The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

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Chapter 625: I’m Going to Run Away. (2)

Vanessa was flustered, not knowing what was happening.

Even the 6th Circle Mages couldn’t hold on. Alfoy, being a 5th Circle Mage, should have long since exhausted his mana and collapsed.

However, Vanessa quickly realized the reason.

“He didn’t… provide his mana properly.”

Indeed. Alfoy had panicked and slipped away in the middle of it all.

The intention of bringing Alfoy here was to prevent him from doing just that.

With Alfoy’s personality, it was clear he would slack off and fail to provide proper mana unless he was being closely monitored.

But as the situation became urgent, Vanessa couldn’t keep track, and he had sneaked away again.

“Just what is Alfoy doing…?”

Disappointment flitted through Vanessa’s eyes and quickly vanished. In fact, it was a good thing. Someone’s power was needed.

It was unreasonable for Alfoy to control the mana of the mages. However, he could at least manage a mana transfer.

‘The dragon has been on the back foot until now. To turn the tables in this situation…’

The clever Vanessa quickly reached one conclusion.

The dragon would attempt to use strong magic now that the magic seal was lifted.

Alfoy was an expert at mana transfer. If she could just hold on for a moment with his mana…

After that, the dragon would also be low on mana and unable to use strong magic. The other mages here could continue to dispel the magic.

“Alfoy… please transfer your mana to me quickly…”

Vanessa struggled to speak, and upon realizing her own condition, she fell silent.

Her body was not fine. Even now, her stomach was churning, and she was continuously vomiting blood.

In this state, even if she received a mana transfer, she wouldn’t be able to withstand it and would likely faint.

Vanessa thought of another method. For now, that seemed to have a higher chance of success.

“Alfoy… just for a moment, control it…”

At her words, Alfoy yelled in panic.

“How can I do that? I can’t!”

“You can do it. Alfoy, your mana manipulation skills are excellent… you can manage it for just a moment.”

Setting aside everything else, Alfoy’s mana manipulation ability was renowned. It was built up through years of hard work on construction sites.

For the controller, what mattered more than the amount of mana was whether they could manage that huge amount of mana.

Alfoy, even if it was dangerous, should be able to handle the mana for just a moment. After all, there was no other method.

“Hurry… just control it… You only have to release it the moment the dragon casts its spell.”

“I can’t! I really can’t!”

Alfoy, terrified, began to back away slowly. Vanessa looked at him with regretful eyes.

Howoooooooooooo!

The enormous mana of Arterion was already enveloping the battlefield. Mages at each fortress were attempting to dispel the magic, but they were failing.

The problem arose because they were trying to dispel the powerful magic of the dragon separately.

Arterion would push through with strength. Even if some spells were disrupted, he could strike everyone with a high-circle magic.

He was going to use a tremendous amount of mana.

On the flip side, if they could stop this magic, it meant Arterion wouldn’t be able to use even stronger magic.

“Alfoy… please… I’m sure you can do it if it’s just for a moment.”

Even if everyone ignored her, Vanessa believed in Alfoy’s potential. No matter what others said, he was the heir of the Mage Tower.

Back when she was a maid, Alfoy was an object of envy and a goal for Vanessa.

Now, their positions were reversed, and the gap in skill was too large, so Alfoy had no idea of that.

But despite Vanessa’s pleading, Alfoy shook his head.

“I can’t. I can’t do that.”

Alfoy was scared. The so-called formidable 8th Circle and 7th Circle Mages had both collapsed simultaneously.

As a mage himself, he knew how powerful the dragon’s mana was.

Just the aftermath of a simple breath could freeze his whole body. That overwhelming power instilled pure fear.

To control mana on that level? No matter how excellent his mana manipulation was, his body would surely burst.

Alfoy inadvertently let slip his thoughts.

“Why should I make such a sacrifice…?”

He didn’t understand why others were risking their lives like that. He didn’t even want to know.

There were those who fought out of loyalty, and those who fought to save people, but there were also those forced to join.

He was the latter. Strictly speaking, he had unwillingly become a slave. It was his fault, however.

He hadn’t been treated well either. This wretched territory was unbearable. He was always filled with thoughts of wanting to escape.

Now was that opportunity. There was no one to catch him. Everyone was busy fighting the dragon.

“I… I’m going to run away. I don’t want to fight terrifying enemies anymore.”

