Flutter!
Countless flags rose high into the air. The boy who was once a delinquent had become one of the most renowned warriors on the continent.
Seated on a massive horse, he was surrounded by a gathering of rugged individuals. Their attire was mismatched, their weapons diverse—clearly not a conventional army. At a glance, they could easily be mistaken for a band of marauding thieves.
But their sheer presence was overwhelming, powerful enough to engulf the world.
While others remained mired in despair, struggling to survive, the Mercenary King seemed untouched by it all. Regret for the past, depression, and emptiness clawed at him, seeking to consume him.
Yet he crushed all those emotions, stoking the flames of a single, unyielding feeling: vengeance.
Having amassed immense power and influence, he finally drew his sword—against the ones who had killed his people, friends, and family. At last, his army began its march toward the kingdom.
— Grooooaah…
The emotions were immense, overwhelming.
The evil spirit screamed in pain. The emotions emanating from him were too powerful for it to handle.
But the Mercenary King had the mental strength and willpower to bear them. He had pushed himself relentlessly to this point, after all.
The despair he felt when facing his mighty enemies began to morph into something else.
Crash!
With a vicious grin, he revealed his teeth as he slew his foes.
The evil spirit shuddered violently.
Ecstasy.
Every time he killed one of his enemies, a smile spread across his face.
— What… What is this guy?
Corpses began piling up one by one, eventually forming mountains. Rivers of blood flowed from these mountains.
Flutter!
Amidst the endless sea of corpses, the Mercenary King's army advanced. Whenever their flags came into view, their enemies fell to their knees, trembling in fear.
And the Mercenary King was always at the forefront of his army.
Eyes blazing red, he rampaged like an avatar of vengeance. No one could stop the Mercenary King's army.
They had no need for strategy or tactics. Once they began fighting, they mercilessly ground their opponents into dust. Their destructive power was absolute.
But their enemy possessed even greater numbers and resources.
Wave after wave of soldiers threw themselves at the Mercenary King's army, whittling them down. Corpses piled endlessly, creating massive mountains that filled the crimson battlefield.
The Mercenary King's forces gradually dwindled. While their enemies' numbers also decreased, they had far more resources and manpower.
In the endless battles, the Mercenary King's army grew weary and increasingly isolated. Though they had driven the kingdom to the brink of ruin, they lacked the foundation to sustain a prolonged war.
After days and nights of battle, the exhausted and wounded Mercenary King finally fell to his knees.
And before him stood a man just as strong, wielding a blade.
— I never imagined a survivor of the Perdium County would still be alive.
Only then did the Mercenary King realize that the Duchy had other allies. He needed more preparation, more intelligence. But his army was already annihilated, and he was utterly drained.
[I wasn't prepared enough.]
A flood of emotions consumed him once more.
Regret, emptiness, longing, frustration…
But in the end, only one emotion remained—a fiery, unquenchable rage.
The Mercenary King recalled his comrade's words.
— "There's talk of being reborn, you know."
[If I am reborn, I will tear you to shreds!]
Flash!
With that thought, the Mercenary King felt the cold sensation of a blade severing his neck.
The world darkened. In the pitch-black void, the evil spirit trembled.
— D-Dead? Then, what is this guy?
In the nothingness, it had no idea what to do.
Then—
Flash!
Light burst forth as the world changed again. The evil spirit struggled to comprehend what was happening.
The Mercenary King appeared once more—this time younger.
But this time, his actions were different from his past self.
He understood his enemies' strength and knew they had hidden allies. Using the memories of his previous life, he began preparing systematically.
— This… this is impossible.
The evil spirit couldn't believe what was happening. How could someone return to the past?
He defeated the orcs and saved his younger sister. He prevented a war.
He hunted monsters, amassed wealth, built an army, developed technology, and strengthened his territory. Using that power, he hunted down his enemies one by one.
— This is… impossible.
Even as the evil spirit witnessed the changing world firsthand, it couldn't believe it.
Knowing everything in advance, the Mercenary King orchestrated events to his advantage. Though there were minor deviations, he had the experience, knowledge, and capable allies to overcome them.
