The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 700

Ghislain wasn’t manipulating Gascot out of some twisted amusement. He had a reason.

‘Damn, I need to catch my breath.’

By creating a virtual mana core, he had pushed Astion’s body beyond its natural limits. Naturally, that put a strain on him. He had already taken down more than half of the enemies, but plenty remained.

Even the knights of Fenris had struggled, working together to capture high-ranking priests of the Salvation Order. The opponents present now were fewer in number but slightly superior in level. Fighting against such adversaries was rapidly draining even someone like Ghislain.

‘Well, I expected as much…’

He was confident he could win even in a straightforward battle, but if there was an easier way, why waste unnecessary effort?

Revealing dark magic was bound to provoke a strong reaction. As expected, Gascot erupted in fury, desperately trying to prove his so-called innocence.

“This bastard is a black mage! I saw it with my own eyes! I saw it, I tell you!”

The knights still looked bewildered. Among them were knights dispatched from other noble houses.

Gascot was a knight of great renown, so they couldn’t understand why he was obsessing over something so trivial in such a crucial situation—especially while spouting incomprehensible nonsense.

But Gascot valued his honor as much as his reputation. This situation was unbearable for him.

Ghislain poured oil onto the fire.

“Why suddenly lie? We’re trying to kill each other anyway. Whether I’m a black mage or not, why does it even matter?”

The knights instinctively nodded along. They were subconsciously agreeing with the enemy’s words.

That sight nearly drove Gascot mad.

“You! Are you mocking me?!”

Suppressing injustice was already difficult. But being doubted—being distrusted—was even worse.

Seeing Gascot reaching his limit, Ghislain provoked him once more.

“If you’re afraid to fight me, just say so. Don’t make excuses that make you look ridiculous.”

“You… you bastard…”

“You were watching from the back, waiting for me to exhaust myself, weren’t you? Is that why you’re making a scene now?”

“S-Shut up! That’s not it!”

“Then come at me. If you’re scared, you can even fight dirty.”

Ghislain smirked and curled his fingers in a taunting gesture.

The provocation worked perfectly.

“Fine! I’ll kill you here and now!”

Gascot’s face turned red as he unleashed his full power. His sword shot toward Ghislain with tremendous speed.

“Kaaah!”

The two clashed once more.

The other knights hesitated and instinctively took a step back. The battle had somehow turned into a formal duel.

Even Julien and Kyle withdrew, opting to spectate instead.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Gascot, blinded by rage, still believed he held the advantage.

‘His movements have slowed a bit. He’s definitely getting tired.’

Indeed, Ghislain was giving way slightly.

Gascot was more honor-bound than other knights. Though his initial fury had driven him, as the fight went on, new thoughts crept into his mind.

He had intended to fight alongside the other knights. But now, he realized he might be able to finish this alone.

If his opponent were at full strength, he wouldn’t have lasted long in a duel against him. But now? Now there was a real chance of victory.

‘This is my chance to raise my honor!’

Even dozens of high-ranking knights, along with two top-tier warriors, had struggled to capture this opponent. If he defeated such an opponent alone…

Even accounting for the enemy’s exhaustion, he would be celebrated. No knight would pass up such an opportunity.

Gascot pressed harder and shouted loudly.

“I’ll end this! No one interfere—just surround them and make sure no one escapes!”

The knights hesitated momentarily but ultimately obeyed.

After all, Gascot was the strongest one here and held command.

Though they had lost over half their forces, they still had enough numbers to surround them. The knights quickly moved into position, trapping both Julien and Kyle inside the formation as well.

Since their primary goal was containment, they didn’t immediately attack. Instead, they watched Ghislain anxiously.

“He’ll be fine… right?”

‘Damn, is it time to run?’

Ghislain’s gradual retreat was evident to all. But neither Julien nor Kyle believed he would lose.

BOOM!

As the stage was set, a sly grin appeared on Ghislain’s face.

Gascot was convinced. He could practically see the light of victory.

But he had yet to realize—he couldn’t cross the wall between him and Ghislain.