“Alfoy…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He could just leave. He could go far away and just hide.

It was something he had always wished for.

But why were tears welling up?

Alfoy spoke through his tears.

“I’m sorry, really sorry. I’m… I’m not the kind of guy who can do that. I’m… I’m pathetic.”

He had no choice but to admit it. As everyone said, he was a pathetic guy.

It was frightening. He had always pretended to be hot stuff, but he didn’t have the courage to risk his life like them.

He wanted to kneel before that dragon and beg for mercy. The pressure of mana on the battlefield made his heart feel like it was stopping.

So, Alfoy turned his back. As if he didn’t want to know anything anymore, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, running away.

Vanessa looked at Alfoy’s retreating figure with exhausted and sad eyes.

“Alfoy…”

Now there was no way left. The controller was gone. Ultimately, the remaining mages had to dispel the dragon’s magic as best as they could.

But…

Those fighting the dragon wouldn’t even be able to withstand the weakened magic.

That dragon was currently gathering all remaining mana to unleash a tremendous spell.

“Cough.”

Having coughed up blood once more, Vanessa collapsed. Even she, with her strong mental fortitude, could no longer hold on.

Tears flowing down Vanessa’s cheek froze instantly. Her lips turned blue and cracked.

Jerome and the mages who had fainted were in similar states. Their faces were pale, frozen, and it seemed they would never wake up again.

Howooooooooooooooo.

Arterion fully spread his wings. The dragon showed confidence that nothing posed a threat to him anymore.

Those fighting in front didn’t dare to approach.

Ancient power glimmered in Arterion’s eyes. A sneer lingered on his gaze toward the fallen fortress.

“Did you really think the power of a dragon was that pathetic?”

His voice thundered through the air. The mana in the atmosphere quaked.

Arterion began to unleash magic beyond human imagination, using all of his remaining mana.

Rumbling!

The earth howled. A massive rift opened, revealing a world of ice.

Crash!

Ice pillars shot up as if piercing the sky. As Arterion’s wings unfurled, a blizzard that shook heaven and earth swept through.

The sky and earth turned white. Each snowflake danced through the air, filled with mana.

The frozen earth began to writhe as if it were a living creature, expanding its territory.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

The world was freezing white.

The remaining mages worked hard to dispel the dragon’s magic. At least in terms of total mana, they didn’t fall behind the dragon.

But the density they could concentrate on was different. The dispelling didn’t go smoothly.

It wasn’t for nothing that they had a controller. They couldn’t properly dispel the magic unless they encountered the dragon’s mana in a single blow.

Ssss…

Due to the mages’ desperate resistance, ice pillars began to vanish here and there, and holes formed in the blizzard.

But that was only for a moment. Colder chills rushed in to replace those that disappeared.

It felt like the whole world was freezing. In the winds swirling on that frozen earth lay vast amounts of mana.

“Oh no…”

Ghislaine bit his lip. He had seen that magic even in his previous life.

That one spell had wiped out most of the legion that had come to capture the dragon. It was that incredible a spell.

Frost settled on the superhumans. Cold sank into their bodies, impeding their movements.

Every breath felt like ice was freezing their lungs in pain.

“Strike! We have to stop it!”

Ghislaine shouted, and once again people started moving. But as Arterion flapped his wings once more…

KRAAAAASH!

A massive blizzard swept through like a storm and pushed everyone away.

Just stepping on the ground began to freeze their bodies. Facing the wind felt like biting pain against their skin.

It was as if the end of the world had arrived.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

Everyone, including Ghislaine, drew their mana up to its limits. Thanks to Parniel and Piote’s divine power, they could still hold on and move.

However, divine power couldn’t be used forever.

Ultimately, the battle returned to the starting point. No, if things continued like this, they would be even more disadvantaged.

Boom!

Ghislaine gritted his teeth and unleashed his aura blade more fiercely.

It blazed as the last spark in this world of ice.

‘Should I use it now?’

If he used Dark’s Amplification, he could exert greater power. But he thought to use it only after pushing Arterion a bit more.

Using that power would mean he wouldn’t last long either.

The timing wasn’t good. If he couldn’t overwhelm with the amplification right away, they’d be defeated.

While Ghislaine was pondering, the dragon was causing miraculous phenomena with his colossal mana.

The mages were employing their powers to dispel here and there, but the speed at which the battlefield transformed into a snowfield was faster than that.

