The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 595: We Are the Only Ones Left (3)

Ereneth felt it the moment her attack was blocked.

"He cut through space."

It was an impossible feat by conventional standards. It was as if he defied the very laws of the world with sheer will.

She knew this power. It was the same power used by the Adversary.

Ereneth’s voice trembled with fury as she shouted, "Why... Why are you here, Adversary!"

Julien furrowed his brow slightly. The accusation, coupled with her incomprehensible words, left him baffled.

But Ereneth, consumed by turmoil, failed to register Julien's confusion.

"How could someone resemble him this much?"

Though their aura and hair color differed, Julien’s face was identical to the Adversary humanity had once united against.

Even the power he wielded was similar. A force that defied the natural order wasn’t something just anyone could use.

Emerald light flared in Ereneth’s eyes.

Whoosh!

Scarlet flames ignited around her, and spirits danced in the air beside her.

Julien held back, refraining from a reckless attack. He didn’t know who she was or what her intentions were.

But Ereneth had no intention of stopping.

Boom!

The flames surged toward Julien and erupted in explosions.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Simultaneously, spirits encircled Julien from all sides. Water spirits wrapped around him, slowing his movements.

Wind spirits disrupted his breathing, while earth spirits anchored him to the ground.

It was all in vain. The spirits’ powers had no effect on Julien.

With a swing of his sword, the wind scattered, the earth crumbled, and the water burst apart.

Slash!

Julien finally began his counterattack. Ereneth's armor was slashed in a long arc.

Yet she reached out as if unscathed.

Boom!

A green light struck Julien with immense force, pushing him backward.

“...”

Julien’s eyes glinted. Even with his newfound strength, few could deliver a blow like that.

He gripped his sword tightly. While his spatial-slashing technique was potent, against ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) someone this powerful, close combat was the better option.

In a flash, Julien dashed forward, his sword aimed at Ereneth.

Clang!

The light emanating from Ereneth’s arm blocked Julien’s strike.

The two clashed at incredible speed, exchanging relentless blows.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ferocity of their battle stunned the onlookers.

Both were supposed to be allies—comrades-in-arms. Yet here they were, locked in a deadly fight, an incomprehensible situation.

To be precise, it was Ereneth who initiated the conflict.

Claude turned to Wendy. "See? All that talk about elves loving peace and forests is nonsense. That one punches first and talks later. Ever since I met Ascon, I’ve done extensive research on elves, and—"

Wendy, without a word, pulled out earplugs and put them in. Listening further would make her ears bleed.

Nearby, Belinda urgently spoke to Ghislain. “Young master! What is happening? Why are they fighting? Shouldn’t we stop them?”

Ghislain nodded, his thoughts aligning with the scene before him. Just like in his past life, Ereneth was hiding something. That’s why she reacted so violently every time she saw Julien.

He had no intention of letting it slide this time. He needed to calm her down and get answers.

But now was not the time to intervene.

“Wait a moment... Things are just getting interesting—I mean, let’s observe for a bit longer.”

Truthfully, Ghislain wanted to see more. Opportunities to witness a battle between two exceptional fighters like this were rare.

Others felt the same. Though concerned, they watched the duel with fascination. Witnessing the clash of masters was valuable, as it could help improve their own skills.

Meanwhile, Alfoy and Claude played rock-paper-scissors, wagering their respective servitude periods.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The intensity of the fight continued to escalate. Even Julien, formidable as he was, found it challenging to face Ereneth at full strength.

Ereneth gritted her teeth, her expression that of someone being chased by something unseen.

“Not yet... My full power hasn’t returned yet. I must kill him now!”

This was her only chance. If Julien regained his full strength, no one here would be able to defeat him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

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

He was merely responding to an attack, the initial curiosity about her motives already fading.

But he couldn’t let the fight drag on. He had to either subdue her or kill her.

Drawing more strength, Julien surged forward.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Ereneth’s body was slashed in several places in an instant. Astonishingly, she moved as if nothing had happened.

