Chapter 453: Conquest of the Demon Realm (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 453: Conquest of the Demon Realm (8)
Kevin's words ignited a fire in the people's hearts.
A soldier with a torn-off arm decapitated a demonic creature and roared, "Let us all die here today! His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry will surely defeat the Demon King. We must not stand in his way!"
The conquest of the Demon Realm.
The people had staked their lives on this campaign.
They had hoped their sacrifices would bring peace back to humanity, but reality stared them in the face: Roman Dmitry was bearing the weight of every burden. He forged ahead through the darkness alone. The longer they spent in the Demon Realm, the more they realized just how immense the danger Roman Dmitry had braved by acting as their vanguard.
It was a complicated feeling.
Awe mixed with heavy guilt. They desperately wanted to help him in any way they could, yet far from being useful, they were nothing but a burden.
If Roman Dmitry turned back to save them—if he was dragged down right before reaching his ultimate goal, the Demon King—the despair would be unbearable. They could not let that happen. Just as Kevin had said, they would sooner end their own useless, burdensome lives than face such a reality.
"For Dmitry!"
Slash.
Crunch! Rip!
They charged.
Spraying blood across a battlefield teeming with demonic creatures, the soldiers swung their swords relentlessly. Their faces gleamed with madness, completely uncaring as the beasts tore at their flesh. It was a phenomenon that spread like a plague. The soldiers abandoned their defensive formations. Refusing to be a burden, they broke ranks and threw away their lives like worthless straw.
This was not a good sign.
Without their formation, they could not drag this war into a prolonged battle.
However, Chris did not stop them.
Because he sympathized with Kevin's words and the people's feelings, even Chris—who held the center of the formation—broke ranks and flared his Aura.
Rumbleeeee!
"Put your lives on the line, everyone! Even if we all die here today, His Majesty the Emperor will surely emerge victorious!"
He had changed his mind.
If survival was realistically impossible, then from now on, they had to think about what came after their defeat.
Even if the Continental Allied Forces were wiped out here, they could lay the stepping stones for Roman Dmitry to strike down the Demon King. That alone was meaningful enough. Merely holding out to survive was equivalent to asking Roman Dmitry to clean up these leftover demonic creatures for them. Refusing to remain a burden, Chris cast aside his role as commander and charged into the enemy lines as a single swordsman.
Flash.
Slash, slash, slash!
Blood splattered in all directions.
Focusing solely on the enemies before him, Chris slaughtered every demonic creature he encountered.
Chris.
Dmitry's second-in-command.
His presence swelled terrifyingly.
He plunged into the monster-infested horde without hesitation, tearing apart the limbs of dozens of demonic creatures in the blink of an eye. Dmitry's swordsmen followed close behind. Though they had broken formation, they hadn't completely lost their coordination. Melee combat was a method they had trained for; they kept pace with the openings created by Chris and Kevin's rampage, focusing entirely on taking down just one more enemy.
It was a chaotic scene.
Everywhere she looked was filled with blood and death, and amidst it all, Isabelle felt an indescribable emotion.
This is the end.
She was certain.
The end.
The moment of the final battle.
Once this chaos passed, a new future would be waiting for them.
Isabelle channeled her power.
Inspired by the people's resolve, she too staked her life.
"Sacrifice."
Flash!
Whoosh!
A brilliant light erupted.
She accepted the power of God into her entire body.
Sacrifice was a power that demanded one's life force as the price.
Just like the others, Isabelle would not remain a burden to Roman Dmitry.
* * *
Far in the distance.
The sounds of a chaotic struggle echoed.
The screams of dying men and the roar of fierce combat reached Roman Dmitry's ears clearly.
"Your premise is wrong."
Roman Dmitry's response was calm.
The Demon King had spoken the truth.
He had attacked the rear guard to force Roman to draw out his full power, and just as he said, the rear guard wouldn't hold out for long. But Roman didn't care. The moment he faced the Demon King, Roman Dmitry knew what truly mattered.
"Just because my people are under attack doesn't mean I need to rush, nor is there any reason for me to grow anxious. They will play their part, just as they always have."
Over the years, Roman Dmitry had overcome countless crises.
