"Groooaaarrr!"

The Dirus Ents, unable to contain their fury, began closing in.

Even though they had lost their outer shell, it was clear they still believed they could easily trample the humans in front of them.

As the mercenaries hesitated, feeling the pressure and preparing to retreat, Ghislain picked up a spear and spoke.

"Hey, are you all going to run without even trying to fight? Do you think you can keep eating a swordsman's bread that way?"

Despite the mocking tone, the mercenaries could only stare at him like he was insane. They couldn’t fathom his confidence when weapons and even fire had failed to harm these creatures.

"Watch closely."

Ghislain uttered those words and threw the spear with all his strength.

Crack!

The spear shot forward at an incredible speed, piercing through one of the closest Dirus Ents, then embedding itself in the body of the one behind it.

"Roooaaaar!"

The creature, seemingly shocked by the pain it was feeling for the first time, staggered backward.

"Huh?"

The mercenaries were taken aback, and Ghislain turned to them with a smirk.

"You idiots. Don’t you see? The bark is gone. The vines were burned off, and they can’t attack from a distance anymore. Now they’re just big, slow monsters."

Even though the mercenaries had just seen a monster pierced by a spear, they hesitated to jump in. The sheer size and intimidating appearance of the creatures still held them back.

As dozens of Dirus Ents began closing in, encircling them, the mercenaries, now gripped by fear, started to retreat.

"Roooaaaar!"

The terrifying roar that emerged from their gruesome appearances crushed the will of the mercenaries. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to fight at all.

"Tsk."

Clicking his tongue, Ghislain reached into the cart and pulled out a massive greatsword. It wasn’t an ordinary two-handed sword but one specially crafted to take down large monsters.

Boom!

He slammed the sword into the ground with both hands, the sound echoing in all directions.

"It’s been a while," he thought.

While Ghislain was most skilled with the sword, his training with other weapons was not neglected. After all, on the battlefield, circumstances often required him to use more than just a sword, or in the worst case, fight with bare hands.

During his days as the Mercenary King, he had been known for his ability to wield any weapon with ease.

"Roooaaaar!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

As the Dirus Ents approached, the mercenaries faltered and continued retreating.

"My lord, step back. I will handle this," Gillian said.

"Cerberus Mercenary Corps, get ready," Kaor added, preparing to step forward.

With the rest of the mercenaries in disarray, Gillian and Kaor knew they had to keep their heads straight, or everyone would end up crushed underfoot.

The remaining mercenaries looked at Ghislain nervously. Their employer wasn’t giving any orders and was just standing there, holding a greatsword as big as his body.

"What’s this? Is that noble brat seriously planning to fight at the front?"

"He can't even hold that sword properly!"

"What’s he thinking with that awkward stance?"

The mercenaries frowned, retreating even faster. They couldn’t see how they could possibly fight these enormous, brutal monsters. They just hoped the Cerberus Mercenary Corps would hold out long enough for them to escape.

The mercenaries exchanged glances, sizing up the situation. As things stood, their employer, Ghislain, was bound to be crushed at the front. If he died, they wouldn’t even have to pay penalties for fleeing—escaping as soon as he fell was their best option.

"Young Master! Leave it to the mercenaries and step back!" Belinda, furious, glared at both the mercenaries and Ghislain.

No matter how scared they were, seeing the employer at the front while they slinked away was outrageous! She felt like breaking every one of their heads.

"No, from now on, I’ll be leading every battle from the front."

"What did you just say?"

Belinda’s eyes flared with disbelief as she stared at Ghislain. Was he serious about leading the charge in this dangerous forest?

Hiring mercenaries and then standing at the front himself—it was madness.

"Have you lost your mind? Even the mercenaries are retreating, so what are you doing?"

Gillian and Kaor, who were preparing for battle, also frowned. It would be much easier to fight if Ghislain stayed back, but with him at the front, he was an obstacle.

They knew he was skilled, but this was a real battle. It made protecting him even more of a burden.

But Ghislain didn’t care about their stares and smiled.

"Let’s begin."

Inside his body, one of his cores started spinning rapidly, releasing a surge of mana.

"Young Master! Stop this!"

"My lord, step back!"

Sensing the sudden flow of mana, Belinda and Gillian tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Ghislain surged forward, slicing through the air.

"Roooaaaaar!"

In an instant, a massive Dirus Ent standing at the front was sliced in half.

Boom!

Its massive body collapsed to the ground, split cleanly down the middle.

"Roooaaaar!"

The suddenness of Ghislain’s attack stunned all the remaining Dirus Ents into stillness.

"Haaah…"

Ghislain exhaled, red smoke escaping his lips—a sign his core was spinning at full force.

"Roooaaaar!"

Several Dirus Ents charged at him. Ghislain blocked the heavy swinging branches with his greatsword but was still pushed back.

"Hmph!"

But it was as if he had anticipated this. He spun his body in a wide arc, cutting into a nearby Dirus Ent.

