Chapter 243: Certain Death (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 243: Certain Death (3)
Flash.
The world lit up.
In that brief illumination against the darkness, Roman Dmitry could be seen charging straight toward the black mages.
"Hold."
"Entangle."
Whoosh!
Crackle!
The black mages unleashed their dark mana.
A binding force instantly seized Roman Dmitry's movements as massive, dead tree roots erupted from the dirt, twisting to entangle his body. But that wasn't all. While some focused on pinning him down, the rest unleashed their mana, casting offensive spells in perfect synchronization.
"Dark Lightning."
"Dark Flame."
Boom!
Fwoosh!
Roar!
Mages and Aura Swordsmen.
It was common knowledge that in a duel between opponents of a similar level, the Aura Swordsman held the advantage due to a mage's casting time. However, in a one-versus-many battle, a mage's synergy increased exponentially. It wasn't a simple equation of one plus one equaling two; it was one plus one equaling four. And right now, ten black mages had joined forces.
Hell unfolded before his eyes.
The momentary restraint of the Hold spell was meant to trigger a deadly chain reaction that would swallow Roman Dmitry whole.
However...
Swish.
In a mere tenth of a second, Roman Dmitry shattered the binding energy invading his body. He used the dead tree roots lunging at him like monstrous tentacles as stepping stones to leap forward. To the black mages, it was a horrifying sight. Because he had broken the Hold so effortlessly, their barrage of offensive spells slammed uselessly into the empty ground.
Crash!
Rumble!
In that instant, Roman Dmitry tore through the explosion and closed the distance.
Before one of the black mages could even react, a lightning-fast slash severed his head.
Flash.
"Block him!"
"Dark Arrow."
Thud-thud-thud!
Spells erupted from all directions.
Chanting in grating, demonic voices that sounded like they had crawled straight out of hell, the black mages unleashed their spells upon Roman Dmitry. Dark arrows flew from all sides, lightning struck from the heavens, and black flames erupted around him, completely cutting off his escape routes. On top of that, they attempted to bind him once more. In a one-versus-many battle, it was practically impossible for a single Aura Swordsman to face multiple mages.
That was common sense.
But Roman Dmitry shattered common sense.
Ever since he had grasped the principles of magic, any foreign mana invading his body couldn't survive for even a single second.
At the same time, he moved decisively.
Since there was no escape route, he gathered his mana to protect his body and charged straight into the blazing inferno.
Fwoosh.
Roar!
His body caught fire.
But the flames only flickered harmlessly against the surface of his Aura barrier. Roman Dmitry's sharp gaze locked onto the black mages.
"Blink."
Flash.
The black mages vanished.
From a distance of ten meters, they instantly teleported fifty meters away.
The black mages believed they had secured a safe distance. However, the moment their bodies reconstructed and their vision returned, they beheld a figure looming right in front of them. Roman Dmitry had read their movements perfectly. While ordinary people could never track the flow of mana in such chaotic conditions, Roman Dmitry saw exactly where their bodies would reappear.
Felix and the mages of the Magic Tower.
They hadn't been weak.
Just like these black mages, they had divided their roles to maximize their advantages, but Roman Dmitry's terrifying abilities had left them absolutely no openings. If they tried to restrict his movement, he neutralized it instantly. If they used teleportation magic, he anticipated their destination, rendering the spell utterly useless.
That was why they had said it:
Without a doubt, Roman Dmitry was the natural enemy of mages.
Even as they witnessed and experienced it firsthand, they couldn't comprehend how he dismantled magic so rapidly.
This time was no different.
Flash.
He slashed a black mage.
Even before the mage's body had fully reconstructed, his partially materialized flesh was instantly torn apart by the sword.
It was an overwhelming sight.
Right then.
Just as Roman Dmitry was about to pounce on his next prey—
Boom!
Rumble!
A colossal wall of fire swept over him.
*
The destructive power was immense.
A figure who had cast a high-level spell revealed his presence from a distance.
"Roman Dmitry. Your struggles end here."
Whoosh.
Roar!
Dark flames flickered around him.
The spell he had just cast was a 6th Circle spell.
It was impossible to block completely, and its destructive power was so immense that even a glancing blow would cause the flames to consume a person's entire body. The black mage gathered his mana. As he scanned the area through the dark haze, he suddenly sensed the presence of a living being inside the flames.
It made no sense.
The dark flames.
They were a powerful force capable of incinerating everything in the mortal world.
Even if Roman Dmitry was the monster who had defeated Barbosa, surviving inside the flames without dodging was practically impossible. Yet, the reality before his eyes defied all common sense. A figure slowly stepped out of the fire, emerging while still engulfed in the dark flames.
Whoosh.
Roar!
The destructive power of the 6th Circle burned his body.
Roman Dmitry could have avoided the attack, but after sensing the intense heat, he had chosen not to dodge.
"The Kronos Empire. How arrogant. Not only have you invaded the territory of a fellow empire, but you also show no hesitation in revealing the existence of black mages. Is it because you are certain of victory, or do you believe it won't matter even if the truth is exposed? Whichever it is... you have made the wrong choice."
The reason the Phoenix Mages had been defeated wasn't just because of his ability to dismantle magic.
From the very beginning, in terms of elemental affinity, Roman Dmitry possessed a power that the Phoenix Mages could never overcome.
The Flame Demon's Flames.
The potent energy residing within his body granted him an overwhelming affinity specifically for fire. Roman Dmitry, who was already highly resistant to heat, had absorbed the Flame Demon's Flames, transforming into a being impervious even to 6th Circle fire.
In other words, he was their perfect natural enemy.
It wasn't a mere clash of strengths and weaknesses; he was an impregnable fortress that could never be breached.
"If you want to live... struggle to the very end."
Thud.
