Chapter 392: The Presence of Just One Person (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 392: The Presence of Just One Person (2)
All eyes turned to the sky.
As the severed head of Count Soler—the supreme commander of the Kronos Imperial Army—tumbled through the air, their minds simply stopped working.
"...This is insane."
"Count Soler is dead!"
They were utterly aghast. Their opponent was just one man.
Yet, after tearing through the Kronos Imperial Army single-handedly, he had disposed of Count Soler as easily as breathing. Fear flooded their minds. During the total war against Dmitry, the 300,000-strong army that had marched onto Cairo's territory with absolute certainty of victory had been virtually annihilated.
Then and now... nothing had changed.
If anything, back when they had Shepir, an 8th Circle Mage, they'd at least harbored a sliver of hope. Now? There was no conceivable way to handle the monster standing right before their eyes. Even amidst the chaos, Roman Dmitry did not stop. Not content with merely claiming Count Soler's life, he slaughtered every single person in his line of sight.
Boom!
Rumble!
A storm of Aura erupted.
Watching him effortlessly cut down the Aura Swordsmen rushing at him, Count Soler's adjutant shrieked.
"Re-retreat! We must preserve our forces and look for another opportunity!"
"Everyone, fall back!"
This was never part of the plan.
Their absolute priority had been to crush Umberto with overwhelming force, but the adjutant knew that if they stayed, the disastrous defeat they suffered during the total war against Dmitry would only repeat itself. Those who had been so certain of victory had paid for their arrogance with their lives. The terrified warnings of the defeated generals—drilled into their ears until they formed scabs—reminded them that fighting Kronos's greatest nightmare head-on was a fool's errand.
First and foremost, they had to survive.
Pushing forward with sheer numbers and no strategy would simply add another line to Roman Dmitry's legendary list of achievements.
"Aaargh!"
"Run!"
It was a living hell.
It was a sight that defied belief, even as it unfolded right before their eyes. Yet, not a single soldier in the Kronos Imperial Army found it strange that an army of hundreds of thousands was fleeing from just one man. Such was the crushing weight of Roman Dmitry's name. The soldiers shoved one another in a frantic bid to escape. Those pushed to the rear had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge at the demon of Dmitry.
And without fail...
Flash!
Rumble!
Their heads were sent flying. Limbs were torn apart in geysers of blood.
The adjutant never looked back. Sprinting breathlessly, he completely abandoned the safety of his men, repeatedly screaming at them to break formation and run.
Damn it.
He gritted his teeth. Leading the great army of Kronos only to flee like whipped dogs was utterly humiliating. But there was no other choice. They could try to ignore Roman Dmitry and focus on crushing Umberto, but unless they solved the fundamental problem, that single monster would devour Kronos entirely. Hadn't the previous war already proven the disastrous consequences of ignoring the difference one man could make?
The adjutant frantically rationalized his cowardice, telling himself that this was a tactical retreat made for the sake of the Empire by a loyal officer who had just lost his commander.
Save the troops. Plan a counterattack.
Since Roman Dmitry was alone, he was certain that if they utilized the vastness of the battlefield, an opportunity would eventually present itself.
It was then.
How far had they run? Just as the vanguard was about to enter a densely forested area, mysterious figures suddenly emerged from the surrounding foliage.
"It's Kronos!"
"Attack!"
"Kill every last one of them!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Rumble!
Countless arrows blackened the sky. On the ground, magic bombs detonated, instantly sweeping away the soldiers at the very front of the retreat.
It was a trap.
The adjutant's face turned deathly pale.
Why? Why is there a trap here?!
Goosebumps erupted across his skin. Could it be... had Roman Dmitry anticipated their retreat?
Before he could even finish the thought, a powerful explosion erupted right beneath his feet, severing his consciousness forever.
Boom!
Crash! Rumble!
* * *
The man leading the ambush was part of Umberto's leadership.
His name was Baron Verison, and during their last war council, he had shown considerable skepticism toward this operation.
Is this really the right move?
The operation was reckless. Their only reinforcement was Roman Dmitry, yet he had delivered an astonishingly absurd plan.
"Divert a portion of Umberto's forces to block their retreat. If you set up a trap and wait, you can wipe out the fleeing enemies in one fell swoop."
It sounded plausible in theory, but the fundamental premise was deeply flawed.
Baron Verison worried that even with Roman Dmitry joining the fray, dealing with the massive Kronos army would result in devastating casualties. He didn't doubt Roman Dmitry's strength. Roman would undoubtedly exert immense influence, just as he had in the previous war, but Umberto's losses would still be unavoidable.
Under such circumstances, Roman Dmitry's plan was predicated on an overwhelming, crushing victory.
