Chapter 494: Emergency Meeting (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 494: Emergency Meeting (1)
Perspective changes everything.
Roman Dmitry had taken a forceful stance to save the Directly Controlled Unit. If the Central Government maliciously tried to use this as a pretext for war, he fully intended to wipe them out then and there. In truth, the very existence of the Central Government posed absolutely no threat to him. While Kim Jun-hyeok believed that an all-out war between the Incheon Government and the Central Government carried a slim chance of victory, the reality was that if war broke out, Roman Dmitry could annihilate the Central Government single-handedly.
It was merely a matter of timing.
In a realm that ordinary people could not even begin to comprehend, Roman Dmitry was painting a grand picture in his mind.
But that was a truth Lee Tae-seong and the rest of the Directly Controlled Unit had no way of knowing.
Their perspective was completely different from Roman Dmitry's. Because the very concept of "war" felt so unrealistic to them, they had no choice but to interpret the Central Government's provocation through their own lens.
'An all-out war with the Central Government is nothing short of suicide. Yet, the reason Lord Roman Dmitry is pushing back so hard, even going so far as to declare war, must be to protect our Directly Controlled Unit. What a foolishly noble man. To risk so much, even knowing he is trading the greater good for the sake of the few.'
Emotion welled up tightly in Lee Tae-seong's chest. His feelings surged like a tidal wave.
Until now, South Korea had only ever cared about the safety of those in power, leaving powerless, ordinary people like Lee Tae-seong to watch their families die. That was exactly why he had picked up a sword. Knowing he had to become strong to protect himself, he had sworn loyalty to Kim Jun-hyeok—the man he believed would build the world he envisioned.
And now, he felt a profound, overwhelming gratitude for Roman Dmitry's heart.
Even though abandoning the Directly Controlled Unit would have easily resolved the conflict, Roman's absolute refusal to discard his own people stirred indescribable emotions within him. Looking back, Lee Tae-seong realized he had unconsciously harbored a prejudice against the man. Watching Roman's ruthless hands slaughter the members of Red Moon without so much as a formal report, Lee Tae-seong had assumed Roman was a tyrant who didn't align with the future he envisioned.
He had trusted Kim Jun-hyeok. He had believed that by utilizing Roman Dmitry's sheer power, Kim Jun-hyeok would surely build a strong Incheon.
But Lee Tae-seong's judgment had been flawed.
Roman Dmitry simply drew a definitive, uncrossable line between ally and enemy. Because that distinction was so absolute, he was a walking disaster to his enemies—but to his own people, he was nothing short of perfect.
'This incident has made it clear. Lord Roman Dmitry is not someone who will ever abandon Incheon. He is a man who would willingly leap into a fiery pit to protect his own. If we do not believe in him, who will? For the future of Incheon, Lord Roman Dmitry is absolutely necessary. Even if it costs me my life.'
It all came down to perspective.
Roman Dmitry had mentioned war because he possessed the absolute power to back it up, but Lee Tae-seong believed Roman was mustering suicidal courage for the sake of the Directly Controlled Unit.
And this misconception wasn't unique to him.
While Roman Dmitry and Jo Dal-su exchanged heated words, the members of the Directly Controlled Unit locked eyes with one another, communicating through unspoken agreement. Their thoughts were exactly the same. Watching Roman pressure Assemblyman Jo Dal-su just to save them—witnessing a level of fierce protection that would have been unimaginable in Incheon until today—they barely managed to suppress their welling emotions.
In the end, Jo Dal-su departed.
His parting words cast a lingering shadow of war over the room.
Lee Tae-seong gave the Directly Controlled Unit a silent signal.
'This is our burden to bear. If the future of Incheon is to move forward, we cannot allow ourselves to become a liability.'
There was no longer any reason to hesitate. He dropped heavily to his knees.
Even as Kim Jun-hyeok watched with startled eyes, Lee Tae-seong shouted, his face etched with absolute resolve.
"Please abandon us! We cannot stand by and watch Lord Roman Dmitry and all of Incheon be put in danger for our sake!"
"Please abandon us!"
The members of the Directly Controlled Unit followed Lee Tae-seong's lead, their voices echoing in unison. They were of one mind. The Directly Controlled Unit was now fully prepared to die for Roman Dmitry.
* * *
Lee Tae-seong spoke, his voice trembling with sincerity.
