Chapter 327: The Collapse of Arcadia (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 327: The Collapse of Arcadia (2)
One year after Baek Joong-hyuk ascended to the throne of the Heavenly Demon, a problem arose.
One of his half-brothers, who had fled like a coward during the Fratricidal War, resurfaced after rallying the remnants of the former regime. They had sought refuge in the North Sea Ice Palace. This was only possible because the mother of this half-brother hailed from there.
"As long as I, Baek Jin-myung, still draw breath, Baek Joong-hyuk cannot be called the absolute leader of the Demonic Cult."
Their voices echoed from the freezing lands of the North Sea.
Their goal wasn't to defeat Baek Joong-hyuk immediately. Baek Joong-hyuk had demonstrated overwhelming martial prowess during his ascent to the throne, and even with the backing of the North Sea Ice Palace, reclaiming the position by force was impossible. However, by emphasizing his bloodline as a descendant of the Heavenly Demon, Baek Jin-myung hoped to secure a crumb of power. He aimed to return to the Demonic Cult through a "reasonable compromise," fully convinced that even Baek Joong-hyuk couldn't touch him while he hid in the North Sea.
The North Sea.
It was forbidden territory.
The history of Murim, passed down through generations, carried a stern warning: never set foot in the lands of the North Sea.
Sure enough, just as Dmitry's leadership had recently raised their voices in debate, the leadership of the Demonic Cult had also split into two clashing factions back then.
"We must kill Baek Jin-myung. We cannot just stand by and watch him shake the very foundations of the Demonic Cult."
"Who doesn't know that? Baek Jin-myung revealed himself on purpose, fully aware of the danger. He did it because he trusts the North Sea's defenses. No matter how powerful our Demonic Cult is, marching into the North Sea to kill him is an impossible task."
"Whether it is impossible or not doesn't matter! This must be dealt with, no matter the sacrifice!"
"But if we fall into the enemy's trap, there will be no turning back!"
It was absolute chaos. Both sides had valid points.
While Baek Jin-myung's existence threatened the foundation of the Demonic Cult, the North Sea—with its biting winds and snow that piled past the knees—was not a place one could carelessly invade. The North Sea had never once fallen to an enemy. The martial artists of the North Sea Ice Palace knew exactly how to utilize their environment. The moment an enemy set foot in their territory, they refused to fight head-on. Instead, they relied on hit-and-run tactics to slowly drain their opponents' stamina.
Only when the invaders were shivering, starving, and exhausted would they finally strike.
The martial arts of the North Sea, specialized for that harsh environment, guaranteed an overwhelming victory on their home turf, no matter who the enemy was.
This was exactly why Baek Jin-myung had revealed himself. He knew that as long as he hid in the North Sea, even Baek Joong-hyuk wouldn't dare cross the line.
And if, by some extreme chance, Baek Joong-hyuk made a reckless move and invaded, it would present a golden opportunity to slay him and reclaim the throne of the Heavenly Demon.
On that day, Baek Joong-hyuk only had one thing to say.
"There are no exceptions in my Demonic Cult."
He mobilized his forces.
Baek Joong-hyuk knew that if he made an exception just because the North Sea's environment was harsh, cracks would form in his absolute authority. He made thorough preparations. To execute Baek Jin-myung, he marched into the frozen wastes of the North Sea, and from that moment on, a fierce war erupted. The white snow was stained crimson. Countless people died. The reputation of the North Sea was indeed not just for show; the warriors of the Ice Palace, who practically flew over the snowdrifts, were formidable.
But when Baek Joong-hyuk finally broke through the blizzard and reached the gates of the North Sea Ice Palace, his enemies realized a terrifying truth.
Baek Joong-hyuk, who had clawed his way from the very bottom to the absolute peak, was a monster who had overcome hardships far worse than the North Sea countless times. He was fundamentally different from a coward like Baek Jin-myung, who had fled from competition.
A one-sided slaughter ensued.
Baek Joong-hyuk smashed open the gates of the North Sea Ice Palace and cut down every single enemy in his path. Leaving behind a mountain of corpses, he severed the head of the terrified Baek Jin-myung in a single, merciless stroke.
The North Sea Ice Palace.
That was the moment their long history came to an end, dying alongside Baek Jin-myung.