That gap in power was undeniable.

BOOM!

Sword and staff clashed, sending sparks flying.

Gascot’s sword slashed through the air like lightning, relentlessly pressing Ghislain back. The sound of steel rang out.

His swordplay was impeccable, with no visible openings.

Ghislain continued to retreat, deftly parrying with his staff. Each clash sent embers into the air.

“You’re not bad. You might make a decent corpse.”

“You bastard! So you really are a black mage!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each collision sent shockwaves rippling outward. Even the knights surrounding them had to take a few steps back.

Flash!

In an instant, Gascot’s sword grazed Ghislain’s left shoulder.

For the first time, Ghislain had been wounded.

Gascot’s face lit up with elation.

‘This is it. I can win.’

He could see the possibility of victory.

Ghislain quickly adjusted his grip. The moment he blocked the next strike, his voice rang out softly.

“Ent Fire.”

Fwoosh!

His staff ignited in flames.

Gascot’s face paled as he instinctively dodged.

“Tsk!”

The heat was overwhelming. His helmet turned red-hot, almost burning his skin.

Forced to expel mana to block the heat, Gascot quickly tore off his helmet—

Only for Ghislain’s staff to slip right into the opening.

BAM!

“Guh!”

Gascot took a heavy blow to the ribs, gritting his teeth.

Somehow, the heat seemed to seep deep into his body.

But he endured. Gascot swallowed the pain and swung his sword again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Each time Ghislain swung his staff, flames trailed behind like a blazing tail. He moved lightly, as if dancing, effortlessly forcing Gascot back.

The sudden reversal left Gascot reeling.

Every time their weapons clashed, searing heat burst forth, making it nearly impossible to counterattack.

‘H-How is he using magic like this…?’

Gascot had believed that overwhelming pressure would prevent magic use.

Even if magic were cast, he had thought he could simply power through it.

But what was this?

That fire—it was so intense, he couldn’t even approach it.

The longer the fight dragged on, the worse it was for him.

To block the heat, he had to burn through even more mana.

“Damn it…”

Gascot clenched his teeth.

Despite circulating mana to block the heat, it still penetrated through.

His stamina and mana were depleting at a frightening rate.

He had never encountered a mage like this.

This was an entirely different fighting style.

He couldn’t predict it.

He couldn’t counter it.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Gascot’s face contorted with frustration.

No matter what he tried, it wasn’t working.

He had always trusted his skills, always relied on his combat methods.

But now?

Now it felt like every impact was shaking him to his very core.

And it was only natural.

Ghislain was pouring an immense amount of mana into maintaining the flames.

Nothing short of overwhelming magic could break through Gascot’s defenses.

Ghislain was pouring enough mana into his flames to cast wide-area magic, making the heat unbearable.

BOOM!

As their weapons clashed again, Gascot staggered backward. He panted heavily, his lungs feeling as if they had been charred black.

His expression twisted in pain, but just as he was about to speak—

"Everyone… ngh—!"

BOOM!

Gascot barely managed to block the staff swinging toward his head. He gritted his teeth—if he showed an opening now, his skull would be crushed. Defense was his only option.

Ghislain didn’t let up, pouring more mana into his strikes.

BOOM!

Gascot blocked again, but Ghislain pressed down with force.

The suffocating heat grew closer, forcing a groan from Gascot.

“Grrgh…”

Blocking the attacks wasn’t enough—the heat alone was overwhelming. But the real terror was knowing that at any moment, those blazing flames could sear his face.

He had to factor in every possibility. If he wasn’t cautious, he could be incinerated in an instant. Gascot prepared to retreat.

That was when Ghislain abruptly released his staff.

"Huh?"

With all his strength focused on pushing against the staff, Gascot’s sword swung up wildly as the opposing force disappeared.

His stance collapsed.

And in that exact moment, Ghislain pulled a hand axe from behind his waist and swung.

THWACK!

The axe buried itself into Gascot’s neck like a flash of lightning.

Yet, despite the lethal blow, Gascot didn’t die.

