The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 263: Trust Me. I’ll Take the Lead. (2)

The lieutenant looked bewildered. Why on earth would they open the fortress gates and charge out into the fray? Unfortunately, he lacked the ability to grasp the unfolding battle as keenly as Grant could.

“The ones down below are quite capable. If they fight to their deaths, the number of monsters will significantly decrease,” the lieutenant remarked, reluctant to risk his own life by suggesting others sacrifice theirs instead.

Grant’s lips twitched in irritation at the cowardly remark.

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

“…Understood. I’ll obey.”

As Grant’s orders were relayed by the stationed officers, the soldiers began to move.

After assessing the situation a bit longer, Grant shouted again.

“Archers, focus your fire on the flying monsters and those on the outskirts! Aim carefully to ensure our allies aren’t caught in the crossfire!”

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

“Move quickly! We’re heading out now!”

Boom!

“Hoo-rah!”

The fortress gates swung wide open. Turian soldiers, shields raised, charged out with roaring battle cries.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Archers concentrated their fire on the approaching monsters from the outer edges. They were seasoned veterans, capable of executing their commander’s orders with precision, having faced countless battles against monsters.

Once the gates were fully opened and all the soldiers had exited, the hunters stationed on the fortress walls shouted down.

“Grant! What are you doing? Are you insane?”

“Get a grip! The sudden attack is just pushing the monsters closer to us!”

“Look at their numbers! We’re all going to die at this rate!”

Grant, who was arming himself and descending from the wall, glanced at the yelling hunters and spoke coldly.

“We’re abandoning the fortress to fight. If we die, you’ll die too. If you don’t want to die, come down here and fight.”

“You… you bastard…”

The hunters found themselves in a helpless position. With the fortress’s regular forces now fully deployed, their options were reduced to either joining the fight or fleeing.

But even fleeing wasn’t a viable option. The gates on the opposite side of the fortress were still firmly shut. Even if they managed to escape, what awaited them afterward would be far worse.

Grant smirked knowingly and delivered his parting remark.

“Don’t forget that your hunter certification and agreements have already been sent to the royal court.”

The Kingdom of Turian didn’t keep duplicate copies of all hunters’ certifications and agreements without reason.

Hunters who refused to fight monsters were useless to the kingdom. If they were caught fleeing, they’d be banned from entering any region of the kingdom. In the worst-case scenario, they could even be executed.

“Damn it! We were going to fight anyway!”

After all, they wouldn’t have climbed the fortress walls if they didn’t intend to fight. They had battle experience and had planned to give it their all.

They really were prepared to fight hard—until that lunatic Ghislain showed up and upended their strategy.

“Let’s go. We don’t have a choice.”

At one hunter’s prompting, the others nodded in agreement. They had nowhere else to go anyway.

Regardless of the reason, they wouldn’t have come to a dangerous place like this unless they were cornered.

“Screw it! It doesn’t matter if we die here or there!”

“Those crazy soldiers are fighting well enough; we’ll manage somehow.”

“Let’s move! We need to form a proper formation!”

The hunters let out battle cries and charged forward. By then, the soldiers had already formed shield formations.

With the addition of the hunters from within the fortress, the monster assault began to lose momentum. Most of the monsters near the fortress had been thinned out thanks to Ghislain rampaging deep within their ranks.

The hunters who had been fighting earlier sneered at the newcomers.

“Hey, you scared little cowards. Afraid to come out and fight? This is our job!”

“Idiot, look who’s talking. You’re out here now only because you were forced. Just stay back and watch me kill them all—you might piss yourself otherwise.”

Harsh words flew back and forth, but the hunters didn’t stop grinning.

This large-scale battle was a first for them too, and the thrill of combat began to stir their spirits.

The reason they could fight so fiercely was simple: it was all thanks to Ghislain. His overwhelming strength was what made it possible.

As all the forces merged into one, Ghislain smirked.

“You should’ve come sooner. At least you’ve come to your senses now.”

Boom!

Swinging his greatsword, he scattered the monsters around him and turned to shout loudly.

“Soldiers, focus solely on defense and drawing the monsters’ attention! Hunters, follow me! We’ll retreat for now!”

At those words, Ghislain suddenly retreated. The monsters, now without a target, turned ferocious once again and charged forward.

“Follow quickly!”

The cries of the Fenris Knights echoed from all sides. They understood that in battle, Ghislain’s orders were absolute.

The hunters, regaining their composure, fell back, rushing after Ghislain. This movement caused the soldiers of Turian to take the lead in holding the front line.

