Destroyer Princess!”

“Swan Knight! Swan Knight!”

The entire Ruthanian army chanted their nicknames in celebration, honoring their contributions and growth.

Not only Elena and Rachel, but the knights and soldiers themselves were becoming stronger with every battle.

However, as they grew stronger, they also became more ruthless.

With their relentless extermination of enemies, the opposing forces had begun to refer to the Ruthanian army as the “Army of Demons.”

Crunch!

“Grrrrr...”

Ghislain’s axe severed the neck of the rebel leader.

Even in this kingdom, there were barely any Salvation Order priests left. In fact, even the rebel forces seemed to be dwindling.

Wiping the blood from her weapon, Ghislain muttered, “What the hell are they thinking?”

It was clear the Salvation Order was consolidating their forces. The intelligence reports confirmed as much.

But the rebel army’s decreasing numbers didn’t make sense. For the Salvation Order to gather its main forces, the rebels needed to hold out longer.

The more territory the allied forces reclaimed from the rebels, the easier it became to consolidate their strength against the Salvation Order.

Even now, the allied forces were advancing faster. With fewer Salvation Order and rebel troops in their way, it was far easier to end the civil war.

“Are they aiming for a swift, decisive battle?”

That wouldn’t be easy. The conflict had escalated to a world war scale. A victory in one or two battles wouldn’t end it.

Pulling back their forces now, even slightly, would only ensure their defeat. They’d have to reclaim strategic areas and establish new supply routes.

It would’ve been better to let the rebels continue resisting while focusing their main forces on supporting other regions.

“Hmm... They’re definitely up to something.”

Ghislain had always relied on her knowledge of future events to challenge them.

But now, the future had changed. The tables had turned, and it was her turn to defend against their schemes.

“Let’s move to the next kingdom. We’ll sweep up the remaining forces even faster.”

For now, the best strategy was to eliminate as much of the Salvation Order’s strength as possible.

Once the allied forces gathered enough power, they could launch a large-scale attack on the Order’s stronghold.

As the ever-stronger Ruthanian army advanced, they rapidly dismantled rebel forces in multiple kingdoms.

Surprisingly, the Turian Kingdom’s forces, bolstered by Julien’s leadership, were keeping pace with the Ruthanian army.

***

The Sardina Kingdom was on the brink of collapse, overwhelmed by the rebel forces. Positioned near the heart of the continent, the kingdom had drawn considerable attention from the Salvation Order.

Amidst this chaos, Ghislain’s Ruthanian army struck the rebels from the rear.

The rebels, who had been carefully maintaining their front lines to avoid the Riftspawn, were caught off guard when the Ruthanian army emerged directly through the Rift.

The Sardina rebels, forced to regroup, gathered at a single stronghold.

Marquis Aldred, the rebel leader, ground his teeth in frustration.

“Damn it! Victory was so close! Who could’ve guessed those lunatics would come through the Rift!”

He hadn’t been overly concerned when the Salvation Order’s superhumans abruptly withdrew. After all, his forces were the strongest in the kingdom.

However, his focus on the civil war had left him blind to the outside world. While he had heard rumors about the Ruthanian army’s rampage, he hadn’t taken them seriously.

The result was devastating. His front lines were obliterated in a single strike, leaving him with only a small fortress to defend.

“Your Grace! You must retreat!”

“The Salvation Order has summoned us to the Kingdom of Atrodé!”

“With our current strength, we can’t hope to withstand the Ruthanian army!”

Hearing the pleas of his advisors, Marquis Aldred made up his mind to flee. Although he still commanded 80,000 troops, he knew he couldn’t face the Ruthanian forces, which boasted an overwhelming number of superhumans.

Among Aldred’s forces, there was only one superhuman, and he wasn’t enough to counter their strength.

With a resolute decision, Aldred declared, “I will take 10,000 elite soldiers and escape this kingdom. The remaining forces will hold this fortress.”

He planned to sacrifice 70,000 men as bait while securing his own escape. As long as they could buy him enough time, he didn’t care about their fates.

The 70,000 troops, unaware of Aldred’s betrayal, remained at the fortress, while Aldred used the excuse of intercepting the enemy to slip away.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Aldred’s forces galloped eastward, evading the advancing Ruthanian army.