In truth, while he was confident he would never lose through individual martial prowess alone, he didn't believe the founding of the Dmitry Empire was accomplished solely through his own strength. This was something he had realized during his past life. No matter how strong an individual was, they had limits. To control a vast territory, one absolutely needed people to support them. Just as the Mad Demon had to accept death in a space where Baek Joong-hyuk was absent, Dmitry would have walked the path of ruin long ago without its people.
Barco. Benedict.
The Southern Front.
Valhalla. Kronos. Alexander.
As the battle that initially started in a remote territory spread across the entire continent, those who followed Roman Dmitry had fully played their parts. They were not weak. Though he had taken the vanguard because he wished for his people to survive as much as possible, he didn't think they were so fragile that they required a nanny's constant care.
Rather, they simply did what each of them could do.
He would handle the beings of the Heaven Beyond Heaven, like the Legion Commanders, and trust his people with the rest.
The Demon King's premise was wrong.
Even if the rear guard was under attack, that fact did not affect Roman Dmitry's mind in the slightest.
Shring.
He raised his sword.
Slowly flaring his Aura, Roman Dmitry stepped toward the Demon King.
"From now on, I too will play my part. I will take your head here and prove to every being in the world what price they must pay for daring to trespass into my domain."
One step.
Two steps. Three steps.
The moment they finally stepped into each other's range, the Demon King and Roman Dmitry unleashed an explosion of murderous intent.
* * *
It was the realm of extreme speed.
A span of time too brief even to reopen closed eyes.
As Roman Dmitry instantly penetrated the space and launched an attack, the Demon King raised his mana and swung his hand.
Boom!
Rumbleeeee!
A colossal explosion rocked the area.
Even though it was a clash between a bare hand and a sword, an immense repulsive force erupted, as if a magic bomb had detonated. Immediately after, the Demon King lunged forward. Although Roman Dmitry had already activated the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step, the Demon King seemed completely unfazed by the previous blow. A vast, powerful mana boiled up explosively from his hand.
Boom!
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Dark mana swept through the space.
The surrounding area, including Roman Dmitry, was completely engulfed by a destructive power so immense that parts of the terrain were utterly annihilated. Yet, the Demon King's eyes did not lose their sharpness. Amidst the surging dark mana, he saw a sharp energy piercing through.
Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - Mid-stage First Form.
Swish.
Slash, slash, slash!
He took successive steps of the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step.
Manifesting with instantaneous explosive power, his violently erupting Aura sliced through the dark mana in a single stroke.
Flash.
It was a wondrous sight.
The attack the Demon King had just used was enough to bring the 3rd Legion Commander to his knees, yet Roman Dmitry brushed it off as if it were nothing. The Demon King grinned broadly, looking genuinely amused. Though the battle had only just begun, even in this brief moment he could tell that Roman Dmitry was no easy opponent.
"Yes, this is it! Roman Dmitry, show me your all! Demolition."
Crash!
Rumble!
He did not dodge.
The Heavenly Demon Sword Technique.
The Demon King met it head-on.
Hundreds of strands of mana erupted from him like a haze, coalescing into a giant whip that lashed out directly at Roman Dmitry. It was a head-on clash. Surprisingly, Roman Dmitry's Heavenly Demon Sword Technique, executed alongside the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step, seemed to split under the power of Demolition.
Screeech!
A wave of force rippled out.
Roman Dmitry quickly pulled back his sword, blocking the Demolition that was breaking through his Aura.
Boom!
Bang, bang, bang!
He was pushed back.
It was an unfamiliar impact.
Though he had faced countless enemies, Roman Dmitry had undeniably never experienced such destructive power before.
"So you are different."
The Demon King.
He was a being of the Heaven Beyond Heaven.
It was clear why the three Legion Commanders—each fully capable of destroying the Earthly World—had sworn allegiance upon facing the Demon King. He was on an entirely different level from the 3rd Legion Commander. Even if all three of them had attacked at once—no, even if all the beings of the Demon Realm had charged together—they would not have been able to defeat the Demon King alone.
His presence swelled.
Though he appeared fragile on the outside, the Demon King was undoubtedly a kind of powerhouse Roman had never encountered, even in his past life.