A knight of his caliber wouldn’t fall so easily.

He had already been channeling all his mana, and with sheer willpower, he managed to hold on.

“Guhhh!”

His face twisted in agony as he funneled every ounce of mana into his neck, preventing the axe from cutting deeper.

At the same time, he swung his sword to shake Ghislain off.

But Ghislain was faster.

STAB!

His free hand plunged into Gascot’s abdomen.

In that instant, Gascot saw it—

Ghislain’s hand, darkened unnaturally.

“Kh…!"

Blood spurted from Gascot’s mouth.

Then, an eerie sensation spread through his body.

As his vision dimmed, he looked at Ghislain and muttered:

“…I told you… he’s a black mage…”

THUD!

That was the last thing Gascot said before collapsing.

He had fought fiercely, but in the end, he couldn’t surpass the wall that was Ghislain.

“Phew…”

Ghislain took a deep breath, forcefully swallowing down the blood that had risen in his throat. He couldn’t afford to show weakness here.

Now came the finishing touch.

He slowly picked up his fallen staff and straightened his back.

"Be grateful. You were never destined to defeat me."

“……”

“If you still want to fight, I won’t stop you. Of course, you’ll all die.”

The knights’ faces stiffened.

By all rights, they should fight to the end. But their morale had already crumbled.

They had come here confident they could take down a superhuman opponent—

But their expectations had been shattered.

And their commander, Gascot, had died rambling about nonsense.

Clatter.

Someone dropped their sword.

If over a hundred knights couldn’t defeat him, how could the thirty or so remaining hope to?

There was no point in dying here.

The knights of this era weren’t obsessed with a “glorious death.”

Too many had already died meaninglessly fighting the Rift’s monsters. The modern knight's mindset prioritized survival over honor.

Clatter. Clatter.

One by one, they laid down their weapons.

They had completely lost the will to fight.

Ghislain smirked.

Good. He didn’t have to waste any more energy.

Now, it was time to wrap things up.

He walked over to Gascot’s fallen body and placed his hand on it.

Fwoosh!

Mana rippled, and Gascot’s corpse vanished into thin air—absorbed into Ghislain’s subspace storage.

“Damn, this is convenient.”

Subspace magic.

Ghislain had envied it for so long.

Watching Deneb and Vanessa carry items effortlessly had always made him jealous.

But subspace was a 6th-Circle spell—he couldn’t just learn it overnight.

Now, though? He could use it freely.

The knights watching were bewildered.

“Why is he… taking the body?”

“H-He really is a black mage, isn’t he?”

“So Gascot was telling the truth after all?”

They looked at each other, confused—

But none of them made a move.

“It’s too late now.”

“We can’t win anyway.”

“If he really is a black mage, fighting him would only make things worse.”

While the knights were drowning in hopelessness, Ghislain turned to Count Swipel.

The count was trembling so hard that he was practically drooling.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

He had deployed all his personal knights for this mission—

And now, they were either dead or unconscious.

Ghislain hefted his staff.

“You should be grateful. I saved your life and even got rid of your enemies.”

“Uhh… uhh…”

"I expected something like this. If you really wanted to catch me, you should have brought at least 200 men."

“S-Spare me.”

Before Ghislain could reply—

Dark suddenly appeared beside him and shouted.

"Do you feel the power gap?!"

"I-I was wrong! I’ll give up my claim to Crest’s lands—just let me live!"

"Denied! You think you can pull this shit and walk away unscathed? Kill him now, Master!"

Ghislain shot Dark a glare.

Dark shrank back slightly but kept his mouth shut.

Still, Ghislain agreed with him.

There was no benefit in letting Swipel live.

Of course, he wouldn’t kill him just yet.

That would be done outside.

“First, let’s make sure you don’t run.”

Ghislain grinned, raising his staff.

Then—

CRACK!

"AAAAAARGH!"

Swipel howled in agony as his leg was shattered.

He collapsed, unable to move, writhing in pain.

Ghislain grabbed him by the collar—

And dragged him outside.