Chapter 449: Conquest of the Demon Realm (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 449: Conquest of the Demon Realm (4)
Rumble!
"Kieek!"
"Grrrrrr!"
It was an awe-inspiring spectacle.
A massive horde of demonic creatures—enough to fill the vast plains—swarmed in packs, rushing fiercely toward a single destination. The ground quaked beneath their stampeding feet. Had ordinary humans witnessed this sight, the endless wave of monsters would have instantly shattered their will to fight.
Amidst the chaos, a few figures walked with slow, deliberate steps.
One of them, a man draped in a blood-red cloak, spoke to the black-robed figure beside him.
"Lord Belzert. In the history of the Demon Realm, has there ever been a precedent for the entire legion to mobilize like this? Not once since the unification of the Demon Realm has this happened. I never imagined a mere human would force our hand."
"Before the unification, the concept of a 'legion' did not even exist."
"Hah, is that so?"
The blood-cloaked man chuckled.
His name was Pibir, the 2nd Legion Commander of the Demon Realm.
He was an entity who had sworn loyalty to the Demon King during the era known as the Great Chaos, also called the Great War. The figure in the black robe, whose face remained hidden, shared a similar past. This was Belzert, the 1st Legion Commander. These two beings, revered as symbols of terror by the denizens of the Demon Realm, were now moving under the Demon King's orders to eliminate the humans.
Pibir could not hide his excitement.
Having spent a considerable amount of time cooped up in the Demon Realm, he couldn't help but look forward to this long-awaited slaughter.
"Still, that human named Roman Dmitry is quite something. To think a mere human would dare set foot in the Demon Realm. With a force of this scale, no matter how formidable the humans' strength may be, they will never make it out alive."
Not a shred of worry could be found on Pibir's face.
Unlike Pibir, who was as relaxed as if he were out for a stroll, Belzert did not view the Demon King's command so optimistically.
Roman Dmitry. He is an extremely dangerous human.
Just a moment ago, Babel had fallen.
Even in an unexpected battle, for Babel to be defeated so easily meant Roman Dmitry was certainly not someone to be underestimated. Above all, Belzert remembered experiencing Roman Dmitry's presence, if only briefly. It was during the battle with Shepir. On that day, Roman Dmitry had set foot in the Demon Realm, and the space where they fought was none other than Belzert's territory.
It was a vivid memory.
When Roman Dmitry's strike tore through Shepir's body, Belzert had watched from afar with wide, intense eyes.
It was a catastrophic power. An entity wielding such might cannot be taken lightly, even if he is just a human. That truth is evident just by looking at the Demon King's reaction. If he were an opponent who would crumble as easily as Pibir thinks, the Demon King would not have ordered the mobilization of the entire legion.
Sssssss.
With every breath he exhaled, dark mana billowed out.
Belzert's gaze darkened.
No matter what lay ahead, he had no intention of meeting the same end as Babel at the hands of a mere human.
"Pibir. Be careful. This opponent killed Babel."
"Babel was of lowly birth—"
"Pibir."
"Understood."
Pibir swallowed his words.
A clear hierarchy existed among the beings of the Demon Realm.
If the Demon King was an untouchable existence beyond the heavens, the next in line was the 1st Legion Commander, Belzert. He was someone Pibir could never disobey. Since rank directly correlated to strength, Pibir shut his mouth at Belzert's overbearing tone.
It was then.
[Lord Belzert. We have spotted the human.]
It was a scout.
To prevent any possibility of the enemy escaping, a portion of their forces had been sent ahead to track their trail.
[However, there is a problem. Far from fleeing, the human assumed to be Roman Dmitry is actually approaching this location entirely alone. Judging by his distance from the other humans, he is undoubtedly plotting something.]
Belzert halted in his tracks.
His expectations had been completely subverted.
Faced with this human's movements, Belzert's expression turned fierce.
"Madman."
It was clear.
Roman Dmitry—that being who was supposedly nothing more than a mere human—had never intended to run away from the very beginning.
* * *
It was exactly as the scout had reported.
Roman Dmitry walked forward alone.
Looking out at the violet-tinted world, he recalled a moment from his past life.
It was the same back then as it is now. For the goals I wished to achieve, many people had no choice but to die.
The Murim Conquest.
The Continental Conquest.