The host gradually weakened his enemies, becoming a powerful lord in the process. His actions and the outcome were entirely different from his previous life.
And even now, he continued to prepare and move forward to confront his powerful foes. This time, he grew stronger faster, and most events unfolded within his expectations.
His relentless pursuit of his goal finally brought his memories to a halt—at the tower where Edwin was confined.
Flash!
The world shifted again. The Mercenary King now stood alone on a barren land, just as he had in the beginning.
But there was one significant change.
A tree stood before him.
Initially, it had been a mere sprout. As the memories unfolded, the tree grew little by little until it became quite large.
In this desolate land, the tree was his sole source of solace.
As he gazed at the tree, he felt one overwhelming emotion:
Responsibility.
A strong determination to protect it no matter what.
The evil spirit trembled and took a step back.
This was no ordinary human. He was a transcendent being, someone who had survived countless trials and endured unimaginable suffering.
No, this mind realm was far too vast and intense for the evil spirit to consume. Attempting to devour it would only result in the evil spirit being consumed instead.
It lacked the strength and resolve to handle such a world.
Step.
The man turned around. He still bore the appearance of the scarred Mercenary King.
This meant he hadn't yet escaped the pain of that era.
Step. Step.
The man approached. The evil spirit retreated further.
Its form, resembling a human shape, was little more than black smoke.
But the man bared his teeth in a ferocious grin and grabbed the evil spirit's neck.
Thud!
— Ack!
The man, the Mercenary King Ghislain, glared at it with blazing red eyes and asked:
"How did you like snooping through my memories?"
— L-Lies. This is impossible. This can't be real.
"Whether it's real or not doesn't matter. What matters is, you'll never be able to consume me."
The evil spirit struggled, but it couldn't escape. In this realm, where it had failed to devour its host, Ghislain was akin to a god.
— S-Spare me. Send me back to Edwin's body.
"I can't do that."
— Please, spare me. Please!
The evil spirit begged desperately. It didn't want to vanish. It had lived for an incomprehensibly long time, not knowing why, but it still didn't want to die.
Ghislain smirked and said:
"I told you, didn't I? You can live in my body."
— W-What?
"You can amplify my power, can't you?"
— H-How did you know…
"Doesn't matter. Is it true or not? Answer me."
The evil spirit clasped its hands together and responded with utmost humility.
— Yes, I can amplify your power, and the more intense the emotions you've felt in life, the stronger that power becomes. However…
"However?"
— It requires mental strength capable of handling the amplified power. Judging from what I've seen in your mind realm, it should be possible… but if the power grows too strong, your body may not be able to withstand it.
"Good, I'll handle that. Now live within me and become my strength."
— Ugh…
If you don't like it, you can disappear here and now.
The evil spirit hesitated. This was no different from becoming a slave. But there was no way out.
Unwilling to face annihilation, the evil spirit had no choice but to accept the proposal.
After all, it needed to rely on someone's mana to survive. Whatever the case, the mana within this body was exceptionally pure and powerful. It seemed its only option was to live here until this man's eventual death—whenever that might be.
— A-Alright.
Flash!
The evil spirit's form dispersed and began merging with Ghislain's mana. Its consciousness was separated into a space Ghislain had prepared for it.
As the new power merged with him, Ghislain's eyes momentarily turned black. Watching nervously from the side, Arel jumped in surprise and drew his sword.
Grrrooooaah…
Ghislain bared his teeth in a grin. Ever since returning to the past, he had relentlessly pursued his goals. He had systematically crafted plans and faced his enemies, one step at a time.
As a result, the present situation was drastically different from his previous life. His loved ones were still alive, and he was protecting them. His determination and sense of responsibility to stop his enemies remained unchanged.
However, the emotions he had felt in his past life had begun to dull.
This wouldn't do.
He needed to burn more fiercely. His mind had to remain cold, but his heart had to stay ablaze.
He couldn't forget. Returning to the past didn't erase the emotions and memories of what he had experienced.
Until his enemies were completely destroyed, he couldn't let go of his anger and thirst for vengeance.
This newly acquired power would reignite the emotions and memories of his past, making them burn brighter than ever.
Flash!
