The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations (light Novel)

Ghislain’s greatsword radiated a crimson glow, the sharp energy swirling around him in a fierce vortex, cutting through the air with deadly precision.
He moved again, targeting the approaching monsters.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
His movements were like lightning. Each swing of the greatsword cleaved through flesh and severed bone, leaving the monsters powerless before him—a mere cluster of straw dummies awaiting their fate.
Yet the Cyclopes still remained. One of them swung its massive club at Ghislain, the air tearing apart as the weapon descended.

Boom!
The Black King twisted its body, narrowly avoiding the attack. The ground beneath them cracked open, a storm of dust rising from the impact.
Through the dust, Ghislain’s silhouette could be seen.

Thud!
He leaped from the Black King’s saddle, launching himself high into the air.
Neigh!

The Black King let out a loud cry, galloping past the Cyclops.
Roar!
The Cyclops roared and raised its club again, confidence flashing in its massive eye. It believed that the smaller foe, now airborne, was an easy target.

The colossal club split the air, hurtling straight for Ghislain.
But then, the flow of the world shifted.
Rrrrip!

Ghislain’s greatsword disrupted reality itself. His will twisted the fabric of time and space.
To the Cyclops, Ghislain still appeared to be suspended midair, a vulnerable target. But in truth, he had already moved from that spot.
Gliding through the gaps in time, Ghislain swung his greatsword at the Cyclops’s head with unparalleled speed.

Slash!
By the time the Cyclops realized what had happened, its head was already split in two.
A fountain of blood erupted into the sky. The Cyclops’s life ended before it could comprehend its fate.
Thud!

The massive body collapsed to the ground, the earth trembling with the impact, another storm of dust rising into the air.
Drip.
Blood streamed from Ghislain’s mouth and nose in greater volume now.

But he didn’t care. His physical condition was irrelevant at this point.
The smaller monsters could be left to the Fenris Knights and Vanessa.
Boom!

Another Cyclops swung its massive club. But by then, Ghislain was already climbing up the length of the weapon toward its head.
Rrrrip!
The Cyclops reached out with its other hand, attempting to grab Ghislain. Its enormous fingers closed around him, and it believed it had succeeded.

Roar…
But it was mistaken.
Once again, the flow of the world distorted. Ghislain’s form blurred and vanished like an illusion, only to reappear elsewhere.

Shhhk!
A grinding sound echoed briefly.
Moments later, the Cyclops’s head slowly separated from its body.

Before it could even register the fact, its consciousness plunged into darkness.
Thud!
The Cyclops’s headless body collapsed heavily to the ground.

“Cough!”
Ghislain dropped to one knee, blood spilling from his mouth. He couldn’t sustain the power of his will any longer.
“Ugh…”

Even maintaining his 5th-tier core was becoming too much. He was forced to scale back to the 2nd tier, limiting his ability to fight the remaining monsters.
Neigh!
The Black King, which had retreated to a safer position, galloped back toward him. Ghislain quickly mounted the horse, raising his greatsword once more.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Many monsters still remained. They surged toward Ghislain and the Fenris Knights.
Vanessa’s efforts helped hold the line, but the situation was growing increasingly precarious. Exhaustion had begun to take its toll on everyone.

Even Ghislain was no longer dispatching monsters as swiftly as before. Weakened and fatigued, he was now being pushed back by the relentless horde.
The Black King, sensing Ghislain’s fatigue, repeatedly moved backward, creating distance from the advancing monsters.
Roar!

Two more Cyclopes still stood. Gillian and Kaor were holding them off, but the situation could change at any moment.
From atop the fortress, Marquis Alpheren made a bold decision.
“Everyone, move out of the fortress! Rescue our allies! Cavalry, mount up and charge!”

Boom!
The fortress gates opened at last. Infantry rushed out first, pushing back the few monsters remaining near the fortress entrance.
“Hurrah!”

The monsters’ roars had faded. Only the triumphant cheers of soldiers echoed across the battlefield.
With reinforcements from the fortress, Julien, Belinda, and Jerome were finally able to move more freely. They left the fortress’s defenses and charged toward Ghislain’s location.
Mounted mercenaries and cavalry followed closely behind.