"I know this choice was made for our sake, but antagonizing the Central Government right now is premature. The Great Disaster is just around the corner. A time will surely come when Incheon's power alone will not be enough, and to survive the Great Disaster, we will ultimately have no choice but to compromise with the Central Government. Therefore, please abandon us. Appease the Central Government, and use Lord Roman Dmitry's presence to make yourself an invaluable asset to the current powers instead. If you do that, I will gladly offer my life."
"Please, rescind your decision."
"We do not want to see Incheon fall because of us."
They all raised their voices, their faces pale with worry. They were terrified that this moment—this declaration of war made solely to save them—might become the chains that held Incheon back in the future.
To Roman Dmitry, it was an utterly absurd sight.
If this had been his past life, the moment he mentioned war—or the second Jo Dal-su dared to spit curses at him—Kevin would have severed Jo Dal-su's head from his shoulders, officially signaling the start of the bloodshed.
But the connections of his current life were different.
Since these people did not yet grasp the true depths of Roman Dmitry's strength, they were still trapped within the confines of common sense, no matter how incredible his past exploits had been.
Still, it was a noble spirit.
While he viewed their willingness to sacrifice themselves positively, he knew this was ultimately an issue of trust.
'Perhaps this is only natural.'
In his past life, trust with the people of Dmitry had been built layer by layer. Though he was initially mocked as "The Fool of Dmitry," everything changed starting with the Blood Fang incident. He overthrew the Barco family and led the Southern Front to victory, earning their blind faith. That trust grew exponentially. The steadily accumulating faith formed an impregnable fortress in their hearts, and after seeing how he unfailingly protected his own, they reached a point where they never doubted Roman Dmitry.
When they finally faced the apocalyptic threat of the Demon Realm, even though they knew it was absurd by any metric of common sense, the people marched into the Conquest of the Demon Realm relying solely on their faith in him.
This, too, was merely a matter of time. As the days passed, the bond of trust between himself and Incheon would naturally deepen.
But for now...
'At the very least, they need to know what kind of existence they are choosing to follow.'
They needed a baseline of trust. A catalyst.
Roman Dmitry looked down at them and spoke.
"Rise. From this moment on, I have something to show you."
* * *
They relocated.
Leaving the borders of Seoul behind, they headed deep into a ruined wasteland entirely devoid of human presence.
It was a danger zone.
Standing in a desolate land teeming with monsters, the members of the Directly Controlled Unit were gripped by the suffocating tension of not knowing when they might be ambushed.
Halt.
Roman Dmitry stopped in his tracks. He drew his sword, raised his left palm, and casually sliced it open.
Slash.
Blood welled up and splattered against the ruined asphalt.
Normally, a Hunter would immediately circulate their mana to staunch the bleeding, but Roman intentionally let the crimson liquid flow freely. The thick, metallic scent of blood caught the wind, spreading far and wide across the wasteland. Broadcasting the scent of blood in a danger zone was a strict, unspoken taboo, yet Roman Dmitry calmly watched the scent disperse into the air.
Soon enough.
Grrr.
Growl.
Monsters began to emerge from the ruins. Their numbers quickly swelled into the hundreds.
Drawn to the intentionally released scent like iron filings to a magnet, monsters of various ranks swarmed in from all directions.
Roman Dmitry's mana. To the monsters, it was an irresistible, maddening stimulant.
As the members of the Directly Controlled Unit raised their weapons, their faces pale and taut with tension, Roman Dmitry turned to look at them.
"Strength is relative. You learned that I am strong by losing to me, but the strength you can evaluate from your current level is bound to have limits. Therefore, from this moment on, believe in me."
Rumble!
Boom!
He flared his aura.
Did they know? That in this entirely new life, Roman Dmitry had not used the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique even once.
Though he had spilled rivers of blood—whether against Red Moon or deep within the Ant Cave—he had never once felt his opponents were worthy of the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique.
This was the very first time.
Turning his gaze back forward, he looked at the tidal wave of swarming monsters.
"Incheon will change because of me. The Great Disaster will not bring Incheon down, and a mere entity like the Central Government will pose no problem at all."
Step.
He took a single step forward.
And then.
'Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - Latter Half First Form.'
A single strike.
Mana detonated.
Before the wide, trembling eyes of the Directly Controlled Unit, the explosive power erupting from Roman Dmitry's blade swept away every living thing in its path.
Crash!
Boom! Boom!
Kaboom!
Total annihilation.
It was a sight that completely shattered the very foundation of common sense. A shocking, apocalyptic spectacle that they could scarcely believe, even as they witnessed it with their own two eyes.
* * *
They returned to Incheon.
