Chapter 258: Night of Carnage (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 258: Night of Carnage (1)
Late at night, Count Pablo, the commander of Rascal, studied a map of the continent by the dim light of a lantern.
Eastern Kronos boasted two major outposts—Rascal being one of them—and eight defense positions directly facing the enemy border. Currently, the Empire was massing its forces at these locations. The moment they finished organizing their ranks and launched their assault, the Cairo-Dmitry Alliance would taste true despair as imperial troops flooded across the border.
There was simply no chance of defeat.
He had pored over the map and calculated their respective military strengths countless times, yet from a logical standpoint, this war made absolutely no sense.
'What on earth is Roman Dmitry thinking? Given his actions on the Southern Front, he is no ignorant greenhorn when it comes to war. That means he declared war knowing exactly how dangerous a full-scale conflict with Kronos would be... Is there a blind spot I'm missing? No, impossible. On the vast plains stretching across the east, no matter what cheap tricks he tries, there is no way to bridge the overwhelming gap in military might.'
Kronos was a nation forged in war.
Conflict never ceased within its borders, and they used every war fought across the continent as a textbook for the next.
Roman Dmitry, in particular, was no ordinary man.
His strategy during the war with Hector had been thoroughly analyzed. Tacticians studied how he made such brilliant choices in critical moments. It hadn't been pure instinct. He had accurately seen through Edwin Hector's plans and chosen the most aggressive countermeasure. Ultimately, everyone knew that the tide of that war had been overturned by Roman Dmitry's bold tactics, backed by his overwhelming martial might.
Would such a man...
...really declare war without a plan?
Though doubts gnawed at his mind, spies planted in various kingdoms reported no unusual movements to aid Dmitry. At best, Hector and Redford were showing some activity. Yet, even if Dmitry's actual strength was several times greater than it appeared, this was still a hopeless battle.
Dmitry and Kronos.
It was a fight between a goblin and a dragon.
Even if that goblin was a legendary veteran of countless battles, it would still burn to ash from a single blast of dragon's breath. The kingdoms of the Salamander Continent hadn't refrained from rebelling all these years out of stupidity. When even theoretical calculations proved they stood absolutely no chance, how on earth could they wage war against Kronos?
Immediately after the declaration of war, an edict had descended from the Imperial Court.
"A minor nation, ignorant of its place, has bared its fangs at the Empire. The Empire will not tolerate any precedent of rebellion, no matter how trivial. Assemble the troops immediately. Cairo, Dmitry, and all allied forces will have their names erased from the map of the continent."
The destruction of Dmitry.
It was a future just around the corner.
According to intelligence, Dmitry was preparing for war in its own way, but against the might of the Empire, it was nothing more than a meaningless, desperate struggle. It wouldn't take more than a few days. Once the main army arrived at the outposts, Dmitry would burn in the flames of ruin.
It was then.
Just as he was about to stand up, a knight burst into the office, panting heavily.
"Commander! Fire! A fire is spreading across all of Rascal right now!"
"What?!"
Pablo's eyes widened.
A fire?
He hurriedly rushed outside to assess the situation.
* * *
It was exactly as the knight had reported.
As he stepped out of the building, a world painted entirely in crimson unfolded before him.
Whoosh!
Crackle!
Intense heat and acrid smoke choked the air.
Count Pablo grimaced.
This wasn't just one or two buildings burning; it was a devastating conflagration that threatened to swallow all of Rascal.
"Mobilize the troops and put out the fire immediately! We must prevent the loss of supplies at all costs! Secure the areas untouched by the fire and suppress the flames from there to stop the spread!"
He bellowed at the top of his lungs.
At his command, the soldiers scrambled into action, rushing to douse the flames with buckets of water.
Boom!
Rumble!
"Argh!"
"Aaargh!"
The soldiers throwing the water were instantly swallowed by explosions.