“Rescue the commander!”
“Move quickly!”
“It’s almost over!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!
The cavalry thundered forward, galloping toward the remaining monsters.
Julien, Belinda, and Jerome reached the Fenris Knights first.

Though thousands of monsters still remained, the general infantry could handle them. The priority now was to save the exhausted Fenris Knights.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Joining forces with the Fenris Knights, the reinforcements focused on defense. Everyone was too drained to take unnecessary risks.

It wouldn’t be long before the reinforcements from the fortress fully arrived.
“Push forward!”
After a brief delay, the reinforcements finally reached the main battlefield. Mounted troops quickly closed the distance and joined the fight.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Roar!
Thousands of cavalry overwhelmed the remaining monsters in an instant. Though fatigued, their numbers alone were enough to turn the tide.

The monster population dwindled rapidly. With the allied forces now safe, Belinda was the first to rush toward Ghislain.
Slash!
Her daggers flew through the air, skewering the monsters that surrounded him.

“Young Master! Are you all right?”
Neigh! Snort!
The Black King whinnied, baring its teeth in greeting when it saw Belinda. Even the horse looked exhausted, its eyes sunken and weary.

Ghislain, covered in blood from his nose to his chin, grinned weakly. His hollow eyes were darker than the Black King’s.
“Well, I’m always fine.”
He didn’t look fine at all. Even while sitting on the Black King, Ghislain swayed unsteadily. He had already lowered his core to the 1st tier.

Pushing himself to quickly eliminate the Cyclopes had left his body in shambles.
Belinda shook her head. No matter how much she tried to dissuade him, he never stopped taking dangerous risks. She had given up trying.
Though she was also exhausted, she wasn’t in as bad a shape as Ghislain. With reinforcements here, dealing with the remaining monsters wouldn’t be a problem.

Slash!
Belinda’s daggers continued to pierce through the monsters. Her only thought now was to get Ghislain to safety.
Roar!

Boom!
Nearby, a Cyclops swung its massive club. Gillian narrowly dodged, his sweat-soaked body moving with precision.
A single hit from the Cyclops would be enough to take him out of the fight, so he couldn’t let his guard down for even a moment.

Fortunately, the surrounding monsters had been crushed under the Cyclops’s attack, sparing him from additional threats.
Even so, Gillian’s body was covered in wounds from dodging the onslaught of monsters leading up to this point.
The Cyclops, though injured from Gillian’s strikes, bore no critical wounds. Its sheer size and strength made it a formidable opponent.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Cyclops on Gillian’s side was already enraged. However, Gillian focused solely on evading, frustrating the creature as its attacks continuously missed their mark.
As the standoff dragged on, Julien finally intervened.

Shhk!
Roar!
The Cyclops howled in pain, its head turning toward the newcomer who had slashed its shoulder.

Boom!
It swung its massive club, but Julien deftly dodged. Frustrated, the Cyclops unleashed a series of wild, furious swings.
Boom! Boom! Boom!

Gillian and Julien avoided the Cyclops’s attacks, striking whenever they saw an opening.
Even Julien’s blade, as sharp as it was, couldn’t easily pierce the Cyclops’s thick skin and bones. Exhaustion had taken its toll, making the battle even harder.
Still, the two superhumans steadily wore the Cyclops down. Julien’s presence allowed Gillian to move more aggressively, taking bolder actions.

Roar!
Before long, the Cyclops was covered in wounds, its body a bloody mess. It let out a guttural scream of pain, its torn ankle making it almost impossible to stand. Every step it took was accompanied by unbearable agony.
Thud!

Finally, the Cyclops collapsed to its knees but continued swinging its club wildly.
Boom!
The attack missed once more.

Before the Cyclops could recover, Julien made his move.
He didn’t need to get too close; his precise strikes could hit from a safe distance.
Seizing an opening, Julien targeted the Cyclops’s single, massive eye.

Shhk!
Roar!
The Cyclops shrieked, clutching its eye with both hands. Dropping its club in agony, it became a giant, defenseless target.