Eventually, one by one, the mages began to realize. They all sensed which side had the upper hand in mana.

‘What should I do?’

‘At this rate, there’s no chance of winning!’

‘I… I need to run away.’

The blizzard grew fiercer, and the rate of dispelling magic slowed increasingly. The will of the mages began to waver.

The mages began to prepare to sneak away while conserving their mana. The faster they moved, the quicker the icy world expanded.

Crunch.

Ghislaine bit down hard. It had definitely been an evenly matched fight, but the momentum had completely shifted.

He understood how important morale was. He had won many battles thanks to boosting the morale of soldiers in unfavorable battles.

He had to explode with power to create a chance, regardless of the risk.

“Don’t hold back! We have to push forward! I’ll lead the way!”

Everyone nodded at Ghislaine’s words.

Originally, they had planned to distribute strength for a long war. But now, they truly had to unleash all their power in one go to turn the tide.

Roar…

Arterion’s laughter echoed across the battlefield.

“It seems it’s coming to an end. For bugs, you were quite strong. I won’t forget you.”

Thud thud thud thud!

The earth vibrated as if howling. Arterion was planning to use all his remaining mana to turn this place into an eternal ice prison.

On the frozen earth, they could never defeat him. They would expend all their strength just to endure the cold.

Even now, he could see their movements visibly slowing down and their divine powers weakening.

Boom!

“Let’s try this again.”

Arterion landed, his eyes gleaming. As their bodies began to freeze more and more, it became easier to deal them fatal blows that would be hard to recover from even with divine power.

Ghislaine also tightened his grip on his sword. He intended to amplify his power and deal a significant blow in an instant.

At that moment, when both sides were about to move…

Sssssss…

Suddenly, the blizzard quieted. The ice of the ground began to melt away quickly, and the ice pillars crumbled and scattered.

In an instant, the cold receded and warmth enveloped the people’s bodies.

“What?!”

Confusion mixed into Arterion’s voice. He had taken down the controller, so why was his magic being dispelled?

It didn’t make sense. Even with many mages, they could only dispel it bit by bit. It was impossible to do so this quickly.

Ghislaine was also startled and turned his head. He had clearly confirmed that Jerome and Vanessa had collapsed.

No one could control the mana anymore. Who exactly was dispelling the magic?

Ghislaine’s eyes widened as he looked at the Control Fortress.

In the place where everyone had collapsed…

A man was standing alone, holding two staffs.

Ghislaine unconsciously muttered.

“Alfoy?”

The Alfoy who had run away had returned to control the mana.

His robe could not withstand the power of the massive mana, flailing boldly.

Blood streamed from his nose, ears, and mouth. His whole body was trembling as veins popped out.

“Ughhh…”

Jerome and Vanessa couldn’t handle the power alone either, so it had taken both of them to control it. No matter how skilled he was at mana manipulation, it was impossible to endure such tremendous power.

It felt like his body was going to burst at any moment, but Alfoy gritted his teeth and held on.

The fear and pain made him want to just give up and run away, but he suppressed it.

Just once.

Just once would be enough. If he could dispel that incredible magic unfolding now…

Then the rest could be taken care of by those left behind.

“AAAHHHHH!”

Though his reasoning said that, it was not easy to endure the pain. Alfoy continued to scream.

As he screamed and blood poured from his whole body, somehow, he ultimately endured.

Howooooooooo!

The colossal mana that Alfoy controlled collided with the dragon’s magic. The more it clashed, the greater his suffering became.

“Ghhhhh…”

It hurt. It was agonizing. It was scary. He wanted to give up.

Even in this brief moment, such thoughts constantly tormented him.

But…

He couldn’t forget the look in Vanessa’s eyes, filled with sadness and pity, looking at him.

Despite causing trouble so many times, she was the only one who acknowledged him in this territory.

He couldn’t let someone like that die here.

Shaking off his desire to give up, Alfoy shouted desperately.

“I am—!”

The one pride that supported him even when everyone ignored him.

The single pride he possessed in this world.

The title, which even the strict Parniel would turn a blind eye to as long as it didn’t chatter in front of him.

Alfoy shouted louder than ever.

“I am the man who defeated a god—!”

With his desperate cry, all the mana that spread around finally pierced through the dragon’s magic.

And the blizzard created by Arterion pouring out all his remaining mana…

Swoosh…

It was fading away like a mirage.