Chapter 269: Advent of the Heavenly Demon (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 269: Advent of the Heavenly Demon (1)
Immediately after the fall of Rascal.
Contrary to the Kronos Empire's expectations that he would retreat to the Western Front, Roman Dmitry headed straight for Kortas, a strategic stronghold in eastern Kronos. The city functioned much like the rear bases of the Cairo Kingdom's Southern Front. Every ounce of supplies and every soldier moving east from the Kronos Empire passed through Kortas's Warp Gate. On the rare occasions it broke down, the only alternative was another Warp Gate hundreds of kilometers away.
While Kronos forces eagerly gave chase, Roman Dmitry arrived in Kortas with only a single companion.
"...The security is far too tight."
The speaker looked to be in his mid-thirties, his eyes flickering with anxiety. His name was Nelson. He was neither affiliated with Dmitry nor trained in any form of combat. Yet, here he was, following Roman Dmitry. While the rest of the forces had returned to the Western Front, Nelson had emerged from his hiding spot, left the burning ruins of Rascal behind, and followed Roman to Kortas.
Now, their destination loomed right before them.
Taking in the heavy security, Roman spoke. "From here on, I will clear the path."
With that, he melted into the darkness.
Roman approached the castle wall and scaled it in an instant, his movements so impossibly swift they would make anyone doubt their own eyes. Not a single sound echoed from above. The silhouette of the sentry keeping watch on the wall remained completely still. Then, cutting through the suffocating tension, a rope dropped down.
Thwip.
Nelson knew it was the signal. He grabbed the rope and hauled himself up with great effort. Only when he crested the wall did he realize what had transpired.
...The Kronos soldiers died standing up.
His heart sank. The sentries remained in their exact postures, staring ahead with lifeless, unfocused eyes. Roman had deliberately left them standing to delay detection. There was a reason the world sang this man's praises. If anyone other than Roman Dmitry had commissioned him, Nelson would never have agreed to such a suicidal plan.
What followed was a succession of silent assassinations.
Roman moved ahead, flawlessly neutralizing anyone who even resembled a guard. This allowed Nelson to penetrate deep into the heart of enemy territory without facing a shred of danger. The operation required absolute secrecy. That was why Roman hadn't brought an army. Fearing a vacuum in their military strength during the journey to Kortas, he had sent Chris and the rest of the troops back to the Western Front.
At least three days.
That was the time they needed. If the Allied Forces were annihilated before then, they would be forced into an impossibly difficult uphill battle.
There it is.
Nelson's eyes gleamed. They had finally reached their destination.
As the most critical location in Kortas, security was incredibly tight. Over a dozen guards were visible at a single glance. But Nelson wasn't particularly worried. These soldiers lacked the ability to detect Roman as he blended into the shadows. The moment Roman revealed himself, he wiped out the dozen-plus guards in the blink of an eye.
There was no time to scream. No time to send a signal. By the time a guard realized the person next to them had collapsed, their own neck had already been snapped.
The stage was set.
Roman looked at Nelson. "From here on, it's your turn."
"Understood."
Nelson swallowed hard as he stared up at the massive structure of the grand Warp Gate, and stepped forward.
* * *
Nelson was a Warp Gate engineer.
In fact, he was hailed as the finest engineer in all of Cairo and Dmitry combined, drafted for this specific operation at Roman's personal request. He hadn't been forced. The reward Roman offered for the operation's success was truly astronomical, and Nelson had simply decided that such a sum was worth risking his life for.
The problem was...
Weeeeee—!
An emergency alarm blared.
The automated security system had detected someone tampering with the Warp Gate and immediately alerted the guards. Bright lights flared from all directions. The heavy clanking of armor echoed loudly as a swarm of soldiers rushed toward them. With his heart pounding wildly against his ribs, Nelson found it difficult to focus on his work.
His hands trembled.
The only person protecting him was Roman Dmitry—just one man. If Roman's defense was breached, Nelson had absolutely no way to survive.
Right then, a calm voice cut through his panic.
