Chapter 284: Conclusion (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 284: Conclusion (4)
A truce!
The Kronos Empire had proposed a truce with Dmitry.
Following Dmitry's overwhelming victory on the Western Front, the continent had braced for Kronos's inevitable retaliation. Panicked citizens hoarded provisions, sending food prices skyrocketing. Those who had fled Cairo and Dmitry in terror of being caught in the crossfire were left utterly dumbfounded when the news broke: the Kronos Empire had accepted an armistice.
What kind of nation was Kronos?
They were an empire that had never once tolerated compromise. The idea that they would swallow a truce after losing a massive army was completely nonsensical.
Furthermore...
"Are they crazy?! Kronos is paying 500,000 gold in war reparations?!"
"My god. This is practically an admission of defeat. Dmitry declared war first, and Kronos's army of 300,000 was unilaterally slaughtered on the Western Front, yet Kronos is the one paying reparations? Did they actually think they couldn't win against Dmitry?"
"Whatever the reason, it's clear that Kronos has backed down."
The world was in an uproar.
Throughout its bloody history, the Kronos Empire had never once signed an armistice, let alone paid reparations for their constant invasions. Yet, 500,000 gold? It was an astronomical sum capable of feeding two million people for an entire year. The sheer scale of it made people question reality. Was this not undeniable proof of their defeat? The fact that the arrogant Emperor of Kronos had approved such a concession sparked a new hope across the continent.
"The era of Dmitry has begun."
"Roman Dmitry can no longer be judged merely as the 'successor to a duchy.' First, he defeated Barbosa of the Valhalla Empire, and now he's beaten the Kronos Empire itself. A hero capable of changing the very landscape of the continent has finally been born. Dmitry will become the center of a new era, led by Roman Dmitry!"
"Let's go to Dmitry! The future of the continent lies there!"
The masses looked toward Dmitry with reverence.
It was an unprecedented rise. Though Roman had accomplished many great feats before, the sheer magnitude of repelling the Kronos Empire overshadowed them all. Dmitry's status had completely transformed. Although it had started as a mere territory within the Cairo Kingdom, no one considered Dmitry subordinate to Cairo anymore.
The continent seethed with excitement.
People whispered in taverns and streets:
"Kronos is finished. Until now, their aura of invincibility was so absolute that no one dared oppose them, but the kingdoms of the Salamander Continent will surely rally behind Roman Dmitry. This is just the beginning. As Kronos's prestige crumbles, they'll no longer be able to run wild and trample over Continental Law like they used to. We are witnessing history—the fall of Kronos."
It was a reasonable prediction.
Rumors of Kronos's downfall had commoners and nobles alike clinking their ale mugs, eagerly discussing a brighter future.
But that joy...
...was permitted for only a single day.
The very next morning, news from Odelia plunged the entire continent into absolute shock.
* * *
It was a ruin.
Lucas swallowed hard as he stared at the endless expanse of rubble—the pulverized remains of what used to be a city.
"...Kronos. Those crazy bastards."
This was the capital of Odelia.
Hundreds of thousands of people had lived here. Now, they shared the same fate as the shattered stone and ash beneath his feet. Among the dead were the Hao Sect informants who served under Lucas. Contact had been cut off abruptly, without a single report. This didn't mean the Kronos Empire had discovered their identities; it meant that everyone in the capital had died so suddenly that no one even had the time to send a warning.
How on earth?
How was such a thing even possible?
Even Lucas, who had weathered countless hardships and seen the darkest sides of the world, could not comprehend the sheer devastation before his eyes.
"Mage. If you please."
"Understood."
A mage stepped forward.
He appeared to be in his late sixties. Although he was only at the 3rd Circle, he was a scholar who had dedicated his entire life to the study of magic. The Hao Sect handled a vast array of clandestine matters, and since some tasks required deep magical knowledge, they had recruited the old man with the promise of limitless research funds and generous compensation.
'If the informants couldn't even send a distress signal, it means this city was wiped off the map in three minutes at most. That kind of destruction is impossible with physical force alone. Magic was definitely used. If the Kronos Empire mobilized an 8th Circle mage on the Western Front, they might possess another monster of comparable power.'
The battle in the West.
