The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 588: Annihilate the Enemy (5)

By the time Julien began his pursuit, Leonard had already fled a great distance.

“Huff... huff...”

Blood dripped from the wounds covering his body, but Leonard had no time to stop or tend to them. His face was twisted with shock and disbelief as he muttered incessantly to himself.

“How... how could he have grown even stronger? Is that even possible? What the hell is he?”

Leonard had fought Julien once before. Back then, he barely survived by running away.

When they met again this time, Leonard initially thought it was a stroke of luck. He even convinced Count Kalmund to take action.

"We have to kill him while he’s alone. Deploy the priests and the elite knights," he had urged.

Count Kalmund, a skilled commander, understood Julien’s importance within the allied forces. Trusting Leonard’s advice, he mobilized priests and knights without hesitation.

The force deployed was overwhelming, even excessive by Leonard’s own calculations. He believed it would be enough to kill Julien, no matter how strong he was.

The group consisted of Leonard himself, four priests, and fifty elite knights—a force strong enough to obliterate a small territory in a single day.

But the outcome was disastrous.

“How... how could that happen? What did he do?”

That incredible force barely managed to "hold out" against Julien. With unmatched skill, Julien slaughtered the priests and knights.

Leonard, overcome with panic, had no choice but to flee.

“That damned monster...”

Leonard cursed repeatedly as he ran. Julien’s sudden charge had shattered their ranks, throwing the Atrodé Army into complete disarray.

And when the enemy cavalry exploited the chaos, there was no chance of recovery.

“Can he even be defeated?”

Despite the overwhelming number of forces deployed against him, Julien had faced them all without faltering. Humans have limits, but Julien didn’t show any signs of fatigue.

His mana control was so precise that it was almost impossible to gauge his true state. Without a clear understanding of his strength, most adversaries would give up or collapse in fear.

“Huff... huff...”

Leonard stopped running and scanned his surroundings.

He had reached a mountain far from the battlefield. His frenzied escape had finally allowed him to put some distance between himself and his pursuers.

“I’ll hide here for a while and then get as far away as I can.”

At the very least, he was alive. Though the core of the Revolutionary Corps had been annihilated alongside the 3rd Corps, remnants of his forces were still scattered across the continent.

“I can rebuild my power,” he thought.

In a world rife with banditry during wartime, Leonard’s abilities would make it easy for him to gather followers. His dream of ruling a kingdom in broad daylight might be over, but raiding and pillaging from the shadows like before wouldn’t be difficult.

After all, he wasn’t just anyone—he was a transcendent.

“Fenris Duke... the Prince of Turian... I’ll never cross paths with them again.”

Leonard was cautious by nature and quick to assess situations. He knew he couldn’t handle either of them.

“Hah...”

Leonard hid himself in a dense grove of trees and boulders. As he sat down to catch his breath, a voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Hey.”

“What?!”

Startled, Leonard dropped low to the ground, scanning his surroundings. But he saw no one.

Then, the voice came again.

“Here, up here.”

When Leonard cautiously lifted his gaze, his eyes widened in disbelief. Perched on a tree branch was a plump crow.

“A crow...?”

“You managed to get pretty far. Man, chasing you was a pain,” the crow said.

“A talking crow...”

Leonard’s words trailed off as he froze. He had seen this crow before—it was often near Julien.

Memories surfaced of another encounter with Fenris Duke, where Leonard had destroyed a crow mid-escape. Rumors among the Ruthanian army suggested they had talking crows that made their communication lightning-fast.

He hadn’t believed it then, but now it was undeniable. This immortal crow had been tracking him.

“You... you’ve been following me?”

“That’s right. Did you really think you could escape me? Foolish. The difference in skill is obvious, isn’t it?”

The crow, Dark No. 28, puffed out its chest with arrogance, as though it were a legendary demon lord.

Leonard, grinding his teeth in frustration, pulled out a chain sickle. His location had been exposed, and he needed to kill the crow and flee immediately.

Before he could act, Dark No. 28 spoke again.

“Hey, you. Become my subordinate.”

“What...?”

“Kneel right now and swear allegiance to me, and I’ll give you a chance to live. Julien and Ghislain? They’re my subordinates too.”

