Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate! - Chapter 183

Chapter 183: From Foes to Allies
Serena’s POV:

The war had truly erupted now.

Three thousand mercenaries poured out of Drakenfost Fortress to defend it, led by the Mercenary King and Queen. On our side, 1,800 knights and magic knights from the Braveheart Kingdom charged forward under my command.

Theresia and I were still locked in close combat with Yunho, the Mercenary King, and Mina, the Mercenary Queen. Their combination of shield and spear was nearly impenetrable—none of our attacks had been able to break through.

It wasn’t long before Garron arrived with Lyra to support us. Garron immediately activated his skill [Tank Skill: War Cry], drawing the attention and aggro of Yunho and Mina.

At the same time, Lyra began casting support spells [Support Magic: Booster] and [Support Magic: Haste], doubling both our attack power and movement speed.

On both flanks, Tanya unleashed her wind magic in wide waves against the enemy mercenaries.[Advanced Wind Magic: Lightning Tornado] conjured electric tornadoes, shredding anything in their path while also inflicting paralysis.

Termina also joined in, firing a barrage of lightning arrows from above [Stormheim Archery: Lightning Arrow Barrage] —dozens of electrified arrows rained down upon the enemy, breaking their formation apart.

It was all part of our plan—to use wide-range attacks and magic to scatter the mercenary troops.

At the rear lines, Saintes was ready to treat our wounded. She cast [High Support Magic: Area Heal], healing everyone within a 10-meter radius.

Everything was going according to plan… except for one thing: Yunho. The Mercenary King.

That man was completely unfazed by any of our attacks—mine or Theresia’s.

I signaled to Theresia, and she nodded. We would now proceed with Plan B: split Yunho and Mina apart.

Garron and I would handle Yunho. Theresia and Lyra would take on Mina.

Both Garron and Lyra nodded in understanding. Garron charged forward and slammed his iron shield into Yunho with all his might, trying to push him back. But Yunho didn’t budge—not even a little.

I followed up by casting: [Winterfell Magic Swordsmanship: Frostfang Slash], summoning a massive ice blade that shot toward Yunho like a missile. He casually sliced it in two using nothing but his aura-infused sword.

I kept attacking, but he deflected and shattered everything I threw at him. Fighting him felt like going up against King Aslan von Braveheart himself.

I began thinking about using a wide-range attack next—until I caught sight of Theresia locked in battle with Mina.

Mina had switched weapons to dual daggers, making her movements even more agile. Lyra and Theresia were struggling to keep up, but Theresia only smirked and drew her own dual daggers.

“Oh, you think you’re the only one who can use daggers? I’ll show you the pinnacle of Stormheim dagger technique!”She launched herself at Mina, and the two of them entered a high-speed duel.

I’d known Theresia for a long time, though we’d never been especially close. But one thing I knew well—when she used her daggers, she became terrifying.

The Stormheim family was traditionally known for archery, but Theresia had always favored daggers. She trained relentlessly, eventually mastering them.

Even I would struggle against her when she wielded those twin legendary blades [Stormheim Daggers], ancient heirlooms passed down from the founding patriarch of her family. They were on par with my own legendary item [Ice Time Pendant], an artifact of the Winterfell bloodline containing a forbidden spell.

Theresia moved even faster now, activating: [Lightning Tiger Form],cloaking her body in electric armor that continuously increased her speed over time.

Mina, who once matched Theresia’s speed, began losing ground—and eventually, she fell into Lyra’s trap.

Theresia drove her toward the center of the trap where Lyra cast: [Water Prison],sealing Mina inside a floating sphere of water. Lyra began pulling her away from Yunho.

But something was off—Mina remained calm… and even smiled.

Suddenly, her aura burst out violently, shattering the water prison.

“You think a cheap trick like that can hold me?!” she snarled.

But just then, Theresia appeared and activated: [Stormheim Dagger Skill: Thunderfang Chain],creating electrified chains from her daggers that wrapped around Mina.

“Hah! That won’t—AHH!”Mina screamed as the electricity surged through her.

It worked because she had just been drenched in water from Lyra’s spell—amplifying the lightning damage significantly.

Mina collapsed, motionless.

Yunho saw this and exploded into action. He hurled Garron into the air like a ragdoll and sprinted toward Mina. It was like he had tossed a feather, not a full-grown man in heavy armor.