Crack!

The greatsword embedded itself halfway into the monster's torso. Even without its bark, the thickness of its body was still difficult to slice through in one go.

"Hup!"

Crunch!

Without hesitating, Ghislain pushed the blade deeper, forcing it through the thick trunk.

"Roooaaar!"

The Dirus Ent, screaming in agony, finally collapsed, its body severed completely.

The other Dirus Ents, enraged, began attacking Ghislain wildly, but he deftly dodged or blocked their strikes, continuing his attacks one by one.

Each time he swung, another monster fell.

"Ugh!"

Of course, Ghislain wasn’t unscathed. The sheer strength of the Dirus Ents meant that even blocking their attacks left him shaken, the impact jarring him to his core.

But with each hit, Ghislain felt his senses come alive.

"It's been a while since I’ve had a fight like this."

Since his battle with Frank, he hadn't had a chance to use his full strength. He had been busy planning, following the grand schemes, and gathering money.

But now, at this moment, he could focus purely on the fight.

"Roooaaar!"

Another Dirus Ent was cut down. Ghislain smiled unconsciously, satisfied.

"Yeah, this… this is where I belong."

Even in his past life, Ghislain had always stood at the front, in the most dangerous places. That was why the roughest mercenaries had respected him.

He wasn’t incapable of strategy, but fighting—that was his true calling.

"W-What is that…?"

Belinda, watching Ghislain in disbelief as he cut through the giant monsters, could only swallow hard. She had meant to rush in and pull him back but found herself frozen, watching in awe.

For an ordinary knight, cutting down these massive monsters in one blow was impossible. No matter how skilled, it would be hard to manage without both mana and physical strength.

From what she knew, Ghislain didn’t have that much mana.

No matter how talented someone was, there were limits to how much mana could be accumulated at his age.

"Did he steal some kind of miracle drug?"

In truth, Ghislain had only activated one of his cores. Even with just one, he could wield mana with exceptional precision, allowing him to produce short bursts of overwhelming power.

But for those unaware of this, his feats seemed miraculous.

"H-How is the Young Master that strong?"

"He’s not just a skilled swordsman after all."

Gillian and Kaor could only stare in awe, having never seen Ghislain fight like this before. They had known he was talented, but they hadn’t expected him to unleash such powerful mana in battle.

The mercenaries, who had been cautiously retreating, also stopped in their tracks, stunned by what they were witnessing.

"Our employer is that strong? Wasn’t he just some spoiled brat?"

"At that age, with those skills?"

As the mercenaries watched in shock, the battle grew even more intense.

"Roooaaaar!"

All the remaining Dirus Ents charged at Ghislain. His relentless greatsword swings had left them with no other target.

"It looks like I’ll need to activate the second core as well."

Even for Ghislain, the size of the Dirus Ents was a challenge. Though their slow speed allowed him to avoid most attacks, each hit packed terrifying strength. If even one of those direct hits landed, his life would be in danger.

He had no choice but to activate his second core, even if it meant pushing his body to its limits.

As Ghislain awakened his second core and summoned more mana, his eyes began to glow red.

At that moment, Gillian snapped out of his stupor and shouted.

"What are you waiting for? Everyone, attack!"

With that, Gillian, wielding his axe, charged forward like a raging boar.

Crack!

His axe buried itself in the Dirus Ent that had been attacking Ghislain.

With Gillian joining the fight, Ghislain sighed in relief and let his second core rest for a moment.

"Dammit! Cerberus Mercenary Corps, charge!"

Kaor joined the fray, and with both Gillian and Kaor fighting alongside him, Ghislain found it easier to maneuver.

"Yaaah!"

The Cerberus Mercenaries rushed in, attacking the monsters with reckless abandon.

They were fighters who thrived on risking their lives in battle. Facing the Dirus Ents didn’t faze them—they attacked with fierce determination.

"Get in there! Let’s crush these bastards!"

"Roooaaaar!"

The fight descended into chaos. The other mercenaries, still hesitant, swallowed nervously but began inching forward.

"Why aren’t they calling for us? Do they think they can handle everything alone?"

"The Wild Dogs are already in the fight…"

The mercenaries couldn’t understand the situation. Their employer hadn’t issued a single order to them and was instead fighting at the very front. Did he not need them? If that were the case, why had he hired them in the first place?

The only thing they knew for sure was that watching Ghislain fight stirred something in them. It made their blood boil.

"I’ve got to fight too."

One of the older mercenaries, known as Toran, grabbed his weapon and charged forward.

"I’m going too."

Several others followed after him.

Belinda, who had been watching with her arms crossed, glanced at the remaining mercenaries.

"What are you all doing, just standing there? Are you going to watch all day?"

Her sharp words lit a fire under the remaining mercenaries, and they exchanged looks before shouting.

"Y-Yeah! Let’s go!"

"Let’s fight!"

"Waaah!"

With a chorus of battle cries, the mercenaries all charged into the fray.