Chapter 171: Purge (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171: Purge (2)
"D-Damn it!"
"Die!"
Their terror had finally reached its breaking point.
The soldiers, who had spent the last few moments screaming and threatening Roman, finally realized their words were useless. They chose to strike first. The Aura Swordsmen channeled their Aura and lunged forward. With over a dozen men attacking at once, they fell into the fatal illusion that they might actually be able to bring Roman Dmitry down.
And so...
Slash!
The massacre began.
Roman's sword flashed, and the heads of the leading Aura Swordsmen flew into the air.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
The remaining soldiers tried to retreat in terror, but Roman Dmitry closed the distance in an instant, slicing through their flesh. Crimson blood and agonizing screams filled the air. Simply because they followed the Noble Faction, and because they had refused to face reality, they could not escape the death looming right before them.
"...The Devil of Cairo!"
"Aaaargh!"
On the Southern Front, the Hector Kingdom had dubbed Roman Dmitry the "Devil of Cairo."
While the people of Cairo hailed his achievements as those of a hero, standing on the opposing side made it painfully clear why he had earned such a demonic moniker. He was utterly overwhelming. As if proving his status as the new number one in the Cairo rankings, even the Aura Swordsmen died in vain. Just like ordinary soldiers, they couldn't block a single strike.
Blood, blood, and more blood.
A path opened up.
In this scene painted entirely in crimson, there was absolutely no way to stop Roman Dmitry.
In truth, the Noble Faction's forces weren't supposed to be this weak.
However, without even realizing it, they had made a fatal mistake that chipped away at their own strength.
Marquis Benedict. Your inability to let go of your lingering attachment to me will drag you straight into the abyss.
The Public Ranking Match.
Roman Dmitry had left his opponents completely incapacitated. People assumed it was merely the price of competing in a ranking match, but Roman had anticipated a clash with the Noble Faction from the very beginning. If he had killed Jayden, who was ranked 99th, the Noble Faction never would have sent their swordsmen into the Public Ranking Match. But since they believed the only risk was temporary incapacitation, they deemed it manageable. As a result, their core forces stepped forward to face Roman.
That was their mistake.
Their core forces, including Oscar, had completely collapsed without receiving help from anyone.
In the case of Oscar, whom Roman fought last, Roman had intentionally injected mana into his body to completely destroy his Aura pathways. Marquis Benedict probably had no idea, even as he confidently blocked Roman's path. He didn't know that his strongest sword hadn't just been temporarily incapacitated—his life as a swordsman was permanently over.
From the very beginning until now, Roman Dmitry had been preparing for this exact clash with the Noble Faction.
Marquis Benedict believed his timing was perfect, but the truth was that he had merely thrust his own head into the jaws of a beast.
Thud.
A knight stumbled and collapsed.
Around him, the remaining soldiers of the Noble Faction didn't dare to charge.
If there had been even a slight chance of winning, things might have been different, but they couldn't bring themselves to rush toward a meaningless death.
Step, step.
Roman walked past them.
He just kept walking forward.
Paying no mind to the trembling soldiers holding their weapons raised beside him, he followed Marquis Benedict's trail, his blood-stained sword dripping onto the ground. The soldiers averted their eyes. If they didn't, they wouldn't have the strength to accept this grim reality.
Slowly.
Roman did not rush his steps.
Giving his opponent plenty of time to run, Roman Dmitry walked in the exact direction Marquis Benedict had fled.
* * *
The living power.
The true ruler of Cairo.
Marquis Benedict, a man who had never hurried his steps even in front of the King, was now running for his life, his face drenched in sweat.
Fleeing to the Royal Palace is not a wise decision. If Roman Dmitry has plotted some conspiracy with the King, I might be executed without a chance to resist. Therefore, I must return to my territory first. If I gather my forces there, I can easily turn the tables.
It was the best possible judgment.
Marquis Benedict ran until he was gasping for breath.
The expensive accessories adorning his body fell to the ground, but he didn't even have the luxury to look back.
Following him, the other nobles of the Noble Faction ran for their lives as well.
The sight of Cairo's most powerful figures fleeing in unison was a rare spectacle indeed.
Soon, Marquis Benedict arrived at the Warp Gate.
"Pant, pant. Connect the coordinates to the Benedict territory right now!"
"What is going on—"
Slap!
There was no time for long explanations.
With a flushed face, Marquis Benedict struck the soldier across the cheek.
"You son of a bitch! Do you not know who I am?! If you have time to ask stupid questions, connect the coordinates to the Benedict territory immediately! If you are even a second late, I swear I will execute three generations of your family!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The soldiers' faces turned pale.
They hurriedly connected the coordinates.
All the relevant personnel rushed out to activate the Warp Gate.
Hummmm—
Keep the numbers to a minimum.
Make it fast.
Although operating a Warp Gate usually took a significant amount of time, they managed to complete the process incredibly quickly under Marquis Benedict's frantic demands. The problem was that they couldn't accommodate all the nobles of the Noble Faction. As Marquis Benedict stepped onto the Warp Gate first, the others boarded after him in order of their political power.
"The rest of you will follow in the next turn!"
"My Lord!"
The faces of the left-behind nobles turned white.
Warp Gates had a cooldown delay.
Since it required a considerable amount of time before the next warp could be initiated, escaping through the Warp Gate was practically impossible for them now.
However...
Flash—!
Marquis Benedict ignored their desperate gazes.
Enveloped in a bright shroud of light, he vanished.
"Shit!"
"That bastard!"
The nobles spat out curses.
Leader of the Noble Faction or not, such titles meant nothing to them now.
