Chapter 407: Continental Conquest (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 407: Continental Conquest (6)
The battlefield had been cleared.
After ensuring there were no remaining variables, Roman Dmitry ordered his soldiers to rest and summoned his leadership. A heavy silence hung over the conference room, which had long since lost its original master. The commanders arrived one by one, still reeking of blood in the aftermath of the battle. Once everyone was seated, Lucas delivered his report.
"Based on our observations, the enemy is preparing for a desperate last stand in the capital. Just as we expected, they are trying to buy time. A forced mobilization order has been issued to the nobles of Kronos, accompanied by a clear message: anyone who surrenders will face severe retaliation. But Kronos has reached its limit. Over the past few years, they have suffered defeat after defeat. Their seemingly endless military strength has finally run dry. The moment we bring down the capital, the empire will fall."
The tide had turned.
Kronos, an empire that once boasted overwhelming power, had been slowly chipped away. Following the deaths of hundreds of thousands of troops, including Alexander, their situation had plummeted to rock bottom. Normally, they would have used their vast territory to dictate the flow of the war. However, knowing they needed a single, decisive counterstrike to bring down Roman Dmitry, Kronos swallowed the humiliation of abandoning portions of their territory to prepare for the final battle.
Their resolve was clear.
From the moment they rejected peace negotiations, they had displayed a fierce determination to hold out and bite back until the bitter end.
Chris spoke up.
"From this point on, we cannot give the enemy enough time to prepare their desperate defense. I propose we split our forces and sweep through the surrounding areas. The troops left behind from the mobilization order are nothing more than cannon fodder meant to buy time. Getting bogged down by them one by one will only lead to a meaningless war of attrition. We must be swift and decisive. If we clear the perimeter before striking the capital, we can drive the Kronos Empire completely into a corner."
"I agree," Lucas chimed in. "The remaining enemies are weak enough that we can easily crush them even with divided forces."
Chris and Lucas.
The two men were in complete agreement. The other commanders nodded in approval, and Roman Dmitry was no different.
In this war, speed was of the essence.
With the fatigue of war already taking a heavy toll, a prolonged conflict with Kronos would undoubtedly put Dmitry in danger. He had been considering splitting their forces from the very beginning. But while the decision was made, Roman Dmitry still needed to fine-tune the details to achieve absolute efficiency.
Chris and Kevin. The dynamic between those two has been changing recently.
He was well aware of their rivalry.
As time passed, they had become increasingly conscious of each other, and this war had completely ignited their competitive spirits. Roman had no objections to this. The law of the jungle dictated a world where one had to compete to survive. Even the subordinates who followed him in his past life had harbored fierce rivalries.
The Mad Demon, the Blood Demon, the Sword Demon, and the rest—everyone had aspired to be his second-in-command.
It was precisely because of these intertwined, competitive relationships that he had been able to conquer Murim.
Therefore, this was a necessary process.
Rather than stopping them, he chose to pour oil on the fire.
"I agree with your assessment. We still have many issues to resolve, and there is no reason to waste time on Kronos. From now on, we will split our forces into three groups to sweep the surrounding areas. First, the main force led by me will proceed along the planned route toward the capital. Chris."
"Yes, My Lord."
"You will take command of the Second Army and flank to the left. That region is where most of the nobles complied with the mobilization order. Your primary focus must be eliminating all variables. Seize any war supplies we need, and destroy the rest. During this process, do not leave a single person alive who refuses to surrender. If we give them even an inch of military leeway, they might strike our rear."
"Understood."
"Edwin."
"Speak, My Lord."
Edwin Hector met his gaze. By now, he felt perfectly accustomed to these meetings with Dmitry's leadership.
"You will take command of the Third Army and flank to the right. Your mission is the same as the Second Army's. Keep in mind that you must sweep the surroundings decisively while minimizing casualties. If a problem arises due to reckless advancement, we will face a situation worse than if we hadn't split our forces at all. And Kevin."
"...Yes?"
Kevin gasped in surprise. He had been looking a bit downcast because his name hadn't been called, but Roman Dmitry's gaze suddenly shifted toward him.
Staring right at him, Roman Dmitry said, "You will go with Edwin. Assist him, and achieve results that will satisfy me."
* * *
The meeting ended, but Roman Dmitry's words kept echoing in Kevin's mind.
“You will go with Edwin. Assist him, and achieve results that will satisfy me.”
It wasn't merely a statement of trust. Roman Dmitry knew everything. Seeing his Lord deliberately set the stage for them to compete, Kevin felt his blood boil with excitement.
