The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

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Chapter 595: Only We Are Left (3)

Ereness clearly felt the moment her attack was blocked.

“I cut through space.”

It’s a technique that is logically impossible. It defies the laws of the world with sheer will.

She knew that technique well. It was the power used by the adversary.

Ereness shouted with a voice full of rage.

“Why… why are you here! Adversary!”

Yulien frowned slightly. He couldn’t grasp the situation as she suddenly threw accusations and murmurings.

However, Ereness’s mind was in disarray, so she couldn’t even comprehend Yulien’s reaction.

“How could you resemble him so much!”

Though the atmosphere and hair color were different, her appearance was identical to the adversary that humanity had once united to face long ago.

Moreover, the power she wielded was similar. A power that dismisses the natural order isn’t something anyone could use.

Emerald brilliance sparkled in Ereness’s eyes.

Whoosh!

Red flames erupted around her. Spirits danced around her, swirling in a mesmerizing display.

Yulien didn’t attack hastily. After all, he didn’t know the opponent’s identity or intentions.

But Ereness showed no signs of stopping.

Boom!

The flames burst toward Yulien, exploding on impact.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Simultaneously, spirits surrounded Yulien from all directions. The Spirit of Water enveloped him, slowing his movements.

The Spirit of Wind hindered his breath, while the Spirit of Earth aimed to pin him to the ground.

All of it was for naught. The spirits’ power had no effect on Yulien.

As he swung his sword, the winds scattered. The earth crumbled. The water burst apart.

Slash!

Finally, Yulien launched his proper attack. Ereness’s armor was shredded.

Yet, as if she didn’t suffer any damage, she extended her hand immediately.

Boom!

A green flash struck Yulien hard. The immense force pushed him backward.

“……”

Something unusual glimmered in his eyes. Now more powerful than ever, it was rare for someone to deliver a shock like this to him.

Yulien gripped his sword tightly. Attacks that transcended space were surely formidable, but a strong opponent could withstand more than that.

In a flash, Yulien surged forward, swinging his sword at Ereness.

Clang!

The light erupting from Ereness’s arm blocked Yulien’s attack.

Soon, both moved at incredible speeds, launching relentless attacks at each other.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Witnesses watched in bewilderment as the two fought without retreating.

Both were comrades and allies. So why were they suddenly fighting? It made no sense.

To be precise, Ereness was the one who initiated the conflict.

Claude spoke to Wendy.

“See? All that talk about elves loving nature and peace is a lie. The moment they see a person, they just throw punches. Ever since I saw Ascon, I’ve been studying elves in depth…”

“……”

Wendy merely pulled out earplugs and put them in her ears. If she kept listening, blood would surely start flowing from her eardrums.

Belinda anxiously called out to Ghislaine.

“Young Master! What’s happening right now? Why are they fighting? Shouldn’t we stop them?”

Ghislaine nodded. It was just like in their past lives. Ereness was hiding something. That’s why she went berserk upon seeing Yulien.

First, they needed to calm her down and find out the reason. Unlike before, she had no intention of letting it slide.

But now was not the time to intervene.

“Just a moment… it’s getting more interesting now… No, let’s just watch a little longer.”

Truth be told, he wanted to see them fight more. Such an opportunity was rare, and their skills were impressive to behold.

The others felt the same way. Everyone was both worried and excited. Watching high-level combat could help with their own growth.

Only Alfoy and Claude were off to the side playing rock-paper-scissors to exchange their slave terms.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The intensity of the battle escalated. Even the renowned Yulien was finding it tough to handle Ereness, who was fighting with all her might.

Ereness had a determined look as if she were chased by something.

‘Not yet, my power hasn’t fully returned. I must kill now!’

Now was the time to strike. If her opponent found their full strength, everyone present would find it impossible to win.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Yulien’s gaze grew colder. He wasn’t even exuding killing intent.

He was simply fighting back as his opponent came at him. His curiosity about the reason faded quickly.

But they couldn’t keep fighting like this. He had to choose to overpower or kill.