Later, people of the Murim would claim that the martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace were lost when their great castle burned down, but the truth was different. The complete history and martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace vanished from the world, preserved only within Baek Joong-hyuk's mind and the treasure vaults of the Demonic Cult.
* * *
The North Sea.
Arcadia.
They were similar environments. Therefore, the danger of the extreme cold that Viscount Conrad had warned them about was not much of a problem for Roman.
The North Sea Ice Palace had mastered the cold. Aside from martial arts that utilized icy energy, they knew exactly how to survive in freezing, desolate environments. How to forage for food beneath the ice, how to build temporary shelters in blizzards, how to move swiftly over deep snow—the North Sea had established a flawless system for all of it.
In other words, when it came to the challenges of crossing over to Arcadia, the cold was simply not a significant enough factor to make him hesitate.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"What matters in this endeavor is whether it is worth the effort."
All eyes immediately focused on him. Though his retainers had been fiercely arguing just moments ago, they now listened intently to his words, the previous chaos vanishing as if it had never happened.
"Beyond the Endless Mountains... If the beings living in Arcadia had not encroached upon the Salamander Continent, I might have left their world alone as an exception. But reality is different. The Dwarves who have settled beneath the Endless Mountains, Queen Isabelle and her soldiers waging war against the Kronos Empire, and even Caden. They prove that Arcadia is a world living under the same sky as us. If so, the day will eventually come when the Orcs of Arcadia cross the Endless Mountains."
In his past life, Baek Joong-hyuk had respected the boundaries of the worlds outside the Central Plains. If the North Sea Ice Palace had been content with remaining in the Outer Murim, they might not have been destroyed.
But they crossed the line, and he crushed them for it.
The fact that the name 'Arcadia' was now repeatedly being brought up meant that it, too, had entered his realm of conquest.
"Arcadia has become a practical issue. From the moment Caden appeared and mentioned the existence of the Orcs, we can no longer exclude their presence from Dmitry's future. In that sense, Caden's words hold merit. To make the land beyond the Endless Mountains Dmitry's territory, we must wipe out the Orcs of Arcadia, and we will need a force like the Luna Kingdom to manage the region in our stead. However, that does not mean we need to take excessive risks. Therefore, I intend to accept this proposal conditionally."
His absolute priority was eliminating risk. There was absolutely no reason for Dmitry to endanger itself solely for the sake of the Luna Kingdom's safety.
"First, in exchange for our aid, the Luna Kingdom will be absorbed as a vassal state. Second, if they do not have a method prepared to traverse the Endless Mountains quickly, we will reject the proposal. And third... Felix, if we use a Teleport Scroll from beyond the Endless Mountains to return to Dmitry, how many people can be transported at once?"
"...Thirty people is the limit. With our current level of technology, any more than that would be difficult."
"Then third, only thirty people from Dmitry, including myself, will depart for Arcadia. We will prioritize the subjugation of the Orcs as requested, but if any danger arises for Dmitry, we will immediately use the Teleport Scroll to return."
These three conditions were arrangements made entirely for Dmitry's benefit.
* * *
The conditions were delivered to Caden.
A mere thirty people.
And a clause stating they could pull out and abandon the mission at any moment.
Caden felt his heart sink, but he had no intention of rejecting the proposal.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Queen Isabelle had said that Roman Dmitry was a being who had transcended human limits. Just the fact that Roman Dmitry himself was included among the thirty was enough to make Caden feel immensely grateful. Currently, the Luna Kingdom's biggest problem was that they had no one capable of facing Graxar. If Roman Dmitry could defeat that monstrous Orc, this expedition across the Endless Mountains would be more than worth it.
Roman Dmitry spoke. "I assume you have prepared a way to return to the Luna Kingdom quickly. Tell me your plan."
"Actually, to establish a connection with the Salamander Continent, the Luna Kingdom has been working on setting up Teleport Points throughout the Endless Mountains. On my way here, I marked temporary coordinates in areas where permanent points haven't been installed yet. If we utilize this network, we can reach Arcadia in about a week. However, we cannot depart immediately. While it is true that the situation in the Luna Kingdom is critical, we need about another week to prepare."
One week.