“What should we do?!”

The retreating hunters left the soldiers in confusion. As the frontline was their responsibility, they couldn’t simply pull back.

Grant quickly regained his composure and shouted, trusting in Ghislain’s judgment. If they had followed him this far, it was better to stick to his strategy until the end.

“Extend the defensive line! We’ll draw the monsters’ attention!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Roar!

The shield wall extended in a long line. The monsters viciously attacked the soldiers blocking their path.

“Ugh!”

A myriad of monsters had gathered. Naturally, many of them could easily leap over a mere shield wall.

“Spearmen!”

Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!

Grant relied on the most straightforward tactics to combat the monsters.

However, these weren’t human foes. Many monsters had grotesque physiques and strength that far surpassed human limits.

Flying monsters, in particular, bypassed formations entirely, swooping down to attack from above, making them even harder to fend off.

Archers who had followed them from the rear, along with those on the fortress walls, worked tirelessly to intercept the flying creatures, but their efforts had limits.

The soldiers were gradually pushed back, unable to maintain the defensive line.

Screech!

“Argh!”

“Fall back slowly!”

“What are the hunters doing?!”

As the soldiers were driven back, a dent began to form in the center of the defensive line.

Seeing this, Ghislain remarked calmly.

“Good. They’re holding out well. It’s time for us to counterattack.”

Kaor shouted from the side.

“The soldiers are being pushed back! Hey! We need to step in now!”

Ghislain nodded in agreement.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“To where?”

“From now on, we’ll focus on one side.”

Boom!

Ghislain shot forward, cleaving monsters with his greatsword as he roared.

“Follow me! Break through the left flank! Ignore the monsters advancing ahead! The soldiers will handle them!”

Whirr!

The crimson glow in Ghislain’s eyes deepened. His massive greatsword began to radiate the same intense red light.

This was a sharper, more distinct glow than before.

Ghislain had activated the “Third Core”, drawing out all his mana.

BOOM!

With a single strike, dozens of monsters exploded, their bodies scattering in all directions. Ghislain charged through the left flank, carving a path through the monsters.

“Move faster! That guy’s so damn fast it’s hard to keep up!” Kaor shouted, running after him, gritting his teeth as he followed.

“Waaaah!”

The hunters, inspired by Ghislain’s incredible strength, roared as they surged forward.

Boom! Crash!

Screech!

The monsters’ flank began to collapse. As Ghislain opened up space, knights and hunters poured into the gaps, attacking the disoriented monsters.

Even the flying monsters couldn’t stop their advance.

Thrust!

Dozens of spears shot out, piercing the oncoming flying creatures.

Although it was impossible to intercept every flying monster, those that descended were shredded by the combined attacks of the knights and hunters.

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

Boom!

Ghislain’s greatsword showed no signs of slowing down. The monsters couldn’t withstand even a single strike, exploding with each blow.

But that wasn’t all.

Whirrr—!

At some point, several spears began to orbit around Ghislain.

Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!

The spears shot out, striking nearby monsters before returning to Ghislain’s side.

Ghislain continued his straight charge, eliminating monsters at a distance with his magical spears. This made the knights’ and hunters’ progress increasingly easier.

Screech!

The monsters’ cries filled the air. The group of monsters gathered in the rear had a flank that had been completely shattered.

This was Ghislain’s favored “flank rotation strategy”. Originally designed for cavalry to exploit the vulnerabilities of heavily armored infantry from the rear and sides, it required precise coordination and training to execute successfully.

Normally, such a tactic could be countered by an opponent’s own cavalry or by piercing the center with infantry to set up a counter-surrounding maneuver.

But monsters didn’t know tactics. They only cared about fighting whatever was in front of them, which made them more susceptible to human strategies.

As long as there was a strong enough individual to break through, the plan could succeed.

“Run faster! Strike their rear before the defensive line collapses!” Ghislain shouted as he stomped the ground with one foot.

BOOM!

The ground trembled, causing the surrounding monsters to stumble. People were astonished by the overwhelming force, but there was no time to marvel.

Ghislain was moving so quickly that keeping up with him was already a struggle.

Sizzle!

Ghislain’s body, drenched in monster blood, continually emitted a red steam.

Crack!

The sound of bones twisting echoed ominously.

In truth, his body was far from fine. Activating the Third Core had already pushed him to his limits.

Though he could now amplify his mana more intensely and sustain it longer than before, he couldn’t maintain this state indefinitely.

‘I have to push harder, faster.’

Under normal circumstances, he would have conserved his strength and fought strategically. But now, there was no time for that.