"Focus only on your work. I will handle the enemies."
At Roman's words, Nelson took a deep breath.
He had accepted this operation solely because of Roman Dmitry. This was a man who always led seemingly impossible situations to victory, a man who always took responsibility for any sacrifices made along the way. Hearing that voice, the trembling in Nelson's hands ceased. When he had first hesitated over the tempting offer, people had told him that if it was 'Roman Dmitry,' he was worth trusting with his life.
He resumed his work.
His goal was to hijack control of the Warp Gate. He needed to sever all coordinates connected to the Kronos Empire and link new ones. From that moment on, the Kortas Warp Gate would no longer belong to Kronos. Just as Edwin Hector had once captured the rear bases to bring down the Southern Front, Roman Dmitry was employing the exact same method.
His hands flew across the controls.
As he rapidly manipulated the Warp Gate's core, terrifying sounds echoed behind him—sounds he didn't dare turn around to investigate.
Boom!
Crash! Rumble!
"It's Roman Dmitry!"
"Attack!"
The enemy had arrived.
The violent clash of steel and the agonizing screams of men rang out, but Nelson gritted his teeth and absolutely refused to look back. He knew that the moment he witnessed whatever gruesome scene was unfolding behind him, he wouldn't be able to do his job. The screaming continued. Explosions erupted, sending waves of intense heat and violent wind crashing over his back. Yet, the simple fact that not a single attack reached him allowed Nelson to place blind, absolute trust in Roman Dmitry.
His breathing grew shallow.
His face flushed red from intense concentration until, finally, he turned around with a bright expression.
"I did it! It's a success!"
In that instant, Nelson's smile froze into a mask of sheer horror.
Beyond Roman's dependable back, the brutally torn bodies of countless soldiers lay scattered across the blood-soaked ground.
Only then did he realize. While he had been working, a one-sided slaughter had taken place.
* * *
When Roman first proposed this plan, the leadership of the Cairo-Dmitry Alliance had reacted with utter bewilderment.
"...Are you saying you will decimate Rascal to distract the enemy, and then seize the Warp Gate in Kortas? That is far too reckless. Even if the operation succeeds and we secure the Warp Gate, the disparity in our forces is so extreme that we will inevitably be at a severe disadvantage in any battle outside the walls."
Kronos had mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops.
Though the leadership trusted Roman, launching an offensive when they barely had enough strength to maintain their defenses seemed like nothing short of suicide.
Roman had replied calmly.
"I understand your concerns. Objectively, Kronos possesses an overwhelming military advantage. The victory most people envision for Dmitry is simply defending the Western Front from the Empire's onslaught. However, my definition of victory is different. I do not wish to merely hold out until the enemy retreats and console ourselves with a hollow triumph. I want a situation where the Kronos Empire is forced to clearly admit defeat. To achieve such an outcome, we cannot stubbornly stick to defense. In the end, even if it means shedding our own blood, we must tear into Kronos's flesh and achieve a definitive result that strikes terror into their very hearts."
He did not like Kronos's attitude. Their arrogant, condescending behavior had rubbed him the wrong way.
Still unable to accept this unconventional strategy, a high-ranking noble of Cairo had asked, "It is not that we do not trust you, Lord Roman. The issue is that the Kronos Empire has already proven during the war in Dmitry that they can warp without utilizing a Warp Gate. If they use that capability to directly attack Cairo or our other strongholds, we will inevitably be thrown into chaos."
"You are correct. As you just mentioned, the Kronos Empire utilized an unknown technology. However, that power is not absolute. Whether it is a limit on personnel or a constraint on time, there are definitely strict conditions required to trigger a warp without a Warp Gate. If there were no limitations, it would have been far more advantageous for them to bypass the Western Front entirely and strike directly at our strongholds from the start. The fact that they are still waging a conventional war on the Western Front is proof enough that they face heavy constraints."
Perhaps the Kronos Empire had deliberately avoided using warp magic simply to flaunt their raw military might. Whatever the reason, Roman had no intention of sitting idle out of fear of an unconfirmed power.
