Chapter 277: The Truth of Kronos (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 277: The Truth of Kronos (1)
It was nauseating.
Cold, yet familiar.
Even as the world twisted and rapidly shifted, Roman Dmitry did not lose control. He accepted the change. A violet light pierced through the suffocating darkness, spreading in all directions. When he first stepped into this new space, a barren world dyed in deep violet unfolded before his eyes.
"…To withstand this pressure without the protection of divine power. As expected, you are no ordinary human."
It was Shepir.
The white-haired mage's body had been completely shredded by the aftermath of the Aura.
However.
Fssssss—
Violet energy and dark mana intertwined, rapidly regenerating Shepir's mutilated flesh. At the same time, the magical power emanating from him surged. Just by existing in this space, he gained infinite power, while Roman Dmitry, conversely, was bound to grow weaker. A being who wielded holy power—this trap had originally been prepared to kill her, but Roman Dmitry had forced Shepir to play his trump card early.
The plan had changed.
Having experienced Roman Dmitry's monstrous strength firsthand, Shepir deemed him a threat worthy of being eliminated, even if it required such drastic measures.
"The people of the Salamander Continent praise 'Aura.' They boast of their strength by categorizing the power of Aura, but those who know the truth of this world understand just how inferior that power truly is. But what on earth is the true nature of the Aura you use? It is entirely different from what we know. No one classified as an Aura Knight has ever shown the power to cut through 8th Circle magic."
Whoosh.
Rumble!
He unleashed his magic.
An immense, boiling magical power—incomparable to anything he had shown before—whipped around him in a frenzy.
"Roman Dmitry. The more I learn about you, the more incomprehensible you become. You weren't this strong when you first interfered with our plans, yet you have made terrifying leaps and bounds in such a short time. Now, I truly acknowledge your existence. Therefore, I, Shepir, and we… will do everything in our power to kill you."
Shhh.
All around them.
Shadows began to materialize.
Their forms were slightly different from the shadows Roman had encountered before; though their entire bodies were composed of pure darkness, they took the shape of savage beasts. At first, there were only a handful, but as the seconds ticked by, hundreds, then thousands of shadow beasts filled the barren violet space.
This place.
It was Shepir's world.
He had invoked a power that even he could rarely employ, all for the singular purpose of erasing Roman Dmitry.
"Amusing."
Roman Dmitry smiled.
Salamander.
There was a profound secret to this world.
The mastermind hidden in the shadows was plotting something massive through the Kronos Empire, and Roman's actions must have become an obstacle to it. He did not yet know the whole truth. With only surface-level information available, he could not grasp exactly who Shepir was, what this world truly was, or reach even a fraction of the truth surrounding Salamander.
But one thing was certain.
It was annoying.
Shepir's absolute confidence in his victory, and that arrogant smirk playing on his lips.
Roman Dmitry did not like it.
Shepir grew furious.
Seeing Roman Dmitry react with such nonchalant composure, Shepir's face contorted like a demon's. He detonated his magic all at once.
"Acting arrogant until the bitter end, Roman Dmitry! You will never leave this place alive. Fury of the Heaven!"
Ruuuuuumble!
The magic exploded.
It was entirely different from before.
The lightning that had plummeted from the gathering dark clouds in the outside world possessed immense destructive power, but now, merging with this violet sky, it created a terrifying spectacle that induced goosebumps just by looking at it. At the same time, the thousands of shadow beasts lunged forward as one. To prevent Roman Dmitry from escaping, Shepir intended to bring this fight to a definitive, gruesome end.
Crash!
Rumble!
The world flashed.
Roman Dmitry looked up at the apocalyptic sight and raised his sword.
And then.
Step.
The seventh step.
Violet energy swirled violently around Roman Dmitry as he faced the heavenly lightning head-on.
'Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - Latter Half Second Form.'
That was.
Flash.
KABOOM!
The absolute strike of Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk, which no one in the Central Plains Murim had ever been able to block.
* * *
The clash between the two.
It was a battle that transcended the limits of the mortal world.
The duel was not decided by a single strike; only after colliding with such cataclysmic violence that the violet world completely collapsed did they reach a conclusion.
The one on his knees was Shepir.
The thousands of shadow beasts had been utterly slaughtered, and Shepir, who had exhausted his absolute power, was slowly dispersing into black smoke as his mana completely depleted.
Fssss.
"Th-this is impossible."
