Chapter 293: Those Heading to Dmitry (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 293: Those Heading to Dmitry (6)
Kevin’s shout.
Chris felt a surge of irritation.
Ever since he began following Roman Dmitry, Chris had never once thought Kevin could ever surpass him.
‘Kevin and I started from completely different places.’
Years ago, Kevin and Chris had entered Roman Dmitry's service around the same time. Since the duration of their training couldn't account for any gap in skill, it was only natural that Chris—who had been an Aura Swordsman from the very beginning—would completely overwhelm Kevin. Yet, Kevin had always harbored a fierce inferiority complex. Clinging to the fact that he had followed Roman Dmitry first, Kevin desperately wanted to become stronger than Chris. He had indeed developed at a terrifying pace, but Chris had never paid it much mind.
A genius.
Chris was no ordinary man.
He had carved out his own path. His growth—which Roman Dmitry had praised, calling him a "pioneer"—left no room for him to accept Kevin as a rival. That was why his pride was wounded. Even now, absolutely certain that he completely outmatched Kevin, he hated hearing such words from him. It didn't matter that Kevin was renowned as the Evil Ghost of Dmitry.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
With a razor-sharp gaze, Chris tracked Ares's every movement.
Flash!
Rumble!
Ares lunged forward.
In an instant, dozens of streaks of light erupted from Chris, shooting straight toward Ares. He had integrated his Aura emission with the Lightning attribute, blocking Ares's approach with a swordsmanship that sealed off all directions. Light flashed. It was an onslaught that would force even Rankers like Diego to hesitate—yet Ares deflected every single strike without breaking his charge.
Whoosh!
Piercing through the raging Aura, Ares's figure materialized.
Chris tried to step back to gain some distance, but at that exact moment, something flashed and pierced right past his head.
Flash!
Boom!
A violent explosion rocked the arena.
The Fast Sword Technique was not Chris's exclusive domain.
As a powerful shockwave grazed his face, Chris's eyes trembled. It was a speed comparable to his own. In his entire life, Chris had never met anyone who wielded such terrifying swordsmanship other than Roman Dmitry. Looking at Ares's relaxed expression, Chris knew the man had intentionally missed.
It was a warning.
A message that if he wanted victory, he would have to risk his life.
Ares's reputation as a genius of swordsmanship suddenly weighed heavily on Chris's shoulders.
In this touch-and-go situation, Chris was certain of one thing:
'If my final secret technique is blocked, I will never be able to defeat Ares.'
The problem was that he lacked the confidence to control his newly developed secret technique. If he used it, he would have to aim to take his opponent's life. Just as Ares had spared him, Chris did not want this duel to end in death. As this split-second hesitation paralyzed Chris, Ares flared his Aura with a disappointed expression.
"Let's finish this."
Boom!
A heavy impact exploded.
Chris was shoved backward. Ares's sword traced beautiful, deadly curves, giving Chris no room to breathe. Striking from the right, then the left. Just as Chris inhaled and blocked an attack, another strike would fly in from a near-impossible angle. This wasn't an improvised assault. Ares was systematically calculating Chris's every reaction and driving him into a corner.
Chris's insides boiled.
With Kevin's shout echoing in his mind, Chris couldn't shake off the thought of his secret technique.
Rumble!
Aura exploded.
Just as Ares was about to put an end to the match, Chris's sharp gaze locked onto Ares's vitals.
It was then.
"Stop. Time is up."
A calm voice rang out, completely detached from the fierce battle.
Yet at those brief words, Chris stopped his movements instantly, even as he choked back a mouthful of blood from forcibly suppressing his exploding Aura.
Roman Dmitry.
His lord's command was absolute.
* * *
This duel was Ares's clear victory.
Although it hadn't reached a proper conclusion because the scheduled three minutes had elapsed, Chris couldn't be sure he would have defeated Ares even with more time. Roman Dmitry observed Ares. He wasn't admiring the man's skill for pushing Chris so hard; rather, he saw traces of Murim in the foundation of the power Ares used.