Gathered together in their quarters, the members of the Directly Controlled Unit all wore identical, dazed expressions, as if their souls had been temporarily separated from their bodies.
"...What on earth did I just see?"
"Hundreds of monsters... annihilated in a single strike."
"Is that even realistically possible?"
A single strike. It had shattered everything they thought they knew about the world.
Roman Dmitry had created an opportunity to prove himself, and the sight of him vaporizing hundreds of monsters in the blink of an eye had left the Directly Controlled Unit in a state of utter shock. It made no sense. High-ranking beasts had been among the horde lured by the scent of blood, yet even those terrifying monsters had been swept away as easily as mere F-rank fodder.
It was a realm beyond the heavens. A level of power that could not be quantified by ordinary Hunter ranks.
Even the legendary S-ranks that people spoke of with such reverence fell hopelessly short of the single strike Roman Dmitry had just displayed.
Only then did it finally click.
The way he had so casually mentioned war. They had assumed it was merely a political threat to pressure his opponent, but now they realized he had been entirely, terrifyingly serious.
"...This is truly an unrealistic situation."
It was Lee Tae-seong. As he kept replaying the memory in his mind, a hollow, disbelieving laugh escaped his lips.
Come to think of it, Roman Dmitry had never once hidden his power.
He had wiped out Red Moon in an instant during their first conflict, subjugated the Ant Cave entirely on his own, and struck back with lethal force when Moon Tae-jun first tried to pressure him using the Central Government. All of his words and actions stemmed from a place of absolute power. The reason a mere individual could make demands of Incheon, and remain consistently confident while doing so, was because an alliance was entirely advantageous to Incheon, not the other way around.
All of Lee Tae-seong's lingering doubts evaporated.
The actions he had previously deemed nonsensical or foolishly arrogant made perfect, terrifying sense when predicated on such absurd martial might.
Lee Tae-seong spoke, his voice ringing with newfound conviction.
"Through this incident, we have confirmed two absolute facts. First, Lord Roman Dmitry will never abandon Incheon. He is a man who would sooner choose war with the Central Government than lose those who follow him. At the very least, under his command, we will never suffer the fate of being discarded like used hunting dogs once the hunt is over. Therefore, we must show Lord Roman Dmitry the exact same level of loyalty we show the Mayor."
The members of the Directly Controlled Unit nodded fervently. Everyone agreed. The mental barriers that had prevented them from fully accepting him were completely shattered following that single event.
"Second, we must never doubt Lord Roman Dmitry's power again. His strength has surpassed any category we can possibly conceive. Just as he casually taught Kang Min-ho the Asura Mind Method and the Asura Sword Technique, and just as he allowed us to be taught his techniques... in the world he lives in, the standard of strength defies ordinary logic. Therefore, from now on, we follow Lord Roman Dmitry blindly. For the future of Incheon, we must place our absolute trust in the two beings we serve."
"I agree."
"This opportunity has made me truly trust Lord Roman Dmitry as well."
The atmosphere in the room grew heated. Everyone's blood was pumping with sheer excitement.
The future of Incheon was blindingly bright. They simply could not contain their joy at the realization that an existence like Roman Dmitry was standing at the vanguard of their city.
As they were revelling in their newfound faith, a staff member from the Incheon Government approached the Directly Controlled Unit's quarters.
"From now on, we will be distributing the swords personally crafted and enhanced by Lord Roman Dmitry. These have been specially prepared for the thirty-one members of the Directly Controlled Unit, so please step forward one by one to receive your weapon."
"Swords?"
"He made swords for us?"
The members of the Directly Controlled Unit murmured among themselves.
Lee Tae-seong suddenly recalled a passing memory. Come to think of it, hadn't Roman Dmitry shut himself inside a forge for the past month, claiming he was going to forge weapons?
Honestly, Lee Tae-seong didn't have high expectations.
Having just witnessed Roman Dmitry's god-like martial prowess, he couldn't imagine that a man who spent all his time reaching the absolute pinnacle of strength would also possess outstanding blacksmithing skills. There simply weren't enough hours in a lifetime.
However, Lee Tae-seong turned and spoke to the entire Directly Controlled Unit.
"This is a gift from Lord Roman Dmitry's heart. No matter the quality of the blades, you will receive them with the utmost gratitude."
"Understood!"
"Of course, we will receive them gratefully."
He did not know.
Not yet.
He had no idea that compared to the unwavering, absolute faith of the people from Roman's past life, their current level of trust was still vastly insufficient.