I Regressed With a 10,000x God-Tier Multiplier-Chapter 32: The March to Hell

A massive cloud of dust choked the northern highway.

The Grand Army marched toward the Scourgelands. It was the largest military mobilization the human kingdoms had seen in a century.

Over ten thousand contracted mercenaries formed the vanguard.

Behind them rode the true power of the expedition.

Lucifer led the center column on his Nightmare Steed. The black beast hovered above the cracked dirt road, leaving a trail of burning embers.

To his left hovered the four hundred Aether-Steel Dragoons. Their magitech thrusters emitted a low, bone-rattling hum.

To his right marched the five hundred Radiant Arch-Seraphs. Their folded golden wings radiated a blinding, holy light that pushed back the gray, overcast sky.

Elara rode slightly behind Lucifer, her silver spear resting across her saddle. Lyra, the Dawn Saintess, rode a pure white mare beside her. The two thousand Star-Kissed Elves flanked the rear, moving with absolute, silent precision.

It was a terrifying, unified war machine.

But it was not alone.

Marching parallel to Lucifer’s forces, on the eastern ridge, was the heavy infantry of House Iron-Heart.

Five thousand elite knights in thick, iron-gray plate armor marched in perfect lockstep. They carried heavy tower shields and long halberds.

They were not contracted to Lucifer. They were the King’s official vanguard, commanded by Lord Vorian.

The King had ordered them to support the expedition, but they maintained a distinct, deliberate distance from Lucifer’s core army.

The sound of galloping hooves broke the steady rhythm of the march.

Lord Vorian rode down the ridge. He was mounted on a massive, armored warhorse. Three of his elite bodyguards followed closely. Vorian wore his heavy fur mantle over his iron-gray plate.

He steered his warhorse through the lines of mercenaries and pulled up directly beside Lucifer.

Vorian forced a wide, completely hollow smile.

"Supreme Commander," Vorian called out. He did not bow his head. His tone was laced with false respect. "A glorious day for a march, is it not? The men are eager to spill undead blood."

Lucifer did not turn his head. He kept his eyes fixed on the northern horizon. "They will get their chance soon enough, Lord Vorian."

"Indeed," Vorian chuckled smoothly. He guided his horse a few feet closer to the Nightmare Steed. "I must admit, your private army is visually impressive.

The Church’s old toys shine brightly. But visuals do not win wars. The Scourgelands are treacherous. The terrain is broken. Thick fog conceals the enemy."

Lucifer remained silent. He let the noble speak.

"My Iron-Heart knights have held the northern border for a decade," Vorian continued, puffing out his chest. "We know the land. We know the Lich Lords’ tactics.

I strongly advise you to let my heavy infantry take the vanguard position when we cross the border. Your mercenaries are undisciplined. They will break at the first sight of a Bone Leviathan."

Lucifer opened his system interface with a single thought. He focused his Warlord sight on the massive noble riding beside him.

[Target Scanned: Lord Vorian (Level 40)]

[Status: Hostile.]

[Hidden Intent: Treachery detected. Calculating probability of betrayal... 99.8%.]

Lucifer dismissed the prompt. He already knew Vorian was planning a betrayal. In his past life, Vorian had used this exact same tactic to other warlords.

He offered to "secure" a flank, only to intentionally collapse his lines and let the undead swarm the main army. Vorian wanted Lucifer dead.

He wanted to claim the Warlord’s wealth, his purchased angels, and his title as Supreme Commander.

"Your advice is noted, Lord Vorian," Lucifer said coldly. He finally turned his head. "But my vanguard remains exactly where it is. Your knights will secure the eastern flank. Do not break formation." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Vorian’s false smile twitched. A flash of pure hatred burned in his eyes before he masked it.

"As you command, High Inquisitor," Vorian said. He gave a stiff, mocking salute. "We will hold the east. May the Light protect your front line."

Vorian yanked on his reins. He turned his heavy warhorse around and spurred it back up the ridge toward his own men.

Elara watched him leave. Her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword.

He looked back at the road ahead. "He is marching us into a trap. He plans to stop his troops the moment we hit the dense fog, leaving our right flank entirely exposed to the undead swarm."

Lyra spurred her white mare forward, riding up to Lucifer’s other side. She looked at him in alarm. "If you know he plans to betray us, why did you let him take the flank? Why not order your Arch-Seraphs to arrest him now?"

"Because a Warlord does not execute a Royal General on a suspicion," Lucifer explained smoothly. "The King would declare us traitors. The entire capital would turn against us. But if Vorian breaks rank in the middle of a combat zone and attempts to murder the Supreme Commander..."

Lucifer smiled. It was a cold, terrifying expression.

"Then I have the legal right to slaughter him and absorb his entire legion," Lucifer finished.

Lyra’s breath hitched. She stared at the Warlord. She finally understood the depth of his ruthlessness. He wasn’t just walking into a trap; he was using the trap to legally consume his political rivals.

Before Lyra could respond, a new rider approached from the front of the mercenary column.