“....”

“They obey my every word. Sparing someone like you is no problem at all.”

Leonard clenched his teeth, imbuing mana into his chain sickle. He had run and survived countless times, but now even a crow was mocking him.

Though the crow’s ability to speak was curious, Leonard dismissed it as a type of spirit. He readied his weapon to attack.

Wait, behind me?

Just as he was about to strike, Leonard felt a faint presence behind him and rolled to the side.

Dark No. 28 burst into laughter.

“Pfft! What are you doing? I didn’t even do anything, and you’re rolling around!”

Ignoring the crow, Leonard turned his head—and there stood Julien.

Julien hadn’t attacked, but Leonard, having been on the receiving end of his power before, instinctively dodged the moment he felt a presence.

“So he’s already caught up...”

Leonard clenched his jaw. That damned crow was undoubtedly responsible for Julien tracking him.

Knowing he couldn’t win in a one-on-one fight, Leonard rolled his eyes and raised his hands in surrender.

“I surrender. I’ll do anything, just spare me. You know I’m skilled and can be useful.”

Leonard glanced at the crow and added, “That crow promised to spare me. You’re its subordinates, aren’t you? I trust you’ll honor its word.”

Dark No. 28 quickly flew over to Julien and squawked loudly, “Don’t misunderstand! I was just stalling him for time!”

The crow panicked. It had intended to convince Julien to spare Leonard, but Leonard’s blunt statement left it scrambling to cover itself.

Julien ignored both Leonard’s plea and the crow’s flustered excuses.

Shing.

He drew his sword. He had no intention of sparing Leonard, regardless of the situation.

Leonard stepped back, desperation flashing in his eyes.

“Hey, I said I surrender! The crow said you’d let me live!”

“Denied.”

The Revolutionary Corps had plunged the continent into chaos long before the Salvation Order rose to power. Their raids and turmoil had brought untold suffering to countless innocents.

Julien had deliberately delayed his rendezvous with the others to ensure Leonard was captured and eliminated.

Without another word, Julien swung his sword.

Slice!

“Gah!”

Leonard narrowly dodged as a long gash opened across his chest. Despite being caught in the same situation multiple times, he couldn’t fully grasp the technique behind it.

All he could do was evade the fatal blows just in time to avoid being completely severed.

Boom!

Thick fog enveloped the surroundings. It was a smokescreen created by Leonard’s smoke bombs.

Instinctively twisting his body as he released the smokescreen, Leonard felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

Slash!

“Argh!”

He was lucky. If he hadn’t twisted his body, the sword would have taken his neck instead of his shoulder.

This realization taught him something: while Julien could sense his presence, the fog disrupted his detection. If he moved quickly enough, he might be able to escape.

Leonard immediately hurled one of his chain sickles at Julien.

Clang!

He knew it wouldn’t hit. It was merely a feint to buy time.

He had already hooked another chain sickle to a nearby tree. Using it, he propelled himself away.

Boom! Boom!

Leonard detonated several more smoke bombs, thickening the fog and obscuring his direction of escape.

Simultaneously, he continued throwing chain sickles at Julien to keep him at bay.

Never before had Leonard fought so desperately. His sole focus was ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) to survive and escape.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Julien deflected the incoming chain sickles as he relentlessly pursued Leonard.

Leonard was undoubtedly a skilled fighter. Despite Julien’s precise attacks, Leonard managed to evade critical injuries by moving swiftly.

The dense fog further hindered Julien’s pursuit, as it obscured his vision and created significant obstacles in tracking such a skilled opponent.

“Haah...”

As Julien ran, he took a deep breath. First, he needed to clear the fog.

Raising his sword, he imbued it with will. The air around him began to ripple and twist, revealing the hidden flow of the world within the mist. Julien could feel its unseen patterns.

With a single swing of his sword, he disrupted the flow.

Boom!

The thunderous sound echoed as the fog was torn apart.

The mist writhed as if it were a living entity, struggling against Julien’s will, but it was ultimately powerless.

In an instant, the fog dispersed, revealing a clear and vivid landscape.

High above, Dark No. 28 watched the scene unfold and muttered, “Are you even human?”