The moment the water touched the flames, massive blasts erupted. Seeing this, an ominous thought flashed through Count Pablo's mind.
'Oil?'
He was certain.
This was no simple accident. The heavy, greasy stench in the air proved the fire was fueled by oil. If so, the situation was far from simple. An accidental fire could be contained, but intentional arson meant there was a culprit. And in a situation like this, that culprit could only be Roman Dmitry.
'Could he really be intending to attack Rascal?'
It made no sense.
To reach Rascal, one had to bypass the surveillance of the frontline defense positions. Even if they managed to sneak in, it was impossible to bring down the outpost with a mere handful of troops. The military force stationed at Rascal was substantial. What on earth was Roman Dmitry's intention in setting fire to this place?
For now, extinguishing the fire was the priority.
Since he was certain this was an enemy attack, he couldn't afford to hold anything back.
"We are heading to the supply warehouse! We will secure all the magic scrolls needed to extinguish the fire and put it out in one fell swoop! Soldiers, follow me!"
He changed his plan.
With the fire spreading this rapidly, they needed to rely on magic rather than conventional methods.
It was a sound decision.
At least, it was until he saw the supply warehouse completely engulfed in flames.
"Ah, no!"
Fortunately, the blaze hadn't completely consumed the structure yet.
Since only a portion of it was burning, it seemed they could still salvage the contents inside.
"Enter the supply warehouse right now and secure the magic scrolls! That is an order! Risk your lives to retrieve them before the building collapses! If anyone hesitates for even a second, I will personally claim your head!"
Shring!
He drew his sword.
Cowering under Count Pablo's bloodthirsty aura, the terrified soldiers rushed toward the building.
Just as he had observed, there was still a gap to slip through the flames.
But the moment they tried to step inside—
Whoosh!
Roar!
The flames violently flared up.
A figure emerged from the blaze, seemingly engulfed in fire, and instantly severed the head of a Kronos soldier.
Count Pablo stood dazed in absolute shock.
The figure before his eyes...
...was none other than Roman Dmitry.
* * *
For this operation, his method of dealing with a large number of enemies was simple:
Create an environment where the enemy could not utilize their numerical advantage.
Roman Dmitry had ordered his soldiers to set fire to Rascal, and the intentional arson spread rapidly.
And then...
Whoosh.
Crackle.
Roman Dmitry personally set fire to the supply warehouse.
Though the raging flames enveloped his body, ever since he had absorbed the Flame Demon's Flames, he possessed an overwhelming affinity for fire. This very scene was proof of that. To others, he appeared to be burning alive, but it was merely the energy of the flames, assimilated with his being, surging around him. He was not actually burning.
Count Pablo was struck with horror.
While the commander stood frozen, his mind unable to process the situation, Roman Dmitry lunged forward and massacred the soldiers.
"Argh!"
"Stop Roman Dmitry!"
Chaos erupted.
Soldiers collapsed in an instant, spraying blood across the courtyard. Belatedly snapping out of his daze, Count Pablo screamed at the top of his lungs, ordering them to attack. The only enemy in sight was Roman Dmitry. Though shaken by this unexpected turn of events, Pablo believed a single enemy could easily be subdued.
Boom!
Rumble!
The knights of Kronos unleashed their Aura all at once. Pushing back the surrounding flames with their energy, they charged at Roman Dmitry.
Flash!
A head flew into the air.
As the leading Kronos knight collapsed, Roman Dmitry exploded with Aura, cutting down the enemies following behind him one by one. It was an attack they couldn't counter even if they anticipated it. The moment they reacted to their comrade falling, their vision was already spinning as a blade sliced through their necks.
He was terrifyingly fast.
Enveloped in flames, Roman Dmitry slaughtered his enemies.
Furthermore...
Boom!
Rumble!
Explosions continued to erupt around them.