Defeat.
He couldn't believe it.
In this space, he was supposed to be invincible.
He had been absolutely certain that, at least within the boundaries of power permitted in the mortal world, not even the one who wielded divine power could survive against him. Yet, everything had been rendered meaningless. With just a single strike unleashed against the falling lightning, Roman Dmitry had inflicted irreparable damage upon him.
It was over.
He knelt, trembling, and looked up at Roman Dmitry.
Then.
Grab.
Roman seized him by the head.
Crushing his fingers into Shepir's face to keep him pinned, Roman Dmitry spoke in a frigid tone.
"The Kronos Empire already possesses the power to conquer the continent. Yet, contrary to your words and actions so far, why do you not reveal your true identity? I want to know the truth. What is the reason you cannot fulfill your ambition of continental conquest, and why did you mobilize your troops now of all times? It cannot simply be because of what I did. My actions were merely a catalyst; there is definitely a specific, underlying reason for you."
The mastermind.
He intended to rip the truth right out of him.
The Phantom Demon Art, which had once plunged Murim into absolute terror, possessed a highly dangerous application: the power to peer into a human's thoughts.
The problem was the risk.
It was a power that even Roman Dmitry could not use recklessly.
The moment he forcefully entered another person's mind, there was a high probability that his consciousness would entangle with the target's, potentially reducing him to a vegetative state. Thus, reading an opponent's thoughts could safely last for three seconds at most. But even knowing the immense danger, it was worth the risk. Within those three seconds, he planned to tear out a few crucial pieces of information hidden inside Shepir's head.
Squeeze.
He gripped the skull tighter.
As Shepir thrashed and struggled, Roman Dmitry's eyes turned pitch black.
Whoosh.
Their minds violently intertwined.
As the mental world expanded, fragments of information—presumably Shepir's core memories—flooded in.
[Sven]
[Mystic]
[Shepir]
They were names.
An iron fortress had been erected deep inside Shepir's mind, and the absolute truth beyond it, blocked by an impenetrable veil of darkness, could not be verified. At best, he could only scour the superficial layers. Just as Roman was about to secure the fragments he had gathered and sever the connection, one final name was forcefully sucked into his mind at the very last millisecond.
[……]
In that instant.
Roman Dmitry's eyes widened.
It was a completely unexpected person—someone even he had never anticipated.
* * *
With Roman Dmitry gone, the battlefield plunged into chaos.
Duke Bamford, who had initially been dazed by the sudden disappearance, quickly grasped the situation and barked orders to his soldiers.
"Lord Shepir has dealt with Roman Dmitry! All troops, attack!"
The tides had reversed.
The absence of Roman Dmitry.
The soldiers of the Kronos Empire, who had been trembling in horror at the sight of Hannibal dying, realized upon Duke Bamford's command that the object of their absolute terror was gone. If the monster was gone, there was no reason to fear. Kronos possessed an army of 300,000, while the Dmitry and Cairo alliance numbered far fewer. No matter how many of Kronos's Aura Knights, Hannibal included, had been slaughtered, this was the perfect opportunity to end the war.
"Charge!"
"Now is the time! Kill every single one of those arrogant Dmitry bastards!"
The enemies surged forward like a tidal wave.
Seeing the sheer mass of soldiers fill their entire field of vision, the soldiers of Cairo turned pale.
The foundation of their faith.
Roman Dmitry was not there.
The moment the thought of defeat dominated their minds, the icy fear of death crept into their hearts.
It was then.
"Soldiers of Dmitry! Follow me!"
Chris.
He stepped forward.
Igniting his Aura, he charged forward without a shred of hesitation, a lone vanguard rushing into the tidal wave of enemies.
Rumble!
"Argh!"
The two armies violently clashed.
Chris's sword flashed, sending dozens of heads flying in an instant as he aggressively carved into the enemy ranks. Roman Dmitry had told him time and time again: in his absence, Chris was to stand as the commander. To resolve this chaotic situation, what they needed was not mere verbal commands, but an overwhelming display of martial might.
Just like.
Roman Dmitry.
Chris wished to be that kind of unbreakable pillar.
"I am Chris of Dmitry!"
Crash!
Rumble!
With every swing of his sword.
Without fail, the enemies sprayed blood.