He claimed that the Kronos Empire would turn tail and flee the moment he arrived, ordering Umberto not to focus solely on defending the castle, but to make the bold choice of diverting a portion of their already stretched forces. Naturally, the leadership had objected. They argued that when focusing entirely on defense was barely enough to survive, placing troops along a hypothetical retreat route was an incredibly inefficient gamble.
After a heated debate, they had yielded.
It wasn't that they trusted the plan completely, but rather that they couldn't argue with the absurd achievements Roman Dmitry had stacked up thus far. In truth, Baron Verison had been anxious up until just moments ago. He had even considered abandoning the ambush and returning to help defend Umberto if things went awry.
But the reality was shocking.
The Kronos Imperial Army had actually fled. Disorganized and in complete disarray, they were practically throwing themselves straight into the jaws of the beast.
Boom!
Rumble!
"Aaargh!"
Magic bombs detonated in all directions.
Thousands of soldiers were instantly swept away by the hidden explosives, forcing the Kronos Imperial Army to halt in sheer panic. Meanwhile, arrows rained down from the sky, piercing through their bodies. Caught completely off guard and unable to form a shield wall, the barrage of arrows tore through arms and embedded into skulls in an instant.
Thud!
Absolute chaos ensued.
Watching their comrades fall one after another, the Kronos soldiers charged forward frantically, their faces pale with terror.
"Attack!"
"Clear a path!"
There was no other way. Behind them, Roman Dmitry was rapidly closing in.
Knowing they would all die the moment he caught up to them, they charged desperately, ignoring the severe terrain disadvantage. From then on, a living hell of screams and carnage unfolded. No matter how strong the Kronos army was, breaking through the defenses of Umberto's forces—who had already secured the high ground—was no easy task.
Bodies piled up into mountains.
The sight of the enemy charging with the desperation of cornered rats was terrifying, but Baron Verison did not waver in the slightest. The man who had been so skeptical just hours ago now burned with blind faith.
In his heart, and in the hearts of his soldiers, a powerful conviction took root.
"Hold the line! If we just hold on, Roman Dmitry will arrive!"
Sure enough.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Aaargh!"
As the slaughter began anew from the rear, Baron Verison, his face flushed with adrenaline, roared for his soldiers to fight to the bitter end.
* * *
As the sun began to set, Umberto's soldiers let out deafening cheers at the sight of Roman Dmitry returning to the castle.
"Roman! Roman! Roman!"
"Roman! Roman! Roman!"
"Thank you! Thanks to you, Umberto has survived!"
The fortress erupted in jubilation.
They had witnessed it with their own eyes—the absolute paradigm shift brought about by just a single person. At the sight of him unilaterally slaughtering their foes, the mighty Kronos army had crumbled, and Umberto had seized that opening to wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop. Just a few days ago, Umberto had been agonizing over its very survival. Having witnessed the living legend of Roman Dmitry firsthand, they couldn't help but scream his name like zealots.
The same applied to Umberto's leadership.
Those who had expressed the most doubt, led by Baron Verison, were now the first to step forward with broad, reverent smiles.
"You are truly magnificent."
"To be completely honest, I never imagined you would sweep through the Kronos Empire's forces all by yourself. Through this battle, I have come to fully understand why people call Lord Roman Dmitry the First Sword of the Continent. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to you, Umberto was pulled back from the brink of destruction."
"Please, allow us to guide you inside."
Their eyes were filled with profound respect and immense goodwill.
They were still in a daze. Just one person. Their reinforcements had consisted of only a single man.
With Dmitry's main armies dispatched to Cairo and Hector, Roman Dmitry's arrival alone had instantly overturned a war that had seemed utterly hopeless. Ordinary people often claimed that an individual could never defeat the masses. But if an individual was strong enough to completely shatter common sense, the difference in numbers became entirely meaningless.
Kronos knew this fact as well. The very reason they had split the battlefield into multiple fronts was to minimize the impact of this single monster as much as possible.
They moved to the council room.
The joy was short-lived; the war was far from over, and they had to immediately address the remaining threats. Calderon Drake offered Roman the seat of honor. Under Roman Dmitry's watchful gaze, Baron Verison spoke.
"First, allow me to explain Umberto's current situation. Due to Kronos's brutal assault, our losses are not light. If we leave behind an adequate garrison to guard against potential follow-up attacks, the number of troops Umberto can mobilize right now is less than a hundred thousand."
The grand scale of the war was still grim. Battles were raging on three other fronts: Cairo, Hector, and the Lawless Zone. If those regions did not receive aid quickly, they could collapse at any moment.
