The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations - Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Break Through Them! (1)

Harold squinted as he observed the sudden arrival of an army.

“These bastards… they coordinated to match their timing.”

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible for them to appear so precisely.

The Kingdom Army and the Noble Alliance had approximately 8,000 troops, while the Ferdium forces numbered about 3,000.

Combined, they formed an army exceeding 10,000 strong. This was precisely the situation Harold had feared.

“Hah… So, it’s come to this after all.”

Too much time had been wasted because of that pest Gillian. He briefly regretted not bypassing Stonehaven Fortress entirely, but Harold quickly shook his head.

“If I had, they would’ve launched guerrilla attacks on our rear.”

In any case, it was true that they had been delayed, and as a result, reinforcements to support Ghislain had arrived.

Instead of dismantling their forces one by one, exploiting the advantage of their numbers, they now faced unavoidable losses.

The more he thought about it, the more Harold’s teeth clenched, and his anger boiled over. Yet he had to remain composed.

“They’re enemies we have to fight sooner or later anyway.”

If he could crush them all here, it would buy some time. Though he’d have to resort to forced conscription immediately after seizing Fenris.

He summoned the most capable commander in his domain—Emerson, who had dealt with Viscount Doren’s Second Legion.

“Emerson.”

“Yes, Count.”

“Take 5,000 men and annihilate the Third Legion to the right.”

“Leave it to me.”

Dududududu!

The right flank of Desmond’s forces turned toward the Third Legion and the Noble Alliance troops.

Harold immediately issued orders to his left flank as well.

“Viscount Garein.”

“Yes, Count.”

“Take 5,000 and handle the Ferdium forces on the left.”

“Understood.”

“Be cautious. Ferdium’s forces have accumulated significant battlefield experience in the north. You don’t need to overextend. Just hold them off while we deal with the others.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Although Viscount Garein wasn’t particularly skilled in swordsmanship, he was a decent commander, especially adept at pinning down opponents in one place.

He led the soldiers assigned to the left flank toward the Ferdium forces.

Despite sending 10,000 troops to either side, approximately 16,000 soldiers still waited at the center of Desmond’s army.

The Fenris forces were advancing directly toward them—with only about 3,000 soldiers.

Harold sneered as he watched them approach.

“Still the same arrogant fool.”

Admittedly, the arrival of reinforcements had significantly narrowed the gap in numbers. That confidence likely drove such reckless behavior.

But even with reinforcements, their total force barely amounted to half of Harold’s. Ghislain’s judgment was nothing more than a manifestation of overconfidence.

All the knights and soldiers of Fenris charged forward without hesitation, following closely behind the Black King.

Dudududududu!

The powerful sound of galloping hooves reverberated, and the Fenris forces only accelerated. Yet, Desmond’s forces had already formed a solid battle formation.

Harold smirked as he observed the advancing Fenris forces.

“They must be relying on those peculiar armors. Even their horses are fully armored.”

The Ferdium forces’ armor was certainly exceptional. Wearing it, a single soldier could plausibly fend off ten enemies.

Harold had even been shocked by the sheer weight of the armor when examining it from a fallen Fenris soldier.

The fact that they had outfitted even their horses in such armor meant mass production was feasible.

“It’s certainly remarkable equipment, but…”

That only worked against a limited number of foes. Even after dividing his forces, Harold still had five times the number of soldiers as the Fenris forces at the center.

The terror of a large army grew exponentially with its size.

Gauging the distance between his forces and the advancing Fenris troops, Harold raised his hand.

“Spearmen, prepare!”

Shaaak!

Thousands of spearmen stepped forward, pointing their spears ahead.

Dududududu!

Despite the ferocious charge of the Fenris forces, Desmond’s spearmen showed no fear.

Their confidence, born from the belief that they could block any foe, was the very foundation of Desmond’s elite soldiers.

“Archers.”

The archers stationed in the rear drew their bowstrings taut.

Although the Fenris cavalry wore full plate armor and their horses were equipped with barding, the arrows would not deal direct damage.

But if the horses were startled and stopped, or if their formation wavered even briefly from the impact, that would be enough. Harold gave a hand signal to the archers, harboring a sliver of expectation.

Fwoosh!

Thud! Thududud! Thud!

The Fenris forces raised their small shields, blocking the incoming arrows.

A few stray arrows struck their bodies and barding, but the Fenris soldiers remained unfazed, maintaining both formation and speed.

“As expected, it’s useless.”

Harold frowned. Although the small numbers didn’t concern him greatly, it was true that the mysterious material of their armor posed a significant headache.

