Chapter 402: Continental Conquest (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 402: Continental Conquest (1)
Hector.
Every single day, a desperate, brutal battle repeated itself on its borders.
The Valhalla Empire was determined to break through, and the Hector Kingdom was bleeding to hold them back.
As the enemy surged through the crumbling castle walls, Edwin Hector squeezed every last drop of mana from his circles and cast his magic.
"Fire Storm."
Stumble.
His body swayed dangerously.
A violently swirling tempest of flames swept the enemy away, but the sudden depletion of mana nearly brought him to his knees. Still, he gritted his teeth and held his ground. Knowing that even the slightest sign of weakness would sap his soldiers' morale, he maintained a resolute front despite his pale, gaunt face.
"Deploy the shieldbearers to buy us some time! The Sky Mages need to recover their mana before launching another counterattack!"
"Understood!"
The battlefield burned white-hot.
Until now, Hector had been fighting a lonely war.
Although Dmitry's reinforcements had arrived, they weren't enough to turn the tide of battle. It was only through Edwin Hector's brilliant command and the destructive power of the Sky Mages that they had somehow managed to hold the line. But even that was reaching its absolute limit. Seeing Edwin Hector panting heavily, Butler cleaved through an enemy soldier and shouted over the din of battle.
"Your Highness! We cannot hold out any longer! At this rate, the very foundation of the Hector Kingdom will crumble!"
The border.
Hector had poured the entirety of its military might into this single line of defense.
Faced with a situation where a single breach meant total annihilation rather than a temporary setback, Butler was the first to suggest a retreat. Hector had done more than enough. No one in the world would blame them for falling back after holding off the Valhalla Empire for over ten days.
But Edwin Hector refused to back down.
Meeting Butler's gaze, his eyes burned with an unyielding resolve.
"We cannot retreat."
"Your Highness!"
"This is not bravado. It is what we must do, Butler. If we surrender the border to the Valhalla Empire and retreat, what future is left for us? A single defeat will topple us like dominoes. Furthermore, Valhalla's advance will put massive pressure on Dmitry. That is why we must hold. This war is not simply about winning or losing; the moment we fail, the kingdom dies. Fire Arrow!"
Whoosh!
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted.
Incinerating an enemy soldier scaling the wall, Edwin Hector's face grew a shade paler.
"Look at the bigger picture. If Dmitry falls, everything ends. If the only counterweight capable of opposing the Kronos Empire disappears, Hector will be forced to repeat the same suffering we endured during the great famine. We must not fear sacrifice. If our last stand increases Dmitry's chances of victory by even a fraction, I will stop at nothing to block the enemy. Even if all of Hector is engulfed in the flames of war. That is the only way our nation survives."
He knew it too.
He knew the despair of their reality better than anyone.
Edwin Hector was a brilliant man, and precisely because he could foresee the future, he had no choice but to fight with such foolish stubbornness.
Hector's future had to be tied to Dmitry.
If Kronos—an empire that thought nothing of using black magic to satisfy its own ambitions—conquered the continent, the people of Hector would suffer endlessly once more. He could not allow that. Even if history remembered him as a foolish leader who led his men to slaughter, he would bear the burden of doing what had to be done.
Flash.
Butler cut down another enemy.
Already drenched in blood, he replied with a serene expression.
"...Understood. Whatever decision you make, Your Highness, I will stand by your side until the very end."
They were men born from a history of defeat.
Having held power when Hector was barely a functioning nation, their lives as rulers had been anything but smooth. Even so, they had no desire to become traitors who abandoned their homeland. If they possessed such weak constitutions, Butler would have grasped the hand the Valhalla Empire had secretly extended to him long ago.
Yet, contrary to their fierce resolve, reality was grim.
With the castle walls crumbling in a dozen places and enemies continuously pouring through the gaps, it felt as though all hope for the border was lost.
It was then.
"Prince Edwin! We won! Roman Dmitry has won!"
A communications soldier rushed over, panting heavily.
As everyone's eyes instantly locked onto him, the soldier, his face flushed with excitement, blurted out the urgent dispatch.
"Dmitry has completely repelled Kronos! And I have just received a confirmed report that Emperor Alexander was killed in the process!"
At those words...
It's not over yet.
Clench.
Edwin Hector tightly balled his hands into fists.
* * *
Dmitry's victory.
The tide of war had completely turned.
In an instant, the Kingdom Alliance seized the momentum, and a magical projection conference was immediately convened at Roman Dmitry's command.
The Southern Three Kingdoms.
Hector.