"This war is a matter of survival for both nations. If there is a possibility they will utilize warp magic, we might as well force them to reveal it on a stage of our own making. Keep this in mind: we are not fighting this war from a position of weakness, merely begging to survive against the Kronos Empire. We stand as equals, nation to nation. To those who consider themselves the rulers of the continent, we must prove that we are not their dogs."
His aura had been chilling.
Faced with Roman's sharp, intense presence, the assembly swallowed hard. He was a man who had always overturned impossible situations. Because he was not one to make empty boasts, hearing him speak of total war with Kronos filled them with profound awe.
"The moment we capture Kortas, the Kronos Empire will inevitably face a strategic vacuum. Our goal is to isolate the Kronos army in the east and annihilate them through total war. We only need a single victory. If we can crush their army using only the strength of the Cairo-Dmitry Alliance, the spark of our counterattack will spread across the entire continent."
It was always the same.
His was a life that never permitted a single step back. That was how Roman Dmitry, who had started as nothing more than the son of a rural baron, had reached his current position.
In one corner of the meeting room, a man who had been watching the exchange with an amused expression spoke up in a serious tone.
"May I make one request?"
"Speak."
It was Marquis Valentino. Once a prominent figure of the moderate faction, he had now become the foremost pro-Dmitry noble in the Cairo Kingdom.
He spoke with absolute gravity. "I will always support you, Lord Roman. But just one thing. Once this war is over, please promise to forge a new sword. I mean, is it not too cruel to keep us waiting so desperately for an addition to Lord Roman's collection without releasing any new items? Even if you don't give it to me directly and put it up for auction instead... as long as you release a new sword, I will scrape together every ounce of the Valentino family's hidden power to fully support your operation."
He was truly an eccentric.
Even with the survival of the nation on the line, Marquis Valentino couldn't help but show off his collector's obsession.
* * *
Flash!
A blinding light flared.
Through the newly calibrated Warp Gate, a contingent of troops materialized.
Clank, clank, clank—
The soldiers marched out in perfect unison.
Marquis Valentino was the first to step through. He had brought all of his private soldiers, and soon after, the regular army of the Cairo Kingdom began to emerge one by one. Marquis Valentino proudly wore 'Blaze'—the masterpiece he had purchased from Roman—at his waist. Just looking at the brilliantly shining scabbard, one could tell how much obsessive care and effort he had poured into maintaining it.
Next, the soldiers of the Dmitry Duchy appeared.
Commanders like Viscount Lawrence and Viscount Conrad led their troops, and in an instant, a massive number of soldiers filled the plaza around the Warp Gate. It might have seemed like a paltry force compared to Kronos's army of hundreds of thousands. But these men had resolved to go to war, and they had undergone rigorous, hellish training under Roman's direct guidance.
However, there was an unexpected figure among them.
It was none other than Kevin.
"I greet my Lord."
"You have overcome your Heart Demon."
"It is all thanks to your guidance, my Lord."
After leaving Dmitry, Kevin had initially headed for Adelian. He had intended to use the Warp Gate there, but during his journey, he learned of a new development: the soldiers of the Dmitry Duchy were on standby under Roman's orders. Upon hearing that they would deploy immediately to Kortas once its Warp Gate was captured, Kevin had naturally chosen to join the vanguard.
Their reunion was brief. It was enough for Roman to see that his subordinate was safe and stronger than before.
Roman shifted his gaze and raised his voice toward the army awaiting his command.
"From this moment on, using Kortas as our base, we will lay waste to eastern Kronos. We will make the Kronos Empire seethe with rage at our actions. As a start, search every corner of Kortas right now and eliminate every enemy you find!"
The order was given.
The soldiers dispersed in an instant, exuding a fierce, bloodthirsty aura.
Eastern Kronos. The strategic stronghold of Kortas.
It did not take even a single day for the city to fall completely into their hands.
And the following day, Duke Bamford received the news.