As an intangible being composed of energy, Dark understood better than anyone the nature of what Julien had just done.

Julien hadn’t simply dispersed the fog—he had forcibly disrupted the natural flow of its energy and obliterated it.

“Come to think of it...” Dark mused, noticing similarities between Julien’s technique and one of Ghislain’s recently developed methods.

While Ghislain manipulated the natural flow of the world to unleash its power, Julien forcibly reversed that flow and dominated it entirely.

Leonard froze as the sudden clarity of his surroundings startled him.

“What... what just happened...?”

The thick fog that had spread so thoroughly was gone in an instant.

While a mage might have been able to disperse it, completely annihilating it like this was beyond belief.

His hesitation, though brief, was a grave mistake. Julien had already closed the distance and swung his sword.

Clang!

Leonard barely managed to block with his chain sickle, quickly retaliating with the other sickle aimed at Julien.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two chain sickles and Julien’s sword clashed at an inhuman speed. Any observer would have been awestruck by the sheer level of skill on display.

Leonard gritted his teeth, his muscles taut with tension and his nerves stretched to their limit.

He was fighting with everything he had, even tapping into his primal instincts.

“I just need one opening... just one...”

But Julien’s sword moved like a living entity, gradually cornering Leonard.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hundreds of strikes and parries occurred in mere moments.

The speed and precision of their exchange were far beyond the limits of ordinary humans.

Though Leonard was more skilled than even the priests of the Salvation Order, he was being overwhelmed by Julien’s superior ability.

Clang!

Crossing his chain sickles to block Julien’s sword, Leonard saw a glimmer of hope. Seizing the opportunity, he hurled one of his sickles at a nearby tree, attempting to escape.

However, this decision sealed his fate.

Slash!

Time seemed to freeze as Julien’s sword cut through the air, tracing a sharp blue arc.

The next moment, Leonard’s arm was severed and sent flying through the air.

“Aaagh!”

Leonard’s scream echoed as blood sprayed like a fountain.

Terror and despair flashed across his face.

He knew—it was over. This fight was lost.

Desperately, Leonard tried to move the remaining chain sickle.

But his body betrayed him, refusing to obey his will.

Julien moved with the precision of one who controlled time itself, his sword descending toward Leonard’s neck.

Slash!

A vivid crimson line appeared on Leonard’s throat.

His eyes widened, and blood foamed at his lips.

With a trembling voice, Leonard whispered his final words.

“You... you monster... you’re no human...”

His voice was a mix of fear, reverence, and utter despair.

Clink.

Julien calmly sheathed his sword, his face devoid of emotion. The sound of the blade sliding into its scabbard marked the end.

Thud.

As the sword fully settled, Leonard’s head fell to the ground.

And so, the Revolutionary Corps’ leader, who once plunged the continent into chaos, met his end.

Julien stood silently for a moment, staring down at Leonard’s lifeless body.

"You’re no human...”

It was a phrase he hadn’t heard in a long time.

During his childhood, his father and other members of the royal family often said the same thing.

His extraordinary growth and ominous aura had made him an outcast, even among his kin.

Yet even as these dark memories surfaced, Julien’s expression remained blank.

Like a tool that had completed its task, he quietly turned and left the battlefield.

Dark No. 28 fluttered down, showering him with praise.

“Wow, you’re incredible! Seriously, the strongest in the world! If it were me, I’d start world domination right now. But you? Restraint! Incredible restraint!”

“...”

As always, Julien ignored Dark’s chatter. His mind was already focused on reuniting with Ghislain.

Meanwhile, Ghislain smirked as he received news of Julien’s triumph through Dark’s connection.

“I knew he’d get the job done.”

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Leonard had been a persistent problem even in Ghislain’s past life. While Ghislain was busy fighting the Rift, Leonard had used the chaos to build his forces and terrorize the weak.

With Julien ensuring Leonard’s end, Ghislain felt a sense of relief.

“Now, onto the next target.”

Though post-war administrative tasks would be handled with Sardina Kingdom’s help, there was still one traitor to deal with before moving forward.

Clank, clank, clank.

A group of soldiers approached, dragging a prisoner in chains—the spy who had betrayed them during the war.