My Lord has sent a clear message to Sir Chris and me. He supports our rivalry, but he is warning us not to lose sight of securing definitive results by being blinded by competition. I must perfect both the process and the outcome to triumph over Sir Chris.
He quickened his pace. For his future plans, and to paint the picture he desired, he absolutely needed the help of one person.
"Prince Edwin."
"What is it?"
"I have something to discuss with you in private."
Edwin Hector was the commander of the Third Army. Because Kevin lacked command experience, he hadn't been given the role of leading an entire army like Chris. He had no complaints about this; he knew exactly how brilliant of a commander Edwin Hector was. If anything, Kevin felt incredibly fortunate that the person leading him was Edwin.
Kevin spoke with conviction.
"I want to clearly prove my worth in this war. Please make active use of me. I am prepared to carry out any order to achieve perfect results."
In that moment, Edwin Hector smiled. Though Kevin didn't know why, Edwin found this situation quite amusing.
"I appreciate you saying that. Actually, ever since I joined Dmitry, there was a specific scenario I had personally hoped for. Lord Roman Dmitry has many talented individuals like you by his side, Sir Kevin. You are monsters who can accomplish the impossible on a strategic level. As a commander, just imagining leading such individuals is a thrill."
What had once been a simple thirst had now blossomed into a burning desire. When Roman Dmitry called his name, Edwin Hector had felt a similar surge of excitement.
"Do not worry. I have been looking forward to this moment. Regardless of your request, Sir Kevin, I also intend to prove my own worth."
* * *
A few days passed.
In truth, war was a continuous march. Once a fortress was brought down, an army had to march relentlessly toward their next destination, actively utilizing Warp Gates with limited coordinates along the way. Thanks to this, the Dmitry forces reached their destination in just a few days. The fortress was located slightly north of the eastern region. Because its terrain was highly advantageous for defense, they had expected enemy troops to be stationed there without fail.
Sure enough, enemy forces were visible atop the fortress walls.
Watching them move busily to the blare of loud horn trumpets, the Dmitry army waited for nightfall.
Late at night, the operation finally began.
Sss.
Inside an old well, Kevin quietly poked his head out. Moonlight filtered down into the narrow shaft. Without making a single sound, Kevin channeled his mana and scaled the damp walls. The Hao Sect had made thorough preparations for this war. They had investigated numerous fortresses—including this one guarded by Count Jean-Pierre—and secured hidden pathways connected to the waterways well in advance.
The passage was incredibly narrow. It was barely wide enough for Kevin to squeeze through alone, but that was more than enough to execute the operation.
"The enemy will already be prepared against operations utilizing small, elite forces. The defense around the castle gates will be especially tight, so there is absolutely no need to force an attack there. Our goal is simple: to let them know that Dmitry has arrived, and that we are targeting something."
Those had been Edwin Hector's orders.
Tap.
He landed outside the well. Not a single footstep could be heard, and even the moisture clinging to his body quickly evaporated as he circulated his inner heat. Kevin melted into the darkness. No one noticed his presence. Recalling the internal map he had memorized beforehand, Kevin sought out the patrol routes.
And then—
Thud.
"Ugh."
He snuffed out their breath.
Grabbed by hands emerging from the darkness, the soldiers let out brief, choked gasps before being dragged into the shadows and collapsing. According to the fortress's guard rotation, it would take about ten minutes for the dead to be discovered. Kevin moved swiftly. Not a single guard could react in time. By the time those ten minutes had passed, over twenty men had lost their lives by his hands.
The preparations were complete.
Just as the surrounding area began to grow noisy with the discovery of the bodies, Kevin pulled an object from his chest and fired it straight into the sky.
Whoosh!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The night sky lit up as bright as day.
It was a signal flare.
* * *
The fortress was instantly thrown into an uproar.
Count Jean-Pierre, who had been fast asleep, rushed out in disheveled clothes and screamed, "What is going on?!"
"It's the enemy! There is an intruder inside the fortress!"
"Damn it! Mobilize the troops immediately! Reinforce the gates, and find the intruder no matter what!"
In the dead of night, the fortress plunged into chaos. Alarm bells rang, waking all the soldiers, who quickly formed squads to search every corner of the stronghold. Yet, no matter how hard they searched, not a single trace of Kevin could be found. After setting off the flare, Kevin had slipped into a pre-planned hiding spot, leaving the wide-eyed, frantic soldiers to search until dawn broke without finding a thing.
The adjutant reported, "My apologies, My Lord. We have failed to locate the intruder."
"Shit!"
Crash!