Because he always desired to stand at the absolute peak, his way of life remained unchanged even though the world had. Just as he had ascended to the position of the Heavenly Demon as Baek Joong-hyuk, Roman Dmitry had risen to the throne of the Emperor at the cost of countless lives and rivers of blood. Deeming even that insufficient, he now set his sights on the Conquest of the Demon Realm.
He had no regrets.
Even if time were turned back, he would live his life the exact same way.
However, living now in a new environment, Roman Dmitry harbored a different value in his heart.
There is no need to stand by and watch meaningless sacrifices. While I will march toward the goals I wish to achieve, I will do everything in my power to prevent those within my boundary from falling behind. If my past self had possessed my current martial might during the Murim Conquest, those who followed me would not have died like that.
Even back then, people called Baek Joong-hyuk the Best Under Heaven.
But looking back now, he had only been at the Earth Stage. Because he had not been perfect, people like the Mad Demon had no choice but to face death. Experiencing a peace that bordered on tedious, he found himself constantly looking back at the past. If only he had been a little more perfect, if only he had advanced just one step further, could he not have protected his people?
The seat at the peak was emptier than one would think.
Having lost so many people, Roman Dmitry knew all too well how hollow that position of universal reverence truly was.
That was why he intended to give his absolute all.
The way to reduce the sacrifices of his people was to eliminate as many enemies as possible himself, thereby easing their burden. For that reason, he stood at the very front. To those who warned that a total war was too dangerous, he had firmly declared his intent:
"Everyone except me, secure the rear. Your role in this war is to follow behind and clean up the battlefield after I have swept through."
It was a shocking statement.
Everyone protested, but no one could truly refute Roman Dmitry's assertion that this was the only way to minimize casualties. The battle with Babel had been proof. Though it ended in an overwhelming victory, it had proven that no one other than Roman Dmitry could stop a monster of Babel's sheer martial might.
Chris.
Kevin.
Edwin Hector.
Even those classified as the strongest in the Continental Allied Forces could not guarantee their survival if they faced a monster like Babel. That being the case, those ranked above Babel went without saying. In the first place, the Legion Commander-class monsters held even Alexander, a 9th Circle Mage, in low regard, so it was only natural that ordinary human strength could not contend with them.
Only one person.
Only Roman Dmitry was different.
He was an existence living in a world beyond the heavens, and the presence of the Legion Commanders posed no threat to him at all.
It was a rational choice.
For a perfect victory.
To minimize casualties.
Roman Dmitry was not merely thinking of the immediate victory before his eyes, but of the life that lay beyond it.
Rumble!
The ground trembled.
The enemy was drawing near.
As the foes filled his vision, Roman Dmitry drew his sword with an indifferent expression.
Sring.
And then, slowly, he began to walk toward the charging enemies.
* * *
Step. Step.
It was a surreal sight.
An uncountable horde of demonic creatures, and a single human walking toward them.
The world shook.
Just as the monsters bared their razor-sharp fangs, Roman Dmitry took his first step of the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step.
Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - First Half, First Form.
Flash!
Boom!
The very first creatures he encountered were instantly torn to shreds.
Having ripped through dozens of monsters in a single stroke, Roman Dmitry did not halt his steps. He met the surging wave head-on. Ferocious howls echoed from all directions. The monsters thrust their maws forward, trying to bite him, and swung their sharp claws wildly, pressing in from every side.
It was a suffocating sight.
It seemed as though he would be devoured on the spot, but his boiling mana had not yet finished its first step.
Crash!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
"Kieek!"
"Kreeeeek!"
Dozens fell with each strike.
Every time he swung his sword, dozens of monsters screamed as their blood splattered.
The monsters thrusting their heads forward had their heads severed, and those swinging their claws had their arms lopped off. There were no exceptions. Every single creature that crossed paths with Roman Dmitry died without fail.
Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - First Half, Second Form.
Boom!
Ruuuumble!
It was an utter slaughter.
Even the monsters boasting incredibly tough hides were swept away by the storm of Aura, and Roman Dmitry continued to plunge deeper into the infested battlefield. By now, the violet landscape was completely obscured. No matter where he looked—whether around him or up at the sky—there was nothing but monsters rushing forward to take his life.
"Kaaak!"
They threw away their lives.
Millions, perhaps even more, of these demonic creatures had been mobilized.
Though he had already slaughtered thousands, it was still a drop in the bucket, far too insignificant to affect the overall tide of battle. The monsters were obeying the Demon King's command. Since the Demon King's wrath awaited any who retreated, they charged with bloodshot eyes, fully aware of their impending deaths.