He kicked off the ground.
The black mage unleashed an explosion of mana.
Although he had confirmed that Roman Dmitry possessed a powerful resistance to fire, he didn't believe a fragile human body could endure it indefinitely. Perfect immunity didn't exist. Ultimately, it just meant the spell he had used was too weak. If he cast a spell beyond that level, the outcome would inevitably change.
The other mages joined forces.
It was a clash of raw power.
As Roman Dmitry charged straight at them, the black mages' mana swelled to terrifying proportions.
"Fire Storm."
Whoosh.
Roar!
A 7th Circle spell.
Its destructive power was overwhelming.
The mana surging from the black mage burned with a desperate desire to consume Roman Dmitry once and for all.
Boom!
Rumble!
The flames erupted.
It was a spectacle that left even Roman Dmitry's fighting subordinates staring in awe, as all the surrounding vegetation was instantly reduced to ash. The Emperor of Kronos had summoned the demons of the Abyss—beings that wielded dark mana. He was certain that Roman Dmitry, stripped of Valhalla's protection, could never withstand their onslaught.
Countless shadows.
And the black mages.
This was no mere assassination.
A force capable of toppling a small nation could never be withstood by ordinary means.
If this had been a battlefield, the Fire Storm would have swept away thousands of soldiers.
It was a power that overwhelming, yet it failed to bring down a single man: Roman Dmitry.
Whoosh.
The flames raged.
Even as the surroundings burned and the ground crumbled, Roman Dmitry tore through the blazing inferno, charging rapidly toward the black mage. The 7th Circle flames couldn't pierce his Aura barrier. Roman Dmitry's resistance extended to his Aura, displaying immense power—at least against fire. The other black mages cast spells in a desperate frenzy. They did everything in their power to stop him, but in the blink of an eye, Roman Dmitry appeared right before them.
And then...
Flash.
The moment his eyes flared, the black mage's body sprayed dark red blood.
*
The death of the leader.
The tide of battle turned.
The moment Roman Dmitry killed the leader, the shadows began to retreat rapidly, even without an explicit signal.
It was a bizarre sight.
Although the shadows still vastly outnumbered them, they had judged that there was no hope of winning this battle.
Roman Dmitry, however, pursued them.
He chased them down relentlessly, cutting apart the struggling shadows one by one.
Whoosh.
Slash!
A shadow spun around to counterattack.
But this desperate final attempt to survive ended in failure as his body was sliced in half along with his Aura-infused dagger.
The slaughter unfolded simultaneously in all directions. With Roman Dmitry leading the charge and butchering the shadows, they could offer no meaningful resistance and were helplessly slaughtered.
The tables had turned.
The assassins were now the ones being driven to their deaths.
Both Valhalla and Kronos had been certain that he couldn't survive such an overt assassination attempt, yet the outcome before them was shockingly one-sided.
Kronos.
They were an unequivocal enemy.
Roman Dmitry showed no mercy, nor did he offer them the option to surrender. He showed them exactly what it meant to oppose him. The moment they showed a clear intent to destroy each other—whether he died or they did—not a shred of human mercy would be granted.
Just as he had slaughtered the Barco family, he utterly crushed them.
This battle.
Valhalla, and indeed the entire continent, was watching.
In this absurdly unfair fight, Roman Dmitry proved exactly what kind of existence Dmitry was.
Now, only one remained.
Spotting the last shadow in his field of vision, he didn't deliver a fatal blow. Instead, he severed both of the man's arms from behind.
Slash.
Stumble.
The shadow lost his balance.
Having both arms severed in an instant, the shadow fell face-first onto the ground in a pitiful state.
In that moment...
Thud.
Roman stepped on his head.
Pinning him down so he couldn't look up, Roman Dmitry spoke in a chilling voice.
"Tell your Emperor. He is still a long way from reaching Dmitry. If he wants to kill me, now is his chance."
Having lived the life of a predator, he knew exactly how Kronos thought.
Even after such a shocking defeat, they would never abandon their murderous intent toward him.
*
The situation was settled.
Chris approached and reported the status.
"Since we prepared in advance, our casualties are minimal. However, nearly half of the Valhalla warriors have fallen. Still, thanks to their assistance, we were able to minimize our losses. If they hadn't helped, we would have had to brace ourselves for significant damage as well."
The warriors of Valhalla.
They had been brave.
Even though they knew their attacks were barely effective against the shadows, they had fought to the bitter end, shouting the name of Valhalla.
A nation of combat.
It was in their blood.
Believing their lives were a small price to pay to ensure Roman Dmitry's safe return, their reckless charge had inevitably resulted in heavy casualties. Yet, Sanchez and his surviving warriors didn't fall into despair. Rather than focusing on the fact that half of them had died, what mattered to them was that they had secured victory at the cost of half their numbers.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"Retrieve the bodies. We will perform a simple cremation for the deceased and head straight to the Trade City."
"Understood. However, my Lord, there is something you must see."
Chris's words carried a strange weight.
Rather than the joy of victory, he seemed deeply concerned about the "something" Roman Dmitry needed to confirm.
Roman moved his feet.
Where Chris led him, the pale face of the man who appeared to be the leader of the black mages was revealed.
And yet...
He looks familiar.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
Felix had once mentioned his past.
"To master Burning, one needs a powerful affinity for fire. Usually, there is a specific trigger to gain that affinity, and my master obtained his after surviving a horrific arson incident in his childhood. As proof of that, half of my master's face is covered in burn scars. If you ever find my missing master, you can identify him by those burn scars."
A story mentioned only once.
It floated to the surface of his memory.
The corpse of the black mage.
Under the light, exactly half of the black mage's face was covered in burn scars.
There was no mistake.
The identity of this black mage was the missing former Master of the Phoenix Magic Tower.