"Graaaah!"
The Dirus Ents began advancing, their anger unmasked as they moved toward the humans. Even without their bark, they were confident they could trample the humans before them.
As the mercenaries, overwhelmed by their presence, started to retreat, Ghislain picked up a spear and spoke.
"Hey, are you all just going to run without even putting up a fight? How do you expect to keep eating off the sword like that?"
Despite his taunting words, the mercenaries just stared at Ghislain like he was crazy.
They couldn't understand his confidence; their weapons and even fire hadn't worked against these monsters.
"Watch carefully."
Ghislain muttered, then threw the spear with force.
Crack!
The spear flew at incredible speed, piercing through the nearest creature and embedding itself in the one behind it.
Graaaah!
The creature pierced by the spear staggered back, seemingly shocked by the pain it was experiencing for the first time.
"What?"
Seeing the monsters pierced, the mercenaries turned to look at Ghislain, who smirked.
"You idiots. They don't have bark anymore. Their vines burned off, so they can't attack from a distance. They're just big, slow monsters now."
Despite seeing it with their own eyes, the mercenaries hesitated to charge forward. Without their bark, they were still massive and menacing.
As dozens of Dirus Ents closed in, surrounding them, the mercenaries began backing away in fear.
Graaaaah!
Their grotesque appearances emitted terrifying roars, causing the mercenaries to lose their fighting spirit.
There was no way they could fight like this.
"Tch."
Ghislain clicked his tongue, pulling out a massive greatsword from the cart.
This wasn't an ordinary two-handed sword but a weapon crafted specifically to hunt large monsters.
Thud!
He planted the massive sword on the ground, gripping it with both hands, creating a reverberating sound that echoed all around.
'It's been a while.'
While Ghislain's primary weapon was a sword, and he was most skilled in swordsmanship, he trained in various weapons.
In war, sometimes he'd need to use something other than a sword, or if things went wrong, he'd have to fight barehanded.
In his days as the Mercenary King, he was famous for wielding all kinds of weapons with ease.
Graaaaah!
Thud. Thud. Thud.
As the Dirus Ents drew closer, the mercenaries faltered and backed away.
"Young lord, please fall back. I'll handle this."
"Cerberus Mercenary Corps, get ready."
Gillian and Kaor prepared to step forward. The rest of the mercenaries were in disarray, so they knew they had to stay focused.
If they didn't, they would all be trampled to death.
The remaining mercenaries looked at Ghislain uneasily.
Their employer was standing there holding a greatsword without issuing any commands, seemingly lost in thought.
'What's he doing? That noble brat thinks he's going to fight?'
'He can't even hold that sword properly!'
'With that awkward stance, what's he planning to do?'
The mercenaries frowned, retreating faster.
It was impossible to take on this many massive, fierce monsters.
All they could hope for was that the Cerberus Mercenary Corps would hold the monsters off long enough for them to escape.
They exchanged glances, assessing the situation.
If things kept going like this, their employer would be the first to be crushed to death. If he died, they wouldn't have to worry about any penalties, so their best option was to run the moment he was dead.
"Young master! Leave it to the mercenaries and get back!"
Belinda, furious, looked back and forth between the mercenaries and Ghislain.
Even if they were scared, sneaking away while their employer was right in front of them was shameful. She wanted to knock some sense into them.
"No, from here on, I'll lead all battles."
"What?"
Belinda stared at Ghislain in shock, flames in her eyes.
How could he even think of going to the front in this dangerous forest? Hiring mercenaries only to lead the charge himself was insanity.
"Are you out of your mind? Even the mercenaries are backing down—what are you doing?"
Gillian and Kaor frowned. Ghislain should fall back so they could fight more comfortably, but his presence in the front was honestly a burden.
Though they knew he was skilled, this was actual combat, and protecting him was a hassle for them.
But Ghislain paid no attention to their looks, smiling.
"Let's begin."
Within him, a core spun fiercely, releasing mana.
"Young master! Don't do this!"
"Young lord, please step back!"
Sensing the flow of mana, Belinda and Gillian tried to stop him, but they were a moment too late.
Ghislain lunged forward.
Graaaaah!
A piercing roar filled the air as the Dirus Ent in front was split in two.
Thud!
The massive body of the Dirus Ent fell to the ground, cleaved in half.
"Haah…"
A red mist began to escape Ghislain's mouth as he exhaled, a sign of the intense flow of mana.
Graaaaah!
Several Dirus Ents charged at Ghislain.
He blocked a thick branch swung at him with the side of his greatsword, sliding backward from the impact.
"Hmph!"
He spun, slashing a nearby Dirus Ent as he turned.
Crack!
The greatsword bit into the creature's body, but the cut stopped halfway through—their bodies were still thick, even without their bark.
"Hmph!"