Her wounds were healed by spirits, and her armor, crafted from living wood, repaired itself.

Boom!

Another burst of green light pushed Julien back.

With every clash, the shockwaves grew stronger. The ground beneath them had already caved in and crumbled.

The energy from their clash created a storm, forcing the onlookers to retreat further.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The longer the fight continued, the more Ereneth’s confusion grew.

“Why won’t you use your real power!”

Despite the intensity of the battle, Julien hadn’t used the cursed energy she feared. There wasn’t even a trace of it.

His sword was surrounded only by a refreshing blue mana, honed through sheer effort.

Anyone could see that his power stemmed from personal training. There was no external interference.

“Was I mistaken? Could it just be someone who looks like him?”

Their faces and names might match, but this man didn’t exude the same wrath and hatred that the Adversary had.

Even the power he wielded, while similar, was fundamentally different.

Could her assumptions have been influenced by what Arterion had said?

“Saintess! Why aren’t you doing anything!”

Parniel, far more sensitive to the Salvation Order’s energy than Ereneth, remained passive.

Parniel merely stood with her arms crossed, watching. She clearly hadn’t detected any such energy.

Perhaps she never even suspected it, which explained why she had traveled with Julien all this time.

Was it truly a misunderstanding?

Ereneth steadied her wavering heart.

“It can’t be a coincidence that even his name is the same!”

She bit her lip and stepped back.

Whether Julien was truly the Adversary no longer mattered. For the sake of humanity, she couldn’t leave such a nagging doubt unaddressed.

This was her conviction and her sense of justice.

Whoosh!

An emerald bow of radiant light formed in her hands as she retreated.

Her ultimate weapon: Elven Serenade.

The gathering energy caused everyone to recoil in shock. The power radiating from it was incomparable to anything they had felt before.

Even Julien’s eyes gleamed with wariness. For the first time, he considered the possibility that this might exceed his ability to endure.

Thud.

As he took a step forward, Julien infused all of his mana into his sword. The blade began to glow with an icy, vibrant blue light.

This was it. He would cut through everything—space, time, and the body of the one standing before him.

His willpower seized the surroundings with an overwhelming force.

One of them would die. Yet neither seemed inclined to retreat.

Boom!

Just as their immense powers were about to collide, Ghislain stepped between them, raising both hands.

“Whoa, whoa, stop this.”

Screech!

Boom!

Julien’s sword missed its mark, slicing deep into the ground and triggering a tremor. Ereneth’s glowing arrow soared into the sky, piercing the clouds.

Both turned their gazes to Ghislain, who grinned and said, “Why the immediate brawl? If you’re going to fight, at least know why. I’ve said this before—I’m a pacifist, after all.”

“...”

“...”

Neither of them responded. Julien had been dragged into this without understanding why, and Ereneth simply didn’t want to answer.

But Ghislain wasn’t about to let it slide.

He approached Ereneth and asked, “What’s the deal? Can we at least hear your reasoning? Why attack someone and call them the Adversary out of nowhere?”

Ghislain knew exactly what the Adversary was, but his knowledge came from dreams. Like his regression, sharing such information would only earn him ridicule, so he pretended to know nothing.

Ereneth exhaled heavily, deactivating her armor. Her cold gaze locked onto Ghislain as she spoke.

“The Adversary is the one who leads the Salvation Order and drives the world to ruin.”

“The one leading the Salvation Order is Gatros.”

“He is the king they seek.”

Her shocking statement left everyone stunned.

The king sought by the Salvation Order was Julien?

While Julien was indeed destined to be a king, Ereneth’s assertion was a massive leap.

Claude leaned over to Wendy and whispered, “She must be really bored. With the Salvation Order gone, she needs a new villain. Some people just can’t sit still without causing trouble.”

“...”

Claude’s nonsense almost sounded convincing in the face of Ereneth’s absurd claim.