Fortunately for them, the Kingdom of Atrodé lay to the southwest. They hoped to reach it safely by passing through a few neighboring kingdoms.

The day after Aldred’s escape, the Ruthanian army surrounded the fortress.

“Just destroy it,” Ghislain commanded without hesitation.

Soon, hundreds of trebuchets launched their payloads into the air.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Fenris trebuchets were renowned for their unparalleled range and power. The defenders inside the fortress were unable to respond effectively, overwhelmed by the relentless bombardment.

But the trebuchets weren’t the only threat. Ruthanian mages unleashed a storm of destructive spells, raining havoc on the fortress.

Having taken their own mages with them during the retreat, the rebels had no way to counter the magical onslaught.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“Aaaaargh!”

Screams echoed within the fortress as the unrelenting barrage of stones and magic reduced it to rubble.

Marquis Aldred, however, did not return to assist his troops.

Before long, a white flag rose atop the fortress walls.

“Cease fire,” Ghislain ordered. The assault halted, and the gates of the fortress creaked open.

The soldiers who emerged had been stripped of their will to fight, having realized they had been abandoned by their leader.

Ghislain, though merciless toward those who resisted to the end, offered a chance to those who surrendered. After thorough identification checks, those found innocent were incorporated into the army.

The current batch of prisoners would likely be reorganized into Sardina’s royal army.

“Send a message to the Sardina Kingdom’s forces. Have them inspect and take custody of the prisoners,” Ghislain commanded.

He had no need to manage them further; it was enough to watch over them until the Sardina forces arrived.

However, there were some whom Ghislain would never spare, even if they surrendered—leaders of the rebels who had colluded with the Salvation Order.

“I’m going after Marquis Aldred,” Ghislain declared.

Having learned that Aldred had fled the fortress the day before, Ghislain immediately mobilized a cavalry detachment to give chase.

They had a two-day lead, and the rebels were moving quickly. The distance was significant, but Ghislain was undeterred.

“Pick up the pace! We must catch and kill him before he crosses the border!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Under Ghislain’s urging, the cavalry sped up.

As Ghislain had predicted, Marquis Aldred’s decisive actions had allowed him to put significant distance between himself and his pursuers.

At this pace, Aldred was close to crossing the border. Beyond it lay territories where factions allied with the Salvation Order could offer him refuge.

What Aldred didn’t know, however, was that the rebel forces in those territories had already been completely annihilated.

By a twist of fate, Aldred’s retreat brought him face-to-face with 20,000 troops from the Turian Kingdom, who had just finished subduing the rebels and were marching toward Sardina.

The two armies found themselves in a tense standoff, unable to determine whether the other was friend or foe.

Marquis Aldred stepped forward and shouted, “Who are you? This is Sardina Kingdom’s territory! Identify yourselves!”

Marquis Gideon of Turian stepped forward as well and responded, “We are the Turian Kingdom’s forces, marching to join the Allied Army! Who are you?”

Aldred frowned. An unnecessary battle here would only delay his escape. Worse, the opposing force outnumbered his own.

He decided to lie.

“We are Sardina’s royal army! We are in pursuit of fleeing rebels. Please clear the way!”

Without waiting for a response, Aldred ordered his troops to advance.

Caught off guard, Marquis Gideon hesitated to move his forces, unsure of the situation.

At that moment, Julien suddenly urged his horse forward.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Huh? What? Lord Julien!”

Marquis Gideon shouted in alarm as Turian soldiers watched in confusion.

Ignoring the commotion, Julien rode ahead with a cold expression. His sword shimmered with an icy blue aura.

“Stop that madman!” Aldred shouted, sending his only superhuman forward.

The rebel superhuman charged, sensing Julien’s overwhelming presence.

The two warriors raced toward each other. The rebel leapt from his saddle, unleashing an aura blade powerful enough to distort the air.

“Die!”

It was an all-or-nothing attack, meant to kill in a single strike.

Julien, however, remained calm. From atop his horse, he elegantly swung his sword.

Ssshhk.

Thud!

The rebel superhuman’s body split cleanly in two, crumpling to the ground.

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