Grinding his teeth, Ghislain pushed forward, forcing the blade through.
With a tearing sound, the creature's massive body was finally cut in two.
Screaming in pain, the Dirus Ent collapsed.
The surrounding Dirus Ents, enraged, launched a chaotic assault on Ghislain.
But he skillfully dodged their attacks, sometimes blocking with his greatsword, all while continuing his counterattacks.
Another monster fell, its body cleaved by his blade.
With each swing, another one collapsed.
The Dirus Ents couldn't withstand the greatsword and fell one by one.
"Ugh!"
Of course, Ghislain wasn't entirely unscathed.
The Dirus Ents' enormous strength was enough to shake him to his core with each blocked attack.
But with every blow he took, he felt each nerve in his body come alive.
'It's been a while since I've felt this.'
Since his fight with Frank, he hadn't had a chance to go all out.
He'd been busy planning his strategy and gathering funds to fit his vision.
But now, for this moment, he could focus solely on the thrill of battle.
Graaaah!
Another Dirus Ent fell, its body split apart.
A satisfied smile spread across Ghislain's face.
'This is where I belong…'
In his past life, he had always been on the front lines.
Wherever the danger was greatest, he would be there.
That was why even the roughest mercenaries respected him.
Though he could handle tactics, this kind of fighting was where he truly excelled.
"Wh-what… is this…"
Seeing Ghislain fighting with such vigor, Belinda could only stare, frozen in shock.
Even an ordinary knight couldn't slice through monsters that massive with a single strike.
No matter how skilled he was, if he didn't have enough mana and strength, it would be impossible.
As far as Belinda knew, Ghislain didn't have that much mana.
At his age, the amount of mana he could accumulate was naturally limited.
Time was a limitation even the most talented couldn't overcome.
'Did he steal some rare elixir or something?'
In reality, Ghislain had only activated a single core.
With just one core, his mana was limited, but he excelled at focusing and channeling mana precisely.
Even with a small amount, he could produce bursts of power.
But those who didn't know his secret could only stare in amazement at his display of strength.
"H-how does the young lord have that kind of power?"
"It's not just swordsmanship…"
Gillian and Kaor also watched in a daze, too stunned to join the fight.
They had known Ghislain was skilled, but they hadn't expected him to wield this level of mana in combat.
The mercenaries who had been slowly backing away also froze, transfixed by the sight.
"Our employer is that strong? Weren't they calling him a loser?"
"He's that skilled at his age?"
As everyone watched in awe, the battle grew fiercer.
Graaaaah!
All the Dirus Ents began converging on Ghislain.
He swung his greatsword wildly, breaking everything around him, leaving the creatures no chance to focus elsewhere.
'I'll need to activate the second core.'
Even for him, handling such massive creatures was no small feat.
Though slow, each attack was strong enough to send shivers down his spine.
If he took a direct hit, his life would be in real danger.
With no other choice, he braced himself for the strain and activated his second core.
As Ghislain awakened his second core, his eyes began to glow red.
Finally snapping back to reality, Gillian shouted loudly.
"What are you all doing? Attack!"
With that, he raised his axe and charged like a raging boar.
Crack!
His axe slammed into a Dirus Ent's body that had been attacking Ghislain.
As Gillian joined the fray, Ghislain took a deep breath and let his second core cool down.
Thanks to Gillian, who was wildly swinging his axe, he had a bit of breathing room.
"Tch! Cerberus Mercenary Corps, all-out attack!"
With Kaor also joining, Ghislain's movements became even more relaxed.
"Charge!"
The Cerberus Mercenary Corps surged forward, their weapons piercing into the monsters.
The Cerberus Mercenaries enjoyed fighting for their lives. Unafraid, they latched onto the Dirus Ents, attacking relentlessly.
"Stick to them! Let's tear these bastards apart!"
Graaaaah!
The battle turned into an all-out brawl.
The other mercenaries, still watching in silence, felt their own courage rising as they took small steps forward.
"Why aren't they calling us? Think they can handle it alone?"
"The Cerberus Mercenaries are in there, but…"
The mercenaries couldn't understand the situation.
Their employer was fighting on the front line without issuing any commands.
Was he saying he didn't need them? If so, why did he hire them?
One thing was certain—watching Ghislain fight made their own blood boil.
"I'm joining in."
An older mercenary called Toran picked up his weapon and rushed forward.
"I'm coming too!"
Several other mercenaries followed behind Toran.
Belinda, who had been standing with her arms crossed, glared at the remaining mercenaries.
"What are you all doing? Just going to keep watching?"
At her sharp scolding, the mercenaries looked at each other before shouting.
"Y-yeah! Let's go!"
"Let's fight!"
"Charge!"
With a cheer, the mercenaries all rushed into the fray.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]