The nobles who were about to flee on foot froze as if struck by lightning.
Roman Dmitry.
He had arrived.
Seeing him holding his blood-stained sword, one of the nobles spoke in a trembling voice.
"...Please, calm down. If you kill all of us, how do you plan to handle the aftermath? If I die here, my family will do whatever it takes to seek revenge. So please, spare me. If you spare my life, I will abandon the Noble Faction and follow the Dmitry Family from now on."
It was a desperate plea.
He fell to his knees, acting as if he would offer up his very soul.
The other nobles were no different.
Now that their escort forces were entirely wiped out, begging for their lives was the only option they had left.
Roman sneered.
"It's already too late."
The people facing him in this place were the very same ones who had shown up with murderous intent.
Had they remained bystanders, things might have been different, but they had crossed a line they never should have crossed.
Grab.
"Argh!"
He grabbed one of the nobles by the hair.
There was no way to resist.
The noble could only struggle pitifully, utterly unable to shake off Roman's brutal grip.
Roman forced his head down.
Looking at the other nobles, Roman said,
"If you draw your sword, shouldn't you pay the price?"
He slit the noble's throat.
Along with a squealing, pig-like scream, blood splattered onto the ground.
At that sight, the remaining nobles of the Noble Faction collapsed, completely losing their minds as they wet themselves in sheer terror.
* * *
At that same time, the Cairo Royal Palace was in utter chaos.
"A battle has broken out in the middle of the capital! It is believed that a conflict arose between Marquis Benedict's Noble Faction and Roman Dmitry, and Roman Dmitry is reportedly massacring the Noble Faction single-handedly!"
"...W-What do you mean?"
Daniel Cairo was shocked.
A massacre.
This was highly unusual.
Not only were they fighting in the capital, but he had never expected Roman Dmitry to draw his sword against Marquis Benedict, the true power of Cairo.
A sudden sense of dread washed over him. A battle in the capital pointed to one terrifying possibility.
Could it be a rebellion?
Perhaps today was the day.
Roman Dmitry had defeated Count Nicholas.
Because of the nature of the Public Ranking Match, Count Nicholas had been forced to fight alone, and the strongest weapon of the Royal Faction had fallen just like that.
In other words, Daniel Cairo had no power left to protect himself.
If Roman Dmitry marched into the Royal Palace with malicious intent, a rebellion would succeed instantly.
The Vice Commander of the Royal Knights shouted, the veins in his neck bulging.
"Summon all the Royal Knights and Royal Guards immediately! We do not know when the rebels might storm the palace. From this moment on, our absolute priority is to protect His Majesty's safety!"
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers moved in perfect order.
The palace fell into chaos.
Faced with a sudden rebellion, Daniel Cairo tried to steady his breathing.
...Is this, in the end, an inescapable fate?
Rebellion.
He had always known that such a day would come.
The Royal Faction had barely held onto power by relying on Count Nicholas; they lacked the strength to suppress the other factions.
Their existence was as fragile as a fly.
Like a candle flickering in the wind, if any faction had resolved to rebel, he would have been stripped of his throne long ago.
It was a predestined future.
Though his heart pounded wildly, Daniel Cairo tried to accept reality as calmly as possible.
It was then.
"Your Majesty! Roman Dmitry has arrived at the Royal Palace!"
The leader of the rebellion.
He had finally set foot in the sanctuary.
* * *
Tension filled the air.
The people of the royal court had expected a certain scene.
They thought Roman Dmitry would begin a slaughter the moment he burst in, but instead, he quietly followed the protocols of the royal court.
"Disarm him!"
Thud.
He removed the armor covering his upper body.
He laid down his weapons.
The Royal Knights, who had initially shown hostility, guided Roman Dmitry to the King upon seeing him comply with their orders.
Even so, they didn't let their guard down for a single second.
Surrounding him with their swords drawn, they were ready to pounce on Roman Dmitry at any moment.
Roman came to a halt.
Looking up at Daniel Cairo, he showed the proper etiquette of a subject.
"I greet Your Majesty."
"...We shall skip the tedious formalities. I heard an incident occurred in the capital. Explain the details."
He got straight to the point.
Whether it was a rebellion or not.
This was the most critical question for the Cairo Royal Family.
Under the intense gaze of everyone present, Roman Dmitry spoke, his face still stained with blood.
"The incident began with Marquis Benedict's coercive demands. Immediately after the Public Ranking Match ended, he came to me with his troops and pressured me to join the Noble Faction. The forces blocking my path numbered in the hundreds. That was a clear violation of Cairo's laws, yet I was treated as if I had committed high treason simply because I rejected Marquis Benedict's proposal. It was unjust. Cairo follows King Daniel Cairo, not Benedict, so I could not obey his words."
His voice resonated with intensity.
Expressing strong emotion, he looked at Daniel Cairo with unwavering eyes.
"Therefore, blood was shed. Even though I knew it would cause trouble, I could not simply kneel."
The atmosphere turned icy cold.
Whatever the reason, Roman had broken Cairo's absolute taboo.
While they could understand his justification, the members of the Royal Faction did not know how to respond to this situation.
But he was not finished speaking.
Roman Dmitry revealed the true purpose of his visit to the Royal Palace.
"From this moment on, I would like to make a proposal to Your Majesty. If you promise me what I desire, the Dmitry Family will act as the sword of Cairo, choking the life out of the Noble Faction and restoring order to Cairo's chaotic power structure."
At those words, everyone was thrown into shock.
A clash between Dmitry and the Noble Faction.
That was a scenario the Royal Faction had never even anticipated.