Among his opponents were ordinary foot soldiers and Aura-wielding swordsmen alike, but there was no expert on the field capable of blocking a swordsmanship that even Diego had failed to react to. Chris's presence was overwhelming. Even though the 300,000-strong army was vast enough to fill the wide plains, the area immediately surrounding him looked empty due to the rapidly piling mounds of corpses.
One step.
Two steps.
He carved a bloody path.
Inspired by the awe-inspiring martial prowess Chris displayed, the soldiers of Dmitry raised their voices in a deafening roar.
"Follow Lord Chris!"
"We are the invincible Dmitry! We always win!"
Barco.
The Southern Front.
Kronos.
Valhalla.
Following Roman Dmitry, these soldiers had tasted victory on every single battlefield. They would not meekly surrender to reality just because adversity struck. The dire situation did not matter. What mattered was how they perceived the obstacle, and how unbreakable their will to overcome it was. Through their past experiences of blood and iron, they knew what was truly important.
Therefore.
They pressed forward relentlessly.
Even if their comrade's head was severed right beside them, the Dmitry soldiers, eyes blazing with madness, slashed at the enemy.
A single soldier cut down dozens.
Even when enemy weapons pierced and slashed their bodies, they roared with blood-slicked mouths, slaughtering the enemy until the very moment their bodies physically stopped moving. On the battlefield, soldiers were mere consumables. Though their lives might end here in the dirt, they had absolute faith that Roman Dmitry would take care of the families they left behind.
Roman Dmitry.
The Lord of Dmitry.
He was that kind of man.
Their unshakeable faith burned fiercely, refusing to yield even a single inch to the 300,000-strong army.
And.
Alongside Chris, the Demon of Dmitry also made his terrifying presence known.
* * *
Thud!
Slash, slash, slash!
"Urgh."
"Aaargh!"
Right in the dead center of the enemy camp.
Kevin unleashed a slaughter.
Unlike Chris, who advanced while maintaining the army's formation, Kevin plunged deep into the enemy ranks and began an indiscriminate massacre. His body was far from its normal condition due to using the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique. The mana boiling inside him pushed his physical limits to the absolute brink, but he had no intention of sparing himself to resolve the crisis facing Dmitry.
To be the sword of Dmitry.
That was the sole meaning of his existence.
Having resolved to live and die by the sword, Kevin swelled his murderous intent to a terrifying degree, slaughtering every single enemy in sight.
It was an overwhelming, suffocating presence.
Like a blood-crazed madman, the uncontrollable monster butchered everyone classified as Dmitry's foe.
He slashed.
Slashed.
And slashed again.
Carving a gruesome path, he cut down hundreds of enemies in a terrifyingly short span, his face completely drenched in blood.
The Demon of Dmitry.
It was a sight that truly befitted his nightmarish reputation.
Watching the situation unfold from afar, Duke Bamford was deeply unsettled by Dmitry's ferocious resistance.
'To think Dmitry's potential was this great.'
Dmitry and Kronos.
The difference in military strength was more than threefold.
By simple arithmetic, it was an absurd battle where one soldier had to handle three, yet the sheer, suicidal tenacity of the Dmitry soldiers kept the situation in a tight deadlock. The only saving grace was that more than half of the enemy forces belonged to Cairo. The soldiers of Cairo were nowhere near as relentless as those of Dmitry.
He acknowledged it.
Dmitry was a terrifyingly powerful nation.
With only a small patch of land, they had forged an unbelievably formidable force.
Therefore.
It was a relief.
It was a relief that he had learned the truth now, before it was too late.
Now, with Shepir having disappeared somewhere with Roman Dmitry, was the golden opportunity.
There would be no next time.
If they did not completely annihilate Dmitry right now, when the conditions were perfect, Kronos would inevitably face an even greater crisis in the future.
"Mages of Kronos, unleash your power! Use any means necessary to slaughter all the enemies!"
Whoosh.
The mages of Kronos.
They unleashed their accumulated power.
The explosive mana rising from all directions was a catastrophic weapon capable of instantly turning the tide of the battlefield.
Even excluding Shepir.
The military power possessed by the Kronos Empire clearly proved exactly why they were called the strongest nation on the continent.
It was then.
Just as the magic was about to detonate, the world was dyed in pure white.
"Stop this at once!"
Flash!
Ruuuuuuuuuumble!
A pillar of pure white light plummeted from the heavens.
And from within that blinding radiance, a knight clad in pure white armor revealed herself to the battlefield.