The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 372

Amidst the overwhelming display of Ghislain's power, the Rodrick forces had completely forgotten about the Fenris cavalry waiting just outside the castle gates.

Now stripped of their cloaks, the cavalrymen spurred their horses forward, raising their lances high.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Howard, who had been wholly focused on Ghislain, finally noticed them and shouted in alarm.

“Cavalry charge! Soldiers, stop them!”

A charge of 400 cavalrymen, if properly executed, could wreak devastating havoc. Howard understood this all too well, and his urgent shout reflected his panic.

The soldiers, who had been standing by idly while their comrades struggled to surround Ghislain, turned to face the incoming cavalry.

However, their formation was already in disarray due to Ghislain’s relentless assault. The lingering remnants of his floating spears continued to disrupt their movements, leaving them unprepared for this new threat.

Buzz—

From the armor of the Fenris knights, a faint glow emanated as blue mana began to surge into their lances.

Before the Rodrick soldiers could reform their ranks, the Fenris cavalry descended upon them like a tidal wave.

Boom!

“Aaaargh!”

The charge tore through the soldiers like a hot knife through butter, carving a path of destruction.

The Fenris knights spared no effort in their assault. Against an overwhelming enemy force, their only chance of survival was to decimate as many opponents as possible in the early stages of the battle.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

The charge pushed deep into the enemy formation, stopping only after cutting through nearly half of the Rodrick forces. The knights then formed a circular formation, preparing to face the encircling soldiers in melee combat.

Rodrick’s soldiers gritted their teeth and launched a counterattack.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Unlike their battle with Ghislain, the soldiers managed to land occasional strikes on the knights. Their weapons occasionally found purchase on the knights’ armor.

“It’s working!”

“Close ranks! Stab them!”

“Surround them! Tighter, damn it!”

The officers' shouts rallied the soldiers, who pressed forward with renewed determination.

The Fenris knights fought back ferociously, cutting down scores of soldiers in mere moments. Yet, each fallen soldier was quickly replaced by another, filling the gaps in the formation with unrelenting persistence.

“Wow, there really are a lot of them,” one knight muttered.

“I thought we were finally getting an exciting fight, but this is just tedious,” another quipped.

“Shut up and focus!” snapped another, irritation evident in his voice.

The endless wave of soldiers was wearing on the Fenris knights. It was clear that, at this rate, exhaustion would eventually take them down.

Sensing the growing pressure, Gillian unstrapped the massive battle axe from his back and leapt off his horse.

Boom!

“Aaaaaargh!”

With a single swing, several soldiers were cleaved in half. Gillian spared no mana as he swept his axe in wide arcs, clearing out large swathes of the enemy.

“Tch, can’t let him show me up,” Kaor muttered as he drew his dual swords and dismounted.

Slash! Slash!

Kaor’s strikes were precise, each aimed at vital points, quickly felling his opponents. However, no matter how efficiently he cut them down, it seemed Gillian was still outpacing him.

I should’ve brought a bigger weapon, Kaor thought with mild regret, clicking his tongue.

Despite the mounting enemy numbers, Gillian and Kaor’s efforts significantly reduced the pressure on the Fenris knights.

Having been trained by Ghislain himself and having survived countless battles, their skills had reached a level comparable to senior knights.

Watching his knights hold their ground at the center of the enemy formation, Ghislain tightened his grip on the black steed’s reins.

“Good, they’re holding up well. Let’s go!”

Boom!

Ghislain’s spear flared with crimson mana, burning brighter and fiercer than before.

In a single fluid motion, he beheaded an enemy knight. Another swung at him in an attempt to assist, but Ghislain effortlessly dodged and countered.

Howard, pointing at Ghislain, shouted orders frantically.

“Surround him properly, damn it!”

The knights gritted their teeth and tried to close in, but the task proved nearly impossible. It wasn’t just Ghislain’s unmatched skill—it was also his black horse, whose movements defied all logic.

Unlike regular horses, which required reins and precise guidance, Ghislain’s steed seemed to anticipate his every command, responding to even the subtlest of cues.

Boom! Boom!

With the black horse weaving through the battlefield, Ghislain evaded strikes, parried attacks, and even lashed out at the surrounding soldiers, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

To make matters worse, the Rodrick knights were forced to contend with the remnants of the flying spears, which still harried them from all sides.