Julien had been one of the most prominent figures in the fight against the Salvation Order. Without him, the allied forces would have faced much greater challenges.

He had personally slain over ten superhumans from the Salvation Order. If he were truly their king, it would mean he had single-handedly dismantled his own faction.

Everyone who had fought alongside Julien rejected Ereneth’s accusation outright. Her words were an affront to the honor Julien had earned through his sacrifices.

Finally, Lumina stepped forward to address Ereneth. “High Chief, there seems to be some misunderstanding. That man has done more than anyone to eradicate the Salvation Order. He’s closed countless Rifts. If he were their king, such actions would make no sense.”

“...”

Ereneth had no response. She was the only one who remembered the Adversary.

But even she was conflicted. No matter how much Julien resembled the Adversary, his actions didn’t align.

The Adversary’s goal was the annihilation of humanity. If Julien were truly the Adversary, his current behavior was inexplicable.

“Have I... truly been mistaken?”

Frustration consumed her. Julien didn’t even seem to be hiding anything. Yet his uncanny resemblance to the Adversary made her feel like she was losing her mind.

It was understandable that no one else grasped her predicament. She alone knew the past.

Ghislain studied Ereneth carefully.

“She’s frustrated and confused.”

In his previous life, he hadn’t understood her behavior. But now, he felt he had some insight into her turmoil.

In his dreams, Julien and Ereneth had fought together against the Salvation Order. Seeing someone who looked exactly like the Adversary would naturally throw her into disarray.

Yet her reason for attacking Julien without warning remained a mystery. The Julien in his dreams and the one standing here were clearly different individuals, sharing only a face.

Moreover, the Adversary was not Julien.

The Julien from his dreams had fought as a hero against the Adversary. If his dreams were accurate, then it was Ereneth’s memory that was flawed.

Ghislain turned to her and said, “It seems like we have a lot to talk about. How about we move to a quieter place?”

“...”

In his past life, Ereneth had fought Julien before leaving the allied forces. The situation now was eerily similar.

However, back then, she hadn’t mentioned the Adversary. She had simply tried to kill Julien at all costs.

Something was different this time.

“Is it because of me?”

After fighting alongside him in Ruthania, Ereneth had likely developed some degree of trust.

Regardless, in their past life, everyone had sided with Julien and urged Ereneth to stop. Feeling isolated, she had ultimately left.

Ereneth closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts.

“I’ve been too hasty.”

She had let Arterion’s words influence her too much. Perhaps this was all an extraordinary coincidence.

And yet, that coincidence left her uneasy. The similarities were too striking.

She no longer wanted to stay here. Even if Julien wasn’t the Adversary, his presence dredged up painful memories she wished to forget.

For now, she decided it would be best to distance herself and reassess.

But then, another thought struck her.

“Arterion!”

That dragon intended to crush the human kingdoms. If the Adversary wasn’t found, Arterion would destroy every kingdom in its path, inevitably clashing with the allied forces.

And if that happened, and Julien was discovered...

“Everyone here will have to face Arterion.”

A dragon was a supreme being. Even superhumans couldn’t hope to match its power.

Facing such a creature without preparation would result in countless deaths.

Ereneth hesitated.

“Ultimately, this Julien will die at Arterion’s hands.”

That would ensure the eradication of the cursed seed. Ereneth had no intention of preventing it.

If anything, it would be a boon for humanity.

But she didn’t want those fighting alongside Julien to suffer the same fate.

After a long silence, she sighed deeply and said, “Duke Fenris.”

“Yes?”

“You must prepare for a new battle.”

“What battle?”

Ereneth’s expression turned grave as she answered, “A dragon will soon appear. It will destroy the lands of humans...”

She gestured toward Julien.

“...and it will not rest until it kills him.”

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Ghislain’s expression hardened.

There was only one dragon that had suddenly appeared to slaughter humans in his past life.

It had taken nearly all of the Continent’s Seven Strongest to defeat it.

But...

The timing of its emergence had accelerated far beyond what he remembered.