"How about we resolve the issue in the Southern Three Kingdoms first? Just as Dmitry sent its forces to Cairo and Hector, I believe it would be best for Umberto's troops to handle the Lawless Zone, considering our geography and supply routes. Once we stabilize the situation in the Southern Three Kingdoms, we can focus all our efforts on the other battlefields."
It was a perfectly reasonable strategy.
However, Roman Dmitry did not agree. Looking down at the map spread across the table, he analyzed the state of each battlefield one by one.
"From this point on, we must deploy our forces with absolute precision. First, the Western Front of Cairo. The Kronos Empire mobilized a massive army to attack them, yet Cairo has held its ground without collapsing. However, this does not mean their situation is optimistic. Through past conflicts, the Cairo Kingdom prepared for war with the firm conviction that Kronos would tear up the ceasefire agreement at any moment. That preparation is the only reason they are still holding out. But now, the annihilation of the Kronos forces here in Umberto will force the Empire's hand. They will likely pour everything they have into crushing Cairo before any other variables can arise."
He shifted his gaze. Hector's territory came into view.
"Second, the Southern Front of Hector. Honestly, I didn't think they could hold out for long, but the situation changed when Prince Edwin Hector reached the 7th Circle. He secured an oath of loyalty from the mages of the Sky Magic Tower. Mages specialize in siege defense, and they have held the line until now through the sheer power of their magical forces. However, their real trouble starts now. Valhalla failed to keep me tied down. Having lost their primary target, their forces will march toward Hector instead of the Southern Three Kingdoms. This means Hector is about to face a total war against Valhalla."
Both battlefields were in critical condition. But the last one, the Lawless Zone, was entirely different.
"Compared to the first two, the situation in the Lawless Zone is not severe. The entities causing chaos there are ultimately just rioters. Since they lack systematic armaments, defending against their attacks is not difficult as long as we don't make reclaiming the Lawless Zone our top priority. Rioters without siege equipment or magic weapons have no way of bringing down high castle walls in a short period of time."
Now was the time to make a choice. And Roman Dmitry had already made his decision.
"For that reason, I intend to exclude the Southern Three Kingdoms from our immediate priorities."
* * *
It was a bold decision.
Unlike the bewildered Baron Verison, Calderon Drake felt goosebumps prickle across his skin at Roman Dmitry's words.
Prioritizing the battlefields... Roman Dmitry always sees the true essence of the war.
Roman Dmitry was absolutely right. While resolving the Southern Three Kingdoms' issues would put Umberto's mind at ease, the Lawless Zone was simply not important enough to prioritize when looking at the grand scale of the war. The rioters in the Lawless Zone were merely commoners. Though they were said to be acting with rabid madness, they still couldn't breach a fortified castle.
It was purely a matter of time. In a situation where every single second counted, Roman Dmitry ruthlessly laid out the true priorities.
Cairo and Hector are under direct threat from the two empires. With the entire Kingdom Alliance shaking, Roman Dmitry lent weight to his own strategy by helping the Umberto Kingdom first. Right after Dmitry repelled Kronos, the most dangerous battlefield was Umberto, which is exactly why Roman Dmitry appeared here to help us. He has been acting according to the battlefield's true priorities from the very beginning.
Because of that, Drake trusted him.
A man who only cared about his own interests would have prioritized the battlefields directly connected to Dmitry's borders. But by coming to Umberto's aid, Roman Dmitry proved that he made his decisions by looking at the war as a whole.
Calderon Drake spoke up.
"I agree with Lord Roman Dmitry's assessment. Rather than the Southern Lawless Zone, resolving the situations in Cairo and Hector must be our absolute priority. The question is which of the two we should reinforce first. The Kingdom Alliance's forces are severely limited. If we divide our troops half-heartedly, we might achieve nothing on either front. We need to resolve these crises one by one with a clear, unified direction. Furthermore, since Umberto's available forces are not numerous, trying to catch two rabbits at once is impossible."
On both battlefields, Kronos and Valhalla would be pouring in everything they had. They were certain that with the fate of their nations on the line, those conflicts would not be resolved as easily as the battle in Umberto.
All eyes focused on Roman.
Since Calderon Drake had agreed, there was no reason to object further. Especially for men like Baron Verison, today's battle had forged an unbreakable trust in Roman Dmitry.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"The plan is simple."
He picked up a piece from the map. Moving the knight piece that represented Umberto's forces, he placed it down in a single spot for everyone to see.
Clack.
The commanders' eyes widened in shock. The piece had been placed in a completely unexpected location.
"From now on, we will march directly toward the Kronos Empire."
A northern march.
That was the conclusion Roman Dmitry had reached.