Chapter 280: The Truth of Kronos (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 280: The Truth of Kronos (4)
The power he named Aura.
It was nothing short of a revolution.
Alexander’s actions threw the Salamander Continent into an uproar. Once pushed down the line of succession, he instantly established himself as a figure of absolute power. People hailed him as the "Father of Swordsmen." Before him, swordsmen were little more than meat shields—armored grunts expected to sacrifice themselves for the mages. But thanks to Alexander's revolution, they finally began to dream of what it truly meant to walk the path of the sword.
A new direction.
A cataclysmic shift.
The world no longer spoke only of mages; they whispered of a new future—of Aura Swordsmen.
For a time, every day felt like a dream. Alexander rode that wave of success as the first Aura Swordsman. But one day, the idea of a duel between a mage and an Aura Swordsman became the talk of the town. When the sparring match actually took place, the Aura Swordsman suffered a crushing defeat.
While the power of Aura was explosive, it lacked sustainability. There was simply no way to keep up with the elusive movements of the mages. No matter how fast a swordsman moved, they were rendered helpless against spells like 'Blink,' which allowed the caster to teleport through space itself. Inevitably, skepticism crept in.
Only then did reality set in for Alexander.
‘At the very least, the martial arts of the Central Plains Murim I remember weren't so weak as to be defeated by mages.’
‘The Aura I invented is nothing more than a superficial imitation. Sooner or later, the pathetic truth of Aura will be exposed, and as they ascend to higher realms, mages will rule this world. You are Alexander now, not Kim Pan-seok. To keep this wealth and honor forever, you must establish a domain that no one else dares to encroach upon.’
The martial arts he had heard rumors of while living at the foot of the Hundred Thousand Mountains reached the realm of the gods. An overwhelming might capable of splitting the earth and shattering the heavens with a single sword strike—it was a realm utterly unreachable by his fabricated Aura.
But magic was different. Its power was akin to a natural disaster. As mages garnered more and more attention, Alexander's desperate need to cling to his authority grew stronger. In his past life, he had been a pauper. Because he had possessed absolutely nothing, the obsessive desire to never let go of what he had grasped boiled within him like madness.
Right at that critical moment, the rival competing with him for the throne secured the backing of the Magic Tower. Alexander was forced to make a choice. Was it right to keep pursuing Aura? What must he do to secure absolute, unchecked power—not just in the Kronos Empire, but across the entire Salamander Continent?
Desire became obsession. Obsession morphed into madness. And as Alexander stared up at the pitch-black sky, he faced a new future.
— If you follow me, I will give you power.
The devil's whisper.
That day, Alexander abandoned the sword.
Though the world remembered him as the founder of Aura, by the time he ascended the throne, he had already ceased to be a swordsman.
* * *
Mystic asked once more.
"Please give the order. Roman Dmitry is someone who must be eliminated."
Alexander agreed.
From the rebellion in Cairo to the uprising in the Redford Kingdom, and now this total war, Roman Dmitry had thwarted the Kronos Empire's plans at every turn. But there was a complication. The moment the possibility arose that Roman Dmitry might be a 'dimensional traveler' like himself, a desire Alexander hadn't even known existed reared its head deep within his heart.
‘Roman Dmitry. Unlike me, do you know True Martial Arts?’
He had always dreamed of it.
If he had been someone who properly trained in martial arts, could he not have caused a new storm as Alexander without borrowing the power of darkness? By now, such a path was impossible. Dark mana had been flowing through his heart for a long time, yet his yearning for martial arts remained.
He wanted to see it for himself—what kind of martial arts Roman Dmitry used.
Where did the roots of his martial arts lie? If they happened to belong to a prestigious faction like the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, Alexander knew he wouldn't be able to contain his greed. A deep thirst arose. In his mind, the Murim had taken root like an unattainable fantasy. Even if learning martial arts now wouldn't change his current state, he still wanted to confirm whether his choice to pursue dark magic had been the right one.
Bowing his head in his past life, he, too, had once chanted, 'Advent of the Heavenly Demon, Submission of Ten Thousand Demons.'