Ghislain steadily cut down his opponents, one by one.

Howard, unable to contain his frustration, let out a guttural roar.

“Aaaaargh! You bastard! Fight me head-on! Show some honor and come at me!”

Each time Howard thought he had Ghislain cornered, the man would slip away, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Even when Howard tried to anticipate his movements, Ghislain would always find a way to disrupt his attacks, often with a well-timed strike from a flying spear fragment.

The sheer frustration of it all made Howard feel as though his head might explode.

“There’s no such thing as honor in war,” Ghislain replied with a smirk, decapitating another knight who failed to adjust his direction in time.

Soldiers attempting to close in instinctively backed away the moment Ghislain moved. One man alone was reducing an army of thousands to chaos.

Howard’s sense of urgency grew with each passing moment.

“Push harder! Don’t let up!” he shouted.

The Rodrick knights and soldiers concentrated all their efforts on Ghislain, which somewhat reduced the pressure on the rest of the Fenris forces.

Still, the battlefield was a cacophony of screams and commands.

“Aaaargh!”

“Why are they so damn strong?!”

“Don’t fall back! Stay in formation!”

The Fenris knights continued cutting down scores of soldiers with unrelenting precision, their overwhelming skill evident in every move.

Howard glanced between Ghislain and the Fenris knights, his mind racing.

We need to kill him quickly...

The losses on Howard’s side were mounting. While he knew the Fenris forces would eventually tire, the damage to his own troops would be irreparable by then.

He briefly considered ignoring Ghislain and focusing on the rest of the Fenris army but quickly dismissed the idea. Leaving a Master unchecked would only lead to greater disaster. Ghislain had to be dealt with first.

“Kill him! Kill him now!” Howard roared, his voice hoarse with desperation.

Close to 100 knights had been brought in from the Rodrick Marquisate and surrounding territories to counter Ghislain. Such was the gravity of facing a Master.

“No matter how strong he is, he can’t take us all on! Keep pushing!” Howard’s rallying cry resonated with the soldiers.

His words rang true, but Ghislain refused to play by the rules.

Thwack! Thwack! Boom!

Ghislain skillfully evaded attacks, exploiting openings to strike down knights and soldiers alike. When his path was blocked, he simply tore through whoever stood in his way.

Sizzle.

Ghislain’s bloodied form began to emit a faint crimson vapor, a sign of his intensifying mana.

Monster.

That was the only word that came to Howard’s mind.

Even in the midst of slaughter, Ghislain grinned, as though reveling in the chaos. His presence alone dictated the flow of the battle, reducing the Rodrick forces to a reactive mess despite their overwhelming numbers.

Howard clenched his fists as fear began to creep into his heart.

So this is why you need a Master to stop a Master...

But even that thought was flawed. Had this been Count Desmond’s army, the situation wouldn’t have spiraled into such helplessness.

And worst of all, Ghislain had yet to reveal the full extent of his power as a Master.

Boom!

“Aaaaaargh!”

The battlefield was filled with the anguished cries of the Rodrick forces. Meanwhile, the knights of Fenris methodically cut down their enemies, showing no emotion as they fought.

However, even the knights, though outwardly stoic, were beginning to feel the strain. The enemy numbers were simply too overwhelming.

“Urgh.”

Some knights swallowed the bitter taste of bile and blood rising in their throats.

Having unleashed all their mana from the outset to maintain overwhelming power, their stamina was depleting rapidly.

“Not yet?”

The Fenris knights swung their blades tirelessly, trying to suppress the growing anxiety in their hearts as they waited for the signal they desperately needed.

Howard, unaware of the knights’ precarious state, made a decisive call, driven by the mounting pressure.

“Spread out! Create space! Knights, form ranks around me!”

Shwaaah!

The soldiers, many of whom were already hesitant to engage Ghislain, seized the opportunity to retreat, creating distance.

The Rodrick knights regrouped around Howard, realigning their formation with grim determination.

“Go! Surround and capture him!” Howard roared.

Ghislain had already killed over twenty knights in a short span of time, yet those remaining now understood that conventional methods wouldn’t work against him.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

The Rodrick knights spurred their horses forward, their mana surging as they attempted to encircle Ghislain and pin him down.