Garron was badly injured and unable to move. Now I had to stop Yunho myself.

But hundreds of mercenaries surrounded me, trying to block my path.

I had no choice but to unleash:[Winterfell Magic Swordsmanship: Winter’s Embrace – Full Burst!]

A wave of freezing magic exploded from my body, covering a 20-meter radius. The air and ground around me turned to solid ice. All the mercenaries froze in place—unable to chase me.

All of them… except Yunho.

His feet froze for a moment, but he shattered the ice instantly. He radiated a massive aura that melted my magic away like sunlight on snow.

“I admit you’re strong, Heroine of Braveheart,” he said, staring me down.

“But I won’t lose here. No… You cannot defeat me!”[Mercenary King Skill: War King’s Roar!]

His voice echoed across the battlefield—not just a rallying cry, but a soul-deep invocation of his kingly spirit. His aura spread like a wave, granting his soldiers resistance to enemy magic and flooding them with strength and determination.

To my shock, the frozen mercenaries began moving again. Their eyes glowed red, their strength rising. They were burning with rage and zeal—stronger than ever before.

Even Mina began moving again, breaking free from Theresia’s chains.

Now Yunho and Mina stood together once more. Things had taken a turn for the worse.

I quickly ordered Lyra to heal Garron and retreat to the backlines with him. Then I told Theresia and Lyra to initiate Plan C.

They nodded. Lyra said she would pass the message to Tanya and Termina.

Now it was just Theresia and me, facing off against Yunho and Mina.

We attacked in unison. I used:[Winterfell Magic Swordsmanship: Winter Mirage]—summoning a dense, icy fog to obscure their vision.

Theresia wasn’t hindered by the mist—she could sense them through her lightning magic.

We struck with slashes and stabs. They countered with brutal precision. Mina had now switched to a longsword, and surprisingly, her defense had improved even more.

She parried my frostblades and Theresia’s daggers with uncanny reflexes.

“Blocking our sight won’t help you,” Mina sneered.”Elite aura users like us can see your presence through your aura!”

She attacked wildly, a blur of motion. Theresia and I struggled to hold her back. Yunho still hadn’t moved—he simply watched.

I seized the opportunity and unleashed:[Frostfang Barrage]—firing dozens of ice blades at Mina.

Theresia followed with:[Stormheim Dagger Skill: Lightning Tiger Bite]—forming the head of a roaring lightning tiger to tear through the enemy.

BOOM!

….

Our attacks struck Mina directly. We were sure she wouldn’t be able to counter them.

But somehow… she still moved.

She switched back to her spear and launched a devastating thrust:

[Mercenary Queen Skill: Destructive Stab!]

A massive beam of aura shot from her spear like a laser, tearing straight toward Theresia with unstoppable force.

“That’s dangerous! Dodge, Theresia!” I warned Theresia.

Luckily, with her maximum speed, she managed to avoid the attack. But Mina’s strike continued to fly toward the hill behind us, obliterating it and leaving a massive crater in the middle.

Theresia and I were stunned by the power of that attack. Mina arrogantly looked down on us.

“What just happened? Our attacks didn’t do any damage?” Theresia asked, disbelief clear in her voice.

“Your attacks were impressive, and I believe they could have hurt me… but Yunho is here to protect me. He used [Mercenary King: The King’s Burden] to absorb all the damage I took,” Mina explained.

It all made sense now. Yunho and Mina were truly unbeatable when they were together. Yunho was Mina’s invincible shield.

“Enough talk—now die!” Mina suddenly dashed forward and thrust her spear toward Theresia.

But I protected Theresia with my body.

“UGH!!” Mina’s spear pierced through my stomach.

“How pitiful… Braveheart’s hero. I admit you’re the strongest among your comrades. Before you die, tell me your name,” she said as she tried to pull her spear out of me.

But I held onto the spear, preventing her from removing it.

Theresia and I smiled—she had fallen into our trap.

“Die here? Haha, that’s laughable. What you stabbed was only my ice shadow.” Slowly, my icy body began to freeze Mina. I reappeared from behind Theresia, completely unharmed.

It was the effect of [Winter Mirage], tricking the enemy into attacking my ice clone.

“UGHH!! DAMN IT!!” Mina growled in frustration.