He summoned more strength.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

In an instant, Ereness’s body was sliced in several places. Yet, surprisingly, she moved as if nothing happened.

The spirits healed her wounds, and her wooden armor repaired itself.

Boom!

The radiant light released by Ereness pushed Yulien back again.

With each movement, their shockwaves became increasingly powerful. The ground was now pitted and crumbling.

As the aftermath of their energies clashed, a storm began to brew. All spectators were forced to retreat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With each fight, Ereness felt growing confusion.

‘Why aren’t you using your true power!’

Even through such a struggle, that cursed power was nowhere to be seen. No traces of it were visible at all.

Only the refreshing mana of a blue hue continued to envelop his sword.

It was clear to anyone that the strength he demonstrated stemmed from personal training. There were no indications of any external influence.

‘Could it be that I was mistaken? Is he just someone who resembles the adversary?’

In reality, they only shared the same face and name. From Yulien, she sensed none of the intense rage or hatred the adversary had once held.

Even the power he wielded was similar to the adversary’s but ultimately different.

Was it because of something Arterion had said that made her mistake?

‘Saint! Why are you just standing by!’

Parniel was even more sensitive to the aura of the Salvation Society than she was.

But Parniel stood with her arms crossed, merely watching. Clearly, she hadn’t sensed anything.

No, it was certain she hadn’t doubted at all, which explained why they were still together.

Had Ereness truly made a misjudgment or misunderstanding?

Determined to gather her shaking resolve, Ereness thought,

‘There’s no way such a coincidence could exist with the same name!’

She clenched her teeth and stepped back.

It no longer mattered whether he was truly the adversary or not. For the sake of humanity, she couldn’t leave any lingering doubts.

That was her belief and her principle.

Boom!

From Ereness’s retreating hand, an emerald bow that shone brilliantly materialized.

The ultimate weapon, Elven Serenade.

Those witnessing the aura gathering gasped in shock. The power felt incomparably stronger than before.

Even Yulien’s eyes flickered with surprise. No matter how strong he was, he felt he wouldn’t be able to handle that.

Koom!

He stepped forward, pouring all his mana into the sword. It glowed so intensely that it could rival the sky.

With this, he would cut through everything. Space and time. And even the body of the one before him.

His willpower grasped the surroundings fiercely.

One of them would certainly die. Even so, neither intended to evade.

Boom!

Just as the massive forces were about to collide.

Ghislaine stepped in between, raising her hands.

“Whoa, whoa, stop it!”

Skyreeek!

Bang!

Yulien’s sword sliced through an unintended target. In an instant, the earth was cleaved, triggering an earthquake.

The light arrow shot by Ereness soared high into the sky, piercing through the clouds.

Both turned to look at Ghislaine. She smiled brightly and said,

“Why jump straight into fighting when we meet? If you’re gonna fight, you should know the reasons first. I’ve told you repeatedly. I’m a non-violent pacifist.”

“……”

“……”

Neither of them replied. Yulien was simply confused about how he got dragged in, and Ereness didn’t want to respond.

But Ghislaine wasn’t about to let it go.

She approached Ereness and asked.

“Why are you doing this? Can you at least tell me why you suddenly attacked someone out of the blue, calling them an adversary?”

Ghislaine understood what the adversary was—a concept she learned from her dreams.

Like with reincarnation, she knew voicing it would only lead to being called insane, so she feigned ignorance.

Ereness took a deep breath and released her armor. With a cold glint in her gaze, she spoke.

“The adversary is the one who leads the Salvation Society toward the destruction of the world.”

“Gathros leads the Salvation Society.”

“The king he seeks is the one before us.”

Gasps echoed as everyone registered Ereness’s shocking statement.

The king that the Salvation Society was after was Yulien?

He would eventually become a king, but that statement was too far over the line.

Claude whispered to Wendy.

“Seems like they’re rather lonely. The Salvation Society is gone, so they need a new enemy. You know, some people can’t stand not having something to do.”

“……”

Ereness’s claims made no sense, almost convincing Claude’s nonsense to make sense.