Ghislain smirked as he spun his spear, stepping forward to meet them. It was time to escalate.

Boom!

In the first clash, two knights were cleaved clean through, their armor offering no protection as they fell lifeless to the ground.

At the same time, other knights thrust their spears toward Ghislain.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Ghislain deflected each attack with precision. The attacking knights galloped past him, and those following behind continued the assault.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He parried the attacks again, using the brief opening to decapitate the final knight in the wave. More knights surged forward to press the attack.

This method of hit-and-run attacks wasn’t just desperation; it was a calculated strategy. Knowing their horseback combat skills were inferior to Ghislain’s, the Rodrick knights relied on fundamental cavalry tactics: swift strikes and continuous pressure.

“Not bad,” Ghislain admitted with a grin. Even in a poorly managed army, knights were still knights.

The knights coordinated their movements, circling Ghislain and launching attacks in unison. It was a classic technique used to overwhelm a powerful enemy with sheer numbers.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Surrounded by knights, Ghislain spun his spear relentlessly, blocking their strikes and killing them one by one.

Watching the battle unfold, Howard clenched his fist and shouted.

“Yes! Keep it up! He’ll tire out eventually! A Master is still human!”

For all their flaws, the Rodrick knights had trained for moments like this. Their teamwork seemed unusually seamless today, a rare display of competence against such a formidable foe.

When facing a superhuman opponent like Ghislain, soldiers were little more than fodder, meant to sap the enemy’s strength. In hindsight, Howard thought, he should have held the soldiers back earlier.

As the knights continued their relentless assault on Ghislain, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

“WAAAAAAH!”

Howard turned his head in shock, his focus on Ghislain broken as he scanned the battlefield.

“What… what is that?! Where did they come from?!”

To his horror, a new army, bearing the banners of Fenris, had surrounded the Rodrick forces.

“Th-this can’t be! Fenris was only supposed to have a small raiding party…”

Even at a glance, the new arrivals numbered in the thousands. It was unthinkable that such a large force could have reached them undetected.

Howard scrutinized the new troops. Though they were mounted, their uniforms and equipment were mismatched, marking them as mercenaries rather than regular soldiers.

“Could it be…”

He recalled reports of mercenaries accompanying Ghislain, looting various territories. However, those reports had been dismissed as unimportant; capturing Ghislain had taken priority over dealing with his mercenaries.

Only now did the realization hit him. With no forces left to block their path, the mercenaries had been able to assemble unimpeded.

“Did all those mercenaries gather here? In such numbers? How did they make it this far?!”

Howard’s neglect of the looted territories had come back to haunt him. His overconfidence and the arrogance of the Rodrick Marquisate had allowed this disaster to unfold.

While Howard stood dumbfounded, Dominic, leading the mercenaries, shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Forward! Rescue the commander!”

“WAAAAAAAH!”

The mercenaries spurred their horses, their battle cries echoing across the field. To them, Ghislain wasn’t just a noble—he was their leader.

Hearing the mercenaries’ roar, the Fenris knights grinned.

“They’re finally here.”

A wave of relief washed over them. The reinforcements had arrived just in time, sparing them from the seemingly endless fight against the overwhelming Rodrick forces.

Ghislain, still engaged in battle alongside his black steed, allowed himself a small laugh.

“Now, I can finally stop holding back.”

Crack!

Blocking an incoming knight’s attack, Ghislain’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

Wooosh!

Black and crimson mana surged from his body, materializing into tendrils that swirled around him like a shroud. The energy extended to his steed, enveloping them both in an eerie aura.

“What… what is this…?”

Howard swallowed dryly as a primal fear gripped him. The oppressive energy radiating from Ghislain made it difficult even to breathe.

Ghislain and his horse, cloaked in undulating black and crimson mana, looked like shadowy specters. Only their glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness.

The sheer intensity of the scene caused the Rodrick knights to freeze in their tracks.

Howard’s earlier confidence shattered as he realized his mistake. This wasn’t just a monster.

“A demon…”

Ghislain was no longer merely a man; he had become a living embodiment of terror on the battlefield.

In a voice that carried the weight of death itself, Ghislain spoke.

“Let’s begin.”

BOOM!