If all 10,000 of their forces were armed in such a way, it would be an impossible battle to win.

“We must crush them completely today. And I will seize the method for crafting that new material.”

If he could achieve that, there was no doubt he could extend his power beyond the North and over the entire kingdom.

Attacking Ghislain at this particular time was truly a stroke of luck.

Harold turned to Willow again and waved his hand.

“Begin.”

The firepower of the mages should be enough to inflict meaningful damage. Though there had been reports that the enemy mage seemed to be more skilled than Willow, there was no way to know for certain until their strength was directly measured.

The mages of Desmond began channeling their mana, aiming at the Fenris forces. Willow cast another high-circle area magic spell.

“Fire Rain.”

Fwoooosh!

In the sky, enormous masses of mana coalesced, forming fiery projectiles.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Simultaneously, dozens of offensive spells were unleashed from the ranks of Desmond’s forces, all targeting the advancing Fenris troops.

If those spells all hit, the Fenris forces would suffer significant casualties.

At Fenris’ rear, where some mages waited along with a few guards, they sensed the massive surge of mana from Desmond’s forces and quickly looked up.

Alfoi swept his hair back and stepped forward.

“Finally… my moment to shine has arrived.”

Up until now, Alfoi had never truly showcased his power in war—not even casting a proper Fireball. In many ways, this battle was his true debut.

He envisioned himself gaining fame and renown through this conflict.

“This fiery man, Alfoi, will show them what heat feels like! I’ll burn them all to ashes!”

With a dramatic exclamation, Alfoi extended his hand forward.

Grab.

Vanessa seized his wrist. Alfoi flushed slightly as he spoke.

“I told you to stop grabbing my hand like tha—Aaaaaah!”

Alfoi’s mana was instantly drained, leaving his cheeks sunken as he trembled.

‘I just wanted to finally showcase my magic!’

But Vanessa had stolen that chance, completely draining his mana.

After absorbing all of Alfoi’s mana, Vanessa stretched her hand toward the sky.

“I restore the twisted laws. DISPEL.”

Swoooooosh…

With her single command, the hundreds of fireballs forming in the sky vanished before they could even fall. Every attack spell aimed at the Fenris forces dissipated into nothingness.

It was a truly extraordinary feat.

Her concentration had allowed her to neutralize all the mana manifesting across this vast battlefield.

Witnessing the scene, Willow let out a shocked cry.

“Im… Impossible! Dispelling so many spells at once without delay? Could it be… a 7th-circle mage? No, no, if that were the case, they would’ve already used a 7th-circle spell…”

The other mages in Desmond’s forces also panicked, flustered by their inability to assess the enemy mage’s capabilities.

After dispelling the enemy spells, Vanessa turned to another mage standing on Alfoi’s opposite side and grabbed his wrist.

The mage resisted, clenching his arm as he shouted.

“I told you I have a girlfriend! Didn’t I?!”

Vanessa ignored him and siphoned his mana, casting a 6th-circle spell.

“Twin Cyclone.”

Swoooosh.

Tiny whirlwinds began forming on both sides of Desmond’s forces. The winds were so faint that it was difficult for anyone to notice them.

However, Willow, with the keen senses of a high-circle mage, recognized the subtle mana shift and yelled in alarm.

“Dispel it immediately! Quickly!”

The locations where the whirlwinds had formed were far from either faction. To dispel them, they’d need to move much closer.

Though Desmond’s mages scrambled in haste, the whirlwinds were gathering strength even faster.

Whooooosh!

The winds gradually accelerated, eventually transforming into massive tornadoes. The two rotating cyclones surged forward, consuming everything in their path with ferocity.

Willow’s face twisted in disbelief.

“Wh-What in the world? How did someone cast this spell at such a distance as if it were two separate ones…?”

Twin Cyclone was a spell that created two tornadoes simultaneously. Even he couldn’t cast it with such distance between the two points, as Vanessa had done.

When the winds were still small, even a low-circle mage could dispel them. But as they grew in magnitude, breaking them apart became exponentially harder.

“Block it! I’ll handle the one on the right!”

Willow extended his hand, casting Dispel. Being a 6th-circle mage, he could nullify a 6th-circle spell as long as he had sufficient mana.

Fwoooosh!

“Ugh…!”

An immense amount of mana drained from his body, and one of the cyclones dissipated.

The remaining mages focused their efforts on the left cyclone. Although those who hadn’t reached the 6th circle couldn’t dispel such a spell individually, combining their efforts might succeed.

Whoooosh!

The cyclone roared wildly, approaching to sweep away a portion of Desmond’s forces.
Despite the encroaching cyclone, Desmond’s soldiers didn’t waver. Though drenched in cold sweat, they clenched their teeth and held their positions without moving, as no order to retreat had been given.