Back then, the supreme being he had looked up to had been his ultimate ideal—a man who looked as if he held the entire world in his grasp.
That was why he swallowed his true feelings now. He did not want to reveal this truth to the dark being he served.
Alexander spoke.
"I agree that Roman Dmitry must be eliminated. However, now that he has defeated Shepir, he is no longer an opponent we can deal with through conventional means. Mystic. Our ultimate goal is to conquer the continent and place this world into the hands of Kronos. When that time comes, we will enjoy wealth and honor for eternity as immortal beings. There is no need to be hasty. I acknowledge that Roman Dmitry's existence is a threat, but at the end of the day, there is a limit to what an Aura Swordsman can handle. In your judgment, do you think I would lose if I faced him myself?"
"...Absolutely not."
In the generation before Mystic, Shepir had existed.
And in a realm that even Shepir dared not reach, Alexander had survived like a monster, existing to this very day.
Roman Dmitry's power was overwhelming, yes. But Alexander had already reached the Divine Realm.
Mystic and the other Shadows did not follow the orders of the Kronos Emperor; instead, their absolute loyalty belonged to Alexander, who issued commands through the Emperor's body. To the Shadows, Alexander was not merely the pioneer of Aura. He was a supreme being who would lead them to immortality, having already proven a new path beyond humanity.
"The Kronos Emperor has already ordered a ceasefire. Reversing the Emperor's public command is out of the question, so for now, we will let things proceed as they are. But keep this in mind: by revealing our ambition to conquer the continent, we have declared war on Isabelle, that wretched bitch. The war will resume before long. If the conflict begins at a time of our choosing, perfectly aligned with the picture we have painted, then even if pests like Roman Dmitry and Isabelle interfere, they will never stop the Kronos Empire's thousand-year grand plan."
A thousand-year grand plan.
Mystic bowed his head. Ordinary people did not know the truth. But just as Alexander said...
"I will obey your command."
Before long, the world would fall into the hands of Kronos.
* * *
Isabelle and Roman Dmitry.
A brief silence hung in the air between them. Having revealed the entire truth, Isabelle looked at Roman and spoke.
"The reason I revealed the truth to you, Lord Roman Dmitry, is not just because I learned the identity of the Shadows. You defeated Shepir. This means you accomplished something that no one else in the world could do without manifesting holy power. For the sake of humanity, the Luna Kingdom needs your strength. Please help me eliminate the Kronos Empire and, by extension, the forces of evil."
Her words were exactly as he had expected.
There was no need for further explanation as to why she—someone who had opposed Kronos from behind the scenes—had sought him out.
The problem was...
"I refuse."
"...Are you saying you will abandon humanity?"
"That is a separate matter. If the Kronos Empire exists as an enemy of Dmitry, I will drive them to ruin to the very bitter end. However, devotion to humanity does not factor into my justification. I will draw my sword for those who follow Dmitry, but I am not a good enough person to preach about sacrifice for people whose faces I don't even know."
"Our goals align! If so, is there any reason to refuse?" Isabelle's voice grew louder.
Judging by his actions up to this point, she had firmly believed that Roman Dmitry's intentions aligned with her own. Isabelle, who had operated in the shadows after receiving an oracle, had finally found someone who could share the burden of her duty. When he settled the rebellion in Cairo, suppressed the uprising in the Redford Kingdom, and even defeated Shepir in a total war against Kronos, she truly believed God had sent a divine warrior to aid her. To stand against the ever-growing ambitions of Kronos, the assistance of a supreme warrior like Roman Dmitry was absolutely essential.
Yet, the response she received was a cold rejection.
Roman Dmitry leaned back against the sofa and spoke in an unwavering voice.
"Our goals do not align. You wish to overthrow the Kronos Empire for the sake of the world, while I intend to do so for my own personal reasons. Let me ask you this: if the Kronos Empire were to threaten you using the lives of countless innocent people as leverage, could you abandon those lives to take Alexander's head?"
"...T-that is..."