It was a woman. She rode a heavily armored, massive gray dire wolf. She wore deep crimson plate armor, scratched and dented from years of frontline combat.

A jagged, faded scar ran down the left side of her face, narrowly missing her eye. Two short, curved swords were strapped to her back.

This was Lady Scarlett.

She commanded the largest and most competent mercenary company in the kingdom. She was Level 38. She did not fight for noble causes. She fought for gold.

Scarlett steered her dire wolf expertly through the marching Dragoons. She pulled up beside Lucifer, completely ignoring the terrifying hum of his magitech machines.

"Commander," Scarlett greeted. She gave a short, pragmatic nod.

"Lady Scarlett," Lucifer replied. He sized her up. "Your Rose Company is leading the mercenary vanguard. Are there issues with the contract?"

"The contract is fine. The pay is the best I’ve seen in twenty years," Scarlett said bluntly. She rested her hands on the pommel of her saddle. "I’m here because I like being alive to spend my gold."

She pointed a finger toward the eastern ridge, where Vorian’s troops were marching.

"I have scouts ranging ahead. Good ones. Ex-rangers," Scarlett stated. "They reported heavy undead movement pulling back from the main road and massing in the eastern ravines. Exactly where Iron-Heart is supposed to be screening us."

"And?" Lucifer asked, testing her.

"And Vorian’s outriders aren’t engaging them," Scarlett sneered. "They are actively letting the undead bypass their pickets. The fat lord is going to feed us to the Lich’s vanguard."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. He was genuinely impressed. Most mercenaries were blind to high-level tactical maneuvers. Scarlett was sharp.

"You see the board clearly," Lucifer noted.

"I see a noble looking to backstab an upstart," Scarlett corrected. She looked Lucifer up and down. "You have the heavy artillery. You have the magic. But you don’t have eyes in the dark. Your metal horses are loud. Your angels glow like beacons. You are going to get ambushed."

"What are you offering?" Lucifer asked.

"An alliance," Scarlett said firmly. "A real one. Not just a signature on a mass contract. I will pull my Rose Company out of the vanguard meat grinder. We take the vanguard’s outer edges. My scouts will act as your eyes and ears. We spot the traps, we clear the snares, and we report directly to you."

"And your price?" Lucifer asked.

"Double my company’s loot share from the boss kills," Scarlett demanded without hesitating. "And priority access to your Cathedral healing potions. I don’t want my veterans dying from necrotic rot because a priest was too slow."

Lucifer looked at the scarred mercenary. She was fearless. She recognized the real power dynamic, and she wasn’t afraid to negotiate while surrounded by Arch-Seraphs.

Lucifer raised his right hand.

[System: Alliance Request Initiated.]

[Target: Lady Scarlett (The Crimson Rose)]

[Terms: Priority Healing, 2x Boss Loot Share. Obligation: Advanced Scouting and Flank Security.]

A glowing red sigil appeared in the air between them.

"Accepted," Lucifer said.

Scarlett grinned. She reached out and tapped the red sigil. It flared and sank into her armor.

[System: Temporary Alliance Formed: Crimson Rose Mercenaries.]

"You won’t regret this, Commander," Scarlett said. She pulled hard on her dire wolf’s reins, turning the massive beast around. "We hit the Scourgelands border in two miles. The fog is already rolling in. Watch your right flank."

Scarlett spurred her mount and vanished back into the chaotic sea of mercenaries.

"She is useful," Elara commented, watching the Crimson Rose depart.

"She is pragmatic," Lucifer agreed. "Pragmatism is reliable."

Lucifer looked forward. The landscape was rapidly changing.

The bright, white marble roads of the capital territories faded into cracked, dead earth. The green grass withered, turning into stretches of black ash.

The sky above them darkened, shifting from a clear, overcast gray to a sickly, bruised purple.

A thick, unnatural fog began to roll across the plains. It smelled of rotting meat and stagnant water.

They had reached the border.

"Halt the column!" Lucifer commanded. His voice boomed over the marching army.

The ten thousand mercenaries stopped. The Dragoons halted instantly. The Arch-Seraphs stood perfectly still.

Lucifer drew his longsword. The Carnage Core on his hip remained dormant, but it hummed faintly, sensing the massive ocean of death energy waiting in the fog.

"We cross the boundary now," Lucifer announced. He did not give a speech about glory or the Light. He gave a Warlord’s order. "Draw your weapons. Load armor-piercing rounds. If it moves in the fog, kill it."

Lucifer spurred his Nightmare Steed.

The beast plunged into the thick, gray mist. The Aether-Steel Dragoons hovered in right behind him, their blue visors piercing the gloom.

The Arch-Seraphs followed, their golden light fighting a losing battle against the oppressive, magical darkness of the cursed zone.

The Grand Army entered the Scourgelands.

Lucifer kept his eyes fixed on the dense fog to his right. The trap was set. Vorian was waiting to drop the hammer.

Lucifer tightened his grip on his sword, completely ready to break the noble’s jaw the moment the betrayal began.