The Count hurled an object across the room. With a flushed, furious face, Count Jean-Pierre analyzed the situation.
Yesterday afternoon, the Kingdom Alliance forces appeared within our line of sight. We are currently in a standoff, but seeing how they managed to slip an intruder inside, they must be targeting something. How on earth did he get in? And what are they trying to achieve by just killing a few guards?
His mind was a tangled mess. A state of emergency had been declared since the previous evening. For now, he ordered his soldiers to keep searching for the intruder. Driven by the paranoia that the enemy had some hidden scheme, the search continued relentlessly for a full two days.
During that time, the intruder was never found.
With the Kingdom Alliance army remaining stationed outside—refraining from attacking and simply observing the fortress—Count Jean-Pierre's anxiety only compounded. Ultimately, he contacted the neighboring lords.
[What is the matter?]
"As you know, the Kingdom Alliance forces have arrived at our doorstep. Judging by how they infiltrated an intruder into the fortress two days ago, they are clearly preparing something. Please send reinforcements. If we fight them here, where the terrain heavily favors defense, we have a strong chance of winning."
[...Our opponent is Dmitry. Is that really possible?]
"It is possible. The Kingdom Alliance has split its forces into three. Unless we are facing the main force led by Roman Dmitry himself, there is no reason we cannot win. If we can achieve a decisive victory here, the Kronos Empire can secure an opportunity to turn the tide of the war. We have the Kingdom Alliance's movements in our line of sight. If your forces enter through the rear gate, we can engage them without any issues."
[Very well. We understand.]
The past few days had been utterly nerve-wracking. Unable to just sit and wait for the axe to fall, he had secured help from three neighboring lords. Once he finished the magical communications, his mind finally found some semblance of peace.
The sudden attack in the middle of the night had shaken him deeply. Plagued by the invisible intruder inside and the looming Kingdom Alliance outside, he had suffered nightmares of a horrific death every time he closed his eyes.
But the war was not over. Having chosen to fight to the death, he had absolutely no intention of crumbling like this.
A few more days passed.
It was now the fifth day since the Kingdom Alliance's arrival. Just as a growing sense of unease began to take hold once again, Count Jean-Pierre received shocking news.
"My Lord! Disaster has struck! The reinforcements coming to aid us were ambushed by the Kingdom Alliance and have been completely wiped out!"
"What on earth are you talking about?!"
He bolted out of his seat.
It made no sense. The only reason he had remained holed up without taking any drastic action was because the Kingdom Alliance army was clearly visible from atop the walls. They had been camped in that exact spot for the past five days. He had personally confirmed their continuous presence there. So what in the world was happening?
Could there have been another force?
No. Deep within imperial territory, the Kingdom Alliance could not possibly move an entire army so secretly that Kronos wouldn't notice.
Which meant...
Could the enemy camp we've been watching be nothing but an illusion?
That was the only logical explanation.
And then, misfortunes began to pile up in rapid succession.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Emergency! Emergency!"
"It's the enemy! The enemy is attacking!"
Outside his office, a chaotic clamor erupted. His face turning pale, Count Jean-Pierre sprinted toward the source of the noise.
* * *
When he arrived at the castle gates, he was greeted by a living hell of absolute chaos.
Soldiers lay sprawled across the ground. Thick pools of blood stained the cobblestones. Kevin, the phantom intruder the soldiers had searched so desperately for, had finally revealed himself—and slaughtered every single guard defending the gate.
At the sight of the late-arriving Count Jean-Pierre, Kevin smirked.
"You went through a lot of trouble trying to find me these past few days."
Over the past few days, the interior of the fortress had been a pressure cooker of paranoia. The soldiers had dedicated themselves to the search without getting proper rest, and they couldn't afford to lower their guard due to the looming threat of the Kingdom Alliance outside. Extreme fatigue had gradually accumulated without them even realizing it. Because of this, when Kevin finally revealed himself again, gaping holes had formed in their once-tight defense system.
In the very heart of enemy territory, Kevin had taken a massive, calculated risk.
Count Jean-Pierre screamed in desperation, "Attack! Stop him!"
As soldiers rushed him from all sides, Kevin simply looked at them and deliberately flared his Aura.
Flash!
The thick iron chains of the drawbridge were severed in a single strike.
With a violent rattle, the chains gave way, and the massive castle gate crashed down over the moat.
Crash!
Rumble!
The path into the fortress was wide open.
The complete annihilation of the neighboring lords' reinforcements, and the opening of the impregnable castle gates. It was a shocking, devastating outcome—all orchestrated and achieved in a matter of just a few days.