"That is the difference. Because what we prioritize in a critical moment is fundamentally different, we cannot join hands. If such a moment were to come, I would not hesitate for even a second to cut him down. I have no intention of letting this meeting sour the relationship between the Luna Kingdom and Dmitry. While our respective paths may occasionally intersect and benefit one another, I will not make a promise to tear down Kronos together with you to the very end. That is the only promise I can offer you, someone who has devoted herself to the Salamander Continent all this time."
She was left speechless.
Roman Dmitry. He was an existence she simply could not comprehend. She knew he was arrogant, but she had never expected this kind of reaction, especially after he had learned the terrifying truth about Kronos.
Isabelle spoke up again. "Alexander is a monster who rejected the natural life permitted to humans. Furthermore, he is a being who brought a mysterious, dark power from a world unknown to us. Can you really handle him with your strength alone? If he possesses power beyond our imagination, your stubborn decision will lead humanity to ruin!"
She raised her voice. Her words conformed to common sense. At the very least, she believed her argument was persuasive.
Roman Dmitry stood up. He looked down at Isabelle with indifferent eyes.
"It does not matter. How strong that being is, or what kind of existence he was in the world beyond—none of that is of any importance to me."
Even if Alexander had indeed been an entity who lived in the Central Plains Murim, Roman Dmitry did not feel the slightest bit threatened.
Across the dimensions, back in the Central Plains Murim, the Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk was The Best Under Heaven.
Therefore, no matter how grand Alexander's past life might have been, he was nothing more than a pebble rolling beneath Baek Joong-hyuk's feet.
* * *
A few days ago, when the confrontation between the Kronos Empire and Dmitry had reached its peak, the Odelia Kingdom was carrying out a secret plan.
[Two days from now, the soldiers of the Kronos Empire will head to the capital of the Odelia Kingdom through the Warp Gate. Keep this in mind: this operation is a joint campaign of three nations—the Kronos Empire, the Odelia Kingdom, and the Umberto Kingdom. The moment the Empire's soldiers arrive in Odelia and Umberto to seize control of the Kingdom Alliance, we will lay the foundation for the conquest of the continent. Therefore, assist the Empire with all your might. For the future of the Kronos Empire will soon become the future of Odelia.]
Beyond the screen, Baron Charlton smiled.
As the magic communication ended, the King of Odelia's face contorted.
"...Now, there is no turning back."
Every day, unbelievable news arrived from the battlefield. Hearing that Roman Dmitry had achieved a miraculous victory, the fleeting thought crossed his mind that perhaps, if the Odelia and Umberto Kingdoms had sided with Dmitry, they might have stood a chance. But they had already crossed the point of no return. From the very moment they entered into a secret agreement with the Kronos Empire, there was no way to reverse their allegiance, regardless of how the tides of war turned.
In the end, a decision had to be made. Even though he knew he was willingly making himself a slave, his cowardly heart placed survival above all else.
He summoned his subordinate and issued a firm order.
"The alliance with Kronos is a matter of life and death for Odelia. The moment they arrive in the capital, we will use the Kronos Empire's forces to seize control of the Kingdom Alliance. Failure is not an option. Once this war is over, the history of the continent will prove that our choice was correct."
"Understood."
The knight's eyes shone with determination. There was no shame in his gaze. If it was for the national interest, they were willing to cast aside everything the Kingdom Alliance stood for in a heartbeat.
Two days later, the day of the decisive battle dawned.
The King of Odelia lined up his troops, preparing to welcome the soldiers of the Kronos Empire emerging from the Warp Gate.
Flash!
Step, step, step, step.
From beyond the blinding white light, the Empire's soldiers poured in.
The King of Odelia, who had initially welcomed them with a bright expression, froze upon seeing their commander.
‘...No way.’
A fierce, bloodthirsty face. It was an ominous sight. The Kronos commander looked as if he were staring at an enemy army.
Soon, immediately after the entirety of the Empire's forces had arrived, that ominous feeling became a devastating reality.
"Attack the vermin of the Odelia Kingdom! Starting with Odelia and Umberto, the Kronos Empire will bring down the Kingdom Alliance!"
Only then did the King realize what a grave mistake the Odelia Kingdom had made.
Right around the time Dmitry triumphantly repelled Kronos, the King of Odelia was forced to face a devastating reality of his own making.