"I have always wished for a strong opponent to appear and threaten me."
Grip.
He tightened his hold on his sword.
It was the same sentiment the Demon King had expressed.
Roman Dmitry and the Demon King rejoiced in each other's existence.
Murim.
The Demon Realm.
They were the absolutes of two different worlds.
Each possessed power immense enough to dismantle the order of their respective worlds, forcing them to live solitary lives. They considered combat to be their entire existence, yet there had been no one capable of withstanding their power. But now, crossing dimensions, they stood face-to-face.
They were glad.
Glad that their opponent was strong.
Though various issues like the peace of the Earthly World and the collapse of the Demon Realm were entangled in this war, right now, they focused solely on each other.
They relished it to their heart's content.
This moment. This feeling.
Roman Dmitry pushed the power of the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step to its absolute limit.
"Demon King. I acknowledge your strength."
Swish.
Rumble!
He kicked off the ground.
The fifth step. The sixth step. The seventh step.
The power of the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step boiled up explosively.
He intended to use a strike against the Demon King that he had never used in either his past life or his current one.
Bang, bang!
Boom, boom, boom!
Space itself was torn apart.
Roman Dmitry's very presence seemed to warp the surrounding area.
It was an overwhelming sight.
Seeing Roman Dmitry charging, the Demon King raised his mana, intending to meet him head-on.
In this touch-and-go situation, Roman Dmitry took his ninth step and thrust his sword forward.
Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - Latter Half Third Form.
A single strike.
Flash.
The moment the sword sliced through space, the world was dyed in pure white.
Boom!
Crash!
Rumbleeeeeeeee!
Rumble, rumble.
It was a colossal strike.
The entire surrounding area was devastated.
What had been flat ground was now gouged out as if thousands of magic bombs had detonated. A thick, purple-tinted cloud of dust rose, obscuring their vision. It was a strike that pushed the Heavenly Demon's Sovereign Step and the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique to their absolute limits.
Though it was a realm he had completed after conquering Murim and undergoing long years of training, he had never once used this power with the sole purpose of striking someone down across both his lives.
It was only natural.
Even a monster like Belzert had fallen to the Latter Half Second Form.
Once he surpassed a certain level, Roman Dmitry had no reason to exert his full strength, no matter what enemy he faced.
And now, he had unleashed his full power.
That devastating blow was something even a god could not escape unscathed.
However.
Rumble.
"...To think this is the power of a human. You are indeed a being who has touched the divine realm."
Beyond the dust cloud, the shadow of a living creature flickered.
The Demon King, who had been in human form when they first met, had now transformed into a colossal monster. Horns sprouted from his head, and his blood-red eyes glowed fiercely. It was the Demon King's true form.
He had clearly sustained significant damage from the previous blow; torn wounds covered his body, and red blood dripped to the ground.
Yet, he laughed.
A mouth massive enough to swallow hundreds of humans at once parted, revealing fierce, gear-like teeth.
"In all my life, I have never met an opponent who forced me to reveal my true form. Even during the Great Chaos of the Demon Realm, the Legion Commanders who shook the realm knelt before my human form. Roman Dmitry. You are a being who has reached the same realm as me. If I had faced you in the Earthly World instead of the Demon Realm, even I could not have guaranteed victory. However..."
Rumble.
Mana boiled up.
His body grew even larger as dark energy surged around him.
"This is my world. If that was your full power, then humans will not be able to escape extinction."
The strike just now.
It must have been his full power.
Knowing this, the Demon King—who had survived facing that full power—was certain of his victory.
However, Roman Dmitry smiled.
His full power had been blocked.
It was clearly a failure, yet he found the situation so incredibly thrilling that he could not hold back his laughter.
"Yes, the strike just now was indeed the full power I could muster."
But there was something people misunderstood.
A swordsman's world was not decided by a single blow.
Only when one defeated an enemy after countless exchanges could they finally claim the title of The Best Under Heaven.
Which meant...
"This is truly delightful."
That the Demon King had blocked his full power did not mean the end.
It simply meant he possessed the bare minimum qualification to trade blows and face him.