Julien paused momentarily, turning to glance behind him.
“Hurrah!”
The monster horde near the fortress had nearly been wiped out by the charging soldiers. With their hands freed, the Fenris Knights began gathering around the fallen Cyclops.

“Attack now!”
At someone’s shout, the Fenris Knights who had been waiting for an opportunity charged at the Cyclops.
Shhk! Splatter! Slash!

Their weapons dug deep into the Cyclops’s flesh.
The giant flailed in pain, forcing some knights to retreat momentarily. But they quickly regrouped and resumed their assault.
Gillian and Julien didn’t stop either, continuing to slash and stab the Cyclops.

Roar!
Blind and writhing, the Cyclops swiped wildly with its hands. One knight, unable to dodge in time, was struck by the enormous hand.
Boom!

The knight was sent flying but was fortunately spared from serious injury, thanks to a timely shield spell cast by Vanessa.
“Phew…”
Vanessa herself looked utterly drained, dark circles under her eyes and blood trickling from her nose. She was nearly out of mana but still used whatever low-circle spells she could to protect her allies and attack the Cyclops.

Roar!
Despite its flailing, the Cyclops failed to land any significant blows. The knights continued to swarm it, inflicting more and more injuries.
Shhk! Slice! Stab!

Roar!
The Cyclops’s body was torn apart, blood pouring from countless gashes. Its once-imposing figure was now nothing but a mutilated mass.
Meanwhile, Julien and Gillian intensified their attacks. Both were utterly exhausted but refused to relent.

With most of the monsters already dead, only the Cyclopes remained as the final obstacle to victory.
Thud.
The heavily wounded Cyclops slumped further, curling up as it bled profusely. It had lost too much blood to stand any longer.

Julien and Gillian climbed up its massive arm.
Whoosh!
Gillian swung his greatsword with all his might, driving it into the Cyclops’s temple.

Crunch!
Roar!
The Cyclops howled in agony, reaching for ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Gillian. But Gillian let go of his sword and leapt off the beast.

Raising his gaze, Julien aimed for the Cyclops’s exposed throat. He swung his blade with precision.
Thud!
The blade pierced the Cyclops’s throat but stopped partway. Gritting his teeth, Julien poured all his strength into the strike.

Crack!
Gurgle!
The Cyclops, feeling its throat being torn apart, moved its hand toward Julien in a desperate attempt to pull him off.

But the giant’s movements were sluggish and trembling from sheer exhaustion. It couldn’t grab him in time.
Slash!
Before the hand could reach him, Julien’s blade fully sliced through the Cyclops’s neck.

Though the sword was relatively short compared to the Cyclops’s massive neck, the weight of its own head caused the remaining tissue to tear apart.
Rip!
Thud!

The Cyclops’s enormous head fell to the ground, followed by its limp body collapsing.
“We got it!”
One of the knights shouted triumphantly. At long last, the fearsome beast was slain.

Everyone turned their attention to the final remaining Cyclops. Though Jerome and other knights had gone to assist Kaor, it was clear they needed to act quickly.
But as they assessed the situation, their faces twisted into expressions of disbelief.
“Ugh, he’s at it again…”

Someone muttered, and the others nodded in agreement.
In the middle of a wide-open area, Kaor was fighting the last Cyclops alone.
The rest of the group had taken to cleaning up the surrounding monsters while watching from a safe distance.

As soon as Jerome arrived to help, Kaor shouted at him.
“Don’t you dare! This one’s mine! I’m taking it down myself!”
His reaction was so extreme that Jerome had no choice but to cast a single spell and back off.

Stunned by Kaor’s antics, Jerome muttered, “We need to finish this quickly!”
“It’s mine, I said!”
“Fine, I don’t care! Take it!”

“Then get out of here!”
Other knights who were about to step in also stopped in their tracks at Kaor’s outburst.
“Stay back! I’m taking this one! Don’t interfere! If you do, I’ll kill you!”

Kaor’s eyes burned with unbridled greed.
It was all for the title he coveted: Cyclops Slayer.