The sudden appearance of an 8th Circle mage had been deeply shocking. Although the world knew such a realm theoretically existed, witnessing the actual manifestation of 8th Circle magic had revealed an overwhelming, apocalyptic destructive power that no mortal army could withstand. If not for Roman Dmitry, the allied forces would have undoubtedly been annihilated. While the soldiers of Dmitry and Cairo had cheered wildly in the euphoria of victory, a lingering, primal dread of 8th Circle magic still haunted the hearts of everyone present.
What if...
What if an 8th Circle mage had obliterated the capital of Odelia?
It would mean the Kronos Empire didn't just have two 8th Circle mages, but perhaps possessed a strategic power far beyond what anyone had calculated.
That was why Lucas had personally come to the ruins. He needed to inspect the site and uncover the truth.
Right then—
Crack!
"...T-this is impossible!" the mage gasped in horror.
He had been attempting to detect the residual magical energy using a specialized mana-measuring device of his own invention, but the artifact had violently shattered, overloaded by an overwhelming force.
Lucas frowned. "What went wrong?"
"Everything is wrong! No, this shouldn't be possible!"
The mage trembled violently. As he stared down at the broken pieces of his device, his eyes shook with raw terror.
"The artifact I developed was designed to measure up to 8th Circle magic. Yet, just by analyzing the lingering residue left in this crater, the device shattered. That means... either 8th Circle magic possesses a destructive force far greater than I ever hypothesized, or... this was magic from a realm beyond that."
The 8th Circle.
Or perhaps, something even higher.
Lucas's expression hardened into stone.
If the mage's words were true...
From this moment on, no one could celebrate the armistice with Kronos.
* * *
A summit was convened.
The attendees were different from before.
Dmitry, Cairo, Hector, Redford, Frank, and Umberto.
The representatives of these six nations—excluding the Odelia Kingdom, whose capital had been erased from the map—gathered at Roman Dmitry's summons.
The King of Frank was the first to speak.
"...Is the news about Odelia truly accurate? According to witnesses near the capital, a massive object fell from the sky and obliterated the city in an instant. That is not the power of a human. It is clear that the Kronos Empire possesses another strategic weapon we know nothing about, entirely separate from that 'devil' who appeared on the Western Front."
"Whatever the truth may be, the method doesn't matter," another representative interjected. "They wiped out Odelia's capital in a matter of minutes. This show of force proves they didn't accept the armistice out of weakness."
"Indeed. The Kronos Empire is hiding something terrifying."
The others quickly chimed in, anxiety spreading through the room like a plague.
Just yesterday, they had been popping champagne in victory, but the Kronos Empire's ruthless retaliation had plunged them all into a waking nightmare.
With mere human strength... was it really possible to obliterate an entire capital in just a few minutes?
It was impossible.
Even Roman Dmitry, the supreme martial entity they all looked up to—the man who had single-handedly slaughtered ten thousand troops at Rascal—could not accomplish such a feat. It was simply outside the human domain. The 'massive object' that had struck Odelia meant Kronos had wielded a power on par with Shepir, or perhaps a realm of magic that was utterly unimaginable.
Only then did the leaders truly realize what it meant to oppose the Kronos Empire.
Throughout the long, bloody history of the continent, the reason the ancestors of the Kingdom Alliance had never been able to resist was because of this exact, overwhelming power.
Roman Dmitry finally spoke.
"The incident in Odelia is a warning from Kronos. They didn't accept the truce because they lacked the power to fight; they simply decided they needed to catch their breath to prepare for the final war. Therefore, we must not be deceived by the word 'truce.' The war is not over. The moment the Kronos Empire completes their preparations, they will be the first to declare war, rendering this armistice completely meaningless."
"...Lord Roman Dmitry, do you truly believe we have a chance of winning a total war against Kronos?"
It was Edwin Hector who asked.
Roman Dmitry met his gaze calmly.
"Yes."
It was a concise, unwavering answer.
The room was instantly filled with a profound sense of admiration. Even though he had received the exact same horrifying intelligence as the rest of them, Roman Dmitry didn't show the slightest hint of agitation. His absolute composure washed over the representatives, bringing them immense relief. Just the fact that Roman Dmitry stood firm made them believe that victory against the Kronos Empire was still possible.