Ghislain's eyes returned to normal, but the mana radiating from him was entirely different. A swirling aura of dark red energy surrounded him. At first glance, it seemed like demonic energy, but on closer inspection, it was something else entirely.
"Good."
He could feel that his power had multiplied several times over. Even though he hadn't pushed himself to the limit to avoid overburdening his body, the strength surging through him was incomparable to before.
But that wasn't all. The evil spirit confined within him had abilities beyond merely amplifying his power.
In his previous life, records about this being had been left behind by the Duchy.
[We spent countless years searching for that.' But surprisingly, it was closer than we thought—right in the body of Edwin, the son of Count Mowbray in the south. Count Mowbray's tight control over rumors prevented us from finding it sooner. Only on the eve of our final battle against the royal family did we discover its whereabouts.]
In truth, this entity wasn't a mere evil spirit. It was closer to a kind of spirit.
For ages, it had wandered from body to body, surviving as a parasite without even remembering its own identity.
In Ghislain's previous life, this spirit had been sought after by the Duchy. Ghislain didn't know why, but he had a compelling reason to claim it before the Duke could. This spirit had the ability to nullify mind control magic.
[Sir Ilois, a master of illusion magic, attempted to separate it from Edwin's mind but utterly failed. Instead, it mocked Sir Ilois and even dispelled the mind control magic he had placed on those nearby to prevent their approach.]
Even with Edwin's crude mana, the spirit had completely nullified the mind control magic of a 7th-circle mage.
If Ghislain could utilize his own mana alongside the spirit, he could likely dominate an entire battlefield.
[After countless experiments, we finally persuaded it. By letting it live in the body of Count Balzac, a Swordmaster, and providing it with his mana, it agreed to assist us. Its power was truly astounding.]
Count Balzac, empowered by the spirit, became far stronger than he had been before. He overwhelmed the royal family's Swordmaster during the civil war, securing a decisive victory.
As a result, Count Balzac became the only recognized Swordmaster in the Kingdom of Lutania.
And now, that power belonged to Ghislain. The spirit's abilities would also serve to counter Ilois's wide-range mind control magic.
Grooooaah…
As Ghislain drew upon his mana, the air around him began to tremble.
Unlike Edwin, he neither lost control nor exhibited erratic behavior. Ghislain had thoroughly separated and suppressed the spirit's consciousness.
He wasn't consumed by emotion. Instead, he used those emotions as fuel to amplify his power.
When he activated his third core, an immense amount of mana burst forth from Ghislain's body.
Flash!
Grasping his sword and channeling his energy, he effortlessly drew out a red aura blade.
Before, he would've needed time to gather his strength, but now the process was instantaneous.
"With this, I could take on Count Balzac."
The power of Count Balzac, whom Ghislain had encountered at the banquet, had been beyond what he could gauge at the time.
The rumors of Balzac being the kingdom's finest sword seemed like an understatement. Since Balzac mostly remained at the Duke's side, he rarely unleashed his full strength.
Ghislain grinned fiercely. The emotions he had felt in his previous life erupted like a volcano once more.
If this was a flaw, so be it, but Ghislain didn't care.
He had already reached the pinnacle of strength in his previous life. With the ability to tread the same path faster and with greater control, there was no reason to refuse.
Grooooaah!
At Ghislain's command, dark red energy swirled around him, forming dozens of spears.
The spears, made purely of mana, resembled magic. Perhaps they were closer to the refined power of mages.
Unable to contain his strength, the spears shot outward in all directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With deafening roars, dozens of spears shattered the tower's ceiling.
"Aaaaah!"
Edwin collapsed to the ground, clutching his head, while Arel swung his sword to deflect falling debris.
But no one was harmed. Even amidst the chaos, Ghislain's mana shielded them.
"Hahahahaha!"
Ghislain laughed heartily, clearly pleased with his newfound power. Meanwhile, the spirit watching from within him trembled in fear.
'This guy is insane. He must have some kind of mental illness. I've made a terrible mistake. I'll have to live as a slave to this lunatic for now!'
The more the spirit thought about it, the clearer it became—this man was completely mad. Nothing else could explain it.
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]