Cairo.
Dmitry.
All the key figures were in attendance.
Having been briefed on the agenda beforehand, the King of Redford was the first to voice his concerns.
"Do you truly intend to continue the war like this?" the King asked through the projection. "War, in the end, is an act of mutual destruction. If we do not use this opening Kronos has given us to seek peace, we won't be able to reverse the situation later."
"I share the King of Redford's concerns," the King of Umberto chimed in. "The enemy's forces are still largely intact. While the Empire's atrocities deserve punishment, we must think and judge carefully."
It was loyal, sincere advice.
They weren't trying to back down out of simple cowardice; they were questioning whether this was truly necessary. A continental conquest was no simple matter. If they negotiated a reasonable settlement with Kronos and Valhalla, they could end the war here. But if they pushed them to the brink, there was no telling what a cornered rat might do.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"The reason I want to seize this opportunity is because the command structures of both Kronos and Valhalla have entirely collapsed. Valhalla has lost its Emperor. Having barely restored peace after a difficult rebellion, they were suddenly dragged onto the battlefield amidst the chaos. Count Snodin, who currently leads Valhalla, has not fully established control over the empire. Although he is temporarily acting as regent in recognition of his past achievements, he lacks the absolute authority to lead the people now that the truth about Kronos has been revealed."
A continental conquest.
This was not an emotional decision.
He had analyzed the geopolitical landscape and made his choice after thorough deliberation.
"The same goes for Kronos. They have always maintained a rigid power structure centered around the Emperor, but Alexander's revelation of his true identity must have sent shockwaves through their ranks. Now that the Emperor who ruled Kronos has been exposed as nothing more than a demonic puppet, internal strife is bound to break out. That is why I made this decision. As time passes, their chaos will settle, and they will create new threats to survive under a new power structure. Now is our chance. If we tear down these two empires while they are nothing more than castles of sand, we can eliminate all foreseeable dangers."
Across the magical projections, the representatives of each nation fell silent.
They agreed with his logic.
It was undeniably a golden opportunity, but because the risks were equally astronomical, they could not easily bring themselves to commit.
"May I ask a question?"
It was Edwin Hector.
Although Roman had already secured his absolute loyalty, this was a public forum, so Roman Dmitry maintained proper etiquette.
"Speak."
"I, too, agree that this is a great opportunity," Edwin Hector said. "However, the current state of the Kingdom Alliance is far from ideal. While we can defend our own territories from the enemy, we simply do not have the military strength to cross their borders. How exactly do you plan to bring down two empires? The moment we step into enemy territory, the nature of this war will change completely."
It was a sharp, valid question.
All eyes focused on Roman.
If he could provide a flawless answer to Edwin Hector's inquiry, they were prepared to follow Roman Dmitry to the ends of the continent.
"The method is simple."
The moment Alexander fell, the paradigm of this war had shifted.
"Alexander was a 9th Circle Mage. Now that such an absolute being has been defeated, how do you think the enemy perceives me? From this moment on, I will weaponize their fear."
Fear.
It was a weapon more lethal than any blade, capable of bringing a decisive end to the war.
* * *
A few days later.
The enemy appeared at the border of Kronos.
Baron Lorello, the newly appointed commander of the border defense, swallowed hard as he stared at the approaching forces.
"...How on earth are we supposed to stop that?"
Not long ago, orders had come down from high command.
They were currently investigating the matters regarding Alexander, so for now, Lorello was ordered to hold off Dmitry's attack by any means necessary. Baron Lorello couldn't help but feel a suffocating weight on his chest. According to the rumors from the battlefield, their opponent was a literal demon of war. Yet, Baron Lorello had absolutely no intention of meekly opening the gates.
The reason he had been stationed here was simple: Baron Lorello was a fanatic patriot.
Even in the face of a bleak reality, he was the kind of man who would stubbornly hold his post to the bitter end, which was exactly why Marquis Memphis had appointed him as the new commander.
Unlike him, however, the soldiers were trembling with sheer terror.
With pale, bloodless faces, they tried desperately to steady their shaking bodies as they stared out at the battlefield.
Tramp. Tramp. Tramp.
The soldiers of the Kingdom Alliance came to a halt.
And then, a single man stepped forward.
It was Roman Dmitry.
As the anxiety of the defenders reached a fever pitch, Roman Dmitry swept his cold gaze across the castle walls and raised his voice.
"I am Roman Dmitry of Dmitry. One hour from now, I will launch my attack. I will tear down these walls and slaughter every enemy in sight. But before I do, I will give you a single chance."