'He isn't following the system typically used by Aura Swordsmen.'
Alexander.
The people of this world based their swordsmanship on the explosive manifestation of Aura conceived by the original founder. But Ares did not try to resolve every situation with explosive power alone. Sometimes he struck explosively, and other times he utilized merely a fraction of his mana—he knew how to use Aura opportunistically, much like the martial artists of Murim.
That didn't mean he was a true Murim martial artist.
It was merely similar.
And crude.
Yet, it was at a level that made Roman think: if someone had forged a new path based on Alexander's techniques, the current Ares would be the result. It was an incomplete stage. For that very reason, Roman had no choice but to highly evaluate Ares's existence. While the people of the Salamander Continent blindly accepted Alexander's techniques as absolute truth and failed to conceive of new directions, Ares had rejected the mainstream consensus and carved out his own domain.
A pioneer.
Ares was a genius.
Had the Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk not reincarnated in this world, the swordsmanship of the Salamander Continent would have eventually experienced a massive upheaval because of this man.
'Creating something from nothing. The Sword Demon was just like that.'
The Sword Demon.
As one of the Four Heavenly Kings who followed Baek Joong-hyuk, he had lived a highly unique life. The Sword Demon's power did not originate from Baek Joong-hyuk. Born as the son of a third-rate martial artist, he had inherited a third-rate martial art from his father, who had died in battle. From then on, he dreamed of becoming strong, relentlessly practicing that third-rate technique. Every time he encountered a new martial art, he absorbed its essence to supplement his own, eventually creating an entirely new realm.
He was a pioneer.
The experience he accumulated through blood and death eventually forged him into a master worthy of the title 'Sword Demon'.
No one had taught him.
He hadn't stumbled upon any miraculous encounters or hidden legacies.
Teachings that others dismissed as common became the absolute foundation of his growth. When he finally met the Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk, the Sword Demon had been wandering the world in search of the strong. And he knelt. When he realized that the absolute ideal he sought resided in Baek Joong-hyuk, the Sword Demon worshipped him as a god.
Ares and the Sword Demon.
They were cut from the exact same cloth.
While Chris had been guided by Roman Dmitry's hints toward a new direction, these two had forged their own paths without anyone's advice. Ares was an intriguing existence. For a man like him to apply for a mere private soldier recruitment meant he surely harbored a different purpose, rather than being swayed by obvious temptations like wealth and glory.
Sure enough.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Roman Dmitry. I know this is an insolent request for our first meeting, but a duel of this level isn't enough to quiet my boiling blood. Would you do me the honor of teaching me a lesson?"
A provocative statement.
Ares pointed his sword directly at Roman Dmitry.
* * *
Roman Dmitry's prediction was correct.
Ares.
The reason he had headed to Dmitry was because of the rumors circulating throughout the world.
"Roman Dmitry must have invented a new method of manifesting Aura, completely different from Alexander's. Otherwise, how on earth could his subordinates defeat masters like Diego and Blanco? Considering how Roman Dmitry defeated Butler in the war against Hector, he must have perfected an unknown technique that was previously incomplete."
Part of it was true.
While Roman had initially needed time to analyze the explosive nature of Aura, he had eventually found a way to overwhelm it using his own methods. He was convinced that Alexander's technique was fundamentally flawed. Because of his teachings, Chris and Kevin were able to defeat opponents far stronger than themselves.
Ares had been drawn in by those rumors.
He pursued the absolute depths of swordsmanship.
If there was room for him to grow, he was willing to kneel before Roman Dmitry just to learn this rumored technique. An insatiable thirst for knowledge was the very core of Ares's being. Although the Emperors of the Kronos Empire and Valhalla had offered him astronomical sums to recruit him, he had chosen to forge his own future.
The atmosphere turned icy.
At the blatant challenge directed at Roman Dmitry, his men glared at Ares with murderous intent.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"I do not like those who do not know their place. This is not a stage for you and me to duel. If you wish, I will gladly accept your challenge—but the moment I do, you will fail the 3rd Test."