That was the sheer weight of Roman Dmitry's presence.
His towering mountain of accumulated victories had earned him their blind, unshakable trust.
"The war will resume sooner or later, and Dmitry has no intention of backing down. Although we have gathered here under the banner of the new Kingdom Alliance, I do not intend to force sacrifices upon any of you. But keep this in mind: there is no freedom without sacrifice. Any nation that fails to prepare for the day of the final battle, any nation that refuses to forge its future alongside Dmitry, will have to face the coming storm alone. When hardships fall upon you—just as they obliterated the capital of Odelia—you will have to solve your own problems."
These were not empty threats.
The destruction of Odelia had occurred while the rest of the continent stood by and watched. Roman Dmitry, the leader of the new Kingdom Alliance, was not a soft-hearted man.
"However, if you choose to follow Dmitry of your own accord, Dmitry will never betray your trust."
That, too, was an absolute truth.
Alongside his ruthless pragmatism, Roman Dmitry had always proven that he repaid loyalty tenfold.
And with that silent pact, the First Continental War officially came to an end.
* * *
Stepping outside, Roman Dmitry let the cold wind brush against his face as he recalled Lucas's report.
"According to the mage who investigated the site, he was absolutely certain the destructive force surpassed the magic Shepir had used. If so, we must consider the existence of the 9th Circle. Otherwise, there is no way magic of the same 8th Circle could display such a vast difference in power."
The 9th Circle.
It was a realm of pure myth.
While the existence of the 8th Circle had been theoretically confirmed by 7th Circle mages, the magical community had long concluded that it was the absolute limit for any mortal. The human body simply could not withstand nine circles. The moment a ninth circle formed around a mage's heart, the organ would instantly detonate, unable to bear the sheer density of nature's mana.
Yet, the terrifying possibility of the 9th Circle had now laid itself bare.
The power that had erased a capital in a single instant could not be explained without transcending common sense entirely.
Roman slowly raised his sword.
If...
If he were to exert his absolute full strength right now, could he achieve that same result?
No. It was impossible.
While he could certainly slaughter hundreds of thousands of troops over a prolonged battle, he could not wipe an entire capital off the map in a single instant like that unknown existence had. It was a power truly worthy of the term 'natural disaster.' Even in the Central Plains Murim, where he had ruled as the Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk, he had never once encountered an entity capable of wielding such apocalyptic destruction.
Therefore...
"Is this why I was summoned to this world?"
He looked up at the endless sky and smiled.
He was genuinely pleased.
His blood boiled with anticipation. While the rest of the continent tasted despair at the thought of such overwhelming power, Roman Dmitry only felt his martial spirit ignite into a raging inferno.
In his past life, the Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk had been utterly invincible.
Relying only on the Earth Stage, he had risen to become the Best Under Heaven. By the time he broke through to the Realm of Heaven, there was no opponent left in the world who could test his blade. From then on, his life had been a continuous, agonizing stretch of boredom. Even the legendary martial artists who had forged grand reputations across the Central Plains Murim were nothing more than toddlers swinging sticks before Baek Joong-hyuk. Unrivaled power had bred only suffocating tedium.
He had always yearned for a worthy rival.
He craved an existence that could force him to use his full strength, an opponent who could push him toward an even higher stage of enlightenment. He wished to unleash his power to its absolute limit and carve out a path for further growth.
"How thrilling."
Alexander did not know.
The Emperor's terrifying warning... had been received by Roman Dmitry as the greatest gift imaginable.
* * *
A triumphant return.
Dmitry's army finally marched home.
Celebrating Roman Dmitry's miraculous feat of repelling the Kronos Empire, the citizens of Dmitry poured into the streets, their deafening cheers of joy echoing through the city.
It was supposed to be a day of pure celebration.
However...
After finishing a meeting with his father, Roman Dmitry stepped out and saw the expression on Hans's face. He immediately knew grim news was waiting for him.
With a tear-streaked face and a trembling voice, Hans managed to deliver a single, heartbreaking sentence.
"...Young Master. Henderson has passed away."
After a long, painful battle with illness, Henderson had finally met his end.