Atop the walls, the soldiers began to murmur.
A chance?
This was a development they had never anticipated.
"The current Emperor of Kronos was merely Alexander's puppet. Alexander was a demon who dabbled in black magic to achieve eternal life, and he committed countless atrocities that no human should ever commit. I ask you: even knowing the ugly truth about Kronos, do you still intend to sacrifice your lives for the Emperor? If you wish to fight for a demon who would barter human souls for his personal desires, then hold onto your weapons and stand your ground."
He had struck a raw nerve.
The truth about Alexander was the very catalyst currently throwing the entirety of Kronos into chaos.
"But if you wish for a new life, open the castle gates within the hour. If you choose to keep the gates shut and show your intent to fight to the end, I will leave none of you alive. I will slaughter every last one of you."
With those final words, Roman Dmitry turned and walked away without a single backward glance.
* * *
Inside the castle.
The defenders immediately split into two factions, engaging in a fierce, desperate debate.
The hardliners argued passionately.
"We must never open the gates!"
"We are citizens of Kronos! If we open the gates and let Dmitry in, how can we live with ourselves? The future of a traitor who abandons his country is nothing but misery. We might survive the immediate crisis, but if a ceasefire is ever signed, we will be branded as traitors and left with nowhere to go!"
"Let us fight to the end! This is the territory of the Empire, is it not?"
They still believed in the Empire.
As citizens of the continent's greatest superpower, their pride would not let them accept defeat.
Hearing this, one man beat his chest in sheer frustration.
"Are you all insane? Our opponent is Roman Dmitry! He is a monster who cut down Alexander, a 9th Circle Mage, in a single blow! He slaughtered hundreds of thousands of imperial soldiers! How on earth do you expect to hold out against a monster like that? Do any of you have some secret plan? I guarantee you, this fortress will fall before the day is out!"
His name was Herman.
Just an ordinary soldier of the Kronos Empire, yet he fearlessly raised his voice against men of much higher rank.
"Think rationally! Even when the Kronos Empire's military might was at its absolute peak, we never won a single victory against Roman Dmitry. And why do you think he marched his forces straight to our border right after achieving such a massive victory? His goal isn't a simple ceasefire negotiation like last time. He came with the intent to wipe Kronos off the map once and for all! Crying out for patriotism against a man like that is nothing short of suicide!"
"Watch your tongue!"
Baron Lorello emerged from the crowd.
Having listened to the heated debate, he glared at Herman with a stern expression.
"I know what you are worried about. But the long history of the Kronos Empire has always been paved with victory. I believe this time will be no different. Though we are clearly at a disadvantage, I believe Marquis Memphis had a good reason for ordering a fight to the death."
He looked around at the trembling soldiers.
Taking a step forward, he projected his fierce, unwavering resolve.
"We are Kronos. We are the rulers of the continent—predators who cannot live bowing our heads to the likes of Dmitry. If you waver at a few words meant to induce surrender, do you not feel shame before the ancestors who built the Kronos we have today? Fight! Defend this wall! If we risk our lives and dedicate ourselves to Kronos, the glory of the continent's greatest superpower will always shine brilliantly upon us."
His heavy words held the crowd in his grip.
Regardless of the ugly truth about Kronos, Baron Lorello prioritized the nation's survival above all else.
Kneeling before Dmitry and begging for mercy was an option his pride could never tolerate.
He turned around.
From this moment on, they had to frantically prepare for the siege.
But then—
Squelch.
"...?!"
Baron Lorello's eyes bulged.
Looking down, he saw his chest stained crimson, the bloody tip of a sword protruding from his sternum.
As he turned his head with trembling eyes, he saw Herman standing right behind him. The soldier's face was twisted with desperate rage, his hands gripping the hilt of the sword he had just driven through his commander's back.
"Baron Lorello... we are just ordinary people," Herman spat. "Crying out for patriotism and the glory of Kronos won't put food on our tables or make our lives any better. So, for now... I choose to live."
Thud.
Baron Lorello collapsed to the stone floor.
Stunned by the blood rapidly pooling around the commander's corpse, the soldiers of Kronos could not utter a single word.
Herman wrenched his sword free.
Roughly shaking the blood off the blade, he screamed at the crowd.
"There's no turning back now! If you don't want to die here, open the damn gates right now!"
Barely thirty minutes later.
Long before the one hour Roman Dmitry had promised was up, the border fortress of Kronos threw its gates wide open and surrendered.
It was a variable that the high command of Kronos could never have anticipated.