There was a specific reason for this delay. No matter how quickly they crossed the mountains, the biting cold of Arcadia was bound to cause severe problems.
"The cold in Arcadia completely defies normal standards. Therefore, your men need to adapt to the freezing temperatures using a specially crafted potion we developed, and you must learn various snow survival methods before we cross over."
"We will skip that process," Roman said flatly.
"Lord Roman Dmitry, it is an absolutely necessary process! If we don't, you will surely be in grave danger—"
"I am not saying we won't prepare. I will personally arrange for my men to be ready for the cold. Since we also need time to gather our forces, we will depart in a week as scheduled."
Caden was left speechless.
This was incredibly dangerous. He desperately wanted to persuade Roman otherwise, but because the Luna Kingdom was in an absolute position of weakness, he couldn't speak rashly.
Fearing he might bruise Dmitry's pride and ruin the alliance, Caden took a step back.
"Understood. But if you ever need my help with the preparations, please let me know at any time."
* * *
Over the next week, Caden's insides burned with anxiety.
He constantly fought the urge to seek out Roman Dmitry and warn him about the true dangers of Arcadia.
If he takes such an extreme environment lightly, it will end in absolute disaster.
The biting cold. The heavy, endless snow. Arcadia was a completely different world from the Salamander Continent.
First of all, the soldiers wouldn't be able to adapt to the extreme cold. But the real problem would arise when they finally encountered the Orcs. The deep snow would cause their feet to sink and trap them. The Orcs, who had lived in Arcadia all their lives, knew how to fight in the snowdrifts, so mobility wasn't an issue for them. Dmitry's soldiers, on the other hand, would likely panic and fail to display even half of their true strength.
Furthermore, there was the deadly phenomenon of Aura freezing. Due to the extreme ambient temperatures, delicate mana utilization was required just to manifest Aura properly. Yet, Roman claimed he would handle the preparations on his own, leaving Caden feeling incredibly frustrated.
Aside from Dmitry's safety, the very future of the Luna Kingdom was at stake.
Though he hesitated multiple times, he simply couldn't bring himself to force the issue with Roman Dmitry. If the man didn't feel the need for help, no amount of unsolicited advice would make a difference—it would be like talking to a brick wall.
Therefore, Caden decided he would try to persuade him once more after Dmitry's forces had actually experienced the bitter cold of Arcadia for themselves.
For now, he had to report the news back to the Luna Kingdom.
Beep.
"I am reporting the situation here. Roman Dmitry has agreed to help the Luna Kingdom. His force consists of thirty people. Including preparation and travel time, we should arrive in Arcadia in about two weeks. Please, avoid direct confrontations as much as possible and hold out by buying time."
The magical communication was not connected in real-time. It was a delayed system where messages arrived a few hours later. When the reply finally came, the voices on the other end were filled with disappointment.
[Caden. A mere thirty people? The Orcs of the Gray Wasteland number in the tens of thousands. We cannot turn the tide of this war with the help of only thirty men. Is there no way to persuade Roman Dmitry to provide more troops?]
"This is already the best we can get. From Dmitry's perspective, there is no reason to overextend themselves to help us. Currently, on the Salamander Continent, the Valhalla Empire is showing signs of civil war. If Dmitry mobilizes too many troops, they will be exposing their own borders to massive risk. That is why we cannot ask for more. You know this well, don't you? Even if we were in their position, we wouldn't have helped a foreign nation to that extent."
[...Understood. Travel safely.]
He completely understood the disappointment on the other end of the line. Since Dmitry was the Luna Kingdom's only hope, the number 'thirty' must have sounded like utter despair.
For now, he chose to trust Queen Isabelle's judgment.
In truth, the people of the Luna Kingdom, Caden included, did not accurately know what kind of existence Roman Dmitry truly was. Information had merely been passed down by word of mouth from those who had witnessed his war with the Kronos Empire, making his rumored achievements feel somewhat exaggerated and unrealistic.
However, Isabelle had firmly stated that even if they only managed to secure the help of Roman Dmitry alone, the mission would be a success. At any rate, since Roman had agreed to journey to the Luna Kingdom, Caden forced down his negative thoughts.
And so, a week passed.
Now, it was time to depart for Arcadia, the frozen lands beyond the Endless Mountains.