Amidst the flames raging from all directions, the soldiers of the Kronos Empire could not properly utilize their numerical advantage. The Aura Swordsmen were no exception. Though they hastily manifested their Aura to protect themselves, tracking Roman Dmitry's figure through a space shimmering with extreme heat was incredibly difficult.
And in that moment—
Whoosh!
Roar!
Roman Dmitry charged straight through the flames.
For those struggling just to endure the blistering heat, blocking his incoming strikes was impossible.
It was an absolute slaughter.
The hundreds of troops brought by Count Pablo were unilaterally massacred, completely unable to bring down Roman Dmitry. It was a horrifying sight. The fact that he had directly attacked Rascal was hard enough to accept, but watching him weave through the inferno to butcher the imperial army made it impossible to believe he was even human.
Crash!
The building collapsed.
As the flames completely swallowed the structure, Count Pablo gritted his teeth.
'At this rate, we'll only be dragged along by the enemy's pace.'
His opponent was Roman Dmitry.
The monster who had dared to bare his fangs at the Empire.
It was time to utilize their home-ground advantage.
* * *
Looking at the map of the continent earlier, he had tried to read Roman Dmitry's intentions.
He had calculated every possible choice Dmitry could make, but a preemptive strike hadn't even been on the table.
'Monster of a bastard. Does he really believe he can bring down Kronos?'
The leadership of Rascal had analyzed Roman Dmitry's actions.
They asserted that although he had made an extreme choice due to his past grievances, he would surely try to resolve the situation through negotiations. It was the only logical explanation. The commanders in charge of eastern Kronos had communicated with one another, sharing the consensus that this matter was of little consequence.
But now, he had crossed the border.
As if he had never even considered the possibility of compromise, Roman Dmitry had shown up in Rascal.
'Fine. This is the last time you will run wild, ignorant of the immensity of the heavens. The opponents you faced before might have been swayed by your boldness, but stepping into the backyard of the Kronos Empire is an irreversible mistake.'
He resolutely abandoned the supply warehouse.
Fleeing the immediate area, Count Pablo reported the situation to his superiors and immediately activated the magic megaphone.
[Attention, soldiers of Rascal. Roman Dmitry and his cohorts have infiltrated the outpost. All soldiers are to arm themselves and execute them on sight. I repeat. Roman Dmitry and his forces have infiltrated Rascal. A Red Alert is hereby declared. Respond accordingly.]
Whaaaailing—
A warning siren pierced the night.
Rascal was a place where war was a daily occurrence.
A response system for situations exactly like this was perfectly prepared, and Count Pablo equipped his own armor and weapons the moment he sent the signal. Roman Dmitry had made one crucial mistake. He must have thought that by setting fires to sow chaos, he could collapse Rascal's command system with only a small elite force.
That was nothing but a delusion.
This was Kronos.
As Count Pablo stepped out of the command center, a group of men who had heard the warning siren appeared.
"The Kronos 7th Knights Division has assembled."
"Just give the word."
The seventh sword of Kronos.
The Knight Commander was a 5-Star Aura Swordsman, and the hundred swordsmen following him were all 3-Star Aura Swordsmen or higher. That was not all. Stationed here were the mages of Blue Island, one of the magic towers within Kronos. This was classified information unknown to the public, and considering that the mages of Blue Island manipulated water, they were the perfect counter to Roman Dmitry's fiery assault.
Lastly, there were roughly 10,000 troops stationed in Rascal.
Roman Dmitry's plan was gravely flawed.
He might think he had put Rascal in jeopardy with a surprise attack, but the reality was vastly different.
"Roman Dmitry has walked into the jaws of death on his own two feet. We must seize this opportunity and kill him."
"Understood."
The troops moved in perfect order.
The imperial army swarmed the surrounding area, their fighting spirit burning even more fiercely than the flames spreading through Rascal.
A savage expression crossed Count Pablo's face.
He could guarantee it—now that Roman Dmitry had set foot in Rascal, he would never leave this place alive.