The soldiers of Turian and the hunters were not properly trained. They weren’t a unified army, making it difficult for them to follow Ghislain’s tactics effectively. No matter how well he commanded, there were limits.

The hastily formed defensive line couldn’t hold the monsters off indefinitely. They needed to strike decisively and eliminate the threat while the line still held.

Grit.

Ghislain clenched his teeth and pressed the attack. If the offensive faltered, the monsters would only become more ferocious.

Boom! Boom!

Drip.

At some point, blood began to drip from Ghislain’s nose. His hand holding the greatsword trembled slightly.

But he didn’t stop. He continued to drive the monsters back.

It was only then that the knights and hunters following behind Ghislain began to realize what was happening.

“We… are attacking their rear?”

“What’s going on?”

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

Screech!

Monsters that had been charging toward the front suddenly found themselves attacked from behind as well.

Grant, astonished by the drastic shift in the battle, clenched his fist tightly.

‘Amazing! To carve through that horde and attack their rear like this! How does he even come up with such tactics in this situation?!’

Though monsters lacked intelligence, they were far from easy opponents. The problem lay in their overwhelmingly superior physiques compared to humans. Even the weaker ones made up for it with sheer numbers.

Yet, despite not being a cavalry charge, Ghislain had managed to break through the horde and seize the rear.

Grant felt a pang of regret. If they had trusted Ghislain and quickly advanced formation from the start, the casualties would have been much lower, and the battle far easier.

But he shook his head immediately. Regret wouldn’t change the past. All that mattered now was focusing on the fight.

“Advance further! Hold the line a bit longer! Reinforcements are coming from behind!”

This strategy required the front line to hold firmly for it to work. Only then could pressure be applied from both sides.

Grant’s rallying cries spurred the soldiers to grit their teeth and push forward once more.

Screech!

The monsters had no idea what was happening. Acting purely on instinct, they turned to face the new threats behind them, attacking the nearest enemies.

The number of monsters pressing forward dwindled. With half the monsters turning to face their rear, the defensive line began to stabilize.

Boom!

Ghislain poured every last ounce of strength into decimating the monsters at the forefront. As time passed, their numbers continued to dwindle dramatically.

Watching Ghislain, one hunter shouted loudly.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! Just a little more, and we can win this!”

Motivated by Ghislain, the knights and hunters who still had strength left became an even greater force.

They surged forward in unison, slaughtering any monsters in their path.

But their efforts soon caught the attention of the most powerful monster on the battlefield.

Growl.

Amid the horde was a visibly larger monster with two heads.

It was the Twin-Headed Ogre.

In every monster wave, there was always a leader that commanded the horde. This wave’s leader was undoubtedly the Twin-Headed Ogre.

From its position at the rear, the creature was now charging forward, trampling its own kin in a display of ferocity.

“RAAAAH!”

The Twin-Headed Ogre let out a guttural roar, so powerful that the surrounding monsters stumbled and retreated.

Unlike most monsters, the Twin-Headed Ogre possessed higher intelligence. While it didn’t fully understand what had happened, it was aware that its situation was dire.

The massive creature wielded a giant club—essentially a thick tree crudely stripped and shaped to fit its enormous grip.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

As the Twin-Headed Ogre barreled toward the rear, knights and hunters froze in fear.

Just the sight of its charge sent nearby monsters flying. Any that obstructed its path were swatted aside by its colossal club.

“Fall back!”

“Leave that thing to someone else!”

“Focus on taking down the smaller ones first!”

The hunters began clearing the area around them, their gazes inevitably drawn to Ghislain. No one dared to face the monstrous ogre head-on.

Only one person here could confront such a beast.

The Fenris Knights also turned to Ghislain, shouting.

“My lord, we’re counting on you!”

“Something like that is no match for our lord!”

“Let’s quickly clear the area to give him room to fight!”

Ghislain had already carved through thousands of monsters single-handedly. Taking down the Twin-Headed Ogre should be no problem for him.

After all, in the past, even when he was weaker, he had defeated far more terrifying creatures like the Blood Python.

The knights and hunters wore confident smiles. Having someone like Ghislain on their side made any battle feel far less daunting.

Ghislain glanced around at his allies. Their faces were filled with anticipation, their expressions brimming with faith in him.

Seeing their smiles of trust, Ghislain couldn’t help but grin as well.

And then…

“Cough!”

Ghislain suddenly coughed up blood and dropped to one knee.

“……”

The sight of Ghislain coughing blood drained the color from everyone’s faces, leaving them pale with shock.