Crack.
A head was crushed.
Splurt.
A monster whose chest had been torn open coughed up blood, yet still swung its axe toward Roman Dmitry's head.
Flash!
Rumble!
That was all.
No matter how desperately his opponents struggled, Roman Dmitry crushed them without fail. In a dizzying chaos where countless attacks clashed within a single second, not a single enemy strike achieved any meaningful result. He continued to take the steps of the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step. As he advanced from the first step to the second, and then to the third, his destructive power grew exponentially. Soon, a single strike swept away not dozens, but hundreds of monsters at once.
Boom!
Crash! Crash! Crash!
They were annihilated.
Tearing the monsters to shreds, Roman Dmitry emerged from their midst, drenched in blood.
He took a deep breath, drawing in the mana of the Demon Realm.
While dark mana would normally ravage a human body, Roman Dmitry filtered it and absorbed it directly into his Dantian. An army that filled his entire field of vision, an endless battle—this was a familiar environment to him. Even as he fought countless enemies, Roman Dmitry conserved his stamina.
Beyond this horde lay the Demon King.
He never lost sight of the fact that he would eventually have to face him.
Thud.
He crushed a monster's head underfoot.
To ensure those following him would not struggle, he made absolutely sure to finish off every enemy he encountered.
More.
More, more, and more.
He was dyed in blood.
He overflowed with killing intent.
As his long-suppressed madness as the Heavenly Demon erupted, the corpses of the monsters began to pile up higher and higher with every passing second.
* * *
Pibir, the 2nd Legion Commander, arrived at the scene.
Observing the situation from a distance, he could not help but marvel at the martial prowess Roman Dmitry displayed.
"To think a mere human could possess such destructive power."
It was overwhelming.
The way Roman Dmitry effortlessly plunged into the swarming horde and slaughtered them proved exactly how he had defeated Babel. He could no longer be considered human. His destructive power tore through the tough hides of the monsters in a single blow, and his unshakeable mental fortitude remained steady even when attacked from all sides. Furthermore, his breathing, which remained perfectly calm despite the continuous combat, proved that Roman Dmitry was a truly dangerous entity.
Flutter.
Belzert arrived.
He, too, assessed the situation and spoke in a slightly tense voice.
"Pibir. We cannot let the human run wild any longer."
"Understood."
Pibir nodded. He agreed.
The Demon King had ordered the eradication of the humans, and if they failed to carry it out properly, the Demon King would never forgive them. He had admired the human enough. To execute their grand plan of conquering every dimension in the future, there was no reason to let all their monsters die in the process of dealing with a single human.
"I leave the rest to you."
Swoosh.
Pibir vanished.
As he wrapped his cloak around himself, he melted into the violet world, leaving no trace behind.
This was Pibir's specialty.
When the Great Chaos of the Demon Realm was at its peak, Pibir had actively utilized his stealth techniques to eliminate his enemies. He intended to use the exact same method this time. Although he felt a sense of shame at having to go all out against a mere human, Roman Dmitry had shown himself worthy of such an effort.
A single strike.
The fight would not last long.
He was confident that he could resolve this situation with just one blow.
Even at that very moment...
Crack.
Rumble!
The monsters continued to die.
As Roman Dmitry's presence swelled explosively, Pibir quickly closed the distance, slipping right up to his side.
He erased his presence.
He bided his time.
Arrogant human. In the human world, you might be an existence that has transcended limits, but to us, who have fought endlessly, you are nothing but a familiar type of opponent. That is your fatal mistake. Your complacent belief that you can dare invade the territory of the Demon Realm without considering the limits of your race will lead the humans to their ruin.
He sneered.
The chaos had reached its peak.
Just dealing with the charging enemies seemed to leave Roman Dmitry with no room to pay attention to anything else.
It was then.
Swish.
Flutter.
He flung back his cloak.
Revealing his presence, Pibir unleashed an explosion of mana.
"Blood Explosion."
It was the attack that had elevated him to his current position.
The mana erupted in an instant, sweeping through the space before Roman Dmitry could even have time to react.
"Die!"
Boom!
Rumbleeeee!
Had it been a second?
No.
It was a realm far below a single second.
The moment the intense explosion swallowed Roman Dmitry, Pibir's eyes widened.
Splurt.
"Argh?!"
He let out a scream.
In that split second, before Pibir could do anything else, Roman Dmitry's sword was already tearing through his chest.