It was a baffling response.
Ares was someone every faction desperately wanted to recruit.
Even the Kronos Empire would have showered him with gold and treasures to win him over, yet Roman Dmitry treated him no differently from any other private soldier. While having such a figure pass the test would undoubtedly be beneficial, Roman made it clear: if someone broke his rules, he had no need for them, even if they were the continent's greatest genius.
"Choose."
Instantly, Ares's expression froze.
The sheer pressure radiating from Roman Dmitry completely bound Ares in place.
‘...The rumors weren't exaggerated in the slightest.’
The rumored Roman Dmitry.
He was already being discussed as the best under heaven.
Ares had acknowledged Roman's existence solely based on the fact that he had defeated Hannibal, but facing him in person, Ares didn't even dare to look up. He understood the hidden meaning behind Roman Dmitry's words. It was a stark warning: if he wished to become Roman's man, he must discard the delusion that he was special.
To Roman Dmitry, Ares was no different from anyone else.
If he failed to meet the criteria, even Ares would be disqualified.
Ares sheathed his sword.
Having witnessed Roman's power firsthand, the choice became remarkably easy.
"I do not wish to fail the 3rd Test. I apologize for overstepping my bounds."
Just like the Sword Demon, Ares's burning thirst for knowledge completely shattered his pride.
* * *
A few days later, the 3rd Test concluded.
There were about six hundred successful candidates, and they all gathered at the designated location for the 4th Test.
Familiar faces could be seen among the crowd.
High-profile participants like Fabir, Fred, Logan, and Ares had declared their intention to take the 4th Test. Although they didn't know what kind of trial remained, barring any major anomalies, their passing was practically guaranteed.
"What kind of test do you think it will be?"
"I'm not sure, but I doubt it will be easy."
The 3rd Test had been truly shocking.
Roman Dmitry's private soldiers, even the nameless ones, had displayed overwhelming martial prowess. The presence of Chris and Kevin was particularly staggering. Iron Logan had knelt before Kevin. And although Chris had ultimately been pushed back, the mere fact that he had engaged in such a fierce clash with Ares was enough to draw immense admiration.
One thing was certain: Dmitry's people had not been strong from the beginning.
As was widely known, Kevin was from the slums. Just a few years ago, far from being able to face someone like Iron Logan, he was a weakling who would get beaten up by street thugs like Blood Fang. Roman Dmitry's teachings were extraordinary. The fact that he cherished his people, combined with the undeniable proof that following him led to astronomical growth, translated directly into the candidates' desperate yearning to pass this final 4th Test.
Everyone kept their thoughts to themselves.
The final test was highly likely to be a brutal competition.
Excessive conversation was nothing but a useless waste of energy.
It was then.
Roman Dmitry appeared.
Drawing everyone's eyes, he exuded a presence so overwhelming that merely looking at him was daunting.
Step.
He stood before the crowd.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"Congratulations on passing the 3rd Test. You have sufficiently proven your individual capabilities. From the moment you passed the 3rd Test, it would not be strange for any of you to make the final cut. However, there is one more thing I wish to verify."
This recruitment of private soldiers.
There had been voices of concern from the very beginning.
Unlike when he was nameless, the path Roman Dmitry intended to walk now was bound to be fraught with extreme danger.
He scanned the participants.
Their diverse faces were visibly tense.
"I am aware that there are foreign spies among you. We have already identified several individuals through our Information Guild, and rooting them out is precisely the purpose of the 4th Test. I will give you exactly ten minutes. Those who step forward and reveal their identities within that time will be allowed to leave alive. I promise this on the honor of Dmitry."
Shing!
He drew his sword.
Its sharp aura radiated an untouchable, deadly presence.
"If you do not reveal your identity by the end of this time, I will take it as permission to kill you. Those who pass the 4th Test will be the ones still standing here alive when the execution is over."