It was a display worthy of being called elite troops.

“Everyone, gather over here! Hurry!”

“Damn it! Who’s their mage?!”

“Quick! Dispel it now!”

Fortunately, as dozens of mages poured their mana into the effort, the cyclone gradually diminished.

Willow shouted urgently, his face tense.

“Attack again! Don’t stop! We must strike before they cast more spells!”

Bang!

Once again, spells were launched from Desmond’s ranks.

Vanessa immediately grabbed another mage’s hand and dispelled the incoming magic.

Unlike Desmond’s mages, Vanessa bore the burden of the entire battlefield alone.

Drip.

Blood flowed continuously from her nose.

Though she had achieved the understanding required to reach the 6th circle through extraordinary talent and relentless effort, her mana reservoir remained at the level of a 2nd-circle mage.

While she was using her body as a medium to draw mana from other mages, it was a severe strain on her.

Lying on the ground, gaunt and exhausted, Alfoi watched her with pity-filled eyes and muttered softly.

“You fool… you’ll kill yourself… You won’t last long…”

But Vanessa ignored his words, focusing solely on the flow of mana on the battlefield.

“No one will die.”

At least not from magic. That was her resolve.

“Just a bit more…”

Clenching her teeth, Vanessa continued to cast her spells.

She didn’t enjoy this situation. It would have been much better to fight alongside the others.

But Desmond’s forces had far more mages, including a 6th-circle mage. With her limited mana, she needed to rely on the mana of others to counter them.

That left her with no choice but to fight alone.

“I’m sorry… If only I could gather mana properly…”

If she could, the other mages could have participated in the battle. Perhaps the magical power of the Fenris forces could have overwhelmed the enemy.

Since that wasn’t possible, she had to resort to this distorted method.

She was the only one capable of countering the enemy’s 6th-circle spells.

Drip.

More blood trickled from Vanessa’s nose. Yet, she didn’t falter, focusing even more intensely as she moved forward.

“I can’t stop!”

There would be no rest until the enemy was entirely routed. She had to keep pressing harder to ensure they had no chance to recover.

Ghislain trusted her as he threw himself into the battlefield.

“I can still do more…”

There were over twenty mages left who could replenish her mana. She could endure.

As magic spells repeatedly formed and vanished in the sky above both armies, it looked like a magical firework display.

Harold bit his lip as he observed the scene.

“There really is a 6th-circle mage. Could the Master of the Crimson Flame Tower secretly be aiding them?”

Alarms went off in his mind. If the mage tower was involved, it was no ordinary situation.

The fact that his magic corps was evenly matched indicated that the tower’s key forces must have joined the battle.

“How in the world did that man even manage to gather mages like this…?”

His curiosity gnawed at him, but there was no way to find out now. After the war, he would investigate at leisure and ensure that those who aided Fenris paid the price.

For now, with magic being countered on both sides, the only option left was direct combat.

“Cavalry.”

At Harold’s signal, the cavalry stationed on both flanks began to move.

They aimed to encircle Fenris’s rear in a wide arc.

If the frontline spearmen could hold their ground, Fenris’s forces would crumble from the rear.

Dududududu!

Desmond’s spearmen gripped their weapons tightly, glaring at the rapidly approaching Fenris cavalry.

“Fast.”

Even though the Fenris soldiers and their mounts were fully armored, they moved as swiftly as light cavalry. If they collided, the impact would be tremendous.

The first soldiers to face the charge would likely be pushed back significantly, but that would also reduce the enemy’s momentum.

Thousands of soldiers were arranged in formation at intervals. The Fenris forces wouldn’t even get halfway through before their speed diminished.

Once their movement was halted, they could be fully encircled and annihilated.

Dududududu!

The gap between the forces narrowed rapidly. Within moments, they would clash. The spearmen crouched low, preparing to target the horses and unseat the riders.

Dududududu!

Just as the two armies were about to collide—

Ghislain’s voice boomed.

“Spread out!”

Shhhh!

The leading knights and cavalry began to split left and right, seemingly veering away to avoid the spearmen.

Through the gap in their formation, a group of cavalry wielding weapons other than lances appeared.

At the forefront of this group was the elf, Lumina.

Screeech…

Lumina released the reins, drawing her bowstring with both hands. The elves and cavalry following her did the same, letting go of their reins to shoot their arrows.

Harold muttered as he watched the unexpected sight emerge between the parted ranks.

“…Mounted archers?”

A type of unit he hadn’t anticipated at all had appeared.