While Mina was immobilized, I shouted, “Now’s the time, Tanya!!” signaling Tanya, who had been waiting above the clouds.

Due to the fog and Tanya’s position in the sky, neither Yunho nor Mina noticed her presence.

“I’ve been waiting for this! Take this! [High Storm Magic: Sky Storm!]” Tanya cast her strongest magic, launching Yunho and Mina into the air and slashing at them with relentless lightning-charged wind blades.

Now came the next phase of our strategy. While they were suspended in the air, Lyra unleashed her spell.

Lyra cast [High Water Magic: Water Dragon Torrent], summoning a massive water dragon that devoured Yunho and Mina, damaging and trapping them in water.

Next was the combo from Theresia and Termina, who fired their lightning arrow magic [Stormheim Archery: Thunderbind]. Their arrows transformed into chains of lightning that pierced through their enemies and bound them, immobilizing them.

Mina and Yunho took visible damage from our combo.

Now came my final attack. The resonance of water and lightning magic made my ice magic even more powerful. I would freeze them while they were still trapped and win this battle.

I had been preparing my magic in the sky all this time, forming a massive chunk of ice above. Tanya was stunned by the size—it was 10 meters wide and cast a dark shadow over the battlefield.

I quickly told Tanya, Theresia, Termina, and Lyra to retreat 20 meters away. They understood that this was my strongest area spell and might end the fight.

The knights and magic knights had already retreated, leaving only the mercenaries behind.

The mercenaries didn’t just stand by—they rushed to stop me from attacking their king and queen.

But it was too late. My spell was ready. I dropped the massive ice block onto Yunho and Mina with full force.

“TAKE THIS AND FALL! [WINTERFELL MAGIC SWORDMANSHIP: FROZEN FALL, FULL BURST!]” I unleashed a surge of mana to empower the spell, boosting its effect even further.

BOOM!

My spell struck Yunho, Mina, and thousands of mercenaries around them. Instantly, I froze the entire area within a 10-meter radius, and the frost spread to 20 meters.

Most of the mercenaries were frozen solid, forcing the remaining ones to retreat. None of them dared approach me.

The temperature had dropped to 0 degrees Celsius. No one could even move their fingers—except me.

I looked toward Yunho and Mina. They seemed calm, with Mina hugging Yunho. It looked dramatic—but this was war, and there are winners and losers.

As I turned to walk away and claim victory—

Suddenly, a teleportation magic circle appeared above Drakenfort fortress. Its pattern was unfamiliar, and I immediately realized: demons were invading the Kingdom of Gildoria.

The portal opened, unleashing the Gate of Gehenna, a harbinger of catastrophe every time it appears.

In that moment of horror, everyone panicked. I quickly called out to Theresia, Termina, Lyra, and Tanya to attack the Gate of Gehenna before it fully opened.

We all fired long-range attacks—but they were ineffective. A powerful high-ranking demoness blocked them by opening a portal that reflected our spells.

She looked completely unfamiliar—none of us had seen her before—but her magical energy was immense. She was likely an Overlord.

The Gate of Gehenna opened, releasing mid- and high-level demons. They began assaulting Fort Drakenfort, the last defense of the Kingdom of Gildoria.

We couldn’t stop them. But suddenly, the ice binding Yunho and Mina shattered. A shield emblem appeared above them—it must’ve been one of Yunho’s skills, dispelling my magic.

They broke free, shocking me.

But Yunho and Mina calmly walked past us. Yunho spoke:

“So it was the demons all along… They’re the ones attacking and trying to destroy the Kingdom of Gildoria!” Yunho looked furious, radiating battle aura.

“Haha, your combined attack was amazing. We almost lost if not for Yunho,” Mina admitted, looking at us with newfound respect.

“We were wrong. We apologize for accusing the Braveheart Kingdom of being behind this chaos. Now we know who the real enemy is—those damned demons!” Mina said angrily, pointing at the demon in the sky.

“Is the negotiation still possible? I, Yunho the Mercenary King, offer an alliance with the Braveheart Kingdom to fight these demons,” Yunho said, smiling and offering me his hand.

I looked at my comrades—they all nodded.

I immediately agreed to Yunho’s offer and shook his hand.

“Let’s defeat these demons. We of the Braveheart Kingdom will support you with everything we have!” I declared with conviction—marking the beginning of our alliance.

…

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