Yulien was someone who fought fiercely against the extinction of the Salvation Society. Without him, the Allied Forces would have had a much tougher time.

He had personally taken down more than ten superhumans from the Salvation Society. If he truly were the king of the Salvation Society, that would mean he had destroyed his own forces.

Everyone who had fought alongside Yulien rejected Ereness’s viewpoint. Her statement trampled upon the honor Yulien had earned through hardship.

Ultimately, Lumina stepped forward.

“Great Chief, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. This man has worked harder than anyone to eradicate the Salvation Society. He has dealt with numerous rifts. If he were their king, that wouldn’t be the case.”

“……”

Ereness had no words left. Only she remembered the adversary.

Yet, she was also beginning to waver. No matter how she looked, the adversary was obvious, but Yulien’s actions didn’t align.

The adversary’s goal was humanity’s extinction. If Yulien were the adversary, his past actions would be utterly incomprehensible.

‘Did I truly misjudge?’

It was frustrating. It didn’t seem like he was hiding his true identity. Still, he bore such an uncanny resemblance to the adversary that every time she saw him, it drove her mad.

It was only natural for no one to understand. Only she held the knowledge of the past.

Ghislaine studied Ereness closely.

‘She really is confused and frustrated.’

Though she didn’t know it in her past life, she now sensed the reason for her turmoil.

In her dreams, Yulien and Ereness had fought against the Salvation Society together. Thus, seeing a Yulien that looked just like him would naturally confuse her.

Yet, the reason she attacked without preamble was beyond comprehension. The Yulien from her dreams was an entirely different person despite looking the same.

Such common sense must have existed in her mind, yet there had to be a reason for her behavior.

‘And the adversary wasn’t Yulien!’

In her dreams, Yulien fought as a hero against the adversary. If the dream were not mistaken, then Ereness’s memories were the flawed ones.

Ghislaine spoke to Ereness.

“I think we have a lot to discuss. How about we move to another place and talk?”

“……”

In her past life, Ereness had fought Yulien and left the Allied Forces. It resembled the current situation closely.

Of course, back then, she hadn’t been accusing him of being an adversary. She just wanted to kill him, no matter what.

That was slightly different from now.

‘Is it because of me?’

In Ruthania, she had fought alongside him and had since built some trust.

Regardless, in her past life, everyone had stopped her, siding with Yulien, and she had departed.

Ereness closed her eyes and took a moment to gather her thoughts.

‘I was too hasty.’

She felt overly influenced by Arterion’s words. It could certainly have just been a case of coincidental likeness.

Still, that coincidence felt troubling. There were too many similarities.

She didn’t want to stay here any longer. Even if the one before her wasn’t the adversary, seeing his face would always bring forth painful memories.

It was better to keep her distance and slowly find out the truth. Yet, another being came to her mind.

‘Arterion!’

That dragon was planning to trample over the human kingdoms. If he couldn’t find the adversary, he would likely destroy other kingdoms, eventually clashing with the Allied Forces.

If he came across Yulien during that search…

‘Everyone here will have to fight against Arterion.’

The dragon was a supreme being. Even superhumans couldn’t withstand his might.

Without any preparation to face a dragon, countless lives would be lost.

Ereness was conflicted.

‘Ultimately, that Yulien will perish at the hands of Arterion.’

Then the ominous seed would surely be uprooted. Ereness had no intention of stopping it.

It would likely be a favorable path for humanity.

Yet, she also didn’t wish for those accompanying Yulien to suffer.

After a prolonged internal struggle, she finally sighed deeply and spoke.

“Duke of Penris.”

“Yes?”

“We need to prepare for a new battle.”

“What battle?”

Ereness opened her mouth with a serious expression.

“A dragon will soon appear. That dragon will destroy the lands of humanity…”

She pointed at Yulien as she continued.

“He will not allow the one before us to live.”

At her words, Ghislaine’s expression hardened.

The dragon that had suddenly appeared in her past life and massacred humans was a singular entity.

Most of the continent’s seven powers had gathered to capture that dragon, so she was well aware.

But…

Its timing for reappearance had become far too swift compared to her past life.